RE: [Leica] Family of Man II

["B. D. Colen" <bdcolen@earthlink.net>]

To continue down a track I started down yesterday...

Dorothea Lange, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Edward Weston, Wayne Miller, Robert
Doisneau, Lennart Nilsson, Bill Brandt, David Douglas Duncan, Barbara
Morgan, Elliot Erwitt, Russell Lee, Gioni Mili, Alfred Eisenstaedt, Dmitri
Kessel, August Sander, Carl Mydans,  Homer Page, W. Eugene Smith, Ansel
Adams,  Robert Capa, Jack Delano, Diane Arbus,  Ruth Orkin, Burt Glinn,
Edward Steichen, David "Chim" Syemour,  Eve Arnold, Irving Penn,  Harry
Callahan, Ruth Orkin, Ernst Haas, Ralph Crane,   Ben  Shahn,  Robert Frank

....Is there a point here? Yes....As much as I think this is a wonderful
project, and would like to contribute to it, I think it needs some really
serious rethinking in terms of what it is going to be and what it is going
to mean to whom.
1. We collectively are not "them" -see above;
2. "They" did not gather together and set out
over a period of time to take the photos. Rather,
Steichen gathered at least 30 years worth of
often iconic images from the best photographers
in the world;
3. One of the reason for the exhibit's - and book's  - impact is that so
many of the images were already considered iconic and were already so
familiar to viewers;
4.  See Susan Sontag's discussion of The Family of Man;
5. If this project is really going to be any thing special and have any
impact beyond the LUG, we can't be thinking in terms of "can my wife take
some photos with her Leica P&S." I don't say that to be a insulting, and
hope it isn't taken that way, but this has to be the best of the best of the
work produced by LUGers, if that's what it is. If a P&S shot by a LUGer's
spouse falls into that catagory, great, if not...
6. I would not limit this to photos taken with Leica equipment, but rather
to photo's taken by LUGers who use Leica equipment. Presumably the vast
majority of what turns up will be taken with Leicas, but there are a number
of folks on this list who use Leicas and other equipment - and I don't just
mean myself, but rather am refering to folks like Harrison,Steve L., etc.,
who are among the best on the LUG.

Anyway, just think of the above as a few "pearls" cast by a swine, and think
a bit more about this project...and how we might tone down what I would
suggest is the hubris involved at this point.

P.S....And of course there are some LUGers who belong on any list like that
up top...:-)

B. D.



> -----Original Message-----
> From: owner-leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us
> [mailto:owner-leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us]On Behalf Of Walter S
> Delesandri
> Sent: Thursday, October 12, 2000 10:58 AM
> To: leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us
> Cc: leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us
> Subject: Re: [Leica] Family of Man II
>
>
> , we're going
> > to get every damn twitchy assed political correct person coming
> down on it
> > because the title implies it's not right according to the
> "politically correct
> > standards of 2000!"
> >
> > And I bet I'm going to get my ass flamed for this, but I've
> reached a time in
> > my life when I don't give a hoop! Send on the fire and
> brimstone!  The title
> > should stand as "Family of Man II!" and those who don't like it need not
> > participate or take jump in the ocean!  Like I said, take yer pick!
> >
> > You can only satisfy some of the people some of the time,  to
> hell with the
> > rest! Leica's away for the Family of Man II! Damn the slings
> and arrows full
> > speed a head! Or something like that.
> >
> > ted
> >
> > Damn, I like this geezer more every day...I'd take him up on his l998
> offer for a visit if he didn't live in that big cold-assed foreign
> country....
> Walt
>
>
>
>