Elliot Porter

[Eric Rose]

I just checked out two large hardcover books from the local library devoted to Porter. His color imagery is amazing. The use of color is integral to the development of the overall composition. This explains at least to me at least why I found his B&W stuff so uninteresting.

It's funny how AA found it hard to cross over to color and how someone like Porter can not really carry off his imagery in B&W. At least IMHO anyway.

What are your thoughts on Porter?

Eric

 

[Nige]

I saw an exhibition of some (30 or so) of his prints and was underwhelmed probably because at the same time 50 odd A.A. prints were there too! However, I still rememember some, the delicacy of them sticks with me the most. I'd like to see them again, without A.A's print around to distract me

 

[lee]

The Amon Carter Museum here in town had a retrospect of Elliot Porters life work last year. His black and white was as good as the color work but there was not very much of it. The color prints were outstanding and most dye transfer prints. This is a method that is the most archival for color printing. Unfortunately dye transfer printing is a lost art as the material used is no longer produced. He was the first environmental color photographer to my limited knowledge. One of his sons gave a talk about what it was like to have Elliot Porter for a father and he shared his memories of traveling to the Glen Canyon area of Northern Arizona before it was flooded and it became Lake Powell.

lee\c

 

[photomc]

Lee is, of course, correct. The Amon Carter actually holds all of Porters negatives and is a repository of his lifes work. Had the chance to hear him speak a few years ago, just prior to his passing. Seems like one of the magazines recently did an article of Porters B&W work and how it has become forgotten. For some reason his work is under valued, maybe because of the color work..I'm not sure. If you ever have a chance to see his work though, be sure and go..it is really worth seeing.