I have always been under the impression that while there is a shortage of critical discussions of photography in the blogosphere, which is too bad, since the blog is an ideal medium/format for discussions of photography. So I was extremely happy to find Dissing Disfarmer on Evan Mirapaul’s blog - something to agree or disagree with.

Money quotes: “So what’s not to like? Well the first thing that comes to mind is the hype. There’s lots of hype. […] I’m skeptical about most of it, and it damn near kills any pleasure I can find in the pictures themselves.”

And “I believe Mike Disfarmer was a talented and interesting photographer from a relatively remote spot in America. His style has more in common with the itinerant tintype makers (of which he probably saw many examples) than with August Sander (of whom he was probably unaware). The flat pose, the simple makeshift backdrop, the natural light all seem to be a natural cousin of the earlier, traveling, rural tintype maker or perhaps other locally based portrait makers.”