Beethoven, Neil Simon, people who write

movie scripts, people who choreograph dances and probably other art forms that I can't think of right now are all examples of creative artists who cannot interpret their own art. Beethoven couldn't play a symphony. Neil Simon could not play all the parts in " The Odd Couple". Their art is in the hands of other artists. I wonder if Neil Simon ever sneaks into the audience of Bugknee Junior high to see how well he is doing. EW's son printed his negatives but they were supposedly interpreted to EW'S standards. After Gary Winogrand departed this world their were thousands of his rolls of film that were then developed and printed. Can just anyone select some of the prints from these rolls of film and claim that they are Winogrand's work? Would Winogrand have selected these negatives to print? Has anyone else ever printed your negatives? I think most of us would feel very insecure with allowing others to interpret our art. The insecurity might come from fear that the other person would do a better job with the negatives than the creatiung artist. Better? What does better mean? A better print? Whats a better print and who cares? GET TO THE POINT!
I think it would be very interesting to see how different photographers interpret the work (negatives) of others. Everybody can only learn from this.
I propose a negative exchange. Apuger's send a negative to someone else who prints said negative. The original prints are put on APUG and the creating artist and his/her interpreter discuss their thoughts about the print.
Who's in?

Severian, Autarch of Urth, Journeyman in the Society of the Seekers of Truth and Penitence

A few of us tried this once and it kind of fizzled out. One person supplied two negs, and three of us were supposed to print them both and then exchange. One was a tricky neg, so I didn't get to it and passed it on with the possiblity of printing it later when I had more time, but I printed the other one, held onto the prints for a long time and didn't hear from two of the three others, and then just eventually sent out the prints and didn't get any in return for comparison, and I think someone lost the negs in the meanwhile.

If some folks want to try again, I'd be up for it.

severian said:

I propose a negative exchange. Apuger's send a negative to someone else who prints said negative. The original prints are put on APUG and the creating artist and his/her interpreter discuss their thoughts about the print.

Click to expand...

The UK Black and White Photography magazine does this on a regular basis and offers extended coverage of the process that each interpreter employs. It's a good idea that I'd be willing to subscribe to.

I'd also add that once a work is 'out there', i.e. offered to the public, critique of its interpretation in every aspect is fair game. It belongs to the audience. Like out of tune notes in a concert, or missed lines in a play, the performance cannot be taken back.

g'day severian

an interesting idea but i see problems, some of which David has pointed out

maybe a variation on your idea would be for each of us to print our own neg to a different style than we would normally

for example, i find the work of W. Eugene Smith and Don McCullin to be printed too dark, but i love how the darks add drama and emotion, i often tell my self i must at least try that style of printing

thnx
Ray

I guess I once did do this successfully with another person who was looking to have the same neg printed in different processes for a workshop, but it worked, I think, because we all had a real deadline and were all local to each other.

A while back I was asked to reinterpret this photo:



this was my answer: