Digital BW, The Print

Start with the gospels: Weston's Daybook I and especially II and
Ansel's "The Negative" and "The Print" ...not his "art books" which
IMO simply stun, don't reveal. 

Here's a link that was given to me yesterday..Wessel...watch the
excellent video and listen to the man..might help make sense of Shore...

http://www.kqed.org/arts/people/spark/profile.jsp?id=17900

Few photographers write well and although Szarkowski did, I think he
over-emphasized certain angles, inspiring tiresome trends. I don't
think he understood his photographers but he did interpret their work
credibly, writing well. 

IMO both Wessel and Shore are yesterday's news (whereas Weston and
Adams remain deities) but Wessel's life work is an inspiration ...
thanks to this video I'm going to look back on old negatives with an
eye to selective reprinting. And there may be more to learn from old
B&W American and French "noir" films than from old B&W still
photographers :-)

John



--- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com, "Peter Oksen"
<oksen@...> wrote:
>
> Sorry for going slightly out of topic, but this issue may also have
general
> interest.
> 
> Having photographed for years on amateur basis, I still often find
it hard
> to decide whether a picture is really good or not. I am often
baffled about
> why a specific image is supposed to be so good when being at
exhibitions. I
> therefore am looking for references to good books that may explain
what it
> actually is that makes a good photograph (knowing that such an answer
> probably does not exist - but anyway). I have my eyes on
> 
> Szarkowski's "The photographers eye" and  Ashley la Grange "Basic
Critical
> Theory for Photographers". I already have "
>
<http://www.amazon.co.uk/Nature-Photographs-Primer-Stephen-Shore/dp/07148458
> 5X/ref=pd_sim_b_1/202-7939729-4406211?ie=UTF8&qid=1185448294&sr=1-1> The
> Nature of Photographs: A Primer" by Stephen Shore but did not really get
> much out of that one. The text was too rudimentary I think. Am also
probably
> going to get Diallo's new book on BW printing based on the
recommendations
> on this list.
> 
>  
> 
> Are these books any help, and are there other suggestions or comments?
> 
>  
> 
> regards,
> 
> Peter._,___ 
> 
> 
> 
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>