摄影师 Paul Strand

斯特兰德在创作《新英格兰的时间》是出于个人需要，那他的迫切性是如何在照片中体现出来的呢?

If Time in New England was made based on Strand’s personal need, then how was this pressure revealed in the works?

首先，斯特兰德有一种要把他看到所有惊人的光记录下来的冲动，他是个被赋予了一种不同寻常的敏感度的人，好似观察到了一种穿越世界的电荷。照片的非凡之处在于光是减弱了的甚至是单调的，充满了深灰色，不过，灰色与黑色是相辅相成的；还有，许多景色包含了明亮的小亮点，特别是植物和石头的特写。

First, Strand had the impulsion to record every astonishing light, he was given an unusual sensitivity, as if he had sensed an electric charge that goes through the world. What is unordinary about the photos is that the light is diminished and sometimes monotoned, it is full of dark gray but gray and black are complementary; and, many scenes contain bright sparklets, especially the close-ups of plants and stones.

《新英格兰的时间》所关注的在斯特兰德的其他作品中出现得并不明显，在这本书之后——斯特兰德决心以正式创新的方式来呈现细节和泛化的相结合。斯特兰德明白，将细节与泛化相结合是艺术重要性的核心所在，然而，斯特兰德这种具有结合性的作品并不多，尽管如此，他还是致力研究它。

The focus of "Time in New England" is not prominent in Strand's other works, after this book --- Strand was determined to officially present the combination of specifics and generalization with new creations. Strand knew the core of this combination, but there are not a lot of works that have such a mix. Even so, he was committed to researching it.

泛化，例如，大自然虽然残酷，却是美丽的；人类虽然渺小，却可能是可敬的——不仅在单幅画中很明显，而且也作为整个系列的主题出现。不过，如果泛性在某种意义上是吸引了我们的注意力，那么细节才是乐趣。

Generalization, for example, nature is harsh but beautiful; humans are small but honorable --- these are not only obvious in single photos, they were also presented as a series. However, if generality catches our attention in some means, specific is more of a joy.

例如，有一种由破败而产生的奇异性，我们建造的东西随着它的分离而变得不同——就像木板松动到一种离谱的角度，窗玻璃就会脱落，雨雪在隔板上留下斑痕等等。

For instance, there is a strangeness that emerges from dilapidation, and our creation become different when it breaks, like the glass drops when the wood frame of the window loosens to a crazy angle, and how rain and snow leave marks on clapboards, etc.

再例如，斯特兰德的肖像，作为一个整体，从来没有比它们更好的了。每个美国人都有自己的标志性特征，像是班纳特先生是一个美国人，他的领上系着一根小绳子。通过表情，我们可以部分了解肖像主体——警觉性、韧性、争论性或顺从等；从独特的面孔上看到个性态度，并了解到个性习惯，比如，如何系领带或喜欢选择印花衬衫或不梳理风吹下来的头发。

Another example, the portraits made by Strand, as a whole, can't be surpassed. Every American has his or her own representative traits: Mr.Bennett is an American, he had a string tied on the collar. From the facial expression, we can partially learn about the subject --- alertness, resilience, contentiousness, or resignation; from unique appearance, we can see the personality and attitude, and the habit, for example how the person is wearing a tie or choosing a print blouse or not fixing windblown hair.

第二，斯特兰德的构图方式细致而大胆，为此，他冒了极大的风险。与由FSA摄影师建立的纪实照片传统的“四方形的方法”相反，斯特兰德尝试稍微偏离轴心的构图，有时甚至在面对对称主体时也这样做，例如柴炉、肖像。在以偏心方式拍摄对称建筑时，他甚至可以削掉主体的最小边缘，如 1949 年佛蒙特州教堂（不过，这张照片可以被认为有史以来最伟大的建筑图片之一。）

Second, Strand's way of composition is meticulous and courageous, for this, he took a big risk. Different from the "Four-Square Approach" built by FSA, Strand composed in a slightly off-axis way, even subjects that are symmetric, such as wood stove and portraits. When shooting symmetric architectures with such composition, he even shaved the smallest edge of the subject, like the Vermont church in 1949(yet, this photo was recognized as one of the greatest architectural photos.)

