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TATE
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2 M AY –
14 OC T 2018
10 0 YE AR S OF
PHOTOGR APHY
& ABSTR AC T ART
AN E XPERIMENTAL
MA STERCL A SS
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last few weeks that I find
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© Sally Mann
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BLACK+WHITE PHOTOGRAPHY ISSUE 217 JULY 2018 NEXT MONTH’S ISSUE IS OUT ON 5 JULY
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HIGH CONTRAST
Thousands of early photographs
collected and commissioned by
Prince Albert are to be published
online. The Prince Albert
Digitisation Project features
more than 10,000 pictures,
including work by Roger Fenton
and Oscar Rejlander. The
pictures will be published on the
website of the Royal Collection
Trust over the next two years.
GLORIOUS FOOD
event, organised by Fotospeed,
also features a market place
where visitors can try the latest
gear and talk to industry experts. Congratulations to black & white photographer was Bangladeshi photographer Noor Ahmed
Derek Snee, who was one of the category winners Gelal, who won a prize of £5,000. Martin Parr
Entries are invited for an in the Pink Lady Food Photographer of the Year was presented with the Outstanding
international photography awards. Derek was also shortlisted in the recent Achievement award and B+W Photography
festival. Photomonth takes B+W Photographer of the Year awards. contributor Tim Clinch took second place in
place in October and November The overall winner of the food awards the smartphone category.
in east London and aims to
demonstrate the diversity of
contemporary photography.
Deadline: 16 July.
TOP OF THE WORLD
A black & white photographer has won the
Jessops has radically Sony World Photography Awards.
redesigned some of its stores. Alys Tomlinson won the $25,000 first prize for
The next generation photo stores Ex-Voto, a series of pictures of pilgrims in France,
are intended to attract Ireland and Poland. The judges praised her work
smartphone photographers and for its beautiful production, technical excellence
families. Space has been given and sensitive illustration of pilgrimage as a
to allow people to turn their journey of discovery and sacrifice.
pictures into prints and gifts. Alys is the first British photographer to win the
award for 10 years. She said: ‘I am very surprised to
A new photography gallery have won, there is so much amazing photography
has opened in London – Wren
in this competition. This is a huge boost both
London is based in Featherstone
personally and professionally. It’s a project I invested
Street and aims to showcase
artists working at the forefront
so much in, so this recognition makes it all worth it.’
of contemporary photography. The competition attracted 320,000 submissions
The first exhibition features work from around the world. Winning pictures were
by New York photographic artist shown at Somerset House in London and can
Robin Broadbent and continues be seen in a new book.
until 30 June.
Left One of the pictures from Ex-Voto by Alys Tomlinson.
© Alys Tomlinson, United Kingdom, Photographer of the Year, Professional,
Discovery, 2018 Sony World Photography Awards
© George Rodger/Magnum Photos
ON FILM
A new short documentary film
celebrates the work of renowned
darkroom printer Melvin
Cambettie Davies.
The film, Mastermono, is directed
by Ken Kamara and Arianna Marin
and presented by Magnum General view of the ruins of Palmyra. A man on horseback passes as he would have done when Palmyra
photographer David Alan Harvey. was originally a trading city in the first century AD. Picture by George Rodger, 1966.
It describes the world of one of the
last black & white photographic
printers in London and was recently
shown at the Cheap Cuts Film
NEW MAGNUM PAPER
A new newspaper series has been launched The newspapers will cover a range of social
Festival in London. by Magnum Photos. and political issues, as well as lighter subjects.
The Magnum Chronicles are designed to Each one will be curated by a different
inform, engage and entertain through the use Magnum photographer.
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of visual narratives. The first issue is called Papers will be available for free from a variety
A Brief Visual History in the Time of ISIS and is of cultural venues and bookshops across Europe
curated by Magnum photographer Peter van and the USA, including the Photographers’
Agtmael. It features more than 40 photographs Gallery in London, ICP Bookshop and Gallery
from the Magnum archive plus an essay by in New York, Magnum Print Room in Paris
Middle East expert Peter Harling. and World Press Photo in Amsterdam.
