I think Tim Vanderweert had one of the best photography sites on the net. I loved his no nonsense writing. I didn’t always agree, but Leicaphila.com remains in my favorites power rotation! His passing earlier this year was a tragedy but his photographs and writings will live on for those who visit this wonderful place. In an early blog entry he writes about, “Why B&W Photography”, as well as Robert Frank, who he considered to be his “photographic mentor”. I found the following particularly thought provoking:

“Photography, as Robert Frank has stated, is “an art for lazy people.” And it is an easy medium to master, more so now than ever. But really good photography, evocative images that have something to say, are still as rare as hen’s teeth. It’s always been that way with every creative medium. For every Mozart, a million Salieris; for every Robert Frank, a million photographers printing super large, vibrantly colorful, resolutely superb junk. The mistake comes from thinking that Art results simply from doing something competently. Its the mistake of the Salieris of the world. True Art, the product of a unique inspiration, uses the artistic medium as a way to make statements about itself rather than the subject in front of the artist. The best black and white photography, reducing images to essential visual elements of form, shape and tonal relationships, allows the viewer to see behind the photograph’s illusion as representation in a way not available to color images.”

I think what Frank should have said is lazy people think they can use photography to make art. And to say it a little differently than what Tim wrote, with modern digital cameras the technical aspects of medium are easy to master.

As I’ve written lately I’ve been on a bit of a book buying binge lately and feel that I have now just about rounded out my library fairly well … I am on the hunt for a reasonably priced three book set of Bruce Davidson’s work Outside, Inside, and if I had more space I could always buy more books to be more of a completist. So I’m pretty satisfied that my library is filled with books of great photographers that understood “the mistake comes from thinking that Art results simply from doing something competently … and that “True Art, the product of a unique inspiration, uses the artistic medium as a way to make statements about itself rather than the subject in front of the artist”.

I couldn’t agree more with Tim that “really good photography, evocative images that have something to say, are still as rare as hen’s teeth”. There are so few photographers that get it right. The great ones knew they were lucky to make many truly meaningful images in year’s time. Those are the ones I gravitate to and draw inspiration from.

I think Tim is also right in his statement about black and white can enable vs. color. And while it may be harsh … Tim always told you what he thought, not necessary what you wanted to hear … it is true that “for every Robert Frank, [there are] a million photographers printing super large, vibrantly colorful, resolutely superb junk”.

I also believe that hand in hand with great black and white photographs that “reduce images to essential visual elements of form, shape and tonal relationships” is the use of normal to no more than moderate wide angle lenses, e.g., not wider than 28mm (or equivalent in medium format or larger formats). The vast majority of the books I own by those photographers I greatly admire contain black and white images with a fairly normal field of view. There are some exceptions, e.g., color photography by Eliot Porter (“American Places”), Morley Baer (“The Wilder Shore”) and Jeffrey Becom (“Mediterranean Color”), but I can’t think of any photographer I gravitate to who’s pictures have an exaggerated angle of view.

So here’s what to do. Buy the books and learn from the masters, the one’s whose work has and will continue to stand the test of time. Then strive to make well seen and captured work that’s meaningful to you. It’s a constant struggle, but well worth the effort. Though frustrating, I’d rather have a but a few gems out of a year’s work than a bunch of also rans.

Oh, just one other thing … when you have some time listen to some Mozart.

Stay well,

Michael