Enticing the Light » Photographers

My New Favourite Wedding Photo: Lauren Bush and David Lauren. Vogue Photos

Peter Zack — Sun, 04 Dec 2011 16:49:07 +0000

by Peter Zack

Lauren Bush and David Lauren Wedding portrait.

Photo & Copyright by Norman Jean Roy.
All rights reserved Norman Jean Roy.
Thanks to Vogue magazine for making this public.

See the slideshow of images on the Vogue magazine web site.

To me this is jaw dropping. A style of photo we rarely see today and a timeless image. I could make all sorts of positive comments about several aspects of this photo but sometimes art at this level just needs to be enjoyed in silence. So I’ll stay quiet now. Click on the image to see the full sized version.

Cheers and good shooting
-Peter Zack

PS: If she takes his last name, she’ll be Lauren Lauren?

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Beautiful Photographs Made with a Long Exposure Lens

Miserere — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 12:15:15 +0000

by Miserere

Lincoln Harrison took these, and other beautiful pictures of star trails, around Lake Eppalock, a man-made lake in the Australian state of Victoria. According to the Daily Mail, he did so using a “long exposure lens”…but they didn’t mention which one. A shame, because I’d like to buy one! Mr Harrison used a Nikon D3100, that much they did tell us. Check out more great star trails at Mr Harrison’s website.

Good light and good luck,

—Miserere

All images: ©Lincoln Harrison.

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The Unplugged Wedding – Hopefully a New Trend

Peter Zack — Sat, 25 Jun 2011 03:59:59 +0000

by Peter Zack

You can see one guest taking a shot of the bridal party during the service. Another is getting 'candids' of other guests while the service is happening. At this wedding there were over 35 cameras between approx 100 guests. Photo; property of PEIWeddingPhotography.com

The Offbeat Bride posted an article touting the benefits of “unplugging” your wedding. As a wedding photographer, I applaud this idea. Not because it makes my job easier, it does and doesn’t, but because it has the guests actually present during the service. No iPhone cameras clicking because you forgot to turn down the volume. No red focus lights on the faces during the first kiss. No auto focus beeps overshadowing the vows.

Another aspect of cell phones and LCD backed cameras is the bright LCD and the automatic flash. Not all guests are taking photos but can they enjoy the event when others have these brightly lit screens up in the air or they repeatedly stand up during the service to get a shot? I know I work hard to not be noticed and disruptive, any good pro does this and is very conscious of where they stand or move to. We buy these expensive cameras to avoid using the flash during the service, no matter how dark it is. Guests just don’t do this enough to realize their movements and actions can ruin the mood and block the enjoyment of the other guests. For that matter, a distraction can ruin the emotions shared between the couple during their big day. It’s tough on the minister or officiant as well when they have noise and flashes firing while they are trying to conduct a religious and emotional service. If you’ve been to a wedding at a church recently, have you noticed how many ministers and priests have said lately that there’s no photography during the service? There are 2 reasons for this and one is the subject of this editorial.

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve turned to the mother of the bride at an emotional set of vows and seen her looking at the LCD instead of watching and hearing the words being spoken. I had hoped to get a shot of her reactions to hearing those heartfelt words which, unfortunately, she missed while trying to get “the shot”. Everyone has a camera and feels the need to record everything around them at any time. A short story of mine (one of many) was having the bridal party on the beach to get a few shots. Time is always limited and one of the groomsmen was there with his DSLR. Several times we had to bring him back to the group because he was busy taking close up shots of some seashell or the other bridal party members. To me, that says volumes about how much he was committed to their wedding.

Countless stories like this really take away from the event. It becomes a photo circus. As an experienced photographer, I don’t mind and can work around what has become normal. My post isn’t sour grapes. In fact, I get some cool or funny shots when guests are trying to get a shot of the couple. I love weddings and enjoy the privilege of being part of the day. What I don’t like is how so many cameras can change the dynamic of the day. The guests are no longer participants and become simply observers, recording the wedding like reporters. They should be involved and celebrating the day with the couple. They should be able to hear the vows and watch the service. The couple put a lot of time, planning, effort and emotion into this once-in-a-lifetime day, they want the guests to experience it with them first hand. There’s plenty of time for photos at the reception or cocktail hour.

