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Gritty

Gritty

I recently obtained the book "Fat Baby" and boy did it punch me right in the face (figuratively speaking). Eugene Richards has a way of going about his work that is both very sensitive to his subjects yet also real, honest and sometimes very grotesque.

I liken it to a visit of the world that we try to steer clear from in our "modern" society... that is, the part of the world that is seen as a "stain" on society but the truth is ... we have to face it, look at it deep in the eyes and learn that life is beautiful in all it's different shades and that we can't just look away. It's there and we have to deal with it.

It also prompted me to consider the 28mm focal length as I love how close and wide he gets with his imagery.

I didn't think I'd be a fan but being a documentary photographer myself, I truly respect what he's done... at least in "Fat Baby".
 
the article is worth the effort to work through viglink

lens(dot)blogs(dot)nytimes(dot)com
/2017/04/20/eugene-richards-a-life-in-photography/
 
Educative. I like people documentary photography then it is close. It was educative to read about where 21mm lens was used and I don't like it. Too close for me. But 24 and 35!
And I like museums as well since I was kid.
 
Great interview, thanks for sharing!

I really liked his explanation of how your personal taste and way of seeing changes over time and you might select/discard different images from the same photo shoot or body of work at different times in your life.

When I go through my negatives I usually select a handful of "keepers" right away, but have gotten in the habit of scanning also some of the images that make me go "meh" if there's a little something that catches my eye. It's not unusual for me to revisit those images many months later and discover that I like them much more than I did at first, or even think of different ways to process them to make them work for me.
 
One of the great blessings and great curses of the internet is that you can easily find content that suites your own sensibilities. I photograph my friends and family and our backpacking trips, and when I seek out photographs, I'm generally interested in more of the same.

I wouldn't normally seek out Eugene's work, but I found it striking, even when it was difficult to look at. I particularly like that Eugene does what Eugene does and breaks the "rules" according to his own vision. My favorite from the series was "Dustin Hill with his Daughter" because it seems so happy, but I think the most visually striking to me was "All our Love" because it breaks all the conventions of how to photograph people and somehow makes the title have an air of sarcasm.

Thank you for sharing your time (and this post)!
 
-- Now that the Viglink problem appears to be fixed, I revisited the interview and gallery... both are excellent. Thanks for the link...
 
Thanks for that link... "the danger with more skills is you have to be very careful that your skill doesn’t out-reach what you are really feeling."
 
Very nice read indeed. So many outstanding photographers I have come to know have an unpredictable chain of links that led them to photography. And each link in their life results in a different way to approach their art. That Eugene Richards has vision problems that led to using the 21mm like few others before him, makes his story all the more interesting. Nice link Bill.
 
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