Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2000/11/14

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Subject: Re: [Leica] Kodachrome 200 discontinued
From: Dean Chance <mreyebal@pacbell.net>
Date: Tue, 14 Nov 2000 08:11:40 +0000

on 11/14/00 7:46 AM, Mark Rabiner at mark@rabiner.cncoffice.com wrote:

> Martin Howard wrote:
>> <Snip>  Don't like that
>> over-saturated Velvia look at all.
>> 
>> M.
>> 
> I burn my eyes out going over slides on my largelight table and then I go
> outside and head down the street but:
> I am immediately stuck by how barely blue the sky is and how not so green the
> grass is and everything is muted and soft
> not backlit.
> Wish they made a film called Boring Actuality 400. I don't' mind things at all
> the way they really are.
> mark rabiner
> :)
> http://spokenword.to/rabiner/
> who put all the colors in there we all know the real world is black and white?

Actually,they do. I find that Kodak Elite Chrome 100 purchased in bulk at
Costo or some other warehouse store manages to look kind of drab, especially
when compared to Provia, Velvia, etc. Also, try any no-name-o brands of
print and slide film you see around. Buying expired film is another
strategy. (Big advantage: besides providing that cheap look, these films are
also cheap.) It takes some work to get that spectacularly blah look, but
it's worth it. When I shoot a job (rare event) on pro chromes, the pictures
look like they're on steroids to me.

I like the way the real world looks, too. I love the mundane. I always
thought you didn't have to go to Africa for National Geographic to be a
photographer. I photograph the most ordinary stuff I can find - fast food,
people ironing, the inside of refrigerators (a fascinating subject - you
learn so much about the owners), dirty dishes, etc. I am going to San
Francisco and Sausalito for a few days on business, but you won't find me
waiting for magic light at the Golden Gate. I'll be photographing the
interior of my hotel room.

I thought all of this was wildly original, of course, until somebody gave me
a copy of a book called "Suburbia" by Bill Owens. A wonderful look at dirty
dishes, people doing chores, cookouts, garages, orindary people doing
ordinary things etc., back in the 70s. Great stuff. My spiritual father, I
guess.

I just read that purposely perverse Magnum photographer Martin Parr has gone
to a town called "Boring" (I think it's in Oregon) and photographed
everything that had the word "Boring" on it - "Boring City Hall," "Boring
Hospital," etc. What a great project. Wish I'd thought of it. Parr has two
books featuring his collection of really awful picture post cards called,
yes, "Boring Postcards." These cards feature the worst photography and worst
color I have ever seen. It inspired me beyond belief.

dc

Replies: Reply from Mark Rabiner <mark@rabiner.cncoffice.com> (Re: [Leica] Kodachrome 200 discontinued)