The Shadow

If you intend the photo to be more documentary in nature, accuracy is important. If not, do what works best for you. If it’s not documentary, you can interpret as you wish, though that sense of real-world accuracy might still be important. But it might not. Up to you. As for the jpg you linked to, I don’t particularly like the heavy silhouette effect here, or at least the way it’s executed, but nothing about the composition or balance bothers me.

Thanks, don’t remember seeing his name before. I liked the series in the video. Have to look into him some more. First reaction is that they’re intimate often with an edge of alienation, an interesting combination.

A couple of things about this. Ludmilla has posted plenty of photos. All it takes is a look through the last few weeks’ No Words threads. Her work is generally a step above what mostly gets posted by others. She does have courage, to take on HCB, which she’s done right here in this thread. I don’t necessarily agree with her but she’s spoken her mind and with an unflinching minority view. The quality of her photos or even the fact that she’s a photographer don’t necessarily make her thoughts about Bresson or any other photography of greater import than a total non-photographer. I know many non-photographers who have great insights into various kinds of art they don’t practice. That’s because they have good eyes, minds, and sensibilities. Sometimes, one’s work can help others form a context into which to put their opinions. Other times, giving too much sway to someone’s work in terms of their ideas about photography or art can be a fool’s errand and just a lazy excuse for not actually listening to what they say.

I hope no one. Though I wouldn’t hesitate to criticize a serious (non-snapshot) photo of her. Because I know that a photo of Grandma and Grandma are two different things. :)

I used to have a portfolio and actively updated it. PN was “redesigned” a couple of years ago and the portfolios for the longest time were a mess. The folders got all messed up, stuff that should have been hidden was no longer hidden, it was virtually impossible to find or make comments. Over the last two years, there have been improvements but still many complain about the poor functionality of that side of the site. For me, it simply isn’t worth the hassle anymore. I regret not having one and it did used to be nice to see people’s work in an organized space, but I think it’s a thing of the past. No Words, I think, is the most vibrant part of the site. This seems to go along with the social-networkization of PN. The idea of No Words is great, essentially a non-verbal dialogue, though perhaps a little too literal and sometimes a very pedestrian approach to photos. One more Bus Stop theme or excuse to post pictures of cutesy street signs and I may have to scream! :) So, for many, it’s down to No Words as the photo feature of the site and, again, it’s a solid and fun feature. But it can also act as a fling-it-to-the-wall fest in a mostly non-feedback loop. There’s the game of likes, which several members have perfected into an art form. But no dislikes, of course, so it’s a self-fulfillingly feel-good only system. Except, of course, for those who LIKE every photo in a thread except one, which happens more often than you’d think, which must make the non-recipient not feel very good at all, if they care. On the other hand, I know someone who loves when he gets no LIKES because his work often defies literal theme and doesn’t always please so much as challenge the mind and eye. Those kinds of photos, good as they are, are not terribly “likable” in the PN sense. Anyway he, too, like so many others, used to have and keep current a PN portfolio that was thoughtfully presented. No more. Me, I’m heading backwards in time and putting together a gallery show of prints. I created a personal website of my stuff a few years back but it’s now unaccessible because I haven’t updated it. I plan to make a new one soon. I prefer to show my body of work in an a presentation of my choosing and PN’s portfolio options are woefully inadequate in this day and age. It’s not something I’d bother with here unless the site improves its design and functionality options. As far as representation, I get the sense that much of the stuff posted to No Words is at least moderately representative of the photographers. I say that because there’s such consistency, to the point where I often recognize whose photo it is even before looking at the name, and I imagine others experience that with me. For me, and I imagine for a lot of people, what goes into No Words is not always my best or even my 2nd-tier stuff and it’s not always stuff I’m thrilled with or terribly proud of but, if I can cover the theme, I’ll use it. In a portfolio or show, we’re generally putting our best foot forward. In No Words, I share plenty of rejects. But there may be a sense in which throwaways or rejects represent us as well, I don’t know. Anyway, No Words is for fun. If I’m judged by it, that’s someone else’s problem. Interestingly, when I joined PN, I would only put into my portfolio what I considered my “best” work. Once I developed a group of folks who were commenting back and forth on each others’ photos, I started putting up more experimental work so I could talk it through with people. That showed me I’d developed some confidence in not always having to put my best foot forward. Those days of good, non-gear oriented discussion on PN are mostly, regrettably, gone.

