Most of us are familiar with the archive of photographs done by the WPA during the Great Depression. It is a magnificent collection of work done during a very dark time in our country’s history. Many of the works are photographic icons. Stark black and white images, they are still a part of our visual literature. Powerful, powerful stuff. So much so that many of us who were born after the depression grew up convinced that times were so tough in those days that even color didn’t exist. The world went on in black and white.

That’s not true of course, and a few years ago an exhibit was organized, and a book published of color work done by the WPA photographers. Bound for Glory it was called, and it’s a fascinating look at those troubled times. One thing that struck me about these photographs was that as hard as times were during the depression, life went on and the world did indeed exist in color. As hard as those days were, color adds a sense of normalcy to the scenes. Things just don’t look as grim as the black and white photos make them look.

I don’t know. To me the black and white photos have more emotional impact, but the color work seems more positive and optimistic and may be a more realistic look at life in the US during the Great Depression. Take a look and see what you think.

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I don’t know. Maybe you’re familiar with photographer Jim Brandenburg from northern Minnesota. Maybe not. He’s quite well known for photographing wolves, among other wild subjects near his home, and for work he’s done for National Geographic.  An award winning photographer,  he’s earned his acclaim. He’s very good.

I recently re-discovered a project of his from, oh I don’t know, ten, maybe fifteen years ago.  It became a book and a TV special they used to run on the PBS fundraisers you see every year.  For a period of ninety days back in the mid nineties, from autumn equinox to winter solstice, Brandenburg made one photograph each day.  No, he didn’t select one shot of several for the day, he only allowed himself to trip the shutter once for the entire day. One shot.  He made them all count too. They were published as a book, Chased by the Light, and if I remember right they were featured in a National Geographic spread. It was a virtuoso performance.

It got me thinking though. What an incredible discipline. What a powerful exercise. Anybody who works with a camera could benefit from a project like this. Not if you’re on a once in a lifetime trip of course,  or on a project to build up your stock files or some such thing, and not necessarily on the scale that Brandenburg did it, but maybe something smaller.  Maybe you go out to shoot on a Saturday. You can frame and view all the shots you want through your viewfinder but you can only allow yourself one exposure or capture for the day. Or maybe you want to make one a day for a week, or whatever. I think it would be a powerful way to sharpen your eye, to fine tune your photographic vision. What do you think?

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