Emmet Gowin lecture

I went to hear Emmet Gowin speak at University of the Arts in Philadelphia recently.   He is best known for images of his wife Edith and large format experimental techniques.

I’d like to share some of his quotes which I wrote down during his talk…

• “only chance is fair”
• “be true to what moves you”
• “if you can think of it, it’s not that great” (Gowin quoting Harry Callahan)
• “when you see something, don’t assume others have learned how to see it”
• “you never know what is far enough until you have gone too far”

He mainly stressed the importance of chance and growing through mistakes or “imperfections of your intentions” and I hope to absorb that lesson.

I’ve chosen a few of his images that speak to my interest in environmental portraiture.