I got a couple books this holiday season that have been a nice nostalgia trip down memory lane. Helmut Newton, Polaroids and Ansel Adams, Examples. That’s the great thing about knowing a photographer, if you’re stuck on a gift idea, get them a book! There’s thousands to choose from.
I grew up on Ansel Adams. My dad was an amateur photographer in a similar vein. A few of his prints adorned our walls. My father rubbed me against Ansel at a book signing in 1977. In this book, he breaks down the making of 40 photographs, based on the best of his recollection.
It’s really interesting hearing Ansel speak about his work. Words written decades ago about images taken many decades ago. It's a little time capsule into the art of photography from a time when it was accessible at that level, to a rarefied few. When creating images was a struggle. From which came his practice of pre-visioning a final image from the scene before him. What techniques from camera to darkroom would be employed to achieve the desired result. What birthed the Zone System. Ansel was famously forward thinking, embracing new technologies and materials. He undoubtedly would have eaten up todays digital tools.
Helmut Newton, Polaroids, is quite a bit different. Few words, lots of pictures. As different as their subject matter, yet absolute masters of their craft. Polaroids dips into yesterday when instant films were often used as a test to confirm lighting and composition before exposing film. I remember the days of being on set when test polaroids were shot, and they frequently were so good it was hard to duplicate on film stock. Just something about the color palette and the instant, ephemeral nature of the material. This book was produced by Helmut’s wife in 2011, years after his passing in 2004. It’s an intimate look behind the scenes of many iconic images. A slightly different take, a little less serious than the large prints, laboriously created that we’re familiar with. It’s fun to identify the camera used based on the character of the image. Pack film from a Polaroid Land 110, Square images on a rectangular pack film from a Hasselblad, probably on Polaroid type 669. Quite a few shots on SX-70, some snap shots, some intentional final products.
Both of these books have me hungry for something more physical. Something I can hold in my hand. Which is what I’ve been drawn towards in the recent years. Tintypes fulfill that wonderfully, so does the spate of modern instant films currently available. Again, the i2 is probably the best instant camera on the market. Get you one! In my head, I’m building out the darkroom that will one day occupy the bathroom in my new studio. I miss printing with an enlarger and processing film. Soon. . . soon.
If you haven’t noticed, I’ve quietly rolled out a store front, populated with a handful of original tintypes available for purchase. The link is up at the top of the window. Or you can click here. I’ll be adding to it. More tintypes, Polaroids, ink jet giclee prints, and eventually, silver gelatin, darkroom prints.
Ok, onto this week’s gallery with MJ. She was my last shoot of 2023. We spent a chilly afternoon in the studio. Tintypes, polaroids, a little film and a few digital sets. I’m still struggling in trying to figure out how to present all the alternative process images along with the digital sets. Maybe they warrant their own separate blog post. . .
I shot all these on my Canon 5D IV with a Sigma 85mm. Mostly at F1.4. I like wide open. Click thru for 60+ more images.
