Huss
Veteran
is Dorothea Lange's Migrant Mother
http://loc.gov/pictures/resource/fsa.8b29516/
And guess what? it's out of focus. I just saw a large print of it at the Annenberg Space for Photography in Los Angeles. The mother's face is completely out of focus while her children's heads behind her are sharp.
The point of this? Even though Lange used a Graflex camera, technicalities mean nothing if you have a boring image. Those who pore of spec sheets, DxO results, comparo tests etc, get over it.
Migrant Mother was taken in 1936....
http://loc.gov/pictures/resource/fsa.8b29516/
And guess what? it's out of focus. I just saw a large print of it at the Annenberg Space for Photography in Los Angeles. The mother's face is completely out of focus while her children's heads behind her are sharp.
The point of this? Even though Lange used a Graflex camera, technicalities mean nothing if you have a boring image. Those who pore of spec sheets, DxO results, comparo tests etc, get over it.
Migrant Mother was taken in 1936....
michaelwj
----------------
Such a heartfelt image. The subject and the light is what it’s all about, and this one nails it.
oltimer
Well-known
X2, And agree this picture is great
sepiareverb
genius and moron
Not surprised. It is the iconic image of the Depression.
Recently went through some photographs there, now one just downloads a copy for their device.
Recently went through some photographs there, now one just downloads a copy for their device.
LCSmith
Well-known
Of course, documentation for HABS, HAER, and HALS is still done with large format silver negatives and will be for the foreseeable future. The reasons are simple: stability and ease of access.
Regarding technicalities and great images, no it doesn't matter much that the mother isn't in perfect focus. I'm not sure what that has to do with spec sheets, though.
Dogman
Veteran
Yes, it's a great photo. I have a copy of it on the wall of the hallway at home. Downloaded from the LOC website, cleaned up in Lightroom and printed on good fiber inkjet paper it looks very nice displayed with several other FSA photos by Marion Post Walcott, Walker Evans and Russell Lee. I'm sort of a Walker Evans fanatic so his work makes up the bulk of the display.
There are some great photos available from LOC downloads but many of them show signs of heavy handling over the years--scratches, smudges, stains, etc., on the negatives or original prints. Thus the need for a "clean up" to get them back as close as possible to their original state as much as possible. The original technical deficiencies don't distract at all, IMO. In fact they add to the emotional content of the photos.
There are some great photos available from LOC downloads but many of them show signs of heavy handling over the years--scratches, smudges, stains, etc., on the negatives or original prints. Thus the need for a "clean up" to get them back as close as possible to their original state as much as possible. The original technical deficiencies don't distract at all, IMO. In fact they add to the emotional content of the photos.
Graybeard
Longtime IIIf User
I believe the shot was made with a 35mm, probably a Leica.
The contact sheet containing this famous photograph has been published more than once. Surprisingly, the mother is not unhappy in all of the shots.
LCSmith
Well-known
Click on the link and look at the scan. It's a 4x5 negative.
zuiko85
Veteran
The photos of soldiers struggling on the Normandy beaches by Robert Capa show motion blur and other technical problems. But are very emotional images.
Ko.Fe.
Lenses 35/21 Gears 46/20
Good to know about this particular picture.
But nothing new, in general.
But nothing new, in general.
Graybeard
Longtime IIIf User
I stand corrected.
LCSmith
Well-known
Which means the "error" in focus is not so much an error as a fact of the medium. Depth of field is especially shallow at that focal distance. It looks sharp enough to me.
There are several other photographs, you can see the slight mis-focus better here:
https://cphmag.com/migrant-mother/
ASA 32
Well-known
I never noticed before the face of the infant at the lower right of the image.
karateisland
Established
The Magnum Contact Sheets book includes these images, and a surprising story. I'll paraphrase from memory because I don't have the book handy: The agency was very eager to process the film so they turned the heat up too high in the drying cabinet and separated the emulsion from the backing. This ruined a majority of Capa's shots, and the few that were salvageable were still damaged--hence the blurriness.
I don't mean to sound like I disagree with you! Just want to share a fun little anecdote. And, if anything, I think the magnitude of the technical problems are MORE indicative of the power of his images. Their resonance is totally undiminished by a mistake that would have made a lesser photograph totally unusable.
Richard G
Veteran
I guessed it would be this image.
Huss
Veteran
The point being an out of focus shot would rate terribly on spec sheets.
This shows that that doesn't matter. I know most of us know this already but it's worth reminding others who worry about BS like microcontrast , dynamic range etc etc
LCSmith
Well-known
I see what you mean. Thank you for the explanation.
One thinks of the ancient distinction between aesthetics and callistics, or what is formally beautiful (e.g. a nice-looking vase) vs. what is personally beautiful (i.e. relational).