A photographer friend posted a similar set of comments on her Facebook page. One bride posted the following comment:

Husband and I were married in January this year and we had tossed around the idea of requesting no cameras, but thought it would be rude to ask people to do this and it would upset people. I thought twice about our decision when I walked down the aisle and saw nothing but bodies and cameras, no faces. In the end I think Husband and I were the main ‘upset guests’ at our own wedding.

As a wedding photographer, I get to have some interesting behind-the-scenes conversations with the couple while preparing their wedding. The vast majority want everyone there to enjoy the service and be an active participant in the love they share and all the emotion that goes with this big day.

Let me try to put this another way: If you don’t know who Oprah is, you’re living in a cave. We’ve all seen her on TV and most of us have watched at least one show and probably much more. If you had a choice to watch her camera people and editors display the show in the controlled way they want you to see it, or could go to the show itself and experience it for yourself, which would you prefer? Same for the people who went to Kate and William’s royal wedding and stood outside to see the first public kiss. Why spend all that money and time to do that when I probably had a better view watching the BBC coverage? Because they wanted to be part of the event and experience it. They wanted to share in a moment that only comes once. That is just as true for the couple who invited you to share in their special day.

When there’s a hired professional there to photograph the wedding, put the cameras away when the bride is saying her vows…please.

The full article is here: Offbeat Bride, Unplugged Wedding.

Note; you should go below the article and read the comments from brides that are piling up and overwhelmingly in favour of an “unplugged wedding”.

Cheers and good shooting
-Peter Zack

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Elliott Erwitt’s Personal Best on Show at the International Center of Photography in NYC

Miserere — Fri, 13 May 2011 11:05:55 +0000

by Miserere

	I use a fast shutter speed. –Elliott Erwitt (in response to being asked how he manages to find time for personal work)

Eliott Erwitt will turn 83 in July this year; he’s been taking photos for over 6 decades, all around the World, and has published or been included in over 20 books. He’s worked for the US Army, the FSA and Magnum Photos, as well as being a freelance commercial photographer. He has photographed some of the most iconic people and dogs throughout his illustrious career; and he hasn’t retired yet. You can find a short interview and slideshow with Erwitt’s own explanations for each picture here.

Soon the International Center of Photography in New York City will host a retrospective of Erwitt’s work titled Elliott Erwitt: Personal Best running May 20 – August 28, 2011. On show will be over 100 of his personal favourite photographs, some of them never before published or seen.

If you’re in the area, you can’t miss this. I’ll try to make it over to the Big Apple for the exhibit and will report back if I do.

Good light and good luck,

—Miserere

UPDATE: I went to New York on the opening weekend and spent an enjoyable 3 hours at the exhibit. Read my review of it at Mike Johnston’s The Online Photographer:

The Elliott Erwitt ICP Show in New York

All images: ©Elliott Erwitt.

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American Photo 2011 Top 10 Wedding Photographers

Peter Zack — Thu, 05 May 2011 11:30:32 +0000

by Peter Zack

American Photo May-June 2011 issue. The world's top 10 Wedding Photographers

Soon (05/10/11) to hit the news stands near you is the May/June issue of American Photo magazine and it features this year’s 2011 top 10 Wedding Photographers. EtL has found a sneak peek at the article and list which we’ll share here. If you have an interest in shooting weddings, these 10 photographers produce inspired and very different work. It’s well worth having a look at each winners site (listed below) to check out their work.

To receive this honour, a list of 100 plus photographers was assembled from nominations from a committee that includes photo editors, gallery owners and past winning photographers. To be considered, a photographer has to be nominated from this committee of 32 advisors, the majority of whom are winners from past years (you can only win once). Then the ten winners are chosen from the 100 nominees. It’s very much a vote from your peers and some of the best photographers in the industry.

