Alfred Eisenstadt

How Alfred Eisenstadt discovered Leica

<p> Excerpt from "the eye of eisenstadt"

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Leicafile/message/62

Back cover of "the eye of eisenstadt"<p>

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Leicafile/files/Historic/eisie.jpg

Martin:

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Since not all of are (or want ot be) members of the Leicafile group,

it would be nice if you just cut and posted the relevant sections of

the article in question.

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Thanks!

"Everybody" loved Eisie. But I always wondered if he was one of the

truly great photographers, or just a really competent worker (like so

many of us) with a great personality, who shot a lot and occasionally

got lucky. HC-B, Gene Smith, Edward Weston, for example, left dozens

and dozens of great and memorable photographs, but I can only think

of two with Eisie: The Nurse and the Sailor, and The Kids Following

the Drum Major. I'm not trying to put him down here, as I love and

respect him, but I think that it's fair to ask, Is/was He Overrated?

Those who are swayed by the deluding passions, are bound to the

duality of opposites, and chained to comparison and criticisum

forever.

Somewhere I've got one of his books, I think it's _Witness to our

Time_ or something like that. Lot's of very nice work, and isn't he

the one who took that fantastic portrait of Herman Goring [sp?] with

other Nazi leaders? Remember, when we look back in history we use our

modern eyes. A photographer who worked in the 1930's may be more of an

innovator than we realize. His vision was very progressive and

innovative for his era. I wouldn't rate someone by a few signature

shots. He might not be in my own top ten...but he's in the top 100.

(I'm actually a little embarrassed to get into a rating game. It's

art, not horse racing.)

Lazy me. I should have cut and pasted the URL first. It was Goebbels!

I might further say that Eisenstadt was a photojournalist, and didn't

present himself as a fine artist. I love his quote, "90% of

photography is moving furniture." Combine that with Woody Allen's "90%

of life is just showing up." and you have the basis for a career in

photojournalism. (Which isn't too far from "f/8 and be there.")

Bill - I almost agree but would certainly add the 'Girl at the

Opera'.Eisie was fortunately able to get close to the famous

musicians of the period and was almost alone. He had one major

advantage - he was small and unobtrusive - a really quiet

photographer who only used cameras with quiet shutters.

I'll add to the above post Bill Clinton's "80% of life is just hanging

on."

from an editor's POV the great Eisenstadt shot was of the bare

cracked feet -below military puttees- of an Ethiopian soldier. It

showed exactly what sort of army the italian fascists were mowing

down with their tanks and planes, stark, simple, graphically powerful

and a perfect storyteller.

When you judge Esie remember that he was not trying to make gallery

photos, or even, mostly, photos meant to stand alone. As a

photojournalist he is unquestionably in the first rank.........

And Eisenstadt set the absolute standard against which all Leica

collectors should be judged, just before they are stood up against the

wall and offered blindfolds and last cigarettes. When he was honored

with the millionth Leica, it went into his bag as a

user!...........

Sure Alfred may have just been a competent photographer that

was lucky enought to get the right breaks in the industry at that

time. Would he be able to do the same thing today? I think

possibly, and possibly not. But he still took some bloudy good

pics that are memorable and remain in history as icons. Nothing

can replace that now- especially our petty thoughts. It's nice that

someone like him used Leica though isn't it?!

I was inspired to go back and dig out my "Eye of Eisenstadt." It's a

great book, and he was a terrific guy!

One of my favorite parts of that book is when he tells of forgetting

to put film in the camera when shooting one assignment. He shot the

whole roll before realizing the mistake. Everyone knows how that goes!

Bill: In "Eisenstadt on Eisenstadt, he named the same two pictures

you named, as the ones he'd like to be remembered for.

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I might add to the list, his shots of Albert Einstein working with J.

Robert Oppenheimer, and of Einstein lecturing to a class of

physicists at Princeton. The latter saw its first publication in

this book.

2 Cents:

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Artist( or Artiste!) or solid craftsman- who cares. Life is not a

contest.

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For amost 80 years he was at the forefront of the world's events, a

maker of memorable images month after month after month after decade

after decade and was a great guy to boot- no inflated ego there.

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He used the best tools available: Leicas and/or Nikons. Trying to

rate someone on an arbitrary subjective scale is silly, just as

asking was he good or lucky. The obvious answer is- both.

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I have seen dozens of pictures of him and in all, he was smiling! No

fits of childish pique at having his mug shot & shown.

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Eise, HCB, S.S. - we would be poorer at the absence of any.

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Cheers

I briefly met "Eisie" a few years before he died.I was priviledged to

snap his portrait with a great South African photographer,Peter

Magubane.I asked "E" about the special edition Leica.He said he simply

dropped it into his bag and used it!I agree about the Leica

collectors.I beleive there is a site where you can register to get rid

of them,CIA-way,with extreme perdjudice!It might wake up the folks at

Solms!I used my M3,the 50 and a 90mm to do his portrait.Available

light as he said the flashes bothered him.No problem,I did'nt own a

flash!He was a great photographer,journalist 1st,photographer in his

private time also.I thought he was a gentle kind fellow,but you do

need stamina,drive and ambition to get the photos he did...

I recommend the latest issue of Lenswork, it has two short stories

that I liked, one about Eisie and one about Arnold Newman. Both of

them characters in the positive sence!

I don't get it Martin. Is today Eisie's birthday? What occasioned the

post and the link?

Mani

In "Leica photographers" catogories, there was no thread about

Alfred Eisenstaedt.

Filling a blank