civilized ku # 595-96 ~ food for thought
Tuesday, July 27, 2010 at 10:33AM 
Anthony's ~ Plattsburgh, NY • click to embiggen
Crabcake and Beet $ Horseradish Risotto w Leeks ~ Interlaken Inn - Lake Placid, NY - in the Adirondack PARK • click to embiggenI often wonder / ruminate upon the notion of how the digital domain in its entirety - the internet, picture making, television, communications, social networking, etc, - has influenced and changed the manner in which humankind relates to the real world of flesh and blood, touch and feel, sight and sound, light and dark, and the here and now. Most recently, the current state of photography magazines has been on my mind.
As I have stated many times, I am a fan of printed pictures and pictures on the printed page (in the form of books and periodicals). IMO, printed pictures are superior to those presented/displayed in the digital domain in every way.
First and foremost, if one is committed to making pictures that accurately display one's vision, re: color, contrast, tonality, et al, and that are viewed as such, printed pictures are the only way to go. To be certain, printed pictures can look different when viewed under differing light sources but those differences don't hold a candle to the viewing variations encountered in the digital domain.
There is also a world of difference between turning the pages of a book and clicking through thumbnails of pictures on a screen.
That said, one of the things I was wondering about on the subject of photography magazines is the question - how many of you actually purchase and read/view photo magazines? If you do, which ones do you purchase? If you don't, why not?
The only magazine that I purchase - each and every issue - is Color, a relatively new periodical. For the most part, Color hews to a pretty fine line that skirts the excesses - both with pictures and commentary - of the camera club world and that of the academic lunatic fringe. The reproduction, design, and paper/binding are of very good quality.
Other magazines - although not every issue - do find there way into my hands and home - Aperture, Contact Sheet, and Focus magazines, to name a few. There are other picture pubs that I have purchased when I come across them in big-city book stores.
That said, I don't subscribe to any picture periodicals because, unfortunately, there is no telling how they will survive the trip from publisher to my house. I haven't had a copy of LensWork since they went to subscription-only availability for just that reason. I really don't need the aggravation of going to the post office - we have no home delivery in our town - and picking up high-quality periodicals that are bent, spindled, or otherwise mutilated*.
All of that said, in the current issue of Color, there is a good article about the pictures of Mona Kuhn** wherein she stated that she makes prints of all the images (from a shoot) that interest her, regardless of whether or not they will make it into the final edit...
...I pin the prints to my studio wall and look at them daily to decide which one carries a message closer to my heart. I still like to have it physically in my hand ... because eventually it will belong to this life (the print) and not the digital one.
My thoughts, exactly.
In any event, I think that, for one reason or another, photography magazines are an endangered commodity. IMO, if, in my lifetime, they cease to exist, it will be a sad day for those who appreciate printed pictures.
*not intended as an anti-US Postal Authority rant. If anything, it is minor rant, re: the manner in which publishers ship their periodicals. If they offered a cardboard container shipping option, I would gladly pay extra $$$ to use it.
**after viewing her pictures - which I tend to like - I can't help but wonder if she knows any overweight people.
Reader Comments (4)
Funny, I just bought a bunch of used photobooks because I'm tiring of looking at photos online (not to mention all the crap that you have to weed through to find good pictures - photobooks are pre-edited and have stood the test of time).
I subscribe to Lenswork just because. It rarely excites me. But it always arrives fresh and clean without damage. You can also now download their extended editions.
Ag magazine is my favorite photog magazine. Always arrives from Britain in perfect condition. Advertising-less like Lenswork, but with more content, color too, and a more diverse style range. Recommended.
You can always find lots of camera magazines but actual photography magazines are few and far between.
I let my Lensworks subscription lapse, but I will note that their mailing strategy involves a hefty cardboard mailer. I never had one damaged.
"Color" and its sister publication "B&W". I've got three years subscriptions of both for my last birthday. From time to time I buy "FOAM", originally the publication of the Amsterdam Museum of Photography (or so). Other than that, I have given up on all photo mags. The all sell cameras nowadays :)
And yes, I loved the images of Mona Kuhn.
My ultimate goal is to produce prints as opposed to display-based presentation. It's hard to give a photograph away or donate it or sell it unless it's in a physical form. Also sometimes stuff that looks good on a display may not make it as a print, so the print is a good reference.
Here's a question for Mark: I gather you print larger than 'native' size ie you've made references to sizes like 22 inch square images. What is your technique? Here I supposing that you must be uprezzing by one means or another, so I'm curious as to your approach.