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Author Topic: Those Thousand Words  (Read 4951 times)

Rob C

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Those Thousand Words
« on: September 03, 2015, 12:44:27 pm »

Temporarily disillusioned with cameras, I betook myself to the sofa and cuddled up with Jeanloup Sieff's eponymous book, published some time ago by Taschen, another of those publications that sees light almost immediately after the author has moved along somewhere else. I recommend it to anyone with a serious interest in recent, pre-digital photography. All black and white, a hardcover, the printing is beautiful and rich.

Anyway, during one of his reminiscences, he briefly and so lightly touches upon the passing of his mother, and I paraphrase:

“I held her; her breathing became ever more gentle. I was alone.”

Two very short sentences. You know one photograph that says so much so well?

RSL

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Re: Those Thousand Words
« Reply #1 on: September 03, 2015, 12:56:05 pm »

The man was a wonderful writer it seems. That's very good poetry.
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Rob C

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Re: Those Thousand Words
« Reply #2 on: September 03, 2015, 01:17:09 pm »

The man was a wonderful writer it seems. That's very good poetry.


Agreed; the book I have comes in three languages, Italian, Spanish and Portuguese. I don't know if there's an English version, but I think that's absolutely inevitable. I bought mine here in Spain, so that explains the languages in my edition.

I have read it, cover to cover, several times, and though the photographs are of the time and subjects closest to my heart, the writing seems to appeal to me even more than the wonderful pictures. He has such a delightfully light and wistful touch, but not for a moment do the pundits and curators avoid his razor-sharp observation, despite the many, many shows that he was invited to do.

He runs the book through his life in decades, and you can almost literally feel the differences between the earnest youth in Swiss art institutions through the young man-about-town, to the experienced and somewhat resigned older man looking ahead to heaven knows what. If you enjoy words at least as much as images, and I know your position very well, then this tome is for you!

But be warned: you require a cushion should you wish to read it resting on your lap!

ISBN  3-8228-4647-3

Rob

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Re: Those Thousand Words
« Reply #3 on: September 03, 2015, 01:27:44 pm »

I'll go for it, Rob, but not until I get down to Florida for good. I already have too much stuff to ship. You can get an idea of what my photographic library is like by going to http://www.russ-lewis.com/Bib/Bib.html. (I know you've already been there.) There are a bunch of books not in that bibliography because they cover the same ground as the ones I've listed. Then there's my complete Winston Churchill, starting with A Roving Commission and including his not all that great novel, Savrola. Plus a huge set on the U.S. Civil War, plus a huge set on the Vietnam war. Plus a couple shelves of poetry.
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Rob C

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Re: Those Thousand Words
« Reply #4 on: September 03, 2015, 03:22:38 pm »

I'll go for it, Rob, but not until I get down to Florida for good. I already have too much stuff to ship. You can get an idea of what my photographic library is like by going to http://www.russ-lewis.com/Bib/Bib.html. (I know you've already been there.) There are a bunch of books not in that bibliography because they cover the same ground as the ones I've listed. Then there's my complete Winston Churchill, starting with A Roving Commission and including his not all that great novel, Savrola. Plus a huge set on the U.S. Civil War, plus a huge set on the Vietnam war. Plus a couple shelves of poetry.



The logistics of horror, Russ!

I remember our similar situation coming here, and we did it all by air, over several trips using and reusing five suitcases. It's good to have one or two travel company clients sometimes! Excess baggage? Us? Of course not!

Our pooch came the same way, not in a suitcase, but in a huge wooden crate built to RSPCA specs. The dog being an alsabrador, the cage was not small; she was put into the heated and pressurised (forward?) hold. When she arrived in Palma, where my wife was waiting, they put the crate onto the baggage conveyor belt, and the entire wooden zoo arrived in front of all those people awaiting luggage. My daughter was on the flight too, not in the hold, of course, and she obviously couldn't lift the thing off the belt, so staff took it down and released the dog into my daughter's care, nobody willing or able to tackle the cage itself.

