This looks like a great community, glad I found it!

[Lowenburg]

Hi everyone,

I'm looking forward to learning a lot from this site, making new friends from near and distant places and also contributing what I can. I've been a photographer for about 25 years, and just published my first book Crash Burn Love: Demolition Derby in 2005. The book took nine years to complete and was done using a Mamiya C330 twin lens reflex and a Mamiya 6 rangefinder, along with a Vivitar 285 flash. Today I also use digital equipment, but for the book I began with film and there was no reason to change formats mid-stream. The book includes 81 black and white photos, two essays, foreword by Larry Fink, and a bibliography. It's the first documentary photo book ever done on the subject, and I've been greatful for the reception it's received so far. Popular Photography gave me the back page in their January 2006 issue and Library Review also gave it a great review .

Having gone through an extended process of putting a book together, I may be able to answer questions for anyone else out there with that goal. I did all the photos and writing on Crash Burn Love and my wife and I did all the design work -- we were fortunate to have been given great freedom by my publisher, Back Street Books.

I have a great number of interests in photography, including photographic history, aesthetics, and the work of other photographers, expecially twentieth century work. Some of the photographers whose work I have studied and respect include: Fink, Arbus, Frank, Winogrand, Friedlander, Koudelka, Kertesz, Mark, Capa, Natchwey, Avedon, Parr, Burke and many more; I love reportage, street work, portraiture, and any work that expresses a personal point of view. If you have questions, just inquire, I'll comment or help with info as I can.

Looking forward to getting to know other photographers of any level of experience. Over the years, a good many people have been generous to me with their time and experience, and this looks like a good place to pass some of it on.

Thanks for stopping by,
Bill

 

[Bill Mobbs]

Greeting Bill,
This is a great place to learn from others, and your expertise and experience will be appreciated by all of us. In my other life I was guilty of a Demolition Derby or two (dirt track racing).

Welcome!

Bill

 

[Lowenburg]

Thanks Walt,
I've been reading around some of the forums, including discussions on some potentially controversial topics (e.g. Nan Goldin's work) and people seem to be very open-minded and civil with one another - which is really refreshing, given we are on the Internet.

Regarding demo derby, I know what you mean... it just kind of drew me in. Most of the people involved with it are really nice and fun to hang out with, and there's a lot of interesting things going on visually - what more could a photographer ask?

 

[unohuu]

Welcome, Bill...can hardly wait to hear of your experiences. Join in and share share share. Luke

 

[Lowenburg]

Hi and thanks,

If you have questions let me know. I guess the first thing I'd share is to hope others will check out the work of the photographers I mentioned above - I think there's a lot to be gained from knowing the work of accomplished artists. It's pretty apparent that a lot of "serious" photographers know very little of the work of the masters. In earlier times -- and still today to an extent -- students in painting and music simply copied the work of masters and studied their work endlessly, in order to eventually form their own aesthetic and develop their own style. As with everything else, there are sensible limits -- the main thing of course is to try to develop your own style. But I think that works best when done from an "informed" point of view.

 

[Jim Chinn]

Welcome.

What a combo! A slice of classic Americana recorded with one of the all time great classic cameras.

 

[Lee Shively]

The list of your photographic influences is impressive. Glad you're aboard.

 

[Lowenburg]

Classic cameras

Welcome.

What a combo! A slice of classic Americana recorded with one of the all time great classic cameras.

Thanks Jim,

I can't say enough good things about the Mamiya 6 rangefinder, it's the best camera I've ever owned, and probaby ever will own. For ease of use combined with a great lens (I use the wide angle version) it can't be beat. The view in the rangefinder is big and bright, and the shutter sounds "just right" when it clicks, though I'm just about the only one that can hear it.

The C330 twin lens is great in a different way - though it's a bit bigger and bulkier than a Rolliflex, it's just a cool-looking machine, and built tough, too. I dropped mine right on the sidewalk on Broadway in NYC. I was photographing a female bodybuilder posing in the window of the New Museum when my work was in the Picturing the Modern Amazon exhibit some years ago. Some of the work is in the catalog for the show, it's a very "interesting" publication to say the least. Printed by Rizzolli, it's available on Amazon.com. Anyway, the C330 just sustained a little ding on the bottom corner, not even a real dent, and kept right on working. I also use the wide-angle lens on that camera, and it gives me a bit softer negative with regards to tonality (I shoot all black and white) than the M6.

I like each of the cameras for their individual "characters." I shoot digital too, but these will probably always be my favorite cameras!

 

[kjsphoto]

Welcome aboard! Your book sounds wonderful!

 

[Stoo Batchelor]

Hello and welcome, from South East England.

Stoo

 

[benjiboy]

Welcome Bill, from another Mamiya C330 user in England, I have a couple of them I've use for nearly twenty years and never felt I wanted to replace them, they are still better cameras than I am a Photographer.
I'm sure you will find lots to stimulate your interest in this forum on both a practical and philosophical level, there is a wealth of accumulated expertise from a group of serious and friendly photographers, who you will see are not without a sense of humour.

 

[Lowenburg]

Thanks, C-330 and digital

Thanks for the welcome, from you and Stoo. I've been going round the forums and have found quite a few interesting discussions.People are really quite civil on this site, it's kind of refreshing! And it's great that it's a true international website. I definitely enjoy meeting people from other countries. By the way, I'm located in Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania, about 85 miles west of NY City.

Regarding the C330, one of my next purchases sometime this year, will be a high quality film scanner that can accommodate 220 film. That way I'll be able to keep using the camera and also have the benefits of a digital darkroom. A lot of people don't understand that the best quality digital prints don't come from digital cameras, they come from negatives that have been optimally scanned. So I'm looking forward to using both analog and digital methods to produce images.

Bill
http://www.crashburnlove.com

 

[waynecrider]

Your book title sounds like my life. Nice to have you here.

 

[Lowenburg]

Book Title

Hi Wayne,

Yeah, a lot of people say it seems to resonate. Funny thing, it just came to me one day getting out of my car in the driveway, and I never considered another working title throughout the whole project. The reason it's funny is that I'm usually totally the opposite - my final version of anything is often completely different from the initial idea. Hey, once in a great while it just works.

Thanks!

Bill
http://www.crashburnlove.com

 

[Kevin Caulfield]

Welcome, Bill, from Melbourne, Australia. I'm looking forward to your contributions to APUG. You're right, we are a very civil, friendly group.