Why does the US seem to produce LF photographers?

[GPS]

Why is it that in Europe there is (and always was) far more widespread photographic culture of 35 mm cameras both in manufacturing (far more excellent than in US) and in 35 mm photography?

[Eric Biggerstaff]

This is a great thread, thanks for the post Ian.

Walter hit on an interesting note about China.

It is my understanding that China is absolutely nuts about large format photography, they love it! In fact, there is a HUGE photo festival every year in China that thousands of people attend. I also understand that they are producing some beautiful work, but those outside China have a difficult time seeing it as there is little access to outside markets and the support structure is not there yet.

I think America has had a very good internal support structure for photography that began with Kodak ( from the consumer side) and Alfred Stiegletz ( might as well begin at the beginning for fine art). The large museums, schools, galleries, publishing houses, magazines, etc. have all been supporters of photography and LF Fine Art has benefited from this. America has always used photography and images to promote its products,ideas, philosophy and attitudes. We are an image nation.

Also, remember that Kodak is an American company and photography really took off here as a consumer product. Kodak made photography a reality for millions of American people and the support structure they set up to make the products available helped drive the American love of photography. It was only a matter of time that artistic minded people would begin to take the new and available products from the mass market and use them to create "art".

Photography has been a part of American lives for a hundred or more years.

"Fine Art" photography was probably an outgrowth from this American love of the image. Thanks to Stiegletz and others, gallery owners realized there was a market for beautiful images and there was money to be made. As demand increased, more and more "artistic" photographers began to understand that they could make a decent living as a full time photographer ( suplemented with some commerical work, teaching workshops,e tc.). Major museums like the Museum of Modern Art adopted photography as a fine art early in the 20th century which further drove the desire of some photographers to create fine art images. Adams helped create a "fine art" market as his work was admired and loved by millions of people and his work was affordable to many. Even today, work from major photographic artists is still "affordable" as compared to other forms of fine art. So this has helped drive market demand and supply.

I think there are MANY great LF photographers around the world, many very well known ( see Morgan's lsit above). If the US has produced more, in my opinion it is an outgrowth of access to market, support structure, population size, product availability, access to places to photograph and a general acceptance of photography as art in our society.

The internet has made the access for other artist around the world to the US market much easier, in fact, I find a new artist almost every week from other countries whose work I truely appreciate.

One of my best friends is a photographer by the name of Wolfgang Sulzer who is an Austrian born photographer living and working in Brazil! ( www.wolfgangsulzer.com) The internet has allowed Wolfgang to show his work outside the very small market in Brazil.

Well, heck, didn't mean to write this much.

Thanks again for the excellent post Ian.

www.ericbiggerstaff.com

[Steven Barall]

America is an expansive place and Americans are an inquisitive people, explorers. You have to recognize that one reason that some people begin to be photographers is due to an inqusitive nature, a desire to explore the world around them. Photography as an instrument or tool is one of those things that can help people make sense of it all.

In America we don't have thousand year old buildings or Apian Ways. Our mountains are not described in the bible and we've no structures visible from outer space. Our ancient-ness is in the rocks and trees, our natural history is our heritage in many ways. It's this expansiveness, the wanting to look outside that I think naturally leads so many to photography and large format photography especially because of it's link to our more recent social past, our American history.

Discovery comes from questions and I think that the big upside down and backwards image on the ground glass is, for some, the statement of a question. The print may or may not be THE answer but it certainly can be AN answer, or atleast an answer that leads to the next question. That's why there's more than one photo.

What a great and interesting question. Thank you so much.

[tim atherton]

"Walter hit on an interesting note about China.

It is my understanding that China is absolutely nuts about large format photography, they love it! In fact, there is a HUGE photo festival every year in China that thousands of people attend. I also understand that they are producing some beautiful work, but those outside China have a difficult time seeing it as there is little access to outside markets and the support structure is not there yet. "

Joerg on his photography blog even has a category for contemporary Chinese photographers now as he was coming across so many

http://www.jmcolberg.com/weblog/archives/cat_contemporary_chinese_photography.html

[tim atherton]

"and we've no structures visible from outer space"

hmm - West Edmonton Mall is - that's our N American legacy... :-)

[Graham Patterson]

Although I used 4x5 in the UK off and on for college and work, I never had a realistic expectation of getting my own. When I moved to California, a friend gave me her 4x5 enlarger when I set up my darkroom. That started ideas 8-) I think 4x5 equipment is more prevalent here - I had no trouble finding everything I needed at an acceptable cost. It would have been harder in the UK.

I also think that the US population in general likes larger things, prints included, which is where the larger formats score. There may also be an element of large format cameras being part of the romanticised westward expansion in the 1800s. It is a short history, and it sticks.

Whether there is really a difference in the proportion of photography done in different formats by geographical region is probably a question that cannot be answered - even what is published may show a bias on the part of the publisher.

I think it is one of the quirks that makes the world an interesting place.

[Jorge Gasteazoro]

As a foreign born who later became an US citizen I think I have a better perspective on this. I noticed 3 very important factors for this, which apply not only to photography but to all activities IMO.

One you have opportunity. In the US since childhood people are encouraged to develop interests outside their school work, it does not matter if this is science, art, sports, etc. Schools always have organized activities outside their curriculum.

Second, disposable income. Americans, regardless of how much they bitch about takes, IMO have a perfect balance between social contribution and disposable income. In Europe taxes are outrageous (which of course provides for some services non existent in the US, but this is another topic), in other countries like Mexico for example, the middle class is small compared to the total population and they live mostly from pay check to pay check, there is no room to buy even a cheap LF camera, add to this the import taxes and it becomes prohibitive.

Third is mind set, since childhood Americans are told that anything is possible if they apply themselves. This turns into a positive attitude where people try to find ways to do things, instead of finding ways not to do things. Unless you live in a foreign country you cannot understand how important this is. Let me use Mexico as an example again. If I have a problem with a service or item and I go to a store to complain, here the first thing I hear is "you cannot return it", "we cannot do this", "we dont have it" etc. You have to fight and ask to talk to ever increasing people in authority to get what you want. This represents an incredible waste of time and resources. In contrast in the US you have a problems and 8 times out of 10 you find that people are genuinely interested on helping and solving the problems. While this has changed somewhat in the last few years, it is still a prevalent attitude that reflects in personal behavior.

Anyhow, this is my take....

[David G. Gagnon]

Could it be because the US made most of the LF cameras?

[George Stewart]

I see it as, the more socialist (the government robbing some people to give it to others) a country, the less tendancy for luxury items (like a LF camera) to make it to the general public and even students. As a result, everything costs more as people try to grasp for all the money they can. While America is certainly a socialist (medicare, medicaid, unemployement, welfare and social security, etc.) country, it isn't to the degree of other nations, especially those in Europe. The bottom line is that it is the type of government that either allows or disallows luxury for it people.

[CXC]

I think Europeans are more interested in keeping up with the technological curve, even than Americans, and possibly LF seems too old-fashioned. To this Californian it also seems old-fashioned, but to me this is a GOOD thing.