© Ken Kamara and Arianna Marin
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Opposite Drought Refugees, circa 1935 Above Migratory Cotton Picker, Eloy, Arizona, 1940 Below Manzanar Relocation Center, Manzanar, California, 1942
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150 works on show in the Barbican’s upper galleries. The pictures combine to offer portraits of places like no other.
are by British photographer Vanessa Winship who, despite The series are sequenced chronologically, starting with Imagined
international success, has largely been overlooked in her home States and Desires: A Balkan Journey and finishing with She Dances
country. This is her first major UK solo exhibition with selections on Jackson – the outcome of her winning the Henri Cartier-Bresson
from seven long-term projects, including her new, ongoing body award in 2011. Those familiar with Winship’s oeuvre will enjoy
of work which shares the same name as the exhibition. discovering more about her thought processes, working methods and
While some describe her as a portraitist, others a documentary
photographer, seeing her work en masse acts as a reminder that
categorising her work into a genre is too limiting. Although Winship’s
work might tell us people’s stories, it goes far deeper than straight
narration, as curator of the exhibition Alona Pardo explains: ‘This
exhibition sheds new light on Vanessa’s practice, which is very
complex. She is a chronicler of our world through a very different
approach to others; her pictures are ultimately about her grappling
with the world around her and making sense of it through the lens.
She doesn’t have a utopian vision about the power of photography,
her work really comes back to her own biography.’
A remarkable artist who uses photography to connect with the
world and its people in a meaningful way, Winship works slowly,
allowing a theme to emerge and take form over time. She often lives
in the regions she photographs and her engagement with her subjects
is brief but powerful. There is an astonishing tenderness to her work;
it is delicate, understated, compassionate and of course endlessly Untitled, Black Sea: Between Chronicle and Fiction, 2002 to 2006
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the importance of the written word for her creativity. Her new series overdue but this show is testament to it being well worth the wait.
will also be of great interest. Very much in its early stages, And Time A deserving artist who has a unique way of looking at the world,
Folds is quite different from her previous series. Colour images are this is an utterly compelling show.
set alongside black & white prints and there’s an intriguing addition
of archival material alongside found objects. We also see Winship POLITICS OF SEEING & AND TIME FOLDS
experimenting and playing with different processes – there’s a small are open from 22 June to 2 September; both shows are part of
collection of tintypes. the Barbican’s yearlong season The Art of Change. One ticket
Acknowledgement in the UK for Vanessa Winship might be gains entry to the two exhibitions. barbican.org.uk
NEWS FOOD PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR
EXTRA We present some of the best black & white pictures from this year’s Pink Lady
Food Photographer of the Year awards. The competition attracted entries from
photographers in 60 countries and the overall winner received £5,000.
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© Derek Snee
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© Karolina Wiercigroch
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© Mark Unsworth
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© Matt Wilson
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© Max Robinson
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© Fernando Lazaro
© Philip Field
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FEATURE
All images
© Xyza Cruz Bacani
WORLDS
APART
At 20 years old Xyza Cruz
Bacani moved from the
Philippines to Hong Kong
to work as a domestic helper
while photographing the
people she met and the
places she saw. Eleven years
on she’s gaining recognition
for her photo-essays on
migration and human rights.
Tom Seymour reports.
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with her gallerist and
agent. We’re in a huge
hangar right on the
water’s edge of San
Francisco’s Bay Area.
Take a stroll outside and you’d see
the sun setting over the Golden
Gate Bridge, the ferries of tourists
returning from Alcatraz. The
hangar is empty of people but full of
photography from every corner of the
globe. In a couple of hours the room
will fill with the city’s very moneyed
art scene, for the 2018 San Francisco
PhotoFairs is about to open.
The 31-year-old has a highly
anticipated solo exhibition at the fair.
Just across from her display Todd
Hido is exhibiting his new work; to
her left are Robert Mapplethorpe’s
unseen Polaroids and just around
the corner is the latest imagery from
renowned photographer Chen Wei.
Bacani is dressed elegantly in black,
typing away on her mobile phone.
Throughout the interview, she exhibits a ‘My mum doesn’t take time bought her first camera. ‘I had no idea what
relaxed and familiar confidence, as if she’s I was doing,’ Bacani says, ‘And the pictures
catching up with an old friend. She looks like off, she’s a workaholic, so were dreadful and ugly.’ But she persevered.
she very much belongs in such a high-end she’s never really seen Hong Every Sunday, she would spend the day
setting. It would be easy to assume she’s been walking the streets with her camera,
doing this kind of thing all her life – how Kong. Every time I went out, taking remarkably adept monochrome
very wrong that assumption would be. I was able to find something photographs of the small, momentary
Amid all of the photographers at the micro-dramas she witnessed.
