John Berger Nick Hedges Steve Hoare Roger Mayne Tom Picton Jo Spence John Tagg

Bob Long "Photo Montage”, May Half Moon Exhibition John Berger Nick Hedges Steve Hoare Roger Mayne Tom Picton Jo Spence John Tagg No.6 Half Moon Photography Workshop 30 p Ewan MacLeod, South Uist, Hebrides 1954 PAUL STRAND 1890-1976 by JOHN BERGER here is a widespread assumption that if one is interested in the visual, some actual incident, which we witness or the stuff of the life of the subject. Tone’s interest must be limited to a technique of somehow treating the live, refers to one of them as though to a In the two volumes, which include over visual. Thus the visual is divided into categories of special interest: painting, more solid reality. But it is not this which 200 photographs, there are at least 30 pictures of this kind of authority and photography, real appearances, dreams and so on. And what is forgotten — like makes Strand as a photographer unique. His method as a photographer was more intensity. Their quality depended upon his all essential questions in a positivist culture — is the meaning and enigma of unusual. One could say that it was the an technical skill, his ability to select, his know visibility itself. tithesis to Henri Cartier-Bresson’s. The pho ledge of the places he visited, his eye, his I think of this because I want to describe often disconcerting. Some would say that tographic moment for Cartier-Bresson is an sense of timing, his use of the camera; but what I can see in two books which are in these photographs fail, for they remain de instant, a fraction of a second, and he stalks he might have had all these talents and still front of me. They are two volumes of a tails of what they have been taken from: that instant as though it were a wild animal. not have been capable of producing such pic retrospective monograph (published by they never become independent images. The photographic moment for Strand was a tures. What finally determined his success Aperture, New York), on the work of Paul Nature, in these photographs, is intrasigent biographical or historic moment, whose dur in his photographs of people and in his land Strand. The first photographs date from to art, and the machine details mock the ation is ideally measured not by seconds but scapes — which are only extensions of 1915, when Strand was a sort of pupil of stillness of their perfectly rendered images. by its relation to a lifetime. Strand did not people who happen to be invisible — was his Alfred Stieglitz; the most recent ones were From the 1930’s onwards, the photo pursue an instant, but encouraged a moment ability to invite the narrative: to present taken in 1968 — though Strand, who died graphs fall typically into groups associated to arise as one might encourage a story to be himself to his subject in such a way that the in March, 1976 at the age of 85, worked with journeys that Strand made: to Mexico, told. subject is willing to say: I am as you see me. after that. New England, France, Italy, the Hebrides, In practical terms this means that he de It is more than a statement of immediate The earliest works deal mostly with Egypt, Ghana, Rumania. These are the cided what he wanted before he took the fact: it is already an explanation, a justifi people and sites in New York. The first of photographs for which Strand became well- picture, never playing with the accidental, cation, a demand — it is already autobio them shows a half-blind beggar woman. One known, and it is on the evidence of these worked slowly, hardly ever cropped a pic graphical. Strand’s photographs suggest his of her eyes is opaque, the other sharp and photographs that he should be considered a ture, often used a plate camera, formally sitters trust him to see their life story. And wary. Round her neck she wears a label great man. I am forced to use that some asked people to pose for him. His pictures it is for this reason that, although the por with BLIND printed on it. It is an image what archaic term because in the end it is were all remarkable for their intentionality. traits are formal and posed, there is no need, with a clear social message. But it is some less confusing than saying artist, photo His portraits were very frontal. The subject either on the part of photographer or photo thing else, too. We shall see later that in all grapher, thinker, image-maker. What it is looking at us; we are looking at the sub graph, for the disguise of a borrowed role Strand’s best photographs of people, he pre amounts to is that with these black-and- ject; it has been arranged like that. But (“ smile, please.” ). sented us with the visible evidence, not white photographs, with these records which there is a similar sense of frontality in many Photography, because it preserves the ap just of their presence, but of their life. At are distributable anywhere, he offered us the of his other pictures of landscapes or objects pearance of an event or a person, has always one level, such evidence of a life is social sight of a number of places and people in or buildings. His camera was not free-roving. been closely associated with the idea of the comment — Strand consistently took a left such a way that our view of the world can be He chose where to place it. historical. The ideal of photography, political position — but, at a different level, qualitatively extended. Where he chose to place it was not where aesthetics apart, is to seize an “historic” such evidence serves to suggest visually the On his travels Strand avoided the pic something was about to happen, but where a moment. But Paul Strand’s relation as a totality of another lived life, from within turesque, the panoramic, and tried to find a number of happenings would be related. photographer to the historic is a unique one: which we ourselves are no more than a sight. city in a street, the way of life of a nation in Thus, without any use of anecdote, he turn his photographs convey a unique sense of This is why the black letters B-L-I-N-D on a the corner of a kitchen. Mostly his approach ed his subjects into narrators. The river duration. white label do more than spell the word. let him choose ordinary subjects which in narrates itself. The field where the horses While the picture remains in front of us, we their ordinariness are extraordinarily are grazing recounts itself. The wife tells the ‘PAUL STRAND - A RETROSPECTIVE can never take them as read. The earliest representative. story of her marriage. In each case Strand, MONOGRAPH’ Aperture Books, New York image in the book forces us to reflect on the He had an infallible eye for the quintes the photographer, chose the place to put his and Gordon Fraser, London 1971. (Pub significance of seeing itself. sential: whether it is to be found on a Mexi camera as listener. lished in two volumes) The next photographs, from the 1920’s, can doorstep, or in the way that an Italian The approach: neo-realist. The method: ‘PAUL STRAND - SIXTY YEARS OF includes photographs of machine parts and village schoolgirl in a black pinafore holds deliberate, frontal, formal, with every sur PHOTOGRAPHS’ Aperture Books, New close-ups of various natural forms — roots, her straw hat. Such photographs enter so face thoroughly scanned. What is the result? Yoek and Gordon Fraser, London 1977. rocks and grasses. Already Strand’s techni deeply into the particular that they reveal to His best photographs are unusually dense This is the only book of Strand’s work still cal perfectionism and strong aesthetic in us the stream of a culture or a history which — not in the sense of being over-burdened in print; it is beautifully produced, but at terests were apparent. But equally his is flowing through that particular subject or obscure, but in the sense of being filled £16.00 is hardly good value when compared obstinate, resolute respect for the thing-in- like blood. The images of these photo with an unusual amount of substance per to the earlier two volume monograph of itself was also apparent. And the result is graphs, once seen, subsist in our mind until square inch. And all this substance becomes 1971. This issue of CAMERAWORK, April, 1977, was produced by the Publishing Project, Half Moon Photography Workshop, 27 Alie Street, London, E.I., 01- 488—2595. Ed Barber, Terry Dennett, Marilyn Dalick-Noad, Mike Goldwater, Liz Heron, Sue Hobbs, Eric Molden, Tom Picton, Jo Spence, Paul Trevor. is designed to provide a forum for the exchange of ideas, views and information on photo Printed by Expression Printers, 5 Kingsbury Road, London, N.l. graphy and other forms of communication. By exploring the application, scope and content of photography, we intend to demystify the process. We see this as part of the struggle to If you have any comments to make or articles, letters or prints you would like to contribute, learn, to describe and to share experiences and so contribute to the process by which we grow we will be glad to hear from you. Please make sure it reaches us by 1st June 1977 in capacity and power to control our own lives. (ISSN 0308 1676) Factory Fantasies? by NICK HEDGES Judy sits at the assembly line, head sunk in her hands; on the girder next to her hangs a travel poster of a bikini-clad girl laughing at the world.

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