A tip of the hat to this amazing group. Click on the name to visit their sites (listed in no particular order):

Andrena; Los Angeles, USA
Nate & Jaclyn Keiser; San Diego, USA
Camille & Chadwick Bensler; Vancouver, Canada
Greg Gibson; Washington DC, USA
Marcus Bell; Brisbane, Australia
Jesse & Whitney Chamberlin; Atlanta, USA
Jonas Peterson; Brisbane, Australia
Rocco Ancora; Melbourne, Australia
Parker Pfister; Asheville, USA
Yervant; Melbourne, Australia

Cheers and good shooting
-Peter Zack

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Richard Avedon Exhibit at Boston’s MFA – A Review

Miserere — Sun, 23 Jan 2011 18:00:47 +0000

by Miserere

A couple weeks ago I visited the Richard Avedon exhibit at Boston’s Museum of Fine Arts (MFA): Avedon Fashion 1944-2000, which ran from August 10, 2010 to January 17, 2011. It’s the first retrospective of his fashion work since 1978. A tip for those in the area: On Wednesdays, the entrance fee into the MFA is by donation, meaning you can get in for free…or for whatever you think is an appropriate donation amount.

Let me start off by saying that I’ve always like Richard Avedon. He’s famous for being a fashion photographer, but I feel like he was an artist who was lucky enough to have Harper’s Bazaar finance his models, clothing, lighting and travel. In that respect, he’s my hero!

With this in mind, I went into the exhibit with high hopes and looking forward to enjoying myself, and if you’re bored with this article already, I’ll let you know that I wasn’t disappointed. The exhibit was divided into sections, each for a different decade of Avedon’s career. There was plenty of space to step back and examine prints as a group, which the curators had clearly planned for given how similar themed images were placed adjacent to each other. This worked well, because many of Avedon’s photos aren’t particularly strong by themselves, but they become greater than their sum when seen as a whole. Nevertheless, I did enjoy stopping in front of some photos trying to work out the particulars of the lighting. I was accompanied by two fellow photographer friends and we all wondered whether Avedon had poses in mind or if he just turned the music on and let the models do what they wanted. Some of the extremely tight framing in certain photos seemed to suggest that, if there had been planning, it hadn’t extended to pointing the camera at the right spot!

One particular room was dark, with black walls, and the only light came from lights shining on the prints, one per photo. Very interesting approach, that had everyone wondering whether the photos popped because of the light, or whether they would have popped anyway. The lights had a small, hot central point that was pointed at a precise location in the print, so we suspect the “pop” was combination of Avedon’s artistry and that of the lighting designer. Great use of light by both parties in this case.

Speaking of lighting, one group of photos highlighted (ahem) Avedon’s love for backlighting his leading ladies. In some images this had the effect of making the subjects appear as if photoshopped into the background, but most of the time it worked to Avedon’s advantage, giving his lovely models a bright aura. Incidentally, all these photos were taken in ballrooms, bars, casinos and similar places, always seeking an image of glamour. Tuxedos and pearl necklaces abound.

One interesting section showed a set of test prints with comments written on them in pencil by Avedon himself. Some were instructions on how to reshoot the scene, while others indicated how to crop. I found one image of a couple leaving a night-life establishment particularly interesting: It had been shot in vertical format, including a lot of the building’s brick façade, so Avedon decided to cut most of the building out and make the image horizontal. This seems like a major cockup to me, not shooting the appropriate orientation in the first place, but it prove that Avedon was indeed human.

Richard Avedon - Dovima with the Elephants

My favourite Avedon photo of all time is Dovima with the Elephants (learn more about Dovima). I was hoping the curators wouldn’t have dared leave that photo out, and boy did they not! In one of the last sections (the photo was taken in 1955) I found the print, and it was huge, by far the largest in the exhibit. I stood in front of it in silence, admiring those repeated curves, that elephant profile following the Dovima’s own contour… Seeing this print alone made the entrance fee worthwhile. To get an idea of its size, see this photo somebody took at another exhibit.

I should also mention that there were a few colour photos on display, but they lacked the impact of Avedon’s B&W work. How do I know this? Because I can’t remember even one of them, while I can remember many of the B&W prints I saw, even though it was the first time I was seeing them. And that’s all I’ve got to say about Avedon’s foray into colour.

In closing, I enjoyed the exhibit, as much for its quality and diversity, as for the effective placement of the prints by the curators, which in my view catalogued Avedon’s techniques and styles and allowed me to better appreciate what he was about as a photographer—a fake fashion photographer.

