>> |
heavyweather
!4AIf7oXcbA
Christ.
Okay, listen, Garry Winogrand is an amazing photographer. Being a street photographer does NOT mean that you approach an interesting situation, take one picture, and then walk away. It involves dedication, patience, cunning, and determination. You approach that situation, take dozens of pictures, and then walk on, find another cool situation, take even more pictures.
No one gets "the" shot on the first snap. No one. Not a single professional photographer would tell you that they only need one frame. Let's not talk about Ansel Adams here, but bear in mind, he still took multiple plates, and often made several different exposures for each of his most famous works. Read The Making of 40 Photographs and you'll see what I mean.
Part of being a good photographer is being a good editor of your own work. You HAVE to be a good editor. Being a photographer MEANS that you shoot in VOLUME. Please understand this. This is the reason bulk film backs for 35mm and modular back systems for larger formats and huge CF cards exist. YOU SHOOT A LOT. If Winogrand had access to a digital camera for the majority of his career, I guarantee you he would've shot an almost identical number of frames.
As far as marketing goes, of course he marketed himself. Of course it was good. Clearly, because we all know him. A professional photographer -- in fact, any freelancer -- HAS to market himself, especially to "make it". How do you think fine artists make a living? They just sit in their lofts, make art, and wait for the money to start pouring in? No, they send out mailers, network with gallery owners and curators, promote their openings and new work, and so on.
Garry Winogrand was a good photographer, good editor, and good marketer. And a good teacher, to boot.
|