S
Shelby Lewis
Guest
Just a quick anecdote here...
I was at a craft/art show at a local park here in Nashville the other day with the kids. I really spent some time looking at the photographers' work. I visited many (all!) booths... most of them full of clichéd, over-processed landscape work... warhol-esque even!
There was this one booth where the work seemed really compelling. Colors and detail on the prints were definitely a step above the other booths... naturally vivid might best describe the quality that pervaded the work, akin to fall colors here in the southeast after a misty rain... and the artist surely had an eye for composition. Luckily, he had placards besides the photographs that gave details as to the equipment used in the creation of the artwork.
To my surprise...
... almost all were hasselblad 501cm with the 16mp cfv back.
Then it occurred to me that he didn't push EVERY print into mammoth proportions. Many were nice, diminutive squares, but even the large ones were well crafted and beautiful.
It, once again, allowed me to step back and realize we are in a golden age, of sorts, as far as the amount of quality afforded to us by our gear. I get caught up really pushing for the best that's out there (which is a good pursuit!), but often at the expense of not pushing my current gears' abilities to its limits. He produced beautiful work on a now-inexpensive 30 year old camera with a several generations old back. Would a newer improve his work... I'm not sure. But, then again, his work seemed to take full advantage of his equipment... no more, no less. I'm not taking a stand on this issue, at all. I just thought I'd point out that sometimes you come across someone who is content to make the most of seemingly old-school gear to great effect.
I've personally been on the yoyo between an RZ-system this fall in school and an h-system body... for some reason i continue to return to wanting an rz system to start out with, but get seduced by all the capabilities afforded by the h and mamiya 645 systems. I see great work produced on an old 501/cvf combo and it heartens me greatly!
Just food for thought!
I was at a craft/art show at a local park here in Nashville the other day with the kids. I really spent some time looking at the photographers' work. I visited many (all!) booths... most of them full of clichéd, over-processed landscape work... warhol-esque even!
There was this one booth where the work seemed really compelling. Colors and detail on the prints were definitely a step above the other booths... naturally vivid might best describe the quality that pervaded the work, akin to fall colors here in the southeast after a misty rain... and the artist surely had an eye for composition. Luckily, he had placards besides the photographs that gave details as to the equipment used in the creation of the artwork.
To my surprise...
... almost all were hasselblad 501cm with the 16mp cfv back.
Then it occurred to me that he didn't push EVERY print into mammoth proportions. Many were nice, diminutive squares, but even the large ones were well crafted and beautiful.
It, once again, allowed me to step back and realize we are in a golden age, of sorts, as far as the amount of quality afforded to us by our gear. I get caught up really pushing for the best that's out there (which is a good pursuit!), but often at the expense of not pushing my current gears' abilities to its limits. He produced beautiful work on a now-inexpensive 30 year old camera with a several generations old back. Would a newer improve his work... I'm not sure. But, then again, his work seemed to take full advantage of his equipment... no more, no less. I'm not taking a stand on this issue, at all. I just thought I'd point out that sometimes you come across someone who is content to make the most of seemingly old-school gear to great effect.
I've personally been on the yoyo between an RZ-system this fall in school and an h-system body... for some reason i continue to return to wanting an rz system to start out with, but get seduced by all the capabilities afforded by the h and mamiya 645 systems. I see great work produced on an old 501/cvf combo and it heartens me greatly!
Just food for thought!