I'm waaay too far behind on this one to read everything, so I'll just give me two cents and if I'm repeating things, I apologize.
I like some of Teller's work. I think me and him are on a similar level in terms of protocol. Let me see if I can put this into words:
To me there are basically two broad areas of photography, there's studio or intensively controlled environments, and there's non-controlled/spontaneous/available light/snapshot whatever you call it environments. There is lots of middle ground between the two. For me, it would be very hard to bring a model into a large studio space, with a complicated lighting set up and say, for fun sakes, an 8x10 camera and hope to achieve the same thing I do when I have no studio space and am shooting 35mm. Most of my models are usually not used to being photographed. A heaviliy controlled environment has a different effect on them as compared to just their house, or outside or whatever. I have shot studio, and depending on your complex set ups it takes time to get things moving. Teller, I believe, achieves his images by removing some of these elements that really have an impact, not necesssarily negative, on the model and the shots being taken. I guess, that's how he's come to do what he does. Because, obviously, there's photographers out there who can have a complex studio set up and still achieve a spontaneous look. It's still different though, that's why him and Terry have a certain feel and look to their pictures.
Hmm, my point is that, I can understand where he's coming from because I'm in a similar predicament. But we can't dismiss his photography as being non art or high fashion simply because of the lack of complicated and classically "high fashion" elements.
I agree with whomever mentioned the "cupboarding" quote or comment. But if you do things because of how you've done them, without copying anyone consciously, then that's true art, I think. And I can give him and Terry credit on doing what they're doing as being somewhat original.
Now their concepts and subject matter is another thing, I'm strictly speaking from a technical point view, with a twist of the psychological.
I'm going to end with a photographer that I was made aware of by a friend who found our work similar, I reaallly enjoy her work. To me, she's achieving what Teller and Terry are, but with a bit more technical elements.
http://www.marcosantucci.com/elaine/fash_edit/ Her name is Elaine Constantine, and she's a former assistant to Nick as well as a Contributor to ShowStudio.
Thank you for your time!
