Final Analysis
Roger Hicks considers…
This week, two for the price of one. The Neurdein brothers Étienne (1832-1918) and LouisAntonin (1846-1914) deserve to be better known: look for the credit ‘ND’ on otherwise anonymous pictures. These are the first and last of 18 images in an Album-Souvenir de Vézelay, almost certainly published before the First World War. Each is postcard sized, with a generous border and caption.
They raise many questions. First, why do we photograph places we visit? For Art, or what? The French word ‘souvenir’ means ‘memory’ or ‘remembrance’. So what is a souvenir for? To jog our memories? To prove to others that we were there?
Second, how many pictures do we need? In between these two, there are many views of the Basilique de la Madeleine (Google it); some ruins; a rather dull road; and a view from the hill from which Bernard of Clairvaux preached the Second Crusade in the 12th century. Probably half have artistic merit. The rest are beautifully executed but otherwise dull shots of (mostly) interesting places.
Towards immortality
Third, exactly how did Bernard of Clairvaux preach the Second Crusade? ‘Hey, let’s go and kill some people because they are a different religion from us’?
Fourth, how long should we spend on shooting, and how much effort should we put into it? Look at the patchwork of fields in the general view. Those tones (colours) would be there only at a certain time of year, but without them, the picture would be incomparably weaker. Then look at the bridges. Was that much of a hike? I don’t know. But it was almost certainly more effort than most would expend nowadays. Stop the car; hop out; zoom; shoot; move on before the rest of the party is too bored.
Fifth, how do we organise our pictures? These two are the strongest, but plenty among the other 16 sustain our interest, sometimes with the help of captions.
Sixth, how do we present our pictures? This little booklet, almost certainly over 100 years old, is still fascinating. A well-produced modern photo book/album might have the same appeal in 100 years’ time. By then, merely electronic images will have disappeared into obscurity or vanished forever.
Seventh, how important are captions? I suggest: very. They provide context, which is essential in many cases to understand what we are seeing.
Good photography is hard work and requires time and thought. If that discourages you, well, maybe you need to be discouraged. It should however encourage you: put in the thought, work and time, and you risk immortality.