On 5/9/07, Norm Baugher <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Without a title, this thread expanded on my screen looks like a big > worm...cool.
Can you give Andy and Opie a call, and we'll head out to the fishin hole Dave > Norm > > Cotty wrote: > > On 8/5/07, Tom C, discombobulated, unleashed: > > > > > >> What? Is Godfrey in a 3rd grade photography? :-) Sorry to appear rude. > >> > >> What is good about this picture? I don't find anything appealing about it. > >> I don't see that it took any more effort than haphazardly raising the > >> camera > >> to one's eye and pressing the shutter release, maybe not even looking > >> through the viewfinder. > >> > >> Not only is the main subject not in clear focus, the secondary subject is > >> not either, and both are cut off. I'm not a believer that some sort of > >> unspoken social commentary, makes a photograph a good photograph. > >> > >> If this is the kind of image that constitutes an incredible photograph, > >> then > >> by God, every person that ever picked up a camera and pressed the shutter > >> release a half dozen times is a good photographer, and we should all stop > >> trying. > >> > > > > I think there's one thing you missed Tomas (sic) > > > > It's not just all of the above, but the decision as to how that frame > > actually is presented as the finished piece. The actual frame chosen, > > the composition decided upon, possibly post-production, the rendering - > > how it was printed (in old fashioned speak). That's all a cognitive > > process beyond just snapping the pic as you intimate. > > > > To me, a photograph - any photograph - is more than just what was > > recorded in front of the lens. To me, it's about what the viewer *feels* > > when looking at the image. It's about the emotions that one recalls, > > about one's own experiences, and how that relates to what the > > photographer has presented. > > > > We've all walked past a homeless lady with a dog at some point in our > > lives, and we all react differently. What makes the shot more than just > > a fuzzy grab to me is that the image presented by Godfrey conveys what I > > feel when I walk past a scene like that - slightly blurry because I > > steal a glance, only recalling the vital elements of the scene - the > > head, the blanket, the dog. That's all i wanted to see, otherwise I > > would have gone back and looked harder, looked longer. To me, Godfrey's > > photograph has captured beautifully the essence of the scene he saw, and > > turned it into something that I can relate to, and that's the whole > > point of the exercise. > > > > I would go so far as to compare Godfrey's pic to Robert Frank. I look > > through The Americans and I see echoes of it, and vice versa. Of course, > > Godfrey is exploring a style here, and Jimminy Cricket, it works for me. > > Look at Juan Buhler's work and see something else, yet also that works > > conveys emotions and feelings, and I see fabulous things there, I'm sure > > a lot of folk on the list do. > > > > Can I just end by going over your last para again: > > > > > >> If this is the kind of image that constitutes an incredible photograph, > >> then > >> by God, every person that ever picked up a camera and pressed the shutter > >> release a half dozen times is a good photographer, and we should all stop > >> trying. > >> > > > > I wouldn't describe it as incredible, but totally credible yes. I would > > describe it as indicative of what I feel when in proximity to such a > > scene, and as a standalone piece of work I think it excels beautifully. > > As such, i wouldn't consider hanging up my cameras just yet. In fact, > > it's a pic like this that inspires me to go out and try and convey a > > scene that I know of - try and present something that I like to look at, > > and maybe someone else will like it too. > > > > HTH > > > > best, > > > > > > > -- > PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List > [email protected] > http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net > -- Equine Photography www.caughtinmotion.com http://brooksinthecountry.blogspot.com/ Ontario Canada -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List [email protected] http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net
