Monthly Archives: July 2009

Sometimes it does matter

Photographs

Not all posing is right

There’s an interesting article in a recent issue of The Guardian on whether Robert Capa faked the famous snap of the Spanish revolutionary soldier at the moment of death:


Click the picture to read the article

If you click the above there’s an excellent audio commentary with many great Capa pictures – and pictures of Capa – which is worth spending a few minutes on.

I wrote in a light tone on the subject of whether posing a seemingly candid snap made any difference here, and feel it is only appropriate to add that, in this case, it probably does make a difference. If it’s unposed, this is a great piece of photojounralism; if posed, it’s an attempt to manipulate opinion to the photographer’s political leanings. Not good, as the picture was clearly presented as reportage not opinion – not something any of the candids in my earlier piece could be accused of.

Yummy!

Photographs

A kid does his thing


G1, kit lens at 21mm, 1/125, f/4.5, ISO 100

Snapped in the Inner Sunset district of San Francisco. A small adjustment with the Fill Light slider in LR2 brought up the diners in the restaurant.

Capturing Light

Photographers

Book review

This wonderful survey of California photography from daguerrotypes to the present served as the catalog for an exhibition at the Oakland Museum of California’s exhibition ‘Masterpieces of California Photography, 1850 to the Present’ and is edited by its photography curator Drew Heath Johnson.

With many, many fine reproductions and several quite splendid essays it’s a superb introduction to California photography in a large format.

When I tell you that remiandered or lightly used copies are to be found on the web and that mine cost all of $11 shipped, what are you waiting for?

As Edward Weston cheekily said, “Everything worth photographing is in California”.

We are on to you!

Photographers

The truth is told

This splendid depression era picture by John Gutmann says it all.

Among the inscriptions on the car is one which says: “Yes, Columbus did discover America. We have discovered the international bankers have taken it away from us.”

Probably taken in San Francisco’s Mission District.

Women Photographers

Photographers

A questionable categorization

I came across a book named ‘Women Photographers’ the other day and couldn’t but wonder at the arrogance of the title. To in some way suggest that gender distinction was worthy of a book simply raised my hackles. A good photograph is just that. A good photograph. To try to ladle distinction on a subset of the species just because it happens to include pictures made solely by women seems specious.

But it did get me thinking, I confess. Click on ‘Photography Books’ below and you will see what’s currently in my library. I see monographs on Barbara Morgan, Germaine Krull, Joyce Tenneson, Imogen Cunningham, Ilse Bing, Margaret Bourke-White, Mary Ellen Mark, Regina Relang and Tina Modotti. Yet not a one of these was bought because the photographer was a woman. They were bought for the simple reason that the photography was special and unique.

Strangely I seem not to have anything by Dorothea Lange, so here’s a reminder of what she did and a mental note to fix that omission at the earliest occasion.


Migrant Mother. The most famous Depression era picture

Lange snapped this in Nipomo, CA, just a few miles south of the old estate. Lange was a great photographer who just happened to be a woman.