"Poor old James" Story of a Leica photographer

peterm1

peterm1

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I posted the following link to a documentary about English photographer James Ravillious on this site several months back and just rediscovered it. So I decided to give it another run for those who have not watched it previously. I can assure you its well worth watching even if you learn nothing from it about photography - which you will!

The title of this post is a quote from one of his neighbors, whom he often photographed and who made this reflective statement as she remembered him with obvious fondness. James Ravillious died of lymphoma in 1999.

If you have not seen it - I can only advise "watch it."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TYg8mxvUgJE
 
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Thanks for reposting this link Peter ... this is an incredibly good video that everyone with aspirations to take better photographs should see IMO.
 
What an amazing lot of great photographs!

He knew very well what he was doing, and he did it for the generations to come...

No photographer has impressed me this much in years... He had a deep spirit, and a huge talent for visual narrative... What a gifted artist! I'll look for a book with his photographs... Thanks for such a great link, Peter!

Cheers,

Juan
 
As the English would say, I am "gobsmacked" at the images he produced. HCB "eat your heart out". I have a similar situation with the people of my hometown and could kick myself for not taking advantage of the situation but I resolve to change that before I and they die.
 
Thank you for posting this link. So many interesting ideas including the use of black and white to eliminate the problem (for Ravillious) of the many greens of Dorset.
 
Thanks all - happy to share something so beautiful with others of like mind.

Incidentally some have commented on the music. Its a fairly contemporary piece of classical music by an Estonian composer Arvo Part and its called spiegel im spiegel (mirror in mirror in German). Its available if you look for it including on youtube.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E-t5Nk49yZs

Very sad an lonely music - just right for those times in your life that you need something contemplative.
 
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gobsmacked i was. beautiful black and white work.

a PERFECT example of not having to travel to exotic locales to produce a top flight body of work.
 
Peter_n thanks for the Beaford Archives link .....I had the James Ravellious web page but did not know about this one.
 
raytoei@gmail.com said:
Somewhat off topic, he used an M3 and I thought I saw a goggled Summicron ? and the also, an external viewfinder was used, I presume this was for the wide angle..

thanks for the URL, I am very motivated.

raytoei btw, the music album can be gotten here: http://www.classicsonline.com/catalogue/product.aspx?pid=6918
Click to expand...


It's interesting that he used the Leica multi focal length finder (whatever they call them I can't remember) because it gave him a definitive exact frame to work with when composing and not a set of framelines that he could see outside of. I was thinking to my self when I heard this ... why did he chosse to use a rangefinder and not an SLR?
 
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