many photographers seem to have the "rush to publish" syndrome…get out a book, any book, just as fast as possible…well, not Joseph…in 7 days in 1968, Koudelka photographed his first book material…but, it has taken him 40 years to publish it…
at the Magnum office last week Joseph explained to our staff about his famous Prague watch picture…even he was confused about the actual time on the watch….he came to show us his new book "Joseph Koudelka:Invasion ’68 Prague"….i naturally asked him "why did you wait so long to do this book?"..his answer: "nobody was interested at the time…i was not interested at the time"…
as the Russians rolled into Prague in August ’68, Joseph had amazing access, riding around on the Russian tanks, shooting everywhere all the time…this book is quite an amazing piece of good old fashioned photojournalism, with i think about 250 pictures…some you probably know…some are "new"….
Joseph poured us all a glass of wine, flipped through the pages of the book, told some good stories, and then, looking at his watch, abruptly left saying "i must go to work" .. quite literally like a man late for "work" or something…funny…
so, what time do you think it reads on the watch???
joni :)))))))))…
bingo! :))
running
b
Anyway, the thing of it is, I finally got my local public library to get Magnum Magnum for me from someplace over in Connecticut. This is the good part. Now comes the bad part. If this behemoth falls on my foot, will I have to sue Magnum to get my medical bills paid or is there no liability involved here? What about if I herniate myself trying to lift the damn thing? Will Magnum spring for a truss? The other thing is this: there are no dog pictures from Erwitt in this thing. Having Erwitt and no dog pictures is like having peanut butter and jelly without the peanut butter. Magnum expects people to shell out big bucks for this sucker and there’s no dog pics? This is not going to happen. Pardon me while I go look for Woof!
Hi David,
For more than a year now, you have used the following word very very often in your posts. English is not my first language so I did not understand it. Yesterday (at last) I decided to look into it:
Serendipity: finding something when looking for something else, thanks to an observant mind. Making discoveries by accident of which you are not in quest of…
And then I thought that this will probably (no, surely) happen to you during your upcoming trip in the USA. You may have an intuition about what you will be finding along the way, and come back with a completly different set of views/findings/understanding…
Arie
Hi David,
For more than a year now, you have used the following word very very often in your posts. English is not my first language so I did not understand it. Yesterday (at last) I decided to look into it:
Serendipity: finding something when looking for something else, thanks to an observant mind. Making discoveries by accident of which you are not in quest of…
And then I thought that this will probably (no, surely) happen to you during your upcoming trip in the USA. You may have an intuition about what you will be finding along the way, and come back with a completly different set of views/findings/understanding…
Arie
here’s an interesting story
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/27/nyregion/thecity/27jill.html?_r=1&ref=thecity&oref=slogin
David, I know it will sound trite: You certainly never give too much the image of someone self-questionning/doubting, or harbouring existential stirrings (maybe you do privately).
So I am wondering how much the idea of personal quest(ever-mining deeper thru one’s inner core), fits, or not, in any of your long time project, and especially this new one, which may have a bit of the proverbial “all P. is self-portraiture” ring to it, when all is shot, said and exibited. Or does it?
I actually rarely sense such direct stirring from photographers, from their output (their biography and life being another story). There is something “sure” about photographs that seem to preclude witnessing such stirrings in them so obviously. Even Serrano, or Mapplethorpe.
they (the pictures) seem to say: “well, there it is” rather than wondering aloud. Maybe it has to do with the fact that the craft element of photography is never far from the art one. It is hard to find a 2-dimensional (I think it’s 2! definitely not 3…) art that would be more concrete, ie. “black on white”, once represented.
PS: definitely wondering aloud here, and yes, probably asking myself more than you, as usual, david, but in case….. ;-)
http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=9pkLDEEs20U
http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=IcF-OsJnkjk
http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=4w9EksAo5hY
Oh Panos, that last one, don’t tell me it was a hit (anywhere!)?
Let me wash it down with this:
Herve… where the hell is everybody…
I know it’s “PASHA” for the greeks… but where the hell are the rest!!!!!????
oh… i see … everybody’s drunk… but…
no balls.. to admit…
@panos: for you, some more proper industrial stuff (a pigface cover by NIN) – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KnSyyYoBkp0
In the last few years a number of world class photographers have published work that has taken thirty to forty years to ‘find’ an audience: Bruce Davidson, Robert Frank (London/Wales), Colin Jones’ marvellous GRAFTERS, some recent McCullin that hasn’t previously been widely seen (IN ENGALND) — these are just some that come to mind. And now Koudelka’s wonderful INVASION 1968.
