Wow, this is excellent, a really illuminating and disturbing essay on what it means to be a truthful photographer in our times! Thank you for this. Inspiring!
Thank you so much, it means a lot to hear that. BTW, I checked out a few of your videos, really enjoy your shots of Lisbon, especially the videos done at night!
Excellent! More of this. We need to study photography, not talk about cameras and lenses. Proper art analysis and critique is more valuable than techniques.
Thanks for this exploration of a new photographer to me. I’m drawn to the left behind junk, fences, signs and industrial remnants in the countryside around me and this gives me some validation that others can also see a value in shooting those perspectives.
Thanks for your valuable thoughts. In the words of the great Talking Heads: You may ask yourself, "What is that beautiful house?" You may ask yourself, "Where does that highway go to?" And you may ask yourself, "Am I right, am I wrong?" And you may say to yourself, "My God, what have I done?"
Well done. Your insights and perspectives are illuminating and break open the box we often times get ourselves into as photographers. Looking forward to more of your videos.
I am of the opinion that conviction and purpose behind making a photograph is what separates people like Ansel Adams, Robert Adams, Raymond Moore, Faye Godwin and a few others from the majority of us who just go about ' taking pictures '. Ansel Adams was a genuine conservationist at heart, and he used his unsurpassed photographs to make people aware of the beauty that formed his and theirs natural world and that preserving it for future generations was worth the effort. Robert Adams communicates the same message, that of the impact of human commercial activity on his natural living space, but by confronting the issue head on and showing it as exactly as it is which is ugly to be polite. Faye Godwin who was a British photographer, conveyed the same message, that of the effects of human greed, with her superb photography of the British landscape and clearly showed what happened when laws were relaxed during the premeirship of one Margaret Thatcher in the 80s. Very good topic and video. I for one, when I see a lone tree in a middle of nowhere, can not help thinking that this tree is akin to a lost soul, separated from his family and waiting for a lonely death because of us and our thirst for wealth and expansion. In a hundred years time where will we be, our children, our grand children? What would they think of us for what we did to this planet during our short period of existance?
His photographs are about the sad joy of disintegrating into our permanent state and the joyful sadness of valuing the impermanence of everyday living. We all -- secretly -- want our lives to fall apart. Why? Because they are not our lives. They are not our lives. It is not your life. Something else is. Adams allows us to discover what this something else is.
I had the chance to see an exhibit of Robert Adams’ work when it was shown here in Washington DC. His photos were powerful, but also were his writings which were interspersed through the exhibition. Very glad you’ve helped bring more attention to his work. Nice job with your narrative!
I guess lots of landscape photographers are familiar with Ansel Adams' grandiose natural landscape scenes, e.g Yosemite and Yellowstone. Then show them Robert Adams' photos (yes I know, two Adams who are not related each other). I bet most of them will like "huh? houses under construction? empty parking lot? dried trees? What's interesting about those?" As much as I admire Ansel Adams (still highly regarded among black and white printers), what Robert Adams did resonated more to me. I live in a city where there's no mountain, forest. And usually is too lazy to drive far away. Urban landscape, on the other side, is already around me. Just need to walk and carefully see. Well... "beauty in the eye of the beholder", anyway.
Interestingly, Ansel Adams' work was centered around the beautiful and majestic gifts that nature bestowed upon us; equally significant and insightful are Robert Adams' depictions of what we have done to it.
This is so interesting . I’ve been trying to move away from traditional landscape photography . You have given me food for thought with a piece on Robert . He was almost the antithesis of Ansel ! An image doesn’t have to be pretty to be powerful as all photographers should know . Have a great day , cheers Gary
Interesting comparison. In general I think Tice may be more of a romantic, but there are some images such as Wrapped Fig Tree that sure feel like they work in the same vein.
Good stuff. The one word I didn’t hear you say was document, which to me, I think was this artist’s overriding motive, to document this moment in time. Some of the compositions were well crafted, but so many of them just put the main subject dead center and like you said, the values weren’t that interesting. The banality compliments the futility of these places he’s documenting. It’s sad and frankly they look the same today. Good thing trees just respond to light and air and don’t mind traffic.
Love the interpretive suggestions of photographs but do they really mean what we think they mean, did the photographer really know. Is it really that important to label everything with an explanation or just let it speak for itself as an art form. Beautiful video.
You raise good questions. I am interested in what is at stake in a work and how Adam’s work fits into historical context. I suspect that images do always “speak for themselves” to a certain extent, but I also believe that what art works inspire us to say matters too. My hope is that we always go back to the work itself, but also are encouraged to think about context and meaning and history.
