Bill Pierce
Well-known
Arthur Grace and I worked for the same national news magazine and had the same agency selling our work abroad. There the similarity stops. Arthur has also published 6 books, each a detailed look at a specific subject. Choose Me, a look at presidential campaigns is very different from the long lens head and shoulders that the rest of us were shooting at candidates public appearances. Armed with a twin-lens Rollei, Arthur shot a far more varied view of the public campaign and gained access to the candidates at private moments when there were no press and public. Of his many books, probably my favorite is Robin Williams, a many years look at an assignment that became a long-term friendship with a brilliant comic, an equally brilliant actor and a good human being.
Yesterday I attended a book signing for Arthur’s sixth book, a book that has been singled out for very positive reviews by the New York Times, the Washington Post and the London Times. But, in a sense this book is different from its predecessors. Communism(s): A Cold War Album is a look at life in an area now making headlines. Yes, there are pictures of “important people,” but there are many more pictures of regular people and the life they are living. Forty-three years ago Arthur got his first assignment in what was then known as the “Soviet Bloc,” and continued to get assignments for a dozen years. They were not easy assignments. I got arrested in Poland for photographing a line of customers waiting outside of a grocery store when word went out that the store had received some hard to get items. Arthur managed to avoid arrest while photographing something far more serious, anti government protests, photographed from the windows of nearby buildings when he realized that on the street he was being followed by someone working for the government. If you were photographing in Russia, your InTourist guide, driver and translator was actually a KGB agent who was probably higher on the pay scale than the head of InTourist. All in all there were problems in getting a comprehensive and honest look behind that curtain. Over time Arthur got that honest look. You see it in the people; you see it in their surroundings and, most important, you see in their faces what it is like to live in the “Soviet Bloc.”
There’s much to learn from a book of pictures. It’s obviously non verbal, in this case a feeling for what it is like to live in something approaching an autocracy, valuable information in today’s world. But for photographers it offers something more - once again, non verbal - what is it that makes a good photograph. Every good photographer that I know has a large library of photo books. A few are technical, but most are books of pictures. Quite a few are rare first editions simply because a lot of good books of photographs never make it to a second edition. Those books teach us in many ways, none more important than setting a standard for what is a good picture, a standard we can apply to our own work.
I’ve gone on and on just to say spend time with good photographs. They will do you good. Maybe I’ll say more in the replies section. But I’m more interested in what you have to say.
Yesterday I attended a book signing for Arthur’s sixth book, a book that has been singled out for very positive reviews by the New York Times, the Washington Post and the London Times. But, in a sense this book is different from its predecessors. Communism(s): A Cold War Album is a look at life in an area now making headlines. Yes, there are pictures of “important people,” but there are many more pictures of regular people and the life they are living. Forty-three years ago Arthur got his first assignment in what was then known as the “Soviet Bloc,” and continued to get assignments for a dozen years. They were not easy assignments. I got arrested in Poland for photographing a line of customers waiting outside of a grocery store when word went out that the store had received some hard to get items. Arthur managed to avoid arrest while photographing something far more serious, anti government protests, photographed from the windows of nearby buildings when he realized that on the street he was being followed by someone working for the government. If you were photographing in Russia, your InTourist guide, driver and translator was actually a KGB agent who was probably higher on the pay scale than the head of InTourist. All in all there were problems in getting a comprehensive and honest look behind that curtain. Over time Arthur got that honest look. You see it in the people; you see it in their surroundings and, most important, you see in their faces what it is like to live in the “Soviet Bloc.”
There’s much to learn from a book of pictures. It’s obviously non verbal, in this case a feeling for what it is like to live in something approaching an autocracy, valuable information in today’s world. But for photographers it offers something more - once again, non verbal - what is it that makes a good photograph. Every good photographer that I know has a large library of photo books. A few are technical, but most are books of pictures. Quite a few are rare first editions simply because a lot of good books of photographs never make it to a second edition. Those books teach us in many ways, none more important than setting a standard for what is a good picture, a standard we can apply to our own work.
I’ve gone on and on just to say spend time with good photographs. They will do you good. Maybe I’ll say more in the replies section. But I’m more interested in what you have to say.
Dogman
Mentor
While I've managed to keep the volume of books under control by using a Kindle for most of my "reading books", my wife continually reminds me our house is becoming overrun with photo books stacked to the ceiling on several bookcases. Since we recently had our wills drawn up by an attorney, I have to remind her that many of these "clutter" books are rare and now costly. She or her sons will inherit them on my demise and they should consider them valuable personal assets.
