Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2000/12/10
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]I meant, "no accounting for taste in what people buy" (referring to the post WWII work). I mean, Gilbert & George?! I am much more enthusiastic about Pierre et Gilles... er... But you're right - the world's greatest pictures are 99% photographer and 1% equipment. Dan Post wrote: > Dante- > At the risk of ticking you off! Let me say that even though I love Leicas, > and enjoy the marque for many reasons, I have used other cameras, and have > gotten good results, awards, kudos and derisive laughter all with other > brands- so I am still firmly convinced the photographer is the real secret > behind a good photograph. > Erwin has many times demonstrated that the Leica glass is about the best for > accurately recording an image, but if the photographer there when the image > happens is not using a Leica- it still doesn't mean the image is not goign > to be a 'winner'! It may, or may not have been a better image if the > photographer used a Leica, but we don't know. He may be like me, uxe a film > like Tri-x with grain like oatmeal, and a slow shutter speed, and the > resulting resolution might be the same as if I used a lens hand ground from > the bottom of a Lagavulin bottle! > Too bad Tina is not on the list- she does use Leica, and to amazingly good > effect! However- if she were hard press and bandidos made off with her Leica > kit, I bet you dollars to donuts that she could take a Canon, and a f1.2 > lens, and with a little bit of skill, of which she is endowed, still make > eyecatching and stunning shots that when seen on the web would be > indistinguishable from what she normally does! Heck, the front of the Canon > might not even fall off into the mud! > The fact that she uses Leica means only two things to me- > One, she must feel comfortable with the tool, and knows how to use it. I > know some people who can take the finest cabinet chisel and do nothing more > than destroy a piece of wood. I remember as a child watching old Mr. > Laughridge, who had just broken a hammer handle- take a billet of hickory, > and after roughing out a new handle with his pocket knife, proceeded to > finish and smooth it with a piece of broken glass! Voila! Back to work! > Two- I reckon she uses Leica because she likes to Schmooze with the likes of > us, and enjoys the camaraderie since she lives in such a backwater place > as-<GULP> South Carolina!!! > > Normally, I seem to identify more with Erwins 'black sheep' brother, Hubert- > but this time I think Erwin, in his roundabout way, is absolutely right! > It'll be interesting to see! > > Dan (Thinking of putting a red alligator grain cover on a black painted > IIIc!!) Post > > NB - as Fernando used to say,"It's more important to LOOK good, than to FEEL > good!" > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Dante A Stella" <dante@umich.edu> > To: <leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us>; "Erwin Puts" <imxputs@knoware.nl> > Cc: <leica@topica.com> > Sent: Sunday, December 10, 2000 11:59 AM > Subject: Re: [Leica] Auction results > > > > > There's no accounting for taste! > > > > Which was the most-represented type in 1940-1960 - was it the Speed > Graphic, > > the Contax, or something else? I'm guessing in that period it was > something > > 4x5 or larger, since 35mm cameras were still scoffed at. > > > > Dante > > > > Erwin Puts wrote: > > > > > After discussing WWII and the bombing of Dresden, (neo)nazis, > pornography > > > and a slew of other topics, that are intimately related to the use of > Leica > > > cameras, maybe this list is really off-topic. Below is a list of the top > ten > > > current photographers, as ranked by their combined auction sales. > > > Cindy Sherman, USA, 1954 > > > Thomas Struth. Germany, 1954 > > > Andreas Gursky, Germany, 1955 > > > Gibert & George, UK, 1943/1942 > > > Charles Ray, USA, 1953 > > > Nan Goldin, USA, 1953 > > > Richard Prince, USA, 1949 > > > Andres Serrano, USA, 1950 > > > Bruce Nauman, USA, 1941 > > > Thomas Ruff, Germany, 1958. > > > > > > The ranking of old masters is: > > > Gustave Le Gray, France, 1820 > > > Edward Weston, USA, 1886 > > > Man Ray, USA/Fr, 1890 > > > Paul Strand, USA, 1890 > > > Laszlo Moholy-Nagy, Hungary, 1895 > > > Edward Steichen, USA, 1897 > > > Hippolyte Bayard, Fr, 1801 > > > Alfred Stieglitz, USA, 1864 > > > Ansel Adams, USA, 1902 > > > Andre Kertesz, Hungary/USA, 1894 > > > > > > With the possible exception of some work by Kertesz, no Leica > photographers > > > among these top twenty. > > > And note the very fertile years from 1950 to 1955 and the period 1885 to > > > 1895, > > > According to this very crude statistic, the next generation of famous > > > photographers will be born around 2010 and use a digital camera? > > > > > > Erwin > > > >