[Leica] RE: was Multiple Bodies, now cropping-phooey!

[tedgrant at shaw.ca (Ted Grant)]

David Mason offered:
Subject: Re: [Leica] RE: was Multiple Bodies, now cropping-phooey!


> OK - If I hadn't made enemies before... I probably will now, but here
> goes. I simply don't like Ansel Adam's work and never have. Certainly
> they are beautiful places and he made great photos of those places but
> they do almost nothing for me. I just don't get it, sorry. Plus they
> are sooooooo overplayed (which is not his fault of course).<<<<<<<<<<

Hi Dave,
Yer such a bad boy sayin' that stuff about the World's Greatest dark room 
technician! ;-) Boy the darkroom techies will get you by the Zone 64 and 
they're goin' to zone you into a bottle of fixer!! .:-)  :-) :-)

You might be getting "mooned by the Hernandez if yer not careful!" ;-)

While visiting a buddy of mine in London a few years back, he at the time 
was working for Reuter's wire service heard there was an Ansel Exhibition so 
we went to see what the great rock & fern photographer's work looked like up 
close and in yer face. Of course we both were of the same opinion, that 
without question he was an incredible darkroom technician and that's why his 
prints and photos got all the praise. He also appeared to have the best 
"marketing crew" in the world and still has.

In any event, there we both were with an M6 Leica hanging off a shoulder 
checking out the prints. It was like being in a tomb, everyone was dead 
silent.... accept us! :-)  "Denis, look at this one, it's the same rock in 
the picture over there!"  And we were having a ball pulling tails as wild as 
we dare amongst these groupies who were wetting their pants over the prints. 
Peeing in silence one might say! ;-)

"Yeah he's not bad but I wonder if they have Gene Smith's beautiful real 
photography around here?" Denis the younger, blurted this out just loud 
enough that someone complained about those two "over their being derogatory 
about the Master!" So we were asked to leave! Damn, they were serious and 
we'd hardly said a word.  Only the truth! :-) The Brits and Ansel groupies 
have no sense of humour and take all this "great photographer" stuff way to 
seriously.

Hell he was just a photographer like everyone else, but without question the 
best damn darkroom guy I've ever seen in my life.

On the way out, escorted to the door of course, ;-) we passed a huge stack 
of Ansel books for sale, when Denis says out loud, "Oh wait there's a book I 
want."  Then walked right by the Ansel books taking a large copy of the 
Eugene Smith book, "Let Truth be the Prejudice"  and once again out loud, 
"Now this guy really knew how to take pictures!"  Smiled as he got his money 
out to pay for it. I couldn't resist went over and got a copy for myself. 
:-) Sacrilege! ;-)

The "rock & fern" folks were agog at these two scoundrels, with Leica's of 
course, ;-)  making a big thing out of Smith and his picture taking when 
they were displaying the "Master" in the gallery!

OK Dave now you wont be alone in the glue! ;-)

ted