What’s funny about this is that a little while back one of the regular No Words posters added a signature line to all his photos that said something along the lines of “I don’t give likes to photos that are more than two years old.” How odd that he would think the rest of us would care. Not to mention that it would have disqualified many of JDM’s better photos from his highness’s likes. Now it’s JDM preferring threads, as opposed to photos, that aren’t over a certain age. Well, I say now that we’re all aware that the origin date is in gray, we can train our eyes to look for it and slow down our movements enough to be able to. Don’t look at threads you deem too old and let Wade have fun with his No Words explorations.

While I was writing to you, JDM, I noticed Ludmilla’s latest tweak of the thread. That’s why I added the “late-breaking addition.”

I wasn’t. I was suggesting that you were!

“Debased and faddish” is how old geezers have often looked at the present compared to their pasts. These could have been the exact words Nikolai Rubinstein used to trash the young Tchaikovsky’s First Piano Concerto. On the other hand, Tchaikovsky loved Mozart, who long pre-dated him. As a matter of fact, he wrote musical homages to Mozart. I think I’ve found a healthy mix of looking at older photos on their own merits and also considering their historical place. I can simultaneous appreciate the contexts in which those photos were made while still allowing some of today’s sensibilities into my reactions. I may marvel at the originality and importance of something in its time while still recognizing that a 21st-century eye could find something wanting in what may have been considered brilliant a century ago. My own respect and appreciation for Bresson’s work is also relative to other street photographers of that era, like Brassai, whose vision and take on the street I find more nuanced, more intimate, and more layered. Late-breaking addition: I’ve learned to recognize the art of provocation for what it is!

Something I notice about Bill’s black and white version (nice conversion and toning, by the way), is how much bigger, clearer, and seemingly more forward the wall art is. It’s due in great part to the way the blue of the sky relates to the blue in the wall in the color version, creating less sense of separation.

I’ve used Canvas Pop and been very happy with the service and results. If you get on their email list, they continually offer 45-50% discounts or 2-for-1 sales.

Thanks for that quote. I hope I have a genuine view of HCB’s work, which I appreciate but sometimes just don’t love. I also hope I have a respect for his place in history and his importance in it. The thing about this quote, which is not always the case with famous quotes, is that it’s born out in his work, quite obviously so to me. With what he’s saying, he seems extremely self aware. It comes through in the video and it comes through in his body of work. I admire this kind of commitment, even if the results do less than ring all my bells. The one constant I’ve found in my own photographic path has been a sometimes difficult want to discover and assert an authentic and revealing voice and maintaining a commitment to that in my work. HCB may not be my hero, but he’s a good role model in that respect.

No idea what the setup is through PN. I’ve called Canvas Pop several times with various questions. They’ve always been good at answering.

I’ve used Canvas Pop for several prints and am very happy. They look great and they did a nice job of stretching the canvases. I did supply 300dpi files, of course. I won a free print from a PN contest several years ago and have since paid for two more. They often have half price or two for the price of one sales, so I’d always wait for that.

This is an answer to Sanford’s saying he couldn’t see any of Ludmilla’s pics, which he seemed to think would tell him where she’s coming from. Phil, Jeff’s supplying info to Sanford on where her pics can be found isnt necessarily an endorsement of her views on HCB. ANYONE, regardless of their being a photographer and regardless of their own portfolio, is entitled to express an opinion of HCB. The rest of your post is projection and rant, just as undesirable as a “cool” person being dismissive of a master.

ASK AND YE SHALL RECEIVE Google. There’s lots of ‘em.

The photos don’t do much for me either, as I said originally. If you weren’t talking about following rules, my bad. I took your thoughts about the framing and “correct” cropping to be just that but appreciate you may have meant something else. While it came up, the “intention” of the photographer is somewhat less important to me than what the photos show. The cutoff limbs and blanket corners seem organic to the photos. It’s the expression and narrative I find wanting.