John Camp, Atlantic
John Camp, also known as John Sandford, Pulitzer-Prizewinning journalist turned bestselling author of thriller novels, has coined a new category. (He can't claim to have invented or originated it.) Realistic Minimalism shows something real but so reduced to its essence that it becomes design. Okay, so he was half kidding. But I like "Atlantic." He thought my snow picture the other day qualified.
I'll bet a lot of other photographers have qualified as Realistic Minimalists a time or two and don't even know it!
Mike
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Featured Comments from:
Robert Roaldi: "A movement is born."
Marlof: "One in that category is hanging on the wall in my study."
Mike replies: I thought of that too. I love that picture by Leigh Perry. And it's a gorgeous print. I still have yet to get mine framed—the framer I had been using quit business.
Robert Stahl: "Liked your mention of John Camp's 'Realistic Minimalism.' I also appreciated his recent reference to Paul Caponigro's 'Running White Deer' photograph. The photo reminds me of a line about God from poet Rainer Maria Rilke's The Book of Hours:
Often when I imagine you
your wholeness cascades into many shapes.
You run like a herd of luminous deer
and I am dark. I am a forest.
"Paul Caponigro passed away a few weeks ago at age 91. His compelling B&W work inspired a generation of those working in monochrome."
From September 2019, "North Atlantic Sunset":
https://porfolio.gorga.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/DSC3173.jpg
Made on a beach on Cape Brenton Island.
I guess that I am one of those clueless realistic minimalists!
Posted by: Frank Gorga | Tuesday, 24 December 2024 at 01:17 PM
Might be a good opportunity for a Baker's Dozen.
Posted by: Steve Renwick | Tuesday, 24 December 2024 at 01:22 PM
I like "Atlantic."
Me, too: excellent! Stylistically somewhere between Mark Rothko and National Geographic.
Posted by: Chris Kern | Tuesday, 24 December 2024 at 01:30 PM
Less is More.
Posted by: Speed | Tuesday, 24 December 2024 at 03:08 PM
Is Camp's Atlantic a nod to Gursky's Rhein ii?
Posted by: Bill S. | Tuesday, 24 December 2024 at 07:09 PM
Here is one of mine in that veinhttps://500px.com/photo/1046381366/homage-by-terry-letton
Posted by: Terry Letton | Tuesday, 24 December 2024 at 07:43 PM
Ironically, Paul Caponigro’s wonderful book, The Wise Silence (I’m fortunate to have a signed first edition), which includes ‘Running White Deer’ (across two pages), also has many fine examples of what I would consider Realistic Minimalism, albeit in B&W.
Posted by: Jeff | Tuesday, 24 December 2024 at 10:42 PM
Reminds me of this body of work: https://www.sugimotohiroshi.com/seascapes-1
Happy Holidays
Posted by: MichaelT | Wednesday, 25 December 2024 at 02:20 AM
My realistic minimalist shots have usually been accidental shutter releases: shots of the ground, blurry nothingness and occasional lenscap-left-on specials - nothing more minimalist than pure black :-D
Happy holidays!
Posted by: Ken Owen | Wednesday, 25 December 2024 at 03:18 AM
I sense a Baker's Dozen...
Posted by: MikeK | Wednesday, 25 December 2024 at 04:29 AM
I like it! I have work that's similar but, in my case, would have a small puffy cloud somewhere in the frame to ruin the simplicity.
I like John's other work, too. For years I've seen him kicking around the same photo forums as me. Then last spring I wiped out my rotator cuff and needed reconstructive surgery. While I recovered I binge read most of "John Sanford's" body of work (Kidd, Davenport & Letty). I saved the fucking Virgil Flowers books for last, and I finished the first one of those last week.
Thanks, John, for putting your work out there for us to enjoy. And Merry Christmas to you, Mike and all the TOPers.
Rick Popham
Posted by: Rick Popham | Wednesday, 25 December 2024 at 09:06 AM
Hah, excellent, John. As MichaelT noted, it’s quite Sugimoto-esque.
I am also quite a fan of reductive and minimalist photography.
Ex: ”MoMA Painter”, ”Indiana Mill Flare”.
It might indeed be an enjoyable submission topic, Mike.
Posted by: Kenneth Tanaka | Wednesday, 25 December 2024 at 09:37 AM
Craig Blacklock's Horizons comes to mind as a book of Realistic Minimalism.
Posted by: Bryan Hansel | Wednesday, 25 December 2024 at 11:42 AM
I'm on the same page as Ken Owen!
Posted by: Rick Graves | Wednesday, 25 December 2024 at 12:01 PM
Note to Ken Tanaka: I really like all those Chicago images. I mean, I *really like them.* Nothing specific, but some of them tweaked my Wayne Thiebaud brain cells.
Posted by: John Camp | Wednesday, 25 December 2024 at 01:34 PM
I also thought of Rhein II... and liked Atlantic more for being an actual photo. I'd love to see a gallery of Realistic Minimalism.
Posted by: David Bostedo | Friday, 27 December 2024 at 10:53 AM
Realistic minimalism! Love the concept!
Then again, one of my favourite subjects for my own photography is what I call almost abstract. Photos that look abstract at first, until you realize you can actually tell what it really is.
And I second the suggestion to make that theme into a Baker's Dozen. I'm sure we'd see very diverse interpretations.
Posted by: Thomas Paris | Saturday, 28 December 2024 at 05:19 AM
Yowza! Hit me in one of my special spots. I'd have called it Minimal Realism, just because,
Then PS had a spasm that took a some time to fix. All this time, I've been picturing in my mind various favorite photos of mine that fit the category.
Pacific
Wavy
Don't Look
No Heron
Feathers
Spike
Petaled
Aquatic
Horizon
Brass
Nasturtiums
Pressed
Shoreline
Awash
Wavy
Ripples
Posted by: Moose | Sunday, 29 December 2024 at 10:25 PM
Love this category and the examples in the commnents! Made me think of Gordon Lewis as well -- I own his Precipitation print, which may not be quite as minimalistic as the original example, but I still find it striking by its ability to remove most of the city clutter and still come through as urban photography.
I'm more of a landscape guy, so I thought I'd share one of my own:
Puna Pau
Posted by: chris_scl | Monday, 30 December 2024 at 02:06 PM