From: Carl Weese (cweese@earthlink.net)
Date: 12/31/02-11:24:11 AM Z
Chris,
Interesting.
For a long time now (nearly 40 years) I've always thought that if a picture
wouldn't survive reproduction in newsprint, wouldn't be convincing when seen
that way, then it isn't a picture in the first place and isn't worth
printing at all. That's not to say it won't look better as a fine print in
silver or platinum, just that printing a bad picture finely won't make it
good. Nowadays I proof my ultra-large format negatives by snapping them on a
light box with a digital camera and then outputting a small inkjet
workprint. *If* the picture is strong enough to hold my attention in this
crummy form, then it may be worth printing in platinum. If not, not.
---Carl
--
web site with picture galleries
and workshop information at:
http://home.earthlink.net/~cweese/
snip:
This is something I have always known but have decided to really work at
about my work. It is this notion of when technique and process overpowers or
takes over the work and imagery is lost or ignored. Its weird, I have always
been obsessed with trying techniques, but I feel that I have lost my way
with my imagery due to this. I look back at some really early schoolwork
when learning black and white and I find my investigation in imagery during
that period more compelling then what I do now. Granted my early work is
crude, but there is a true sense of exploration, desire and emotion in the
imagery. When I show anyone my work over the last couple years, no one talks
about the most important part: what Im trying to say. I always seem to be
giving a verbal demo on how to do the process instead of invoking responses
of why I did the work. I have realized this is due to technique suffocating
my imagery. I think I have gotten in a cycle of when I fail with my imagery,
I move on to the next hard to learn photographic medium thinking this will
save my work. Its that same pitfall some photographers (me as well at one
point) fall in about equipment, if only they had that certain camera or
light pack, the work would really come across and be successful. It couldnt
be more wrong about both (funny thing is I have always known this but have
been in denial)! I think its time maybe for me to do some straight black
and white work for a while until my images are what people see and not the
process.
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