Which pre-war photographer do you like best?

[batsballsbases]

It has to be Burke for me. Just beautiful pictures!

[perezfan]

They're all marvelous, but to me Bain's photos carry the greatest mystique. Tough choice between him and the others, but I voted for Bain... maybe because his photos tend to include more background specifics and interesting stadium features (see below).

That huge net in back of Cobb, the fact that virtually everyone is wearing a straw hat (in the other Cobb photo) and the ridiculous distance between the fans and the field of play (in the Carlisle/Syracuse photo) all add interest and intrigue. My guess, however is that Conlon will win the popular vote when all is said and done.

Post-war photographer is much easier for me... the incomparable Malcolm Emmons gets my vote.

[D. Bergin]

I've gotta go with Conlon.

The clarity on his shots were just amazing. You could almost see the sweat coming out of the pores of a guys face. I wish he had shot boxing also.

I like Burke but I think he used a softer focus filter, I prefer the grittier realism approach of Conlan.

Bain was pretty basic.

I think Paul Thompson may be under-rated. I actually think he's a step above Burke as far as quality.

I'm not familiar with Van Oeyan

[Leon]

What, no Horner?

[thekingofclout]

but ultimately, I omitted him due to the fact that he was a studio photographer, albeit the finest without question.

Also, for me, the common denominator for the five I chose is they all shot at the ballpark and they all photographed the Bambino. If Horner ever shot Ruth, I'm not aware of it.

Best regards, Jimmy

[Rob D.]

Because of his Cleveland connection, Louis Van Oeyen is the obvious choice for me.

These are from the Halper collection. Was thrilled when I got them:

[Jay Wolt]

I would vote for Conlon
Have a book on his baseball photos and in the '80's saw a display
in DC up close of his shots, incredible!