Since the beginning of the century, there have been sharp-eyed and tender-hearted photographers, photographers whose aim is not to decorate the walls of museums for their own personal satisfaction, but rather to show through the use of that developer of truth which is film, how man can be a menace to mankind, to children, how man can die from lack of food and love.
Robert Delpire, from the introduction to Francesco Zizola’s book “Born Somewhere“.
On the bus this morning I was thinking about the importance of light in my photography. Much of the work I have done lately is focused in one geographic location – an older school building on the south side of Chicago. I’m pretty lucky really. It has windows in most rooms so it gets some natural light during the day. But for the most part, I’m responding to the activity that is going on around me and if the light is interesting and the action happens to be there then I’m lucky.
At other times I’m just interested in the light. For example, take a look at the shot below. I was walking in Phoenix and saw the light hitting the painted boards that covered a construction site. The color was great. The light was great and now, as the photographer Neil Selkirk once said in a location lighting lighting workshop, “You just need a murder…”. In other words, you need something to move into the scene and interact with the light. So I waited (back in those days, hanging out with a camera was not a suspicious activity). I saw this man out of the corner of my eye, walking into the frame. Really I saw the hat; unusual for Phoenix.Probably one or two frames and then he was gone.
Now, if you want to read about illumination, check out Rodney Smith’s more eloquent description of the importance of light in his photography.
From Berenice Abbott:
Let us first say what photography is not. A photograph is not a painting, a poem, a symphony, a dance. It is not just a pretty picture, not an exercise in contortionist techniques and sheer print quality. It is or should be a significant document, a penetrating statement, which can be described in a very simple term – selectivity.
To define selection, one may say that it should be focused on the kind of subject matter which hits you hard with its impact and excites your imagination to the extent that you are forced to take it. Pictures are wasted unless the motive power which impelled you to action is strong and stirring. The motives or points of view are bound to differ with each photographer, and herein lies the important difference which separates one approach from another. Selection of proper picture content comes from a fine union of trained eye and imaginative mind.
If you are interested in purchasing a signed copy of David Burnett’s book, “44 Days: Iran and the Remaking of the World” send me an email or leave a comment and I’ll pass along the purchasing details. My son-in-law Ryan and daughter Mia setup a speaking engagement for him at Yale and were able to get a copy for me (thanks guys!). I can’t wait to get it. I vividly remember many of the images in the book. I was a new photojournalism student at the time and just learning about the world of magazine photojournalism.
Go have a look at this photo by Rebecca Norris Webb.
It was chosen as the cover of their book about Cuba, Violet Isle. This is a photographic gift that comes from spending time with your subject. From walking and wondering for miles. From being committed.
The light brushes across the feathers. The color of the bird wing is just beautiful and captivating. But then look at the background and how the green pattern is repeated in the bird’s wing. The colors are complimentary; even the shirt the guy is wearing works well in the photograph. It would not be the same if he had worn a red shirt that day.
For years I created photographs in a studio setting and they were never very satisfying to me. My heart is out there, in the world. Her husband, photographer Alex Webb had this to say in another post on their blog. “I try to work with whatever the world gives me.“
In this example, the world gave them a gem.
Of course, there are the 5% of the books that are so meticulously conceived that the photographs, essays, design, paper, slipcover, etc have all been carefully orchestrated together into a real art object, a collaborative effect that is greater than the sum of its parts. This is truly sublime and wonderful when this occurs, and the impact of the photographs is meaningfully enhanced. No matter what happens in the electronic world in the future, there will always be room for this kind of creative effort (with a small but enthusiastic audience of potential buyers ready and waiting).
What photo books would you consider in that 5% category?
I recently purchased Larry Towell’s “The World From My Front Porch” and I would consider it in this category. It is a lovely book to hold, browse and read.
Here’s a review by Daniel Milnor of Smogranch.
Dear Mike,
Have you ever dreamed of riding in the Tour de France? Of zipping along flats and climbing alpine roads with Lance Armstrong at your side?
Ok, I have dreamed of going to the Tour de France as a spectator, but let’s be honest here. I weigh 195 pounds, ride a pink steel bike and live in one of the flatter states in the Union. I can’t really see this becoming reality. I think they are off on their target marketing – just a little bit.
From Doc Searls: The Revolution will not be intermediated
Nothing with real real value is dead, so long as it can be found on the Web and there are links to it. Humans are the ones with hands. Not intermediaries. Not AOL, or TechCrunch, or HuffPo, or Google or the New York Freaking Times. The Net is the means to our ends, not The Media, whether they be new disruptors or old disruptees.
I agree with Searls. I think quality will win; whether that is good writing or good photography. The venues for publishing and the business models to support it will continue to evolve. His point above also plays into the strategy of curation; the human kind aided by algorithms will win I think.
From Infectious Greed:
Google has become a snake that too readily consumes its own keyword tail. Identify some words that show up in profitable searches — from appliances, to mesothelioma suits, to kayak lessons — churn out content cheaply and regularly, and you’re done. On the web, no-one knows you’re a content-grinder.
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