If this exhibit comes your way, don’t miss it!

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Vivian Maier Chicago Exhibit – A Review

Miserere — Fri, 14 Jan 2011 05:15:10 +0000

by Christine Aguila

On a night when “cooler by the lake” was a gross understatement, folks headed downtown on January 7^th to one of the city’s crown jewels, the Chicago Cultural Center, to attend the much anticipated opening reception for the Finding Vivian Maier: Street Photographer exhibition, which runs from January 8^th – April 3^rd, 2011. What a delightful evening it proved to be! [Ed. note: Read more about Vivian Maier here.]

The owner of this extensive collection, John Maloof, now celebrated for finding and archiving Maier’s work, was in attendance and graciously agreed to answer a few questions. According to Maloof, the famous Chicago photography gallery, Daiter Studio, and the Chicago Cultural Center have been very helpful with advice and guidance on the project, but, interestingly, the Museum of Contemporary Photography, located on Michigan Avenue and connected with Columbia College, has not contacted him. Maloof mentioned his plans for a book and a documentary and the on going quest for funding such projects. When asked if he had applied for an Illinois Arts Council grant, Maloof admitted not having heard of the council but agreed it would be a good idea to apply for funding. Finally, when queried on the organizing principal for the “Finding Maier” exhibition, Maloof stated: we did it “chronologically.”

Seventy-two photographs are displayed in two large rooms, and each contains a museum case with Maier ephemera. Room one offers three walls of 12 x 12 black and white and one wall of color prints taken in New York, Chicago, California, Egypt, and Canada. The museum case in room one contains four of Maier’s wide brimmed hats and items from her personal papers: a handwritten note: “Do best job–so no redo!!–customer is very particular” and an envelope addressed to Maier with the return address of the still existing Central Camera on Wabash Avenue. Maier is reported as having her film developed there.

Room two displays all black and white photographs mostly taken in New York, a few in Chicago, and the famous White Dress photograph made in Florida circa 1957. Also included are five self-portraits; three are reflections in either glass or metal, and two are shadow self-portraits. The museum case in room two includes three of Maier’s cameras, most notably her Rolleiflex and Exakta; samples of her own printmaking; seven rolls of exposed Ektachrome, 15 rolls of exposed 120 Kodak Pan; and one 8mm film canister signifying the several 8mm movies Maier is reported as having made during her lifetime.

Vivian Maier - Florida 1957
(click for large)

According to a staff member from the Chicago Cultural Center, 1,500 people were planned for, and there is little doubt the exhibition came close to reaching that number. The place was packed, the energy soared, and folks thoroughly engaged with Maier’s work—work, this writer found terrific!!!

Overall, the work in this exhibition collection shows strong attention to light and shadow, and Maier’s eye for balance and composition is expert. While eavesdropping, one viewer was overheard saying, “There’s so much character in every detail of the shots.” The street portraits are subtly varied in both pose and emotional expression, and the street scenes reveal playful juxtaposition and repetition. A particular favorite depicted two men dressed in canary yellow shorts of the 1970s length, meaning short by contemporary standards–yellow socks, and hard street shoes, as well as, a woman in a bright yellow skirt carrying a yellow purse. The frame captures the three subjects crossing the street, and the repetition of color here is quite comical. While standing before the picture and trying to contain giggles, a woman turned to me and said, “How did she get that shot?”

I could have said, “Ah, welcome to the wonderful world of street photography, where technical expertise, a quick eye, and luck all work together for the street photographer who’s on her toes and paying attention”, but I went for the vague and non-committal and replied, “Indeed.”

Finally, credit must be given to Mr Maloof, who by his own admission is quite new to photography and printmaking. The archival inkjet B&W prints had solid tonal range, and the color prints were dynamic but not garish or gaudy. So, well done John Maloof!

It was a great night for this city Chicago. In an architecturally stunning building devoted solely to the voices and visions of artists from all genres, Chicagoans met for the first time a prolific lady street photographer. Given the extent of Vivian Maier’s archival collection, she and this city are bound to be friends for a very long time.

A native Chicagoan, Christine Aguila resides in the city with her husband and teaches at a local community college.

