Nigel Meaby
Well-known
Stewart do you recall which programme the interview was on so I can listen to it on the IPlayer? Thanks 🙂
Steve McCurry wins Leica award?
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Stewart do you recall which programme the interview was on so I can listen to it on the IPlayer? Thanks 🙂
Broke
Established
Much of his earlier stuff was shot with Leica rangefinders -- his Afghan Girl portrait, for instance. Not that this matters.
Joe AC
Well-known
Sparrow
Veteran
I think the interview could have been on Today (yesterday) but iirc he was also promoting a retrospective on Front Row too, I think that same evening ...
PS ... sorry I can't find the one I head, just the short one on Front Row
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jan normandale
Film is the other way
I think that's humor don't you? Who really cares what the image is created by. I can't believe he does or else he thinks all his predigital work isn't worthy?
He's got to be humouring someone or tossing off phrases to fill dead air and keep momentum going.
Sparrow
Veteran
Well no not really, he had a rational explanation for switching and I'm happy to respect his decision as he explained it, he values poor light performance it seems, personally I'm all film so I'm not grinding axes with this
CK Dexter Haven
Well-known
"In an interview on BBC, Radio 4, yesterday Mc Curry said, in terms, digital had won the film/digital thing ..."
In terms of practicality, sure. But, i haven't seen anything from him in his digital age that rivals the old Kodachrome and Ektachrome stuff. Same with David Allan Harvey, unfortunately. Digital seems to rob photographers of character. This is an unfortunate fact in fashion photography. Ten years ago and beyond, it was so easy to identify a photographer just by looking at a single image. They all had a distinct signature. Now, though, everyone uses a Hassy H-something, and the pictures are all the same.
____
"Much of his earlier stuff was shot with Leica rangefinders -- his Afghan Girl portrait, for instance. Not that this matters."
I think it's widely reported to have been shot with a Nikon FM2 SLR and an 105mm lens.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Afghan_Girl
I don't remember ever seeing that he used Leica. Rangefinders or SLRs. And it sorta matters...
...in that Leica is misrepresenting this photographer's work, as having been created with their products.
It's fine for a manufacturer to reward someone who works with another company's gear. But, you don't create a presentation of his career's work and then throw up your own logo and tagline as a 'conclusion.' Even before that, though- just attaching your name to his... it's just dishonest, and too many people will not go far enough to realize the truth.
Yeah, great marketing ploy. If ethics don't count. And, giving the guy one of your cameras in 2011 does NOT make him someone you can claim.
In terms of practicality, sure. But, i haven't seen anything from him in his digital age that rivals the old Kodachrome and Ektachrome stuff. Same with David Allan Harvey, unfortunately. Digital seems to rob photographers of character. This is an unfortunate fact in fashion photography. Ten years ago and beyond, it was so easy to identify a photographer just by looking at a single image. They all had a distinct signature. Now, though, everyone uses a Hassy H-something, and the pictures are all the same.
____
"Much of his earlier stuff was shot with Leica rangefinders -- his Afghan Girl portrait, for instance. Not that this matters."
I think it's widely reported to have been shot with a Nikon FM2 SLR and an 105mm lens.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Afghan_Girl
I don't remember ever seeing that he used Leica. Rangefinders or SLRs. And it sorta matters...
...in that Leica is misrepresenting this photographer's work, as having been created with their products.
It's fine for a manufacturer to reward someone who works with another company's gear. But, you don't create a presentation of his career's work and then throw up your own logo and tagline as a 'conclusion.' Even before that, though- just attaching your name to his... it's just dishonest, and too many people will not go far enough to realize the truth.
Yeah, great marketing ploy. If ethics don't count. And, giving the guy one of your cameras in 2011 does NOT make him someone you can claim.
redisburning
Well-known
reminds me of a Jeff Beck quote:
"With a Les Paul you just wind up sounding like someone else. With the Strat I finally sound like me"
I don't know though, if that were true I would have bought a les paul. Then I could have sounded like Peter Green. if only...
Keith
The best camera is one that still works!
At least Leica have allowed the award to be presented to someone not necessarilly aligned with their products. If an NBA player gets a contract from Nike it's not because he was using their gear ... it's because he has talent and a high profile ... just business sense!
And ... at least they're actually supporting photography instead of supplying jewellery to a slathering market of poor struggling souls who have moved on from Benetton to their next fashion statement! (that was harsh! LOL)
And ... at least they're actually supporting photography instead of supplying jewellery to a slathering market of poor struggling souls who have moved on from Benetton to their next fashion statement! (that was harsh! LOL)
dave lackey
Veteran
Look at it another way... has Nikon ever given a photo award to someone using Canon? I think not, but I eagerly await the truth...😛
Keith
The best camera is one that still works!
I see what you mean!
