Josef Koudelka

I have always been a big fan of Koudelka's work, especially his

Gypsie's and Pictures from Prague.

 

Can anyone throw some light on what Camera's and Lenses he was using

around this time in the late sixtie's ??

Some of his pictures look like they were shot wide angle on a 28 or

maybe even wider.

Here ya go :D <p>

<a href="http://www.magnumphotos.com/cf/htm/CDocZ_MAG.aspx?Stat=DocThumb_DocZoom&o=&DT=ALB&E=2K7O3RNY2WJ&Pass=&Total=461&Pic=333&SubE=2K7O3R0RV10" >Koudelka by Erwitt</a> <p>

Looks like a v.2 35 Cron on an M4-2 or M4-P. <p>

Most if not all of Gypsies was shot with a Canon 25mm LTM.

In 1974, I think that would have to be an M4.

In an interview in one of his books, he says that he used a 25mm lens that was imported from East Germany.

I remember a portrait Irving Penn had of Koudelka with his heavily brassed M4.

I read somewhere that he would carry four M's around his neck on straps of varying lengths. Each would be set up identically but pre-focussed to different distances so that he could grab the camera that most closely matched the distance to the subject. I guess it worked...

I would bet you are right on the 28mm. Koudelka himself says that about that time he stopped using wide angle lenses, referring to the 28mm specifically. After that he says he used normal lenses only, which in his case meant a 35mm lens. The couple of rare glimpses I have had of him, he had an M6 with a 35mm around his neck, along with his ever-present army surplus jacket.

Cool Jorn, does he still live and work in Prag?

Having nothing better to do tonight decided to do some research myself on the matter.

 

Interesting Link

 

http://www.artmedia.ch/porter/PHOTOGRAPHY/MEETINGS/Koudelka.html

 

Extract from above link enclosed Regarding his 25mm lens.

 

(Josef owes much to Anna Farova for her initial interest and assistance, and to Henri Cartier-Bresson who he met by "coincidence"; both these persons were extremely important in acknowledging his work. Earlier, the Czechoslovakian critic and photographer Jiri Jenicek had made a great contribution to Josef's development as a photograph?, for it was he that helped chose the pictures for his first exhibition, where he met Anna Farova for the first time. Jenicek ordered a 3.5-cm Zeiss Flectogen lens from East Germany, and received a 25-mm instead. After the death of Jenicek he bought the lens from his widow. Josef subsequently used this lens for much of his work.)

Putting all the above together--or at least some of it. What Jorn says is

basically correct according to what I've read, except it was a 25 not a 28. He

used it for <I>Gypsies</I> and then stopped using it afterwards because the

conditions weren't so cramped as the gypsy camps he'd been in. A few years

ago I read that he could walk into any gypsy camp and be welcomed.

Generally, nobody's welcome except other gypsies, so he's considered 'one

of them'. He shoots during the Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter is for

processing and printing. My absolute favorite book is his <I>Exiles</I> book. A

simply amazing book.

...and he used to use quite a lot of Olympus gear, but that's another story.