Alex Webb’s colourful photography
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- čas přidán 27. 07. 2024
- Welcome to another episode and today we’re exploring the work of Alex Webb, talking about personal growth, the language of photography, personal growth etc… I hope you enjoy and this video is helpful in anyway. Thank you so much for watching & supporting the channel.
Work & Socials
🌐 beacons.ai/tatianahopper
Footage
Alex Webb - Home Project Magnum Photos
• Alex Webb - HOME Proje...
More on Alex Webb
www.magnumphotos.com/photogra...
www.lensculture.com/articles/...
archive.nytimes.com/lens.blog...
Books by Alex Webb
The Suffering of Light
amzn.to/3s9wgnU
Memory City: The Fading Days of Film
amzn.to/3TizzFe
Slant Rhymes: Alex Webb and Rebecca Norris Webb
amzn.to/3TtTIHW
Music
Horse with no name by America
Cover by MaxAttics
• America - A Horse With...
Video Breakdown
00:00 Intro.
02:08 Alex Webb: The Complex & Colourful
06:20 Sensing the streets & non-importance of labels
09:51 Why colour? & the importance of personal growth
12:01 Conclusions
The Colourful World of Alex Webb
by Tatiana Hopper
October 2022
Copyright disclaimer under section 107 of the Copyright Act of 1976, allowance is made for “fair use” purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, education and research.
Under this guidance, I’ve created content which is guided towards the education, celebration and promotion of said photographs and photographers who have contributed immensely to the art of photography.
An effort is made by the presenter, verbally and through the usage of links (in the video’s description) to encourage the audience to explore the work presented beyond the video and engage with said content through books, articles and relevant links to each photographer’s own social media.
Therefore, I believe the inclusion of said images, footage and other sources can overall add depth and appreciation for the subject of the video whilst also enriching the visuals and dynamics of the it. All within what is within the fair use scope and CZcams’s policies.
#photography #alexwebb #art #35mm #filmphotography #colorphotography #travelphotography #streetphotography #documentaryphotography - Krátké a kreslené filmy
Meditation has been an incredible tool in helping me to be present which positively affects to how I work. I do read, watch other people’s work, social issues documentaries have been a great source of inspiration too. Conversations with fellow creatives also play a key role in my creative inspiration. Thank you once again for making thought provoking videos while also sharing a photographer’s work :)
Thank you so much Sathya! For me it’s been very much the same, meditation, documentaries / podcasts, books and also walks, glad to know we’re on the same page, thank you so much for watching 🕊
Personal growth is key for any artist. Self is the source of an artist's work; without self awareness there can not be growth.
💯
I had never heard of this gentleman before, so thanks for the introduction. He seems to be one of the very few street photographers, who has mastered the art of the ' decisive moment '. Quite a complex relationship of the elements whithin his photographs with respect to the photograph, perhaps not so to each other. As for the introductory track, what can I say? A classic by America. I remember that I made a cassette of America's songs in the early 70s when I was an A level student in the UK, and took it back with me for the summer break when I went back home for a couple of months. Memories of a different era, a differnt country.
my personal growth started with restoring my car that i grew up with (a chrysler minivan). ive learned alot about relationships, value that we give to other people, and how we see the beauty, even in destroyed areas. and being alone for a long time gave me also personal growth.
Loved this video (like most of yours...) I found interesting that on the same week, both you and Sean Tucker produced content on Alex Webb that are really working together well and complement each other!
Thank you so much Dominique! Glad you’re enjoying both videos, I loved Sean’s video very good insights! :)
Came to say the same thing. Cool to compare the notes about a specific photographer from two people who I know will have individualized and well thought out takes.
I didn’t realize how much personal growth informed my work until I was approaching my 30s and now I’m embracing change to see where it takes my work.
Thank you for constantly, educating us.
To answer your question, I have learnt to embrace boredom and I do not shy from it. Boredom made me challenge myself to flying drones, get my first fujifilm and exercises too
My very favourite photographer. I own one a print of Sancti Spiritus from a Magnum square sale last year and it’s so precious to me. His Cuba and Istanbul work is stunning
That’s awesome Tom! Keep treasuring it! And yes his Cuba and Istambul images are amazing :)
Another great video! I really like that quote: "...the vagaries of the world that result in a photograph."
