Robert Adams

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logan2z

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I made it a little past halfway in that video but it became too frustrating to continue. It seems to me the first rule about interviewing a great thinker would be to interrupt them as little as possible.

That was a little annoying. I was also surprised that they didn't have Mr. Adams call into the Zoom meeting by telephone, rather than having him call their cell phone and put it on speaker. I get that he doesn't do the internet, but he could have called into Zoom using his phone the same way he called into their cell phone. The result was that it was sometimes difficult to hear him. Despite that, I'm a big fan of his work and it's not often one gets to hear him speak live.
 

MattKing

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I get that he doesn't do the internet, but he could have called into Zoom using his phone the same way he called into their cell phone.

Can you do that with a land line?
 

Nitroplait

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I made it a little past halfway in that video but it became too frustrating to continue. It seems to me the first rule about interviewing a great thinker would be to interrupt them as little as possible.

Not a great video - the two ladies are too star struck, but there are other better ones out there. Crewdson's conversation is fairly recent:

RA don't do internet - that means no Zoom of course.
 

warden

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Not a great video - the two ladies are too star struck, but there are other better ones out there. Crewdson's conversation is fairly recent:

RA don't do internet - that means no Zoom of course.

My favorite two interviews with Robert Adams to date were both from Tyler Green at Modern Art Notes podcast. They are well worth your time if you haven’t heard them yet.
 

logan2z

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Does that really matter. It was his thoughts and observations that were interesting.

It only matters if you couldn't hear his thoughts and observations clearly. There was a bunch of chatter on the Q&A during the Livestream about it.
 

lecarp

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When it comes to Robert Adams, just read his writings, that is far and away the best path to take.
If you must see video, search PBS, there are a number of quality productions, one in particular filmed in his home in which he shares his thoughts and shows work that is meaningful to him was excellent.
 

Nitroplait

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My favorite two interviews with Robert Adams to date were both from Tyler Green at Modern Art Notes podcast. They are well worth your time if you haven’t heard them yet.
Thanks for the heads up!
I'll bookmark these for later listening:


 

Nitroplait

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When it comes to Robert Adams, just read his writings, that is far and away the best path to take.
If you must see video, search PBS, there are a number of quality productions, one in particular filmed in his home in which he shares his thoughts and shows work that is meaningful to him was excellent.
I tend to agree. His writing is very accessible, but a good interview adds another layer.
I don't know if this is the one you are thinking about - I couldn't find others on pbs.org:


It may not be available to viewers outside the US. I used a VPN to see it. There are several short videos on YouTube from his home delivering a similar message, if one can't see the above linked video.
 

logan2z

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Not an interview per se, but a talk that Robert Adams gave as the juror for an exhibition called 'The Sacred' at a gallery in Oregon.

It looks like the video can't be embedded on other web sites but it can be viewed on YouTube by following the link.

 

Nitroplait

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Just had time listening to the two podcasts recommended by @warden and linked in post #32 above:
They are very good, and Tyler Green (whom I had not heard of before) is an excellent interviewer.
I will have to dig into his podcast for more photographers.
 

warden

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Just had time listening to the two podcasts recommended by @warden and linked in post #32 above:
They are very good, and Tyler Green (whom I had not heard of before) is an excellent interviewer.
I will have to dig into his podcast for more photographers.
Tyler's book, Carleton Watkins, Making the West American, is on my short list. His deep knowledge of art history shines through in his interviews, and he has a talent for bringing out the best of his interviewees.

Edited to add:
He rarely gives a guest the whole hour, but he has a lot of respect for Adams and wanted to give him the time he deserves. Green normally does two shorter interviews per show. His conversations with other photographers are great too. The Catherine Opie interview comes to mind.
 
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albireo

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What a great thread, so much to learn from pretty much all of your posts so far.

May I ask a question to the experts - I've been interested in Robert Adams' photography for a while but have only recently started sourcing some of his books.

My first purchase was a smaller volume entitled 'What can we believe where? Photographs of the American West'. I have been enjoying it. It has been a good introduction and I've particularly appreciated the print quality. I've then found a copy of 'The New West' and Cottonwoods. I love Cottonwoods and it's just the standard Steidl edition - I have no issues with the printing.

