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PRO127: Eliot Porter (Sept. 19 - Oct. 31)

PRO127: Eliot Porter (Sept. 19 - Oct. 31)

WIT: I was very excited by the Eliot Porter assignment. His photos are so familiar to me, not because I've seen them - I'm not sure if I have or not. I just FEEL like I've seen them all. Maybe at some level, EP has influenced my own photography. I certainly gravitate towards the same subjects, maybe even the same approach. I don't mean to compare myself with him by any means, but I recognize something so close to home from his work and I feel a real affinity with his photos.

I took a lot of photos with him in mind this past several weeks, but really they were not so different than the kinds of pix I often take. Going through them to choose one for submission was a bit disappointing. Nothing looked very good to me. I feel as if I can see what he sees, but I just did not really know how to capture it. Nothing was as vivid or as moody or as intense.

I ended up submitting this photo in the end because the quality of this shot is a bit better/sharper than a few others that I also sort of like.

1. which photo(s) inspired you: All of them. I love his work. The Iceland pix of the multicoloured lichen and rock are stunning. The aspen shots I love. The bark is so white; the leaves such a deep yellow; the shadows are quite pronounced but without the loss of any sense of lightness. I think that must have something to do with his very complex developing/dying techniques.
2. what you like and/or don't like about Eliot Porter's style or approach: I think that's obvious. I like everything about his work. I didn't see anything that didn't make me sigh or nod in recognition.
3. your thoughts and/or thought process behind your assignment submission: As I said above, I chose a pic that has sharp focus on a small (but really BIG) subject. The rocks on the river bank here never cease to amaze me. From a distance they are a bit bluish grey, and then when you get on top of them, they are smokey blue, and a dozen shades of pink and mauve and green and peachy-ochre, and striped, and pitted, and grooved and speckled.
4. how your photo reflects elements of Porter's style: I think I chose a subject (rocks) that EP was fascinated with. He has some in his Iceland portfolio and I think also in the Wildness portfolio. I was so touched to find this beautiful downy white (goose or duck) feather sheltered here among the rocks and the lovely wirey roots of shrubs that populate the high water parts of the river banks.
5. what you gained as a photographer from studying Porter's work: I will continue studying EPs work. I can learn a lot from him and photograph the things I love to photograph. My eye has been honed a bit more I think after appreciating his work.

Thanks so much for introducing me to Eliot Porter, Wes (-: