Photographer Andrew Sweet

[samstevens]

Jordan, you’ve brought up your own photos and those of others several times and posted one of yours from a beach, so I did think that was relevant. Anyway, I offered some of why I think Sweet is worth looking at, more than just color. It’s for you to decide if what I said about Sweet’s photos is of any value to you.

[samstevens]

By the way, limiting the experience of art or photography to what one likes is unfortunate.

[Supriyo]

First of all, Michael, thanks for sharing this work with me. I wasn't aware of him and his intriguing but tragic life story.

 

What I get from Andy's pictures is his immense love for people in his community, which he treats like fleeting treasures, with an awareness for the need of preservation. He makes his subjects the priority, rather than himself or his urge to make art out of every picture he decides to keep. Many of his pictures have a snapshot or polaroid look to them and that perfectly fits into the narrative that he is trying to create, I think. He is after preserving memories, legacy, and a hasty, polaroid look feels appropriate to the style and mood he was after. Its like taking a trip through the Florida beach during a time in history and placing myself in the shoes of the photographer himself. Thats the magic I think. I feel like being part of the story he created, greeting and shaking hands with his subject, and forget at times that these are photographs, let alone from a different era.

 

I envy him for being motivated for a mission so precious and important. I envy him for wining over the urge of trophy hunting and chasing after the 'interesting', and portraying these people by celebrating their 'ordinariness'. At the same time, I wonder how many of these 'ordinary' people have experienced something extraordinary in their lives, like internment in a concentration camp, and survived. I wonder what that did to their valuing of life or their 'ordinariness'. I think about the lessons they teach me about life in this world in general. Can I relate their ordeal to the life of refugees in today's world who have escaped cruelty and death and found peace in another part of the world.

 

Again, I don't think he was trying to make art using his subjects. For instance, he didn't choose black and white, like Cartier-Bresson, who created magic by transforming ordinary scenes or subjects into extraordinary scenes using the camera. Andy was after capturing snapshots of life in a community, and thats different from a selfie or pictures of friends and family. Most of us wouldn't think of going outside of our inner sphere and taking snapshots of ordinary people in our community just for preservation, because most of us probably don't feel that strong an obligation and connection to them (at PN, I have seen only a few who do that). If we do take pictures like that, they are sometimes associated with some ulterior motive, like creating beautiful pictures or showing off skills, and hanging them in a gallery. Thats where I see a difference with Andy. He seemed to be genuinely drawn to a mission and that mission defined his life henceforth. He captured every smile, every withered skin at every corner of his space, even if that meant sacrificing optimal light or not discarding un-optimal compositions in some case. I cannot say the same for myself, at least.

 

To put it differently, his individual pictures of the Florida beach don't stand out, but the individual characters do, when placed in the larger context of the series. When viewing them in rapid succession, sometimes I had resonance of emotions, like being surrounded by so much of humanity, overwhelming at times. I liked the casual mood and humor at times. In the la Dolce Vita series, I liked his use of flash in the car portraits (like this one: La Dolce Vita - Andy Sweet's Miami Beach) or in creating a painted face effect (as in this one: La Dolce Vita - Andy Sweet's Miami Beach)

 

Anyway, thats what I wanted to say.

Edited June 1, 2019 by Supriyo

[jordan2240]

Can you please stop putting words in my mouth? I never stated anything that in any way, shape, form, or in any other possible world, that could be construed as the alleged comparison you mentioned.

You stated at one point that "we'll agree to disagree," which I assumed was in regard to the aesthetic of Sweet's work, which I find ordinary. So I was merely pointing out that, perhaps we don't disagree at all.

[jordan2240]

By the way, limiting the experience of art or photography to what one likes is unfortunate.

How am I 'limiting the experience of art' to what I like? I looked at the photos and found them to be rather ordinary. Are you equating not liking something to limiting?

[jordan2240]

Jordan, you’ve brought up your own photos and those of others several times and posted one of yours from a beach, so I did think that was relevant. Anyway, I offered some of why I think Sweet is worth looking at, more than just color. It’s for you to decide if what I said about Sweet’s photos is of any value to you.

In regards to your last sentence, likewise.

[samstevens]

Jordan, your response somewhere above mentioned that only one person liked the photos. I picked up on that because, as I have, one can look to see more in a series and at least attempt to flern what a photographer was doing even without liking the work. Appreciating work I don’t like has both broadened my understanding of things and helped me separate my taste out of some equations.

[michaellinder]

First of all, Michael, thanks for sharing this work with me. I wasn't aware of him and his intriguing but tragic life story.