All images: ©Christine Aguila, unless otherwise noted.

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Vivian Maier, Chicago’s Mysterious Photographer – A Timeline

Miserere — Thu, 13 Jan 2011 17:00:25 +0000

by Miserere

1950′s, New York

A tall woman wearing a wide brim hat walks inconspicuously down a busy street. She stops by two ladies chatting on the pavement, briefly looks down, then keeps walking. She has something hanging from her neck; it’s a camera that takes photos from waist level. She cranks a lever with her right hand as she leaves the ladies behind, their chatter engulfed by the sounds of the city. She observes, immutable, taking it all in, pausing only briefly to take a shot. Nobody notices her, and she seems happy with that.

Every now and again she encounters a child. Her expression changes, she takes a knee, speaks some kind words; the children are fascinated with her and never realise their photo is being taken. She bids them farewell and they stare after her as she disappears into the crowd. They will never know it, but this lady was Vivian Maier.

1959-60

A quiet woman travels alone around the World, visiting The Philippines, Thailand, China, Taiwan, Vietnam, Indonesia, Egypt, France, Italy, and the American Southwest. Her only companion is a camera.

1960′s, Chicago

Different city, different people, but the opportunities are still there for a good photograph and Vivian walks the streets as often as she can. The Chicagoans have as little interest in her as the New Yorkers did. That suits her just fine.

It’s late afternoon and the sun is casting long shadows; Vivian rides the bus back to the North Shore. As she enters her home 3 little boys (John, Lane, and Matthew) come running, asking myriad questions about how their nanny spent her day. She embraces them, calming them down with soft, yet imposing words, spoken with a slight French accent. In short order the children are put to bed and Vivian retires to her room, which nobody is allowed to go in to.

When the children’s parents walk past her door shortly after they wonder about the faint chemical smell hanging in the corridor.

1990s, Chicago

John, Lane, and Matthew are now grown men, successful in their personal lives and far from needing a nanny. Yet they never forgot their own personal Mary Poppins, who looked after them and taught them so much about life and the world during the 16 years she was with their family. So when they find out she is practically destitute, they buy an apartment for her and make sure she is taken care of. It seems she is still taking photos.

2007, Chicago

John Maloof, a real estate agent preparing a book about his neighbourhood, Portage Park, is searching for old photos amongst the boxes being auctioned at RPN Auction House. He finds one with negatives showing Chicago and bids $400. He wins.

Back at home he quickly goes through the contents of the box but finds no photos of Portage Park and stores the box away.

A few months later he brings the box out and spends some time looking through the photos—he’s captivated by them. He knows nothing about Photography nor is he an artist, yet these images speak to him and he can’t stop thinking about them.

A friend of his brother, a flea market professional called Ron Slaterry, was also at the auction and had bought some other boxes belonging to the same person, as had one Randy Prow.

It’s not clear when or who discovered the name of the woman who took these photos, but John and Ron learn the mysterious photographer is called Vivian Maier. After contacting the auction house they learn she is ill but find out nothing more about her. They discuss what to do about her photos while they slowly start to scan negatives and develop film rolls.

At some point Ron finds himself in need of cash to pay medical bills and, seeing how John is so interested in (even obsessed with) Vivian Maier’s work, he sells him his part of the collection for $1 a roll. Now John has some 100,000 negatives.

April 21^st 2009, Chicago

Undiscovered street photographer Vivian Maier dies at the Oak Park nursing home in the Chicago suburbs.

A few days later John Maloof Googles her name and finds her obituary. A bit of sleuthing leads him to some of the families she worked for, who gift him some of her possessions, including hats, books and cameras. They also share with him their memories of Vivian. John learns she was born in New York on February 1^st 1926; she was 83 years old when she died.

May 2009, Chicago

John Maloof sets up a blog where he starts posting the most interesting photos he finds as he scans in negatives.

October 2009, Chicago

John Maloof posts a question on the Hardcore Street Photography group on Flickr regarding Vivian’s photos and receives an overwhelmingly positive response to her photos and his efforts to recover and bring her to public attention. He contacts museums, curators, galleries and newspapers, receiving mixed messages about Vivian’s work and its worth, both artistic and monetary.