fair, Bacani’s story is singularly unlikely, of the city to show her.’ ‘My employer didn’t want me to see
remarkable and inspiring. Hong Kong as a prison,’ Bacani says. At
Bacani was born and raised in a village in and she found a good job with a kindly, first, she saw her photography, ‘as a way to
Nueva Vizcaya, a rural outpost of the ageing woman. At 19, after a decade caring relax, to decompress from the week.’ But she
Philippines. She was eight years old when her for her two younger siblings, Bacani made quickly realised her camera facilitated a more
mother announced she was leaving the the decision to follow her mother to Hong important function: ‘I realised I was able to
family. A travelling salesman had visited their Kong and at 20 left the quiet, simple family bring something home every time I went out,’
village and promised lucrative employment life of Nueva Vizcaya and travelled to one of she says. ‘My mum doesn’t take time off, she’s
with good, rich people in Singapore. She the largest, busiest and most unequal cities in a workaholic, so she’s never really seen Hong
would be paid more than enough to send the world. She stayed there for seven years, Kong. Every time I went out, I was able to find
plenty back to Xyza and the family. Yet her working side-by-side with her mother. On something of the city to show her. It became
mother’s experience was one of abuse. She her Sundays off, Bacani would try to pursue a way for us to communicate with each other.’
was trafficked into Malaysia on a tourist visa her interest in painting. But Hong Kong, She gained the courage to post them on
and in her first job (which lasted two years) a metropolis she only glimpsed at during her Facebook page and in 2014 she came
she was allowed out into the daylight on just the week, lay on her doorstep. She started to the attention of professional Filipino
three separate occasions. She slept in what to wander the streets of the city by herself. photojournalist Rick Rocamora, who alerted
amounted to little more than a storage Beyond her employer and her mother, she the New York Times, who promptly published
cupboard. Her main contact with Xyza knew no one. She saw herself as invisible: ‘A a selection of her work. ‘I shouldn’t admit
was through photographs she sent through stray cat in the city,’ she says. this, but when I got the email from them,
the post. Eventually, she found the courage to ask I didn’t really know what the New York Times
Xyza’s mother later made it to Hong Kong her employer for an advance. With it, she was. My world was small,’ she says.
Karamjit weeps as she share her story with other runaways in the shelter. She was physically abused by her employer. Singapore, 2016
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Erwiana Sulistyaningsih (centre) leaves the hearing where her former employer was sentenced to six years in prison. Hong Kong, 2015
Members of F15, a group of Filipino trafficking survivors, during barbecue night. Jersey City, 2015
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Xi Feng is a noodle factory worker. After her hand was injured at work the agent responsible refused to return her agency fee. Singapore, 2016
Runaway migrant workers in Singapore share a meal inside the kitchen of the shelter. Singapore, 2016
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Daisy Benin Santos on a Skype call with her children in the Philippines. New York City, 2017
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er rise in recognition since has rights to immigrant workers, so there’s It would be Bacani’s first photo project in her
H been vertiginous. Less than a
year later she was awarded the
Magnum Foundation Human Rights
scholarship at the Tisch School of the Arts in
New York. Susan Meiselas, one of the most
very little these women can do in response.
Bacani captures women with serious burns
spreading across their back, or scars across
their face. ‘My former employer treated
me with dignity,’ she says. ‘I went to the
homeland. This was no easy task. Mindanao
is home to the largest Muslim population
in the Christian-dominated Philippines. It’s
also a war zone as it’s home to a multifaceted,
decades-old conflict between rebel groups
celebrated documentarians in the world, led shelter and saw how these women had been the Moro National Liberation Front and
the course, and encouraged her new student physically hurt or emotionally abused – the Al Qaeda-influenced Abu Sayyaf. Amid
to further mine into her own experience. I think the hardest challenge for me was this violence lies a school called Klasrum ng
‘She’s a straight shooter, and she’ll tell you containing the anger I felt. I had to try and Pag-Asa (Classrooms of Hope). Here, Bacani
as it is,’ Bacani says of Meiselas. ‘But it’s channel the anger into something useful.’ photographed children of both Christian
very rare to find a mentor like her. She will But Bacani learned to use her own and Muslim heritage as they study in the
support you not just in work but in your experiences to further her photography. same classrooms.
personal life as well.’ Many of the women at Bethune House had The work is ongoing; another trip is
Bacani is now in the midst of working on left children at home and hadn’t seen them planned soon, so the photographs on the
a photobook documenting the lives of other for many years. ‘They weren’t interested in walls of San Francisco PhotoFairs are just the
migrant domestic helpers who suffered abuse me because I worked the same job as them, beginning. ‘It’s a lot of work,’ she says. ‘I’m
at the hands of their employers. As well they were interested because I am a child of working in a war zone, so I have to spend a
as looking at workers in America, most of a migrant worker, because that’s the thing lot of time working out how to photograph
her images have been taken at the Bethune that they can’t know; the feelings of their responsibly and safely.’ The series means a lot
House Migrant Women’s Refuge in Hong children. They ask me how I felt growing up to Bacani, for it speaks to the girl who grew
Kong, a shelter for abused migrant workers. without my mum and how my relationship up in the village in Nueva Vizcaya, with no
‘If domestic workers need help, or get with my mum is now.’ idea what lay in store. ‘I know why I wanted
terminated in the middle of the night, that’s to work on the story,’ she says. ‘These children
where they go,’ she says. ast summer, the Magnum Foundation have to fight to go to school everyday. I believe
As her pictures testify, many of the women
were physically abused by their employers.
