Ko.Fe.
Lenses 35/21 Gears 46/20
I recently purchased Magnum contacts book. Looking at images only and keep on asking myself - why is it special? I think, it is time to put reading glasses on and find out. It is huge book with tiny text.
FujiLove
Well-known
I had the same feeling looking at some recent digital photos by Martin Parr. Very uninspiring. But then again, most people do their best work when they're young, whether they're photographers, musicians, sculptors, writers or scientists; so maybe it's just an age thing.
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As Irvine Welsh put it in 'Trainspotting'...
Sick Boy: It's certainly a phenomenon in all walks of life.
Mark: What do you mean?
Sick Boy: Well, at one time, you've got it, and then you lose it, and it's gone forever. All walks of life: George Best, for example. Had it, lost it. Or David Bowie, or Lou Reed.
Mark: Lou Reed, some of his solo stuff's not bad.
Sick Boy: No, it's not bad, but it's not great either. And in your heart you kind of know that although it sounds all right, it's actually just sh*te.
Mark: So who else?
Sick Boy: Charlie Nicholas, David Niven, Malcolm McLaren, Elvis Presley . . .
Mark: OK, OK, so what's the point you're trying to make?
Sick Boy: All I'm trying to do, Mark, is help you understand that The Name of The Rose is merely a blip on an otherwise uninterrupted downward trajectory.
Mark: What about The Untouchables?
Sick Boy: I don't rate that at all.
Mark: Despite the Academy Award?
Sick Boy: That means F**k all. It's a sympathy vote.
Mark: Right. So we all get old and then we can't hack it anymore. Is that it?
Sick Boy: Yeah.
Mark: That's your theory?
Sick Boy: Yeah. Beautifully f***ing illustrated.
Dogman
Veteran
The photos in Gibson's "Mono" were pretty strong, in my opinion. I think the book was done in 2013 with a Leica Monochrome camera. Akin to his work from the 1970's. I've never been a fan of his color photography. When he shoots color, he finds the same subjects as he shoots in B&W. They don't translate well as color.
I agree about the Magnum Pictures of the Year being weak.
I agree about the Magnum Pictures of the Year being weak.
olifaunt
Well-known
Also Stephen Shore. I went to his show at MoMA. The earlier work is fantastic; the later part lacked everything that made the earlier work interesting IMO, though I don't know if it is really about digital/analog or simply his moving into different directions and the influence of digital imaging and Instagram on him.
I think social media can be a negative influence on quality, since it favors simple pictures that are understandable and look striking as miniatures (on cell screens).
Richard G
Veteran
OK. And despite Bach and the guy who cracked some centuries old maths problem recently in the time after his retirement, I’m going to learn from this post and finally see Trainspotting.
MCTuomey
Veteran
Thanks for the practical perspectives, fully agree. As I've aged, I admire long-haul persistence at one's craft more than critical acclaim, as the latter is usually fleeting and shallow. Keep on, Mr. Gibson.
Timmyjoe
Veteran
"Gibson took the camera outside, pointed it at a manhole cover and snapped a photo. Just as he did, a bicycle zipped by, casting dramatic, spoked shadows across the pavement within the frame."
When pigs fly.
There's no way a photographer who has mastered the art of seeing as Ralph Gibson has, would be caught with an image of a manhole cover that just happen to have this bicycle shadow appearing in it. He saw what the image would be and waited for the moment where the bicycle shadow would be where he wanted it.
After reading that ridiculous statement, I lost total interest in the article.
Best,
-Tim
When pigs fly.
There's no way a photographer who has mastered the art of seeing as Ralph Gibson has, would be caught with an image of a manhole cover that just happen to have this bicycle shadow appearing in it. He saw what the image would be and waited for the moment where the bicycle shadow would be where he wanted it.
After reading that ridiculous statement, I lost total interest in the article.
Best,
-Tim
emraphoto
Veteran
Totally agree with the Social Media observation. It (SM) has a profound effect on photography in ways we have yet to realize (yes professor obvious).
