[Leica] Re: Adams, Weston, and... Welch?

["Bruce Feldman" <brucef@waw.pdi.net>]

I don't think HCB is an enemy of the wilderness, Eric.  I think what he
thought was that, as photographers, Adams and Weston were self-indulgent and
escapist, and that a photographer needs to be in the world and of the world.
I don't have his direct quote, but it was something like "The world is going
to pot while Adams and Weston are out there pondering rocks."  As
technically beautiful as the typical landscape of Adams is, to me it is like
a stage with no actors.  I appreciate the brilliance of both photographers,
I really do, but I think I understand where HCB was coming from there.

Regards,

Bruce Feldman
Warsaw







- ----- Original Message -----
From: Eric Welch <ewelch@ponyexpress.net>
To: <leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us>
Sent: Thursday, March 18, 1999 6:18 PM
Subject: Re: [Leica] Re: On Excessive Sharpness


>At 08:44 AM 3/18/99 +0100, you wrote:
>
>>HCB was right-on when he trashed Weston and Adams for trying
>>to separate form from substance, but that's another issue; I'm game if you
>>are :-)
>
>Who said they did that? Well, maybe Weston. It is an inaccurate assertion
>in the first place, and simply ignorance of the life experiences outside of
>Europe which has no primeval (old-growth) forest or vast tracts of
>wilderness to make such a ludicrous claim. Adams used his photography for
>the benefit of conservation and wilderness protection. The James Watt
>school of ecological eschatology might claim there is not future use for
>such, but many of us find in Adams' work a ring of truth from our own life
>experiences.
>
>Eric Welch
>St. Joseph, MO
>http://www.ponyexpress.net/~ewelch
>
>Buddhist to hotdog vendor: "Make me One with everything"
>