Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2006/03/21
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Yeah, but he likes guns, BD. Let's not get too soft on him. :-) Daniel On 3/21/06, B. D. Colen <bdcolen@comcast.net> wrote: > Walt, your kindness and generosity of spirit know no bounds > > > On 3/21/06 1:04 PM, "Walt Johnson" <walt@waltjohnson.com> wrote: > > > B.D.: > > > > Having survived the last few days of "mindless banter" (I did my share) > > here on the LUG taught me something. Just finished reading your last > > post and firmed up my otherwise flighty thoughts. You are one hell of a > > fine writer and have that gift you mentioned yourself. I only hope your > > students and those here will pay close attention. > > > > Walt > > > >> Hi, Barney - Of course I don't think that people shouldn't try. But try > >> to > >> be what, and try what? > >> > >> Yes, one has to be pretty hopeless in many ways not to be able to take a > >> "decent" photograph. But I firmly believe that to go much beyond that > >> one > >> has to have some sort of inborn 'gift,' just as I believe that to be > >> able to > >> write well, play music well, paint well, one has to have a 'gift.' In > >> photography, that 'gift' is an 'eye ' - no, I can't define any of this. > >> > >> No one I know of has HCB's 'eye.' So why try to be HCB? Study his work? > >> Absolutely. Try to figure out what it is about it that makes it so > >> special? > >> Sure. Try to emulate that "specialness" in your own work? Sure. But > >> given > >> that most people think of HCB as a 'photo journalist,' or a documentary > >> photographer, rather than as an 'art photographer,' how in (*)_*(_ are > >> they > >> going to even attempt to emulate him? ;-) I know, for example, that many > >> people think very highly of HCB's portraits; I don't. I think that, as a > >> body work, they are - with a few very obvious examples - his weakest > >> work. > >> Why? Because they required directly engaging with people, and I don't > >> think > >> that people particularly interested old Henri - I think he was far more > >> interested in people's physical form, and the images he could create > >> using > >> their forms as compositional elements. > >> > >> I believe, that rather than trying to emulate our photographic 'heroes' > >> - > >> and we all have them - we have to get them out of our heads so that we > >> can, > >> as you so sagely observe, find our own voices. > >> > >> But beyond all that, I made my first comment in response to what I few > >> as > >> this nonsensical apparent belief that emulating HCB has something to do > >> with > >> equipment. Why is that nonsensical? Because if I believe that if he had > >> been > >> photographing during the last 20 years of his life, rather than drawing > >> - > >> and what does that tell you? - HCB would have been photographing with > >> the > >> latest M bodies and the latest Leica glass - and his images would have > >> had a > >> different look than his earlier images, shot with softer lenses, had. > >> > >> Best > >> B. D. > >> > >> > >> On 3/21/06 11:35 AM, "Barney Quinn" <bquinn@sgi.com> wrote: > >> > >> > >> > >>> B.D., > >>> > >>> I think that every artist - in any field - has to find his or her own > >>> voice, > >>> and I think that another way of thinking of learning to be a > >>> photographer, a > >>> writer, a musician, or an artist is that it as a journey toward finding > >>> one's > >>> own voice. Learning to take pictures in the style of HCB, write music > >>> in the > >>> style of Beethoven, or paint pictures that look like Monet is an > >>> useful part > >>> of the journey because it requires thinking about what you are > >>> perceiving > >>> and > >>> then working out how to use the various technical things available to > >>> you so > >>> that you can reproduce it. Beyond that I am wondering about the > >>> creative > >>> value > >>> of imitating the work of a great master. Imitation may be the > >>> sincerest form > >>> of flattery, but HCB was already there and already did that. > >>> > >>> I think that in one sense you are exactly right. I play the cello in my > >>> secret > >>> life. To play like Yo-Yo Ma or Pierre Fournier or any master you should > >>> choose > >>> to name probably really does require both that you be born with some > >>> special > >>> gifts, start your education while still quite young, and that you > >>> devote > >>> hours > >>> and hours