I’ve always loved the classics. Doesn’t matter what kind of classic.
Classics in music. No one ever can or ever will touch The Beatles. Nothing in whatever form of music television or pop radio can. I don’t care how much it sells. And it’s not just The Beatles. There are far too many to name here, but a few such as: Johnny Cash, Frank Sinatra, Peter Frampton, The Guess Who, The Band, The Easy Beats (Google them trust me!), Sly and The Family Stone and The Who to name a very few. If it wasn’t for what they did nothing would have come after in the shape it did. They were the originators and the innovators.
Classics in comedy. George Carlin, Joan Rivers, Don Rickles, Bob Zany, Richard Prior and Steve Martin to name a few. Their stuff was funny then; it’s still funny now. Nothing else to say.
On a more personal note, I love the sound of a classic guitar. Can’t say I own many, but I do strive for those that deliver that tone that was delivered by the greats who handled those axes so long ago and some still do.
And even more personal, I love the classics in photography. Each of the names I mention here will be a link. Click on them and you’ll see their work. Or, more appropriately, feel their work.
Richard Avedon,
Irving Penn,
Yusef Karsh,
Arnold Newman,
Helmut Newton and Annie Liebowvitz. They didn’t just “snap” and picture, they created an incredible image. There was some thought behind it. They learned, what used to be, a trade. They learned how to light. They learned the quality and value that light had. And most importantly they learned how to manipulate it and control it to achieve their art.
There are many who are still creating skillfully lit images and photographs. Greg Gorman,
Robert Farber,
Jerry Avenaim,
Mary Ellen Mark,
Joyce Tenneson and this brand new photographer on the scene,
Joey Lawrence. Their work is unique, untouchable and inspirational. All of the above are who and what I turn to when I’m looking to learn and create inspirational images. They are who I turn to when I create work for clients.
There are many photographers today. Purchasing a “good camera” has given many the impetus to hang out a shingle and be in business. That’s what a lot of us did. They don’t have to learn how to light or even use proper photographic techniques to achieve their image. They carry their cameras like wild west gunslingers and the minute they see an image they draw and fire off plethora of frames. It’s spray and pray. They just put it on automatic (or one of the many fully automatic modes) and go! The new term is “lifestyle” or “photo journalism”. There are some out there that do it very well. I appreciate and respect it. But it’s not for me.
In weddings the trend is to shoot fast and furious. No set ups; no lighting. Sometimes that works. The battle cry is: “I don’t want to pose.” In portraiture the subject is followed around like a movie star with an annoying paparazzi chasing them with a camera. Images are no longer hung on walls for all to look at who come to the home, but displayed on electronic picture frames where the images change constantly so the viewer won’t be bored. Again, I respect it, but it’s not for me.
I believe there is no substitute for a well posed, well lit photograph. I believe you don’t have to smile to make a great photograph. I believe you can pose your subject and still make them look natural. I believe photographs look best when printed on photographic paper and displayed in fine frames or in lush albums. I believe in keeping a tradition rather than replacing it in favour of a new one. I believed that classics will endure and their will be no substitute for a well crafted piece of art.
Does this mean that I may become a dinosaur? Maybe. I’m ok with that. I made a major career change in 1998 that affected me mentally and financially. Now that I’m where I want to be I’m not going to compromise only to end up hating the work I produce. I hope my clients – new and old – will like what I love to do.