Pages: [1]   Go Down

Author Topic: A color "Lenswork"?  (Read 8089 times)

Moynihan

  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 119
    • jay moynihan:  glances stares & nods
A color "Lenswork"?
« on: February 02, 2008, 09:08:39 am »

Hi,

One of the publications I enjoy alot, is the magazine Lenswork,
http://www.lenswork.com/
I have been wondering though, is there a similar publication that showcases color work, or better, both color & B&W?

jay

DarkPenguin

  • Guest
A color "Lenswork"?
« Reply #1 on: February 02, 2008, 12:04:33 pm »

They tell me camera arts is good.  I have a two year subscription but they've only delivered about 2 issues (maybe 3) and then asked me to renew.  (edit:  That is 2 or 3 issues over the two year subscription.  So the complaint is that they didn't actually deliver what I ordered and not that they were grubbing for money right away.)

I really need to complain to them but instead I spend my meditative time wishing them out of business.
« Last Edit: February 02, 2008, 02:11:41 pm by DarkPenguin »
Logged

Tim Gray

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 2002
    • http://www.timgrayphotography.com
A color "Lenswork"?
« Reply #2 on: February 02, 2008, 12:39:11 pm »

Quote
Hi,

One of the publications I enjoy alot, is the magazine Lenswork,
http://www.lenswork.com/
I have been wondering though, is there a similar publication that showcases color work, or better, both color & B&W?

jay
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=171754\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]

If you subscribe to Lenswork extended, the CD version comes with a color portfolio from someone.
Logged

jecxz

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 377
    • http://www.jecxz.com
A color "Lenswork"?
« Reply #3 on: February 02, 2008, 02:26:34 pm »

Quote
They tell me camera arts is good.  I have a two year subscription but they've only delivered about 2 issues (maybe 3) and then asked me to renew.  (edit:  That is 2 or 3 issues over the two year subscription.  So the complaint is that they didn't actually deliver what I ordered and not that they were grubbing for money right away.)
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=171782\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]

Now that I read your post, come to think of it, same experience with camera arts--odd.

I feel Lenswork is much better than camera arts, which I will not be renewing.
Logged

Eric Myrvaagnes

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 22814
  • http://myrvaagnes.com
    • http://myrvaagnes.com
A color "Lenswork"?
« Reply #4 on: February 02, 2008, 05:05:06 pm »

I've had no problems getting my issues of Camera Arts, and I have subscribed to it and its companion, View Camers, for several years. They are both nice, but not in a league with LensWork (and LensWork extended for color). I haven't found anything that comes close to LensWork.

Aperture used to be good, back in the 60s and 70s. Ah, the 'good old days'.
Logged
-Eric Myrvaagnes (visit my website: http://myrvaagnes.com)

Geoff Wittig

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 1023
A color "Lenswork"?
« Reply #5 on: February 03, 2008, 04:21:33 pm »

Quote
They tell me camera arts is good.  I have a two year subscription but they've only delivered about 2 issues (maybe 3) and then asked me to renew.  (edit:  That is 2 or 3 issues over the two year subscription.  So the complaint is that they didn't actually deliver what I ordered and not that they were grubbing for money right away.)

I really need to complain to them but instead I spend my meditative time wishing them out of business.
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=171782\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]


Camera Arts was pretty good a few years back, but with new ownership they've changed format and emphasis, and not for the better. The magazine formerly had at least one really good article per issue highlighting beautiful color photos. They now seem to specialize in pretentious portfolios heavy on the post-modern cleverness, lots of blurry out of focus images, and fashion-as-art. The latest issue has an article written by Douglas Dubler paying homage to his own over-cooked fashion shots of supermodels taken more than 20 years ago. Don't waste your money.

View Camera has much more consistently interesting articles, including some beautiful color work, but it's hit or miss depending on the issue.

Aperture should be your magazine, but nowadays it's simply pathetic, a parody of itself, with coverage that veers from breathless homages to the Sally Mann/Andreas Gursky type art world darlings to grim mud-and-blood reportage, to po-mo surrealism.

Then there are the countless magazines focused on gear and "ten great tips" technique articles. Occasionally some nice photographs somehow sneak past the editors and end up published, but it's hardly worth the trouble looking for them.

Lenswork really is the only thing out there focused on the photograph itself, and photography as art, without trying to be too clever about it. Certainly something similar addressing color photography would be great.
Logged

thompsonkirk

  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 208
    • http://www.red-green-blue.com
A color "Lenswork"?
« Reply #6 on: February 03, 2008, 06:58:18 pm »

Maybe a thread like this will provoke Brooks Jensen to look into a color edition.  Opportunities do seem wide open in photo-arts color publishing.  Camera Arts has shrunk in size & taste, & Aperture seems to be an art-marketing niche publication.  

