How about a two year running series profiling those who are dedicated to teaching large format or serious "vision" oriented photography , not just the technical and copy cat stuff, around the world. break the US up in to sections: East, South, Soththwest, West Coast, Midwest. then Europe and then Asia.
How about a piece on Robert Adams?
What is Nicholas Nixon up to?
How about a piece on Joel Meyerwitz's World Trade Center project?
Is there any humor in large format photography?
I forgot: A piece on Texas LF photographers.
Very interesting to compare the above comments with this same discussion from last March:
http://hv.greenspun.com/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg.tcl?msg_id=004uNO
Excellent suggestions so far. How about one devoted to hand held LF?
John Paul Caponigro and Abigail Foerstner are two of the best photography writers and interviewers. please retain their services and contributions. why we do what we do is as important as how we do it. I would like to see a departure from the landscape crowds and more focus on using large-format in unconventional ways by unconventional artists.
Having thought about it overnight, I finally realized that the most important thing about photography -- good pictures -- are often missing from the magazine. Often it's possible to go from cover to cover without seeing anything original or profound, or even beautiful, including in the many advertisements. That should be the primary purpose of the magazine, namely showing us great images unique to LF. Everything else is secondary.
I have been a subscriber to vc since the third issue and immediatly bought the first two issues but in the last couple of years there have been less issues with articles I enjoy. I keep my subscribtion up so I don't miss something. I guess there is only so much you can say about traditional large format photography. William Blunt
Steve- First, let me applaud you for asking. You have received many good suggestions in response. From them I assume your readership is relatively young or at least in terms of experience with large format. I, on the other hand, have been involved for many years so my comments come from that background. I would like to see the work of young photographers, or at least lesser known photographers, not the same old dinosaurs.
The product reviews and technical articles relating to large format are good. But please, could you scrap the digital stuff? A magazine already exists devoted exclusively to that subject. Thanks again for asking.
Regards, Merg Ross
Steve Dan Smith's comments has my vote. I couldn't say it any better.
Hello Steve, I emailed you a month ago about a photography site that was in need of your help. And you didn't even respond with a curt stick it. I know you are busy but this brings me to my point of what is and has always been missing in View Camera. That feeling of being connected. Being connected to something bigger. Large format shooters are different. And we are snobs. We feel we are in a separate class and we are purists. That feeling of being connected to a group and knowing who's who. That personal touch. John Paul Caponigro? A little too far into metaphysical art talk. Hard to feel connected to him. Jay Dusard? Now that is one plain talkin guy. Easy to become involved with. Ruth Bernhard? What a great story and wonderful photographer. And with a great approach to photography. Nothing hard about her approach. Ron Van Dongen? Flowers that are beautiful. You the architectural shooter. Landscapers, still life shooters. Guys like me that shoot hand held. With modernized old equipment. We LF photographers are all of these and more. I asked you to have a look at a site on the web and see what community means. The site is full of LF photographers, from those just learning to those of us who are already teaching it. Like this site. Large format photographers come here to learn and be a part of something unique. And you are listening to them. But what of the new arrival to large format? Your magazine should link that person to other places and other photographers with whom he can become aquainted and become a member of a larger community. Have you put the address of usefilm.com into your magazine? Just a one line recommendation to go have a look? How about Ed Buffaloes site? What a resource. How about the address of this site? I haven't seen them. But you come here and ask us to purchase your magazine. It deserves something from you in return. Link everyone together. Like a bookmark section. Doesn't cost you much space. Where is the sense of community? That's how you get it. Usefilm.com is such a place. Not a clique like so many yahoo sites. But a really good teaching site. A site that gives lessons and homework to do. Full of nice people willing to help a new arrival get their feet wet. And lots of images to look at. Like your magazine should have in it. So please give usefilm.com a look and find a small place in the magazine for an ad and include this site as well. Create a space for suggested e-sites. Links to large format photographers sites. Help make large format into a family. Link all the resources up. Be a leader in the field. You will find readership will increase dramatically because this will become "the" place to look for all things large format. And I'd like to see a lot more emphasis on images and how they come about. Why did Cy De Cosse start shooting still life and how does he achieve such beautiful results? How did Hurrell light those magnificent portraits? How does Karsch do it? How did Wynn Bullock get such high contrast into his images without blowing out the highlights. How does Tom Barril solarize his polaroid film before he shoots his Botanicals. How about books that are out there that will peak our interest in shooting? There are hundreds of them. Where in Joe Shooters area are galleries where a large format photographer can go see examples of work by other large format shooters. Places to stop when traveling like Dan Smith's gallery in Provo or the venerable The F Stop in Santa Barbara. Or where do you hang out in New Mexico. Make this magazine "The" resource and you won't begin to be able to fill the new subscriptions. And go to usefilm.com and take a look and see what community is like. I plug your magazine there all the time. And some of the other wonderful magazines out there like your companion Camera Arts and B&W and Lenswork. They aren't competitors. They are resources. Just like auto malls. Hint Hint. James Mickelson
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