 

What I get from Andy's pictures is his immense love for people in his community, which he treats like fleeting treasures, with an awareness for the need of preservation. He makes his subjects the priority, rather than himself or his urge to make art out of every picture he decides to keep. Many of his pictures have a snapshot or polaroid look to them and that perfectly fits into the narrative that he is trying to create, I think. He is after preserving memories, legacy, and a hasty, polaroid look feels appropriate to the style and mood he was after. Its like taking a trip through the Florida beach during a time in history and placing myself in the shoes of the photographer himself. Thats the magic I think. I feel like being part of the story he created, greeting and shaking hands with his subject, and forget at times that these are photographs, let alone from a different era.

 

I envy him for being motivated for a mission so precious and important. I envy him for wining over the urge of trophy hunting and chasing after the 'interesting', and portraying these people by celebrating their 'ordinariness'. At the same time, I wonder how many of these 'ordinary' people have experienced something extraordinary in their lives, like internment in a concentration camp, and survived. I wonder what that did to their valuing of life or their 'ordinariness'. I think about the lessons they teach me about life in this world in general. Can I relate their ordeal to the life of refugees in today's world who have escaped cruelty and death and found peace in another part of the world.

 

Again, I don't think he was trying to make art using his subjects. For instance, he didn't choose black and white, like Cartier-Bresson, who created magic by transforming ordinary scenes or subjects into extraordinary scenes using the camera. Andy was after capturing snapshots of life in a community, and thats different from a selfie or pictures of friends and family. Most of us wouldn't think of going outside of our inner sphere and taking snapshots of ordinary people in our community just for preservation, because most of us probably don't feel that strong an obligation and connection to them (at PN, I have seen only a few who do that). If we do take pictures like that, they are sometimes associated with some ulterior motive, like creating beautiful pictures or showing off skills, and hanging them in a gallery. Thats where I see a difference with Andy. He seemed to be genuinely drawn to a mission and that mission defined his life henceforth. He captured every smile, every withered skin at every corner of his space, even if that meant sacrificing optimal light or not discarding un-optimal compositions in some case. I cannot say the same for myself, at least.

 

To put it differently, his individual pictures of the Florida beach don't stand out, but the individual characters do, when placed in the larger context of the series. When viewing them in rapid succession, sometimes I had resonance of emotions, like being surrounded by so much of humanity, overwhelming at times. I liked the casual mood and humor at times. In the la Dolce Vita series, I liked his use of flash in the car portraits (like this one: La Dolce Vita - Andy Sweet's Miami Beach) or in creating a painted face effect (as in this one: La Dolce Vita - Andy Sweet's Miami Beach)

 

Anyway, thats what I wanted to say.

 

Supriyo, you might find it interesting to look at the work of his lifelong friend and occasional shooting partner, Gary Monroe. Here's a link you can use to access some of Monroe's images, all in b&w. The movie "The Las Resort" makes it clear through both narrative and brief interviews that Monroe was dramatically more interested in the aesthetics of photography as compared with Sweet. Finally, I think you hit the nail directly on the head when you stated: "He seemed to be genuinely drawn to a mission and that mission defined his life henceforth. He captured every smile, every withered skin at every corner of his space, even if that meant sacrificing optimal light or not discarding un-optimal compositions in some case." I'm grateful for your contribution to this thread.

[michaellinder]

You stated at one point that "we'll agree to disagree," which I assumed was in regard to the aesthetic of Sweet's work, which I find ordinary. So I was merely pointing out that, perhaps we don't disagree at all.

 

Again, I think you misunderstood my previous comments. In no way did I dress the aesthetic of Sweet's work.Please review the comments I posted about an early set of remarks by Phil S. What I did was to place them in context. If you are comfortable in stating "perhaps we don't disagree at all," I can live with that.

[jordan2240]

Jordan, your response somewhere above mentioned that only one person liked the photos. I picked up on that because, as I have, one can look to see more in a series and at least attempt to flern what a photographer was doing even without liking the work. Appreciating work I don’t like has both broadened my understanding of things and helped me separate my taste out of some equations.

I have often appreciated the effort that goes into art (or anything) that I haven't particularly liked even if I don't see anything that would indicate a particularly notable effort in Sweet's work. My point in the comment you reference was to inform the other poster that he wasn't likely to get a lot of responses to his request since none of the posters in this thread save one (that I can recall) indicated a particular fondness for Sweet's photos. We all know that opinions about art are quite subjective and even variable, as one might dislike something one day and like it the next. I recall listening to music or watching movies that I 'hated' or 'loved,' until I listened to it or watched them again. With photography, seems I either like it or not, and my initial impression rarely changes. I think that's because, unlike with music and film, one looks at a photo and has an immediate reaction, or doesn't. I certainly don't 'hate' Sweet's work, I just find it ordinary, at least what I've seen in the 'beach' portfolio.

