The Father-Son Print Sale

We all have our special touchstones. For me, one of the most influential photographers of my life has been Paul Caponigro, one of the leading landscapists of the 1970s and in my view one of the towering artists in the medium. His presence on the current scene has quietly receded—by all accounts he is a quiet and spiritually-oriented person—but not for me. I revere his books, especially The Wise Silence, and have pored over them—you might even say meditated over them—too many times to count. I have never met Paul or spoken with him, but he was certainly one of my teachers, through the prism of his work, which is as deep as the sky.

A bit of a digression, if you can abide it...I recently remodeled my small bedroom. All my life I've had problems sleeping, problems that have gotten worse in recent years. Following a sleep specialist's recommendations, I've endeavored to make my bedroom a peaceful, comfortable, quiet retreat, with no electronics, as few distractions as possible, and minimalist decor. In contrast with the rest of the house, there's only one piece of visual art in the room. Although "only" a poster, it's one of my favorite pieces of art, one that has followed me through thick and thin, and many moves, for more than thirty years. I love it today as much as I did the moment I first brought it home. There's a good story behind that old poster, and I'll tell it soon.

Paul is very fortunate in that his son John Paul is also a major photographer. It's amazing how much John Paul Caponigro is his father's son artistically, even though his work is essentially not derivative of his father's at all. John Paul needs as little introduction to digital photographers as father does to view camera traditionalists; virtually since digital became viable, John Paul has been at the forefront—among American photographers—of those continually exploring the newest artistic and creative possibilities of digital technology. He has lectured, consulted, and taught workshops about digital techniques, written books about Photoshop, and counted as clients many of the big-name companies. And yet he has never allowed his extensive activities in the field to interrupt his life as a practicing artist, or his ongoing growth as a creative person. 

Nice guy, too!

Old and new methods
For the initial print offer of our Fall season, Paul and John Paul have created, between them, a unique single artwork combining one picture by each. From a phototechnical perspective, it is truly a contrast of old and new. It exemplifies and encapsulates in one work of art the "digital transition," the period in the history of photography we have just passed through.

Paul's picture, in black-and-white, was taken in 1957 with a 4x5 Deardorff view camera and an 8-inch lens. John Paul's color picture was taken last year with an iPhone 5 and processed with Google's Snapseed app.

As if that's not enough difference, the two images could not be more different in terms of subject matter as well. And yet the technical dimension and the subject matter are really just the surface. The visual interplay of the two pictures (which you'll see next Sunday—we don't reveal the images in our print offers before the start of the sale) is wonderful; you can clearly see the unanimity that exists between the artistic concerns and approaches of father and son, and the way the work of each of them echoes, informs, and (in this case) enhances the other's. Paul chose the pairing. It's really quite an amazing piece, from a purely visual as well as from a photohistorical perspective.

Both pictures will be printed by John Paul on one sheet and will be signed by both photographers, father and son. A unique and unusual original work, and one I am proud and happy to be able to bring to you.

Please stay tuned for more information. The sale starts on Sunday at noon, and orders close on the afternoon of the following Friday. As you might know, we take orders for our sale prints for only a limited time, and then the prints are made to fulfill the orders already placed. The work is limited to those prints sold during that time.

Please spread the word, would you? And please check in on Sunday to see the work.

Mike

Original contents copyright 2013 by Michael C. Johnston and/or the bylined author. All Rights Reserved. Links in this post may be to our affiliates; sales through affiliate links may benefit this site.

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(To see all the comments, click on the "Comments" link below.)
Featured Comments from:

Marcelo Guarini: "I met Paul Caponigro, in 1986 I guess, when I was commencing my Ph.D. At U of A. The occation was an exhibit opening of his recent work, at the Center for Creative Photography in Tucson. Quite different technically from his view camera work, although the subject was again landscape, walls etc. The prints were large Cibachromes made from 35mm Kodachromes he made with a Leica M, and they were beautiful. I got the opportunity to talk to him for a few minutes where he told me about how his family arrived to the U.S. from Italy, and about how much he was enjoying that little camera (the Leica), we even talked some Italian, his much better than mine. From those few minutes, I realized I have met more than a top photographer, but a superb human being."

Bruce Van Valen: "I was very fortunate to have been in Maine in 2011 and to have been able to spend time at Paul Caponigro's show at the Farnsworth Museum in July of that year. That show was incredibly impressive to me as a photographer. I had been aware of his work before but this collection of his work blew me away! I also have a great deal of respect for John Paul's work, and would like to do one of his workshops one day. But I have to say that the notion of one of these photographs coming from an iPhone puts me off. Obviously, I haven't seen the photograph yet, but as a previous purchaser of TOP print sale prints, I can't see iPhone photography as being the pinnacle of the state of photography at this time."

Mike replies: Consider that in the early decades of 35mm, there were many who called them "toy" cameras or "miniature format," and wouldn't take work made with them seriously...there's actually nothing deficient about John Paul's image technically (I might even enjoy the contrast between the two a little more if there were), but I'd say the artfulness is in the artist, not in the device. Of course you must judge for yourself, so you're right to reserve judgment.

Steve Makin: "Hello Mike. Long time reader here. Just wanted to share my Caponigro story. The Wise Silence has long been my favourite, a shared passion with my good friend John. Imagine our surprise when out photographing trees at a local wood and we came upon the very same tree that Paul photographed and included in The Wise Silence (titled 'Cheshire UK' if I recall correctly). John and I had spent a whole winter photographing every Sunday morning at this place (Alderley Edge, Cheshire) with a view to putting together a joint exhibition. It was to be our last visit for this purpose and we both instantly recognised the tree! A magical moment. Obviously we have both attempted to capture something of the tree ever since but never managed to do so."

