Charlie Waite: Behind the Photograph

I am going to go against the grain here, I am not a Charlie Waite Fan, or indeed David Ward. I just don't rate their work terribly highly. I far prefer the work of Joe Cornish, Thomas Heaton, Ian Cameron etc.
 
There is a reason why Charlie is so successful...besides being a shrewd businessman.
 
SFTPhotography said:
I am going to go against the grain here, I am not a Charlie Waite Fan, or indeed David Ward. I just don't rate their work terribly highly. I far prefer the work of Joe Cornish, Thomas Heaton, Ian Cameron etc.
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You don't have to like the work to agree with the thought processes.
 
SFTPhotography said:
I am going to go against the grain here, I am not a Charlie Waite Fan, or indeed David Ward. I just don't rate their work terribly highly. I far prefer the work of Joe Cornish, Thomas Heaton, Ian Cameron etc.
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I'm not a 'fan' of any individual, but rather a great fan of photos regardless of who took them; its just that a lot of what CW said here made sense and resonated with me, which is unusual - i.e. I can't stand watching vlogs by such as T Heaton and nor do I rate his work mostly, just as I find a lot of JC's work formulaic - weird innit, but great that we're all so different in what we like & shoot :)

Dave
 
I picked up on the missing slit in the gown ( 4 ladies with bikes ) before he amended it , Does that make me good :D
 
Sam Tip said:
A wise and insightful
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I'd call him an eye-candy merchant. Granted that he may be successful at that, but that's what I see. So what's wise & insightful?

To capture the pretty as he does is, I'd say, to deal rather with the surfaces of things. So insightful isn't a word I'd use.

He has found a commercial niche that works. Is that insightful?
 
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droj said:
I'd call him an eye-candy merchant.
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Well, I listened to all he said, droj, start to finish. He regularly came across genuine, informed, experienced, perceptive and constructive. So, yes, "wise and insightful", in my opinion.

He's highly motivated by beauty in nature. He has a passion for it. This means he gets criticised for using his compositional talent and technical expertise to create pretty pictures. I've a notion that someone can be (perhaps glibly) accused of shooting "eye-candy" and be wise and insightful with it. They aren't mutually exclusive.
 
Sam Tip said:
I've a notion that someone can be (perhaps glibly) accused of shooting "eye-candy" and be wise and insightful with it. They aren't mutually exclusive.
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Maybe so Sam, but whether that's true here I couldn't say. And I'd hate to be glib, that wouldn't serve my intention.

What remains though is that I don't find his work insightful.

And the bit where Cornish and he were mentally crawling over each other like slugs in heat made me squirm ...
 
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Thanks for sharing. I thought it was really good to hear someone rating Ansel Adams' work for a change. I've read The Camera and am halfway through The Negative and these two books alone so far are a treasure trove of information. Adams really knows how to impart knowledge if nothing else. Was also nice to see him reference Kertész and Erwitt - two more of my faves :)

And the "print your work" passion I also wholeheartedly agree with. It's something I reinforce to my students all the time and one of the main things they find rewarding too. If it's not worth printing, why keep it? (family memories excepted)

But most importantly, it was the visualisation thing. Seeing the image and making it happen in the camera - which is what Adams talks about in his intro to the first book. Before anything else, visualise your image - make it in your head. Massively important. How many photos in the [Insert Genre] forum here that are accompanied by "it's just a snap"...? It's about Work That Matters.

Oh, and more plus points for the HDR mention. I quite liked his impression of a frightened shadow, but never thought of it "as God intended". Embrace your shadows (and highlights!!)

[caveat] I didn't watch the interview with JC after the presentation. It did come across as a bit wierd like Droj mentioned so I switched it off.[/caveat]
 
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I watched the majority of that and what struck me was the yawning gap between the pictures he cited as influences and his own work, which seems a little formulaic. Perhaps that is why he'd counted the right angles in the Cartier-Bresson. Waite's pictures are well crafted in their way but rather trite. However, he comes across as likeable and does seem to be genuinely in love with the medium. Fair play to him for making a few bob from doing what he loves doing. Can't say I gleaned much from the hour. I stopped watching when the interview started...

Landscape photography is something I find problematic, as it's all too easy to to make pictures which don't bear repeated viewing or deep contemplation but look nice in a frame. Jem Southam is more to my taste, and I find this vid (despite the quality) worth rewatching.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4JE8I44Ak7o
 
Ed Sutton said:
I find this vid (despite the quality) worth rewatching
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"Taken en masse, they make me feel like I've had too much cream."
I love Fay Godwin :)
 
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