The Online Photographer

Hard to Say 'Gee Whiz' Any More

Is photography dead? That's the question an article in the new issue of NEWSWEEK purports to ponder. A taste:

"...wandering the galleries of these two shows, you can't help but wonder if the entire medium hasn't fractured itself beyond all recognition. Sculpture did the same thing a while back, so that now 'sculpture' can indicate a hole in the ground as readily as a bronze statue. Digitalization has made much of art photography's vast variety possible. But it's also a major reason that, 25 years after the technology exploded what photography could do and be, the medium seems to have lost its soul. Film photography's artistic cachet was always that no matter how much darkroom fiddling someone added to a photograph, the picture was, at its core, a record of something real that occurred in front of the camera."

(Sound like anyone you know...?)

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Mike (Thanks to Ken T.)

Chamonix 4x5

Jack Flesher has provided an excellent visual introduction to the Chamonix 4x5 from China at getdpi.com.

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Mike  (Thanks to Dirk)

ADDENDUM:Re view cameras in general, here's a more traditional model, a Deardorff 4x5, that sold quickly on eBay recently for the rather low price of $2,049 (the Chamonix above, which is indeed based on Dick Phillips' excellent ideas, costs something like $700). The baby Deardorff was most probably made in the 1940s but probably wasn't sold as an historical artifact or a curiosity; it's still a perfectly usable camera today, even purely as a working tool, not as an enthusiast's conceit. (Incidentally, I wasn't able to get permission to use this picture, so if it's yours and you'd like it taken down, please just let me know. Apparently eBay thinks I might be some kind of scoundrel for attempting to contact a seller once an auction is over. I'm not sure what mischief I could have in mind to make them think so, but there it is.)

Does Keats's line "A thing of beauty is a joy for ever" spring to mind for you, too?

A thing of beauty is a joy for ever:
Its loveliness increases; it will never
Pass into nothingness; but still will keep
A bower quiet for us, and a sleep
Full of sweet dreams, and health, and quiet breathing.

From Endymion.

Featured Comment by John MacKechnie: "Using a large format camera slows things down...and that can be a very good thing. It's like deep breathing. It's contemplative. It's about process, not pixels. Just being out with a large format makes you feel good, even if you expose only a few sheets of film. And large format cameras are pretty. A large format camera, tripod and kit is, well, it's large and heavy. You can go aerobic just carrying the thing from your car. In Philadelphia, Tsyoshi Ito of Project Basho carries a 7x17 camera around on public transportation to get to his shooting locations. He's like an urban frontiersman facing down the elements to discover something new and special. I recently bought a Zone VI 4x5 on Ebay. I haven't been this excited about making photographs since I bought a Canon TL in 1969."

Alfred Stieglitz: Photographs and Writings

Reviewed by Geoffrey Wittig

Bulfinch Press, 1999. (OOP*)

I love photography books; as my wife points out, I already own too many of them. Some are just collections of pretty images I admire, while others are books of technique that have taught me something.  A small handful are beautiful art objects in their own right. This is one of them.

There are many books out there about Stieglitz, running the gamut from brief summaries to dissertations to reproductions of his seminal Camera Work. Some are inexpensive paperbacks with photographic reproduction quality varying from dismal to marginally adequate. Even the pricier hardcovers often have mediocre reproductions. Part of the problem is simply the range of Stieglitz's work. All of it is nominally "black and white," but he used a wide variety of printing methods, from platinum and palladium to photogravure, and finally to gelatin silver prints. Each printing method has its own characteristic image structure, with different tonal range, D-max, and color. High quality offset book printing nowadays can do a remarkably good job of reproducing many of the subtleties of these different prints—provided the publisher and book designer have the motivation, the skill and the resources to do so. Most just don't bother; it's more profitable to crank out another $29.95 softcover with "adequate" reproductions.

This is a long-winded introduction for a book that I think represents a pinnacle of the printing arts. Alfred Stieglitz: Photographs and Writings is actually a reprint of the superb catalog of the Stieglitz photography exhibit at the National Gallery of Art in Washington. The original was published by Nicholas Callaway of Callaway Editions in 1983 as a limited edition. It was no ordinary book; the designer was Eleanor Morris Caponigro, then wife of photographer Paul Caponigro. The text was printed letterpress on art paper, and the photographic reproductions were of the highest quality. It included an informative introduction by curator and Stieglitz authority Sarah Greenough. Following the plates were notes on individual images, and a selection of essays and letters by Stieglitz representative of his thoughts on art and photography.