What makes these belated publications possible? What is it that creates an audience that wasn’t previously there? The ‘accretion’ of history onto (into?) a set of pictures? Economics? Social climate? All of these. I’m just wondering, because whatever it is, for me, it has produced some of the most satisfying publications in recent years…
– alun
AKAKY….
if you read Magnum, Magnum carefully, you will see and realize that the photographs in this book were all chosen by a photographer other than the photographer whose work is presented..for example, i edited and chose the work of Costa Manos….i do not know if this was all a good idea or not…anyway, you are right, the book could do serious physical damage if dropped…i do not remember right now who edited Elliott…obviously not a dog lover…
ALUN….
i am not sure which Bruce Davidson work you to which you refer….his work, at least all that i know, has always been published more or less soon after he was finished shooting…McCullin has just been working and working, so i do not see his as “delayed” either…he just wasn’t finished….and , as i said, Koudelka told me straight up that he just had never been interested in publishing his Invasion work before now…you can never underestimate photographer procrastination either!!…and, of course, now there are just so many more book publishers and opportunities than there were even 10 years ago…AND, the world is just craving craving new work now…there is a photorevolution happening now that is totally unparalleled in the short history of photography…
“the world is just craving craving new work now…there is a photorevolution happening now that is totally unparalleled in the short history of photography…”
Could you elaborate on the notion of the photorevolution, David? That’s an interesting statement.
david-preston-all
the new paradigm for photo books is indeed switching…and i~d love it even more if europe-n.america switched to an idea that has long been alive in Japan….small, inexpensive books…japan, for years and years, as been at the forefront ot this…and now with digital printing being (relatively speaking) inexpensive, i~d love for publishers to do more…the question, of course, is about buying;buyers….who buys ^photo^ books….
though i look at lots and lots of websites as if they were ^books^…only loss–curling up in bed or on a patch of grass dreaming upon them….
running
b
How do we square the craving of new work, with the realization that the photo publishing business (dailies, weeklies, P.books) is rather struggling or re-assessing needs that leave more professionally minded P-ers struggling.
probably all phrased wrong, but yes, I’d love to hear David expand on what that means.
David, joining the ever-growing number of people who “have sent you an e-mail”, mine about your June dates in Paris…
David — I wasn’t altogether clear. Bruce Davidson: I specifically meant ENGLAND/SCOTLAND 1960 (Steidl Verlag, Feb 2006). This may include previously published work but little-seen. McCullin’s IN ENGLAND I think includes work that again may have been previously published but rarely or only to a limited extent in book form.
While on the subject of McCullin, it is rather sad that he says in his introduction: “…I know I have to make this book now because of my age. I don’t have the tolerance or stamina to continue much longer. I am not at the end of my work, but I’m close to the limits of what I can accomplish.” A typically unflinching self-assessment from one of the great documentary masters.
Best,
alun
BOB…
ok, yes, now i understand….good idea on the next trivia question…i will wait just a bit , because i think almost everyone knows where i am right now….
JARLE….
i would have to think some on the best exhibit i ever saw…hmmmm, well, “Ashes and Snow” certainly had to be the most unique..
yes, i am using the Fuji 6×9 on this project…
cheers, david
PRESTON…
quite simply a revolution in both photo book publishing and in fine collector print buying..who knows how long these “trends” will last however..and we cannot forget the “off the charts” consumer fascination with taking pictures as never before…interest in the still image seems to be growing by the minute, but i have no “official figures”, only a sense of it…
ALUN…
thanks for clarifying about Bruce and Don…Don McCullin in person has such a sense of humor and always has everyone laughing…but, when i read his words, he seems a bit “dark”…strange, or is it just Irish????
cheers, david
thanks for your comment David.
take your time thinking about the best exhibit, but please do get back to me on the question. the ashes and snow exhibition was shown in La when i lived in santa barbara, but unfortunately, i never ended up seeing the exhibition…and the line each time i went to La…was too long…at times no patience.
Will there (and where?) be a book signing upon the official release of the book?
P.S. I haven’t been here for a while but it’s good to see Stupid here for the second time ;-)