Admired photographers and their work

[chengengaun]

I love and am inspired by Fan Ho's photography! I was lucky to get to know him a little when Modern Book was representing him in downtown Palo Alto, around 15 years ago. Here's a quick portrait I made of him with some of his photographs up in Modern Books's gallery loft.

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Lovely! The interview was held in Modern Book.

 

[Citysnaps]

I admire Jay Maisel and Fan Ho for their work, their approaches to photography and even life. These interviews are my favourites.

Creative Longevity - Doug Menuez interviewing Douglas Kirkland, Duane Michals, Jay Maisel and Mary Ellen Mark (click to play on Vimeo)


An Evening With Fan Ho

I just finished watching the Fan Ho interview - thanks for posting it! It was great seeing him happy and joyful, soaking in the limelight he deserved, and having a good time. Loved the twinkle in his eye and humor.

 

[bunnspecial]

I'm a huge fan of O. Winston Link.

His photographs were both technically challenging and well composed in a way that draws me in and lets me spend hours looking at one, and by and large are around a subject of great interest to me(rail photography, or more specifically the last days of steam power on the N&W railroad). It doesn't hurt that his rail photos were in/around the Shenandoah Valley, New River Gorge, and other Va, WVa, and NC mountain locations.

All and all just an incredible photographer, although one who had a quiet but sad last decade of life quite literally locked in his darkroom by his much younger wife who wanted him to keep turning out prints for money reasons.

I'd love to own an original O.W. Link print, but for the latter reason I have some ethical hang-ups about ever owning one of his late prints even if, IMO, they were some of his best after years of basically perfecting printing some of his most well known negatives.

 

[Citysnaps]

I'm a huge fan of O. Winston Link.

His photographs were both technically challenging and well composed in a way that draws me in and lets me spend hours looking at one, and by and large are around a subject of great interest to me(rail photography, or more specifically the last days of steam power on the N&W railroad). It doesn't hurt that his rail photos were in/around the Shenandoah Valley, New River Gorge, and other Va, WVa, and NC mountain locations.

All and all just an incredible photographer, although one who had a quiet but sad last decade of life quite literally locked in his darkroom by his much younger wife who wanted him to keep turning out prints for money reasons.

I'd love to own an original O.W. Link print, but for the latter reason I have some ethical hang-ups about ever owning one of his late prints even if, IMO, they were some of his best after years of basically perfecting printing some of his most well known negatives.

I like his work as well. His photographs ooze drama, mystery, and gravitas.

 

[Eric]

Got my copy of San Francisco - Portrait of a City today, it weighs in at a hefty 8+ pounds and 475 pages, spent some time on it today but I got a long way to go, already learning a lot more about the city's history and loving all the photos, I still have yet to get past 1939.

 

[Citysnaps]

If I had to pick one "most admired" photographer, it would have to be this guy (rendered by my wife with charcoal on paper), Richard Avedon.

After going through his book, In the American West (an amazing road trip across the western US engaging strangers along the way for a portrait) thanks to Spike, and watching his American Masters documentary, Darkness and Light, I pretty much knew that I wanted to photograph people that I didn't previously know (aka strangers). Though on a far much smaller and more informal scale!

 

[Eric]

If I had to pick one "most admired" photographer, it would have to be this guy (rendered by my wife with charcoal on paper), Richard Avedon.

After going through his book, In the American West (an amazing road trip across the western US engaging strangers along the way for a portrait) thanks to Spike, and watching his American Masters documentary, Darkness and Light, I pretty much knew that I wanted to photograph people that I didn't previously know (aka strangers). Though on a far much smaller and more informal scale!

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I don't know of this photographer but this image is stunning, really well done.

Another one I had not heard of until getting the new SF Portrait of a City book is Imogen Cunningham, really great images of people in the city with a unique perspective. It's a great experience to be introduced to so many new (yet older) photographers from that area, definitely inspiring me and I took a lot of notes both of technique and locations.

 

[Citysnaps]

I don't know of this photographer but this image is stunning, really well done.

Another one I had not heard of until getting the new SF Portrait of a City book is Imogen Cunningham, really great images of people in the city with a unique perspective. It's a great experience to be introduced to so many new (yet older) photographers from that area, definitely inspiring me and I took a lot of notes both of technique and locations.

If you're interested, check out Avedon's documentary, Darkness and Light. He had an amazing career, starting as the head photographer at Harper's Bizarre and Vogue magazines. He pretty much redefined what fashion photography was about. Previously that genre was pretty staid and ho-hum.

Later he did many different projects including portraits of politicians, musicians, British royalty, and much more.

 

[Jumpthesnark]

Way too many to mention, both people I've worked with and people whose work I've admired from afar.

