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Response to Phil Borges toning technique

from Todd Frederick (fredrick@hotcity.com)
I just glanced at the Keita site. Never heard of him; have now...and like what I saw! Bookmarked for later serious study.

I think I'm beginning to see what I enjoy in certain portraits...can't put a label on it, except to say it's a type of "sytlized formalism"...give me a better name if you can...help me here. Walker Evans did some of this when he photographed country folk, Mary Ellen Mark did some in her circus portraits and others (the family in the car comes to mind), Diane Arbus always used this style, Avedon did it all in his America portraits.

This kind of portraiture is posed and planned and directly confronts the viewer and each image has a thematic purpose, like Avedon's "Bee Man," or Arbus' "Twins." Whether or not we like Borges' style, or his toning techniques, he uses this kind of formalism...to me it's the antithesis of the kind of street photography we see in Winogrand, which I dislike greatly. Any thoughts on this?

(posted 8681 days ago)

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