Perception is a funny thing.
Judging by the photo of him on the Youtube screen, i thought he was a contemporary photographer.
I thought he was still alive........maybe 60 or 70 years old.
But then we see many of his photos, and it does not add up.
I did not realize he has been dead for.........35 years.?
Born in 1921.
I watched about 10 minutes. I like A LOT of his pictures.
I remember Haas from Life Magazine and other publications, though mostly for his color work. I saw some B+W but not much. Seeing a larger, comprehensive body gives a better appreciation of it, as well. His color work was equally instructive and illuminating.
Nobody did Kodachrome better. Yeah, I just used the term - "better". He really understood its palette. A few of his shots were turned into giant Kodak Colorama displays. And back then, exceptional Kodachromes were turned into exceptional dye transfer prints for sake of museums and collectors, although the general public associate his name more with Life magazine. He was also known for his interest in classy restaurants and very high class women, like actual royalty. He used both Nikon and Leica cameras.
I should have said: Among the great, there is no ‘better’, just different.
I didn’t intend to downplay the brilliance of the man. It was just the idea that there is some kind of competition or hierarchy and that someone could be the ‘best’ that grated.