In 1999, in association wth another Stieglitz exhibit, the book was reprinted. And here's the cool part: this is no reduced-scale offset facsimile. It is printed letterpress as a page-for-page exact reproduction, from newly set metal type, on heavyweight art paper. The photographic plates likewise are highest quality tri-tones with ink carefully matched to the tones of the original prints. The actual printing was done at Stamperia Valdonega, in Verona Italy—the printing house established by Giovanni Mardersteig, one of the truly great book printers of the 20th century. It's a large tome at 28.4 x 36.4 cm (11.2 x 14.3 inches). Such a monumental work would normally cost...well, a lot. Letterpress printing is an incredibly labor-intensive process. In a remarkable act of corporate generosity, Eastman Kodak underwrote the cost of the printing. The resulting book sold at a list price of $75, absurdly low given the care and expense devoted to its production. Here's the thing...you can still buy a new, shrink-wrapped copy of this book. As I write these words, there is a stack of them in the Eastman House bookstore discounted for $49.95! My advice: buy a copy now while you can.

This is one of the finest books I have ever seen, and I have been collecting books for 20 years. The 73 photographic plates show Stieglitz's work sequentially, moving from early pictorialist work through his better known images of New York City, portraits of Georgia O'Keefe and other contemporary artists, through his 'equivalents' and later works. Included are many of his "greatest hits," such as The Steerage (left). Having seen the exhibit, I can attest that the plates carefully reproduce the character of the original prints.

The quality of the text printing is simply stunning. Permit me a digression on this point. Essentially all modern book printing is web/offset; the text is imaged onto printing plates which pick up and deposit ink onto the surface of the page. Text looks "painted on" because, well, it is. It's fast, it's sharp, and it's cheap. Traditional letterpress printing, from Gutenberg circa 1455 until the 1960s, is very different. "Type" was made of actual metal letters in reverse, composed by the page, then inked, and pressed into the paper. The resulting text is sculpturally engraved into the page; you can run your finger down a line of text and feel the impressions. You can see the relief of the letters in glancing light. A well printed letterpress page seems almost to shine out from the paper; it has a three dimensional quality utterly lacking from offset printing. Alfred Stieglitz: Photographs and Writings is set in Monotype Bembo (one of the best "classic revival" metal typefaces) and expertly printed letterpress by one of the worlds' finest printing houses. I can say without fear of contradiction that you will never find another book of this artistic quality for such a fire-sale price. To give you some perspective, new volumes printed letterpress for the collector market typically start at $700 and escalate from there.

The contents of the book are up to the quality of the printing. Greenough's introductory essay nicely explains Stieglitz's importance to the evolution of photography as art in America. The selection of essays and letters following the plates is also judicious. Stieglitz was erudite and determined; he could also be smug and condescending. The writings reproduced here nicely demonstrate both sides of his personality.

If you own only one book on Stieglitz, this is the one to have**. Scholars and devotees may prefer the monumental Key Set, a two volume $150 boxed set reproducing all of the prints in the possession of Georgia O'Keefe after Stieglitz's death. The Key Set has over 1600 images in chronological order with extensive notes on the printing processes used, and is a priceless resource for those who want to look deeper. It includes many alternative prints made from the same negative, hence providing a look at how Stieglitz worked to interpret an image. It also has extensive commentary by Greenough, and its photographic reproduction quality is quite high. As an example of the book arts, however, it's not quite in the same league as Photographs and Writings.

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Geoff Wittig is a small town family physician with a passionate photography obsession. He spends most of his free days hiking and photographing—mostly rural landscapes—and sells enough prints to pay for ink and paper.

*This title has only recently gone out of print; you may still be able to find copies at bookstores, by mail order, or even at remainder tables. I have not been able to find a source online. It's worth a search: I have the 1983 first edition, which now sells for between $350 and $600 depending on condition; the value of this reissue, too, will only go up as time passes. —MJ

**I definitely second this judgment. —MJ

Featured Comment by Ken Tanaka: "Thank you for this write-up, Geoffrey. Alfred Stieglitz is probably the most studied, debated, publicized, and generally ruminated photographer in history. Of course the impact of his own photography almost pales when it's compared to the impact he made on contemporary art in general and modern photography in particular through his exhibition initiatives. While I am not a goggles-on fan I never seem to tire of looking at his work or reading about him. While we're on the subect of ol' Al, I recently bought a DVD of the American Masters series on him. It's really quite good. The photography looks terrific, Georgia O'Keefe interviews are featured throughout the piece, and the narrative is engaging."

Featured Comment by Milo47: "Just ordered one from the Eastman House book store. They still have that stack in stock. Call (585) 271-3361, dial 0 for the operator, and ask for the "museum shop." If you get voice-mail, leave a message; they'll call back. $57.95 with shipping to Georgia."

Lens Poll

Opinion Polls & Market Research

Featured Comment by Stephen Gillette: "This poll is relevant to the earlier post regarding the Sigma DP1, eh wot? As of this writing, about 72% prefer a fixed lens longer than 28mm. Uh-oh."

T.O.P. is Two

Hey, I almost forgot our birthday! The Online Photographer launched two years ago last Wednesday. There were 1348 posts on the old site, and there have been 291 posts so far here on the new one. We average about 15,000 page loads every day from all over the world, with a one-day record just shy of 30,000. During our best month we received just over 400,000 page views, almost all of them on the main blog page. All this makes us a "big little site" (with apologies to the Oglala Lakota warrior Little Big Man, a.k.a. Chief Gall. That's him in the picture, in 1877): we're puny compared to the big-dog photo sites, but gratifyingly large for a blog.

