Carl Weese (cjweese@wtco.net)
Sun, 03 Jan 1999 12:53:03 -0500
Judy Seigel wrote:
> > ... make it hard to get some of the effects
> > where subject motion--a blurred hand gesture--combines with selective
>
> Can't he use a neutral density filter?
Judy, that would work for that particular technical element, but would
introduce its own stray factors like extra flare from the filter. My
point was more that modern materials will only approximate those that
Davidson used forty years ago.
More important I think is that Davidson's pictures of the teenage "gang"
(oh what an innocent thing a young gang was forty years ago compared to
today!) are wonderful because of their insight and contact with the
kids, not because of grainy prints. If Bruce were to do a similar
project today the important point would be that he'd spend, again, more
than a year with the subjects and I bet he'd be perfectly happy with
modern materials and smooth fine-grained prints. He used 4x5 view
cameras for his work with the residents of East 110th Street, he did his
Subway series on Kodachrome printed by dye-transfer, and I believe his
most recent long-term study consists of medium format panoramics of
Central Park. Davidson's work is often brilliant and it's because of his
intense commitment to his subjects and because of his own vision: he'll
use any technique he thinks will help get that vision into the print.
Imitating the technique of his work could be an interesting technical
exercise, but really misses the point entirely.
---Carl
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