I am autistic. It seems to be part of the territory for some of us that we see a lot more to photograph than most people (neurotypicals). I would photograph much of that, and much much more besides. My framing and presentation would be quite different, I favour contrast and dark skies. Likely it's a consequence of my life as an autistic. If I use "beauty" to describe my photography, it's ironic: "Here's a beautiful pile of dogshit in my street." I seek to make interesting photos, and my subjects can be pretty flowers. Ir a sole shoe, horse shit in the street, people going about their business.
OK, but How do you personally draw that distinction? There are many bodies of work called "art" that do social documentation. Do you feel that Social Documentation and art are mutually exclusive, or does some work overlap these categories?
Yeah, what we have done to this country is by no means pretty. While I do find the lack of contrast in his photos a turn off, I can easily see why it was chose.
This is an interesting topic. As a first generation postmodernist Adams seems to be typical of his era, his writings and discourse are focused on classical ideas, he's inspired by and seeks out beauty for example. But most of his images don't really depict the classical ideas he expresses in his writings, they capture something else. What part of his writings do you find most interesting?
@@confrontingphotography4815 Two books spring to mind “Beauty in Photography” and “Why People Photograph.” His written work is exhilarating but to me, but his images seem to fall short of his philosophy.
What a discovery on a random Saturday morning! Fantastic episode. Immediately subscribed to the channel.
fascinating and thought provoking film, thanks
Wow, this is excellent, a really illuminating and disturbing essay on what it means to be a truthful photographer in our times! Thank you for this. Inspiring!
I totally agree with the previous posters. I wish we all could sit down, drinking coffee, and discuss Adams’s work.
Thank you for introducing the work of Robert Adams about whom I didn't know before, but whose work I'll now seek and study.
This was such a fascinating episode! Some much depth and insight here! Exactly what Photography UA-cam needs! Thank you
Thank you so much, it means a lot to hear that. BTW, I checked out a few of your videos, really enjoy your shots of Lisbon, especially the videos done at night!
Thank you for sharing Robert’s work. A beautiful rep of what we’re doing to our planet as a whole.
Subscribed, wish I had found this channel sooner! Really great interpretation and perspectives on Adams’s work.
Excellent! More of this. We need to study photography, not talk about cameras and lenses. Proper art analysis and critique is more valuable than techniques.
thank you, and yeah, it seems pretty clear that all the gear talk really does take us away from photography itself.
This video is fantastic.
Thanks for this exploration of a new photographer to me. I’m drawn to the left behind junk, fences, signs and industrial remnants in the countryside around me and this gives me some validation that others can also see a value in shooting those perspectives.
Thanks for your valuable thoughts.
In the words of the great Talking Heads: You may ask yourself, "What is that beautiful house?" You may ask yourself, "Where does that highway go to?" And you may ask yourself, "Am I right, am I wrong?"
And you may say to yourself, "My God, what have I done?"
Haha, you know, I'll bet Adams would like the Talking Heads reference.
Thank you for your excellent work on this important topic.
Well done. Your insights and perspectives are illuminating and break open the box we often times get ourselves into as photographers. Looking forward to more of your videos.
Thanks for this most wonderful and insightful video. Derelict spaces tell a story, albeit sometimes one no one cares to hear but, alas, a story it is.
You are so right. What’s funny is that no urban planner ever includes derelict spaces in their presentations but they always find a way in.
Brilliant exploration of Robert Adams work. Thank you!
Great video, thank you.
enjoying your insight of one of my favorite photographers... thank you
I am of the opinion that conviction and purpose behind making a photograph is what separates people like Ansel Adams, Robert Adams, Raymond Moore, Faye Godwin and a few others from the majority of us who just go about ' taking pictures '. Ansel Adams was a genuine conservationist at heart, and he used his unsurpassed photographs to make people aware of the beauty that formed his and theirs natural world and that preserving it for future generations was worth the effort. Robert Adams communicates the same message, that of the impact of human commercial activity on his natural living space, but by confronting the issue head on and showing it as exactly as it is which is ugly to be polite. Faye Godwin who was a British photographer, conveyed the same message, that of the effects of human greed, with her superb photography of the British landscape and clearly showed what happened when laws were relaxed during the premeirship of one Margaret Thatcher in the 80s. Very good topic and video. I for one, when I see a lone tree in a middle of nowhere, can not help thinking that this tree is akin to a lost soul, separated from his family and waiting for a lonely death because of us and our thirst for wealth and expansion. In a hundred years time where will we be, our children, our grand children? What would they think of us for what we did to this planet during our short period of existance?
I've stumbled across this video, what a wonderful surprise. Great analysis, thanks, I look forward to more.
A nice thought provoking piece from
A large format photographer in Northern Spain.
