When photography becomes just a job
New skool, old skool, 'thought provoking landscapes'......non of this actually means anything and what huge contract does JC have. More New Skool Landscape Photographers probably count Joe as one of their inspirations than any other. He kept the travel publishing industry going for ten years!
Join ePHOTOzine for free and remove these adverts.
One of the reasons JC's work looks kind of samish on EPZ, is many of his locations have been done to death (yes including me Ade 
) Whitby Pier, Saltwick, Elgol, Roseberry Toping, Staithes,the Newcastle Quayside are all locations that JC has captured so well. But we see super images from all these on an almost daily basis.
His book first Light is probably the best landscape book I've seen from one photographer. Whilst he now uses a phase one digital back, he made his name with film (hence the old school tag I think Jools).
I must admit, I stayed in a hotel somewhere in the NE (can't remember where) and it had a print on the room wall of the Wilton Chemical works at night by JC, honestly, I wasn't that impressed, the exposure was far from perfect (too many very deep shadows with no detail).
The point on "Passion" I kind of agree with, for an image to appeal to me (and I stress me), it should have mood, mystery intrique, or some other feeling, to help the connection, and for me to want to look at time and time again. That is I believe, is achieved by composition, weather, processing, timing, using a longer shutter speed than the norm (to introduce movement), a wider aperture to give limited DOF, obviously not all these in one photo. But I cant say that I've ever thought JC's work ever lacked "passion" - at least for me.
EDIT: Didn't realise my typing was that slow yes Keith forgot about all those quite bland photos in the NT book year on year
) Whitby Pier, Saltwick, Elgol, Roseberry Toping, Staithes,the Newcastle Quayside are all locations that JC has captured so well. But we see super images from all these on an almost daily basis.His book first Light is probably the best landscape book I've seen from one photographer. Whilst he now uses a phase one digital back, he made his name with film (hence the old school tag I think Jools).
I must admit, I stayed in a hotel somewhere in the NE (can't remember where) and it had a print on the room wall of the Wilton Chemical works at night by JC, honestly, I wasn't that impressed, the exposure was far from perfect (too many very deep shadows with no detail).
The point on "Passion" I kind of agree with, for an image to appeal to me (and I stress me), it should have mood, mystery intrique, or some other feeling, to help the connection, and for me to want to look at time and time again. That is I believe, is achieved by composition, weather, processing, timing, using a longer shutter speed than the norm (to introduce movement), a wider aperture to give limited DOF, obviously not all these in one photo. But I cant say that I've ever thought JC's work ever lacked "passion" - at least for me.
EDIT: Didn't realise my typing was that slow
yes Keith forgot about all those quite bland photos in the NT book year on year 
hats off - he's made a fortune from photography, regardless of what any of us think of his "passion" or "skool"
landscape is more wow than thought provoking?
you need a scarred child looking plaintively at her ailing mother for it to be thought provoking.... or something like that... kinda thing?
best get sobered up for this opening thingy at 1.... eeek...
8 shots of stuff
landscape is more wow than thought provoking?
you need a scarred child looking plaintively at her ailing mother for it to be thought provoking.... or something like that... kinda thing?
best get sobered up for this opening thingy at 1.... eeek...
8 shots of stuff
Quote:he's made a fortune from photography
Has he? Funny how you can make that assertion when you haven't even met the guy…
He may be well-known amongst photographers but if you asked people in the street at random I would be surprised if many had even heard of him.
Quote:landscape is more wow than thought provoking?
There's plenty of genuinely thought-provoking landscape photography 'out there', if you look for it. Not so much here, though.
Quote:Has he? Funny how you can make that assertion when you haven't even met the guy…
He may be well-known amongst photographers but if you asked people in the street at random I would be surprised if many had even heard of him.
Could say the same about Hans Rausing... and he's worth billions...
"knowing" someone doesn't imply you know what they are worth, conversely "not knowing" someone doesn't imply you don't know what they are worth
I don't know Richard Branson but know he's worth a lot of money
Quote:There's plenty of genuinely thought-provoking landscape photography 'out there', if you look for it. Not so much here, though.
can you post links 10 examples to - be interested to see what a "thought provoking" landscape looks like
I'd suggest that a photograph, just like a piece of music, has to affect the viewer in some way to be "successful" and there are many different ways in which the viewer can react. "That's beautiful" is just as valid as "we must do something about this". Some powerful photographs are to do a job rather than just look pretty.
Think of the music for the shower scene in "Psycho". On its own, it's just hardly beautiful, but the shower scene would be a lot weaker without it.
Think of the music for the shower scene in "Psycho". On its own, it's just hardly beautiful, but the shower scene would be a lot weaker without it.
I'm looking forward to Jools' links - ready for a bit of education - never stop learning
Quote:can you post links 10 examples to - be interested to see what a "thought provoking" landscape looks like
Hah, thought I'd be pulled up on that. OK, then (some 'names', some not and a couple of amateurs):
1. Edward Burtynsky
2. Thomas Struth
3. Robert Adams
4. Nadav Kander
5. David Ward
6. Harry Cory Wright
7. Hans Strand
8. Jan Töve
9. Mike Stacey
10. Al Brydon
(Any bias towards film-based work is unintentional. It's the image that counts.)
Is Jools really David Ward in disguise?
Genuinely interesting collection - some I get, others, like the Stonehenge shot, I'm a bit puzzled by.
I love Yosemite and El Capitan - easily sold on that one
Right - best go open my own exhibition in Leeds..... landscapes, oh the irony
Genuinely interesting collection - some I get, others, like the Stonehenge shot, I'm a bit puzzled by.
I love Yosemite and El Capitan - easily sold on that one
Right - best go open my own exhibition in Leeds..... landscapes, oh the irony
I felt the same when viewing that list and have to say a lot of it was just plain rubbish , taking a photo of something uninteresting and turning it black and white expecting it to be any different just beats me lol, thats not art its a lack of imagination.
Heres a link to the sort of photos i find inspirational ( you may have to be a google+ er to see it tho )
https://plus.google.com/u/0/communities/109933143164651576714
Heres a link to the sort of photos i find inspirational ( you may have to be a google+ er to see it tho )
https://plus.google.com/u/0/communities/109933143164651576714
Quote:I felt the same when viewing that list and have to say a lot of it was just plain rubbish , taking a photo of something uninteresting and turning it black and white expecting it to be any different just beats me lol, thats not art its a lack of imagination.
There were examples of 'thought provoking' work so you don't necessarily have to like the images. The Robert Adams shot you were referring to (quite a famous image and shot on b+w before the days of 'turning it black and white', btw) shows the encroachment of Man into what was once wilderness. Admittedly, you might have to look at some of the photographs for longer than it takes to say "that's rubbish!" and instead think why someone thought the subject to be worthy of a photograph in the first place.
Quote:Heres a link to the sort of photos i find inspirational ( you may have to be a google+ er to see it tho )
https://plus.google.com/u/0/communities/109933143164651576714
Quite a mixed bag, there. Some are ugly and over-processed, a small number are interesting but most are simply pretty pictures. Instantly appealing but little meat to sustain further viewing. A bit like a Big Mac, really.
