Who's your favorite photographer, and why?

[bjorke]

If you go down to Monterey you'll find the Ansel Adams Gallery all cozied-up and sharing space with the Thomas Kinkade Gallery. You tell me.

[Aggie]

..

[bjorke]

I hardly find "why" an inappropriate question, and in fact it's posed as the topic of this thread. Do you like Jock Sturges for his platinum printing, for the clarity of his sight, or because young girls are beautiful? All might be valid answers, and may or may not be contrary to one another.

In fact I find "why" a far more interesting question than "what." Personally, I've never been all that impressed with Adams, and yes, the reasons for his popularity elude me, especially when so many of his f/64-era compatriots have faded into obscurity. The only answer I can come up with is the comfortable safeness of his idealized imagery, which does indeed sell calendars and puts him in good company with perennials like Kinkade and Norman Rockwell (to say nothing of Anne Geddes). YMMV.

[Ed Sukach]

Originally Posted by bjorke

I hardly find "why" an inappropriate question, and in fact it's posed as the topic of this thread. Do you like Jock Sturges for his platinum printing, for the clarity of his sight, or because young girls are beautiful? All might be valid answers, and may or may not be contrary to one another.

In fact I find "why" a far more interesting question than "what."

I do too. My real quest in life, and photography is one facet of it - is "knowing" my companion wo/man; What their motivations are, what their differences are, the "building blocks" of their originality, their passions and their humanity.
For better or worse (and it *is* "better") I've realized that I had to start with my self.

I am struck with one phenomemon - *Sometimes*, after "experiencing" (I would write "being exposed to" ... but that could be confusing and would be incomplete) the work, and then meeting the photographer/artist, there is a certain amount of familiarity ... I seem to be able to recognize, at some level, someone I have never met, solely by my relationship and involvement with their work.

That doesn't happen ALL the time, but occasionally, and when it does, it is a wonderful thing.

We can learn a LOT about photography through formal or semi-formal education: exposure, film grain structure, contrast, developing and processing -- and composition... ad infinitum.
Very possibly the more important subject, and one that directly relates to the performance of art, would be, "How to Recognize and `Feel' the Emotion and Passion of the Artist Creating the Work - Including Oneself as the Artist".
How many times has that been offered in a Adult Education course?

The photograph reveals more of the photographer than the nude model reveals of her/himself.

[Ed Sukach]

August Sander.
Wonderful, *artistic* "snapshots". After we consider his work, how do we differentiate Snapshots from Fine Art ?

[Donald Miller]

Originally Posted by Ed Sukach

We can learn a LOT about photography through formal or semi-formal education: exposure, film grain structure, contrast, developing and processing -- and composition... ad infinitum.
Very possibly the more important subject, and one that directly relates to the performance of art, would be, "How to Recognize and `Feel' the Emotion and Passion of the Artist Creating the Work - Including Oneself as the Artist".
How many times has that been offered in a Adult Education course?

The photograph reveals more of the photographer than the nude model reveals of her/himself.

I couldn't agree more. Very well stated, I might add.

At the risk of taking this thread off track for a moment, I will relate the following:
I came across an interesting quote the other day and I probably won't remember it correctly but the basic premise was as follows.

"All knowledge is abstract until it is joined with personal experience and if that personal experience is not deeply moving, it too will become abstract"

My personal favorite photographer, Brett Weston. Why? Because of his presentation of abstraction that perhaps has joined with some knowledge within me to the point that it was deeply moving.

[radiodude1460]

Lately I've been getting into O Winston Link's photos of the Norfolk & Western steamers at night. I like how he made the trains part of the picture, but not necessarily the focal point of them.

[doughowk]

I cannot think of a color image that has taken my breath away(they're mementos at best); but numerous B&W images by people like Adams, Weston, Butcher have made me hold my breath while in grasp of something beautiful. Street photography leaves me cold; yet a Dorothy Lange captures an image of humanity that is gripping.

Clarity of image is central - blur, soft focus & other anti-photography techniques make me wonder why bother using a camera. The f64 group & their descendents are my guide.