Alex stroke me as a very poetic person (I know his wife is a poet) so maybe it’s the influence, I loved reading his thoughts :)
his photography looks like an installation i actually love it
You asked about growth: read eclectically and try to write. The most useful reading I’ve found has typically been short pieces discovered by chance. The reading fills my head with a mishmash of ideas; the writing helps me figure out if I can make any sense of them.
Alex Webb's color photography is a challenge for me; the caustic contrasts are what I imagine musical dissonance would render as. That said, I loved the review in this video.
To stretch my understanding of photography and my own interest, I've developed the habit of going to the local libraries in towns I visit while traveling for work with my wife and reading a few of their photography books. I take my journal and write about what I see, like or dislike, how I feel about the work. Something about the writing helps me dig deeper. Last book was an early edition of Robert Frank's "The Americans".
Great video! Really enjoyed Webb's pics and your commentary. Nice work!
Thank you!
Thanks for all these insights into photographers I haven’t come across before. For inspiration and development I am turning more to non-photographic artworks, unconstrained by a reproductive interpretation of the visual world but revelling in graphic shapes and interesting colour palettes. The work by Alex Webb you show here could very much have been derived from such sources which is why I could relate to it so well; having said that it is more what I would aspire to than actually achieve!
Another amazing video, Tatiana. Fantastic work. I love everything you produce. Alex Webb's work is just so inspiring.
Thank you so much! Alex Webb wether in images or in writing (interviews & quotes) is extremely inspiring ✨
Thank you again for perfectly presenting photographers, here Alex Webb in your video (with perfect music as usual) and sharing your ideas!!! I'll find it almost always very inspiring to look at photo-books and visit expeditions of photos and paintings and definitely watching your videos to push my own ideas or to train to frame my own photos (getting new inspiration and viewpoints). Thanks.
Excellent video. The word ‘unique’ is thrown around a lot but I think it does genuinely apply to Alex Webb. His vision is so different and his photographs are instantly recognisable as his.
Agree Colin!
Thanks for continuing all of your wonderful videos. I really like Alex Webb's work and, after decades of making photos primarily in b&w I've recently begun to try color. Great timing.
That’s amazing, great timing indeed, thank you for watching Alan!
I watch videos like yours and get inspired and motivated by your work and of the work of your "guests"
I've never researched old famous photographers at all, because I worry about imitation, and for me photography is more about meditation. I like Alex Webb now. His colour work looks a whole lot like what I like to produce and think about when out and about making street, documentary, and travel images. I thought I was alone in my colour philosophy since what I see most is very muted styles from other people on social platforms - and I've even had my style referred to as amateur for liking vibrant images, shooting in chaotically colourful blue hour over the muted bronze of golden hour, even though I've been shooting for almost a decade, half of that time with a camera in hand every single day.
This was a nice video to pop up in my recommendations. I won't worry so much about looking amateur now that I can point to Alex Webb.
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🔥🔥🔥🔥 He's one of my favorite photogs. 👍 In literature the meaning of the word "tenor" is ... "Whenever we use figurative language, we're describing one thing by relating it to another thing. The two most common words to describe those two things being compared are vehicles and tenors. The tenor is the thing being described. The vehicle is the figurative language you use to describe it." ... "Some common synonyms of tenor are current, drift, tendency, and trend. While all these words mean "movement in a particular direction," tenor stresses a clearly perceptible direction and a continuous, undeviating course." Good stuff! Keep it up!✌☮
Thank you so much Joseph 🙏🏻🙏🏻
I so needed to watch this. Thank you. Loved your insights in this one.
Thank you so much Tapan! I really appreciate it :)
Wonderful exploration of his work and why & how some images ‘work’ dynamically.
Excellent video Tatiana. I find the more I learn about these photographers and their works the more inspired and motivated I become to improve my own photography. 😎
Thank you so much Rich! I really appreciate it and I’m glad you’ve been inspired and been more motivated :)
"Tenor" in medieval music was a kind of leading vocal part, which functions like a core for all the elements of the polyphonic texture to swirl around one another. I don't know if Webb was aware of that meaning, but if he was it could mean finding the universal inner sense that brings the multilayers of an image into one cohesive whole.
Thank you for the great content!
That’s a great insight Peter thank you so much, I didn’t know about the meaning in the medieval context and honestly that makes so much sense too, learning with you! Thank you for watching :)
I'm gonna get heavy. Hopefully it will make sense.
