Sorry for the quiet blog of late. I’ve been on the road since the holidays. After some lonely nights in Kansas, I worked on a fantastic assignment in Rockford, Illinois for the New York Times Magazine. (Read about the making of this work here). Now I’m in Italy preparing for a workshop and lecture at Cesuralab. Meanwhile, the LBM team has been busy mailing out copies of Broken Manual and preparing new publications. Forgive our silence during this mushroom spawning season.
Hello!
see u at the lecture in Italy ;)
can’t wait
Chiara
Ciao! Mushrooms abound:
http://sosylvie.typepad.com/so_sylvie/2011/01/moss-mushrooms.html
Yippee!
These photos, I’m sorry to say, are quite dull. You didn’t give them any of your signature otherworldliness. I’d never think that you, nor any art/documentary photographer shot them. I’d rather have seen Erwin Olaf or Lars Tunbjork give this a shot. You may be famous, but your name and stature alone do not make the work good.
Really enjoy the idea of this project. I have always enjoyed the thought of collecting types and showing them as a whole piece. Kudos, Again you inspire another midwest photographer even if it was an assignment.
I think Jon is being a little hard. “Signature unworldliness”? It’s a short assignment and you don’t get a book of great photographs out of that. The piece works because of the audio — you really get a sense of the undertow of sadness in American life right now. It’s hard times for a lot of people — not so visible as the 30’s, but tough nonetheless, and I get that from the combination of image and voice.
Alec, the NY Times piece with the audio was really well done. In response to Jon’s comments, I don’t agree with what he said. I feel your work has always been done in a style that’s understated but formal at the same time. Subdued contrast, soft color palette and masterful composition. It’s this quiet grandeur that has drawn me to your work since the begining. Comparing your work to Erwin Olaf is quite silly. Erwin is more of a advertising, highly stylized editorial photographer. Alec is more of a documentary photographer. Both are great in their own right, but I would not apply Erwin or Lars’s style to a story about economic depression!
nice work alec,