Page 9 of 12 FirstFirst ... 7891011 ... LastLast
Results 81 to 90 of 116

Thread: The Camera and Technique of Andreas Gursky (Then And Now)

  1. #81
    Moderator
    Join Date
    Jan 2001
    Posts
    8,640

    Re: The Camera and Technique of Andreas Gursky (Then And Now)

    Pretty fuzzy, but... Sinar?

  2. #82

    Join Date
    Jul 2006
    Location
    Collinsville, CT USA
    Posts
    2,330

    Re: The Camera and Technique of Andreas Gursky (Then And Now)

    Quote Originally Posted by Oren Grad View Post
    Pretty fuzzy, but... Sinar?
    Have to agree.... I've heard of 4x5 Fs converted to 5x7 to save weight. Certainly the bottom of the standards look to be those of an F. If anyone has the DVD MANUFACTURED LANDSCAPES (Can't seem to find my copy at this time), it shows him setting up I believe a 5x7 which should be easy to ID.

  3. #83
    Drew Wiley
    Join Date
    Sep 2008
    Location
    SF Bay area, CA
    Posts
    18,338

    Re: The Camera and Technique of Andreas Gursky (Then And Now)

    Looks like a Sinar F series, one of the relatively later ones. It was probably 5x7 from the get-go, and not a converted 4x5. The considerable ease and precision of shift was probably one reason he was attracted to this camera if you think about the way he often negotiated obstacles.

  4. #84

    Join Date
    Jan 2019
    Posts
    193

    Re: The Camera and Technique of Andreas Gursky (Then And Now)

    Quote Originally Posted by manfrominternet View Post
    Agreed.

    It seems like Gursky is willing to try new things, however conservative he may be. He's not as inventive as other artists and photographers; he admitted in an early interview that he was very unsure of himself as an artist to begin with. The money and inflated prices seemed to have validated that, at least to him, he is indeed an artist, even one to be taken seriously. I think he's aware of his limitations. His output is very small, but that's because he knows that creating a good photograph, one to be considered a work of art anyway, is extremely difficult.
    You should take of the Pollyanna glasses. The main reason why someone like Gursky has limited output is because if his exorbitantly priced prints didn't sell, they would lose value, as would the prints he has already done, as would the prints he has yet to do. It is very carefully calculated to never let supply exceed demand.

    Personally I think Gursky is a mixed bag. Sometimes the images are good and sometimes they are not. Just looking at his website it seems that he is repeating himself and some of the new stuff just isn't very good at all. Maybe that is his point. Gursky doesn't live in the photo world though, he lives in the art world. He manipulates his images so much I think of him more as an illustrator even though he attempts to make his images look like they really exist.

    I've seen a few of his prints in person and once I got over the initial sighting of the rare dodo bird, I was kind of meh. Huge prints though. Impressively large.

    As far as his technique, I seriously doubt that he still shoots film. Maybe that "Darkroom" image he has on his website is of the remaining film he is never going to shoot....

    I think Esser is the most interesting photographer out of the Becher bunch.

  5. #85
    Drew Wiley
    Join Date
    Sep 2008
    Location
    SF Bay area, CA
    Posts
    18,338

    Re: The Camera and Technique of Andreas Gursky (Then And Now)

    Quite a few images are just too digitally altered content-wise to interest me as a photographer per se. It's a slippery slope once people and objects start getting shifted around.

  6. #86

    Join Date
    Mar 2019
    Location
    Los Angeles
    Posts
    229

    Re: The Camera and Technique of Andreas Gursky (Then And Now)

    Quote Originally Posted by Drew Wiley View Post
    Looks like a Sinar F series, one of the relatively later ones. It was probably 5x7 from the get-go, and not a converted 4x5. The considerable ease and precision of shift was probably one reason he was attracted to this camera if you think about the way he often negotiated obstacles.
    I believe you, Greg, and Oren are right. Looks like the Sinar F2 5x7 model. Gursky was obviously fond of the 5x7 format, likely because it was a good compromise between a 4x5 (which he used often) and an 8x10. If memory serves, he rarely used an 8x10.

    But nowadays, it looks like Gursky is all in on the digital revolution and has left film behind, sadly.

  7. #87

    Join Date
    Mar 2019
    Location
    Los Angeles
    Posts
    229

    Re: The Camera and Technique of Andreas Gursky (Then And Now)

    Quote Originally Posted by PRJ View Post
    You should take of the Pollyanna glasses. The main reason why someone like Gursky has limited output is because if his exorbitantly priced prints didn't sell, they would lose value, as would the prints he has already done, as would the prints he has yet to do. It is very carefully calculated to never let supply exceed demand.

