Re: Only fifty photogs working with platinotype/palladiotype!?

On Sun, 1 Feb 2004, Loris Medici wrote:

> In Gary Auerbach's site it is claimed that:
>
> "My specialty is portraiture, specifically large format platinum
> portraiture. With less than fifty photographers in the world working in
> this medium, I find satisfaction in educating a public that knows little
> about platinum photography and the platinotype."

I don't know if I'm going to have the energy tonight to correct the
misreadings of my remarks on archival and sharpness... but here's an easy
one. More proof of low level of reading comprehension around here, I mean
besides twisting my remarks. I'd flunk all respondents to this one on
their SATs. (Although Loris should get a pass if he's English as a 2nd
language.)

What Gary Auerbach claims is NOT that less than 50 photographers in the
world are working in the MEDIUM of PLATINUM (which is of course
ungrammatical: He should have said "fewer than.") His statement is
actually ambiguous, but what he's probably claiming is that fewer than 50
are working in HIS medium, which he says is "large format portraiture."

Of course we do not know how large is large in this claim, and as we
already see, he's a sloppy writer (although not necessarily a sloppy
printer). But let's say he means large as would be large in, say,
Polaroid. That could be 20 by 24. Or even 16 by 20... I suppose there
are people who do 16 by 20 platinum portraits, tho I don't know of any
living (I recall Robert Mapplethorpe, tho he didn't do the prints himself
... Would he count?)

Anyway, my guess is that could be possible, that relatively few
photographers are doing large format portraiture in platinum as a
*specialty.* I mean, subtract the platinum prints that include one or more
large trees and naked ladies. (Oh, that will raise some hackles... so
please note, I didn't say "all" or even "most.") But if do that, and then
call for large format (what is large format in platinum -- 11x14?) and
*portrait*, and as a specialty -- how many can you name?

Judy
Received on Sun Feb 1 00:12:29 2004