Thanks for your comment. Keep large format alive!
Very instructive. thank you.😊
I have Robert Adams companion book from his show at the Museum of Modern Art "American Silence" that I picked up at my library.
His photographs are about the sad joy of disintegrating into our permanent state and the joyful sadness of valuing the impermanence of everyday living.
We all -- secretly -- want our lives to fall apart. Why? Because they are not our lives. They are not our lives. It is not your life. Something else is. Adams allows us to discover what this something else is.
Such a great episode, well done!!
Thank you so much!
I had the chance to see an exhibit of Robert Adams’ work when it was shown here in Washington DC. His photos were powerful, but also were his writings which were interspersed through the exhibition. Very glad you’ve helped bring more attention to his work. Nice job with your narrative!
Glad I found your channel. Subscribed.
Thank you!
I guess lots of landscape photographers are familiar with Ansel Adams' grandiose natural landscape scenes, e.g Yosemite and Yellowstone. Then show them Robert Adams' photos (yes I know, two Adams who are not related each other). I bet most of them will like "huh? houses under construction? empty parking lot? dried trees? What's interesting about those?"
As much as I admire Ansel Adams (still highly regarded among black and white printers), what Robert Adams did resonated more to me. I live in a city where there's no mountain, forest. And usually is too lazy to drive far away. Urban landscape, on the other side, is already around me. Just need to walk and carefully see. Well... "beauty in the eye of the beholder", anyway.
"carefully see" Yes, that is a good way to put it, totally agree!
Interestingly, Ansel Adams' work was centered around the beautiful and majestic gifts that nature bestowed upon us; equally significant and insightful are Robert Adams' depictions of what we have done to it.
This is so interesting . I’ve been trying to move away from traditional landscape photography . You have given me food for thought with a piece on Robert . He was almost the antithesis of Ansel ! An image doesn’t have to be pretty to be powerful as all photographers should know . Have a great day , cheers Gary
Sort of reminds me of the photographs of George Tice. I will explore the photographs of Robert Adams.
Interesting comparison. In general I think Tice may be more of a romantic, but there are some images such as Wrapped Fig Tree that sure feel like they work in the same vein.
Good stuff. The one word I didn’t hear you say was document, which to me, I think was this artist’s overriding motive, to document this moment in time. Some of the compositions were well crafted, but so many of them just put the main subject dead center and like you said, the values weren’t that interesting. The banality compliments the futility of these places he’s documenting. It’s sad and frankly they look the same today. Good thing trees just respond to light and air and don’t mind traffic.
Well said, in particular this: "The banality compliments the futility of these places he’s documenting." That is a great summation.
Love the interpretive suggestions of photographs but do they really mean what we think they mean, did the photographer really know. Is it really that important to label everything with an explanation or just let it speak for itself as an art form. Beautiful video.
You raise good questions. I am interested in what is at stake in a work and how Adam’s work fits into historical context. I suspect that images do always “speak for themselves” to a certain extent, but I also believe that what art works inspire us to say matters too. My hope is that we always go back to the work itself, but also are encouraged to think about context and meaning and history.
I am autistic. It seems to be part of the territory for some of us that we see a lot more to photograph than most people (neurotypicals).
I would photograph much of that, and much much more besides. My framing and presentation would be quite different, I favour contrast and dark skies. Likely it's a consequence of my life as an autistic.
If I use "beauty" to describe my photography, it's ironic: "Here's a beautiful pile of dogshit in my street." I seek to make interesting photos, and my subjects can be pretty flowers. Ir a sole shoe, horse shit in the street, people going about their business.
There always needs to be room for the ironic use of the idea of beauty, thanks for that reminder.
God forbid we can each have a car and some green grass on our own property.
This is not ART, it’s Social Documentation. There is an important distinction.
OK, but How do you personally draw that distinction? There are many bodies of work called "art" that do social documentation. Do you feel that Social Documentation and art are mutually exclusive, or does some work overlap these categories?
...and what is that distinction?
A false dichotomy.
Yeah, what we have done to this country is by no means pretty. While I do find the lack of contrast in his photos a turn off, I can easily see why it was chose.
Robert Adams writings on photography are far more interesting than his images.
This is an interesting topic. As a first generation postmodernist Adams seems to be typical of his era, his writings and discourse are focused on classical ideas, he's inspired by and seeks out beauty for example. But most of his images don't really depict the classical ideas he expresses in his writings, they capture something else. What part of his writings do you find most interesting?
@@confrontingphotography4815 Two books spring to mind “Beauty in Photography” and “Why People Photograph.” His written work is exhilarating but to me, but his images seem to fall short of his philosophy.
Maybe you would find my penis more interesting