and hours to learning your art. Fair enough. But, there's an > >>> exclusionary implication to this arguement which I also think needs to > >>> be > >>> put > >>> on the table. That's this. The blunt truth is that most of us aren't > >>> born > >>> with > >>> the gifts to be virtuosi in any field. But, that doesn't mean that one > >>> can't > >>> learn. There are very few tone deaf people. There are very few people > >>> who, > >>> if > >>> they are motivated, can't learn to play the cello well enough to play > >>> in a > >>> community orchestra, and there are some surprisingly good community > >>> orchestras > >>> around. There are very few people who, if they are willing to put in > >>> the > >>> effort, can't learn to take decent photographs. > >>> > >>> I know that you didn't say that people can't learn, and I know that you > >>> don't > >>> believe that. I just wanted to say that just because most of us aren't > >>> born > >>> with the special gifts of HCB doesn't mean that we shouldn't try. I am > >>> under > >>> no illusions about the absolute level of my abilities as either a > >>> cellist or > >>> a > >>> photographer. But, I think that the arts are of vital importance. I > >>> have no > >>> idea why. It's just what I think. And, I think that learning to take > >>> pictures, > >>> write, play, whatever, is a wonderful journey and I think that each > >>> person > >>> who > >>> goes on that journey makes the world a better place in ways I cant' > >>> explain. > >>> And I definitly think that the world would be a much better place if > >>> more > >>> people spent their time trying to learn to create rather then shooting > >>> at > >>> each > >>> other. > >>> > >>> Sorry, just felt like posting something this morning,. > >>> > >>> Barney > >>> > >>> > >>> > >>> > >>> "B. D. Colen" wrote: > >>> > >>> > >>> > >>>> The only way to get photos "like HCB" has nothing to do with what > >>>> lenses > >>>> you have in a drawer, or what camera you use them on; it is to be > >>>> born with > >>>> his artistic ability and sensibility. HCB would have shot "like HCB no > >>>> matter what equipment he had used, as long as that equipment had > >>>> allowed > >>>> him to realize his vision. I'd concentrate on developing the vision, > >>>> not > >>>> trying to ape the style. ;-) > >>>> B. D. > >>>> ___ > >>>> Sent with SnapperMail > >>>> www.snappermail.com > >>>> > >>>> ...... Original Message ....... > >>>> On Mon, 20 Mar 2006 20:13:17 -0800 Richard > >>>> <richard-lists@imagecraft.com> > >>>> wrote: > >>>> "Why not, we all have at least a Leica body or lens right? > >>>> " > >>>> "Most of us suffer from equipment-itis, you know, the urge to say, > >>>> "If I > >>>> "only have that XYZ, I can get that photo just like what's his name > >>>> HCB!" I > >>>> "contend that this is harder to do if you start the Leica obsession > >>>> late so > >>>> "you don't already have a drawer full of Elmars, Summicrons, etc. I > >>>> mean if > >>>> "the drawer already has a few ASPH 'luxes or 'crons of different focal > >>>> "lengths, there aren't a whole lot of (logical) reasons to get > >>>> anything > >>>> else! > >>>> " > >>>> "Discuss,... or not. > >>>> " > >>>> "// richard (This email is for mailing lists. To reach me directly, > >>>> please > >>>> "use richard at imagecraft.com) > >>>> " > >>>> " > >>>> "_______________________________________________ > >>>> "Leica Users Group. > >>>> "See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information > >>>> > >>>> _______________________________________________ > >>>> Leica Users Group. > >>>> See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information > >>>> > >>>> > >>> -- > >>> Barney Quinn, Jr. > >>> (301) 688-1982 (O) > >>> (240) 535-3036 (C) > >>> (877) 220-0981 (P) > >>> > >>> > >>> > >>> > >>> _______________________________________________ > >>> Leica Users Group. > >>> See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information > >>> > >>> > >> > >> > >> > >> _______________________________________________ > >> Leica Users Group. > >> See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information > >> > >> > >> > >> > > > > _______________________________________________ > > Leica Users Group. > > See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information > > > > _______________________________________________ > Leica Users Group. > See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information >