A few names are Sylvia Plachy, Alex Webb, Gene Smith, Flip Schulke, Eli Reed, Sebastião Salgado, Eugene Richards, Diane Arbus, Arnold Newman. I love their work, and they've each taught me something.

 

[Citysnaps]

Way too many to mention, both people I've worked with and people whose work I've admired from afar.

A few names are Sylvia Plachy, Alex Webb, Gene Smith, Flip Schulke, Eli Reed, Sebastião Salgado, Eugene Richards, Diane Arbus, Arnold Newman. I love their work, and they've each taught me something.

That's a very fine group of photographers! I especially like Arnold Newman's portraiture. And Eugene Smith's photojournalism and photo essays. And of course Diane Arbus. There's something about NY photographers (Avedon included).

 

[Jumpthesnark]

I especially like Arnold Newman's portraiture.

The creativity and elegance of his images just blow my mind to this day.

 

[Citysnaps]

The creativity and elegance of his images just blow my mind to this day.

Seeing his portrait of Stravinsky at a NY Photo League exhibition in San Francisco blew me away.

Speaking of NY's Photo League collective, I suspect there was a lot of creative cross-pollination between members, as Frank, Smith, Newman, Avedon, Feinstein, Levitt, Weston, and many more were members.

 

[mollyc]

I've recently become enamored with Vivian Maier. I want a rolliflex because of her.

 

[Jumpthesnark]

Seeing his portrait of Stravinsky at a NY Photo League exhibition in San Francisco blew me away.

That Stravinsky portrait is exactly the one I was thinking of when I put Newman's name on the list. That image changed how I see portrait photography, and photographic composition as a whole.

 

[Citysnaps]

I've recently become enamored with Vivian Maier. I want a rolliflex because of her.

I love her work. As you probably know there was quite a bit of controversy regarding ownership of her material, making prints, etc a dozen years ago.

Once you get your Rollei, do you think you might be making candid photos of people in cities?

 

[Citysnaps]

That Stravinsky portrait is exactly the one I was thinking of when I put Newman's name on the list. That image changed how I see portrait photography, and photographic composition as a whole.

The simplicity of the composition is brilliant. Two elements. A lot of triangles. Composer and instrument. Stravinsky's pose and relative size to the piano is telling. The narrative (no doubt there are many) that conjures in my mind is no matter how exceptional a composer or player you are, instruments still need to be reckoned with.

The huge curve of the piano's top is very nice. I remember another photographer awhile back telling me large curves in photographs are always pleasing elements in compositions.

 

[mollyc]

I love her work. As you probably know there was quite a bit of controversy regarding ownership of her material, making prints, etc a dozen years ago.

Once you get your Rollei, do you think you might be making candid photos of people in cities?

Well, not living in a city would make that difficult, but I do love her self portraits.

I am still new to her work, so not sure of the controversy, but know that someone basically found all her negatives in the equivalent of a storage unit and set out to save them...is there more to it than that?

 

[Citysnaps]

Well, not living in a city would make that difficult, but I do love her self portraits.

I am still new to her work, so not sure of the controversy, but know that someone basically found all her negatives in the equivalent of a storage unit and set out to save them...is there more to it than that?

It's a very messy story. After Maier died (without a will or close relatives), her storage locker where she kept many thousands of prints, negatives, and undeveloped rolls of film was sold at auction for very little money - $400 comes to mind. Some prints were made and sold in galleries. While the purchaser of the contents of her storage locker owned the physical contents (prints, negatives, rolls of film), the right to make prints belonged to any heirs (yet to be discovered) via copyright law. It gets pretty convoluted after that. So much so a movie was made awhile back - you might enjoy watching it.

Here's a quick summary.

"Well, not living in a city would make that difficult,"

I think a portfolio of small town candid photography could very interesting! Something to think about should you get a Rollei.

 

[mollyc]

yes, i do plan to watch the movie this summer! I knew about it.

 

[mollyc]

It's a very messy story. After Maier died (without a will or close relatives), her storage locker where she kept many thousands of prints, negatives, and undeveloped rolls of film was sold at auction for very little money - $400 comes to mind. Some prints were made and sold in galleries. While the purchaser of the contents of her storage locker owned the physical contents (prints, negatives, rolls of film), the right to make prints belonged to any heirs (yet to be discovered) via copyright law. It gets pretty convoluted after that. So much so a movie was made awhile back - you might enjoy watching it.

Here's a quick summary.

"Well, not living in a city would make that difficult,"

I think a portfolio of small town candid photography could very interesting! Something to think about should you get a Rollei.

Thank you for the link to that article. I hadn't read any of that in my prior googling.