Luminous Landscape Forum

The Art of Photography => Street Showcase => Topic started by: RSL on May 17, 2018, 01:53:40 pm

Title: Real Street
Post by: RSL on May 17, 2018, 01:53:40 pm
You might notice once again that there's no street in this picture.
Title: Re: Real Street
Post by: Martin Kristiansen on May 17, 2018, 01:58:19 pm
Nice one.

And why I’m not that fond of the “street” name.
Title: Re: Real Street
Post by: Rob C on May 17, 2018, 03:49:25 pm
But why use "street" as the box, when it is obviously "candid", where one can include or not include a real street? A better box already exists, so why not utilise it?

:-)

Rob
Title: Re: Real Street
Post by: Eric Myrvaagnes on May 17, 2018, 04:53:42 pm
But why use"street" as the box, when it is obviously "candid", where one can include or not include a real street? A better box already exists, so why not utilise it?

:-)

Rob
+1.
Title: Re: Real Street
Post by: Slobodan Blagojevic on May 17, 2018, 05:35:01 pm
Russ, the only Nobel-prize winner in Serbian language, Ivo Andrić, once gave this advice to young writers:

Don’t say ‘I am going to tell you a funny story.’ Tell them ‘I am going to tell you a story’ and let them decide if it is funny.

Apropos the “real” in the title  ;)
Title: Re: Real Street
Post by: Rob C on May 17, 2018, 05:45:18 pm
Russ, the only Nobel-prize winner in Serbian language, Ivo Andrić, once gave this advice to young writers:

Don’t say ‘I am going to tell you a funny story.’ Tell them ‘I am going to tell you a story’ and let them decide if it is funny.

Apropos the “real” in the title  ;)


But did he realise that even then, they would not be of unanimous opinion?
Title: Re: Real Street
Post by: RSL on May 17, 2018, 05:50:42 pm
Study The Decisive Moment and The Americans to understand what street is.
Title: Re: Real Street
Post by: Chris Kern on May 17, 2018, 07:38:35 pm
Study The Decisive Moment and The Americans to understand what street is.

In addition to these two classic books, there is a remarkable resource at the U.S. National Gallery of Art in Washington: Frank's contact sheets (https://www.nga.gov/features/robert-frank/the-americans-1955-57.html).
Title: Re: Real Street
Post by: KLaban on May 18, 2018, 04:22:46 am
But why use "street" as the box, when it is obviously "candid", where one can include or not include a real street? A better box already exists, so why not utilise it?

:-)

Rob

Agreed. It would be a simple matter to rename the Street Showcase to something more inclusive. I could certainly see your Glimpsed Parallels and other series within a more inclusive Showcase.
Title: Re: Real Street
Post by: RSL on May 18, 2018, 06:59:34 am
In addition to these two classic books, there is a remarkable resource at the U.S. National Gallery of Art in Washington: Frank's contact sheets (https://www.nga.gov/features/robert-frank/the-americans-1955-57.html).

Absolutely, Chris. There's also Looking In: Robert Frank's The Americans, Expanded Edition, which has the contact sheets for the pictures included in The Americans.

And as far as using "street" to describe street photography. I wish we had a better term, but unfortunately it's too late. The main problem with the damned term is that people don't bother to learn what it really means, so they think that if there's a street in their picture, it's street. Check this whole section to see what I mean. "Oh boy. Street! I have a couple pictures with streets in them. I'll post 'em here."
Title: Re: Real Street
Post by: RSL on May 18, 2018, 07:36:20 am
Agreed. It would be a simple matter to rename the Street Showcase to something more inclusive. I could certainly see your Glimpsed Parallels and other series within a more inclusive Showcase.

Yes. And we could rename landscape to "portraiture" if we wanted to. We could rename anything to anything, but it wouldn't solve the problem. Like it or not, street has been named by the people who picked up Barnak's beautiful machine that could capture the transience of society and unposed relationships between people and people and their environment. Instead of trying to rename it, it would be more worthwhile to learn what it is.
Title: Re: Real Street
Post by: KLaban on May 18, 2018, 07:56:18 am
Yes. And we could rename landscape to "portraiture" if we wanted to. We could rename anything to anything, but it wouldn't solve the problem. Like it or not, street has been named by the people who picked up Barnak's beautiful machine that could capture the transience of society and unposed relationships between people and people and their environment. Instead of trying to rename it, it would be more worthwhile to learn what it is.

...or what you believe it to be or would like it to be.

Perhaps you should consider putting yourself forward as a one man selection panel for the Street Showcase?
Title: Re: Real Street
Post by: RSL on May 18, 2018, 09:00:04 am
...or what you believe it to be or would like it to be.

It's pretty obvious you haven't read the seminal books that define street. Had you done that you'd realize it has nothing to do with "what I believe it to be or would like it to be." It is what it is, and the sources I mentioned are the ones who've shown the world what it is. You can ignore that if you want to, but, of course, you can ignore anything that runs counter to your beliefs or your level of knowledge.
Title: Re: Real Street
Post by: KLaban on May 18, 2018, 09:57:18 am
It's pretty obvious you haven't read the seminal books that define street. Had you done that you'd realize it has nothing to do with "what I believe it to be or would like it to be." It is what it is, and the sources I mentioned are the ones who've shown the world what it is. You can ignore that if you want to, but, of course, you can ignore anything that runs counter to your beliefs or your level of knowledge.

As can you.
Title: Re: Real Street
Post by: RSL on May 18, 2018, 10:04:29 am
As can you.

Actually, I can't ignore the books that define street, Keith. They're all right there on my bookshelves and I've studied them all. At the moment I'm back into American Photographs, The Americans, and Core Curriculum, all of which you should read before you express an opinion on street photography.
Title: Re: Real Street
Post by: KLaban on May 18, 2018, 10:17:21 am
Actually, I can't ignore the books that define street, Keith. They're all right there on my bookshelves and I've studied them all. At the moment I'm back into American Photographs, The Americans, and Core Curriculum, all of which you should read before you express an opinion on street photography.

My interest regarding Street has little if anything to do with any implied ground rules based on the examples of the forerunners of the genre and everything to do with viewing the work - including that of contributors to LuLa - of an exciting body of contemporary photography. If that in your eyes makes me a lesser being or photographer then I'll just have to live with it.
Title: Re: Real Street
Post by: petermfiore on May 18, 2018, 10:29:20 am
You all realize that this argument is about labels and branding...All that I care about is what the picture looks like and what it's about, period. Artist's abhor branding. That is what Art Historians, Curators and Dealers are for.

Peter
Title: Re: Real Street
Post by: Slobodan Blagojevic on May 18, 2018, 10:33:43 am
Is that Schewe playing a guitar?
Title: Re: Real Street
Post by: BobDavid on May 18, 2018, 10:37:35 am
You all realize that this argument is about labels and branding...All that I care about is what the picture looks like and what it's about, period. Artist's abhor branding. That is what Art Historians, Curators and Dealers are for.

Peter

There are tons of genres for painting, sculpture, and illustration. Painting: 1) Impressionism; 2) Cubist; 3) Color field; 4) Social realism; 5) Realism; 6) Abstract; 7) Non-objective; 8) Op art; 9) Pop art; 10) Pre-Renaissance Christian; 11) Asian art (broad category that includes unique attributes of dynasties and countries; and more.
Title: Re: Real Street
Post by: KLaban on May 18, 2018, 12:13:46 pm
You all realize that this argument is about labels and branding...All that I care about is what the picture looks like and what it's about, period. Artist's abhor branding. That is what Art Historians, Curators and Dealers are for.

Peter

Yes!
Title: Re: Real Street
Post by: KLaban on May 18, 2018, 12:21:05 pm
There are tons of genres for painting, sculpture, and illustration. Painting: 1) Impressionism; 2) Cubist; 3) Color field; 4) Social realism; 5) Realism; 6) Abstract; 7) Non-objective; 8) Op art; 9) Pop art; 10) Pre-Renaissance Christian; 11) Asian art (broad category that includes unique attributes of dynasties and countries; and more.

As a artist should I strive to emulate the founders of these genres or strive to move forward?
Title: Re: Real Street
Post by: Rob C on May 18, 2018, 02:37:03 pm
Rob, did Frank actually say the above, or is that your sentiment?


No, absolutely not! The quotation ends at  the ... after the word gone.

Worse, I posted the incomplete post by accident by hitting post instead of preview and went on to write more on the topic. The next thing I saw was your post, which took me by surprise, as you can imagine! I then went back and cancelled it, only to discover that no, it had not been cancelled at all, the final, longer one had vanished! I think I shall have to abandon the iPad for writing and keep it for reading!

Cock-ups like that take the enthusiasm away, as of now. The hell with rewriting the post!

No, it's not over: the original, prematurely sent one has indeed gone, but so has the finished one, and all that survives is the thing in you reply.
Title: Re: Real Street
Post by: OmerV on May 18, 2018, 03:11:25 pm

No, absolutely not! The quotation ends at  the ... after the word gone.

Worse, I posted the incomplete post by accident by hitting post instead of preview and went on to write more on the topic. The next thing I saw was your post, which took me by surprise, as you can imagine! I then went back and cancelled it, only to discover that no, it had not been cancelled at all, the final, longer one had vanished! I think I shall have to abandon the iPad for writing and keep it for reading!

Cock-ups like that take the enthusiasm away, as of now. The hell with rewriting the post!

No, it's not over: the original, prematurely sent one has indeed gone, but so has the finished one, and all that survives is the thing in you reply.

If you wish I will remove my post with your rough draft.

I too use an iPad but have a physical, bluetooth keyboard which makes things easier.
Title: Re: Real Street
Post by: RSL on May 18, 2018, 03:14:38 pm
As a artist should I strive to emulate the founders of these genres or strive to move forward?

How about explaining -- in detail -- what you mean by "move forward," Keith?
Title: Re: Real Street
Post by: Rob C on May 18, 2018, 03:29:53 pm
If you wish I will remove my post with your rough draft.

I too use an iPad but have a physical, bluetooth keyboard which makes things easier.

Thanks, Omer, please do!

I find the problem is with dexterity: my fingers are just too clumsy to work well in tight spaces like that.

Rob
Title: Re: Real Street
Post by: RSL on May 19, 2018, 08:10:39 am
As a artist should I strive to emulate the founders of these genres or strive to move forward?

Hi Keith. It's been a while and I'm still waiting for your definition of "move forward."