Tom C wrote:
As I said, I think the PDML exhibit in Chicago was a far better
collection of images than the Eggleston exhibit. That's my opinion.
For instance I saw nothing artistic or good about the photographs of a
pile of garbage or the black porcelain interior of an oven.
There were half a dozen to a dozen photos at Eggleston that I really
liked. While I can empathize with his finding beauty in the mundane,
those photos work better on their own than mixed in with 150 others.
Also, our photos had the advantage of each photographer going through a
year's worth of photos to pick their three best from the year. Then Mark
went through those and picked one or two of their best. Then Sue went
through and picked 45 of those. So each photograph was by some measure,
the best of the best of the best.
Meanwhile, Eggleston had something like 30 from one day in Carter's
hometown. I don't care who you are, nobody in one day is going to crank
out 30 photos of the caliber of most of the pictures in the PDML
exhibition. Maybe none of our best photos match Eggleston's best, and
maybe he'll get 30 in a year of the quality that we aspire to get a few
of each year, but of those 30, I'd say that there were maybe three worth
showing. Granted, his goal wasn't 30 great shots, it was a set to convey
the feeling of that one town.
Another advantage that we had is the 40 or so years of state of the art,
both artistic and technologic between when his pictures were taken and
when ours were. I don't know if I could do what he did, using the
equipment that he did. I've also had the benefit of looking at pictures
taken by people who have looked at all the pictures taken between then
and now.
It's probably easier to define a bad photograph as opposed to a good one.
A bad photograph is one that a person sees once and never cares to
look at again.
Unless the photo was meant to evoke a negative response, perhaps like
the famous one of the vietnamese officer executing a prisoner. The
reason someone may not want to see it again could have everything to do
with what makes it a great photo.
Tom C.
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