I was reading Glenn Travis's way of using his M6/elmar 50 as a notepad to record the reality of his life , in another thread.

That caught me wondering. DO I use my camera to take pictures of the daily events happening around me like a VISUAL DIARY? Or do I use it more often to create images with emphasis on technicality and composition? The former, I assumed would pay less attention to composition, bokeh and all other technicalities. The later, I assumed would make use of all those factors to create an image.

I do find Glenn's way of using his camera interesting, though. As an extension of his eye ...

Are we all caught up with sharpness, bokeh, contrast, tones?

Who conciously uses his camera as a visual diary? And not bother about all the supposed rules of photography?

-- Lux (leica@sumicron.com), June 02, 2002

Answers

Can you supply link to the aforementioned thread? I would like to read it before a make a comment, other than it sounds right on.

-- Hal (halbennettgroup@hotmail.com), June 02, 2002.

Glenn Wrote:

"Even if I run a couple of blocks to the store, for milk and eggs. But I use my M, as HCB would say, as a notepad, to make a quick sketches of my reality. So what? It's mine, I paid for it, I can do whatever I want with it. And no, it's not my friend, or a tool, it's my (love) slave! "

-- Lux (leica@sumicron.com), June 02, 2002.

As with most things...both! Or, all of the above. I use it to remember special activities/people/places in my life. I pay attention to the artistic aspects as well.

-- James (snodoggydogg@hotmail.com), June 02, 2002.

the only rule of photography is that there are no rules! (the "rules" you talk of are for people starting out with very little visual sense - this will keep them from making ugly pictures - but it won't let them make great and unique pictures those come from breaking the rules)... and i too can't see why it can't be both. Making a visual diary and worrying about composition are not mutually exclusive. One can use a camera as a visual diary much like a written one. And when writing, many people choose to write poetically.

-- Matthew Geddert (geddert@yahoo.com), June 02, 2002.

If you don't know her work, have a look at Nan Goldin's "Ballad of Sexual Dependency". While I doubt she uses a Leica, the diary approach is what her photography is all about. Spontaneous, direct, brilliant.

-- Lutz Konermann (lutz@konermann.net), June 02, 2002.

I believe Nan Goldin does use Leica equipment:

http://www.leicacamera.com/kultur/haende/partner/index_e.html

-- David Enzel (dhenzel@vei.net), June 02, 2002.

"The Leica has a subtext, a poetry and magic no other machine has." Nan Goldin

-- Glenn Travis (leicaddict@hotmail.com), June 02, 2002.

There's a reason why most people keep their written diaries for themselves. Unless they are heavily edited, they're incredibly boring to most people except the writer.

The same thing is true for visual diaries. Very few of them are all that interesting to anyone but the photographer, but it's a good exercise for the photographer. Most of the time, I would rather watch water boil than look at someone's visual diaries.

There's a woman in San Francisco who has done a pretty good job at it though, and she uses Lomos and other toy cameras. I think her visual diary works because her life seems to have an endaring goofiness to it, encounters with an odd collection of brightly colored things. The diary isn't online, as far as I can tell, but some similar work of hers is at http://sfbaysailingpix.com/lomogrrl3.htm.

-- Jeff Spirer (jeff@spirer.com), June 02, 2002.

Leitz M6, Elmar-M 50mm 1:2.8, B+W KR1.5 MRC, Fuji Sensia II 200, Polaroid SprintScan 4000: "A Leica allows me to photograph reality, not as it is, but as I see it," Leicaddict

-- Glenn Travis (leicaddict@hotmail.com), June 02, 2002.

Photography TENDS (not an absolute) to be more 'literary' than the other visual arts. (How many painters, sculptors or printmakers do you know who are hot to produce a BOOK? - as compared to photographers?)

Writing can be used to produce a diary, a novel, a technical journal article, a poem - and more.

Photography can be used to make analogs of all of the above.

In order to have an interesting diary, you need to lead an interesting life - or be particularly insightful or creative in how you record a less interesting life. Otherwise it's best reserved for private consumption.

"Keeping a diary isn't a sin - but it's best done in private - and wash your hands afterwards."

-- Andy Piper (apidens@denver.infi.net), June 02, 2002.

The person who has done this better than anyone else I know of is Leica photographer B.A."Tony" King, of Southboro, MA and Kennebunk, ME. His photographs come seamlessly out of his life, yet are characterized by the highest degree of visual sensitivity. My personal favorites of his many books are "My Maine Thing" and "This Proud Place." Both are out of print, but buy them if you ever run across them (or any other of his books) in a used book store.

-- Dave Jenkins (djphoto@vol.com), June 02, 2002.

Andy, From your post, which I've read several times, I can't help but feel your pain. You seem so depressed and sad. And quick frankly, some of what you've written sent shivers down my spine.

Have you ever seen W. Eugene Smith's "Walk to Paradise Garden?" Here is a very simple photograph of two very young children. Yet, I had an Uncle from that generation who thought this was the greatest photograph ever taken, as did many others. In context, the average American, European, and Asian of that generation had seen enough gore and carnage, and so the simple, innocent things had very wide appeal. Almost like Phoenix Arising from the Ashes, they thought what had been lost would never appear again. But it did, and all that is forgotten now. In it's place we have video games, movies, popular music, and television. A make believe world of sex and violence, where no one believes life is as good as it seems, only as good as it gets. If you look around, and are totally honest with yourself, I think you'll find your life is interesting, and fulfilling. Good Luck.

-- Glenn Travis (leicaddict@hotmail.com), June 02, 2002.

I used to think of my M camera that way. But recently it has been replaced by my Canon digital Elph. It's a much smaller pocketable tool. And for me (and that purpose) it works just as well.