Here goes...
Well, watching videos like yours is part of my personal growth. For me, because photography is, for almost 11 years now, a central part of my life, my exploration of the art form we love is part of my broader spiritual/mindful growth, since, to me, the opening up of my view and sense of self (as part of a greater universal oneness) feeds my growth as a photographer, which feeds my spiritual/mindful growth and around and around. They are part of the same, really. The older I get, the more I enjoy learning, balancing what I knew with what I am learning, all while keeping an open mind/soul. Photography, even much of my architectural abstract and plant abstract photography, which is a usually solitary process, led me (and still does) to making contact with other photographers and becoming part of a fluid group of people that all love photography, even as we each do it in very different ways. Eventually, I also got into doing street photography and portraiture a lot more and now find I love the interactions, the WTFness of it all.
So, yeah, personal growth, exploration, with a heavy dose of humor and spiritual awe and my ongoing learning the technical and aesthetic elements of photography, learning to fold what I learn into what I know? It all makes my soul soar.
Once again, thank you for making me think. There was more I thought about while watching this. One thing I will mention: I love how in a couple of the photos you shared, Webb splits the visual plane in half, which is supposedly a big no-no, but he does it right. I especially love the very first photo, with the dark, thick wood post right in the middle, and the person behind it, pointing to the left. So much going on. I love his saturated colors.
Thank you.
Your videos are always very informative. Thank you for all the hard work.
Cheers John, appreciate the kind words!
Good work. Thank you for your insights into Mr. Webb's work.
Thank you for this great introduction to Alex Webb, one of my all time favourite photographers. The compilation of images is also great, a mix of his well-known and some rarely seen photos. Two things that I would like to add, though: His creative and personal partnership with Rebecca Norris-Webb is very inspiring and a key factor to his more recent projects. And also poetry is a big inspiration for both of them, which can be seen on the couple's Instagram account. Right now, picture number 3 in this video can be bought as a print in Magnum's square sale - a nice opportunity, think I'll get one.
health wise i am eating better and cutting out sugar and going to bed earlier. As far as photography and other art goes, I think watching these videos is the first step. the growth i want to see in myself is a person who is less afraid to snap photos in public, of the public, noticed by the public as it happens.
Great video and beautiful words about personal growth!
Thank you so much Benjamin, personal growth is 💯 needed!
Great video! I recently discovered Alex Webb (I'm quite new to the photography world) and it was a fun coincidence to see your video today. Thanks and keep going with the work you do, I'm learning a lot! Thanks!! 😊
Thank you so much Alba appreciate your insight and I’m glad to know the videos are being helpful :)
Love Alex Webb so much. Thanks for the video, it's great.
Thank you Elliot!
Hello! I believe that a photographer depends very much on where he is and what he can photograph. Beautiful things are easy to photograph and this is a fashion photo for example. Someone lives on the shore of a beautiful or forest, and then it's beautiful landscapes. Each photo reflects the path of the photographer as a person. What catches his eye, as a memory and as his personal history. So I completely agree with you that personal growth is very important! It was a look into his own soul that led Alex Webb's to the place where he found colors and peace, after a long black and white streak in photography. Personally, I am interested in a portrait of a person as an image, something literary. Like an actor playing a role. Which is actually what we do every day :) I keep a personal diary . And I model those situations that I can then illustrate with the help of photography. The more difficult the task, the more interesting the photo. Thanks for the interesting video! I look forward to seeing you again.
Beautiful video miss Hopper! 👏
Thank you so much! :)
fantastic intro... Looked up the song and added it to my list. Ok, as far as personal growth and expanding on my photography... I don't get to do it as much as I want. at night I watch videos like this to improve and see what other folks are doing. I've been involved in photography since the Mid 90s in High School. I consider myself a super hobbyist... one thing I have learned is, by watching other folks, following their work it helps me start to see the world like them, in a way... in a similar way, when you hang out with friends and you start to think like them or even laugh like them. but I also try to keep a camera with me as much as possible. I also like to go back and review my own work, see my progress or even see if I can spark an new idea.... anyways that's my two cents. Great vid, I look forward to more. Thanks for the input and insight.
