Stoo Batchelor

[Annemarieke]

I would like to clear one thing up though. Talisker Bay is 'MY' Bay. The reason being that the last time I was there I hoisted a flag up a pole to claim it as mine. I am told by a reliable source that this is all legal and above board.(Mind you he was Argentinian!)

Knowing the weather in the area, your flag AND pole has probably blown away by now

Anne Marieke

 

[Steve Smith]

I went straight out and bought it. When I got home I realised I had Issue 70, March!

I will try again next week.

I got the right one today. Well done, an impressive article. I imagine the prints are superb as even the magazine reproductions are well detailed.

Steve.

 

[Leon]

I got the right one today. Well done, an impressive article. I imagine the prints are superb as even the magazine reproductions are well detailed.

Steve.

I can vouch for that Steve - I've got 2 of them on my wall!

 

[AlanC]

Stoo, you worry inthe article that you haven't got a style. You are wrong, you have!
The formidable Dave Miller is also wrong when he says "style is rut"
We recognise Rembrandt by his style. Was he in a rut?

Alan Clark

 

[Dave Miller]

Yep; pandered to his clients.

 

[AlanC]

Dave,
Yes; now I look more carefully I see he was just a hack.

Alan Clark

 

[Dave Miller]

Got it in one Alan, he was just like the rest of us struggling wanabee’s, but he got lucky.
My original statement was intended to point out that a style is a potential handicap. Consider if you will if we were into writing books, and we were lucky enough to find a modicum of success, our publisher would pressure us into writing more of the same; because it sells. In my view we would then be in a rut, successful, comfortable, well paid (possibly), but most definitely trapped in a rut. Exactly the same happens to photographers, they become known for a certain style, and most find it difficult to sell work outside of their known style; until that is they become very, very famous. In which case they can sell the contents of their waste bins – actually they can’t because they are generally dead by then, so their agent do it for them, but you may get my drift. So Rembrandt, Constable, Turner; all great artists instantly recognisable by the style of their particular rut. Now change the names to photographers whose work you admire and see if you can find one that is not stuck in a style rut.

 

[AlanC]

Good grief Dave, here's me thinking that you were writing with your tongue firmly in your cheek, and all the time you were deadly serious!
I do acknowledge what you are saying about some professional photographers being stuck in a commercial rut, but one person's "style rut"can be seen by another person as a "significant body of work" so the issue is certainly not a simple one.
And what is the alternative to this? A photographer whose work is "experimental" and done in lots of different styles? You see plenty of photograpers who work like this and the results all too often are shallow, derivative and lacking in feeling and conviction.
Dave, I am sure you didn't mean to suggest that Rembrandt was stuck in a style rut. It would be hard to think of anyone with more artistic integrity than Rembrandt, whose work remained honest,fresh and inventive right through to the end of his life.
Have a good Easter!

Alan Clark

 

[Dave Miller]

I never serious, but I think you deserve the last word on this one; otherwise we could find ourselves in a rut.

 

[AlanC]

Well said Dave. I hate ruts. Being only 5 foot 8 inches tall, I have great difficulty seeing out of them.

Best wishes Dave,

Alan Clark

 

[coigach]

congratulations

Bit late to this party now (!), but wanted to say "congratulations" on the B+W article Stoo. Looking forwards to seeing more of your great work here on APUG and beyond...!

Best wishes,
Gavin