January 13, 2013
The essence of Ned Scott’s photographic art was discussed early in his career by New York Camera Club member Henwar Rodakiewicz in a letter he wrote to Ned Scott from Buzzards Bay, Massachusetts after a Camera Club meeting in November, 1932. It was important to Henwar that Ned Scott’s images were fresh, honest and straightforward. Looking at them gave Henwar a feeling and courage and well being. But beyond freshness and honesty–true attributes which he admired–conciseness was the most important thing about Ned’s prints. That conciseness goes to the heart of what is good in photographic art: an unswerving and relentless thing which strikes deep within and “pierces the shrouds of confusion” and that that thing is said “in one steady flow”. In a letter to Ned Scott written from Santa Fe in February, Paul Strand stated that clarity and singleness of purpose were essences of a good photograph, and he called Ned Scott “The most promising young photographer I know”. Paul Strand was a Camera Club member in those days, and in 1933, he wrote to Ned Scott from Mexico discussing technical aspects of the Graflex 5 x 7 camera.
Ranchos Iglesia de Taos, 1931, photo by Ned Scott. It was prints like these which were discussed at New York Camera Club meetings in the early 1930’s.