As you know I don’t print large; I’ve only made one or two 11 x14 size prints in my entire photographic life! I’ve gone on and on about what seems to be more and more in vogue at galleries and even museums … large prints of mediocre subject matter. But then I recently saw and wrote about the fantastic William Klein show at the International Center for Photography in New York and Klein’s quite large prints. His oversized and grainy images didn’t seem to bother me … probably because of their incredible content!

What’s the story here … what’s going on? Nothing actually. I really haven’t changed my mind about how I feel about obnoxiously large prints of junk pictures. It continues to bother me when I come across them, except on those rare occasions when it works. Think Klein and Ansel Adams … two styles and subject focus that couldn’t be more worlds apart, yet it works well for both of them.

So, what got me on this latest rant against large size junk?  I was reading an entry from Tim Vanderweert’s outrageously stupendous Leicaphilia website and came across this:

“Just because you can make a print big doesn’t mean it gains anything in the process; in fact, more often smaller prints have a more pronounced effect. Georges Fevre, HCB’s printer, used to say “if you can’t make them good, make them big!” George rarely printed larger than 8×12. That seemed to work out alright.”

Damn, I couldn’t say it any better! Tim’s a great photographer and a wonderfully amusing writer. When you finish reading this do yourself a favor and check out Leicaphilia at www.leicaphilia.com!!! Not only are big prints of bad stuff bad, but big prints of good stuff don’t necessarily benefit from the extra real estate either … again, unless they happen to be made by someone like Klein or Adams.

All the above caused me to think again about a show I saw a number of years ago at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC. Featuring the work of a number of photographers, its single most stunning feature were twenty-five black and white 4×5 contact prints by Minor White.  These little jewels were portraits of two of his close friends coupled with pictures of favorite landscapes they had visited. Seeing these beauties convinced me of the power and ability of smaller prints to draw in the viewer – if, of course the images are powerful themselves.

So, there you have it. Small prints of good subject matter. Enough said.

Stay well,

Michael