I was going to post and ask about this newish DVD by 'F8 *cough* and Be there' - Entitled Every 'picture tells a story'.
Every Picture
Anybody seen it? (I have a couple of his others which were kind of 'ok' - this one seems to take a different 'format' so would be interested if anyone has seen it and what they thought of it.) I would rate the others as competently well produced.. but a little dry overall.
But then I realised there was a bigger picture here to throw open for some thoughts and content suggestions, rather than just querying the above DVD.
Really.. I wish there was more good photographic video content out there. Apart from Lula Video journals / tutorials and Art Wolfe's travels to the Edge I haven't found much other good regular content to keep me entertained when not out shooting. The two I mention being clear stand outs in my mind as being both informative as well as entertaining (and that is hard to pull off). I can think of a few good 'one off' documentaries (Extreme Ice being an excellent recent example on NatGeo HD channel).. and there are some good podcasts from Brooks Jenson etc. but little if nothing in the way of series / regular video content.
Can anyone add to the list of content? Perhaps the inclusion of video in the new swag of DSLR's will see more content in the future from photographers... now there's a thought...
Depends on what your definition of "content" is.
There are some very good DVD's on specific photographers, generally produced by local PBS stations. Some have really excellent production values, others a bit more iffy, but all the ones I have watched have been very informative—at least with regard to the photographers' æsthetic ideas, more than nuts 'n bolts gear info. And isn't that more interesting anyway?
My favorites:
David Plowden: Light, Shadow & Form. It's more than 10 years old now, and Plowden is no longer shooting, but it's still wonderful. It shows Plowden at work photographing, printing in the darkroom, teaching, and discussing his æsthetics and subject choices. Great stuff, and still available. I actually had a chance to meet Plowden a year ago when he gave a talk at George Eastman house; a real gentleman and all-around national treasure.
American Horizons: The Photographs of Art Sinsabaugh. Another great PBS video documenting the career of this landscape artist who photographed the prairie using a wide-format banquet camera, and also extensively photographed midwestern cities including Chicago. Architectural photography isn't really my thing, but it's still very interesting.
American Experience: Ansel Adams. Very high production valleys, great musical score, fascinating interviews. You can't go wrong with this one, if you have even the faintest interest in Adams.
Paul Strand: Under the Darkcloth. I have to confess I haven't watched it yet, but it looks very interesting. Maybe this coming weekend.
And of course there's always Lenswork. The DVD version (Lenswork Extended) includes audio and video interviews with various photographers. All are interesting, some terrific for getting some insight into working styles. A favorite is Brooks Jensen interviewing Tyler Boley in his printing studio.