Hong Kong doesn’t give any citizenship L asked Bacani to go out on commission.
They sent her back to Mindanao, the
second largest island in the Philippines.
everybody deserves a school education –
because I was never able to have one.’
xyzacruzbacani.com
NEWS IN THE FRAME
If you would like an exhibition to be included in our listing, please email
Elizabeth Roberts at elizabethr@thegmcgroup.com at least 10 weeks in advance.
International listings are on the app edition of the magazine.
GERMANY
HELMUT NEWTON FOUNDATION
To 18 November
Between Art & Fashion: Photographs from the collection
of Carla Sozzani / Alice Springs: Portraits
A dual display, the first comprises 200 prints – including works by Sarah
Moon and David Bailey. The second presents 30 portraits by Alice Springs,
images of Karl Lagerfeld and Yves Saint Laurent are among those on show.
JEBENSSTRASSE 2, BERLIN
N CLICK HERE
helmutnewton.com
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hile strolling the years 1964 to 1966 Banks
around the Classic created images at a variety of
Photographs Los the engines, which you can almost hear southern California drag racing
Angeles fair I was screaming out of the prints.’ strips including Lions Drag Strip,
thrilled to run into publisher Long Beach, San Fernando Drag
Chris Pichler at the Nazraeli Press. Nitro will be one of the six books classic muscle car, a 1964 Pontiac Strip, Fontana Drag Strip, Orange
Pichler is a truly gifted publisher included in Nazraeli’s upcoming GTO, which he drove across the County International Raceway
who has a remarkable talent for fall release of NZ Library: Set 4. country to California. in Irvine, Irwindale Raceway,
finding undiscovered vintage work In the early 1960s Banks The combination of two Bakersfield Drag Strip, Bakersfield
to publish and this year his new worked for the Leo Burnett of his loves, his GTO and his Carlsbad Raceway and Carlsbad
offerings did not disappoint. Company in Chicago and then adored Nikon camera, which San Gabriel Drag Strip.
He introduced me to the work accepted a position as the head he purchased while attending During those years Peterson
of one of his newest artists – of commercial production and art school at the Art Institute Publications published a host of
Steve Banks, who shot images of an executive art director with of Chicago, inspired him to car magazines including Motor
drag races in and around southern Erwin Wasey Advertising in Los spend most of his weekends Trend, Rod and Custom, Motor
California from 1964 to 1966. Angeles in 1964. Before leaving photographing southern Life, Hot Rod and Car Craft. Banks
His gritty, high-powered series Chicago, Banks purchased a California drag races. During met the editor for Peterson, Dick
All images © Steve Banks
EXHIBITIONS
USA
CHICAGO
Art Institute of Chicago
Until 28 October
Never a Lovely So Real:
Photography and Film in Chicago,
1950-1980
artic.edu
FORT WORTH
Amon Carter Museum
of American Art
Until 16 September
Day, at the 1965 Winternationals itro remained dormant before that random meeting, but Multitude, Solitude:
and was thrilled when Day
gave him press credentials and
complete access to the drag racing
in return for his promise to show
him future work.
N until Pichler met Banks
while visiting with Lee
Kaplan, the owner of
the legendary Arcana Books in
Culver City. Pichler recalls that
right away I knew that a book of
these pictures would be great for
the NZ Library series.’
Nazraeli’s fourth instalment
of the NZ Library series that
The Photographs of Dave Heath
cartermuseum.org
HOUSTON
Catherine Couturier Gallery
A number of Banks’ images after Kaplan introduced him to Nitro will be part of will include Until 31 August
were published in the 1965 to Banks, he suggested he should two editions of the book: the Kate Breakey: Golden Hour 23
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1966 editions of Car Craft and view a series of photographs slipcase version, which is
Hot Rod magazines. But Banks Banks made in the 1960s. When numbered and signed in an
says he was not interested in viewing Nitro for the first time, edition of 350 copies, and LOS ANGELES
photographing standard images Pichler was hooked. He says, ‘I a deluxe edition, to include The Getty
that were typically seen in those know next to nothing about the a signed and numbered print Until 7 October
magazines. Instead, he was sport of drag racing but I love together with a copy of the book In Focus: Expressions – images
inspired to capture what he these photographs. I love the way in a custom made clamshell box. focusing on the human face
getty.edu
describes as the soul of the races, they capture the power of the Currently Banks is working
which included creating images engines, which you can almost on several projects including
of the people, the life and the grit hear screaming out of the prints; a series entitled Prison about an MONTEREY
of the time. Banks continued to the photographer’s obvious abandoned New Mexico state Monterey Museum of Art
photograph drag strips until the passion for his subject; the way penitentiary and one entitled Until 17 December
images were no longer fresh and they make me think about the Death Management, which Into The Light:
California Women Photographers
he stopped being challenged. period during which they were documents the death and
Featuring Anne Brigman,
Afterwards he spent the majority made, when there was so much funeral industry.
