Justin Lowery, the best landscape photographer of the current times?

[Daniel Casper Lohenstein]

Without accusing Burtynsky of eclecticism, because his photographs are quite good, but Sebastião Salgado and Yann Arthus-Bertrand are ten years older and still alive ...

[Andrew Plume]

And let's not forget Fatali's use of supplemental lighting many years ago, which was done in a way I can't imagine AA would ever accept or even tolerate.

Absolutely, Fatali will go down in infamy - the complete opposite of the respect that AA had for the NPS

Also Fatali's work is nothing other than over saturated Velvia type images for the annual Calendar competition, shows no imagination either

Andrew

[Louis Pacilla]

Absolutely, Fatali will go down in infamy - the complete opposite of the respect that AA had for the NPS

Also Fatali's work is nothing other than over saturated Velvia type images for the annual Calendar competition, shows no imagination either

Andrew

Well said Andrew! +1


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Laminarman]

So I read a little about Fatali and what he did. I think it's a bit sad that the public is fine with him and his work, although the more I look at it the less I like it. I guess it's the "informed vs the uninformed?" There is no right or wrong. I equate this to those who think Bose is fine audiophile equipment, it's what you like. And back to Butynski, that man must just W A I T for the right light to be there. Most images are uniformly lit, even, with a consistency and composition that is quite impressive.

[Mark Darragh]

A fascinating discussion, although with a strongly Euro/Amerocentric bent. Drew has hit the nail on the head, finding a truly unique vision is a rare thing.

Let me throw in a couple names that many may not be so familiar with. Both have been active for decades and continue to produce outstanding work.

Toshio Shibata

Chris Bell, a close friend and contemporary of one of Australia’s greatest photographers, the late Peter Dombrovskis.

[Daniel Casper Lohenstein]

So I read a little about Fatali and what he did. I think it's a bit sad that the public is fine with him and his work, although the more I look at it the less I like it. I guess it's the "informed vs the uninformed?"

I think it is the Cibachrome process that unmasks Fatalis charlatanry ... With Cibachrome everybody gets wet panties, it's like the "Tristan und Isolde" intro by Richard Wagner. Shame on him.

BTW. Did you know that AA produced about 3000 color photographs. Disgusting. Kodachrome! Imagine that AA himself said: “Twelve significant photographs in any one year is a good crop.”

I also think that AA suffered from technical delusions of grandeur, bringing 5 entire camera systems on location, cf. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M-BhJQqHXfQ 4:00 min

It's also abominable to bulldoze the readers of his books with meticulous comments on exposure, aperture, light meter reading and interpretation, N+- handling etc. instead of faciliating an own approach to photography.

;-)

[Andrew Plume]

BTW. Did you know that AA produced about 3000 color photographs. Disgusting. Kodachrome! Imagine that AA himself said: “Twelve significant photographs in any one year is a good crop.”

Hi Daniel

Yes I knew this, particularly AA 'In Color', Little Brown & Co (a copy of which is next to me)

regards

Andrew

[Andrew Plume]

Well said Andrew! +1


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Thx Louis, appreciated

regards

Andrew

[Tin Can]

My posts were not meant as criticism of OP nor the artist he likes.

What we like is personal and nobody likes all art. NOT ART as explained previously is simply an 'Art Work' meant to promote discussion. I imagined it 20 years ago. Mind art.

Now for Science, Art is obviously not pure science, yet always needed science to enable creation of Art. Using charcoal to draw on cave walls was applied science with emergent technology.

Any life on this planet has DNA as the building block for all living and dead. We already modify DNA and I expect soon we will resurrect life, ala Jurassic Park the movie.

DNA evolution seems obvious as mutation and variation of DNA has evolved to us. However we could be wrong on the source of the design...which nobody knows and may never know.

I mention DNA as an example of how we evolve over time. Just as art changes and evolves in all direction, some with long paths, some dead ends. Including mutations which are perhaps most important, as they are like an alien twig grafted to a plant. New Art.

Initially this forum scared me off posting my images... I posted my first attempts at Soft Focus Portraits and got hammered, yet now i see examples by known LFPF experts that also changed focal point.

Finally I link to photography that works very well on almost any screen.

LF Night Shots

Some (more) B&W Night Shots

[Steven Ruttenberg]

Screen or print is relative. I do prefer a print for its absolute permanence so long as there are intelligent life to view it. Assuming it is well taken care of over the centuries. Unlike digital which is anyones guess if today's format can be read by tomorrows new format.

As for art, what is it and how can it change the course of history? Imagine if Hitler had been accepted to the Vienna School of Art when he applied? His paintings were not bad, however, the school applied its version of what constitutes art and skill and rejected his application. Not saying it would have changed the course of history definitively, but you have to wonder? Of course Hitler is still a sick B*stard.

As an example, give 10 engineers a problem to solve and you will get 20 different solutions. Each will work, some better than others, all based on science and immutable things like Calculus, materials science, etc.

Now take a photograph and give it to 10 random people you will get 10 different opinions. Now give same photograph to 10 photographers, another 10 opinions. Finally give it to 10 people we consider the greats, that photo will either get praised or shredded with very little in-between. This is so, because those 10 so-called greats are extremely opinionated and biased based on their own vision. The trick is to not become rigid and stiff and unable to go outside your own sandbox.