How & Where To Make Great Photographs
September 2008
Because of Mark Twain, I don’t speak German. I took two semesters as an undergrad, but after reading That Awful German Language, Twain’s satirical essay about a language he called “slipshod and systemless,” I switched to Spanish. I regret it now, because I’ve come to appreciate the nuances of German, and I’d rather not look clueless in photography meetings. Photography, as you can imagine, is a pretty big deal around here. It has been for 83 years. In all that time, though, we’ve never done a “photography issue.” Until now. When we first started putting this thing together, we realized we needed to do more than create a magazine full of spectacular images — we do that every month — so we looked for ways to broaden your knowledge of photography, as well. That’s why we were talking about Brocken specters, a rare phenomenon in which the shadow of a person is projected into a cloud and surrounded by a kind of rainbow. As Pete Ensenberger, our director of photography, explained in our meeting, the conditions have to be just right. It took awhile, but Mike Buchheit finally captured our first-ever Brocken spectre, which is featured in our table of contents. As you’ll see, it’s interesting and out of the ordinary. And so is this month’s portfolio. Desert landscapes are nothing new for us; however, Joel Grimes’ work is a real departure. You saw one of his beautiful shots on the cover, and you’ll see more when you get to Black & White and Shot All Over. As the headline suggests, his images are done in black and white. Again, that’s nothing new. What’s unique is his technique: He uses lights. “Rarely,” he writes, “do I create a photograph without introducing artificial lighting to the scene. For me, the way the light strikes my subjects is paramount. To a so-called purist, using strobe lights in the landscape might be unthinkable, but I’ve never defined myself as a purist in the general sense.” No doubt, his method will raise some eyebrows, but that’s not the only bit of apprehension among purists. Old-schoolers also have some doubts about new technology. In Digital vs. Film, we present both sides of the argument. To do so, we sent two of the world’s best landscape photographers — Jack Dykinga and George Stocking — to the Vermilion Cliffs, where one shot digital and one shot film. They shot the same rocks, the same sky, the same subject. Throughout the piece, they discuss the merits of their respective positions, and how they came to their own conclusions. In the end, you’ll be hard-pressed to tell a difference in quality. Turns out, great photography is more about the artist, and less about the format. George says it best: “The camera is just a tool. It’s a wrench. It’s all about what you get out of it.” I’m not sure how you say that in German, but I do know that every one of the photographers in this issue got the most out of his or her cameras. Jack Dykinga and George Stocking certainly delivered. So did Ansel Adams, Nick Berezenko, Mike Buchheit, Ann Collins, Claire Curran, Joel Grimes, Kerrick James, Randy Prentice and Bruce Taubert. Indeed, this issue is loaded with great photography. As the Germans like to say, it’s unglaublich. — Robert Stieve |