Dorothea Lange and
of his career in the advertising turmoil in the world that these studio6art.com Imogen Cunningham
industry in both the United machines seem to be echoing. nazraeli.com montereyart.org
States and Brazil. I had never heard of Steve Banks josephbellows.com
NEW YORK
China Institute in America
Until 2 December
Art of the Mountain:
Through the Chinese
Photographer’s Lens
chinainstitute.org
SAN FRANCISCO
De Young Museum
Until 12 August
Art of the Machine:
Precisionism and American Art
deyoung.famsf.org
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BLACK+ WHITE PHOTOGRAPHY
SUBSCRIBE TO OUR DIGITAL EDITION
A photographer Lizzie
Sadin’s 8th edition
of the Carmignac
Photojournalism Award,
The Trap investigates the
Anna Sparham / Museum of London
Hoxton Mini Press
£19.95, hardback
JOHN MYERS:
THE PORTRAITS
Limited edition of 450 THE TRAP:
children from Nepal to India.
A committed photojournalist,
Sadin spent the first 10 years of
her career on socio-educational
issues, with this particular
P the Museum of London’s
new exhibition of the
same name, this is a
delight of a book and a good
incentive to visit the exhibition.
subject in the foreground. Colour and black & white images
RRB Publishing TRAFFICKING OF The uneasy truth behind her sit comfortably together as do
Harback, £75 / Collector’s edition
with signed print £300 WOMEN IN NEPAL images reveals a devastating story the broad spectrum of artists
Lizzie Sadin of young women and girls tricked from the early and well-known –
aving almost slipped or forced into modern slavery Bert Hardy, Bill Brandt – to the
H
Skira
out of sight in the Hardback, £40 and prostitution, with little or no contemporary – Dougie Wallace,
photographic world, hope of escape but for the border Nick Turpin – with some lesser-
John Myers is now police who try to intervene or at least monitor the situation. known, but equally intriguing.
acknowledged – through the Shot in vibrant colour, Sadin’s images reveal a world that for most The subject – London after
re-discovery of his work by of us is unthinkable. She doesn’t over dramatise but simply shows us dark – is of course, seductive.
gallerists in 2012 – as one of the the facts – the daily lives lived by these women, their ‘employers’, their People and places that can
most important British portrait co-workers and their customers. We can only hope that her work appear vibrant or sinister,
photographers of our time. will have far reaching effects. mundane or tragic; the stark
Working in the Midlands Elizabeth Roberts high contrast lighting that
in the 1970s and using a 5x4 enhances the mood – all this
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Gandolfi camera, he made hile India is a draws us into the capital after
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portraits that have a hint of country rich hours, and what it might offer.
Atget, a mood of Arbus and a in creativity its Divided into three sections
glance at Walker Evans, but are, mainstream that reveal the architecture, the
ultimately, Myers. Honest, but acceptance for contemporary stories and the people of the city,
not cruel, these portraits depict photography as an art form has London Nights allows us to turn
an era in time and the people been slow over the past 20 years. the corners and see the places we
who lived through it, people who This intriguing relationship was might never have ventured into.
Myers knew or came across and the headline focus for the 2018 The sixty images are
who were willing to sit for him. FotoFest (held in Texas earlier accompanied by an essay from
Curiously, the pictures also this year), now showcased in this the Museum of London’s Curator
have an unsettling quality to accompanying 300-page catalogue. of Photographs, Anna Sparham,
them, they disturb you in a Each of the 46 photographers and poems by Inua Ellams that,
quiet, understated way. And this included have contributed a through their artistry and polish
was, clearly, Myers’ intention. statement, brief biography and make a powerful match.