It's almost like he can't get over the Afghan girl shot ... even though everyone else in the world has!
tomalophicon
Well-known
Salgado uses digital Canons.
dreilly
Chillin' in Geneva
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Yes. But used Leica Ms and Rs for a huge chunk of his career. And according to Richard Man's report from a talk he gave in 09, he was intrigued by Leica's digital medium format system. He remains a better choice if they wanted to choose someone who actually used their equipment for significant work.
Not that they should. I can see both sides of that part of this discussion I guess, thought I still think it seems more disingenuous to award someone and then give him your gear than to award someone who has been using it and has really done a lot for the brand like Salgado has.
What I found more interesting was the tension between the "genre" Leica was stating to support and McCurry's work, which might not be quite true to that.
semilog
curmudgeonly optimist
Maybe I missed something in the thread above, but I've not seen a hint of mis-representation by Leica on this award.
As I (and at least one other poster) mentioned above, the equivalent award from Hasselblad has gone to a lot of photographers who are and were not predominantly Hasselblad users, including a pile of Leica shooters: HC-B, Lee Friedlander, Robert Frank, Susan Meiselas, Nan Goldin, and Josef Koudelka.
Isn't that just awful? 🙄
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Harry S.
Well-known
I dont see any harm in this. Leica as a company want to market themself in a way that holds true to their roots in reportage photography. They are cementing that by showing public praise to a reportage / journalist photographer.
Its not an award as thanks for using their products; Seal pretty much has that wrapped up with Leica. 😉
Its not an award as thanks for using their products; Seal pretty much has that wrapped up with Leica. 😉
semilog
curmudgeonly optimist
That of course is inaccurate but it's also something put on FB by a marketing flack, and I had to dig to even find it. It's pretty clearly got little to do with the actual award.
Now, if one did want to be cynical, one could point out that Leica and Magnum have a marketing partnership...
shadowfox
Darkroom printing lives
Agree.
Seen from the eyes of most people,, digital 'won'.
But film is not 'dead' in the sense of being obsolete (= no one can feasibly obtain and use it anymore) nor it is 'dead' in the sense of being worthless (= cannot be used to produce anything of value).
Back on topic, in general I personally don't really care what Steve McCurry (or anyone else for that matter) won and/or why.
If Leica wants to give one of their products as part of marketing or recognizing a photographer's achievements, that's their prerogative.
CK Dexter Haven
Well-known
Maybe it was ME who missed something. What i saw was this:
•*A video from Leica in which they announce they are giving some sort of LEICA AWARD to Steve McCurry.
•*A video 'portfolio' of his work over the past 20-30 years.
• After the last image fades out, a LEICA LOGO and TAG LINE.
To put it simply, it looks for all the world like Leica is somehow connected/responsible for the preceding images. It's misleading. And, just because Leica makes a completely different type of camera than McCurry actually uses doesn't mean there's sufficient implied separation. Imagine if Canon did this with McCurry's pictures. I could imagine Nikon suing.
To anyone who isn't spending too much of their time in a photo forum, they would have no idea McCurry didn't use a Leica for any of those images. No clue. Some would say this is a matter of splitting hairs, but c'mon. This is a calculated move. I know- i'm in the same industry (marketing/advertising).
A previous member said it's no different than Nike awarding a contract to a player who hadn't previously used Nike. But, it's not. That player would be contractually obligated to use Nike GOING FORWARD, and his endorsement would represent his play while using Nike. They would certainly never show older footage of him in Reeboks.
jsrockit
Moderator
NBA players definetely wear Nike if they are under contract from the company. Unless you are saying the gear is secondary to their ability to be a face for the company.
Steve Ash
Established
Leica Hall of Fame
Leica Hall of Fame
On Leicas German website it states
"Ausgezeichnet werden Fotografen, die sich um die Marke Leica oder um das Genre Fotografie besonders verdient gemacht haben.", which correctly translated says
"The prize is awarded to photographers who have rendered outstanding services to the Leica brand or to the genre of photography", while on the English Leica website it was lost in translation to
"The prize is awarded to photographers who have rendered outstanding services to the Leica brand and to the genre of photography.
Personnally I do not mind too much about this mistake. In my point of view a Leica M is the best suited camera for the kind of images Steve McCurry is taking. That would be my camera of choice. Obviously he thinks differently. His images are great but his tool does not appeal to me.
Regards,
Steve
Leica Hall of Fame
On Leicas German website it states
"Ausgezeichnet werden Fotografen, die sich um die Marke Leica oder um das Genre Fotografie besonders verdient gemacht haben.", which correctly translated says
"The prize is awarded to photographers who have rendered outstanding services to the Leica brand or to the genre of photography", while on the English Leica website it was lost in translation to
"The prize is awarded to photographers who have rendered outstanding services to the Leica brand and to the genre of photography.
Personnally I do not mind too much about this mistake. In my point of view a Leica M is the best suited camera for the kind of images Steve McCurry is taking. That would be my camera of choice. Obviously he thinks differently. His images are great but his tool does not appeal to me.
Regards,
Steve