BBC Photography Series--The Genius of Photography (incl. international broadcasts)

Steve Roberts

Member
Joined
Oct 12, 2004
Messages
1,302
Location
Near Tavisto
Format
35mm
I don't know about everyone else, but I thought last night's fifth episode was pretty lacklustre (no pun intended). I'm afraid that all the esoterics and pontificating, people "seeing themselves" when they look through the viewfinder, etc. is way over the top for my tastes. That Joel chap is far too intense about it all and Martin Parr's occasional inputs come as a welcome relief to me (although I know some won't agree with that). In my cynical, conservative way I found the item about the photographer's documenting of his alcoholic father's life a case of the King's New Clothes if ever there was one. So what does episode six hold? Surely some serious attention to Bailey, Lichfield and Snowdon is long overdue.
On a different note, there was a programme on one of the Beeb channels last Sunday in which Arthur Edwards set out to photograph the Queen using a Box Brownie. It was (inevitably) all a bit staged and contrived, but the down-to-earth words of Mr Edwards were quite refreshing to hear.

Have a good weekend,

Steve
 

Paul.

Member
Joined
May 13, 2006
Messages
306
Format
8x10 Format
It was that lacklustre I fell asleep Steve. Too much pontificateing for my taste.
Regards Paul.
 

pentaxuser

Member
Joined
May 9, 2005
Messages
20,108
Location
Daventry, No
Format
35mm
Lacklustre. Yes that's the word I was looking for. Exacerbated by it being a bits and pieces programme. No real depth, unlike the others. Probably not that poor, just not up to the standard it has set itself up to now.

pentaxuser
 

Monophoto

Member
Joined
Aug 27, 2004
Messages
1,689
Location
Saratoga Spr
Format
Multi Format
The same series aired this week in the US on the digital channel OvationTV. In addition, they had a program on Photographers at Work, and a series on cinematography to round out the week. Each program has run at least twice so far, and some will air again tonight.
 
OP
OP

Steve Smith

Member
Joined
May 3, 2006
Messages
9,110
Location
Ryde, Isle o
Format
Medium Format

Andy K

Member
Joined
Jul 3, 2004
Messages
9,420
Location
Sunny Southe
Format
Multi Format
What the hell? I just switched on and caught the second half of the final programme in the series! It was on a day early!

Most interesting thing was Sally Mann using wet plate collodion.
 

mikeg

Member
Joined
Apr 16, 2003
Messages
585
Location
Shropshire,
Format
35mm RF
I think you're a week late Andy. Last night was the last repeat of the final programme. The first showing was last Thursday, so there's no more episodes.

Excellent series overall, I thought. My favourites were ep. 2 August Sander, and all of ep. 5 particularly Arbus, Goldin, Sherman, LorcaDiCorsa and the guy who took the Tulsa photos.

Mike
 

Steve Roberts

Member
Joined
Oct 12, 2004
Messages
1,302
Location
Near Tavisto
Format
35mm
mikeg said:
Excellent series overall, I thought. My favourites were ep. 2 August Sander, and all of ep. 5 particularly Arbus, Goldin, Sherman, LorcaDiCorsa and the guy who took the Tulsa photos.

Mike
Click to expand...

I'd only go as far to call it an "OK" series - the first two episodes and the last one kept me interested, but I thought the series sagged in the middle with some over-long, slef-indulgent pieces. Of course it's all subjective and seemed to have been made with a view to flogging it to the US market. Three little-known British chaps called Bailey, Snowdon and Lichfield were completely short-changed.

Steve
 

mikeg

Member
Joined
Apr 16, 2003
Messages
585
Location
Shropshire,
Format
35mm RF
Talking of Bailey, Nick Robinson on his BBC blog (http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/nickrobinson/) reports this story:

"My favourite story of the week comes from the studios of David Bailey where the daddy of all photographers was taking pictures of the PM for the magazine GQ. "Do you ever use digital instead of film?" asked Brown's right hand woman Sue Nye. "Nah" drawled Bailey "digital's like socialism - it flattens everything out and makes everything the same". Bailey's laughter at his own joke was met, I'm told, by an explanation that that's not really what socialism was…"

Mike
 

Andy K

Member
Joined
Jul 3, 2004
Messages
9,420
Location
Sunny Southe
Format
Multi Format


Saw that too, gave me a smile. Would love to have seen the faces of Broon and his entourage!
 

DaveOttawa

Member
Joined
Sep 13, 2005
Messages
285
Location
Ottawa, Cana
Format
35mm RF
On TVO (Ontario) 17 Jan



May have been posted in this thread before but in case not is on TVO starting Thursday, January 17 at 10:00 PM, 6 episodes.
 

DaveOttawa

Member
Joined
Sep 13, 2005
Messages
285
Location
Ottawa, Cana
Format
35mm RF
The Genius of Photography on TVO 17th Jan

FYI:
"In the course of our 170 year relationship, photography has delighted us, served us, moved us, outraged us and occasionally disappointed us. But mainly, it has intrigued us by showing the secret strangeness that lies beneath the world of appearances. And that is photography's true genius.

Follow the story of photography in BBC Four's six-part series 'The Genius of Photography'. See some of the most famous photographs ever taken and find out more about what made them so very special."

On TVO starting Thursday, January 17 at 10:00 PM, 6 episodes.

Info here:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/photography/genius/
 

richard ide

Member
Joined
Nov 8, 2005
Messages
1,217
Location
Wellington C
Format
Multi Format
Really appreciate the heads up.

Thank you
 

Uncle Bill

Member
Joined
Apr 24, 2005
Messages
1,395
Location
Oakville and
Format
Multi Format
Thanks for the heads up! This look like a really cool doc.
 

Mike Wilde

Member
Joined
Aug 10, 2006
Messages
2,903
Location
Misissauaga
Format
Multi Format
heads up appreciated

I e-mailed this information to my local photo grpup, and one of those members e-mailed another group he leads. So far about 20-30 thanks e-mails from those heads up people - that I am passing back to the APUG team.
 

Kevin Caulfield

Subscriber
Joined
Aug 3, 2004
Messages
3,845
Location
Melb, Australia
Format
Multi Format
The Genius of Photography starts Sun ABC2

Hi all,

From the ABC website -

"The Genius Of Photography is a landmark series exploring the key events and images that have marked the development of photography - it chronicles the journey from camera obscura to the digital image. At the heart of the series is a quest to understand what makes a truly great photograph. This new six-part series screens exclusively on ABC2.

Episode one, Fixing The Shadows tells the story of the beginnings of photography, the inventions, and how it became an integral part of the modern world. It describes the remarkable achievements of the pioneer photographers."

It starts on Sunday at 8.30 pm on ABC2
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Menu
Log in
Register
Cookies are required to use this site. You must accept them to continue using the site. Learn more…