Mike replies: Man, I know what you mean. I tried once to mimic a Lee Friedlander photograph, which I initially thought would be a piece of cake. I spent a week perching my camera on the hood of various cars and posing behind the wheel, and I never even got close. Not even close.

Marilyn Nance: "I was on a photographic workshop to the Antarctic Circle led by John Paul and Seth Resnick this past February. JP is a wonderful, kind person in addition to being a great photographer and instructor. Hope to be able to attend one of his printing workshops."

Comments

[William Barnett-Lewis]

I well and truly hate being broke. No snark or anything else, the print sounds a delight and I have no doubt that it will pain me even more than Paula & Michael's prints or even Ctein's did to walk away from. At least I have a shooting job (non-paying for my church) tomorrow.

[Jayson Merryfield]

I can't wait to see, Mike. This might be the jumping-of point for me to start getting in on these print sales. :)

[Ahem]

This is potentially a really exciting sale. JP Caponigro has been by far the most influential online instructor and (contemporary) author of photography guides I've seen.

He has truly exceptional videos on color theory and how to apply it. This should be no surprise given his colorful photography, but he can also do training.

[Walter Glover]

What a great idea. I venerate Paul Caponigro and have always consider him a contemporary conduit to the meditative imaging approach of his friend Minor White. I have a number of his monographs and one is signed which makes it much revered.

Come to think of it, how come Minor White is so overlooked these days?

Walter

[Mike R]

I think I need to stop reading your blog, Mike. I now have prints and books I never would have bought otherwise. It's getting expensive.

Methinks this is a "first world problem."

[Chris Klug]

This sounds just wonderful, thanks for setting this up.

[JTW]

Paul Caponigro has always been one of my favourite photographers. Particularly his 'Trees, Redding, CT.' It will be interesting to see what you've come up with.

[Jim Simmons]

Appreciation of Paul Caponigro's vision is just in a lull, that's all. He is one of the subtle greats, and opinions on his work will rise over time. There's no way I can ever get the image of his running white deer out of my head. Once you've seen it...

[Del]

Kind of lost me at iPhone, but I pride myself on being open minded. I'll be anxious to see what Sunday brings, along with your first review of the iPhone as camera.

[Dennis]

This is intriguing ! I'm more familiar with the son's work. I so wish, though, that he didn't use his middle name ... makes it hard to find out about his father on google !

[Dave Levingston]

The story of the tree reminded me of another famous tree that figures in a good friend's life. Bruce Humphrey, a fine photographer and the man who hired me as a newspaper photographer when I was only 16 years old (in later years I always pointed out that he was the one who "ruined" my life), lived in a house in Newark, Ohio, that had in the back yard the clump of apple trees that was the scene of one of Clarence White, Sr's. more well known photos. When Bruce lived there the trees were very old and at the point that they had to be cut down. I always thought it was fitting that that inevitable chore fell to a photographer who understood what he was removing from the landscape.

[Gary]

If anyone is motivated to come to the UK and photograph Stonehenge be aware that the crowds are monstrous and these days you can't actually get very close to the stones themselves.

However, all is not lost. There are other amazing standing stones all across the British Isles, where you'll likely be the only person there and you're very welcome to get as up close and personal as you wish. Many, in my view, are more visually arresting than Stonehenge itself. In fact there are neolithic landscapes just a biscuit toss from Stonehenge which are often deserted. This is one of those subjects where it really pays to take the road less travelled.

[Mark Sampson]

In about 2001, I was working for Kodak, and most of my annual training time that year was spent in a three-day 'voice of the customer' seminar with both Paul and john Paul. Inspiring, to say the least. EK printed up a poster with an image by each of them, and a signed copy still hangs, framed, over my desk. So it will be very interesting to see the TOP print offer...

[Dennis]

I commented in reply to a post a while ago that Jay Maisel represents everything I'd like to be as a photographer. John Paul is sort of everything I have no hope of being ! I've watched him speak on TED. I just don't have anything like that kind of creativity; the ability to preconceive a photo; to keep concepts in mind and look for pieces of it over time and put it all together digitally. Some of his iPhone work can be seen here:
http://www.johnpaulcaponigro.com/jpcGallery/browse.php?kw[]=iphone&notkw[]=&num=9&&page=4

I'm looking forward to seeing how the two photos are presented together.

[Rod S.]

That's a beautiful poster, Mike. Quiet and elegant.

The photo looks like the double square (2:1 ratio) 6 x 12 format (56 x 112 mm) that I achieve with a Horseman roll-film back on my 4x5 Cambo Wide DS. It's my favourite format. Do you know if Paul used a 6x12 back or is it a fortuitous crop from 4x5?

[Hi Rod, I'm pretty sure it was 5x7. --Mike]

[Mark Muse]

Paul Caponigro? I'm in, sight unseen! He has been an enormous influence on me. Will Paul be printing his image?

[Rod S.]

Yes, I think you're right, Mike. I found the same photo on the Photography West Gallery website, and it's a little short for 6x12. 5x7 has a ratio of 1.4. The photo on your poster is 1.68, but others on the page are 1.45. So Paul must have cropped the height of your poster picture down.

[jerry g]

What a great idea, Mike! I met Paul in 2009 during JP's week-long workshop Illuminating Creativity. Paul is very easy to talk to as is JP. I never thought creativity could be taught, but JP proved me wrong! A chance to own a piece from each artist during this offer: priceless! Thanks for the opportunity!