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Photography, Art and Writing (a thinking thread)

Maggie O

Active member
Maggie,
I agree with Cam, Mitch, Helen, Johnathan. I love your work. The gloves and the potato chip series come to mind right now. I think Cam has an excellent idea for a music diva; maybe you can tailor that to your style.
I remember when you were getting ready to buy your M8 and how excited you were. I hope that you can recapture that excitement again.
Thank you, Cindy!

I'm going to try the music idea sometime this week. The weather is finally getting nicer here and mixing things up sounds like just the ticket.

You know, y'all are as generous and open-hearted as y'all are talented!
 

Cindy Flood

Super Moderator
Maggie,
Y'all are very talented in so many ways. You add a little spice to this forum! No one wants to see you discouraged. By sharing your problem, the ensuing dialog gave everyone some new ideas.
 

Jack

Sr. Administrator
Staff member
I've changed my mind. My photos are rubbish. That's what I think. I should give my M8 to a real artist, like Cam, who could make it sing, instead of being a glorified Instamatic.

I guess that's the downside of doing it everyday. You quickly come to understand just how crap you can be.
Frankly, this is the rant -- or should I say chant -- of every true artist. A struggle for perfection in our own eyes, while trying to communicate through imagery what it is we are seeing, thinking and feeling. IMO this is nothing more than "proof" you are a discriminating artist...

When this same mood strikes me I find a change is good. But the change I make is usually one of subject matter, not medium. Maybe you should do a series on musical instruments? You have some awesome guitars laying around and I can think of a few cool set-ups showing them in moody side-lighting with a glass of wine...

:thumbs:
 
P

poboxnyc

Guest
I've changed my mind. My photos are rubbish. That's what I think. I should give my M8 to a real artist, like Cam, who could make it sing, instead of being a glorified Instamatic.

I guess that's the downside of doing it everyday. You quickly come to understand just how crap you can be.
Re: Doing it Everyday. Read an interview with Harry Callahan years ago when he was in his 35mm period late in life. Interviewer asked him how many good images he was looking for after a years work. His answer about 4 or 5 (or something like that). Here is a great artist working everyday (in 35mm nonetheless) and his goal was 4 or 5 photos that met his expectation.

One of my favorite writers, John Updike said it was important to write POORLY. You could only get to the good stuff by writing the bad stuff.

Photography like any other art form is a process of discovery-- messy, unpredicatible, discouraging, depressing and often downright suicidal. Doing it every day quickly raises the bar of our expectations as we get bored and don't want to repeat ourselves. There is nothing worse than doing safe terrific photos that everybody loves day after day--it means were not pushing the envelope and not growing in our craft. This whole thing is a journey with no end point and definitely no results.

The fact that you think your photos are rubbish is a great thing-- it shows how much you value the craft and how high your standards are. It also means you're working to get to the next level and will get there.
 

Maggie O

Active member
Thanks guys!

I'm going to give all the ideas here a shot, so by ghod, even if I'm still making crap, it'll be fresh crap!! ;)
 

cam

Active member
I'm going to give all the ideas here a shot, so by ghod, even if I'm still making crap, it'll be fresh crap!! ;)
silly bunny! if you truly want fresh crap, i suggest hopping on a plane and joining me on the streets of paris. there's nothing like a good pissing down to bring out the freshest and the ripest... ;)
 

Maggie O

Active member
Cam, if I could afford it, I'd freakin' live in Paris! (Or at least move back to San Francisco.)

Speaking of Lee Freidlander and SF, the show Mitch mentioned is at SFMOMA until the end of May. I have begun my machinations to get out there and see it.
 

cam

Active member
Speaking of Lee Freidlander and SF, the show Mitch mentioned is at SFMOMA until the end of May. I have begun my machinations to get out there and see it.
if BF finally makes a decision on his holiday (some time in May), part of it may have an SF/LA leg. if so, i'll definitely let you know so we can fart around and make new crap together.

sounds romantic, don't it?
 

Jack

Sr. Administrator
Staff member
Cam, if I could afford it, I'd freakin' live in Paris! (Or at least move back to San Francisco.)

Speaking of Lee Freidlander and SF, the show Mitch mentioned is at SFMOMA until the end of May. I have begun my machinations to get out there and see it.
Went and saw it last week. Literally 4 rooms filled with Lee's work! I understand they cut about 100 images OUT of the total show due to wall space constraints. Anyway, very good show.

Also have some classic work up, Weston et al, AND a pretty good sized show of An My-Le's work!

Definitely worth a look

:),
 

Maggie O

Active member
Went and saw it last week. Literally 4 rooms filled with Lee's work! I understand they cut about 100 images OUT of the total show due to wall space constraints. Anyway, very good show.

Also have some classic work up, Weston et al, AND a pretty good sized show of An My-Le's work!

Definitely worth a look

:),
SWEET!!!

Shame that SFMOMA didn't have enough space for it all, though.

That'll make two shows of photographers named Lee in a year- I saw the fantastic Lee Miller show at the V&A in London this fall.
 

TRSmith

Subscriber Member
Get in that fast, new car of yours Maggie, and head here! I saw the show today (and took this pic). Wow. What a treat.

Tim
 

Maggie O

Active member
Man, the critics can be harsh! From another forum I frequent:

Judging from your posts, you're articulate and a not half bad photographer (not saying you're professional-level good or anything - you've still got a long, long ways to go in that arena). OK, honestly, you're not a particularly good photographer. Sorry. Just my opinion.

Of course I'm judging your photography skills mostly by the photos you post here of your cats.
Ouch. Of course, he's talking about a thread where people post photo of pets.
 

johnastovall

Deceased, but remembered fondly here...
"Your camera is the best critic there is. Critics never see as much as the camera does. It is more perceptive than the human eye. "
Douglas Sirk
 
M

Mitch Alland

Guest
Maggie, that's not a critic; that's a twit! Criticism involves analyzing many aspects of a photograph and evaluating them. And I don't mind if a good critique reaches negative conclusions about any of my photographs because one can learn from that type of criticism, whether one agrees with it or not. The best critique I've ever seen of one of my pictures is post #52 by Steve Kessel in the following LUF thread:

http://www.l-camera-forum.com/leica...29339-form-content-emotion-sean-reid-s-3.html

Granted that this analysis is all positive, but I'm sure if the writer had some negative things to say it would be interesting as well. Actually, candid ciriticism can be invaluable, and the problem on most reactions one gets online is that they are either one-liners or designed to be morale boosters, which are not useful. BTW, the photo critiqued in the thread above is the following one, one of my favourites:



Tokyo: Tsukiji Fish Market | GRD at ISO 800


—Mitch/Bangkok
http://www.flickr.com/photos/10268776@N00/
 
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johnastovall

Deceased, but remembered fondly here...
Such a quote is not bedrock truth but rather a starting point for reflection and oftent needs to be looked at in larger context. SIrk during his major working period in Holly wood was savaged by the critics only now to have come back in great favor. It was to point out to Maggie not to take any critic too seriously.
 
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