A much-overlooked artist who strong set of pictures – all laid Elizabeth Roberts
is now receiving the acclaim out in a variety of engaging ways. INDIA:
he deserves. Of particular interest may well be CONTEMPORARY
Elizabeth Roberts Forgotten Frames, Manoj Kumar PHOTOGRAPHIC
Jain’s long-term project on the
Bastar people and their ancient AND NEW MEDIA ART
connection to nature, as well Steven Evans and Sunil Gupta
as Vicky Roy’s Street Dreams, Schilt Publishing
a compelling documentation Hardback, £45
looking at the homeless children
across India. The unusual portfolios of Ram Rahman and Samar
Singh Jodha place photography within intriguing political frameworks
and Nandinni Valli Muthiah’s use of religious iconography in a
technically innovative way is sure to open up your creative thinking.
This is an endlessly fascinating book full of new and exciting work
and while the essays might be a little too academic they do communicate
the relevance of the book and the reasoning behind its creation.
Anna Bonita Evans
F E AT U R E
GOODBYE FREEDOM
Shot in under a week last year, Good Goddamn presents one man’s final days of
All images freedom before going to prison. It’s since garnered much attention for the creator
© Bryan Schutmaat
Bryan Schutmaat’s ability to build a narrative into his work. Vicki Painting reports.
ver the course of our moments of freedom and perhaps to reflect with a friend had meant it was easier to
O
discussion it becomes on how we might feel if we were to find direct Kris and to ask him to repeat actions
clear that the American ourselves in a similar situation. or hold a pose. Schutmaat used a small Sony
photographer Bryan The ability to foster such a strong sense of digital camera, an Alpha 7R II, which he feels
Schutmaat does not empathy from the viewer is present in all of also contributed to producing images
seek to direct the viewer Schutmaat’s work but is heightened here as a imbued with energy and gesture.
towards any particular conclusions of his result of the friendship between the two men. Previously Schutmaat has used a 4x5
work, and tells me that he’s more interested Schutmaat is clear that he has Kris’ best field camera, including his 2013 publication
in the numerous and varying interpretations interests at heart and feels that this is how he Grays the Mountain Sends – an elegy to the
that people may make of it. He stresses was able to make this empathy visible. I ask if disintegrating blue-collar communities in
that this is particularly true of his most he had felt responsible or constrained in midwest America. For this previous series,
recent publication Good Goddamn when some way to do right by Kris and whether the he describes shooting as a much slower and
he says: ‘I’m generally never doing anything project had been a close collaboration. considered process. By way of contrast,
consciously. For me, the act of photography Schutmaat describes the process as more Good Goddamn was shot over a few days and
is one of improvisation.’ Good Goddamn is collaborative than previous projects where this condensed timespan meant Schutmaat
however, undeniably an emotionally charged he’d worked with strangers; collaborating was shooting more vigorously which, to him,
personal essay following the last days of produced, ‘a series of vignettes that don’t
Schutmaat’s friend Kris, who’s about to begin ‘I’m generally never doing stray far from one another.’ He believes this
a prison sentence for an undisclosed crime. anything consciously. For me, gives the work a cinematic quality: ‘There’s
Crucially, we’re not asked to judge him but a sense of setting and, more importantly,
instead to focus on Kris’ world which is the act of photography is there’s a sense of duration, and implied in
now closing in as he contemplates his last one of improvisation.’
that is a definitive end.’
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he result is an incredibly strong ‘There’s a sense of setting shoot photos after Kris had finished working
T narrative derived from a tight edit
of 27 images. Schutmaat tells me that
although he took a large number of
pictures of the same scenes, that in terms
of breadth of content, there was not an
and, more importantly,
there’s a sense of duration,
and implied in that is
on a nearby ranch at the end of the day just
as the light was diminishing. I suggest these
details informed by the ephemeral qualities
of light, such as the burning headlight of
the truck or the light reflected in Kris’ eye,
overwhelming number of images to choose a definitive end.’. seem to act as a metaphor for the little time
from, unlike his long-term projects shot Kris has remaining before his sentence.
on large format film. He jokes about how work makes clear Kris’ emotional state Schutmaat agrees and as we finish our
he cowers at the thought of editing and and his disquieted anticipation. A sense conversation he quotes Robert Adams: ‘Light
says: ‘I find it like a masochistic puzzle.’ of anxiety and vulnerability permeates is a physical thing that you’re working with,
However, he believes the time constraint throughout. The Texan landscape but it’s also obviously a metaphor. It’s what
was beneficial for this work, helping him as represented in Good Goddamn is you’re working with to arrive at metaphors.
to put the pieces together more easily. This oppressive and hostile. Although Schutmaat It’s the age-old symbol for truth, or an
focus on just one person, one place and draws the line at my description of it as expression of truth.’
largely one time of day, formed a rhythm and claustrophobic, he tells me, ‘I wanted to
drove the narrative towards a conclusion impart a bit of a suffocating feeling, given
which we are left to interpret. Schutmaat what was impending in Kris’ life.