Although I look at a lot of pictures online, I still consider opening a nice printed book of good photos to be a treat--a visual feast. They also feed creativity. I steal methods and ways of framing frequently from photographers whose work I admire. There's much to learn from studying the vision of other photographers.
Although I look at a lot of pictures online, I still consider opening a nice printed book of good photos to be a treat--a visual feast. They also feed creativity. I steal methods and ways of framing frequently from photographers whose work I admire. There's much to learn from studying the vision of other photographers.
Timmyjoe
Mentor
Hey Bill, agree with everything you said above. I have a copy of Choose Me on the photo bookshelf and have used it time and again for inspiration. Arthur does great work. I will keep an eye out for Communism(s).
When I'm feeling stale I find inspiration in my collection of books by photographers I admire, including your friend Arthur, David Douglas Duncan, Jonvelle, Diane Arbus, Herb Ritts and others.
Best,
-Tim
When I'm feeling stale I find inspiration in my collection of books by photographers I admire, including your friend Arthur, David Douglas Duncan, Jonvelle, Diane Arbus, Herb Ritts and others.
Best,
-Tim
ranger9
Well-known
Interesting timing for this book to appear. Now that we are all being forced to accustom ourselves to queuing up for everything from cars to tampons, and submitting to constant interrogation by an online surveillance apparatus, I can understand why some people would be interested in making us feel more fortunate than the pathetic serfs of Communism(s) and lucky to live under our benign billionaire oligarchy. Who did you say the publisher was again?
Ko.Fe.
Lenses 35/21 Gears 46/20
It is good to have darkside been documented as is, without official façade.
Oh, do you really think the head of InTourist wasn't KGB.... Also in Soviet higher pay wasn't everything. The food store butchers were paid small money, but they were among really rich.
And if you were in charge of letting rich tourists in, believe me, they were happy to work for official small salary.
Some truth could be read here about InTourist. With fancy pictures. Just ask Google to translate it to the language you know.
https://roizmanfond.ru/publications/inturist.html
Oh, do you really think the head of InTourist wasn't KGB.... Also in Soviet higher pay wasn't everything. The food store butchers were paid small money, but they were among really rich.
And if you were in charge of letting rich tourists in, believe me, they were happy to work for official small salary.
Some truth could be read here about InTourist. With fancy pictures. Just ask Google to translate it to the language you know.
https://roizmanfond.ru/publications/inturist.html
Retro-Grouch
Well-known
Communism was an idealistic political theory that quickly devolved, in the USSR, into a system of totalitarian state terror, under an autocratic madman who seized power. Any political system can fall victim to that fate, no matter how idealistic the vision of its founders.
It has been said that Democracy is a noble idea which has yet to be implemented. Perhaps the same might be said of Communism. And let's remember that Democracy and Communism, in their theoretical forms, are in no way antithetical. And no, I am not trolling. Just stating what I believe to be true.
It has been said that Democracy is a noble idea which has yet to be implemented. Perhaps the same might be said of Communism. And let's remember that Democracy and Communism, in their theoretical forms, are in no way antithetical. And no, I am not trolling. Just stating what I believe to be true.
Bill Pierce
Well-known
These are the NY Times and Washington Post articles about Communism(s). I don’t know if you can log on to the articles without a subscription to either one, but we’ll find out.
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/14/books/arthur-grace-communisms.html
https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/interactive/2022/soviet-photographs-arthur-grace/
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/14/books/arthur-grace-communisms.html
https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/interactive/2022/soviet-photographs-arthur-grace/
Bill Pierce
Well-known
My KGB driver/translator/guide truly believed that, while America was at that time a better place to live in than Russia, that in 100 years Russia would be the better place to live. He had worked outside of the Soviet Union, indeed knew some of his American counterparts. His life was not easy. Like many Russians of his age, while he was still a child his father was killed in WWII. His housing was not great, and it was so far from central Moscow that he had to get up at 5 AM just to be able to pick me up after I had breakfast in my nice hotel. But he loved his country.
Once when Eddie Adams and I were photographing near Red Square a Russian kid came up to Ed and looking at Ed’s lapel pin, a small Statue of Liberty pin, said “F..k Lady Liberty.” There were always cops around us, and they immediately grabbed the kid and hauled him off behind a building. He would be isolated until he went to court and probably sentenced. I said to my ununiformed KGB agent, “Serge, do you think there’s anything you can do about this?? and Serge took off to find the officers. A few minutes later the kid reappeared, ran up to Ed and blew a kiss to his lapel pin saying, “Lady Liberty I love you.”
That was a long time ago. I really liked Serge who in disposition and action was like an Irish NYC cop with international experience. And it makes me sad that the dreams he had for his country did not come true.