I wouldn't describe it as people vs. landscape - they don't exclude each other, it is, as you say, about longevity and history. There are also all types of landscape photography - it's not just Ansel. For instance, one of my favourite photo books is Magnum Landscape, which is about the relationship between people and landscapes (Ansel's are about land without people usually - pristine in some way). I also like Fay Godwin's very simple, restrained & subtle landscapes, as well as those by Jem Southam which are about the passage of time - all of these are so different from each other and from others, such as Ernst Haas's Creation, that the term landscape starts to sound almost uselessly broad. Many of these will outlive any number of human interest photographs, but I do still think that on average human interest wins the prize.
-- Bob > -----Original Message----- > From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On > Behalf Of AlunFoto > Sent: 11 July 2007 09:51 > To: Pentax-Discuss Mail List > Subject: Re: RE: Who's BLOGGING? > > I remember the "deleteme"-story. That was hilarious. IIRC, there was a > corresponding mockery (at about the same time) of online image critics > at theonlinephotographer.com too, where some notably famous photos > were picked apart, nit by nit. > > WRT: People vs. landscape I think Bob and Frank's point about human > interest has a dimension of history to it as well. People shots > becomes time capsules much faster than do landscape shots. > > In my opinion, pure (pristine?) landscape shots only achieve that > status after abrupt and large-scale natural events like volcano > eruptions, landslides, etc. > > For landscape changed by human presence, however, I think the point of > human interest applies just as well as for people shots. Since > photography began, every generation has moulded the landscape in their > own way. The cultural landscape has changed, roads, power pylons, > suburbs (eg. Marnies project), forest management, etc. etc. > > Jostein > > > 2007/7/11, Mark Roberts <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>: > > frank theriault wrote: > > > > >On 7/10/07, Mark Roberts <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > >> Bob W wrote: > > >> > > >> >Crimes Against Fashion is a superb photo. Come back in > a few years > > >> >and that's the only one anyone will be interested in. > that's not to > > >> >knock the rest, but human interest wins every time. > > >> > > >> Thanks Bob. That's a great compliment coming from you. > > > > > >I agree with Bob. That's a hell of a photo. I also agree with him > > >WRT interest in people photos. I know (and a landscape > photographer > > >such as yourself may find this blasphemous) that I find 60 year old > > >HCB photos a heck of a lot more compelling than 60 year old Ansel > > >Adams photos of Yosemite (or wherever). > > > > > >The rocks and mountains are still there (although I know in some > > >places they're fast disappearing, or having condos perches upon > > >themj), but the people and the situations they were in are gone > > >forever, captured only for that split second on film (or now, > > >sensors). > > > > > >That's what I find compelling about photos of humanity. > > > > I suppose it depends on your point of view. I prefer Ansel because I > > see people every day but rarely glimpse, Denali, for example :) > > I expect most landscape (and abstract and still-life, etc, etc.) > > aficionados feel roughly the same way but there's no doubting the > > "people photo" enthusiasts are in the majority. (Of course Michael > > Jackson outsells Mozart, so what does the "majority" know?) > > > > My favorite photos aren't about content at all: Light, > shadow, shape, > > form is what I look for. Possibly my all-time favorite photos are > > Edward Weston's peppers. > > > > Interestingly, my favorite HCB photos are the ones in which > the human > > form is a small part of the image, like "Mario's Bike", of > "deleteme" > > fame (http://www.flickr.com/photos/andrerabelo/70458366) > > > > One thing I strongly dislike is photographs that don't > stand on their > > own; that require backstory, explanation or other "metadata": > > Information beyond what's shown in the frame. I found quite a bit of > > that at the Pulitzer Prize exhibit (though not as much as I > expected, > > given that it *is* news photography). > > > > > > -- > > PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List > > PDML@pdml.net > > http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net > > > > > -- > http://www.alunfoto.no/galleri/ > http://alunfoto.blogspot.com > > -- > PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List > PDML@pdml.net > http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net > > -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List PDML@pdml.net http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net
