NY Times on John Coffer

[cyrus]

Did anyone catch the New York Times profile (Aug 3 2006) of tintype photographer John A. Coffer (http://johncoffer.com/) which was pretty funny, though unfortunately it didn't say much about his photography and instead concentrated on his rather - ahem - interesting lifestyle:

"No one could ever accuse Mr. Coffer of being delicate. His log cabin is 12 feet square. He hauls water from his well with a two-bucket yoke. He sleeps in a small loft, with sheets that scream out for an intervention. Since Mr. Coffer has no refrigerator to which he can affix photos, a few favorite tintypes cling to the cross-saws on the cabin wall.... Coffer is a man, it is becoming clear, who could use an online dating service, but as his computer is not connected to the Internet, some hardy woman of pioneering spirit will have to find him, taking care not to kick the chickens as she crosses the cabin threshold."

I guess its nice to see attention paid to the alternative process photography - too bad this sort of article only reinforces the notion that its for the kooky!

[paulr]

sounds like it was more a portrait of a cook than it was about any kind of photography. same could be said about mr. coffer's own site!

[Joe Smigiel]

I spent several days around John Coffer this summer at one of his workshops and later at his annual "Tintype Jamboree." The NY Times article presents a very skewed and unflattering portrayal of the man IMO. John is a very resourceful and independent individual and should be regarded as the equivalent of a Living National Treasure reviving an almost extinct art form and creating a legacy. The Times article by Wadler did him an injustice. Fortunately, Fred Conrad's accompanying multimedia presentation had merit.

Joe