Spring 2010, Chicago

Jeffrey Goldstein, a frequenter of the Chicago flea markets, has John Maloof pointed out to him as the finder of Vivian Maier’s photography collection. After talking to him he learns about Ron Slaterry and the other buyer. Soon he tracks down Randy Prow, the third buyer of Vivian’s boxes at the auction house. He purchases 12,000 negatives, 700 prints and 20 homemade movies from him and sets up a website to publicise the find. Amongst the street photos typical of Vivian’s style he finds pictures of celebrities such as US president Nixon or Spanish painter Dalí.

April 2010, Boston

Miserere is surfing the internet in some semi-chaotic fashion, much like a squirrel jumping from tree to tree with no apparent direction. He stumbles upon John Maloof’s blog dedicated to Vivian’s photos and is immediately enthralled. He spends an hour pouring through the entries and searching the net for more information, all the while muttering under his breath this Vivian lady was good, dammit—she was good.

He soon finds John Maloof’s e-mail address and writes requesting an interview and a chance to meet in person, as he has a trip planned to Chicago in May. Unfortunately, John is unavailable to meet, and cannot grant an interview because several TV stations are working on stories about Vivian Maier and want exclusivity.

January 2011, Chicago

Vivian Maier has her first major show in the US (she already had one in Denmark and Norway) at the Chicago Cultural Center; Finding Vivian Maier: Chicago Street Photographer displays 72 inkjet prints from John Maloof’s collection (also printed by him) until April 3^rd 2011, and admission is free!

The Future

John Maloof faces a daunting task as he pushes on with limited personal funds to finish scanning the remaining 90,000 images, not to mention the 1,000 rolls of unprocessed film (which assuming 12 shots per roll totals a further 12,000 images). Jeff Goldstein may own a smaller part of the collection, but 12,000 negatives is still a huge number to scan. By these accounts, the total number of photos taken by Vivian is about 125,000; If no financial and technical help is afforded these men, it will be decades before Vivian’s full collection is scanned, after which it still needs to be edited. John estimates that 1 in 100 images is artistically good, which means some 1,250 would be worthy of including in books. Even at a generous 200 images per book, this would still require 6 volumes. Needless to say, Monsieurs Maloof and Goldstein have their work cut out for them.

If you wish to help the Vivian Maier cause, visit her KickStarter page and make a donation. John Maloof has teamed up with Chicago film maker Anthony Rydzon and Dansih documentary film maker Lars Mortensen and is raising funds to make a documentary about Vivian Maier and her work. Some say they would rather see funds funnelled into helping her archive get digitised, but I think a documentary, and an upcoming book by Powerhouse Books, will raise awareness and give Vivian the credit she deserves, at which point it will be easier to obtain means and funds to finish archiving her photographic collection. Enticing the Light has made its donation, and we hope you will too. [Ed. note: Happily, their funding goal has been reached, but any extra funds can only help, so don't let it keep you from donating.]

Please read a report of the ongoing Chicago exhibit from EtL’s photographer on the scene, Christine Aguila: Vivian Maier Chicago Exhibit – A Review.

More Vivian Maier

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HWEDOnBfDUI

John Maloof’s page: VivianMaier.com
Jeff Goldstein’s page: VivianMaierPhotography.com
Vivian Maier’s Facebook page
Chicago Magazine: The Life and Work of Street Photographer Vivian Maier, by Nora O’Donnell
Chicago Magazine: Vivian Maier Photos
The Independent: Little miss big shot: Fifties America exposed – by a French nanny
The Independent: Vivian Maier Photos
Chicago Sun-Times: A developing picture: The story of Vivian Maier, by Mary Houlihan
Chicagoist: Behind the Images: Jeff Goldstein Talks about Vivian Maier, by Kevin Robinson
The Lens: New Street Photography, 60 Years Old, by David W. Dunlap
Gaper’s Block: Getting the Right Angle on Vivian Maier, by Kelly Reaves
Vivian Maier on Wikipedia

All photos: Property of John Maloof; except Dalí, property of Jeff Goldstein

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Camille Silvy at the National Portrait Gallery, London

Miserere — Wed, 15 Sep 2010 04:25:49 +0000

by Miserere

Long before there were Photoshop, photography industry, panoramic cameras or Strobist, one man used multiple negatives to create a single image, managed to set up a photography studio that made him wealthy, invented a camera capable of taking 4 exposures to create a single 360° image and ignited a magnesium ribbon to illuminate a crypt so he could photograph it. And he did it all before 1870. This man was Camille Silvy, and here is his (abridged) story.

