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Thread: Retro Journalism

  1. #1
    Abuser of God's Sunlight
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    Retro Journalism


  2. #2
    アナログ侘・寂
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    Re: Retro Journalism

    Funny - the person posting the comment on that page didn't realize that the poster is not the author of the photo...

    Anyway, looks like it's becoming a trend - "retro" seems to be "in" again.

    Living in Europe (and a relatively remote part, at that), I first came across something "retro" in a major publication in NatGeo some time ago - with Robb Kendrick's tintypes from Elko, Nevada. I was immediately hooked!

    Then came David Burnett with his fabulous Holga and Speed Graphic "political" portraits using Aero Ektar, being published in Time, I think. Lately I've been seeing comments on various analog/LF forums about spotting LF gear being used to document public events (some Congress hearing and whatnot).

    And then there's a set of Burnett's photos in recent Katrina article, again in NatGeo....

    Like I said, looks like a slowly growing trend.
    Can't say I don't like it
    First, it brings more "exposure" of LF and similar "antiquated" photography to "general public", and, IMHO, helps to educate the Joe Average that photography can mean something else besides pixels and Photoshop.
    Mind you, I have nothing against digital photography - it's just not my cup of tea...

    In short, yes, I think I see a pattern here. I hope the trend holds out

    Regards,

    Denis

  3. #3

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    Re: Retro Journalism

    If there ever was a situation that called for strictly documentary photo journalism, this was it.

    Maybe it's just me, but such an artsy technique seems to be a pretty poor choice for disasters like that. Kind of banal.

  4. #4
    Abuser of God's Sunlight
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    Re: Retro Journalism

    Well, the guy's a daguerrotypist ... it's what he does. Considering how time consuming the process is, it wouldn't surprise me if he'd already been up on the roof photographing when the whole thing went down.

    At any rate, a friend of mine who makes daguerrotypes showed me the picture. This guy is his hero, partly for technical reasons. Aparently getting the kind of film speed needed for a picture like that borders on magic.

    How does it strike you as banal? A banal image of a terrorist attack would actually be quite a feat.

  5. #5

    Re: Retro Journalism

    I think a technically historical approach could be a good choice for a subject of historical importance. The dangers would be the technique distracting from the importance of the events, or the technique causing a beautiful image result for a terrible event. The historical connection might work, but I think some care would be needed in selectively applying such an approach.

    Ciao!

    Gordon Moat
    A G Studio

  6. #6

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    Re: Retro Journalism

    Quote Originally Posted by paulr
    Well, the guy's a daguerrotypist ... it's what he does. Considering how time consuming the process is, it wouldn't surprise me if he'd already been up on the roof photographing when the whole thing went down.

    At any rate, a friend of mine who makes daguerrotypes showed me the picture. This guy is his hero, partly for technical reasons. Aparently getting the kind of film speed needed for a picture like that borders on magic.

    How does it strike you as banal? A banal image of a terrorist attack would actually be quite a feat.
    Like I said, it's probably just me, but an event on such scale does not really need any kind of embelishment nor amplifications. The photograph itself is unquestioningly exceptional on a technical level, and I do understand your reasoning. But somehow the choice of such an artistic technique still feels at least... well, awkward, to use a different term.

    I really think that the loss of human life, especially on a scale like this or in such gruesome ways like that South Vietnamese officer executing the VC prisoner on the street represent events that are shocking enough as they are and should be simply documented without any attempts at emphasis.

    {edit}

    I just saw Gordon's reply:

    "Beautiful images of terrible events."

    This is the exact verbalization I needed for my impression of banality.

    {end edit}
    Last edited by Marko; 19-Sep-2006 at 13:16.

  7. #7

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    Re: Retro Journalism

    Quote Originally Posted by Marko
    If there ever was a situation that called for strictly documentary photo journalism, this was it....
    I can't think of anything more strictly documentary than a dagguerotype. Artsy? Banal? not to me. Anyway, As I understand the photographers story, he had just prepared some plates in his studio for the days work when the attack happened, and he just reacted and went to the roof and made the image, I think many of us were grasping with what to do on that day. If you are going to worry that your image might be too beautiful for some ulgy event, you better just leave the camera home, no matter what the process. Photography just does that without you even tryin'. In my opinion, anyhow.

  8. #8
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    Re: Retro Journalism

    Quote Originally Posted by paulr
    Well, the guy's a daguerrotypist ... it's what he does.
    Well said.

    I hope I'll have a chance to see this daguerreotype "in the flesh" someday.
    Last edited by Oren Grad; 19-Sep-2006 at 13:29.

  9. #9

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    Re: Retro Journalism

    Quote Originally Posted by Erik Gould
    I can't think of anything more strictly documentary than a dagguerotype. Artsy? Banal? not to me. Anyway, As I understand the photographers story, he had just prepared some plates in his studio for the days work when the attack happened, and he just reacted and went to the roof and made the image, I think many of us were grasping with what to do on that day. If you are going to worry that your image might be too beautiful for some ulgy event, you better just leave the camera home, no matter what the process. Photography just does that without you even tryin'. In my opinion, anyhow.
    As much as I'd like to be even close to the level of proficiency where I'd have to worry about my images being too beautiful, and as far as I really am from there, I think it would never occur to me to try anything else than just snap away. Again, it is amazing how he did it, and you all make a good point. And it's most likely just my background, but I still can't shake the feeling I got looking at the image, that's all.

  10. #10

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    Re: Retro Journalism

    I get where you are coming from Marko. If this image was done in something like gum over platinum I would probably agree with you (although it could be done, and someone may just come up with such an image!) I think it has to do with what we think of as straight journalism, you may be looking for the 35mm b&w style that we all know from the 50's-70's. Me, I've looked at enough historical d-types to think of it as the ultimate recorder of facts, grainless, almost endless detail, cool, detached, perfect. Sure, it is an art process today, but this image is not really being bent to such ends. I would love to see this plate in person.

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