George Weitz, Photographer

Beginnings

I have always been attracted to the images I saw in magazines such as Look and Life. As a child and young teen, when I would visit my Aunt’s house, my nose was frequently into the large collection of National Geographic magazines and US Camera (annual). Without knowing it, I developed an “eye” for images when looking through those volumes. Today this is my interest, the image.

When I was in my late teens my family moved to Alaska. The powerful landscape that was around you “asked” to be photographed! This was a contrast to the East coast of North America, with its dense population, strip development, power lines and billboards on city buildings and roadsides.

Cameras

I used to borrow my father’s Argus C3 35mm range finder camera. (The Argus was called in later years “The Brick” - all right angles and not much smaller!)

I learned to use the light meter so I now started to have some control over the exposures, of which my 127 Kodak Brownie had little.

The Single lens reflex came into my life by the way of the Pentax with interchangeable lenses.  I passed the Pentax and lenses to my oldest son when a family friend offered a Nikon system to me. For me this was a memorable event, a top of the range system. If one made a poor image it was down to the user, no excuses about equipment!

(For me cameras are like tradesman’s tools. I use them and care for them. These are not in mint condition, they are users’ cameras.)

Digital Developments

Digital photography has advanced my composition, improved error correction and the freedom from loading films. I also enjoy the ability to view my images before and after the exposure. The down side to some extent is the ever changing state of technology and expense. I tend to wait a bit and enjoy whatever I think is a need later, when the flurry (and prices) have gone down.  I wonder about the long term storage of digital images in comparison to the film technology. It seems less tangible when compared to looking at a slide or a black and white negative and deciding which to print etc.

Influences

Charlotte Brooks

Charlotte’s way of encouraging and guidance was stimulating and at the same time non- specific. It’s analogous to giving a person a fish to feed himself for the day compared with teaching him how to use a hook, so he can carry on feeding himself anywhere.

John Benton- Harris

I met John when we were in our mid- twenties. He introduced me to street photography and the work and images of Henri Cartier- Bresson. I remember John shouting over to me when we were visiting Venice on leave from the US army,  “don’t take what you already can buy as a postcard!”