Helen Levitt

kshapero said:
Those ten shots are priceless.
Click to expand...

Sometimes I wonder what is priceless, those ten are priceless (maybe), but are any shots fom 1940 priceless? I took this in 1972, is it priceless or great; no just a family shot.

2389565159_a2396a9208.jpg
 
charjohncarter said:
Sometimes I wonder what is priceless, those ten are priceless (maybe), but are any shots fom 1940 priceless? I took this in 1972, is it priceless or great; no just a family shot.
Click to expand...

Envision your self taking a great landscape shot and going up against Ansel Adams. Ansel Adams was great because he had a consistent body of work. Ditto Helen Levitt.
 
Nothing against Helen Levitt, but I've seen as good here on RFF. What does that mean? Have all the great street shots already been done, and we are just recapitulating? Have these Eminence Gris affected our vision and style so we just unconsciously emulate them? If a miilion monkeys take a million photos everyday, many of them will be great?

/T
 
in the privacy of my aesthetic closet (where all my appreciation takes place), levitt's work appears incomparable.
 
Kids were thinner back then. No computer games, no TV... I still remember all the full days I spent playing ball, riding my bike, exploring. Kids do that from their couch now.

Helen's work is poetic and speaks volumes for its place in time and of a time. She was after something more then just a snapshot. Her love of children and life is evident in her work. One doesn't have to "understand" street photography to enjoy Helen's imagery.
 
i like her work but then i also like many images posted here as well, doesn't take away from her though.
i have a fondness for new york scenes that remind me of my childhood and youth and her work does that for me.
so does kbg and tatiana she's work.
 
I have long thought that Helen Levitt was one of the most under rated and over looked photographers from the "street" genre. Bill, did you know her? If so, maybe you could share a story or two with us. The photo world is a little bit dimmer now that she has passed. It is really sad to think of how many great photographers have left us in the past five years.
 
There is an earlier post of this bit of news by uhligfd with about 15 posts following the announcement.

Maybe the monitor could try to join the two separate postes into one because the reactions on either one of these posts complement each other and it is sad to duplicate mourning in two separate sets ...

Good luck monitors!
 
There is a later post of this bit of news by Bill Pierce with about 15 posts following the announcement.

Maybe the monitor could try to join the two separate postes into one because the reactions on either one of these posts complement each other and it is sad to duplicate mourning in two separate sets ...

Good luck monitors!
 
Always loved her work, so, yes, sad indeed. But, what a long inspiring life! The NY Times obit is great, btw.

I always liked that her work had a modern feel, yet was still very much a part of early street photography, factual and humanistic, rich and warm. She seemed to be a bridge between the old and the new (relative to her time).


/
 
Pablito said:
If you love or admire or respect her work, please do not post her images here. Instead, post links to websites authorized to show her work.

Even if you mean only to honor her, please respect the RFF rule, a good rule IMO:

Do not violate other's copyright by posting their text or photos on RFF without their consent.

Rule No. 6 - No Public Posting of Copyright Material
6) You will not upload, attach or post any material you are not the creator and/or copyright holder of. It is however acceptable to post links to publically accessible material.
Click to expand...

Thanks for bringing this to my attention. I'm not convinced that I'm violating her copyright by posting a picture in a thread discussing her work, but if those are the RFF rules, I'll follow them. My earlier posts have been edited.

I suppose I should change my avatar too.
 
Good that it was posted here. I heard the news yesterday, a bit late... It was a tough day and the news didn't make it any better.

The Smithsonian magazine ran a piece on her photography a few years ago. That's how I learned about her.
 
John Rountree said:
I have long thought that Helen Levitt was one of the most under rated and over looked photographers from the "street" genre. Bill, did you know her? If so, maybe you could share a story or two with us. The photo world is a little bit dimmer now that she has passed. It is really sad to think of how many great photographers have left us in the past five years.
Click to expand...

We had mutual friends, and we met a couple of times. She was kind enough to sign two of her book for me to make them special presents for my wife. Indeed, I think that's why she did sign them. She was also worried that her signature was small. It was. It was small and crystal clear. Just what you would expect.
 
Andrew Sowerby said:
Thanks for bringing this to my attention. I'm not convinced that I'm violating her copyright by posting a picture in a thread discussing her work, but if those are the RFF rules, I'll follow them. My earlier posts have been edited.
Click to expand...

There have been some fairly contradictory judicial decisions on "fair use" But, in general, you can't publish someone else's work without permission. On a web site, each hit would be a violation. Although the penalty for each violation is minimal, the total can be great.

That said, violations are rampant and, often, if you are even aware of the violation, in terms of time and money, it just isn't worthwhile for the photographer to prosecute. And even folks running the websites of organizations like universities sometimes seem unaware of the copyright provisions. I just sell them limited rights after the fact and at a rather small price that's easy for them to afford in hope that it is more lesson than punishment. Talking to them seems much more effective than screaming at them.
 
Bill Pierce said:
She was also worried that her signature was small. It was. It was small and crystal clear. Just what you would expect.
Click to expand...

Exactly so. Thanks very much for sharing.

I think Helen Levitt's work resembles Audrey Hepburn: hauntingly beautiful and gracefully humane
 
Andrew Sowerby said:
Thanks for bringing this to my attention. I'm not convinced that I'm violating her copyright by posting a picture in a thread discussing her work, but if those are the RFF rules, I'll follow them. My earlier posts have been edited.

I suppose I should change my avatar too.
Click to expand...

Thanks, I deleted my original post.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom