Okay, seen the film. Now, what did I think about it, I ask myself. And I feel it was a mixed bag - for me, at any rate.
I felt it tried to cover far too much territory which was, of course, the point. I would have been a lot happier with it had it simply stuck to his black and white landscapes and seascapes, which I think he does superbly well. I am aware that I am not really a landscape fan, but his stuff may not actually be landscape in the LuLa sense of the word. If anything, I think that he's on the same kick as I find myself on with my later shots in my Glimpsed Parallels gallery pix, which I suppose is not so much about the thing in the frame, but in what it can maybe be persuaded into being. A least he confirms my preference for clouds rather than unbroken blue!
I was happily ammused to hear him say that he prints darker as he gets older; that's been exactly my experience too. In fact, I think that what I do and I believe that he does as well, is not prnt dark out of melancholy or depression which I don't think either he or I have; what, in fact, I think we are both doing is by darkness, bringing out the brightness where it exists; rather than death I think we seek confirmation of some light of life. However, I have to admit he did mention thinking himself at the end of his time; I hope he's not ill.
The street stuff didn't convince me. How the hell can you blend into the background and not be noticed when you have a movie camera and several people following you about and filming you do what you are doing? It gives you gravitas, makes you seem official, in some way, and therefore okay. It's exactly the same problem as bedevils those documentary/cooking programmes where local folks in berets are asked about their pig that sniffs out truffles... the reactions to a team are never going to be the reactions to a single photographer. I wonder just how the elegant lady with the large hat would have reacted had there been no crew... he got a super picture of her.
The darkroom made me a bit nostagic, even down to the stained dishes and that D76 label! That said, I think it would be too much of a culture shock going back now; I have become spoiled and lazy with Photoshop.
I recognized the Mamiya, but what was that other rangefinder thing with the strange viewing attachment? A Plaubel? I seemed to see it upside down most of the time.
Either way, an hour flew past far too quickly. Thanks again for the link!
