Comments on: Garry Winogrand with Bill Moyers, 1982

By: Graphicghreg

Graphicghreg — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 15:09:42 +0000

In 1973 I was fortunate enough to take a week-long workshop with Garry Winogrand. It was at the Country Photography Workshop in Woodman, Wisconsin. We spent mornings photographing in small rural towns of the area. I remember the group discussing the day’s photos after dinner. He would ask one of the students,
“what do you see in this photo?” Of course the person would create a “story” as a reply…you know, “well um, it looks like the little girl is sad because her mother won’t let her go into the store, and, you know, she is trying to break away from her mom, and he shoe came of while trying and…”. Winogrand would come back and say, “No, what do you SEE in the photograph?” I don’t think that any of us got it at that time. Although I never was a storyteller, it has taken me 35 years to accept that photographs do not narrate, they describe. Most of the world however, still cling to that old adage, “a picture is worth a thousand words”. Not!

By: Elliot

Elliot — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 01:57:35 +0000

Another talk (truncated, sometimes garbled from the early 70s now on iTunes courtesy of UC_Riverside:

http://tinyurl.com/winogranducr

By: This is Contemporary Modern Fine Art Photography

This is Contemporary Modern Fine Art Photography — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 16:45:17 +0000

To take it one step further philosophically.. the fact that something exists means also that a story and more, a meaning exists. To make stories which do not have stories, to make meanings without meaning is the art of meaning to have no meaning or creating the storyless story ;]. Which is then its own new genre of.. storytelling/meaning.

To bail out Winogrand though, as most great artists - what we do is beyond us. Our proper rationale is in the work of art rather in our best after the fact efforts.

By: Jesse Ross

Jesse Ross — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 16:20:12 +0000

Winogrand is wrong and overly intellectual about photographs not being able to narrate. What is the lie, which he himself doesn’t realize, is when the artist/photographer tries to tell us what the art work does or doesn’t mean. The work itself is the statement - perfectly complete and true.

See my site at http://www.blzbuba.com

And thanks for the provocative thought.

By: GARRY WINOGRAND | HAMBURGER EYES

GARRY WINOGRAND | HAMBURGER EYES — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 18:11:01 +0000

[...] CLICK HERE TO WATCH [...]

By: bob

bob — Sun, 02 Mar 2008 19:26:15 +0000

MDM - thanks for this great post. I’m doing a little Winogrand research and this comes in handy - especially the new clip!

By: Michael David Murphy

Michael David Murphy — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 23:15:25 +0000

Just updated this post. Someone had the wherewithall to upload the original to youtube, so I’m embedding that version now.

By: Sandra Madison

Sandra Madison — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 23:41:02 +0000

When I take pictures, I see something about that picture, however, my husband thinks I take pictures of nothing. I enjoyed your words and I feel I am not alone.

Garry Winogrand, one of the most inspiring photographers I have ever Â«metÂ»! I wish I could have met him in person…
Brad Webber, my friend from LA, brought that name - Garry Winogrand - into my way! I am thankful that this happened.
JosÃ©

By: Norman Bringsjord

Norman Bringsjord — Mon, 03 Sep 2007 13:16:22 +0000

I had the good fortune to attend a private workshop in Garry’s home in NYC. I have written about it as best as I can remember here… bringsjord.com/about