charjohncarter
Veteran
Rob forget the personal stuff between you and I. I agree completely about sniping. I'm not exactly sure what it means, but I think I have a pretty good idea, and you are right.
What's so great about Franks 'The Americans'?
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Rob forget the personal stuff between you and I. I agree completely about sniping. I'm not exactly sure what it means, but I think I have a pretty good idea, and you are right.
Al Kaplan
Veteran
...and I need to get my amplifier fixed. The turntable still works and there are all of those 12 inch vinyl blues records, even a few 10 inchers, just waiting to be heard again.
kdemas
Enjoy Life.
I'm going to be seeing The Americans in the next week or so and as always I am curious as to what my reaction will be. Many may love it and I may not, or visa versa.
As with all art, in my opinion, to each their own.
We all draw from differing backgrounds, experiences, preferences... Art is an incredibly personal thing.
Interesting thread. Now, back to gambling in Lake Tahoe 🙂
As with all art, in my opinion, to each their own.
We all draw from differing backgrounds, experiences, preferences... Art is an incredibly personal thing.
Interesting thread. Now, back to gambling in Lake Tahoe 🙂
MikeL
Go Fish
K, if you joined us this Saturday you'd get to see the show, AND you would have more cash in your pocket. Just a thought.
Papercut
Well-known
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Mike, I bet the hostesses at Tahoe are better looking than we are though ;(
robklurfield
eclipse
Al, I have a stack of vinyl waiting to be played. No 10 inchers. I agree with your comments on the socially-relevant resonance of the 60's. It still reverberates in my head.
MikeL
Go Fish
Well right now, yes.
But when I throw on my fishnet stockings, pumps, low-cut backless top, and lotsa makeup, damn I clean up good!
(Note: For those who know me, sorry about that image. It even scared the crap out of me when I was typing it.)
Rick Waldroup
Well-known
Well, I will tell you what Robert Frank's, The Americans means to me.
I was about 14 years old and had purchased a cheap Kodak camera. I found myself taking photos of everyday things around me- my neighborhood, my friends, my mailman, I would wander downtown and shoot random buildings, shoot strangers on the street.
That fall, in school, I had to take an art class. The teacher gave us an assignment and I turned in some of the photos I had been taking. I felt like a dunce, becasue I was not doing well in the class and most of the kids were much more artistically talented than I was. But it was the only way I knew how to communicate.
Anyway, one day, the teacher asked me stay after class and she handed me a copy of The Americans. I remember this like it was yesterday. I opened the book and it literally took my breath away. I realized at that exact moment what I wanted to do in life. The following summer, I mowed lawns and saved my money and bought my first "real camera" from a pawnshop- a Nikon F with a 50mm lens.
That is what the book meant to me.
I was about 14 years old and had purchased a cheap Kodak camera. I found myself taking photos of everyday things around me- my neighborhood, my friends, my mailman, I would wander downtown and shoot random buildings, shoot strangers on the street.
That fall, in school, I had to take an art class. The teacher gave us an assignment and I turned in some of the photos I had been taking. I felt like a dunce, becasue I was not doing well in the class and most of the kids were much more artistically talented than I was. But it was the only way I knew how to communicate.
Anyway, one day, the teacher asked me stay after class and she handed me a copy of The Americans. I remember this like it was yesterday. I opened the book and it literally took my breath away. I realized at that exact moment what I wanted to do in life. The following summer, I mowed lawns and saved my money and bought my first "real camera" from a pawnshop- a Nikon F with a 50mm lens.
That is what the book meant to me.
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Al Kaplan
Veteran
MikeL, I photographed a chick like that, an "entertainer", a few years back. "She" was a real knockout good looker! A few weeks later I was at the mall talking to some fiends I ran into there, and "she" runs up, puts her arms around me, gushes about how much she loved the pictures, and plants a big kiss on my lips. These guys' tongues are hanging out, seeing her fishnet covered long legs, big boobs pushing up from her bodice, and l'm thinking "I just got kissed by a guy!"
MikeL
Go Fish
Great story Al!
Rest assured, if I get the chance to meet you in Florida or if you come west to San Francisco, I will not be wearing fishnet stockings or have big boobs, and more importantly, I will spare you the big kiss on the lips.
You're welcome, ahead of time,😀
Mike
Rest assured, if I get the chance to meet you in Florida or if you come west to San Francisco, I will not be wearing fishnet stockings or have big boobs, and more importantly, I will spare you the big kiss on the lips.
