digital print quality

This discussion moves me to mention a show I saw last weekend... Which I
would NEVER have gone to, I don't like that kind of photography. But a
friend INSISTED I had to see the Russian constructivist photo montages at
International Center of Photography, and since I am VERY interested in
photo montage, I went.

Boring, familiar, and so what, was my rude reaction. But there was also a
show of Moholy Nagy collages -- same as above. Nothing we didn't see 50
years ago. Except there were two little movies by Moholy, thrilling
enchanting delightful-- one 9 minutes, one 5 minutes. The 9-minute one
was 1928 Berlin, the MTV effect before MTV destroyed itself -- a few
seconds of each scene (child, wind-up birds, building facades, edgy cat,
old woman dancing to Victrola in the street, boys in shorts, men walking
in hats, etc.).

Worth the trip, more than. So I finally noticed the main attraction, which
I'd been avoiding: "The War in Iraq." Not what I want to see and not what
this list wants to hear about -- EXCEPT these were spectacular prints by
digital camera printed by Modernage Custom Digital Imaging Labs, some of
them 6 feet wide by 4 feet high. By a new group of journalist
photographers calling themselves VII, or seven, though now they are 10.
Most famous name Nachtwey. Obviously "doctored" in Photoshop, or
equivalent, but so compelling, powerful, and actually beautiful (though
ghastly, raising the question of aestheticizing war, which is not this
e-mail). My other thought was it makes you think digital can do anything.

There was also in a corner a large monitor showing the whole run of the
camera before & after each of the shots printed, sort of a seminar in
photo journalism -- the different angles and distances. Like the click
click motion of the 1928 movie. I was told by someone who heard from
someone that ICP didn't want to show that or the Moholy movies either, on
the ground that ICP is about photographic PRINTS. Who could blame them?
Light and motion can be a *very* hard act to follow.

Anyway, if you're going to be in NYC before May 30, I recommend this
special event.

J.
Received on Thu Apr 22 00:27:10 2004