Judy Seigel (jseigel@panix.com)
Sun, 14 Feb 1999 19:39:05 -0500 (EST)
On Sun, 14 Feb 1999, Curtis Fant wrote:
> Does anyone have any information on Mortensen? Anybody on this list go
> to his school? Anybody know where to find copies of the letters in
> Camera craft Magazine between him and Ansel Adams?
>
> I am interested in learning more about William Mortensen and his
> photographic processes. Any leads or information would be appriciated.
> Thanks in advance,
Curtis, there have been a number of interesting threads about Mortensen &
his methods on the list, including credible hearsay and anecdote from his
associates. Do you have access to the archive?
I assume you know his books (Mortensen on the Negative, Pictorial
Lighting, Monsters & Madonnas, Mortensen on Tone Control, come to
mind).... I myself am soooo interested to learn that the vaunted book got
a poor reception. That makes it more interesting, wouldn't you say ? Can
you feed us any details?
I quoted Mortensen and reproduced his version of "the curve" [sensitive
folks: DELETE NOW !] in Post-Factory Issue #1, p. 33. There was an article
about his technical ideas to go with it, cut for reasons of space, but
still in the pipeline for whenever.
I also recently received a reprint from an unidentified Texas publication
about Mortensen's system of negative development written by Ed Buffaloe,
who may or may not be still on this list. (If he isn't I'll give you his
e-mail offlist.) Ed summarizes the ideas about exposure & development from
Mortensen on the Negative, which it was nice to see brought to mind and
related to current thinking.
Some of the old magazines wafting their mildew spores around this house &
into my aging lungs (lamentably not well organized -- either magazines or
lungs) show Mortensen's photos and/or the ad for his workshops, which is a
naked babe wrapped in cellophane, "for the retired businessman" (I am NOT
making this up). But permit me to mention in passing -- nostalgia to the
contrary notwithstanding -- he was an ATROCIOUS photographer. Some of
those "portraits" were UNINTENTIONALLY hilarious. "The Spanish Girl," or a
title like that, only the worst of those that float into the mind's eye.
It is claimed that Edward Weston based his methods on Mortensen's -- maybe
so. But for sure not his esthetic. (Of course if I had to choose between
the two oeuvres I'd be in trouble... but I guess that's another article.)
cheers,
Judy
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