[jordan2240]

Again, I think you misunderstood my previous comments. In no way did I dress the aesthetic of Sweet's work.Please review the comments I posted about an early set of remarks by Phil S. What I did was to place them in context. If you are comfortable in stating "perhaps we don't disagree at all," I can live with that.

We'll leave it at that then.

[samstevens]

I have often appreciated the effort that goes into art

That's not what I'm talking about. Sure, I may appreciate the effort that goes into getting up early and climbing a mountain in order to photograph from an outback high point, even if I don't like the photos. But I'm talking about actually appreciating what the photos themselves may have to offer despite my dislike for them. That was how I grew to really respect and learn from some Japanese photography that I didn't at first like. It wasn't that the effort put into them offered me anything, it was that people I respected told me to give that kind of photography a chance and a long, hard look. I began simply to analyze and try to decipher it just to see what others may have seen in it and it opened a lot of doors to me. It took time, effort, and a willingness not to be tied down by my own taste, but it paid off. We can all be somewhat easily dismissive in our initial reactions to photographs, especially since there are so many these days at our fingertips. I try to counter that with openness and willingness which often pay more dividends than my initial reaction. Sometimes, of course, I try and try and still don't like stuff.

[jordan2240]

That's not what I'm talking about. Sure, I may appreciate the effort that goes into getting up early and climbing a mountain in order to photograph from an outback high point, even if I don't like the photos. But I'm talking about actually appreciating what the photos themselves may have to offer despite my dislike for them. That was how I grew to really respect and learn from some Japanese photography that I didn't at first like. It wasn't that the effort put into them offered me anything, it was that people I respected told me to give that kind of photography a chance and a long, hard look. I began simply to analyze and try to decipher it just to see what others may have seen in it and it opened a lot of doors to me. It took time, effort, and a willingness not to be tied down by my own taste, but it paid off. We can all be somewhat easily dismissive in our initial reactions to photographs, especially since there are so many these days at our fingertips. I try to counter that with openness and willingness which often pay more dividends than my initial reaction. Sometimes, of course, I try and try and still don't like stuff.

Point taken.

[denny_rane]

I believe it is the "Back Story" of the photos that make them important, interesting, relevant, etc etc.

He was documenting a time of life that was interesting to him.

Looks like he had an MFA. Those degrees are a lot of work

We have all heard the phrase ....."A camera is just a tool"..... Mr. Sweet used a tool to record something he deemed to be important and/or interesting.

He knew what he was doing. Many of his other pics, Color and Black and White, have a decidedly different look to them.

Mr. Sweet took the beach pictures to document a slice of time.

You could not take those picture in the last 30 years

 

"Anybody Could Have" taken many of the photos that Ansel Adams took.

But he popularized it first..

 

"Anybody" could have taken the frames that Eddie Adams and Nick Ut shot in Vietnam. They could have taken those and Hundreds more. But nobody cares after it is done once.

Lisa Gherardini could have been painted dozens and dozens of times.....but NOBODY would care.

 

Mr. Sweet did what he did, what somebody duplicates after that is not likely to hold much sway......... "Yeah mister. Your photos look just like MR. SWEETS photos. When other photographers start bringing in photos that look like YOUR pictures, then we will start to give a shot".

 

No way in Hell i am authorizing Billions Of Dollars to watch a guy step out onto the moon again. The photos from 1969 are all we need.

[samstevens]

No way in Hell i am authorizing Billions Of Dollars to watch a guy step out onto the moon again. The photos from 1969 are all we need.

lol. The photos weren't the purpose of the moon landing and, when it's done again, the purpose won't be the photos either. The photos were and will be a by-product of space exploration, which is worth doing again. Anyway, next time someone steps onto the moon, count me in to watch it.

[denny_rane]

Somebody did step (and drive) on the moon again.....and again and again.

Of course You are correct. The pictures definitely were not the main purpose of Apollo-11.

But to emphasize my point, by the time Apoloo-13 went up, The National Dog Show was drawing more viewers.

The "only" reason people tuned into was because of the disaster.

Interest had waned already.

Nobody wants to watch the Titanic sink a second time.

Being the first isn't everything, but it is a lot. :)

[samstevens]

Nobody wanted to watch the Titanic sink the first time.

 

Watching a dog show, to me, would be like watching golf or paint dry.

 

Anyway, originality is admirable, being the first in art or photography, but it’s not the whole enchilada. What Sweet did was by far not a first. It was personal, which is often more important than first.

