There is absolutely no shame in looking to Weston and Adams et al. for guidance today. On the contrary, we may see a resurgence of interest in their approach because of what digital has done to the relationship between capture and print.
The f/64 ideology arguably makes more sense now than it did when it was conceived. Pictorialism and photography are basically synonymous now, and in almost every branch, not just commercial. What do today's students think of when they see work by Hurrell? It must all look stodgy and conservative now. |