I'm wondering if you reading this could take a moment out of your day and help me with a college project. I'm writing a thesis on Eliot Porter's divergence from the peers of his time, and his influence on photographers of the the next, and our, generation.
I have several examples of noted photographers that the have taken a lead from Porter, including Robert Glenn Ketchum, but I'm looking for his more widespread influences on nature and landscape photo on a grander scale.
Here's my question: How, if at all has Eliot Porter's work influenced your own work as a photographer or your view on photography. Were any of you around when "In Wildness is the Preservation of the World" was released? Did it have any affect on you?
I'm not looking for help with content,I'm looking for average experiences and inspirations derived from Porter's work at any stage of his life to use as examples in my paper.
Thank you, very honestly, for any thoughts you have on the subject. I look forward to hearing what you all have to say.
To me, Porter made two huge contributions; one to the world of art and the other to the conservation movement.
By formalizing the "Intimate Landscapes" style his work was among those that influenced me in moving away from the classic grand landscape style and towards expressive images of natural detail. And, through his work with David Brower on "The Place no One Knew", he opened many people's eyes to the evils of destroying natural beauty in the name of industrialization. The book consequently lead to a review of all reclamation projects and was instrumental in the passage of The Wilderness Act; a true testament to the power of landscape photography.
Guy
Posted by Richard Wong on March 10, 2008 at 12:00 AM
I probably wans't born yet when that book came out. I'll have to get a copy of it. to be honest, I've probably just seen his work in Outdoor Photographer a few times and the Amon Carter museum website.
Posted by Richard Lee on March 10, 2008 at 8:26 AM
Lee,
I think you have chosen an interesting photographer, one who has had a big influence on my work. I came across Porter's "In Wildness is the Preservation of the World" in paperback while serving in Vietnam in '67-'68...I still have the copy. Over the years, I have added several of his other books to my library. Since one of my favorite subjects is wildbird photography, I have his books "Vanishing Songbirds" and "Moments of Discovery: Adventures With American Birds." He made significant contributions to techniques for color photography of birds. I'm still amazed at the quality and variety of his work, considering the film and equipment available at the time. Hope this helps?
Lee, I would actually love to get a copy of "In Wildness..." - the first Porter book I ever looked at was "Nature's Chaos", a book that photographically is exactly what the title would imply. It was really the 2nd photography book I seriously studied, and was a huge contrast to the David Muench book I was also learning. Porter's book resonated for me in a way that still influences my work, and helped reinforce my enjoyment of intimate landscapes (see Guy's comments) and natural abstracts. I will shoot grand scenics when given a chance, and certainly enjoy them, but the intimate/selective/abstract images are usually the ones that I get the most satisfaction from. I am sure that is a direct influence (though hopefully with my own personal style) from the Porter book that I read at a time when I was still trying to determine how to approach natural photography.....
Thanks, CJ
Posted by Mary Dennis on March 10, 2008 at 10:43 AM
Eliot Porter, specifically a lecture by him that I attended in 1978 at the Art Institute in Chicago, was the first and is probably the most enduring inspiration in my photographic life and way of thinking. I was a freshman in college, in love with the outdoors, had just gotten a shiny new Canon TX 35mm camera for Christmas, and suddenly I knew what I wanted to do with that shiny new gift. I wanted to hike, stop, look, listen and take pictures of the all the quiet and beautiful details.
Posted by Dan Baumbach on March 10, 2008 at 1:48 PM
I was doing black and white street photography in NYC when In Wildness is the Preservation of the World came out. I never "got" nature photography but I spent a long time with that book. When I returned the book to the library, I think I understood nature photography and color photography for the first time. So I added to Cartier-Bresson, Robert Frank and Lee Friedlander, Eliot Porter as my early photographic influences.
- Dan.
Posted by Bill Pelzmann on March 10, 2008 at 9:47 PM
"In Wildness..." was first published only a decade after I was born, but I do remember reading "The Place No One Knew" when I was in college and first developing my interest in photography. It was very important book for me, both from his photographic vision and for the environmental issues.
So, given how much Porter contributed to color landscape photography with his many books, exquisite dye transfer color prints, and the fact that he was a true pioneer at a time when the greats, such as Adams, gave up on color, I am amazed that several recent compilations of photography "greats" did not bother to mention Porter (see: "The Photo Book" - Phaidon, 1997 and "Photography from 1939 to Today" - George Eastman House, 1999).
Even if Porter's pictures were too "pretty" for the art world, you'd think these publications would at least acknowledge his existence. Just goes to show, color landscape photograhers get no respect !
I found a comment from a museum photography curator rather enlightening. His photographs were dismissed as "restful, perhaps, but hardly challenging. Porter's pictures make me think of Hallmark cards. His work is all too facile, too easy. We applaud it for the technology behind it, but that's all." (View Camera, July/August, 2003). I'm certain this curator doesn't waste time visiting ESS.
To answer your question, yes I believe Porter's "intimate landscape" approach has influenced me - at least subconsciously. Even though you don't try to intentionally imitate, when you see something you like you can't help but incorporate it into your "style".
Posted by Lee Corkett on March 10, 2008 at 11:24 PM
Thanks for your help guys(and Mary!) I'll definite;y incorporate these points of view. I hope you don't mind me quoting one or two of you.......
Posted by Lee Corkett on March 11, 2008 at 1:59 AM
Thanks for your help guys(and Mary!) I'll definite;y incorporate these points of view. I hope you don't mind me quoting one or two of you.......
For me, Eliot Porter remains the primary large-format color photographer of modern times. As Guy points out, he was not just a contributor to photography but also to conservation. He, along with a few others like Philip Hyde, was primarily responsible for documenting the magic that was Glen Canyon. It is through their work that we remember Glen Canyon. It is also through his work that we will hopefully never again make the mistake that was made in Glen Canyon when the dam was constructed.
