Interspersed
[Original Message]
From: John Forbes
Good grief, Shel, aren't you making a large assumption here?
No.
Bruce was shooting in the city. Does that mean he HAS to be shoot in a
particular kind of way, and more precisely, in the manner characterised
as
"street photography"?
Bruce can photograph in any way he wants. My understanding was that the
day's exercise was to explore "street photography." Based on my
experience
with the genre, Bruce missed the boat. And, regardless, I didn't think
the
photos he posted were particularly interesting or compelling.
When it is clear (by, amongst other things, the absence of people in
several of the shots) that Bruce is shooting in a different way, can you
not treat those pictures on their merits, as "cityscapes" perhaps?
See above ... the photos, imo, lacked life and vibrancy, regardless of
what
genre one ascribes to them. Take the photo of Juan, for example. Juan
is
sitting there with his eyes closed, totally unengaged with the
photographer
or the surroundings, with someone in the background growing out of his
head. It's a poor photo ... Anyway, I'm not interested in going into a
photo-by-photo critique. Perhaps Bruce and I will do that when we next
get
together. And, if I were to attempt a type of photography that Bruce
excels at, such as weddings, or natural landscapes, I'd want Bruce to be
as
candid with me about my attempts as I was with him. Of course, I'm fully
at liberty to disregard his comments.
Now I don't know what passed between you and Bruce beforehand. Perhaps
he
declared: "today I will shoot in the style of Belinkoff and C-B". If
so,
he didn't so much fail, as just not do it (except for the musician
picture, previously posted, which many people liked).
Nothing passed between us beforehand. Just because many people liked the
musician pic doesn't mean that I have to, or that it's even a good pic.
Personally, I think Bruce missed the boat on it - he could have done more
with the subject - and I feel that the final crop really ruined the
image.
When Bruce and I were shooting down in San Jose a few months ago, I was
trying to learn something about digital photography. A lot of my pics
hoovered - Big Time - and Bruce was quite direct and candid about what I
did wrong. I also know that a lot of people here thought some of those
very same pics were fine. BFD ... I knew they stunk on ice and I knew
that
Bruce was candid in his assessments and suggestions. I respect him for
that, even though I felt a little bad that my work was so bad. I believe
that Bruce and I can discuss our respective work candidly and openly, and
that sometimes we may disagree.
Of the eight, three are of group members; three are what I called
cityscapes, and I personally like each of them; one is the musician,
which
is surely both a "street" shot and a good one; and the last is the
memorial picture, which to me is more about shapes and textures, and it
works well IMO.
Well, John, we're just going to have to disagree on these points.
You're
entitled to your opinion. Am I not entitled to mine just because it's
different from yours, or even, perhaps, the majority of people on this
list
(which remains to be seen, but which will more than likely be the case).
I think your comments pertain more to you and your approach to
photography
than to Bruce's pictures. Personally, I enjoyed the gallery, on its own
terms.
Well, where the heck do our opinions come from if not from our own
approaches and experiences with photography. That's the beauty of this
list - there's usually a wide range of opinions from people all over the
world with different experiences, expectations, and photographic styles.
I'm glad you enjoyed the gallery - I enjoyed it too, but perhaps for a
different reason.
In closing, let me say one thing: If too many people like my photography,
I'm not trying hard enough, I'm not pushing myself enough. Bruce tried
something that was new to him, and I know it was difficult for him. He's
learning something new. And he knows I know that ... and hopefully he
and
I will have a chance to get together again soon, and continue learning
from
one another. When in San Francisco Juan and Godfrey were there to offer
advice and suggestions. This was my turn to comment. I suspect Bruce
will
then decide which approaches will work best for him.
Shel
On Tue, 18 Oct 2005 08:41:18 +0100, Shel Belinkoff
<[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> Hi Bruce ....
>
> I'd like very much to give you a few "atta-boys" for this little
gallery,
> but I can't.
>
> The "street" is a dynamic, vibrant, organic place, teeming with
activity
> and life, filled with joy and sorrow and humor and relationships.
There
> are connections between people, between people and objects, between
> circumstances - some swift and ephemeral, others slower, longer
lasting,
> and, perhaps deeper. I think "street photography" is about showing
those
> connections, those relationships, and telling stories. Showing
something
> of
> the joy and sorrow and excitement and tension that exists out there.
>
> While I have been characterized as a "street photographer" (regardless
of
> how true that may be) I have never understood what such photography
was
> all
> about - at least for me - until this evening when I looked at your
small
> gallery.
>
> Bruce, it pains me to say this, in part because I like you so well
> personally, in part because a lot of your work is great and touches me
> deeply, but I must be honest. These photos pretty well miss the boat
as
> far as I'm concerned. There's no life in them (with the possible
> exception
> of the MLK memorial shot), no vibrancy. I don't feel connections or
> relationships. Composition in some cases is poor, but it's often hard
to
> find good composition "on the street" as there's so much going on.
> You've
> got to shoot fast, and learn to see almost intuitively, being able to
see
> everything in the frame in a fraction of a second, or being able to
> assess
> a situation and know when to make, or not make, an exposure.
>
> I want to thank you for putting these pix up. From a purely personal
and
> selfish standpoint they have helped me define and understand some of
my
> own
> work a lot better. Perhaps we can get together in San Francisco or
> Oakland, and spend a day together making some photos on the streets.
>
> Kind regards,
>
> Shel
>
>
>> [Original Message]
>> From: Bruce Dayton
>
>> I have gathered together a little gallery of my street attempts at
>> our recent outing.
>>
>> Enjoy...
>>
>> http://www.daytonphoto.com/Galleries/NorCalSF/index.htm