reveals the project had come about with very Schutmaat puts to good use the
little forethought and there weren’t many melancholic relationship between land
expectations of it as a whole: ‘There was and psyche through the tangled forest and
certainly no aim to try and capture the true the roads leading to nowhere, conveying
character of Kris,’ he says, adding: ‘I don’t a sense of things being in limbo, yet we
think that’s how photography works.’ are also aware this is a countdown to Kris’
We talk about the work’s emotional incarceration. The fading light also acts
potency which I suggest may have come out as a metaphor; Schutmaat has previously
of this intense way of working; Schutmaat described how light is nearly always the
isn’t sure this is a direct result of his process trigger to his picture-making. He recounts Good Goddamn is published
but acknowledges that in large parts the how he and Kris would meet up for beers and by trespasser.pub
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FEATURE BRED FROM A PLACE
Sally Mann: A Thousand Crossings is a record of the great American
photographer’s 40-year exploration into how the Southern landscape is linked
All images to history, identity and mortality. Anna Bonita Evans takes a look at Mann’s
© Sally Mann
poignant pictures that speak the language of her terrain.
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Opposite rom the day she was born Sally Mann Peabody Essex Museum hopes to shift focus
F
On the Maury, 1992 – was bound to the history of her towards her landscape imagery. Through 155
courtesy of artist homeland as her mother gave birth in images, 47 of which haven’t been exhibited before,
Above
a hospital once the home of Thomas we’re shown what lies at the core of Mann’s
Deep South, ‘Stonewall’ Jackson – a general who photographic practice: a rich exploration into the
Untitled (Bridge on helped lead the Confederacy during history and spirit of America’s South.
Tallahatchie), 1998 the Civil War. Sixty-six years on, While an early aspiration to become a writer
– courtesy of Markel Mann’s connection with the South, was soon replaced with a desire to take pictures,
Corporate Art Collection especially her home state of Virginia, is unwavering. American literature remained central to Mann’s
Although best known for the intimate portraits creativity, with the likes of Faulkner, Poe and Pound
of her children (Immediate Family, 1992), Mann being continual sources of inspiration: ‘All those
turned to the land and created some of her most authors inform my photography and my photographs
powerful work. A major touring retrospective put sing their words back to them,’ she says. Like the
together by the National Gallery of Art and the great writers who influence her, Mann’s not afraid
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Above
Deep South, Untitled (Stick),
1998 – courtesy of the New
Orleans Museum of Art
Opposite top
Deep South, Untitled
(Scarred Tree), 1998 –
courtesy of National Gallery
of Art, Washington
Opposite below
Deep South, Untitled
(Fontainebleau), 1998 –
courtesy of National Gallery
of Art, Washington
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to tackle the big issues linked to her native ‘The pictures I wanted to take were about
land: race, history, religion, family and the rivers of blood, of tears, and of sweat
identity run throughout her oeuvre in varied that Africans poured into the dark soil of
and interesting ways. In Battlefields Mann their thankless new home.’
photographs the sites where the bloodiest As you’ll see from the pictures printed
Civil War conflicts took place and responds here, Mann’s message is never on the surface
to the South’s defeat by using a range of but just below it. Much like the South’s
photographic and darkroom effects. Her violent history and its lyrical landscape,
tintype imagery confronts her homeland’s the dark subject matter Mann photographs
dark past of slavery, violent racism and her is set against a soft, romantic aesthetic. Sally Mann: A Thousand Crossings
own childhood experiences of living in a She wants us to work at understanding the is published by Abrams at £40. The
segregated society. Looking at the earth to complex identity and history of her land exhibition is at Peabody Essex Museum
interpret the South’s dark past, she says: and what it means to be a Southerner. in Massachusetts until 23 September.
Adrian Ensor
MASTER PRINTER
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C O M M EN T
© Vicki Painting
REFLECTIVE PRACTICE
From fairy tales to A Midsummer Night’s Dream, forests
have been places where the imagination can roam and
transformations take place. Vicki Painting picks up her
camera, puts on her red shawl and heads into the woods.
am lost. I park by the edge of one of the many coniferous plantations
I now found throughout the UK. I stare into the interior. It is one of those
forests where the trees stand in regimental rows and storm-damaged
ones can’t make it to the ground as there is no space for them to lie.
It takes a while for my eyes to become accustomed to this murky
blackness. The light at ground level is extremely low but gradually the
spaces between the rows become visible enough for me to venture in.
Dark, impenetrable, enchanted – these descriptors give weight to the
idea of the forest as an archetype or symbol of the collective unconscious
and are used to explain why so many of us feel uneasy on entering.
