Are The world's top photographers only Americans ?

[henrimanguy]

I have recently read and admire a very beautiful photo album whose

english title is "The world's top photographers and the stories

behind their greatest images" (Rotovision, Great Britain). It is

devoted to the landscapes photographers. The title is enticing and,

indeed, you get value for money, the photographies are superb. That

being said, since now more than one year that I frequent Photo.net, I

very often have found among us photographies as beautiful, and even

more beautiful as in this book. Many of the photographers who exhibit

their works on this site, and whose names I will conceal, out of

consideration for their modesty, have no cause to be envious of

those one can admire in this album. If I talk about it today this is

both for slighlity criticize it and for mark my surprise of

something. The title is "The world's top photographers and the

stories behind their greatest images", but when I look at the list of

the 38 photographers who have the honour to appear in it, I find 34

Anglo-Saxons (among them 24 United States inhabitants, 7 of the

United Kingdom, 2 New-Zealanders/Australians and one Canadian). There

is only one French (Yann Arthus Bertrand, who is yet not really, and

does not consider himself as a landscape photographer), one

Palestinian (Yousef Khanfar), one Japanese (Shinzo Maeda) and one

Swedish (Jan Töve). All the same, this is very little for the rest of

the non-Anglo-Saxon world. So, the photos of the world you can see in

this book are essentially photos of the United-States of America.

They are beautiful, sure, and the wild landscapes of this land are

indeed of first greatness, but all the same, the USA are'nt the whole

world and I feel like an injustice feeling in view of this

disproportion in a book which intend to show the "world's top

photographers". Really, in the whole world you could find only one

French photographer, one Palestinian, one Japanese and one Swedish

able to compete with 24 "United-Statians" ("États-Uniens", as we say

in France when we want to emphasize that this land is not all the

America) ? I have trouble to believe that. I don't know many

landscape photographers, but just among the French people I can at

least name three or four who would have perfectly had their place in

such a work. I notably think to Philip Plisson, who has specialised

himself in the celtic lands seascapes (Brittany, Scotland, Ireland)

and whose fame is indeniable far beyond these areas. I would also

name Jean-Pierre Gilson whose photos can be admired in a very

beautiful and big work published in 2002, "Territoires de France". An

other lover of the celtic lands is Jean Hervoche who has published

(among other works) a book with the Franco-Scottish writer Kenneth

White, "Écosse, le pays derrière les noms" (Scotland, the land behind

the names). There are at least three names, for France, that the

coordinator of the work (Terry Hope, photo-journalist, co-editor of

the english magazine "Amateur Photographer") could have known if he

would have liked to get through the anglo-saxon sphere. As for the

other lands, I personnaly don't know very much for the landscape

photography do not very much enjoy the Art edition honours, but I

dare to believe that some famous names exist in Italia, Spain,

Germany, in Russia, in the rest of the american continent, in Asia,

in Africa, in brief in the whole world. Friends Photo.net members,

name all the names you know and you love, there is some, necessarily.

No ?... The landscape photography would be an anglo-saxon, and

particularly a United-Statian speciality ? I don't believe that, and

every day Photo.net prove the contrary. So ?...

[._._z]

What was the question again?

[ellis_vener_photography]

Yes.

 

We invented photography.

We own photography.

 

All ofthe top photographers in the world are in fact American even if they were

born and continue to live in other countries, have never been here and don't

speak English (which we also invented), they are in fact American and don't

you forget that buddy.

 

ALL of them. Every single top photographer in the world. ALL are American.

 

I know this to be true because I heard Rush Limbaugh say this (sourced to

Matt Drudge) and then Sean Hannrity & Bill O'Reilly said it too, and those

guys NEVER, EVER lie.

 

And don't you forget that.

 

(Disclaimer for the humor impaired: This post is intended to impart a sense of

humor. Given

this method of communications's inability to carry inflections, tone and facial

expressions it may

fail miserably in its intent. The sender acknowledges the limitations of

the technology and assigns to the software in which this message was

composed any ill feelings that may arise.)

[david l.]

No. They're German. The Bechers, Stuth, Gursky, Ruff, Esser, Hofer, Demand.

[emre]

The dilemma is resolved when you answer the question "Does any publication have the authority to decide who the best photographer is?" Of course not, so their verdict is irrelevant. Saying something is so does not make it so. The same thing happens in every field of human endeavour. If it is not a quality that can be measured (e.g., height, mass), then it is open to debate and your opinion is as valid as theirs.

[samuel_dilworth]

<em>This post is intended to impart a sense of humor</em> [sic] Ellis Vener<p>

 

Though you so kindly refrained from reminding us (thank you Ellis!), Americans are

also the only people who have a sense of humour. Hell, you guys invented humour!

