Vuk,
Debate and difference of opinion is good. Here are my thoughts.
lefty.
i let quite a bit of time go by to digest this and the conclusion hasn't really changed much. we've got some pretty pictures here, but it 's ultimately a fast-food equivalent, although a touch more in tune with pop aesthetics of the time. julian calverley has internalized the values of his commercial shoot patrons or, perhaps more simply, doesn't see beyond the imagery of what's aimed at the masses. cozy, de-saturated, and misted-up apocalypse minus jeniffer lawrence smeared with a bit of coal-like make-up on her face, i would have serious trouble picking him out of a line-up featuring the top 500 flikr landscape photographers, actually, most of them are probably more talented, but don't have the same budget.
I agree about his commercial work (of which I am not a big fan). However, I think we have to remember that it's just that (work) and he has to produce what the client likes, not necessarily what his inner artist likes. Sure they hire him because of his gritty, apocalyptic aesthetic, but then the art director takes over and that's when the end result is out of his control. Judging by the book I have here in front of me, when he is fully in control, the results are different (better).
in the bigger scheme of things, landscape photography (post ansel adams), ranks only slightly above wedding photography and should mainly be done for personal/touristic reasons. in terms of public exposure, current landscape photography is a middle-class coffee table book exercise. it's also not particularly difficult, once you've secured the patronage to get you in the right location.
I STRONGLY disagree with this. (Good) landscape photography is not easy in the slightest. I agree that there is a lot of bad landscape photography out there and that we are oversaturated (pun intended) with examples of it everywhere we look. However, that doesn't make it an invalid artistic pursuit. When done well, it still has the capacity to inspire awe and take one's breath away (IMHO). I agree that a large part of landscape photography is being in the right place at the right time but there's much more to it at the top level. As ou say, anyone can take a decent shot of a stunning location if they are plonked there at the right time. However, as Mark LJ says in his talk, not everyone can communicate the emotion and atmosphere that goes along with being there. That (IMHO) is the diffeence between simply capturing a pretty picture and making a work of art.
From the sounds of it, landscape photography doesn't really do it for you (which is perfectly fine - we are all entitled to our opinions).
i'd really be up for a proper competition of 'top landscape photographer of the year' in which the contestants were given 3 rolls of slide film, a pair of lenses and a cheap tripod for a weekend (no computer). i'd gladly take on this pair of photo-shoppers on my own in a contest like that, but i'd trust you to do equally well.
Vuk, I don't understand your aversion to technology and so called 'purist' outlook. I have shot (and enjoyed) film. It's capable of producing fantastic results and there are many active landscape photographers today who still shoot it. (See Bruce Percy - one of my favourite photographers. an amazing minimalist landscape photographer who is a Hasselblad + Velvia 50 man.
https://www.brucepercy.co.uk/). However, the fact that someone shoots film does not automatically make them a better photographer than someone who doesn't shoot film. IMHO, it's all about the final image, irrespective of how it was made. If someone has processed the living daylights out of something, it usually shows, and the end result isn't good. However, if someone is good at post processing, then that is a valid skill in its own right. After all, Ansel Adams who you rightly cite as a fantastic landscape photographer, was a famous dark room fiend (the photoshop of his day). I'd wager that if he was alive today, he would be all over photoshop
Again, none of this is personal. Difference of opinion is good and I like debate
Best,
Amar (aka Lefty)