My copy of the New West however puzzles me. The print quality appears to be inferior to the other two books. Most prints show clipped highlights and other issues - and I can make a direct comparison to the 'What can we believe where' volume as there are some duplicates. Importantly, my copy of the 'New West' does not say 'Steidl' anywhere. It says

König, Walther; vergriffen. edition
Printed and bound in Germany
ISBN 3-88375-461-7

I purchased it from Amazon.

Are there non-official reprints with poor print quality in circulation?
 
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logan2z

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What a great thread, so much to learn from pretty much all of your posts so far.

May I ask a question to the experts - I've been interested in Robert Adams' photography for a while but have only recently started sourcing some of his books.

My first purchase was a smaller volume entitled 'What can we believe where? Photographs of the American West'. I have been enjoying it. It has been a good introduction and I've particularly appreciated the print quality. I've then found a copy of 'The New West' and Cottonwoods. I love Cottonwoods and it's just the standard Steidl edition - I have no issues with the printing.

My copy of the New West however puzzles me. The print quality appears to be inferior to the other two books. Most prints show clipped highlights and other issues - and I can make a direct comparison to the 'What can we believe where' volume as there are some duplicates. Importantly, my copy of the 'New West' does not say 'Steidl' anywhere. It says



I purchased it from Amazon.

Are there non-official reprints with poor print quality in circulation?

I've never seen that edition, but apparently it was the first reissue of the book after the original 1974 release. It was not published by Steidl.

I have the last Steidl release of the book and it is clearly labelled 'Steidl' on the dust jacket, as well as inside. The print quality is very good.
 

Pieter12

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Apparently, there were 4 editions of The New West: 1974 (original, published by Colorado Associated University), 2000 König, 2008 Aperture, and 2015 Steidl.
 

Nitroplait

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There are
Are there non-official reprints with poor print quality in circulation?
There are no "fake" Robert Adams books.

Robert Adams has publicly pointed out that some (several) of his books were of lesser quality compared to what he had wished.

In recent years, he has cooperated with printers to make better versions of his earlier books. I am personally eagerly awaiting the annouced "The New West" Steidl reprint.

However, If you own an early(er) version of any of his books, I would advice you to hold on to it.
Collectors may have other preferences than printing quality, and earlier versions tend to be more valuable.

In recent years I find Yale, Aperture and Steidl editions of his books are mostly worth-while.
 

John Wolf

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I'm partial to his book "Art Can Help," which I don't see mentioned. It's a collection of short prose meditations on a couple dozen photographs (not his own).

The Internet Age is all about shouting. I enjoy his work and writings for their affirmation of simple beauty and the value of subtlety and understatement.

John
 
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Alex Benjamin

Alex Benjamin

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I'm partial to his book "Art Can Help," which I don't see mentioned. It's a collection of short prose meditations on a couple dozen photographs (not his own).

The Internet Age is all about shouting. I enjoy his work and writings for their affirmation of simple beauty and the value of subtlety and understatement.

John

Immensely true. And "Art Can Help" is indeed another great example of his profound humanity.

Spending so much time with his photography recently has led me to the work of author and essayist Barry Lopez, whose writings about nature and our place in it, about environment and place, have been linked to Adams' photography, in its philosophical and spiritual aspect. The prose is stunning and powerful, and I would suggest the collection of essays titled "Embrace Fearlessly the Burning World" to anyone who wants to pay even more attention to the world around us. The introduction by Rebecca Solnit is also a beauty.
 

warden

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My copy of the New West however puzzles me. The print quality appears to be inferior to the other two books. Most prints show clipped highlights and other issues -

I don't have that book so will defer to others about the print quality, but it bears mentioning that Adams is not timid in the darkroom, and uses paper white frequently to depict light, and that approach may also be seen as blown highlights. ;-)
 

albireo

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I don't have that book so will defer to others about the print quality, but it bears mentioning that Adams is not timid in the darkroom, and uses paper white frequently to depict light, and that approach may also be seen as blown highlights. ;-)

Thanks. I'm quite familiar with his approach to light and, as stated, my observation was motivated by a relative comparison of the same pictures across two books I own. For all the images present in both, the issue is present only in my copy of 'The New West'.
 

warden

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Thanks. I'm quite familiar with his approach to light and, as stated, my observation was motivated by a relative comparison of the same pictures across two books I own. For all the images present in both, the issue is present only in my copy of 'The New West'.
Oh I missed that you were seeing the same picture twice. I get it now.
 
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