That’s great exercises there Christopher, reviewing your work and maybe try and find directions, view where you’re at and have that introspection it’s super important, lovely to see that you watch videos and look forward to watch others journeys so maybe it can be inspiring for your own. Thank you for watching!
Wow This video made me really dig down & think about my day & the photos I didn't take & why.
Love it, glad to always offer some food for thought! Thank you for watching ✨
Lack investment in personal growth and critical thinking, that says it all T.H.!!! Love the intro, brilliant work.
Thank you so much 🙏🏻
I love shooting in black and white but I can certainly see why Alex felt constrained by it. I am planning next summer to go to Crete and know taking photos there will need to be in colour to do them justice.
Really incredible job here.
You 're Top 3 YouTubies T.Hopper... Always consistent.. I respect that highly!!
Thank you for supporting! 🙏🏻
For me, personal growth has come through sticking to one camera/one lens.
Inspiring! Thank you.
Really liked this one!
Thank you so much!
Very good video :). Thank you for making this
Appreciate it! Thank you for watching :)
Great video
Muito bom !! obrigado 👏👏
Thank you
Magnificent
I may have something similar that might interest you. I came across this book in the local library called Ansel Adams in Color, it features essays, how he found his way of appreciating a colored photograph and a few other things. It’s quite a good read; especially for me cause I’ve been challenging myself to ditch the black and white and move onto seeing in color.
Hey River cheers for watching and that sounds like a good read! Can you share the title with me I might be able to pick it up :)
@@TatianaHopper Yep, just ‘Ansel Adams in Color’.
Wonderful!!!
Thank you for watching!
@@TatianaHopper Hi ! I just said "Wounderful" but it's not fair with you, because the videos that you make are so good!!! I think a lot of people find inspiration watching your videos, like myself.
Thanks so much for your work and please keep doing !
Learning how to speak dutch, and play chess & sudoku here :)
What are you doing drinking Crudweiser in the UK? Nah, just kidding. Those cameras are kinda cool. I try to balance both color and black and white in my photography. I think I tend to be a bit more serious with black and white. The last roll of color that I shot was Ektar. What do you think of that film? It sucks that Kodak seems to be out of stock everywhere and the prices are way up. Another good and informative video, T. He's got some really good snaps with great composition in there.
Okay so I love Alex Webb, now.
I live on that street that can be seen at the beginning of this video, right on the border wall between Tijuana and the United States.
Digging your channel. Just a note: I think, when he refers to 'tenor', that he is using another, widely used meaning of the word as "the general meaning, sense or content of something". But I might be incorrect. That is what it sounded like to my Italian ears.
Thank you Gian! 🙏🏻
Could you look at Paulo Pellegrin, one of my favourite photographers.
I liked your description of the "internal music" of a photograph. I was trying to describe something quite like that in my comment about your latest video on Saul Leiter. Anyhow, I think you nailed that. A few things I've been doing the last few years. My street photography has fallen off the map (unfortunately), but I've been doing more simple light studies and macro photography. Also, I have been going through David Ulrich's fantastic book "Zen Camera: Creative Awakening with a Daily Practice in Photography," which I think touches on much of the philosophical process of really seeing the world. It has some good exercises, as well. I genuinely recommend the book to anyone using photography for art as a reflection of their life. Anyhow, those are a few things I'm doing to improve lately. As always, keep up the great work.
Hi Tatiana, I love your videos. One question: how do you deal with copyrights when you talk about the work of other photographers? Not asking to cause issues, I’m genuinely interested because I love to talk about some work that inspires me but I’m concerned about copyright issues.
If your purpose is to make CZcams videos on others you can always read their guidelines there’s thousands of videos on different photographers and their work on CZcams, if you’re respectful, use it as a tool for education or promote a positive debate there shouldn’t be a problem.
You should do a video on Arthur Meyerson 🙃
Noted Chris!
Thank you beautiful¡¡
🙏🏻
İSTANBUL!
are you from or have you ever been to Madeira?
I have been to Madeira in 2022 :)
Started a CZcams channel ❤
I think it'd have helped to put a caption on the screen at the same time you started talking about a certain point. I do photography for the love of it but I come from a scientific background, and I find myself quickly zoning out if I don't see things in precise bullet points. I suspect there are others like me who hope for a little more structure in this chaotic world.
great videos! But I feel like you are too bright. Would love to see yourself more color graded
Hey thank you so much for watching, appreciate the constructive feedback even though no one ever point it out - what kind of screen are you watching it on ? Cheers!
