Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2010/10/05
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]In photographing a human face, or a landscape, the photographer has a great choice of camera placement & lighting -- Ansel Adams didn't stand under a sign that said "scenic view" and make a photograph, he found those iconic places & waited for the proper light (and there is a whole sub-genre of recreating landscape photos that other people have already done which I'm very lukewarm about). Likewise, you will find book after book of a particular photographer's portraits of faces, but I don't think you'll find an art photographer who's made a name for themselves photographing sculptures. Not saying it couldn't be done (Andreas Serano perhaps tried for a year or so), but that it would be very difficult to make a book that's about your photographs and not the sculptor's work. On Oct 4, 2010, at 5:32 PM, Geoff Hopkinson wrote: > I follow what Kyle has said there yet it could also be said that a > landscape > or human face was also someone else's work that you have pointed your > camera > at. > I do think that George has made involving photographs that are much more > than a record of the sculpture though. As a sculpture this doesn't actually > particularly appeal to me but the colours, shapes, tones, compositional > elements tones and the peoples' interaction do. So I guess that means that > George was entirely successful. > Extending the thought a little further, personally I happily shoot > buildings > or objects of interest when travelling as they ARE part of the environment > and can help tell the story as well as sharing the experience of the locale > with others. > Just some thoughts > Cheers > Geoff > http://www.pbase.com/hoppyman > > > On 5 October 2010 04:12, George Lottermoser <imagist3 at mac.com> wrote: > >> Thanks for giving this much attention Kyle. >> >> On Oct 4, 2010, at 11:45 AM, kyle cassidy on the LUG wrote: >> >>> I'm always torn by stuff like this because my first thought is always >> "well, it's someone else's sculpture" which means that whatever "bang" >> comes >> out of the image needs to come from the _way_ it was photographed rather >> than the sculpture itself. One should look at the photo and go "what an >> amazing photo!" not "what a clever sculpture". On the other hand, a >> photograph commissioned by the sculpture should accent the "wow" of the >> sculpture without drawing too much attention to the photographic >> technique, >> give it context and present it attractively -- so there are cross >> purposes >> here depending on who takes the photo and why. >> >> Quite true. I photograph quite a bit of metal work; commissioned by the >> metal smiths. Without a doubt I work hard to make the metal look as good >> as >> I possibly can. Generally that approach "wow's" the smiths. In this case I >> had no agenda. I merely stopped to experience the sculpture and see what I >> could see and document the experience with the equipment at hand. I had no >> idea that I'd be drawn to stop and do this. >> ................... >> > > _______________________________________________ > Leica Users Group. > See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information