One of those effects is a shift towards large scale palatability. Clicks equals $.
creenus
Established
Nowhere near his earlier analog work, IMO.
airfrogusmc
Veteran
Totally agree and the work still looks like Gibson's work. I would also add that 2 & 3 are very Gibson like photographs. And I would argue that many now are taking photographs trying to emulate Gibson's work not the other way around.
FujiLove
Well-known
Yes, my comment is a huge generalisation, but applies to most people. Unfortunately you can't beat a youthful brain.
Trainspotting: great film, greater book. The problem with the book is, like most of Welsh's work, it's written in a Scottish accent and uses a lot of slang which can make it difficult if you don't have an 'ear' for it. Both highly recommended though.
ptpdprinter
Veteran
At 677 words, it hardly qualifies as an article.
ptpdprinter
Veteran
Ralph Gibson went digital because Leica gave him a special edition Monochome and a pile of money to promote their digital cameras. He now has a show whose raison d'etre is that the images are digital, hence the title.
FujiLove
Well-known
In fairness to him, if Leica gave me a load of free gear and a ton of money I'd also shoot digital.
Kidding, obviously.
ptpdprinter
Veteran
I am thinking of calling my next show Digital Images. At least it would give me something to talk about. No one ask me if my images were film or digital the last time around.In fairness to him, if Leica gave me a load of free gear and a ton of money I'd also shoot digital. Kidding, obviously.
sepiareverb
genius and moron
Calling this an 'article' is a bit of a stretch. It's more like a pair of tweets.
karateisland
Established
Per the age thing: It's pretty common for authors to produce their greatest work when they're older, and I can name more than a handful of painters who did the same.
So it is pretty common for artists to improve with age. If we don't see many photographers doing their best work when they're older, I wonder why that's the case...
So it is pretty common for artists to improve with age. If we don't see many photographers doing their best work when they're older, I wonder why that's the case...
Pioneer
Veteran
Richard G
Veteran
Yes, I liked 2 and 3 too.
I love WIRED magazine. I often heard about it when some new tech thing was mentioned in our local paper, "according to WIRED magazine." Eventually I found it by chance on the shelf in the newsagency at work. The graphics and layout are great and the articles are fantastic, often without fear of favour, and long enough to get the message across. The recent piece on John Allison's work for the Nobel Prize in Medicine was a terrific detective story, immunology primer and analysis of success in science. https://www.wired.com/story/meet-jim-allison-the-texan-who-just-won-a-nobel-cancer-breakthrough/
Sure this is more of a "couple of tweets" but the point is Ralph Gibson is in WIRED. That says a lot for him and for WIRED. It's interesting. We're a tough school, which is great. Ralph Gibson no doubt has perspective on who he now is and where he is at. What is he to do? Leica want to make a silver Monochrom with his signature on it. Should he have said no? He wants to shoot a 135mm focal length on a digital rangefinder or pair his Monochrom with the DR Summicron, for the close range: are we going to learn nothing from knowing about that?
Good someone mentioned writers and painters doing good work into old age. Composers too - Richard Strauss for one. One of the advantages of youth is uninterrupted time and boundless energy. My thirties and early forties were consumed by work and family. I had more ideas in my field towards 50 and in my early 50s. Now I'm working too hard again on the core work of my work to get all but a couple of those ideas to go anywhere. I am up before dawn to write something; but I am doing this post first...
Bike Tourist
Well-known
The old guys and gals (and I'm as old as they are) were the best of their age, during a time when photography was still relatively fresh and new paths presented themselves. Many made contacts by assisting earlier famous photographers. They still rose to the top of their era.
But, there's nothing difficult about photography, especially if you have the "eye" for composing in the viewfinder, which many people do. Many of the revered iconic images would not fare well in any blind competition where the name of the artist was not known. Technical excellence, while not everything, was certainly lacking in many of these images. Digital and the internet has devalued most art and its ubiquity devalues it even further.
Anyway, I give these pioneers credit for being on top of their game when it mattered.