Remember when we had THREE great photographic journals (though mostly BW):  Creative Camera from Britain, Camera from Switzerland, & Aperture from USA?  

Kirk
« Last Edit: February 03, 2008, 07:00:00 pm by thompsonkirk »
Logged

DarkPenguin

  • Guest
A color "Lenswork"?
« Reply #7 on: February 03, 2008, 08:04:53 pm »

I have to say that lenswork extended is pretty cool.  It doesn't navigate as I would like but it is great.

Works nicely with the new HDTV.
Logged

jecxz

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 377
    • http://www.jecxz.com
A color "Lenswork"?
« Reply #8 on: February 03, 2008, 08:25:13 pm »

Quote
Camera Arts was pretty good a few years back, but with new ownership they've changed format and emphasis, and not for the better. The magazine formerly had at least one really good article per issue highlighting beautiful color photos. They now seem to specialize in pretentious portfolios heavy on the post-modern cleverness, lots of blurry out of focus images, and fashion-as-art. The latest issue has an article written by Douglas Dubler paying homage to his own over-cooked fashion shots of supermodels taken more than 20 years ago. Don't waste your money.

I must say, very well said.
Logged

Eric Myrvaagnes

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 22814
  • http://myrvaagnes.com
    • http://myrvaagnes.com
A color "Lenswork"?
« Reply #9 on: February 03, 2008, 10:46:36 pm »

Quote
Remember when we had THREE great photographic journals (though mostly BW): 
Creative Camera from Britain, Camera from Switzerland, & Aperture from USA? 
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=172101\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]
Yes, they must have been great back then, since all three published my photos.    

I do think LensWork Extended is the best currently for color work. I expect the reason they don't publish color in the print version is that it would be vastly more expensive to do color at the same high quality they do B&W. With "extended" they leave the reader the responsibility to get the colors right (by calibrating your monitor).
Logged
-Eric Myrvaagnes (visit my website: http://myrvaagnes.com)

DarkPenguin

  • Guest
A color "Lenswork"?
« Reply #10 on: February 03, 2008, 11:33:12 pm »

Quote
Yes, they must have been great back then, since all three published my photos.   

I do think LensWork Extended is the best currently for color work. I expect the reason they don't publish color in the print version is that it would be vastly more expensive to do color at the same high quality they do B&W. With "extended" they leave the reader the responsibility to get the colors right (by calibrating your monitor).
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=172128\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]

I thought Brooks Jensen explained it in his LLVJ interview.  He doesn't really understand color work like he does black and white.  I think things are a little faster and looser in LensWork extended so that works out.
Logged

Moynihan

  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 119
    • jay moynihan:  glances stares & nods
A color "Lenswork"?
« Reply #11 on: February 16, 2008, 09:57:08 pm »

I just found a couple issues of "Focus" magazine. It is kind of fun.

alanrew

  • Jr. Member
  • **
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 75
    • http://
A color "Lenswork"?
« Reply #12 on: March 16, 2008, 11:36:52 am »

Quote
Hi,

One of the publications I enjoy alot, is the magazine Lenswork,
http://www.lenswork.com/
I have been wondering though, is there a similar publication that showcases color work, or better, both color & B&W?

jay
[{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]

Ag magazine
[a href=\"http://picture-box.com/index.html]http://picture-box.com/index.html[/url]
might fit your requirements.

I recently ordered a back-issue, because it had some Michael Kenna photos, and partly to see what it was like.

The issue I ordered (Issue #28) is a mixture of B&W and colour, including cyanotypes, hand-coloured silver gelatin and autochrome.

Superb print quality, square format (about 9" square), a larger ratio of text to images compared to Lenswork. Interesting variety of content.

This magazine is quarterly, and significantly more expensive than Lenswork, especially outside Europe.

You might like to order a back-issue to see what it's like.

HTH

Alan

P.S. there's a blog associated with the magazine here
http://agenda.typepad.com/agenda/
« Last Edit: March 16, 2008, 11:40:55 am by alanrew »
Logged

walter.sk

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 1433
A color "Lenswork"?
« Reply #13 on: March 16, 2008, 05:41:06 pm »

I'll second Focus Magazine.  While most of their images are B&W, they usually have some color.  Their print quality is excellent, and the range of styles is fairly broad.  While the magazine is geared toward collectors,  the articles are generally interesting, too.
« Last Edit: March 16, 2008, 05:41:26 pm by walter.sk »
Logged
Pages: [1]   Go Up