Altamont to America: Bill Owens and the Legacy of Suburbia

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Vaughn

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Carter john said:
My friend and I were arguing about what cameras (format) he used (???). Vaughn do you have any ideas?
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Cameras varies. Lots of 35mm, but also a Pentax 67. The image in the show of women snorting coke in a restraunt/bar's bathroom (color) was a "decisive moment" image Bill wanted to make with an 8x10 camera.

Color work was on a Sony Mavica (floopy disks). He also used a Brooks Veriwide100. So no one camera.
 
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Vaughn

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BradS said:
Here now. What a zoo!
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That is why I put myself on duty in the beer garden...after 70 hours of work on the show since the previous Monday, my brain said, "Please enjoy the outside and have a very beers." Went inside a couple times to get some more great food and some cake!

The mix of silver gelatin prints and inkjet prints was masterly done -- it is interesting to compare them. Geir (and Kate) curated/created an incredible masterpiece show, with hundreds of volunteer hours put in by the dedicated photographers associated with PhotoCentral...there will be a good article in the SF Cronicle this week.
 

BradS

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I very much enjoyed the show. Did not get to speak to Bill or Geir - they were both really busy - but talked to Kate a little bit (and said hi to you). The food and beverage was excellent! and of course, the photography was too. I appreciated all of the personal artifacts on display downstairs - it gave a sense of who the man is.

I think my favorite photo was the one (hanging in the hallway up stairs) with all the Coleman stoves and the guy holding a blob of raw hamburger(?) in one hand....there's just so much going on...fabulous.

I came away feeling small and insignificant.

Thank you for the invite and for all of the work you and Geir and others did to make this happen.
 

Carter john

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Thanks Vaughn, it was a great show. Mavica, I had one, I think they had 600 kb max.
 
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Vaughn

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BradS said:
...
I think my favorite photo was the one (hanging in the hallway up stairs) with all the Coleman stoves and the guy holding a blob of raw hamburger(?) in one hand....there's just so much going on...
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Ah...the fellow with the fornicating raggy-ann dolls on his T-shirt...
 

BradS

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Vaughn said:
Ah...the fellow with the fornicating raggy-ann dolls on his T-shirt...
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YES! Hilarious! and the fancy candle holders on the picnic table in the background...
 

Black Dog

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BradS said:
YES! Hilarious! and the fancy candle holders on the picnic table in the background...
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Ahhh, those fabulous 70s/80s fashions-I do love Suburbia!
 

Richard Man

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Mr. Owens also had used 8x10 in some of the images! With handheld flash even!!! Sadly, I had a conflict with my two exhibits at the World Science Fiction convention and also assisting my wife to run the masquerade at the con and I had to miss the opening show :-/ Hoping to see it this weekend....
 

jtk

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Exhaustive interview including his interest in photographing "today's Sububurbia" digitally.
http://www.americansuburbx.com/2012/04/theory-interview-bill-owens.html
 
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