Born on 18 May 1834 to a well to do family in Nogent-le-Rotrou (Eure-et-Loire, France), he entered the French diplomatic service at a young age. Sent to Algeria in 1857 to draw buildings and scenes to encourage emigration to France’s newest colony, he discovered Photography as a more precise and exact way of reproducing what he saw. Upon returning to France he continued to learn and practice his photographic art, and cemented what would be his style: Images that looked natural, but where anything but.

La Vallée de l'Huisne

One of his most well-known photographs from this period is La Vallée de l'Huisne, depicting a calm afternoon river scene. To begin with, both the couple about to take a boat ride on the left bank and the workers resting on the right bank were paid models. Not only that, but the sky is from a separate exposure (he also printed versions with alternate skies) and the trees reflected in the river are burned in. Like good Photoshopping nowadays, his craft was so good that a non-technical viewer would be none the wiser.

Reading the Emperor's First Order of the Day to the Army for the Italian Campaign in the districts of Paris, 1859

Another of his acclaimed photos is 1859′s Reading the Emperor’s First Order of the Day to the Army for the Italian Campaign in the districts of Paris, portraying Parisian workers reading Napoleon III’s Ordre du jour, which he had telegraphed the night before from Italy, where he was camped with his army ready to face the invading Austrians. The scene is emotional and one can just imagine the workers trying to read over each other’s shoulders; however, it was also staged, as the exposure time needed for this image would have required many seconds, if not minutes. The positions and postures of the workers were also orchestrated carefully by Silvy to achieve the composition he wanted. Sadly, I haven’t been able to find an uncropped image file of this image to post here—the one above is cropped to landscape format, when the original is in portrait orientation. If I find some time I’ll scan it from my book.

Silvy in his Studio with his Family

Within weeks of this picture, Silvy retired from his diplomatic post and moved to London to the Bayswater area, North of Hyde Park. There he opened a Photography studio, with a very large sitting room that he would accessorise with countless props. Many self portraits survive showing Silvy or his wife, sometimes both, posing in varying stances with all manner of clothes; Silvy would use these sessions to try out different lighting, which he manipulated with blinds over the windows and glazed roof of the room. He was 23 years old.

Camille Silvy in his London studio

Portraiture was Silvy’s bread and butter, catering to London’s high society and members of the arts and culture scene; he was the first celebrity photographer, selling portraits of famous actors, writers, dancers, singers and other popular characters. Much of his earnings, however, came from producing cartes-de-visite for the wealthy (he made sure to charge more than his competitors for this service), these were the equivalent of today’s business cards, except that they showed the likeness of the person; they were very popular in the 1860′s. In short order Silvy’s studio had so much business he employed several dozen people (assistants, clerks, accountants, PR’s, etc.) and was able to expand the building, even constructing a “Queen’s Room”, should the Queen ever come sit for a portrait—she never did, though much of the royal family did and it was a well-known fact that Queen Victoria and Prince Albert were admirers of his work. From his letters and accounting books we know that his studio made him a wealthy man.

Studies on Light: Twilight

Silvy made a clear distinction between the artist C. Silvy and C. Silvy & Co., and he used the former to promote the latter. In a letter to his father he writes Before my talent was my luxury, today it is my capital. His need as an artist took him to equestrian photography (he was an accomplished rider) and, of all things, street photography. Most notable amongst the latter are his Studies on Light: Sun, Twilight and Fog. As we could expect from Silvy’s genius he played tricks with these photographs to achieve the imagery he wanted, thus going far beyond the barriers imposed by his limited equipment. In Twilight (seen at right) Silvy stiched together no fewer than 4 negatives to achieve the final print; writes Weston Naef: One negative was required for the street lamp, another for the foggy background, a third for the architecture at the right, and a fourth for the two standing figures. See the figure on the right either walking towards or away from the camera? That is possibly the first intentional blurring in the history of Photography.

