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Thread: View Camera Magazine suggestions?

  1. #11

    View Camera Magazine suggestions?

    I let my subscription lapse because, as novice I wasn't getting much out of the technical articles. If there were comprehensive technical articles that were written with my skill level in mind then I'd resubscribe. But I'm not going to order back issues for previous material when I'm not confident it will translate into better pictures for me. As of now I just scan the new issues on the magazine rack to see if they contain anything of interest. I hope this isn't taken for anything but solicited constructive criticism.

  2. #12

    View Camera Magazine suggestions?

    Why is the quality of the reproductions so variable?

    In this issue Messers Fatali & Schory's work looks really good but Mr.s Spence & Kirby come off pretty dark and mucky. Similarly in the SEP/OCT issue with the Mammoth Camera Workshop review and portfolios - Paula Chamlees work was done MUCH better justice than had been done when you ran an entire article on "High Plains Farm" in the MAR/APR (or was it May/June) issue. I've seen Kirbys work in Lenswork Quarterly and know it can look better than it did in this issue of VC.

    Of late you have been including tech info in the photographers profiles - for which I am greatful! Keep it at the end though as an aside rather than dwelling on it UNLESS the article is specifically about technique. If the technique is something off the beaten path, some amplification would be appreciated.

    My favorite issues were the MAR/APR 95 and JAN/FEB 98 - both CHOCK FULL of good material. I feel like there hasn't been an issue that useful in a while.

    Gordon Hutchings' articles have been quite good and his writing style is much apprecaited.

    How about an article, or series on "What's in my Camera Case" - i.e. a break down by photogs with a shot of their case -how they pack it and when/how they use it, how it applies to their approach, etc. The same thing could be done for darkrooms, etc.

    For me the "How" of photography is important, but the "Why" moreso - I am VERY glad John Paul Caponigro cotributes his interviews! The darkroom and camera kit articles would hopefully illustrate how the two - the "how" and the "why" work together.

    Little bummed at the re-tread of Ron Wisner's on-line Q&A column in this last issue. I guess that may be part of the reason for my fading enthusiasm - I'm on-line now and don't feel as isolated as I was when I first started subscribing. Used to be I couldn't wait the two months! I think maybe that's why a lot of us were surprised at the Fatali article - we had all known about the incident and discussed it pretty extensively back when it happened. I guess a lot of us assumed it was common knowledge.

  3. #13

    Join Date
    Jan 2001
    Posts
    150

    View Camera Magazine suggestions?

    I'd like to see an article on Phil Harris from Portland, Oregon. His recent book "Fact Fiction Fabrication" is excellent. I especially like his constructed photos called "fictions" which seem to arouse emotional/psychological responses in me. He can be contacted at philboy@teleport.com

    Scott

  4. #14

    Join Date
    Jan 2001
    Posts
    522

    View Camera Magazine suggestions?

    Well, I'm not a "charter" subscriber, but I've been getting VC for a looong time. It's one magazine that I save every copy of, and find myself going back to old issues for reference from time to time. I think it's a well designed, and reproduced publication, but I have noticed the typos...I'm not really interested in landscape photography, so I didn't follow that other thread, but I thought I'd just add a voice of support for the magazine. The only other publication out there that's better (for me) is PDN. Photo Tech has pretty lousy reproductions, and aside from David Vestal, there's not much to it. The one publication I really miss is the old Camera & Darkroom magazine. I get "Camera Arts", but I don't find it to be as interesting as C&D was. Also, I believe VC had an issue with Norman McGrath a few years back. The only gripe I have with VC, is that every few years when I have to renew, they inevitably mess it up . For the past two times, I've had my subscription lapse, and have had to call back again, the first time more than once, to get it started back up. The first time (4 yrs+ ago) I was sorta annoyed with having to make a third call...and Steve Simmons actually picked up the phone that day....

