How many of these names do you know?

[Darin Boville]

OTE=Bill_1856;1190190]I know all those names, because this weekend I just happened to run across "Seeing Straight (group f.64)," ...
Frankly, except for a few of the well-know images such as Pepper #30, and some of St. Ansels, and Imogenes, most of it was VERY amateurish! They are well forgotten![/QUOTE]

Hey! You are getting ahead of me! Yes, I'm working from a copy pf Seeing Straight as well (purchased on the advice of Merg Ross)...very interesting book for a lot of reasons.

But the game continues!

In this new phase you have to match up the photo with the photographer. I picked one per photographer from the book. Quick picts from the book with a cell phone but you'll get the idea--all of the glare is on my end, not in the photo. No googling!

To make this less awkward I'll give each picture a letter and a name.

Here we go, the first four:

A. Pole with wires


B. Jagged wood


C. Man taping hands


D. Little girl smelling flowers

[Darin Boville]

The next four:

E. Dark leaf vegetation


F. Young girl, smiling


G. A woods


H. Leafy plants from rear

[Darin Boville]

And the final three:

I. Ship with chains


J. Triangular wooden object


K. Rounded industrial forms

[Darin Boville]

And just to recap, here are the names again.

1. Henry Swift

2. John Paul Edwards

3. Imogen Cunningham

4. Willard Van Dyke

5. Edward Weston

6. Sonya Noskowiak

7. Ansel Easton Adams

8. Alma Lavenson

9. Brett Weston

10. Consuela Kanaga

11. Preston Holder


So, answers might take the form of

A = Swift

B = Edwards

etc

[Bruce Watson]

I have been trying to restructure my vocabulary lately, by substituting "jerk" for my usual lifelong characterization, "asshole."

Why not give the Shakespearean insult "varlot" a try?

[Bill_1856]

Why not give the Shakespearean insult "varlot" a try?

"Varlet" is a little sissy for me, but "Varmint" (from my youthful days in Tennessee) wouldn't be a bad second choice. However, it's very difficult to give up "asshole" for Yankee drivers invading our Florida roads and streets. You have NO idea!

[Bill Burk]

Had you asked me two weeks ago, I'd only have known the same as most of us.

Now I feel like it'd be cheating since I met Mary Street Alinder, heard her talk... Saw many of these photographs... Been reading about many of these photographers.

[Merg Ross]

Familiar with all of them, knew five personally. Henry Swift is a somewhat forgotten member of the group as he only photographed for a short time. He was a family friend, so I know a bit about him, although the historians give him little mention. He was married to Florence Alston (Swift) who was a very good artist and friends with Dorothea and Imogen. Henry devoted most of his time to his business; photography was more of a hobby. He lived here in Berkeley, had a very nice darkroom and used a 4x5 Graflex during the f:64 period. I wrote a bit about him in my autobiography, perhaps I should give thought to getting it published!

For those local and interested, Mary Alinder will have another book signing, this time at Scott Nichols Gallery on Dec. 6, 1-4 pm. 49 Geary St., S.F. --- Scott will have an exhibition up of the Group f:64 participants.

[Lenny Eiger]

Frankly, except for a few of the well-know images such as Pepper #30, and some of St. Ansels, and Imogenes, most of it was VERY amateurish! They are well forgotten!

As to being assholes, yes, it's a total disappointment that assholes can sometimes make good art. It ought to be that to make something exquisite that it would take an exquisite person. It ought to be true, but it isn't. Walker Evans is another example. I read his biography a couple of years ago. What a jerk.

However, I think f64 was a very rich time in Photographic History (I also love the PhotoSecession.) and I think dismissal is too harsh. There are issues. You have people choosing works for the books that may have no idea what they are doing. (I'm burning my negs before I die...so that some idiot grad student doesn't decide who I was.) Then you have the problem of just how many great, and lasting, images anyone can make.

How many of AA's images were actually that good? A dozen? Not so many. Weston had far more, he was able to work continuously for quite some time, and just deal with the poverty that doing art in our art-less culture leads one to. For most of us, we may even take a great image worthy of history, but because no one knows we're here, or the "right" people don't know, the image is lost to people anyone our family. I have an image from Morty Strauss, a good friend of my Dad's from the Inwood Camera Club, back in the days when they had Clubs. It was taken at Lake George, and it is just gorgeous. On the back they are 10 different patches from where is was exhibited, won awards, etc. But the fellow was an "amateur" and there is no mention of him at all on the search engines.

I just pulled up an image by Alma Leveson of some eucalyptus leaves, and its beautiful. I wouldn't dismiss them all.... you'd miss out.

Lenny

[Darin Boville]

O.K., let's revive the game with easier rules.

Merg Ross and Bill Burk aren't allowed to guess since they have inside knowledge!

The new rules: Just pick out the photos by Ansel, Weston, and Brett Weston.

--Darin