zora_suleman

Thanks very much indeed for all your advice. I probably mislead

you a little in my description of what I am after. I am not really

looking for an 'old' look, just a little more reach into the shadows

and a little more subtlety.

I have used Ilford Warmtone FB before and was horrified

because the prints came out so brown. I probably used PQ

Universal. It sounds like I should have another look though, and

also perhaps try the Agfa Multi-contrast again. And I am intrigued

to find out that Ilford still make Galerie.. but I'll have to stop

somewhere (hopefully before I go mad), and just settle on

something that works for my pictures.

Cheers

Z

Thank you very much for the helpful advice. All in all, I think that

the modular solution might be the best route to having the best

of both worlds.

Thanks again

Z

I have just tried Ilford Multigrade FB paper, having used Agfa

Multicontrast Classic in the past and before that Agfa Record

Rapid (which was lovely, but I don't believe is availble any

longer).

I have found that the Ilford paper, using Ilford Multigrade

developer to have a rather unpleasant tone, rather cold, hard,

even blue-ish look. Any thoughts on how to get the best out of

this paper? A different developer, maybe PQ Universal?

And coming back to my previous question about light sources,

maybe a diffuser head would create a less harsh feel?

It sometimes seems to me that modern films, papers (and I

suppose lenses) can combine to create a much less subtle

effect than photographers like Kertesz, Rodchenko and

Cartier-Bresson were getting in the 1930's, working in 35mm,

with the materials of the day. But maybe it is just how I am using

the materials, so any advice would be very welcome..

Thanks very much

Z

I use a Durst (M305?) 35mm condenser enlarger to print my

35mm negatives. It�s OK really, but I now need to buy an enlarger

to print 6x6 negatives and was wondering about a Durst M670,

available pretty cheaply second-hand here in the UK.

And I was really interested in people�s views on which light

source. My current enlarger is pretty contrasty and shows up

every mark on the negative. I believe that a colour head with a

diffuse light source would help with the dust problems, but how

about the image? Would I still get good blacks and whites on

fibre-based multigrade papers and would the grain still be

sharp. I don�t want soft, flat looking pictures.

It is a difficult thing to try before buying and I would appreciate

any experience that people can offer.

Thanks so much

Z

.. the book �What Was True�, of Bill Gedney�s work and

notebooks. His pictures are beautiful, and to see the way he

lived and worked through his notes, is so revealing. He clearly

lived and breathed photography.

Now, I have seen him mentioned on this forum before, and

noticed some �Yeh, well, he�s not as good as Henri

Cartier-Bresson� and �Really mediocre. Don�t see what the fuss

is about? Is my two cents, IMHO� type comments. I think that his

work deserves better than this. If you are interested, but can�t get

his book, there is a pretty comprehensive looking website, which

I haven�t had time to explore yet:

http://scriptorium.lib.duke.edu/gedney/

I think the comparison with Cartier-Bresson is interesting. For

myself, I love Cartier-Bresson�s work. I�m particularly fond of his

early pictures of Spain and Mexico, which again crosses the

borders between art and documentary. His achievement is

extraordinary. I preface with all this, in the vain hope that people

won�t shout at me for the next bit, which is that what I see in

Gedney�s work, is a gentleness that I sometimes feel can be

missing in Cartier-Bresson�s, �big-game hunter�, highly technical

and maybe even ruthless approach. Gedney�s pictures are not

as tightly composed as Cartier-Bresson�s for sure (well, whose

are?), but the time that he has spent getting to know some of his

subjects and his affection for them really shows through.

But this isn�t about who�s best. It�s what they each have to offer

that is important. So I hope you find this interesting.

Best

Zora

Thank you for all the very interesting thoughts and ideas

expressed here. All I can really add, is that the desire to reflect

human experience through art seems pretty undeniable in our

history, from cave paintings to Tracy Emin's bed. I'm sure that it

changes our understanding of ourselves and the world, and

hopefully takes us forward in some way.

Maybe it is always 'Salgado, Salgado, Salgado' (as Chris said),

because his work can be seen as both documentary and art,

which given the nature of his subject, will sometimes be

uncomfortable and challenging, but it will at least attract our

attention. Which is the point, I suppose.

Best

Z

"I have to know. Are you the newsreader on RI:SE on C4?"

No, someone else I'm afraid, Moiz.

Best

Z

Chris

"You are speaking like your nice president (ahem) who judges

countries, even whole world region without ever having been

there"

No mate, he ain't my president. We've got Tony Blair as the

vice-president though, if that's any help..

Z

I think I agree about his work in the exhibition, but come to think

of it, I'm not sure they did Lee Friedlander too proud either.

I think that Parr is an interesting photographer and his vision of

the English, which I suppose could be viewed as rather mocking

(families sitting on the beach amonst discarded junk food and

rubbish for example), I actually think shows a real affection for

people. Although I could be wrong. He could be having a laugh, I

suppose..

Cheers

Z

I often wonder why Sebastiao Salgado comes in for so much

criticism, usually along the lines of exploiting poor, oppressed,

homeless or otherwise struggling people, by creating beautiful

works of art from their images?

In his book 'Workers', which documents manual labour across

the world, mostly in poor countries, he often shows people as

quite heroic figures. I am thinking for the moment of the picture of

the man carrying some large circular piece of metal on his

shoulder. Does this glorify suffering and struggle and, if so, is

that so bad? People's lives are heroic. Struggling to survive and

perhaps bring up a family, by lugging huge lumps of metal

around in incredible heat for long hours is ordinary and

extraordinary. And perhaps this can be portrayed and even

celebrated, in the same way that people living more comfortable

lives might like for their own to be.

It is always dangerous territory to start talking about the way

other people live, from a nice chair in front of a computer, and

maybe I haven't expressed my thoughts as well as I could. But

Salgado is clearly prepared to put himself out to publicise what

happens to people, living in very precarious circumstances, far

more than his critics would be. And if he (and others) didn't take

these pictures and show them to us, many of these people

would be almost invisible to most of us. Would that be good? If

people really want to have a go at someone, I would have

thought that there are plenty of really wicked people in the world,

well ahead of Salgado in the queue.

What do people think?

Best

Z

Yes, I'm not sure what to make of Eggleston's work. Although I

really like the picture of the two men (one black, one white)

standing by the car. What do you think of Martin's Parrs work?

Z

I saw the 'Cruel and Tender' exhibition of documentary

photography at the Tate Modern (London), last weekend. One or

two of the modern photographers, whose works were exhibited,

are very cruel indeed. Strangely this makes Robert Frank's

pictures of 1950's America (which I understand he couldn't get

published in the US at the time because they were considered

too shocking), and Diane Arbus's pictures of people living

perhaps on the margins of society or normality (whatever that

is?), look almost romantic now.

So there you have it - cruel and tender. Worth a look if you're in

London. A great view of the Thames and St Paul's from the

balcony too. Who could want more? And to provide the complete

service, here's the website:

http://www.tate.org.uk/modern/exhibitions/cruelandtender/

Sorry, no question or particular Leica reference for the pedants

I'm afraid.

Best

Z