You're welcome, ahead of time,😀
Mike
Al Kaplan
Veteran
Sounds good to me MikeL. In return, if a really sexy "girl" in 5 inch heels and a micro miniskirt suddenly kisses you as we're having coffee at one of those chic South Beach outdoor cafes I'll refrain from introducing you to Harry or Frank or...
sper
Well-known
Many of the pictures don't jump of the page the way commercial images do. However, once you really examine the pictures they just sing. It speaks to the soul of the American photographer, in my opinion at least, and certainly the time.
Also how many photographers since have decided to make a road trip across America their project? Each time I look at my copy it's more and more brilliant.
My favorite book of street photographer remains, however Winogrand 1964. That kodachrome on the cover is one of my favorite photographs of all time.
Also how many photographers since have decided to make a road trip across America their project? Each time I look at my copy it's more and more brilliant.
My favorite book of street photographer remains, however Winogrand 1964. That kodachrome on the cover is one of my favorite photographs of all time.
Al Kaplan
Veteran
Admire the pictures and draw inspiration from them, but too many people try to copy a style, be it Ansel Adams or HCB. Pick a project or theme but don't imitate another photographer's style. You'll waste too much energy attempting to do something that isn't you.
dseelig
David
The Americans
The Americans
If anyone thinks the themes in The Americans no longer exist and it is just a book of it's period they have not gotten out to see how things are in this country.
The Americans
If anyone thinks the themes in The Americans no longer exist and it is just a book of it's period they have not gotten out to see how things are in this country.
Jamie Pillers
Skeptic
Thanks a lot, Mike... I'm having trouble getting that vision out of mind! 🙂
Pablito
coco frío
You said it, brother.
Papercut
Well-known
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RayPA
Ignore It (It'll go away)
yeah, me too! disturbing, yet....eeesh! never mind.
I won't get any sleep tonight.
/
Honus
carpe diem
I have to agree with Jamie and Ray. The thought of Mike in drag has me reconsidering my participation this Saturday.
Should Roland make an appearance in black pumps and a cocktail dress, however ......
Honus
carpe diem
Returning to the original question raised by the OP -
I just reviewed my copy of the book, again. Keeping in mind the discussion presented in this thread, I tried to be objective, even skeptical, as I flipped through the pages. Before long, however, I was quickly reminded of the wonderful eye that Frank possessed. I grew up in America in the 50's. Frank photographed life as it was.
Growing up in America in the 50's and 60's, the media and popular culture wanted us to believe that America was depicted by Norman Rockwell. In fact, America was depicted by Robert Frank. I had the pleasure of moving numerous times in my young life. I had lived in 8 states by the time I reached high school, primarily in the midwest and the south. Robert Frank's ability to capture those ordinary moments in life that, in retrospect, become iconic moments in my country's past, is nothing short of genius.
Maybe you don't agree. Maybe Frank leaves you cold. That's fine with me. I respect any opinion, as long as it's not forced upon me. In my opinion, for what it's worth, Frank nailed it. He looked at America, warts and all, and documented it accurately.
I'll be attending the Frank exhibit this Saturday in San Francisco. I look forward to it, even if I have to accommodate a drag queen or two 😱
I just reviewed my copy of the book, again. Keeping in mind the discussion presented in this thread, I tried to be objective, even skeptical, as I flipped through the pages. Before long, however, I was quickly reminded of the wonderful eye that Frank possessed. I grew up in America in the 50's. Frank photographed life as it was.
Growing up in America in the 50's and 60's, the media and popular culture wanted us to believe that America was depicted by Norman Rockwell. In fact, America was depicted by Robert Frank. I had the pleasure of moving numerous times in my young life. I had lived in 8 states by the time I reached high school, primarily in the midwest and the south. Robert Frank's ability to capture those ordinary moments in life that, in retrospect, become iconic moments in my country's past, is nothing short of genius.
Maybe you don't agree. Maybe Frank leaves you cold. That's fine with me. I respect any opinion, as long as it's not forced upon me. In my opinion, for what it's worth, Frank nailed it. He looked at America, warts and all, and documented it accurately.
I'll be attending the Frank exhibit this Saturday in San Francisco. I look forward to it, even if I have to accommodate a drag queen or two 😱