    Personally I think Gursky is a mixed bag. Sometimes the images are good and sometimes they are not. Just looking at his website it seems that he is repeating himself and some of the new stuff just isn't very good at all. Maybe that is his point. Gursky doesn't live in the photo world though, he lives in the art world. He manipulates his images so much I think of him more as an illustrator even though he attempts to make his images look like they really exist.

    I've seen a few of his prints in person and once I got over the initial sighting of the rare dodo bird, I was kind of meh. Huge prints though. Impressively large.

    As far as his technique, I seriously doubt that he still shoots film. Maybe that "Darkroom" image he has on his website is of the remaining film he is never going to shoot....

    I think Esser is the most interesting photographer out of the Becher bunch.
    Yes, of course. I'm very familiar with the economics concerning Gursky's works. He and his gallerists (Victoria Miro, Sprüth & Magers) decided to sell his works as if he's a painter/serious artist creating unique and singular works, finding that the monied collectors/investors in the fine art world will gladly fork over big money in that kind of selling arrangement. I think he generally has two artist proofs and an edition of six prints, but that likely varies, I'm sure.

    I also think Gursky is a mixed bag, but of the works that I do like, they really are exceptional. While this doesn't make an artist, he does have a signature style, and I'm not talking by virtue of the size of his prints. He has a unique vision. Yes, it's easily repeatable, and yes, many people can probably do it, but then again, no one has.

    Yeah, just from viewing the latest pictures on his website in detail, I've realized that every work of his since 2009/2010 has been shot digital, likely with his Phase One/Alpa combination. It's pretty sad because high-end digital, even with its wide dynamic range and impressive pixel count, not to mention it's impressive hardware, manages to mostly look like shit, at least to my eyes. Gursky does, however, have some later standouts like Tokyo and Utah.

    I wish Gursky, and Burtynsky for that matter, went back to film. I saw Burtynsky's digitally-composed Anthropocene pictures when they first came out and they looked horrible.

    Gursky's "Darkroom" photo (http://m.andreasgursky.com/en/works/2016/dunkelkammer) is almost certainly about the apparent impending extinction of film and his discontinuation with using it. If you look at the photo closely, you'll see that many of the expiration dates are 2006/2007. Unfortunately for him, all of his very best work was done on film.

    I also like Esser, but Jorg Sasse and Axel Hütte are also very interesting, not to mention the Bechers themselves, of course.

  8. #88

    Join Date
    Mar 2019
    Location
    Los Angeles
    Posts
    229

    Re: The Camera and Technique of Andreas Gursky (Then And Now)

    My girlfriend actually managed to answer my original question by finding this image on Instagram:

    Click image for larger version. 

Name:	IMG_E9FD74256186-1.jpg 
Views:	110 
Size:	78.6 KB 
ID:	194016

    This is a 2017/2018 photo of Gursky working on an image not yet released of an ocean liner that he discussed in a relatively recent Financial Times article.

    RIP, Gursky's Sinar F2 5x7 and Linhof Technikardan 45s/Master Technikardan 3000 4x5 cameras. :/


    Anyone know which model Phase One that is? Just asking for the hell of it.
    Last edited by manfrominternet; 4-Aug-2019 at 14:04.

  9. #89

    Join Date
    Jun 2015
    Location
    Glasgow
    Posts
    1,009

    Re: The Camera and Technique of Andreas Gursky (Then And Now)

    It's an Alpa 12 XY or something like that.

    Some really nasty teal & orange going on in that picture.

  10. #90
    Kirk Gittings's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2004
    Location
    Albuquerque, Nuevo Mexico
    Posts
    9,864

    Re: The Camera and Technique of Andreas Gursky (Then And Now)

    [QUOTE=manfrominternet;1511842]



    "I wish Gursky, and Burtynsky for that matter, went back to film."

    Having been at this for decades, I would have to say that the vast majority of work done in any medium is crap. Good work is always rare no matter how it is done.
    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"

Similar Threads

  1. Andreas/ South of Munich
    By pandreas in forum Introductions
    Replies: 5
    Last Post: 9-Jul-2015, 13:39
  2. Gursky Giant Prints Technique
    By Dvenosa in forum Style & Technique
    Replies: 12
    Last Post: 29-Jun-2007, 04:33
  3. Andreas Gursky
    By David A. Goldfarb in forum Announcements
    Replies: 27
    Last Post: 29-Jul-2002, 01:27
  4. Andreas Gursky: buying a reproduction
    By Rob Green in forum On Photography
    Replies: 5
    Last Post: 3-Dec-2001, 13:52
  5. How does Gursky do that?
    By A. Ricke in forum On Photography
    Replies: 3
    Last Post: 14-Mar-2001, 16:51

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •