Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2005/12/06

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Subject: [Leica] Salgado' s work--reflection
From: bdcolen at comcast.net (B. D. Colen)
Date: Tue Dec 6 07:53:41 2005

Ohmigod - don't anyone criticize a master photographer! ;-)


On 12/6/05 10:35 AM, "Mark Rabiner" <mark@rabinergroup.com> wrote:

>> I agree that Salgado's work is the work of a master.  That said, to my 
>> mind
>> his exhibitions also have the a feeling I can only describe as one of
>> ponderous monumentality, like watching a made-for-IMAX movie.  This
>> reinforces his narrative, but also leaves me with
>> 
>> the feeling that the viewer is not left much room to process her own
>> reactions or make independent judgments. It feels more like advertising 
>> than
>> classic documentary work, more tendentious than revelatory.  His narrative
>> content tends to focus on big ideas, not on individual
>> 
>> stories.  One doesn't get the feeling that his subjects are much by way of
>> individual beings to Salgado, that they may have dimensions to their lives
>> beyond mass suffering. To my mind he also needs to be much more ruthless 
>> in
>> his editing.  Epic scope and scale plus overwhelming volume can actually
>> blot out the complexity and nuance of human elements; it can certainly
>> fatigue and overload.
> 
> PMCC.
> SF, CA
> 
> NO ARCHIVE
> 
> 
> There's no epic scope and big ideas and not individual stories or mass
> suffering in his many shots of individual people. The kids for instance. Or
> very small groups.
> 
> Black and white Shots with rich blacks in the print of huge open pits of
> thousands of minors climbing up walls with sacks of rocks over the 
> shoulders
> sure. That's very powerful and very memorable and overwhelming. But the
> other smaller scale stuff is of course much more personal. I find this 
> vague
> strange criticisms of a master photographer. Master photographers get hit
> from all directions from people sniping at them on the internet who are not
> qualified to bring them coffee or hold their camera bag. If this applies to
> the writer of this one I have no way of knowing - this is not directed
> personally and is of course a generalization.
> 
> 
> 
> Mark Rabiner
> Photography
> Portland Oregon
> http://rabinergroup.com/
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
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Replies: Reply from jgovindaraj at eth.net (Jayanand Govindaraj) ([Leica] Salgado' s work--reflection)