Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2009/01/18
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Quoth the Kevin Argue : > Clayton, > I wouldn't call this dehumanizing or new > photographic > style. The photos are just bad! > > Kevin Argue The thing is, they're consistent in style, approach, and execution, and they've been edited down to what we see. That means the problem isn't accident, or incompetence, or lack of vision, all of which I look for in a bad photograph or series. To me, when a shooter of some ability (at least technically) and an editor of some (presumed) ability unleash something like this, we're FAR beyond merely "bad" photographs. This is not just random awfulness. It's a carefully calculated effort, either to create a brand identity for the artiste and, if possible, a market FOR that brand, or to create some sort of marketing buzz for the NYT Magazine. I could almost agree with Brian that it was a deliberate effort to make the subjects look bad, except that the trend in recent years has been SO heavily towards "Do Something Different" without regard for whether "different" is "better" that in this case I think it's more likely 'self-promotion' and 'branding' than anything else ... which is what makes me call it a "style." It's sad; there are at least a dozen LUGgers who could do better easily. Should've called Cassidy; he's just as cutting edge and hip, but he's also got taste. -- R. Clayton McKee http://www.rcmckee.com Photojournalist rcmckee@rcmckee.com P O Box 571900 voice/fax 713/783-3502 Houston, TX 77257-1900 cell phone # on request