thought tonight i’d showcase one of my favorite photographers of the old guard- minor white. great name isn’t it? hard not to amount to something with a name like that. he had quite a career having studied under alfred stieglitz, edward weston, and ansel adams, then later in life becoming an influential teacher at r.i.t. and m.i.t. as well as co-founding aperture magazine. he was hailed at the time of his death as an american master though he is largely forgotten today. “yeah, yeah, words, what about his photos? were they any good?” well i’m glad you asked see below for a small sampling.
Capitol Reef, Utah, 1962
Windowsill Daydreaming, 1958
“I seek out places where it can happen more readily, such as deserts or mountains or solitary areas, or by myself with a seashell, and while I’m there get into states of mind where I’m more open than usual. I’m waiting, I’m listening. I go to those places and get myself ready through meditation. Through being quiet and willing to wait, I can begin to see the inner man and the essence of the subject in front of me… Watching the way the current moves a blade of grass - sometimes I’ve seen that happen and it has just turned me inside out. -Minor White”
Surf Vertical, San Mateo County, California, 1947
Snow on Garage Door, Rochester, New York, 1960
“Camera and eye are together a time machine with which the mind and human being can do the same kind of violence to time and space as dreams. -Minor White”
Peeled Paint, Rochester, New York, 1959
Untitled, 1967
“The state of mind of a photographer while creating is a blank…For those who would equate “blank” with a kind of static emptiness, I must explain that this is a special kind of blank. It is a very active state of mind really, a very receptive state of mind, ready at an instant to grasp an image, yet with no image pre-formed in it at any time. We should note that the lack of a pre-formed pattern or preconceived idea of how anything ought to look is essential to this blank condition. Such a state of mind is not unlike a sheet of film itself - seemingly inert, yet so sensitive that a fraction of a second’s exposure conceives a life in it. -Minor White”
Pt.Lobos State Park, 1950
Moon & Wall Encrustations, 1964
“When gifts are given to me through my camera, I accept them graciously. -Minor White”
Vicinity of Georgetown, Colorado, 1962
Frosted Window, Rochester, NY, 1952
“Photographers who come up with power never get accused of imitating anyone else even though they photograph the same broom, same street, same portraits. -Minor White”
for more on minor white, his history, and his ideas try these links:
spiritual journey a 9 part article.
dreams with a memory minor white remembered.
equivalence the perennial trend by minor white, 1963.
found photographs by minor white, 1957.
the transmissions of minor white by ryan gantz.