Offspring and pooch duly arrived at the customs desk, where papers were clearly required. We had all of these, of course, but on seeing my wife standing a few metres beyond the customs desk, she barked, squatted and started to pee with excitement (it had been an unusual experience for the dog, you know) and the guardia civil, expecting worse to come from the pooch, shooed daughter and dog through without looking at any papers at all.

We have no idea what became of the beautifully-made cage; someone suggested it may have found its way to one of those 18-30 holiday companies as bargain accommodation; who knows?

Fortunately, I was still behind in Britain working on something, and the ladies handled everything far better and more smoothly than could I.

Rob C

« Last Edit: September 03, 2015, 05:18:39 pm by Rob C »
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Eric Myrvaagnes

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Re: Those Thousand Words
« Reply #5 on: September 03, 2015, 03:30:05 pm »

A wonderful travel story, Rob.
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RSL

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Re: Those Thousand Words
« Reply #6 on: September 03, 2015, 03:43:11 pm »

Thanks, Rob. You're making my own move sound much easier.
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Rob C

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Re: Those Thousand Words
« Reply #7 on: September 04, 2015, 03:38:11 am »

A wonderful travel story, Rob.




Eric, my life is littered wth this sort of event; even when I'm not actually there to participate in person, I still seem to end up being involved.

It really shows me how little control I've ever had over my life. Truth to tell, many things I desperately wanted to achieve passed me totally by, however clever I thought I was being about it, whereas others, just as desirable, fell into my lap without my even trying.

It's enough to make one question pretty much everything to do with ambition. It's self-satifying and even perhaps a bit smug to discount luck, and to say that the harder one works the luckier one gets, but I can't claim wholly to believe in that anymore. More do I tend to think, especially as I age, that what's for you won't pass you by, and that what's not, well, ain't. But yes, you do have to put yourself in the race to enjoy a chance of winning it.

Rob
« Last Edit: September 04, 2015, 03:40:19 am by Rob C »
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fredjeang2

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Re: Those Thousand Words
« Reply #8 on: September 04, 2015, 04:21:56 am »

There are so many people living on bondage in a grey mediocre life they hate, just because they have surrendered and became puppets of a daily routine survival
System that mine them slowly.
Most people I met are dead alive at the age of 25.

It doesn't really matter the result of a dream, but yes what matters is to be doing it, regardless of "success" or "failure", wich only reflect a social position acceptance and has very if not nothing to do with hard work. Most people are actually working really hard for decades without any acheivement, nor recognition nor money.

Success, just like money, is a state of mind. A very special state of mind.

The sensation that one does not have any control on his own life gives the impression that life's movie is a success of events or scenes that are happening without our consent, and they do to some extend. No one is responsible for this or that weather, but indeed, the impact that this weather will have on our mind and emotions belongs to us.
The outter world is a reflection of the inner world, and life acheivement, a result of what kind of informations for the outter world we have accepted as "truth".

Enjoy the journey! Enjoy what's left. All that ain't serious ay all.

Cheers.
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Rob C

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Re: Those Thousand Words
« Reply #9 on: September 04, 2015, 06:39:56 am »

Wonderful to read you again, Fred, and you are absolutely right. And I'd add that once you make enough to pay the essential bills, it's about your state of mind after that.

Rob
« Last Edit: September 04, 2015, 10:27:27 am by Rob C »
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Eric Myrvaagnes

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Re: Those Thousand Words
« Reply #10 on: September 04, 2015, 09:24:40 am »

I'd add that once you make enough to pay the essential bills, it's about your state of mind ater that.

Rob
Well said, Rob.
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Rob C

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Re: Those Thousand Words
« Reply #11 on: September 04, 2015, 10:28:13 am »

Eric Myrvaagnes

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Re: Those Thousand Words
« Reply #12 on: September 04, 2015, 01:43:35 pm »

I didn't even notice the typo until you mentioned it.

Of course you must have meant to write "arter" instead of "ater."   ;)
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