View Camera Magazine - What Would You Like To See?

You presumably have some idea of the breakdown of your readership between professional and amateur photographers but unless professionals comprise a pretty large proportion of your readership, I'd can the articles involving digital stuff that costs $30,000 and upwards. The two major articles in the last issue involving the Sinar back that cost $30,000, and the guy with the all digital system the price of which was never mentioned but that surely was in the $50,000- $100,000 range, weren't real relevant to someone who is never going to spend that kind of money on photography equipment (i.e. to most amateurs). If you want to include some digital equipment articles from time to time, which I think you should, I'd confine them to digital equipment that isn't so expensive that it can be afforded only by people who can pass the cost on to someone else (i.e. professionals), unless of course you have a lot of professional readers, in which case I recognize that you have to strike a balance between the interests of the two types of readers.

As I said my last issue was the Sep/Oct issue, and I loved the Gum bichromate over platimum article. Althoug I personally did not like the end result, and all the time I was reading it I was thinking: Why ruin a perfectly lovely platinum print? I thought the article was very instructive, it had a little for everybody, negative, print registration etc. If anything I would love to see more articles of this type, a novell approach to the old techniques, for example there is a photographer in Canada who has been able to coat a fixed out baryta paper with pt/pd solution and make a print, he states in his booklet he has been able to get D max of 1.5 with pt/pd and fixed out paper, plus a "glossy" look, I think this would be of interest to some of your readers, another one I came across and thought it was interesting is of a phtotgrapher doing pt/pd on plexyglass using albumen, PVA and siloxane fixative (fixative as holder, not developer fix).

As far as digital, from the previous responses I guess it is a touchy subject, but if anything I would like to see a "competition" between a expertly printed silver or pt/pd print against a piezography print. I am sure you have many beautifull negatives, make one print the traditonal way and the other with piezography, and show it to people (your choice, either layman or expert photographers) and ask them which one thy like best, and why?

I don't want to bore you any more I have hundreds of ideas, but I guess you have enough of those already.

Anybody (doesn't have to be a "big name") doing good large format (preferably 8 x 10) work. Their philosophy, their method of preparation for the shoot (more about them as people), their method of seeing, their method of exposing and processing film, and their mehtods of showing their work. Kevin

Thanks for the comments. There have been many good ideas and we will work on them.

Just to clarify a few things.

We've done an article on Paul Caponigro.

51% of our readers claim they are professionals

Ansel is dead. I can't imagine doing anything new about him. No disrespect intended.

An article comparing Azo and regular printing paper is in the works.

PT/PD, silver and digital prints are different media. It would be like arguing which is better an apple or an orange. They all have their beauty, advantages and disadvantages.

We have done articles on used equipment since the beginning. In the Nov/Dec 01 issue we had a detailed article on Fuji lenses. We've done articles on lens design as well and older lenses.

The gum over platinum article was in the July/Aug 01 issue.

An article on reviewing workshops would be a challenge. Why, it is so subjective. In my own workshops I have had people thrilled at what we did and disappointed - all in the same group. I try and be as clear as I can about the topics and class plans and my low tech approach. In one of my groups I had some people going with me from 6am to midnight and up again the next morning at 5 and others mentally check out midweek because I was not techncal enough - they wanted to study the camera not how to use it to make photographs. The reviews of that workshop would have been all over the place depending on who did tyhe writing. A couple of years ago we did a piece where 5-6 people who teach large format did write an essay on what they try and do in their workshops.

We get criticized about John Paul's articles but he is trying to get into the hearts and minds of his subjects and help us get to know them as people and artists.

We are always looking for new artists to feature - looking at photographs is one of the best parts of my job. We will try and feature a few more table top people. Is there an interest in more architecture?

steve simmons

Got enough suggestions yet? I have read many issues donated by friends, etc. but have not subscribed as yet because I (and I know I am not alone) care very little about what some "cutting edge" commercial photog is doing in New York or L.A. or who is showing where. Nor do I care to read long- winded, technical articles about film curves. The beauty (and interest)in LF is in the image - not the photographer who snaps the shutter, or the company who made the camera. I am interested in the images and the techniques applied to produce them.

A picture is worth a 1,000 words!

I would love to see some Architecture, specially in B&W (is there such beast?), on the other hand I am always amazed at the pictures some potographers turn out in the achetiectural field. Ok, Ok, so I missed the month about the Gum bichromate, still I think it was a good article would love to see more like this.

Please don't take this as critizism, but with respect to John Paul Caponigro, I don't know what it is about his style that turns me off, maybe it is the artistic pseudo-speak, or should I call it methaphysical comparisons, I really cannot pinpoint what it is, but I do know that I let my susbcription lapse since I started seeing his articles, and every time I saw there was an article by him, I did not purchase the magazine, specially since I was so disappointed about his interview with his father, such a great opportunity lost in the artsy pseudo-speak! ah well!.....ok I think this is enough from me. I wish you continued success.

I like photographer's portfolios, much like what is found in B&W magazine. I also like to read articles about how different LF photographers use their equipment in the field. I like bios on LF photographers. I am not really interested much in the latest and greatest of equipment or technical aspects. Art and personality profiles are what I enjoy.

i do HABS/HAER work, and have a deep interest in historical photographers who did architectural and topographic work in the 19th century, such as carleton watkins, edouard baldus, le gray, marville, sebah, bonfils, zangaki, antonio beato, a j russell, fenton, and auguste hippolyte collard. i would love to see some in-depth articles about any of those folks, and any contemporary pros in the field of architectural and engineering recordation, such as jack boucher and jet lowe.

Unsung heroes. I'm a lot more interested in folks with names I don't immediately recognize that are doing novel things in large format. Do a piece on the under $1000 complete outfits possible. Do a piece on old pro's that bought a Deardorff in 1955 and are still using it. Investigate some of the regular contributors to this forum and I'll bet you'd find some interesting approaches and visions. Reprint some of the stuff most asked about all together in a special that could be bought seperately like the history of lens design pieces. And by all means ditch the digital crap. Start a 3rd mag for that. Best wishes!

Thanks, Steve, for giving us the opportunity to say what we'd like to see in View Camera. I doubt it will be very helpful to you, since we'll have different and even contradictory opinions, but I really apreciate your asking.

I hadn't meant to add anything to this thread, but after reading the exchange about John Paul Caponigro, I want to tell you that the one article from View Camera that I treasure, and have read and re-read until the magazine is falling apart, is John Paul Caponigra's interview with Christopher Burkett. I had dismissed CB as just another photographer of forgettable color scenery, and had never really looked carefully at his work until I read this article. Now I think I have a much better appreciation of Burkett both as a photographer and as a human being, and it's all due to that article.

I agree with Sandy that it would be nice to see more female photographers featured in the magazine, and I always want to see more on alternative processes. I would also like to see more about vintage lenses, particularly pictorial and portrait lenses; Jay Allen's short article left me wanting something more in the way of specific information about the various lenses.

Thanks again,