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Thread: Bruce Barnbaum's new book - Plateaus and Canyons

  1. #1

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    Bruce Barnbaum's new book - Plateaus and Canyons

    Ok,

    I am a "color" guy, but do love looking at black and white work. Barnbaum's black and white work is top notch (in my book.) I have a couple of his books and they show his expertise in both composition and printing. This new book is his first in color and the images are from the southwest. I have looked this book over and over. And now this is my opinion, but his color work is so disappointing to me. A couple of things really strike me about his color work. It seems that his compositions in color are woefully lacking, and his use of color and light just is not there. Having worked in southern Utah for a year and having been back there more times that I can count in the last 25 years, I think this body of work to be lacking in so many ways. Has anyone else looked at this book? And if so, am I missing something in this body of work? Again, I really like his black and white work, but this new book is lacking in my opinion. Comments??

  2. #2

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    Re: Bruce Barnbaum's new book - Plateaus and Canyons

    My sentiments exactly.
    *************************
    Eric Rose
    www.ericrose.com


    I don't play the piano, I don't have a beard and I listen to AC/DC in the darkroom. I have no hope as a photographer.

  3. #3

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    Re: Bruce Barnbaum's new book - Plateaus and Canyons

    It has long been my contention that there are those who "see" in black and white and those who "see" in color. Eliot Porter comes to mind in the latter category, and a host of others in the former. Brett Weston claimed that he was color blind, perhaps Bruce is also, although I am unfamiliar with his color work. Many before him have tried both, for instance Ansel Adams, Edward Weston and Harry Callahan. The results speak for themselves.

  4. #4
    Robert Brummitt's Avatar
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    Re: Bruce Barnbaum's new book - Plateaus and Canyons

    Quote Originally Posted by Merg Ross View Post
    It has long been my contention that there are those who "see" in black and white and those who "see" in color. Eliot Porter comes to mind in the latter category, and a host of others in the former. Brett Weston claimed that he was color blind, perhaps Bruce is also, although I am unfamiliar with his color work. Many before him have tried both, for instance Ansel Adams, Edward Weston and Harry Callahan. The results speak for themselves.

    We the viewers can also be bias. When you mention the name Ansel Adams or Edward Weston, we all think great black and white work. When you mention Elliot Porter or Christopher Burkett, we think great color work.
    And if those photographer ver from what we think as what we should see, we tend to think the work can be weak.
    I have the color books by AA and EW. The work is fine. I would like to see what a great color printer like Christopher could do with Ansel's color chromes? Or Charles Cramer could do with Edwards? That would be interesting indeed!

  5. #5
    Robert Brummitt's Avatar
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    Re: Bruce Barnbaum's new book - Plateaus and Canyons

    The only reason I haven't purchase Bruce's new book is I would like to see it first. I received the ads for the book but it only had very few images. I like to hold it in my hands and give it a real look before buying.

  6. #6
    Kirk Gittings's Avatar
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    Re: Bruce Barnbaum's new book - Plateaus and Canyons

    Quote Originally Posted by Merg Ross View Post
    It has long been my contention that there are those who "see" in black and white and those who "see" in color. Eliot Porter comes to mind in the latter category, and a host of others in the former. Brett Weston claimed that he was color blind, perhaps Bruce is also, although I am unfamiliar with his color work. Many before him have tried both, for instance Ansel Adams, Edward Weston and Harry Callahan. The results speak for themselves.
    Agreed......totally.
    Thanks,
    Kirk

    at age 73:
    "The woods are lovely, dark and deep,
    But I have promises to keep,
    And miles to go before I sleep,
    And miles to go before I sleep"

  7. #7
    Drew Wiley
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    Re: Bruce Barnbaum's new book - Plateaus and Canyons

    Porter got Stieglitz's attention with black and white shots, not color. And EW made a
    few stunning color shots. Disposition and tech skill etc are a different subject - color
    was a lot more complex to print back then. I personally have no difficult moving back and forth between both color and b&w, and don't think either suffers from it.
    When I've shown both kinds of work together, different folks would gravitate toward
    different media. It was fun watching. Guess I'm schizo or whatever, but I thoroughly enjoy both.

  8. #8

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    Re: Bruce Barnbaum's new book - Plateaus and Canyons

    Is there anyone that comes to mind who has done superb work in both color and B&W and is represented by a definitive body of work in both?

    Nate Potter, Austin TX.

  9. #9
    Drew Wiley
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    Re: Bruce Barnbaum's new book - Plateaus and Canyons

    Steichen. He was a versatile dude. But you can't compare quantity versus quantity,
    because color was indeed much more of a technical challenge in his day. A lot of how this topic is perceived is probably skewed by what conservators have chosen to
    represent based upon their personal preferences. I thoroughly disagree with the notion that a person can't master both. There are also practical and financial reasons
    why the weathervane might go one way and not the other. I love Laura Gilpin's early
    and somewhat naive color work, though platinum became her best know medium; but Kirk is probably better informed about her than I am. And I am sincere when I
    said that I admire the relatively few Kodachromes EW made - it just wasn't the kind
    of thing a starving artist type like him could personally cultivate in a primitive dkrm.

  10. #10
    Drew Wiley
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    Re: Bruce Barnbaum's new book - Plateaus and Canyons

    Oh, Nathan I guess you mean famous dead folks. But a number of folks not dead yet
    have extensively worked in both, including myself. But since I won't be canonized
    until some homeless former art historian is grubbing thru a dumpster the week after my funeral and I suddenly become the next Uncle Earl, I'll refer to Misrach up the
    hill from me. His got on the map doing black and white split-toned night shots before his color ventures. Meyerowitz was also a black and white practitioner first.

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