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Thread: Robert Adams Wins Deutsche Borse Prize

  1. #1
    tim atherton's Avatar
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    Robert Adams Wins Deutsche Borse Prize

    good news for good photography

    http://www.pdnonline.com/pdn/newswire/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1002236316

    http://www.photonet.org.uk/index.php?id=8,532,0,0,1,0
    You'd be amazed how small the demand is for pictures of trees... - Fred Astaire to Audrey Hepburn

    www.photo-muse.blogspot.com blog

  2. #2
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    Robert Adams Wins Deutsche Borse Prize

    There's a generous sample of Adams' pictures at the Fraenkel Gallery.

  3. #3
    Beverly Hills, California
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    Robert Adams Wins Deutsche Borse Prize

    Who's Robert Adams? Photonet member? Ansel's son?

  4. #4

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    Robert Adams Wins Deutsche Borse Prize

    A couple of years ago I attended an exhibit of Robert Adams' prints. I have thumbed through books of his photographs in the library and in bookstores. I just viewed the 96 images on the Fraenkel Gallery website. And my reaction is the same every time--So what?

    I just do not get the appeal of his work. I suspect that if this body of work were not done by a "name" or "collectable" photographer, the average patron of this website wouldn't give the work a second thought. I also suspect that if I pitched this work under my name to a dozen galleries, none of them would give me the time of day.

    But of course, art is subjective, and Adams' work just doesn't appeal to me. Those who are fans of his, please enlighten me; tell me what I'm missing.

  5. #5

    Robert Adams Wins Deutsche Borse Prize

    good as it maybe for photography (though i can't really see why) and social/political activism (he is donating the 30,000 to human rights watch), i can't help think that this type of prize always goes to some very well known, established, represented photographer. now to my mind what would be really "good for photography" would be that these bigshot prizes go to people who's work is up to bigshot standard but who are unknown, of course that would mean that the judges would have to know something and work very hard, which may be a problem, but the prize would certainly come in useful an unestablished photographer, just like me infact!

  6. #6
    Abuser of God's Sunlight
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    Robert Adams Wins Deutsche Borse Prize

    "I just do not get the appeal of his work."

    i don't get the appeal of Tibetan throat singing, kim chee, soft-boiled eggs, Leonard Cohen's lyrics, or bread pudding.

    i also don't get the appeal of re-living discussions that have been repeated so manny times they now play like well-rehearsed rituals. some previous rounds can be found at

    http://largeformatphotography.info/lfforum/topic/505095.html#590833 and http://largeformatphotography.info/lfforum/topic/504223.html#580151

    and

    http://largeformatphotography.info/lfforum/topic/504223.html#580151

    who wants to get together for a staged reading? it can become an annual pageant. we can do robert adams somewhere out west and then film vs. digital on the east coast.

  7. #7
    Abuser of God's Sunlight
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    Robert Adams Wins Deutsche Borse Prize

    "what would be really "good for photography" would be that these bigshot prizes go to people who's work is up to bigshot standard but who are unknown, of course that would mean that the judges would have to know something and work very hard, which may be a problem, but the prize would certainly come in useful an unestablished photographer, just like me infact!"

    i can't comment on this particular prize ... i have no idea how it's awarded or by whom. i also can't comment on adams' work that prize was awarded for ... the article says it's for recent stuff, 1999 to 2003. haven't seen it. but i'm sure glad it went to mr. adams, rather than to many other more trendy big shots who come to mind, and whose work strikes me as minor in comparison.

    regarding the question, why aren't the deep pockets giving the money to you ... how many grants or fellowships did you apply for in the last year? and the year before that? and before that? not that applying guarantees anything, but if you're not famous, you at least gotta ask!

  8. #8

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    Robert Adams Wins Deutsche Borse Prize

    Oh my god, paulr, I am so sorry for expressing an opinion here . . . in a photography forum too, of all places. Can you ever forgive me?

  9. #9
    Allen Quinn's Avatar
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    Robert Adams Wins Deutsche Borse Prize

    Jeffrey,
    I don't get it either. What I really don't get are the defensive replies when someone asks what is the appeal of this work?

  10. #10

    Robert Adams Wins Deutsche Borse Prize

    I love bread pudding! Annie's on Kent Island, Maryland, serves some of the best.

    Now I won't buy a Robert Adams print, but I do recognize his importance to photography. He changed the vocabulary of the art. Think of Robert Frank's influence on social observation. In my not too well educated opinion that's what Robert Adams did to the landscape. Robert Adams forced us to look away from the idealized grandeur of nature as found in Ansel Adams, and said "Hey folks, look at the real world." The real world ain't so pretty.

    Now as far as big shots verses small shots, the prize giver has a political reason to associate with big shots. It's not a one way street. Think of all the politician's who love to hang with Bono of U2 even when they never listen to his music. The Germans are using Robert Adams persona to say "Pay attention to us."

    Now I really don't know what the "average person" would like about anything on any web site, let alone what they'd like of my work. That's not the point of art. An artist is never driven by what the average person thinks. The drive comes from within, and doesn't give a rat's hindquarters what anyone else thinks.

    Now let's all try to make the perfect soft-boiled egg. I understand it helps heal raspy thoat singers who plagiarise Korean Leonard Cohen impersonators. Grin.

    Me, I'm signing up for the Robert Adam's digital workshop on Cape Cod next summer! HA.

    Thanks Paul.

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