Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2002/08/05
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]My Dear Lord Phillips: What's this? I leave you alone for a few days and return to find that you've proven my point! Your Humble Servant, James - -- Jim- http://www.hemenway.com Stuart Phillips wrote: > > James: > > There's nothing wrong with my vision. > > A young woman wins a number of prestigious international prizes for > photography. I've never seen her work before. I approach her work and > try to understand her vision. I read her statement(s) of purpose and > try to understand what she is communicating. I give her power by > assuming that she has approved presentation of her work on the two sites > that I was pointed to, Leica's and www.in-public.com, and take it for > what it is. I don't try to fit it into what you call my "cynical > personal vision". > > I don't try to compensate for my pathetically closed mind by trying to > troubleshoot her monitor settings - (or assume her meters not working > for God's sake). But your so right Jim - she's sitting on the beach, > saying to herself, "Damn, if I'd only got my settings right, my pictures > would look like everyone else's.) So too dark. Yes, and Picasso's Blue > Period was too blue. While we're at it, Gene Smith could have lightened > up the back ground in "Mad Eyes" so we can see what else is going on. > Perhaps the fact that they don't follow your precious under any "normal > photographic standards" is the reason she's gathering up the prizes. I > think she's very talented. What's cynical about that? But hey, you've > definitely got the beginnings of an aesthetic there. Look at a photo. > Second guess at everything that could be changed until it resembles what > you think a photo should look like, then wonder why it got a prize. > > If that's too abrasive, you've been watching too much TV news. > > BTW I work in a cross-platform shop, and I don't understand why you are > jumping to silly defensive conclusions about Macs? > > Stuart Phillips > > -----Original Message----- > From: Jim Hemenway [mailto:jim@hemenway.com] > Sent: Friday, August 02, 2002 8:51 PM > To: leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us > Subject: Re: [Leica] WOW! > > Stuart: > > You can get off of your pulpit. No one was condescending, it's just > your cynical personal vision of people's intentions. > > I have Macs and prefer them and simply mentioned that it's possible that > she forgot to adjust the photos on her website for the larger PC > community... that's if she had created it on a Mac. > > Several people said that they were too dark, not just "a couple." > > Go LOOK AT HER WEBSITE, not the great beach shots, and then tell us that > many of those pictures are not too dark under any normal photographic > standards. > > For several days you've been abrasive in many of your comments. Why not > just lurk for awhile and adjust your attitude? > > It must be so hard for someone like you to put up with us inferior > creatures. > > -- > Jim - http://www.hemenway.com > > Stuart Phillips wrote: > > > > It's really bizarre that the first thought that came to a couple of > > people on the list is that her photos were a result of technical > > malfunctions. Gee was it a faulty meter or the fact she's working on a > > Mac. Or maybe she's not telling her story quite clearly enough. How > > condescending. More likely we're not even her intended audience. > > > > Stuart Phillips > > > > -----Original Message----- > > From: Ted Grant [mailto:tedgrant@shaw.ca] > > Sent: Friday, August 02, 2002 6:39 PM > > To: leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us > > Subject: Re: [Leica] WOW! > > > > Kim wrote: > > > > >>> I'm not a pj, so help me out here. > > > > > > Is it that her work isn't....accurate enough? > > > > > > Is it that she's not telling a story? > > > > > > I guess I'm asking is it that you think her skills (whether > technical > > or > > > compostional) aren't up to par or is it the ....content and format > fly > > in > > the > > > face of "traditional" photojournalism?<<< > > > > Hi Kim, > > Good questions and from my point of view as a photojournalist I'll put > a > > personal spin to them > > > > > Is it that her work isn't....accurate enough?<<< > > Nope, it's different and accurate enough in her eyes. In mine? Well > it's > > difficult, as I don't see it as I've shot my work for 50 years as a > > published photographer. > > > > >>> Is it that she's not telling a story?<< > > To some degree, but these days everyone thinks they're > photojournalists > > with > > a collection of single pictures, which wasn't the meaning originally > of > > photojournalist, "a story teller with pictures generally on one > subject > > ." > > And what we see in the pictures presented are a collection of > > photographs > > shot some what in "art fashion" instead, as what's considered > > photojournalism. > > > > >>> I guess I'm asking is it that you think her skills (whether > > technical or > > > compostional) aren't up to par or is it the ....content and format > fly > > in > > the > > > face of "traditional" photojournalism?<<< > > > > No I think her skills are well up to par because if they weren't, then > > she's > > one damn lucky photographer to capture the photographs we see. They're > > consistent in technique, so she's got the skills and then some. > Actually > > I'd > > like to see more of what she shoots on a daily basis and not a > selection > > of > > pictures shot over a period of time.. > > > > Well the content certainly flies in the face of what's "traditional" > > photojournalism, certainly if you consider telling a story on a > subject > > as > > traditional. That doesn't mean she's not a photojournalist, as she may > > do > > major photo stories and that's where the PJ title comes from > > > > Put what you see here up against what was considered photojournalism > in > > the > > old LIFE magazine then the subjects are miles apart. Again this > doesn't > > mean she's not good. > > > > As Tina pointed out she's working as a staff shooter: > > > > >>But she works as a PJ - on staff at the Sydney Morning Herald. "Now > > based > > in Sydney, Narelle is a staff photographer at the Sydney Morning > Herald. > > Previously, she worked at the Adelaide Advertiser. She was the > principal > > photographer for News Limited's London bureau and freelanced in the > > USA."<<<< > > > > What would be interesting is, what she shoots for the paper and not > what > > we > > see here. Question is, is she winning these awards for what she > shoots > > daily as a staff photographer or what's here? And if this is the kind > of > > thing being published, to what amount is the work used? > > > > Or what we see on her website, is it a " personal photo project" Or > is > > it > > being shot for illustrations as her regularly published work? > > > > Not sure if this answers any of your questions and making a judgement > > call > > on another photographer, certainly one who's won these awards, makes > for > > the > > sound of sour grapes, so one must be very careful how one responds! > ;-) > > > > ted > > > > -- > > To unsubscribe, see > http://mejac.palo-alto.ca.us/leica-users/unsub.html > > -- > > To unsubscribe, see > http://mejac.palo-alto.ca.us/leica-users/unsub.html > -- > To unsubscribe, see http://mejac.palo-alto.ca.us/leica-users/unsub.html > -- > To unsubscribe, see http://mejac.palo-alto.ca.us/leica-users/unsub.html - -- To unsubscribe, see http://mejac.palo-alto.ca.us/leica-users/unsub.html