Paul Strand's Lenses?

[Ken Lee]

Since subjects come in all sorts of proportions, I think photographs can, too.

Good point indeed.

What piques my interest in the Golden Section is the notion that we may automatically perceive some proportions as more pleasing or harmonious than others, because of the way that animals and plants are formed in Nature.

European musicians and designers are familiar with the idea, having studied the subject closely over the ages, as long ago as the Greeks - just as they have studied the harmonics of Color, and the physiology of the Eye.

It is precisely because we all appreciate many of the same harmonies and proportions, that we can share and enjoy the same photographs, art, music, food, etc.

[Ernest Purdum]

When I first saw this question I thought that a 12" Dagor was an odd choice for a 5" X 7" Graflex. It makes sense, though, if he wanted only one lens and intended to use it on an 8" X 10" Deardorff as well.

[Bill_1856]

Ernest, according to Richard Benson a 12" lens is the shortest focal length Dagor that will clear the swinging mirror on a 5x7 Graflex.

[Jim Noel]

Ernest, according to Richard Benson a 12" lens is the shortest focal length Dagor that will clear the swinging mirror on a 5x7 Graflex.

My 10 3/4" Dagor will also clear the mirror.

[domenico Foschi]

It is precisely because we all appreciate many of the same harmonies and proportions, that we can share and enjoy the same photographs, art, music, food, etc.

Talking about proportions in food, it reminds me of "All you can eat" Buffets.

[Ken Lee]

Speaking of the Golden Section, it shows up prominently in well-composed images - even when the photo itself is not cut to that ratio.

An artifact of our own physiology, it's working against nature to make a composition without it.

[claudiocambon]

Three unrelated comments related to Strand:

1. Although I am partial to Richard Benson because I studied with him, and like him immensely, I would, on faith, trust his assessments in these matters. He is mechanically so spot-on it's unbelievable, and he is very aware of other people's processes, which is why Aperture asked him, at a relatively young age, to help Strand.

2. The movie about fishermen (I think it's set in Veracruz) is called 'Redes' in Spanish, and I had the pleasure of seeing it projected at Chandler Pavilion here in LA, with the LA Phil playing the accompanying score by Silvestre Revueltas live. The movie is beautiful for what it shows about his formal concerns; so many of the shots look like his still photographs. Plot-wise it is like Eisenstein's Que Viva Mexico, the ideology second to the visual and anthropological fascinations.

3. It is interesting to me to see how his very strong politics play out in many of his pictures where you don't initially think you will find it, such as 'Wall Street', about which interesting historical-political things have been written that amplify the formal strength of the picture.

[Bill_1856]

My 10 3/4" Dagor will also clear the mirror.

Jim, is it a Home Portrait Graflex, which probably has a somewhat longer mirror than the other models? My Super D 4x5 has a 190mm lens, which is longish.

[MIke Sherck]

There is a Canadian TV DVD documentary of Paul Strand, "Under the Dark Cloth". The DVD contains the documentary, including a number of scenes from his Mexican movie "The Wave", as well as the entirety of his "Manhatta" film. It's a very good documentary suffering only from, in my opinion, the most annoying documentary score I've ever encountered.

Mike

[Bill_1856]

It's a very good documentary suffering only from, in my opinion, the most annoying documentary score I've ever encountered.

Mike

Then you've never heard the Cartier-Bresson documentary.