A couple of weeks ago we got into some heavy discussions (in the comments to "Rather Be a Dental Floss Tycoon" and "Say It Ain't So, Soth") about how blogs make money. So, okay, here's the thing: Everybody who wants to read any part or particle of this website is always welcome, and nobody has to pay a cent for the privilege ever.

I mean that—I'm not just trying to lay a guilt trip on ya. (Well, not too much.)

That does not, however, mean that I'm going to stop trying to make the site pay. It is nice for me when you:

1. Check out the advertisers' links. ("They pay us so you don't have to.")
2. Buy something through an affiliate link.
3. Make a donation.

...In that top-down order of desirability. But every one of those things is voluntary and optional, period. Always has been, always will be, for as long as T.O.P. survives.

Helpers
That said, I've gotten a tremendous amount of support from a lot of different quarters—too much to mention everyone by name. Here are just a few of the groups who have helped:

• Many of the original subscribers to my print newsletter, The 37th Frame, some of whom didn't get their entire subscriptions' worth of paper issues. The original plan with that was for the online version of the newsletter (T.O.P., of course) to be free for a few months, to build traffic, and then become a paysite, at which point the 37th Frame subscribers would have been given free passes. That never came about, which means that some subscribers in a sense made "forced donations" to the free site. That's not good, I recognize, but I've never known exactly what to do about it (given that I don't have the ready capital to make wholesale refunds—the paper newsletter lost money, which is why it didn't survive). It's not like they've been deprived of content, but still, others got the same content for free. I still think I owe the original subscribers some added value, but I haven't come up with what to give them or a good way to deliver it.

• People who comment. Hey, it would be duller around here without you, and I learn from you. Thanks.

• People who send tips (I mean regarding suggestions for content). Lots of these are redundant, but please don't stop, please. I do find a lot of stuff on my own, but some great stuff comes in over the transom from readers.

• People who send tips (here I mean donations of cash). What can I say about this kind of kindness? It's very kind. More than 30 people have made donations, all told. Top place goes to Ken Tanaka of Chicago, who got 2008 off to a great start by donating a dollar a day for the whole year, in one chunk. But several people have donated $100, one person $200, and I appreciate every $2 and $5 and $10 and $20 gift, too—after all, in accordance with the "Little Drummer Boy" principle, you never know what amount means what to whom. I'd also like to single out Howard I. Miyamoto of Hawaii, who sent a donation of cash—I mean as in cash cash—through the mail! I've been meaning to write back to thank you, Howard, but I never seem to get around to it. Consider yourself thanked, warmly, if you see this.

• Friends who've been helping to guide the site from the beginning, like Oren and Carl. True fotographisch mensches.

• People who write for the site. Carl, Eamon, my longtime colleague Ctein, David E., and many, many more.

• You, the reader! I'd probably still be doing this if there weren't so many of you, but I'd be a lot grumpier. And that would be an ugly sight to behold. Whether you are a "friend of the site" who comes by often, sends tips, and comments frequently, or a silent lurker who comes around but once or twice a month, thank you.

• Our advertisers. Spare a thought for 'em, eh? Most of our advertisers are not huge corporations—they're people not unlike you who love photography and are trying to participate in it and contribute to it. I offer discounts on advertising for "small shops," and most of our actual advertisers fall into that category. Our biggest supporter at the moment is Michael Tapes, whose "RAW Without FUD" (fear, uncertainty, and doubt) video effectively replaces technical books about RAW. His productions are of very high quality; do check them out if you haven't already. I'll have more to say about it in weeks to come. But without a doubt, historically this site's biggest supporter is Fabio Riccardi. Fabio is the visionary and entrepreneur behind LightZone, perhaps the most innovative and un-Photoshop-like image editing program out there. LightZone offers non-destructive, source-transparent handling of image files with a uniquely intuitive interface based on the traditional Zone System. It's not a stretch to say that without Fabio, this website would not exist. He was an absolutely invaluable supporter when we needed it most, and still ranks as the top T.O.P. booster. So if you like T.O.P. and you ever run across Fabio in your peregrinations, say thanks to him! Thanks to all our advertisers, too, past, present, and future. (Nikon very nearly became our first big-time camera company advertiser this month, but they passed on us, I think because they didn't like my "static images only" rule. Too bad, but I don't like blinking ads.)

Happy Birthday to Us
Meanwhile, if you want to send us a birthday card, all you have to do is buy yourself a present. (yeah, this is just an Amazon link. Boring, but it does help us out). I've been meaning for weeks to get some Amazon links permanently up on the home page, and I will, too, just as soon as I get over the current bout of procrastination I've been suffering from. I'll get an associates link to LightZone going sometime soon, too, for people who want a handy link to that.

So what say we take a go at Year Three? Seems like there's still some gas left in the tank, so we might as well.

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Mike