Longtime NG photog Sam Abell is another person who keeps a photographic journal/diary. He has even published part of it included in his "This Photographic Life" book.

-- Josh Root (rootj@att.net), June 02, 2002.

I agree completely with Andy Piper and Jeff Spirer about "visual diaries." Too many photographers (and perhaps other "artists") seem to believe that the amount of time put into their work, or the significance they attach to their own work, should somehow be related to its impact on other viewers. The reality is that very few pictures transcend personal appeal, very few are of interest to third parties. Casual snapshots of friends and family are rarely of interest to others, for example. NOTE TO ANDY: From your posts, you've always seemed like a fairly cheerful guy, at least to me. And who wouldn't be cheerful on such a warm, sunny Colorado day!

-- Douglas Kinnear (douglas.kinnear@colostate.edu), June 02, 2002.

I think most visual diaries are successful because they either show us a life that is quite different from our own, or because they explore a very ordinary life in a visually adventurous way. So perhaps Nan Goldin belongs to the first group and Lee Friedlander, for instance (and perhaps the whole genre of "street" photography) belongs to the second. Of course, ideally you'd have both the visual excitement and the interesting lifestyle.

I do think that much of the talk here is pretty theoretical. For instance, I think Glenn has presented some very nice shots - in particular the nude with pointing finger - but I don't think there's much of wider interest in the picture of the girl, unless you knew the girl personally.

As to not bothering about the "supposed rules of photography" - I assume that the point in taking pictures is to take good pictures - otherwise, why bother pushing the shutter release?

Finally, I don't see anything very depressing about Andy's post - I tend to agree that diaries are usually best kept to oneself. I don't keep one myself, either written or visual.

-- rob (rob@robertappleby.com), June 04, 2002.

The one artist/photographer who really used a camera as his notebook was Andy Warhol, who used his Minox camera to record everything he left over 100,000 negatives. The book Andy Warhol Photography has a detail account of his camera notebood.

-- martin tai (martin.tai@capcanada.com), June 04, 2002.

Review on Andy Warhol Photography: "In 1976 he acquired a Minox 35 El, and it was this camera (or other small SLRs like it) that he carried with him everywhere for the rest of his life. It more or less replaced the tape recorder--his wife as he called it--that had earlier been his constant companion. As the first book to deal exclusively with the topic of Warhol's engagement with photography, Andy Warhol--Photography will be indispensable for anyone with a serious interest in Warhol. The most striking material is connected to his mania for collecting photographs and the snapshots that he took on a daily basis" http://www.caareviews.org/reviews/kunsthalle.html Great numbers of examples of his notebook style photography are presented in the book.

"New York City": park, horse carriage, grafiti, street advertisments.

"Montauk"-- pots and pans, car in driveway, can food in cabinet,

eggs, pot on range

"China"-- chef, highrises, pedestrians, bicyclists, coomercial advertisments..

His dog, Toilets

"Terrorists"

Nudes....

-- martin tai (martin.tai@accessv.com), June 04, 2002.

Andy Warhol and Mick Jagger

-- martin tai (martin.tai@accessv.com), June 04, 2002.

Dear All,

Andy is the less depressed person I've ever read. I also happen to agree with him. The photograph is a litarary as well as purely visual act. I believe photography has a closer link to literature in that way than to painting. I have disagreed with the "painterly" approach to photography, judging a photograph with the same eye as a painting. A painting is purely imaginative construct; a photograph also shows more than the photographer anticipated.

Best,

Alex

-- Alex Shishin (shishin@pp.iij4-u.or.jp), June 04, 2002.

I think Lartigue set the precedent for visual diaries, but modern interpretations include the work of Bill Burke, Danny Lion, Danny Seymour, Peter Beard, Gilles Peress (Telex Iran), Raymond Depardon among many others. And who could forget Larry Clark's "Teenage Lust", a visual and written diary in one volume, plus my all-time favorite book cover.

I had the good fortune of meeting Nan Goldin and seeing a smaller version of the slide show that turned into the book that Lutz mentioned. It's certainly the modern standard for visual diaries.

Considering these examples, I wouldn't say that Glen's pictures function as a visual diary. They seem a bit too random. Then again, I don't recall Glenn announcing that his pictures are part of a diary or a larger context, just sketches of his reality which, given his interpretation of Andy's comment, must be a curious thing

-- Steve Wiley (wiley@accesshub.net), June 04, 2002.

Photography for me is a personal diary. I've had the pleasure of revisiting the places that I've been to, remembering people that have left my life for one reason or another and recording the beauty that is around me. If one photo does transcend my personal appeal and effect others then I am truly lucky. I hope with pratice and time I will be able to approach that goal. Before I look at the techs of any photo I try to visualize the composition and the driving force that brought the photographer to press the shutter release at that specific instant. Glenn in the photo you submitted my questions would be Is this photo staged or just a candid grab? What has grabbed the attention of those lovely eyes? The guy walking behind her does he realize that he is that close to a beautiful woman? Technicals can be learned, the art of seeing is what one must master in order to be a good photographer. P.S. glenn nice shot

-- andy wagner (yxandy@hotmail.com), June 04, 2002.

"Reports of my depression are greatly exaggerated."

Sorry, Glenn - I didn't mean I found MY life uninteresting (at least to me) - but I've never kept EITHER a written or photographed diary in any intentional sense - I'm just too busy LIVING to stop and record the process, I guess. =8^o

I guess the 'genre' just doesn't interest me much. Even Larry Clark's "Tulsa" - once I'd seen it several times - doesn't grab me anymore the way it grabbed everyone 30 years ago.

-- Andy Piper (apidens@denver.infi.net), June 04, 2002.