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The Fragility of Abstract Photography... in homage to Aaron Siskind: The art of large format abstract photography 3rd edition
This is an eBook only publication of Paul White’s abstract photography he freely admits being inspired and in response to Aaron Siskind’s work. He first came across Siskind’s work whilst scouring the books shelves of the library where he worked and then a little later he found a perfect copy of Carl Chiarenza’s monograph on Siskind ‘Pleasures and Terrors’ in a small bookshop at Hay-on-Wye. This was in 1995, when White was 24 years of age. He was moved by Siskind’s photographs and words and immediately went out and began to set his large format camera up in various cities and towns, emulating Siskind’s style and personal expression. White has now produced a strong portfolio of abstract works and this volume shows a varied study and cross-section of his work, as well as the reasons why he chose such a narrow form of self expression. Paul White is well known for his black and white images of ruined farmhouses and mansions throughout Wales and has published two photographic ‘Ancestral The Lost Mansions of Wales’ (with poetry/prose by Damian Walford-Davies and Sian Melangell Davies) and ‘Poets Graves’ (with Damian Walford-Davies and Mererid Hopwood) both published by Gomer Press.
180 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 14, 2015
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About the author
Paul White
52 books3 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
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July 11, 2023
Paul White is a self-described “abstract photographer.” This book is as much an autobiography as a showcase for his photos. Here’s a bit more about how he describes himself and his work.
"I should also add that I work solely in black and white (but always carry a compact digital camera wherever I go) and will also discuss the technical issues of using a large format camera (as a macro camera in dark interiors with often very little natural light. I do not use flash photography, although there have been the odd instances where a burst of flash might be used to light up a particularly dark section of a scene. I feel flash should be used very sparingly and if used, then it should not be immediately apparent in the final image). ‘Large Format’ cameras are generally considered (ahem) large, heavy and wieldy things but the field camera, which I use, can be opened, photograph taken, packed up again in a matter of minutes. Of course, it does eventually become a little bit of a burden if you’re a long way from home and used up your quota of film."
"…(W)orking solely in black and white (but always carry a compact digital camera wherever I go) (I) will also discuss the technical issues of using a large format camera (as a macro camera in dark interiors with often very little natural light. I do not use flash photography, although there have been the odd instances where a burst of flash might be used to light up a particularly dark section of a scene. I feel flash should be used very sparingly and if used, then it should not be immediately apparent in the final image). ‘Large Format’ cameras are generally considered (ahem) large, heavy and wieldy things but the field camera, which I use, can be opened, photograph taken, packed up again in a matter of minutes. Of course, it does eventually become a little bit of a burden if you’re a long way from home and used up your quota of film."
The subtitle of the book acknowledges the influence of Aaron Siskind. It doesn’t hint at his debt to Edward Weston but the text makes up for that omission. "Weston would take day jaunts with his camera and I actually believed he was taking me along as not only an observer but also an apprentice. I knew, after a few months of having serious conversations with myself, that I had to invest in a camera similar to what Weston used. I needed the whole of my photographic experience to alter. I wanted large negatives that were sharp from corner to corner, with everything to be in focus, everything to be where it should be on the thin sheet of film. No errors, misjudgements or wasted film. A single image should say it all. A single sheet of film should carry with it an emotional response. It needed to be pure and untainted photography. Only that can be truth. This was a frightening and exciting revelation for my young head."
Like Weston, White, wants to share the details of each of his photographs. For a photographer interested in large format, black & white, abstract photography, this brief book is replete with personal insights. I don’t quite qualify, so I would have liked to have had more of his photography. The book shows his work from early efforts through 2015. You can detect some progression but the desire to use the abstract is always there.
Why abstraction? Here are some of his thoughts from one of his first abstract photographs: "(This) is one of the very first abstractions I took with the work of Aaron Siskind in mind. I recall purposely going out with my camera to seek such a wall. I wished to flatten the perspective, to show something that seems unworthy of photographing as a vital subject."
"…but an abstraction has no real time or place. It is merely a wall and that wall could be on the Empire State Building or on a crumbling corrugated iron ty bach (Welsh for toilet, meaning little house). The location means precious little. None of my images of abstractions have titles; Untitled seems the most appropriate. The image is the only thing of note. It is pure composition which must force a pure emotion. It wants and expects nothing more from the viewer except for this emotional response and here lies the greatest challenge to the photographer; how to get an emotional response from the viewer."
4*
"I should also add that I work solely in black and white (but always carry a compact digital camera wherever I go) and will also discuss the technical issues of using a large format camera (as a macro camera in dark interiors with often very little natural light. I do not use flash photography, although there have been the odd instances where a burst of flash might be used to light up a particularly dark section of a scene. I feel flash should be used very sparingly and if used, then it should not be immediately apparent in the final image). ‘Large Format’ cameras are generally considered (ahem) large, heavy and wieldy things but the field camera, which I use, can be opened, photograph taken, packed up again in a matter of minutes. Of course, it does eventually become a little bit of a burden if you’re a long way from home and used up your quota of film."
"…(W)orking solely in black and white (but always carry a compact digital camera wherever I go) (I) will also discuss the technical issues of using a large format camera (as a macro camera in dark interiors with often very little natural light. I do not use flash photography, although there have been the odd instances where a burst of flash might be used to light up a particularly dark section of a scene. I feel flash should be used very sparingly and if used, then it should not be immediately apparent in the final image). ‘Large Format’ cameras are generally considered (ahem) large, heavy and wieldy things but the field camera, which I use, can be opened, photograph taken, packed up again in a matter of minutes. Of course, it does eventually become a little bit of a burden if you’re a long way from home and used up your quota of film."
The subtitle of the book acknowledges the influence of Aaron Siskind. It doesn’t hint at his debt to Edward Weston but the text makes up for that omission. "Weston would take day jaunts with his camera and I actually believed he was taking me along as not only an observer but also an apprentice. I knew, after a few months of having serious conversations with myself, that I had to invest in a camera similar to what Weston used. I needed the whole of my photographic experience to alter. I wanted large negatives that were sharp from corner to corner, with everything to be in focus, everything to be where it should be on the thin sheet of film. No errors, misjudgements or wasted film. A single image should say it all. A single sheet of film should carry with it an emotional response. It needed to be pure and untainted photography. Only that can be truth. This was a frightening and exciting revelation for my young head."
Like Weston, White, wants to share the details of each of his photographs. For a photographer interested in large format, black & white, abstract photography, this brief book is replete with personal insights. I don’t quite qualify, so I would have liked to have had more of his photography. The book shows his work from early efforts through 2015. You can detect some progression but the desire to use the abstract is always there.
Why abstraction? Here are some of his thoughts from one of his first abstract photographs: "(This) is one of the very first abstractions I took with the work of Aaron Siskind in mind. I recall purposely going out with my camera to seek such a wall. I wished to flatten the perspective, to show something that seems unworthy of photographing as a vital subject."
"…but an abstraction has no real time or place. It is merely a wall and that wall could be on the Empire State Building or on a crumbling corrugated iron ty bach (Welsh for toilet, meaning little house). The location means precious little. None of my images of abstractions have titles; Untitled seems the most appropriate. The image is the only thing of note. It is pure composition which must force a pure emotion. It wants and expects nothing more from the viewer except for this emotional response and here lies the greatest challenge to the photographer; how to get an emotional response from the viewer."
4*
Displaying 1 of 1 review