David Plowden

[Bill]

Just watched a hour on this incredible Photographer!

[Bill]

Figured Mayo would of jumped on this let alone a few others.

[DaveF]

Thanks Bill.  Had never heard of him, but your post prompted me to search and read some about him.  Whets my curiousity.  

 

quote:“An archaeologist with a camera”
"I have been beset," Plowden says, "with a sense of urgency to record those parts of our heritage which seem to be receding as quickly as the view from the rear of a speeding train. I fear that we are eradicating the evidence of our past accomplishments so quickly that in time we may well lose the sense of who we are."

As to the PBS show:

 

quote:  PBS runs it periodically, but I enjoyed it so much I bought the documentary 'David Plowden: Light, Shadow & Form'. it yields a glimpse of David's photographic life, equipment, darkroom, technique, and philosophy. for $20 it was a great investment, and I have loaned it to many of my photographic friends who had become cynical and unmotivated. inspirational and educational.

WGVU Productions 1.800.442.2771 1.800.759.0190 wgvu@gvsu.edu www.wgvu.org

-- daniel taylor (port townsend) , July 24, 2002; 11:13 A.M. Eastern

I may well order the documentary if I do not run across it on PBS in the near future.

[kps]

Hey, Left-Coast Compadre...I don't watch television, so next time it's on, you hav'ta tell me.

[Mayo]

I cannot say that I have heard of Mr. Plowden, and as far as I know, the local PBS station hasn't run the show folks are referring to.

Our local PBS affiliate is too busy showing Lawrence Welk re-runs; the really interesting shows can take weeks if not months to appear after their original release.

The cutting-edge shows such as "Egg," "Independent Lens" and similar shows tend to run at odd hours, if not in the middle of the night...Unfortunately, what was once an alternative outlet for shows not available on network TV has been hijacked by more conservative interests, both locally and nationally.

The one bright spot in all this is Bill Moyer's "Now," which covers issues no one else will dare to touch.  If Moyers wasn't involved "Now" would have disappeared months ago.

It really is disappointing to see how NPR and PBS have been co-opted by corporate and conservative interests.

Okay, mini-rant over!

[krissel]

While we are on PBS, I saw a show by Suze Orman (financial advisor) over the weekend. She was offering a kit to people who pledged to the station which contained a CD. I was skeptical of whether it was Mac compatible but she made a specific effort to emphasize that it was for PC or Mac. Then she went on to say that while some people are still leary of using computers she said her 88 year old mother "takes out her iBook and pops in the CD" and is good to go.

[Mayo]

My wife actually met with Suze Orman some years ago before Orman hit it big.  I think her office was In Emeryville, California.  She provided sound, basic investing advice; nothing unusual.  When my wife asked her what the fee was, Orman told her to just pay her what she thought the advice was worth.

BTW, I am really enjoying the Super Duper Poster tag.    
 
 [ 03-11-2003, 01:52 AM: Message edited by: Mayo ]

[Bill]

Dave F.
I've never heard of David Plowden myself till I saw the show.
I was so impressed the very first minute it came on .. stopped everything I was doing till the very end.Like Mayo PBS here has mostly commercialized programs that cater towards the incoming revenue these days. Yet every so often a really good program comes up.
Few years back they used to be my favorite channel.

Mayo.
I tried to find some info [or more directly some of Plowdens pictures] but couldn't.

I'll try to give you a short version of my thoughts on him and his work.

One very,very stand out feature is the way he conducts himself.
Totally a bare-bones,down-to-earth type manor.

I found a picture that I don't believe is his work but something similar of one that they on PBS showed and explained the how and manor in which he took it.
Click Here

David Plowden doesn't just drive up and take shots and then does a split-city retreat.
From what the narrator was expressing (extremely well,I might add) is that David Plowden mingles with the natives.Breaks bread with the hole community. No matter where his little run down station wagon decides to make a pit stop.

The example pic above. Btw,I think most of his work is in black and white.
What he did with the real picture was amazing.
He pulled up on some back road .. opened the back of his wagon and pulled out a tripod (looked wooden also),set up a camera with the look down type viewfinder.
From what I could gather he's a straight shot type camera man with zero fluff.
Everything is manual and ONLY adjusted to the natural look his eyes see. Not the other way around.
OK. He's set up. He didn't like the cloud arraignment nor a crow that kept popping up in the scene.

Would you believe he sat there for hours waiting for the clouds to form just right.
All the while readjusting the tripod.

Not only scenic shots but the guy captures facial shots of you-name-it-subjects.

The guy travels across the country doing his thing!  

I think they said he's in his mid sixties and still going strong.  

Yep! I was very impressed with just the one show.