"PBS POV: SALT" - Photographer Murray Fredericks

**Phil** · 21-Aug-2010, 19:04

The PBS POV documentary SALT will be streaming online from Aug. 18 through Sept. 17, 2010. Photographer Murray Fredericks talks about how he got the idea to make a documentary about his trips to the Lake Eyre, his other photography work, how he worked with filmmaker Michael Angus and more.

http://www.pbs.org/pov/salt/photo_gallery_watch.php

POV: What equipment did you use to photograph Lake Eyre?
Fredericks: The bulk of the still images were shot on an 8-by-10-inch view camera. In the final year of the project I started experimenting with a medium format digital back on a digital view camera to employ stitching as a method of capturing a wider field of view. The time-lapse cameras were Canon digital SLR cameras and the video camera was a Panasonic P2.

"Please note that POV films are only available for streaming in the United States."

**sun of sand** · 21-Aug-2010, 19:42

watched that the other day
didn't care for it

I actually liked the shorts afterwards much more
music man -largest vinyl collection
old love story

**Colin Graham** · 21-Aug-2010, 20:14

Very interesting, thanks for the link. What a challenging place, on so many levels.

**Lachlan 717** · 21-Aug-2010, 20:24

Originally Posted by sun of sand

watched that the other day
didn't care for it

Care to elaborate?

**patrickjames** · 21-Aug-2010, 22:39

Originally Posted by sun of sand

watched that the other day
didn't care for it

I actually liked the shorts afterwards much more
music man -largest vinyl collection
old love story

I agree 100%. I thought it was completely self indulgent and reminded me in many bad ways of the show Survivorman (which I detest) - "I am stranded with only my camera and this butter knife! Oh what can I do melodramatically before I die?" Blah. There were segments that he was talking and never even looked at the camera. It was in no way a documentary, perhaps it could have been some kind of marketing piece for him, but I found it disingenuous at best. Not worth viewing.

The other segments on POV that night were good. A man who has probably the best collection of records in the world, but no one really wants them. That was sad. The love story was heartbreaking.

**Vaughn** · 21-Aug-2010, 23:07

I enjoyed Salt.. Perhaps the limited time I have spent alone in remote places with a camera (several trip where I spent only 9 days without seeing anyone else -- nothing like his trips) has affording me a little bit of understanding of his thoughts and mannerisms. A strange character, indeed, but not disingenouous from my POV.

And the images at the end of the video were wonderful.

**Lachlan 717** · 21-Aug-2010, 23:20

Originally Posted by patrickjames

I agree 100%. I thought it was completely self indulgent and reminded me in many bad ways of the show Survivorman (which I detest) - "I am stranded with only my camera and this butter knife! Oh what can I do melodramatically before I die?" Blah. There were segments that he was talking and never even looked at the camera. It was in no way a documentary, perhaps it could have been some kind of marketing piece for him, but I found it disingenuous at best. Not worth viewing.

Wow, you're criticising the guy because there were segments that he was talking and not even looking at the camera? And you think that this prevents it from being deemed a documentary? What were you after? Someone to explain how to take a photo with a Toyo 810M?

And what, exactly, did you find disingenuous?

If you took the time to read the synopsis, this is a video diary about being alone in a desolate and isolated location.

It was not some kind of cotton-candy Disney-style fluff piece. Production values were based on a bloke in a tent with a handycam hundreds of kilometres from the nearest city.

Maybe he wasn't looking at the camera because it was ingenuous. Maybe he was much more comfortable behind the camera than in front?

Guess it's pretty easy to criticise when you haven't been in the guy's shoes… Perhaps you could direct me to the film(s) that you have made that are better than this so that I can get a gauge on what is worth viewing.

**sun of sand** · 22-Aug-2010, 01:03

i think video diary is about right
didnt find it too interesting and gave it the entire show
so the guy is alone out there ..almost kind of.
to me it was like survivor island with a better cinematography
sitting around/sky/everyman life reflection/sitting around/more sky

my least favorite scene was when he called home
"i wish you'd ask me how i'm doing ..im not a machine"

thought the most and perhaps only poignant moment was his noticing of how loud/violent the brushing his teeth truly was

and im positive ive heard that elsewhere
not that he stole it
but stuff gets fuzzy

**seabird** · 22-Aug-2010, 02:26

I'm surprised at the negative reaction to this film. I found it quite engrossing (although I'll agree with "Sun of Sand" regarding the one scene that doesn't quite work).

I'd recommend the show to anyone with an interest in landscape photography. My one criticism is that we didn't get to see enough of the images that were being made until near the end.

Watch it and let us know what you think.

Regards

**Paul_C** · 22-Aug-2010, 03:14

Originally Posted by Lachlan 617

Guess it's pretty easy to criticise when you haven't been in the guy's shoes… Perhaps you could direct me to the film(s) that you have made...

I liked Salt. Do I need to provide you with films that I've made in order to qualify my opinion too, or does that only apply to opinions you disagree with?

Originally Posted by seabird

My one criticism is that we didn't get to see enough of the images that were being made until near the end.

I agree. I would've liked to see pictures interspersed - preferably near in the film when they were taken, or at least during similar conditions - to get a better connection between what he was dealing with and what he ended up with as a result.