Wednesday 6 August 2014

A Message for Navigators

Since there is little happening at the moment on the Gear Front, waiting for the Photokina I am thinking about a couple of episodes about travel and archaeology called 'Adventures in the Western Desert' (of Egypt) based on an expedition I went with more than ten years ago, in one of the emptiest and driest corners of the Planet.

Communication being so difficult with that place that was once a cradle of Egyptian Civilisation, the science part is still very actual.


Suffice to know that it is about a mysterious glass found at the heart of King Tut pectoral, and the origin of the hieroglypic language.


There will be some pictures too of that remarkable adventure,  to dispel the notion that I was your sedentary intellectual :)


It is one of the most difficult places to get meaningful pictures, both for environmental and out of scale reasons. 


I used a mean Praktica BC-1 to resist the sandy khamsin, and yet those few pics still  make me most happy, meaning that gear only comes distant second.


Your Servant at Aqaba, Gilf Kebir plateau, Western Desert 2002. Picture Hannah Mc Keand

If nothing shows up before the end of August, I'll follow up with a 'Return to Realism: the Photo League of New York, Paul Strand and Tina Modotti'. Is retracing steps a way out of the excesses of Postmodern?


Gearwise, there are rumors about the Sony 50 Mpx sensor finding new bodies; about the Olympus Pro series, long awaited m4/3 lenses, notably the 9mm and a fast 40-150; and a new 24 Mpx camera from Fuji.


We'll see what comes up. Photokina is never a let down, although these are hard times for camera sales, except perhaps for mirrorless.


Meanwhile, enjoy your holidays, or just keep on reading :)


Note


A smartass marriage beautifier at DPR keeps flaming me advising to worry about poetry, instead of photography.

I must restate here for the uneducated that I take poetry in the original greek meaning of poiesis, to create.

The pair photo/poetry also hints at the origins of written language,  when icon and sound first converged in a pictographic language such as Ancient Egyptian.

I deem it self evident, that it helps understanding the very powerful tool that we have in hypertextual blogs, where image helps text as a bridge across cultures, but still requires the creative urge.

So Photo and Poetry.

No comments:

Post a Comment