Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1999/09/30

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Subject: RE: [Leica] Perhaps HCB isn't as outstanding a portraitist as he was a "street photographer - and other heretical thoughts
From: Eric Welch <ewelch@ponyexpress.net>
Date: Thu, 30 Sep 1999 10:19:04 -0500

At 10:27 AM 9/30/99 +0000, B. D. Colen wrote:
>On the other hand, I can look at some of another earlier Lifer -
>Eugene Smith's - work and be blown away by it (even with the darkroom
>manipulation and some of the setting up, the Pittsburgh stuff remains
>absolutely remarkable, as does some of his WWII work, etc.)

Yep, but he was like Kertesz, way ahead of his time. And long before 
photojournalism ethics had solidified. In the late 60s, Gene Smith was with 
the program, condemning set-up pictures, sometimes being called to task for 
doing it with a historically savvy crowd. Cynics would claim that negates 
his earlier work. I don't think so. He was remarkable.

But look at Margaret Bourke-White's work. I don't find most of it any more 
remarkable than Eisenstandt's.

Eric Welch
St. Joseph, MO

http://www.ponyexpress.net/~ewelch

The race isn't always to the swift, nor the battle to the Strong...
But that's the way to bet.