The Desert Seen-ish ~ (embiggenable) • iPhone
Osbow Archive-ish ~ (embiggenable) • µ4/3
Wald-ish ~ (embiggenable) • µ4/3
"As great a picture can be made as one's mental capacity--no greater. Art cannot be taught; it must be self-inspiration, though the imagination may be fired and the ambition and work directed by the advice and example of others." - Edward Weston
ON YESTERDAY'S ENTRY, A COMMENT WAS LEFT BY Thomas Rink:
"As you already pointed out, there is neither "good" nor "bad" light. Each kind of light has its own particular quality, and will reveal different kinds of pictures. For example, consider "Oxbow Archive" by Joel Sternfeld, "The Desert Seen" by Lee Friedlander, and "Wald" by Michael Lange. All made under totally different lighting conditions. Mr. Sternfeld used decidedly picturesque lighting conditions to depict the New England landscape as a stage for Thomas Cole's pictures. "The Desert Seen" was made under very harsh light, and the washed out highlights and grayish shadows create an atmosphere which I would associate with scorching heat and aridity. "Wald", on the other hand, has been photographed in German forests at dusk, often in pouring rain. Mr. Lange told me that these conditions arose a certain mood within him that he considered quintessential for what a forest represents to him. I'm pretty sure that in all three cases the choice of light has been a conscious decision; Mr. Sternfeld didn't use this light since the peers in his camera club told him to do so, Mr Friedlander certainly hadn't just been too lazy to get up in time for the blue hour, and Mr. Lange didn't venture into the forest under ungodly conditions in order not to have to spend the evening in front of the TV together with his wife.
I believe that next to the choice of what should be in the frame, a kind of light suitable to convey the pictorial intent (for a lack of better words) is important to create a subjective, expressive picture. It is only "artistic sauce" if a certain kind of light is used in a mindless way - for example, the camera club buff who only goes out during the blue hour, or the MFA student who goes for the deadpan look just because Robert Adams did so. Understanding what light does, and how to employ this knowledge for my pictures, is what I try to learn.
my response: Thanks for the great comment. Much appreciated inasmuch as, while I am very familar with Sternfeld (I have 2 of his books) and Friedlander (I have 2 of his books), I knew nothing of Michael Lange.
In his comment, Thomas mentioned the work of Sternfeld, Friedlander and Lange as examples of his point. That caused me to dig into my photo library to see if I could find examples of my own work that bear more than a passing resemblance to their work in order to make a kinda Ode to ______ entry.
Then I dug out the Weston quote-from my quotes library-cuz it seems appropriate for this entry which references the work of others as learning examples of one kind or another.
re: the imagination may be fired and the ambition and work directed by the advice and example of others. I have a large collection of photo books. They are all mongraphs of individual picture makers. In additionto that resource, I have spent a lot time in my adult life visiting stand-alone and institutional photo galleries where in I have viewed the work of many of the big name picture makers and was lucky enough to have chatted with some ... such as Meyerowitz, Shore and Pfahl. So, it is fair to write that my overview of the medium is broad, deep and diverse.
FYI: that written, the single benefit-in addition to the pleasure of viewing the work-of such activity, for me, is not firing up my imagination but rather firing up my ambition / drive for making pictures. Not for making pictures which mimic work that I have viewed but rather for making pictures in the manner that my imagination guides me.
I was somewhat surprised to find the pictures displayed in this entry cuz, believe it or not, I was not familiar with Sternfeld's Oxbow Archive nor Friedlander's The Desert Seen. And, as mentioned, I was not familar with Lange's work at all. So, I found it interesting that I was able to find a few pictures which displayed a similar feel and look to that of the aforementioned picture makers.
In light of my viewing consumption of so much work, I guess the old adage is true...you are what you eat.