斯特兰德还有一些照片将前景的重要部分却安排了看起来不是主体的东西。例如，一棵树挡住了一个完美平衡的房子，一根电线杆打断了我们的视野。更不用提那些被大量毫不相干的东西框起来的照片了，比如那张从谷仓里看到的一小片桦树的照片。

Some of Strand's photos give the important sections of the foreground to objects that do not seem vital. For example, a tree blocked a well-balanced house, an electric pole breaks our sight. Not even mentioning the photos that were surrounded by many unrelated things, like the one that sees a small part of birches from a barn.

还有一点，为什么斯特兰德将几幅肖像构图成横向的（班尼特先生、比阿特丽斯·阿尔比、路易斯·克洛、伯莎·摩尔、贝尔·克劳利Mr.Bennett, Beatrice Albee, Louis Cloe, Bertha Moore, Belle Crowley）？因为人脸和人体本质是垂直的，并且因为当人物特征与墙的特征在一起时，这样占的空间较小。

Moreover, why did Stand made several of the portraits horizontally(Mr. Bennett, Beatrice Albee, Louis Cloe, Bertha Moore, Belle Crowley)? The reason being the human face and figure are naturally perpendicular, also because it will take less space for the characters of the walls and those of subjects to be together.

在一些传统照片中，斯特兰德的构图也是很大胆的。他一般把海景分为三个部分，但是，大部分没有把主体放在中心（除了船、鸟或波浪）。Paul Metcalf在《新英格兰的时间》第二版中介绍说：他观察的是海景，却仅让我们通过存在于云层和海平面的光让一个人独自呆在如此广阔的地方产生的焦虑得到安慰。框架内的比例虽然传统端正，但引导出一种平静。

In some traditional photos, Strand's compositions were also very courageous. He usually sections seascapes into three parts, but most of the photos did not put the subject in the center(except boats, birds, or waves). Paul Metcalf suggests in the second edition of Time in New England that Strand photographs seascape but only allow our anxiety caused by being alone in the vast area to be consoled from the light on the cloud and the ocean's surface. Although the ratio in the frame is traditional, it induces calm.

斯特兰德的作品令许多人再次观察时感到困惑，直到今天，人们还在问：他为什么要用那种方式拍照。不过，这些照片都是未曾预测到的，但它们是成功的。

Strand's works puzzle many people even when they look at them again, until today, there are still many asking: why did he use such a way to photograph. Though these photos are not predicted, they are successful. 

斯特兰德最好的照片来自他对美国的热爱。自从他于 1950 年离开美国去法国后，年龄大了，又自认为已经完成了伟大的作品，加之婚姻生活的幸福，让他放松下来缺乏了迫切感。同时，他既不会说法语也不会说意大利语，不能与被拍肖像主体进行沟通，不了解当地习俗、法律法规，工作起来不像在美国时有政府资助，享有特权，可以充分施展他的才华。结果则是在后来的一些工作中出现了肤浅的现象。肖像变得越来越理想化；他拍摄的老年人，几乎很少记录下在新英格兰时的复杂表情。斯特兰德创造性、精确性构图的动力也趋于减弱，偏离轴心的拍摄方式被使用得更少，即使使用，也开始显得很公式化。

The best photos of Strand came from his love for America. Ever since he moved to France in 1950, because he was older, because he believed that he had already completed the great work and because he had a happy marriage, he loosed his eagerness. At the same time, he could not speak French or Italian, which disallowed him to communicate with his shooting subjects and to learn the folk tradition and local laws. In addition, he lost government support and privileges that let him perform his talents. It turns out that there is superficiality present in his later works. The portraits became more and more idealistic; and when he photographed the elderly, he rarely recorded the complicated facial expressions as he did when he was still in New England. Strand's creativity, accuracy, and impulsion to create diminish, the off-axis way of shooting was used less, even if he used it, they are formulaic.

圣人给我们的礼物是一种生活，而艺术家的礼物主要是一种愿景。

Saints' gift for us is a kind of life, and the artists' gift is more of a vision.

斯特兰德的生活和艺术完全一致，依然是值得尊重的。

Strand's life and art are completely consistent, which is still very respectful.

Wall Street

Church

Toward the Sugerhouse

White Fence

Town Hall

The Barn 

 Cobbler

Mr. Bolster

Fisherman