  5. #15

    View Camera Magazine suggestions?

    i would like to see a focus on the HABS/HAER photographers, jet lowe and jack bouchard. i would also like to see a series of intensive articles on significant historic photographers - edouard baldus, le gray, carleton watkins, sebah, bonfils, beato, macpherson, a j russell, etc. i really don t care about pop "fine art" photographers. i dont need to see any more "technical" articles for beginners.

  6. #16

    Join Date
    Feb 1999
    Posts
    146

    View Camera Magazine suggestions?

    Yo,

    I realize it's the only one we have... and Steve realizes that it can be better and that's great so I won't mince words or make mine "civil".

    In no way would I want View Camera to concentrate on any one aspect of large format photography, especially landscapes. Lack of variety in VIEW CAM hasn't been a problem so far but cow-towing to workshops and "fine-art" photogs has.

    The coverage of the above seems disproportionate to the numbers of photogs actually attending workshops and practicing the arts. Do I want our beloved View Cam to become a trade pub? Yes, if it means no more "fine art" then good, go do it. I do enjoy the landscape work chosen for the mag as well as the architectural and the tech stuff is great, perfect and exactly what I need but regrettably, I might enjoy one in ten of the "fine-art" features... it's the majority of the fine art and all the hot air that goes with those kinds of photography that's killing valuable column space.

    Please edit subjectivity to nothing and let the photo do the communicating even if it means ball-gagging the "arteest" by merely quoting them once... especially if they're given to putting on heirs. Instead emphasize their materials and techniques rather than relegating the things we can know about a photo to the last couple of graphs.

    The technical articles are fine and there's no point in jazzing up a chart or graph. View Camera customers are aesthetically conservative lot and "jazzing down" is what we want. It's the shit that passes as fine art and the softheads who make it that I can't stand. It's a sucker's game and Steve and staff should show more restraint. If fine-art is to be reviewed then make sure it's stood those archetypal time-tests first.

    Of the ones I can remember from past issues I felt were lousy... well, here tis' like it or not Kenna sucks, burn his camera...at least he's not wordy. Chamlee's photos were boring, not quiet and beautiful but rather without worth of any kind. Jan Oswald's photo-art isn't good enough to be toilet paper and her talking about it makes me want to kill. That thing on TILT studios was a waste and I won't waste more words describing it.

    I've seen better photographic "art" put up for review on photonet's critique page. That's the blind-spot, if Steve seems to have one, fine art. So my suggestion in short is... fire JPC.

    love and hand grenades,

    tribby

    p.s. Steve, I do want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for the first two years of View Camera and every mistake inside them. They were good, get the fire back, go rehire those people. I'd also like to thank you for "Using the View Camera". It's the only one of it's kind and in the future we'll credit you and it for helping to keep LF alive.

  7. #17

    Join Date
    Jan 2001
    Posts
    522

    View Camera Magazine suggestions?

    J Norman, I'm with you on all that. My favorite issues have been the ones that dealt with the more historic photographers/processes. That may have to do more with my line of work (probably your case too). The HABS/HAER issue was a great one, along with the FSA article. There was another interview a while back with Eric Long, and the Smithsonian photographers that really hit home with me. The museum photographer (staffers) community is pretty small, so it's nice to see a focus on this stuff. Personally, I'd like to see some more technical articles dealing with conservation/preservation. Like I said, I'm not into landscape stuff, but I enjoyed the Chicago Albumen Works article, and things like that alot.

  8. #18

    View Camera Magazine suggestions?

    The work of Andreas Weidner. It good to here photographers are going to be doing their own profiles rather then some third party.

  9. #19

    Join Date
    Mar 2001
    Posts
    11

    View Camera Magazine suggestions?

    Technique, technique, technique.

    I would love to see more ways to improve my exposures and processing. Both digital and traditional printing methods.

  10. #20

    View Camera Magazine suggestions?

    I would like to see an article on the Packard Shutter--it's history, use, and especially modern applications.

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