Eisenstaedt's love for the Vineyard

[bob_mac]

Many of you folks out there may be familiar with Alfred

Eisenstaedt's work, the people he photographed, the many Leica's he

counted on to get the job done right. I think he may have used them

all at one point in his long working career! Many photographs come

to mind when one speaks of Eisie. The man sure did see alot of the

world thru the rangefinder of his Leicas, both good and bad. His

photographs speak one word, his personality speak another. I feel he

was a "solid" man throughout his long life. He respected those he

photographed and people respected him for that.

I've never read anything bad about him as a person or photographer.

He seemed to be liked by many.

What I do know about him is that he would spend a month, sometimes

longer, on Martha's Vineyard. Every summer for 44 years or so he did

this. He had a love for the Vineyard like so many do. I think he

found peace there with his wife, escaping the reality of what he

documented for so many years. He would poke around the island with a

bag of Leicas and decompress photographing the splendor around him.

I too have spent many summers there, photographing and fishing.

When I lived there I stood in the places where he photographed the

landscape. No camera in hand, I just wanted to see it like he did.

Many areas have remained unchanged and evoke the same feelings as

when I view his book on MV.

 

My question to you folks out there is do you think at some point

there will be another book released by Alfred Eisenstaedt's (estate)

in regards to Martha's Vineyard? I know he made two books previous.

Something tells me though that somewhere, in many hidden shoe boxes,

is an archive of Vineyard images waiting to be printed. 44

summers...there's gotta be!

 

I feel he was a good man and would have liked to have met him.

I'm on island by weeks end....Leica's tuned, my 3 remaining rolls of

Kodachrome 25 in hand. In his sprit I will create some images,

perhaps in places he stood, all awhile enjoying the autumn air.

 

Thanks for letting me decompress today.....

 

All the best,

 

Bob

 

 

Note: if ya's got some MV pics of your own...post them!

[Troll]

It must be nice to be rich and "summer on the island."

[djphoto]

Bill, that was a snide and supercilious remark that was unworthy of both you and this forum.

[gib]

broadening your idea a little, people might want to see if they have a place they have returned to over a long period of time and perhaps might scan and post some old, middleaged and young photos of that place....I could probably do something like that for the east end of Georgian Bay in Central Ontario, the east end of Lake Huron. It might be alarming to find that the photos taken years ago with simple cameras, might be as good as those taken more recently with "modern" gear. regards, Bill

[Troll]

I apologize.

[todd_phillips1]

I know of one book, "Martha's Vineyard" as I have a signed copy. But was unaware of another book on the Vineyard. The one I have is quite good.

[Rob F.]

I've seen only one of Eisie's vacation shots, a misty-morning picture with some water--and I think boats--in it. I guess it was Martha's Vineyard, but I don't know for sure. I think I saw it in Camera 35, a magazine that used to exist. At any rate, the article said that Eisie used a Pentax for his pleasure shooting. Anyone know anything more about that?

 

Bob Fleischman