Retro-Grouch
Veteran
You're correct in your evaluation of his vision. I run hot and cold in my reactions to his work, but when I do enjoy it, it's often because of the incoherence. I envy his omnivorous eye!Well the print run is 7,000 so that shouldn't be too difficult
I was slightly disappointed . Some shots don't belong or only belong if the book is meant as a synthesis of all his color work rather than a monograph restricted to a homogeneous style. Perhaps this is appropriate as GW doesn't seem to have had any coherent vision of his own work.
JohnGellings
Well-known
I’m sure he didn’t take the color work as seriously. He said it was too expensive to print etc. However, I like this work because he was often using something other than a wide angle and some of them are just excellent. I remember a photo from the Brooklyn Museum show that showed a self portrait with a Nikon F and 50mm.Perhaps this is appropriate as GW doesn't seem to have had any coherent vision of his own work.
I don’t need a new school photobook of this work… I just want to see this work. I’m a fan of people who were using color during that time period. As for a coherent vision for his books, public relations and stock photos show that. The animals too. The thing is, we are in a different time than pre-1984 (when he died). Now photobooks aren’t just anthologies of best photos. But, for the big names they still do it. As far as posthumously choosing his work, this has happened to dead artists forever in the art world.
However, like retro-grouch I too run hot and cold in regards to looking at his images. It happens even with my favorite photographers though.
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mrtoml
Mancunian
Richard G
Veteran
The New Leviathans. John Gray. Russia, China and the woke castle of the English speaking peoples. Sober. And sobering.
filmtwit
Desperate but not serious
mrtoml
Mancunian
mrtoml
Mancunian
Brooktaw
Established
I have a copy of Visions of a Nomad and Desert, Marsh and Mountain that Thesiger signed for me at Blackwell's in Oxford in the early 90s. It was a sweltering hot day and he was wearing a 3 piece Harris tweed suit, all buttoned up with a woolen shirt and tie, impervious to the temperature. He was the most imposing character I have ever encounteredPicked these two up for £4 each. The Thesiger is signed. I guess he is not the most fashionable photographer these days.
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Brooktaw
Established
I found a sealed new copy of Headlighting by Thaddeus Holownia at a local thrift store for half the regular new price.
At 18" x 12" it does credit to the remarkable images captured on the 8' x 20" camera originally used.
The black and white daytime captures of these 1970s vehicles with their owners is the perfect accompaniment to the seemingly abandoned colour, night-time photographs in Cars, New York City 1974-76 by Langdon Clay which I also have.
At 18" x 12" it does credit to the remarkable images captured on the 8' x 20" camera originally used.
The black and white daytime captures of these 1970s vehicles with their owners is the perfect accompaniment to the seemingly abandoned colour, night-time photographs in Cars, New York City 1974-76 by Langdon Clay which I also have.
Malcolm M
Well-known
mconnealy
Well-known
Singular Images, a collection of Adams' Polaroid work made in the 1950s and '60s that was featured in a 1974 exhibit at the Metroplitan Museum of Art in New York.

The Polaroid images resemble Adams' work with large format in several ways including his intimate familiarity of the characteristics and potential of his materials and gear. However, the Polaroids differ significantly in the choice of subjects, the emphasis on close work, and perhaps most importantly in Adams' ability to express his vision in a miniature format. Even in the smallest Polaroid prints measuring just 73mm x 97mm the images appear as strong in their tones and textures as in Adams' monumental large format work.
A dozen portraits show Adams' talent for such work in a way I had never seen. In fact, I had a rather poor opinion of his portrait work up to that time. It seemed to me that Adams' images of people often made them appear of no more significance than the stumps and rocks in their immediate vicinity, lacking in expression or character. In the Polaroid close-ups his subjects' personalities come alive; the picture of Margaret Bourke-White holding her cat is especially charming.
The full review is at my blog. (Singular Images)

The Polaroid images resemble Adams' work with large format in several ways including his intimate familiarity of the characteristics and potential of his materials and gear. However, the Polaroids differ significantly in the choice of subjects, the emphasis on close work, and perhaps most importantly in Adams' ability to express his vision in a miniature format. Even in the smallest Polaroid prints measuring just 73mm x 97mm the images appear as strong in their tones and textures as in Adams' monumental large format work.
A dozen portraits show Adams' talent for such work in a way I had never seen. In fact, I had a rather poor opinion of his portrait work up to that time. It seemed to me that Adams' images of people often made them appear of no more significance than the stumps and rocks in their immediate vicinity, lacking in expression or character. In the Polaroid close-ups his subjects' personalities come alive; the picture of Margaret Bourke-White holding her cat is especially charming.
The full review is at my blog. (Singular Images)
nikon_sam
Shooter of Film...
I've been following Kenton Nelson on FB for a little bit and I love his stlye/vision/seeing...
I attended a local exhibit of his yesterday celebrating 30 years of his work...I met Mr. Nelson and we talked for a bit...we talked about art and photography...
He signed the poster they had and I also bought his book (which was also signed, nice surprise).
The image for both items was on display at the exhibit...a wonderful way to spend a rainy Saturday...

I attended a local exhibit of his yesterday celebrating 30 years of his work...I met Mr. Nelson and we talked for a bit...we talked about art and photography...
He signed the poster they had and I also bought his book (which was also signed, nice surprise).
The image for both items was on display at the exhibit...a wonderful way to spend a rainy Saturday...

filmtwit
Desperate but not serious
Towell, Larry "The Mennonites." Phaidon, London, 2000 (1st Edition). 292 pages. ISBN-10 : 0714839612
LTowel.Menninites.001 by J Allen, on Flickr
and
Stein, Harvey "Briefly Seen: New York Street Life." Schiffer; 1st edition (November 28, 2015). 184pp. ISBN-10 : 0764349791
BrieflySeenNYStreet.HaveyStein.001 by J Allen, on Flickr

and
Stein, Harvey "Briefly Seen: New York Street Life." Schiffer; 1st edition (November 28, 2015). 184pp. ISBN-10 : 0764349791

JoeV
Thin Air, Bright Sun
Mike, I don’t know why I missed this blog article of yours, but your writing is really great!Singular Images, a collection of Adams' Polaroid work made in the 1950s and '60s that was featured in a 1974 exhibit at the Metroplitan Museum of Art in New York.
View attachment 4831734
The Polaroid images resemble Adams' work with large format in several ways including his intimate familiarity of the characteristics and potential of his materials and gear. However, the Polaroids differ significantly in the choice of subjects, the emphasis on close work, and perhaps most importantly in Adams' ability to express his vision in a miniature format. Even in the smallest Polaroid prints measuring just 73mm x 97mm the images appear as strong in their tones and textures as in Adams' monumental large format work.
A dozen portraits show Adams' talent for such work in a way I had never seen. In fact, I had a rather poor opinion of his portrait work up to that time. It seemed to me that Adams' images of people often made them appear of no more significance than the stumps and rocks in their immediate vicinity, lacking in expression or character. In the Polaroid close-ups his subjects' personalities come alive; the picture of Margaret Bourke-White holding her cat is especially charming.
The full review is at my blog. (Singular Images)
mrtoml
Mancunian
mrtoml
Mancunian
Papercut
Well-known
Meister, Arbus, Friedlander, Winogrand: New Documents, 1967. MOMA, 2017.
Nice volume for this historic exhibition; it includes layout, photos of the exhibit, contemporary reviews (news clippings!), and some primary documents.
Nice volume for this historic exhibition; it includes layout, photos of the exhibit, contemporary reviews (news clippings!), and some primary documents.
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