[LargeFormat] Photography as art? And philosophy?

[rstein]

Dear Andrew,

     Middle aged dentist here again. Dust is bad this morning....kangaroos
got the cat....camel for lunch...mmmmmm, camel.....

    Back to art. You will take good pictures if you love the subject. You
will take good pictures if you hate the subject. You will take bad pictures
if you don't care about the subject.

    You will take bad pictures if you are contemptuous of the subject - I
remember reading a passage from John Cato's book I CAN TAKE IT - an
Australian photographer's autobiography - where he describes doing figure
and nude work in Great Britain in the 40's or 50's. He is very dismissive of
the sitters and their husbands - it was work done for private pride - and
his attitude is not based upon any moral grounds. It is mere complaint that
the ladies are not great beauties. One wonders if snobbery is available as
an adjustment on the side of a whole-plate view camera.

    You will take good pictures if you occasionally let the subject take the
picture. Just follow on and press the button and never mind the waste of a
frame. There is always more film and the idea that drove the sitter to cup
his chin or turn away from the hair light will drive him again to hit just
the perfect position to reveal the inner beauty/ strenght.

     Be aware that you will sometimes get to see the inner workings of the
person - and I don't mean just a glimpse through the underwear. Sometimes
people open up their souls to a Schneider lens when they wouldn't let out a
peep in conversation. Sometimes they clam up visually and nothing will
penetrate the shell. Sometimes you glimpse down deep in their soul and there
is nothing there....

    Andrew, do you have a camera? Do you take pictures? What pictures do you
take? Our turn to ask questions - you sound like an interesting person and
we want to know. You never can tell - we might show up there at Provo and
take you out to tea. Or stay for a month.

     Uncle Dick