> >>
> I 1969 Ed Romney and friends created an organization called " The New
> Pictorialist Society" The purpose was to keep alive and bring back alive the
> early pictorialist processes which we refered to as "alternatives". By
> alternatives we ment alternatives to straight silver bromide photography as
> practiced and preached by the f-64 and Monterey purists. All those other
> processes mentioned by Bob were fair game for revival. We knew some workers
> were still doing them. We wanted to find out who they were, learn from them
> and encourage them to keep working. We encouraged our members and non members
> to learn these process and teach others. To us "alternative" processes meant
> anything but silver bromide. By the way many of the members did not work in
> anything but silver and that was ok too. Alternative to us ment alternative to
> the big yellow box. Lius Nadeau was an early and very supportive member.
Ernie, only some of those purists were in Monterey... there were plenty to
go around. But thanks for the source code... very interesting. Do you by
any chance recall where you got the term "alternative"? Was it in the air
in the '60s, or am I confusing that with the '80s?
I also recall someone telling me that the source of "alternative" as in
alt-photo-process list was Gord, when he and Steve Avery and Luis were
setting up. Certainly this list helped expand the term into its current
ubiquity. When I entered the field we called the whole business
"non-silver." In fact my "Non-Silver" course also included silver gelatin
"alternatives." There was another course, "Alternative Photography," where
you tore up gelatin silver prints, and hung them in trees, etc.
cheers,
Judy