Camera Position 11 : Weston and the Other 29

March 30, 2006 Jeff Curto 2 Comments

It took Edward Weston 29 prior attempts to get to the point where he made his well-known “Pepper #30” photograph. Musicians have to practice their scales, and so do photographers, trying a variety of attempts at conveying the essence of their subjects before hitting on the one that works the best. Weston’s strategy of looking at the three-dimensional world in a two-dimensional image is explored with Pepper #30 and Head-Down Nude.

Pepper #30, 1930
by Edward Weston

Head Down Nude, 1936
by Edward Weston

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Podcast Entry

Camera Position 10 : A Story Without Words

March 23, 2006 Jeff Curto 1 Comment

Photographers have to be aware of the fact that viewers of their images can’t know the whole story of how a photograph came to be. The image has to rely on its own visual authority to get the message across. Using this photograph of Sant’ Antimo, a 12th Century Romanesque abbey in rural Tuscany, I explore the idea of where images come from and how that impetus translates to the viewer.

Abbazia di Sant’ Antimo, 1997
Photograph by Jeff Curto

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Podcast Entry

Camera Position 09 : Composition and Idea

March 15, 2006 Jeff Curto

The idea you want to communicate in a photograph is in direct relation to the way in which you choose to make that photograph. A photograph of Bernini’s beautiful Baroque fountain, situated in front of the Pantheon, is used to examine how composition and idea play off of one another.

Fontana, Piazza della Rotunda, Roma, 1990
Photograph by Jeff Curto

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Podcast Entry

Camera Position 08 : Strand’s “The Family”

March 10, 2006 Jeff Curto 3 Comments

Paul Strand’s masterful 1953 portrait “The Family” acts as a backdrop for some thoughts on how interaction between the photographer and subject and among the subjects themselves creates visual and emotional interest in a photograph.

The Family, Luzzara, Italy, 1953
Photograph by Paul Strand

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Podcast Entry

Camera Position 07 : Light, Idea and Emotion

March 3, 2006 Jeff Curto 1 Comment

Ultimately, a photograph comes down to a common element: Light. Using two photographs of a vineyard, this podcast explores the quality, direction and visual impact of light.