The Standalone Image

My first fine printing class was with George Tice at what today is called the Maine Media Workshops.  George taught the exquisite application of the basics.  There was no special paper, developer, or process that resulted in the "George Tice" image, look, or feel.  Every image stood on its own and was treated as if no other images existed with which it had to go.  Every image deserved to be interpreted in the manner that was optimal for that image.  To my knowledge, George never articulated this philosophy.  It just seemed to me to be the way he approached every image.

That philosophy of treating every image as an individual has stayed with me throughout my photographic life.  I have always felt that every print of an image should be the treatment that best suits that image.  What this means is that over time, my opinion of what an image ought to look like may change.  I have new craft skills and materials.  As an artist, why should I not take advantage of these changes?

One of the most interesting shows I've seen was a retrospective of Ansel Adam's work where several prints of the same image were shown side by side.  One might have been made early in his career, another mid-career, and the final shortly before his death.  There is no question in my mind that he got better over time and/or reinterpreted his negatives.  He did say that the negative was the score and the print was the performance.  And, just like the conductor of a symphony who may reinterpret a symphony over time, he had the right to reinterpret his negatives as he saw fit.

I am always struck by the absurdity of dealers who value early prints as "more closely representing what was in the photographer's mind at the time he took the image."  It may take me years to realize the image that I really want.  The early versions are nothing more than the best I could do at the time.  They are almost a sketch of what I may render in the future.  It may take me years to realize the potential of an image.  What this tells me is that most dealers have never been serious photographers.

It also tells me that dealers have been successful in convincing collectors that early prints are more valuable than later prints, in spite of how we, as photographers, feel about our work.