Recently, I came across and purchased a set of books published in 1980 by Lustrum Press, all edited by Carol di Grappa. So far I have found three -- Landscape: Theory, Contact: Theory, and Fashion: Theory -- that seem to form a series. Contact: Theory features discussions about contact sheets, a fascinating topic, worthy of discussion in itself. The topics of the other two volumes are just what you'd expect from the titles. All three present the work of an interesting cross section of photographers. Some are no longer alive after 40 years, and others have faded from our attention. But the work is solid, and it is informative to go back and read what was on folks's minds half a lifetime ago.
That said, the most interesting aspect of these books to me is the interviews with photographers in which they discuss their working methods, their approach to certain subjects, and the stories behind particular images. There is a lot of gear talk, philosophizing, and general photo geekery -- enough to keep you busy for a good long while.
In Landscape: Theory, for example, Robert Adams has a some interesting and unexpected things to say. Here are a some examples to whet your appetite. "Mainly you photograph because it is fun", says Adams. And, "Huck Finn said, you know, that he liked music because it made him feel as good as church letting out--That's it".
And finally, for now, here's what Adams had to say about the Pentax 6x7. He called it "...an ugly machine with barely adequate optics". I was a bit stunned when I read that. These days the Pentax 6x7 is one of the most coveted cameras by film shooters. It seems that Adams chose the Pentax because he wanted a hand holdable instrument that produced a negative with a 6x7 aspect ratio. That's it.
The image above was made last Fall using the Pentax 67 and the 105 mm f/2.4 lens. From my experience, I don't think there's very much to complain about in the optics department, so it's interesting to consider what Adams' expectations were for his lenses. Yet, the fact remains, he used the damn Pentax to create some pretty iconic images. So there's that.
All of these books can be had affordably if you look around a little. Fun stuff. Like uh, you know.