Every comedian, even if he or she has never been to America and can spell properly,

is American! Lest anyone forget.<p>

 

Actually, because the USA's population, wealth and history of freedom of expression

is so great, it is natural that many great photographers are American. America is also

blessed with a huge country, with much dramatic scenery. Might it not therefore be

expected that more Americans fall in love with nature, and subsequently attempt

landscape photography, than say, the residents of Hong Kong? And indeed, Ansel

Adams, an American, played a pivotal early role in the genre of photography I suspect

you enjoy, Henri.<p>

 

But so what? That other household name, Henri Cartier-Bresson, is French.<p>

 

PS. I love Brittany too, Henri, and I'm a Protestant! Imagine! Living in Europe during

these days of crazy geopolitics, it's important to remember that Americans are

humans just like the rest of us.<p>

 

PPS. Amelie Mauresmo played a great game.

[paul beiser]

Ellis,

 

I can't stop laughing at your post, thanks. You should write comedy in any spare time you have :-)

[huntrbll]

That's right, Ellis...then you can make a great living as a photographer AND a comedian.... (is the sarcasm coming through?)

[rodolfo_negrete]

aside from patritism .

 

 

 

 

Sebasti㯠Salgado extended contact with people throughout the world, and it is around this contact that he believes his work revolves. ?The picture is not made by the photographer,? he remarked in a somewhat rare public explanation of his approach, ?the picture is more good or less good in function of the relationship that you have with the people you photograph.? In the Sahel, for example, he preferred to take a bus rather than rent a car, because when one arrives by car ?it?s a disaster--you are a guy with a car,? a rich guy, and not ?with the people.? Or, as he put it more broadly, ?You need to be accepted by reality.? The philosophy also jibes with his sense of personal economy--by traveling third class, rolling his own film, working sixteen-hour days making thousands of small proof prints himself, he was able to accomplish his various extended reportages in the Sahel--in Chad, Ethiopia (including the disputed Tigre province), Mali, and the Sudan--for the very minimal sum of $20,000, with printing being the major expense

 

havin said that I merely like to say that we all are letters of the alphabet and with out one of us the existence of the same is not complete.

 

Salgado is one of my favorite Photographers for his kind and noble way to see US People.

[richard_cook2]

Should the question really be:

 

Is America the world's most photogenic country?

[Spearhead]

<i> I love Brittany too, </i><p>

 

Are you sure you didn't mean Britney? Because that's who we love here.

[50d-boy]

Isn't Britney Polish? I suppose being photogenic is the same as taking one.

[lee_shively]

I developed a "thousand-yard stare" before I got to the end of the question. Just before my eyes glazed over, I think I remember the question was, "Are all the world's top photographers only Americans?" I'm still thinking about that. I don't know who the top photographers are currently or even how "top" is judged. I consider some of my favorite photographers to be Swiss Robert Frank, French Henri Cartier-Bresson, Mexican Manuel Alvarez Bravo, Czech Josef Koudelka, English Bill Brandt, French Robert Doisneau, etc., etc. To me, they're right up there with a batch of good American photographers.

[sam_richardson]

I would have to say that when talking about landscape photography, in general, that American's practically invented the genre, as we know it. So I think it would be fair to say that most of the notable examples of landscape photographers are Americans. The American's have a tradition of landscape photography, especially of the large format, fine art style. It's not surprising given the fact that the development of photography and the exploration/settlement of some pretty impressive landscape, occured at the same time.

[david_henderson]

I imagine that the national distribution of photographers in this book is more representative of where they hoped to sell it than who anyone seriously thought was the best. I mean can you imagine the US consumer buying this book if it was about the work of six Japanese, five Bulgarians and so on?

 

Mr Richardsons point about the invention of the genre is possibly right, but you know the English invented cricket and soccer and a fat lot of good it did us in terms of staying the best. I do think that many US landscape photographers- especially the literal ones - display a scary tendency to produce the same old things from the same old locations year in year out. Most of them don't even travel much, to pit their skills against a different kind of scenery, or to see if they can produce great work in areas they don't drive by every day. A lot of these people wouldn't get in -or near- my "best" list.

 

But then I'm not trying to sellbooks in Barnes & Noble.

[robert_jones8]

Ellis: As a right-winger Army veteran and life-long hawk, I nonetheless found myself doubling over in laughter at that one. Touche! (Or should I say "You go, guy", since O'Reilly called for a boycott agaonst the French?)

 

However, I'm not buying that bit about Sean Hannity. As the total sum extent of his knowledge is derived from talking points released by the Republican Party, I must issue a quarrel with you; the Republican Party hasn't issued any talking points about photography lately, thus how else would Hannity have obtained knowledge on this issue?

 

You're slipping, Eliis. :)

[linda1]

Oh my Ellis, you made my blood pressure go up for a second. hahahaha..

 

Welcome to the Anglo-Saxon world domination Henri. I've spoken to people about this cultural domination before (which most have no clue of what I'm talking about). Glad someone else noticed it. ;)