From: William Marsh (redcloud54@earthlink.net)
Date: 04/12/02-12:49:11 PM Z
Halvor wrote:
>
I don't see pure landscapes as "editing out" anything. I choose to make
> the picture in a particular way, controlling as far as photography itself,
> and a normal lens, will alow me to, what is in the picture. My subject
> matter deals with the human part through the "precense of abcense"(did I
> spell that right). In the end what you include (or not, set up against the
> expectations for the subject matter) in the picture, is what the picture is
> about (or at least the first building blocks before you choose developer and
> so on), and until I know that I have to keep on with my trees.
>
> To make pictures is a learning process, and self imposed (or technological)
> rules or limitations can serve to simplifiy the process.
>
> Stopping to make pure landscapes you have either reached a "higher" level in
> your picture making process than me, or our processes goes in opposite
> directions :)
>
> Halvor
What I meant by "editing out" was that it is getting harder to find any
"pure landscape" out there that is untouched by human hands, so that one
must very often edit out a "pure" landscape subject from its
surroundings, which may include all manner of man-madeness.
For instance, the vantage point from which Ansel Adams took "Clearing
Winter Storm, Yosemite Valley," is now a parking lot, which may as well
have a sign up that says "Put Tripod Here." Not much room for the
blinding flash of discovery. When I was there last, I and four other
photographers lined up with our big cameras pointed at Ansel's picture
(ridiculous for us to do that anyway), while in the parking lot behind
us a bus-full of tourists pulled up and were snapping away with their
point-and-shoots, laughing and taking pictures of each other, the bus,
us, the valley, themselves posed in front of the valley. I turned from
what I was doing and watched them, and guess what: THEY were the
picture! They were the most interesting thing to look at and photograph
in that place at that moment, so I did. The few shots I had taken of
the valley (which was enjoying a rare snowfall at the time) absolutely sucked.
One point being, "The Picture" is often not the one you came to take, be
it landscape or otherwise. Another point being, it IS sad, but "pure"
landscape is ceasing to exist. Human encroachment is everywhere,
sometimes very noticeable as in road construction, sometimes not, as in
acid rain (been to the Adirondacks lately?).
Another little story: I had a show of landscapes about twenty years
ago, printed it, framed it, hung it, lighted it, and at the opening,
somebody took me aside and pointed out a *paper cup* floating at the
edge of a beautiful river, in what I thought was an inspiring print. I
hadn't seen it - all the way through the process. At the time I was
very upset, now I look back and see that the writing was, even then, on
the wall of my own work, screaming to be seen and photographed.
Regards,
Bill
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