Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2000/09/12

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Subject: [Leica] Re: Sontag et al
From: "Dave Fisher" <tekapo@golden.net>
Date: Tue, 12 Sep 2000 16:01:21 -0400
References: <200009110414.VAA01504@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us>

> From: ARTHURWG@aol.com
> Subject: Re: [Leica] Sontag et al
> Message-ID: <11.8f6a453.26ed814d@aol.com>
> References:
>
> I re-read "On Photography" last year, for the first time since it was
written
> in the 1970's. At that time I thought it was very interesting and smart.
This
> time I was stunned! This has got to be one of the best investigations of
> photography ever!  I don't see it as directly related to my own pictures,
> exactly. But I think she was right about so many things, made me consider
and
> reconsider so many things, that it has  to some degree  changed my
> picture-taking. Arthur

Took a photography course as part of environmental studies/architecture at
university and the course curriculum had two required readings -- one was an
introductory technical book, the other was Sontag's "On Photography." I'd
been taking photos for a number of years and thought I knew it all. The text
book I didn't really need, since I already had many. And Sontag's book I
dismissed early as pedantic bunkum. Went back to it years later, and I am
not ashamed to admit that I was ignorant. I don't agree with everything she
asserts, but I admire her guts for saying it, and yes, there's lots of
provocative thinking going on there. A smart instructor for making it
required reading, I've always thought.

Replies: Reply from Bill Satterfield <cwsat@cyberhighway.net> (Re: [Leica] Re: Sontag et al)