Monthly Archives: June 2009

Ernst Haas

A master of color

This picture by Ernst Haas (1921-1986) is the earliest ‘art’ photograph in color which I recall, having probably seen it in my early teens.

Talk of starting at the top!

While abstraction pervades his work, Haas never abstracts just for the sake of doing so; rather, the context is always clear, the vision insightful and the feel warm and sympathetic.

Check out more of his work in the book Ernst Haas – Color Photography – hard to get, expensive and worth it.

Edwin Smith

As good as they get

Edwin Smith (1912-71) was a photographer of the British heritage. That sounds pretty dry, but once you have seen the work of this architect-painter-photographer, you realize that he really is as good as they get.

His wonderful vision, perfect technique and aesthetic sensibilities are perfectly displayed in this book, published by Merrell and the Royal Institute of British Architects, with monochrome reproductions of the very highest quality.

If high aesthetic sense is your thing, executed at an incomparable level of excellence, this book is for you.

Awnings

Downtown

Another early Sunday morning snap from downtown San Mateo, CA.

The multiple plates you see are through rods, bolted at either opposing wall. This is what passes as “earthquake proofing” here. No kidding.

Spanish revival

A fine example

Built in 1925 in the Spanish Revival style, the US Post Office in San Mateo, California is on the register of historic places. Thank goodness. This should prevent some latter day vulgarian pulling it down and replacing it with a glass and steel box.


5D, 24-105mm at 70mm,1/4000, f/6.7 ISO 250

Snapped in early morning light.

Another Haeber special

Superb and original work.

I make no secret of the fact that I dislike authority in nearly all its guises, for so much of it is mindless. So when it says “Don’t Walk on the Grass” I generally make a point of doing just that.

Jonathan Haeber is a kindred spirit, but one much more daring. I last referred to his work when he showed pictures of the awful Jackling Mansion – Steve Jobs’s property in Woodside, CA, which he is having such difficulty tearing down owing to misplaced envirolooney thinking, and possibly by local councillors looking for a kickback. C’mon, let’s get real here.

This time, with his pictures clandestinely snapped from within the abandoned PacBell building in San Francisco, Haeber has outdone himself. With friends he gained access to the innards of this neo-Gothic masterpiece through a manhole cover in the dead of night, and the results speak for themselves.

Click the picture for more:


The PacBell building at night

Our world needs more Haebers to restore the ‘can do’ American spirit and to deny creeping authoritarianism. Well done, sir.