The Interior Landscape by Guy Tal
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#1. "RE: The Interior Landscape by Guy Tal" | In response to Reply # 0
mklass Nikonian since 08th Dec 2006Fri 28-Oct-22 07:08 AMThis sound like a very different kind of photography book, Conrad.
I may give it a try.Mick
"The difference between a professional photographer and other photographers is the pro doesn't show you the bad shots."
Web Site: http://www.mickklassphoto.com
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#2. "RE: The Interior Landscape by Guy Tal" | In response to Reply # 1
jarvicj Nikonian since 04th Jun 2004Fri 28-Oct-22 07:30 AMI have read two of his books over the past year and to say he is different from most photographers you see on YouTube (aside from say Alister Benn and his Expressive Photography channel on YouTube) would be an understatement. He is all about expressing his feelings or emotions via his images. He is not concerned with what others think about his images and is not chasing “the light”. Interesting reading to be sure…
Carl
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#3. "RE: The Interior Landscape by Guy Tal" | In response to Reply # 0
trutherfo
Nikonian since 22nd Aug 2014
Mon 31-Oct-22 08:06 AM
Going to my wife's school reunion, she thoughtfully introduced me to a classmate who was a photographer. Turns out his career was making portraits and the last thing he wanted to talk about was photography!
I am a fan of Guy Tal. I've read two of his books and look forward to his essays in LensWork Magazine. It's not much, but I send a small monthly contribution through Patreon.
Thanks for the review. Another "vision" stalwart is Cole Thompson.
I am a fan of Guy Tal. I've read two of his books and look forward to his essays in LensWork Magazine. It's not much, but I send a small monthly contribution through Patreon.
Thanks for the review. Another "vision" stalwart is Cole Thompson.
Tom
#4. "RE: The Interior Landscape by Guy Tal" | In response to Reply # 0
jdroach
Nikonian since 21st Mar 2009
Sun 20-Nov-22 01:51 PM
I have followed Guy for years (https://guytal.com). He is inspirational. He follows his own drum beat with wonderful results in a very artistic way. I learn ways of seeing from him.
jdroach
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This book is a series of short essays that deal with the author’s life philosophy as a photographer and as a person. The biggest benefit I find in reading Guy Tal’s occasional books is to remind me that not all photographers, or at least not all serious photographers, come at the world from the same place. Tal lives in the moment. His goal is to be in nature, not to take photographs, and if he is led to take a photograph and if it turns into art, so much the better.
I do not live in the moment. I do not consider myself altruistic, but even at my moments of greatest pleasure in being outdoors in nature, I want to share my feelings, and that is what I try to do with my photography. I must confess that I occasionally envy Tal’s self-centeredness.
It’s not that there is nothing for me to learn from Tal. I agree with him that if you want to create art, you can’t want to create art. His views used to be called “Art for Art’s Sake.” It reminded me of an old Buddhist koan from my younger days. The shepherd can only find the lost sheep when he doesn’t look for it. (No one would hire a shepherd who espoused this philosophy.)
Tal advocates taking photographs for one’s self. If someone else also enjoys those photographs, so be it. I can agree with that. If the only reason you want to take photographs is to make a living, go to work for a newspaper or become a wedding photographer or open a portrait gallery. Instead make images as an extension of the act of communicating with the landscape.
Although the book is mainly text, he does include some of his photographs. After reading his text, I knew he made these pictures for himself and, perhaps, didn’t care whether I liked them. You may find them interesting.
All this might discourage you from reading this book by what I envision as a solitary curmudgeon. Instead I say give it a try. You might discover that you are a solitary curmudgeon, or at least you might appreciate a solitary curmudgeon. On the other hand you might find yourself becoming a pessimist. I should note that the author expresses himself well, if slightly mystically.
I regularly say that the piece of equipment I seek most is vision. While I can’t say that I have adopted Tal’s vision, it has helped me in the search for my own.