Not content with his artistic and business accomplishments, Silvy developed and patented a panoramic camera that could produce a 360° image using 4 consecutive exposures on a single roll of paper negative. He called it his Cartouch photographique (photographic cartridge) and attempted to market it in 1867 at the International Exhibition as a tool for battlefield photography (timely given the mounting tension between France and Prussia). His invention did away with the need for darkrooms and tents, introducing the concept of replaceable film cartridges. Sadly for him, he did not find patronage for it and it never became commonplace. His example print of the Champs Elysées of Paris, streets devoid of people due to the extremely long exposures, is eerie to look at even today.

Less than a year later Silvy closed his London studio down, some 10 years after opening it. He sold off his negatives and moved to Teignmouth (Exeter, UK) as vice-consul to the French government. Shortly thereafter he enlisted as a lieutenant in the French army to fight the Prussians, sustaining some minor physical injuries, and most likely displaying the first symptoms of PTSD, which later evolved into periods of high creativity interspersed with episodes of depression. Today he would have been diagnosed with manic depression and bipolar disorder. It was 1870—he was 36 years old.

He was taken care of by his mother in La Croix-du-Perche (France); when she died in 1876 his crises became more violent and his general state worsened. After being arrested in 1878 for fighting he was committed to a psychiatric asylum, the first of many, which would become his permanent home for the remaining 3 decades of his life.

Camille Silvy died on 2 February 1910.

National Portrait Gallery Exhibit

The exhibit is open until 24 October 2010, so I suggest that if you’re in the London area you hurry up and purchase a ticket. I can’t remember the entrance fee, but it gives you a discount of £10 at the Gallery bookstore if you purchase the exhibit book, which I highly recommend. The text by Mark Haworth-Booth informed this post, and the photographs are very well reproduced. As for the exhibit itself, it shows over 100 images, from small cartes-de-visite to larger prints, including all the images in this post and the panoramic of the Champs Elysées. While the light levels are low in the rooms in order to preserve the prints from light damage, they are worthy of being seeing in the flesh, so to speak. Spend 5 minutes inside the first room until your eyes are used to the penumbra before you start looking at the photographs. Another reason to purchase the book is that you can readmire the photographs in brighter light from the comfort of your armchair. The book measures aprox. 22.5cm x 27.5cm (8.9″ x 10.8″).

Class Portrait of an Idiot Nation

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We’re Going to Need a Bigger Camera Bag – The Photography of John Chiara

Miserere — Sun, 12 Sep 2010 04:15:05 +0000

by Miserere

Have you ever complained about your camera being too bulky, too heavy, too slow to use? I have! Photographer John Chiara puts these complaints into perspective (get it?) in this video, where he explains how he shoots using his ultra-mega-large format camera, built by him.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9xYWehyfFcM

I would not want to use John’s camera for my street photography—I suspect I wouldn’t go unnoticed with it!

To expose a photo he must climb inside the camera, check for focus, set up the light-sensitive paper, then crawl out through a light-proof wormhole. At this point he takes the cap off the lens (he doesn’t say which one he uses) and the exposure starts. To time it correctly he uses…his gut. That’s right, he don’t need no stinkin’ light meter. He’ll also use his hand to block light from the sky so it doesn’t wash out. One point I didn’t understand is how he sets up the photo paper, which needs to be done in complete darkness, after checking for focus, which he does with the lens cap off. I think the video skipped the part where he climbs out of the camera after confirming focus, puts the cap on, then climbs back in to set up the paper.

And speaking of paper, John uses Cibachrome, a light-sensitive polyester-based sheet, hung at the back of the camera. The image forms directly on the “paper” (polyester is more of a plastic than a paper) but is reversed left-to-right, akin to ye olde daguerreotype. After the exposure is complete, the sheet needs to be “dipped” in a developing solution, which is done in a huge tube. Then the sheet, now an actual picture, is hung up to dry. Photographs produced by John are anywhere between 50 to 64 inches (127 to 163 cm) on the long end, and because of the Cibachrome process, they are unique prints.

Below are some of John’s photos. For more photos and information about John and his Photography, please visit his website.

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