His images remain the classic example of the play of canyon light. An entire generation of southwest photographers follows the techniques he developed for photographing light bouncing off of sandstone walls. It is magic…and he did it with film considered bland by today’s standards and with lenses that were built by hand, before computer design. I mention in my photographers profile that I was able to view original 4x5 work at a publisher’s office for which I worked. Among those images were Eliot Porter’s. They stood out above all others for their simplicity and power.
I had the great honor to meet Dr. Porter at his home in Tesuque, New Mexico, after having written him asking if he would be willing to sign a couple of books for which he had done the photography. I received a very kind letter back from him welcoming our visit. When my wife and I arrived, he invited us to his studio and we spent several hours visiting. We were able to view original images of Glen Canyon and just talk. He struck me as a kind, humble man. The messages he scribed in those books reflected that.
Those books are treasures to this day. I often look at them and study the images…or just imaging I was there. A few years back, when Glen Canyon reservoir dropped due to drought, we visited Cathedral in the Desert. It was a powerful moment for me when I stood where he had been and looked through my 4x5, as he might have. While my images pale in comparison to his, he has inspired me to try new things and visit new places. I’m sure he has done the same for many others.
Thanks for letting me ponder and share my thoughts. Rich
Discussion
10 repliesI'm wondering if you reading this could take a moment out of your day and help me with a college project. I'm writing a thesis on Eliot Porter's divergence from the peers of his time, and his influence on photographers of the the next, and our, generation.
I have several examples of noted photographers that the have taken a lead from Porter, including Robert Glenn Ketchum, but I'm looking for his more widespread influences on nature and landscape photo on a grander scale.
Here's my question: How, if at all has Eliot Porter's work influenced your own work as a photographer or your view on photography. Were any of you around when "In Wildness is the Preservation of the World" was released? Did it have any affect on you?
I'm not looking for help with content,I'm looking for average experiences and inspirations derived from Porter's work at any stage of his life to use as examples in my paper.
Thank you, very honestly, for any thoughts you have on the subject. I look forward to hearing what you all have to say.
Lee
By formalizing the "Intimate Landscapes" style his work was among those that influenced me in moving away from the classic grand landscape style and towards expressive images of natural detail. And, through his work with David Brower on "The Place no One Knew", he opened many people's eyes to the evils of destroying natural beauty in the name of industrialization. The book consequently lead to a review of all reclamation projects and was instrumental in the passage of The Wilderness Act; a true testament to the power of landscape photography.
Guy
I think you have chosen an interesting photographer, one who has had a big influence on my work. I came across Porter's "In Wildness is the Preservation of the World" in paperback while serving in Vietnam in '67-'68...I still have the copy. Over the years, I have added several of his other books to my library. Since one of my favorite subjects is wildbird photography, I have his books "Vanishing Songbirds" and "Moments of Discovery: Adventures With American Birds." He made significant contributions to techniques for color photography of birds. I'm still amazed at the quality and variety of his work, considering the film and equipment available at the time. Hope this helps?
Dick Lee
Thanks, CJ
- Dan.
So, given how much Porter contributed to color landscape photography with his many books, exquisite dye transfer color prints, and the fact that he was a true pioneer at a time when the greats, such as Adams, gave up on color, I am amazed that several recent compilations of photography "greats" did not bother to mention Porter (see: "The Photo Book" - Phaidon, 1997 and "Photography from 1939 to Today" - George Eastman House, 1999).
Even if Porter's pictures were too "pretty" for the art world, you'd think these publications would at least acknowledge his existence. Just goes to show, color landscape photograhers get no respect !
I found a comment from a museum photography curator rather enlightening. His photographs were dismissed as "restful, perhaps, but hardly challenging. Porter's pictures make me think of Hallmark cards. His work is all too facile, too easy. We applaud it for the technology behind it, but that's all." (View Camera, July/August, 2003). I'm certain this curator doesn't waste time visiting ESS.
To answer your question, yes I believe Porter's "intimate landscape" approach has influenced me - at least subconsciously. Even though you don't try to intentionally imitate, when you see something you like you can't help but incorporate it into your "style".
For me, Eliot Porter remains the primary large-format color photographer of modern times. As Guy points out, he was not just a contributor to photography but also to conservation. He, along with a few others like Philip Hyde, was primarily responsible for documenting the magic that was Glen Canyon. It is through their work that we remember Glen Canyon. It is also through his work that we will hopefully never again make the mistake that was made in Glen Canyon when the dam was constructed.
His images remain the classic example of the play of canyon light. An entire generation of southwest photographers follows the techniques he developed for photographing light bouncing off of sandstone walls. It is magic…and he did it with film considered bland by today’s standards and with lenses that were built by hand, before computer design. I mention in my photographers profile that I was able to view original 4x5 work at a publisher’s office for which I worked. Among those images were Eliot Porter’s. They stood out above all others for their simplicity and power.
I had the great honor to meet Dr. Porter at his home in Tesuque, New Mexico, after having written him asking if he would be willing to sign a couple of books for which he had done the photography. I received a very kind letter back from him welcoming our visit. When my wife and I arrived, he invited us to his studio and we spent several hours visiting. We were able to view original images of Glen Canyon and just talk. He struck me as a kind, humble man. The messages he scribed in those books reflected that.
Those books are treasures to this day. I often look at them and study the images…or just imaging I was there. A few years back, when Glen Canyon reservoir dropped due to drought, we visited Cathedral in the Desert. It was a powerful moment for me when I stood where he had been and looked through my 4x5, as he might have. While my images pale in comparison to his, he has inspired me to try new things and visit new places. I’m sure he has done the same for many others.
Thanks for letting me ponder and share my thoughts. Rich