[ruslan]

Andy Sweet was born in Miami Beach, Florida. He lived his entire life, and died, there. I had the privilege of watching a documentary biographical film recently, the title of which is "The Last Resort." Please use this link to an online summary of the film, which is available on Netflix: ABOUT — The Last Resort Many, but not necessarily all, of Sweet's photos have been restored, and you can view them at another internet site: Andy Sweet Photo Legacy - Andy Sweet's Miami Beach.

 

I will be quite interested to read what you think about Sweet's work.

 

michael

Thanks. The series might be interesting to someone connected with the places and the resort itself. Old stuff, looking like a thing of the past, nostalgic, yes, but techically very ordinary, ho-hum. Our parents and grandads took alike pics throughout the Crimea and the Black Sea long ago with Zenits (1970s or early 1980).

[tholte]

I think some of you are forgetting that these images were taken on film and done over forty years ago by a really young photographer. They document a place and time extraordinarily well. Look at some of his other work, it is all really good. Thanks for posting Michael because I was not familiar with his work. No offense Jordan, but you should really think twice before you post an image that you think is relevant to the topic because this one sure wasn't.

[AlanKlein]

lol. The photos weren't the purpose of the moon landing and, when it's done again, the purpose won't be the photos either. The photos were and will be a by-product of space exploration, which is worth doing again. Anyway, next time someone steps onto the moon, count me in to watch it.

I watched the landing in 1969; that was 50 years ago. Been there; done that. It's expensive to go again. I think we should try something new.

[samstevens]

I watched the landing in 1969; that was 50 years ago. Been there; done that. It's expensive to go again. I think we should try something new.

I imagine explorers and astronauts would get a good laugh at the idea that going to the moon once was the idea.

 

Bringing it back to photography, I'm glad Imogen Cunningham's calla lily didn't stop Tina Modotti and Robert Mapplethorpe from making their own. Like I said, it's not always first that counts, and I don't think it was about improving on Cunningham's work or competing with it, it's about each photographer's personal take on a very photogenic subject.

[jordan2240]

I think some of you are forgetting that these images were taken on film and done over forty years ago by a really young photographer. They document a place and time extraordinarily well. Look at some of his other work, it is all really good. Thanks for posting Michael because I was not familiar with his work. No offense Jordan, but you should really think twice before you post an image that you think is relevant to the topic because this one sure wasn't.

I posted it because I thought it was an example of a 'documentary photo' at the beach, which is what I saw in Sweet's beach photography. Certainly, I could have posted different shots that I didn't think would have the same sort of impact. Had that shot been part of Sweet's portfolio, I wonder what the reaction would have been. I don't know that his beach series documented a place and time extraordinarily well, but it certainly did document a place and time. Whether it was one day or many days cannot be discerned by the photos. Shoe boxes are full of family pics that document a place and time, which is why I see nothing out of the ordinary with Sweet's beach series. I haven't looked at his other work, so make no judgment of him as a photographer in general. I'm sure he was better than I am.

[ruslan]

I posted it because I thought it was an example of a 'documentary photo' at the beach, which is what I saw in Sweet's beach photography. Certainly, I could have posted different shots that I didn't think would have the same sort of impact. Had that shot been part of Sweet's portfolio, I wonder what the reaction would have been. I don't know that his beach series documented a place and time extraordinarily well, but it certainly did document a place and time. Whether it was one day or many days cannot be discerned by the photos. Shoe boxes are full of family pics that document a place and time, which is why I see nothing out of the ordinary with Sweet's beach series. I haven't looked at his other work, so make no judgment of him as a photographer in general. I'm sure he was better than I am.

I have seen all the series on the website and apart of few interesting shots, his general stuff is nothing to write home about. My favourite photogtaphers are Robert Doisneau, Steve Mc Curry, Brassai, Koudelka. And others.

[ruslan]

you are forgetting that these images were taken on film and done over forty years ago by a really young photographer

No, the old film's degraded color transition is the main striking thing of that stuff. But composition, thythm, forms, (or absence of which) are all like on amateur's photos from his P&S Kodak.

Now I look at our student's 1990s' photography (as we went to another city, as we went to a holiday house, to a dache, etc, all were taken on film with a crappy Helios) as documentary...As they document a place and time extraordinarily well

[jordan2240]

I have seen all the series on the website and apart of few interesting shots, his general stuff is nothing to write home about. My favourite photogtaphers are Robert Doisneau, Steve Mc Curry, Brassai, Koudelka. And others.

Thanks ruslan. I'll take a look at their work. It's certainly interesting how much people's opinions diverge on 'art.'