@@TatianaHopper Lenovo D24f-10. Well maybe I just like more depth and more details in bright areas. Your picture looks bright to me but that doesn't mean it looks like this to everyone :) But I would play abit with cc. Have a nice day and thank you for your awesome videos! Its really fantastic
His work is all about his ‘response’ to the world like you said, but for you to not simply acknowledge him as a street photographer is strange to me… He has set the bar for what street photography quite literally is. Just say it like it is: Alex Webb is a street photographer. It’s an important distinction to be made and allows the viewers of his work to understand what cloth he is cut from. His work doesn’t exist in his “own unique category,” he quite literally sits at the top of the category: street photography.
Isn’t everyone’s personal photography our response to the world? 🤷🏻♂️
You’re putting the emphasis on “Street Photography”. But this term is meaningless. It is for me the stupidest term in photography. It’s a term that can be anything.
And if it’s anything then it’s nothing at all.
Alex Webb pretty much said you can define it as whatever you want. Oh and he said that “street photography can be done on the street but also not on the street”. 😅 He also said his photography is “between documentary and fine art”. So why are you defining it for him? 🤷🏻♂️
See how we get nowhere with this dumb term? Who came up with it anyway? Seems like just a marketing term to me.
I have a better idea. It’s just photography. Let’s not put stupid labels on it.
Hey Brianna, I appreciate your opinion, I didn’t mean to be disrespectful towards his work, he himself is quoted saying this: “I have always felt that a lot of the most interesting work, not just mine but other people’s, falls into [the] nether area, somewhere between the worlds of documentary and photojournalism (two very vague words) and the world of art. I think a lot of street photography falls into this nether area.” I agree with his view here this nether area and the idea of these words being vague. I understand it might not resonate with everyone but it’s also my view which I respectfully put out in my videos, otherwise they won’t be my videos but a copy of other people’s opinions and views. Do we really need labels in this cases - it’s just a question, food for thought. So I’ll say it in ways that makes us think about things and makes us open to new angles and possibilities. Thank you so much for watching!
Did I see a 9/11 pic ?... In a mix of useless copy of neo realist b & w ? Btw there's now a link between neo realism static scandal and 9/11, you just introduced it.
Thanks for video. You asked what we do to improve ourselves. Well I recently discovered going plant based and it has tremendously had impact on my life spiritually and physically. I can’t believe how good I feel. I enjoy your videos opening me up to photographers I would have never known of. Thank you!!
Wow that’s amazing, i’m glad that’s been working out for you and I hope you continue to improve and keep a positive and healthy spiritual life as well. Thank you for watching and all the best! ✨
Im sorry to burden anyone with this comment and no one is obligated to reply. For a while now photography has become a great source of sadness for me. Ive been shooting for close to 20 years and doing "street" for about 5 years. Im average and gotten some above average shots, but once i discovered photographers like alex webb, i spiraled out of control, mentally. I have such a drive for photography but my skills do no come close to matching that drive. I just want to be really great at it and cant understanding the brains and skills of photographers like alex webb. I just dont have the eye for these moment's and compositions. I obsess over it almost all day and night and it has stolen the fun and joy out of photography for me. Im just sad and numb all the time. I just yearn to be really good. It was the same with skateboarding when i was younger. I gave it my all but only ever reached average skill level. The truth i am facing at 36 years old is that this hobby ive spent so much time trying to personally succeed in, is that i just dont have what it takes. I can feel the love of photography in me dying. Its been such a part of me that i will feel like nothing if it completely dies. Theres nothing i or anyone can do. Im just not good at it. Thanks for letting me rant. Again, you dont have to respond. Its probably impossible to even try.
Oh, you just oversaturated by photography and your eyes is tired from imageries and photographs. Don’t say “it’s over” to your hobby if you really like it. Just take a time to relax from it
You have to take picture in front of the people, I think Webb doesn't have fear of take the photo in front of people, maybe use a small camera, Webb use rangefinders but they are expensive, maybe a Ricoh GR IIIX
Don’t compare yourself to anyone. Focus on the proces, not the result. If you try to take pictures like Alex Webb, you will always be disapointed. But if you try to find your own voice in photography, you will create unique pictures that don’t compare to anyone else.