civilized ku # 564-66 ~ the 500 yard rule
Tuesday, July 6, 2010 at 10:07AM 
Front yard with trellis ~ Indian Lake, NY - in the Adirondack PARK • click to embiggen
New door / old house ~ Blue Mt. Lake Lake, NY - in the Adirondack PARK • click to embiggen
I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream ~ Blue Mt. Lake Lake, NY - in the Adirondack PARK • click to embiggen
Somewhat tongue-in-cheek - at least, I assume so - it has been opined that ...
Anything more than 500 yards from the car just isn't photogenic. ~ Brett Weston
It has also been stated by Carl Weese - on civilized ku # 557-59:
Mark, you live in a fascinating area. I've been up there several times in recent years. My initial intention was to work "in the woods" with big cameras to make negatives for platinum printing [as here] but found myself drawn away to do color digital capture in the towns and the active farms north of the park itself ...
It is in fact quite true that I live in a fascinating area. And, like Carl, my initial picturing activity (both before and since moving here) was devoted almost exclusively to making pictures of the natural world, "pure" division. However, what I have come to more fully appreciate, fascinating-wise, about the Adirondack PARK is the unique integration of humankind (and their artifacts) with the forever wild natural landscape.
Consequently and subsequently, over time, my picturing activity has evolved from "pure' landscape pictures to include more "inclusive" pictures that illustrate the presence of humankind in the landscape. Other than the stylized and romanticized pictures of historic and/or rustic edifices and structures, as a picture making genre all of the other signs of the hand of humankind have been mostly overlooked and/or ignored.
Unlike the early so-called local/regional Adirondack Postcard picture makers, who made pictures that (intentionally or not) "explored regional identity, occupations, change, popular culture, transformation of the landscape, and photographic representation of the wilderness", today's pretty-picture crowd eschews such rich and diversified picturing opportunities in favor of the ever-repeating nature/eco-porn ouevre of ain't nature grand.
That said, one of the fascinating and amazing things about where I live is, in fact, how many photogenic subjects there are that are all within 500 yards from my car.
Reader Comments (2)
I could not agree more and each one tells a story.
I've seen the "500 yards" quote oft-times attributed to EDWARD Weston - and just as often, in pointing this out, I've remarked: " . . . and I hope he said that!"
Now I hope even more!