I step into the enveloping green of this monoculture and appreciate
how the forest could feel like a space that can be both threatening and
a refuge. The lack of birdsong or any sound other than my muffled
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footsteps heightens the sense of solitude and sharpens my hearing.
I can’t help but feel I’m being watched.
From an early age we learn stories about people who go into forests to
be tested and emerge renewed, their lives altered. The idea of the forest
as a site of spiritual transformation is common to all cultures, but it can
be a site of physical and emotional transformation too. Its designation as
a therapeutic landscape is well known in Japan where the term shinrin-
yoku (or forest bathing) was developed in the 1980s. The idea of simply
spending time under the tree canopy is believed to improve mood,
lower blood pressure and boost the immune system and is backed up
by a number of scientific studies. Yet conversely the Aokigahara forest
on the north-western side of Mount Fuji has become renowned as one
of the world’s most prevalent suicide sites. Also known as the Sea of
Trees, it is reputed to be the home of ghosts who remain in limbo,
unable to cross over to the afterlife.
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2018
F E AT U R E EXPERIMENTAL TIMES
Having taken over as assistant curator of photography at Tate Modern, London,
Sarah Allen looks at a major new exhibition that investigates the fascinating
connections made between abstract art and photography in the 20th century.
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‘Why should the inspiration that comes from an artist’s manipulation of the hairs of a brush
be any different from that of the artist who bends at will the rays of light?’
PIERRE DUBREUIL, 1930
ate Modern’s current exhibition Shape in the same avant-garde experiments as their to photography termed the new vision.
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software which allowed him to enter values we have moved from a moment where the Above Photo n.145 by Luigi Veronesi, 1940,
which edits data in the digital make-up of essential qualities of painting, sculpture and printed 1970s. Accepted by Tate under the
images – the resulting works are patterns photography were clearly distinct, to our Cultural Gifts Scheme by HM Government from
of softly focused vibrant colours. current moment in which artists no longer Massimo Prelz Oltramonti and allocated to
A younger generation of artists – Maya define themselves by their choice of medium. Tate 2015.
Rochat, Daisuke Yakota and Anthony Cairns – Artists working today are freer than ever Opposite top left Untitled by Guy Bourdin c.1950s.
embrace ways of working that at one time may before to shape light in new and ground- Purchased by Tate with funds provided by the
have seemed contradictory, merging darkroom breaking ways. Photography Acquisitions Committee 2015.
processes and digital technology, mixing Opposite top right Untitled by Guy Bourdin c.1950s.
media, obliterating notions of the original and SHAPE OF LIGHT: 100 YEARS OF Purchased by Tate with funds provided by the
copy and embracing chance and accident. PHOTOGRAPHY AND ABSTRACT ART Photography Acquisitions Committee 2015.
What is revealed by looking back at 100 …is on at Tate Modern, London, from Opposite below Luminogram II by Otto Steinert,
years of photography and abstract art is that 2 May to 14 October. 1952. Jack Kirkland Collection, Nottingham.
© The Guy Bourdin Estate © The Guy Bourdin Estate
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T
he dictionary the flora; my mind was as dull of something, the only word to unify them since. What
definition of beauty as the dim lit vista around me. for which, is beauty. I stayed is the nature of experienced
is: ‘A combination As I approached the northern rooted to the spot, enjoying both beauty and to what extent am
of qualities, such edge of the park, I walked along the sudden warmth of the sun I, this particular sentient being,
as shape, colour or one of the avenues lined with and the sense of engagement required for its sensation? I felt
form, that pleases the huge plain trees which, at that with something awesome in strongly that had I not been me
aesthetic senses, especially sight’. time of year, were denuded and this preternatural vision of the I would not have felt that same,
But that doesn’t touch on the skeletal in their immensity. And trees. At the same time I was overwhelming sensation.
sensation I feel when I experience then suddenly, in an instant, the also conscious of an extension I was sure that some part of
something I find beautiful. You sun shone through a crack in the of my mind into and amongst my consciousness had enjoined
can only look to a dictionary for clouds and lit up the world. the scene of my fascination. As with the scene and that without
an objective definition of beauty Struck, at first, by the suddenly as it arrived the sun that externalisation of my
but the personal experience of awesome transformation, departed, drawing a grey veil ‘self ’, that personal sensation
things that affect the senses I stopped walking and peered back across the world. of something we call beauty,
is always subjective. up into the branches of the Later, back in my warm could never have happened.
And so this brings me to a trees. For some reason, at studio, two questions occurred In other words, here was a
walk I took in the leaden London that moment, I experienced a to me about the experience that perfect counter argument to the
mid winter. It was approaching profound, aesthetic sensation morning and I’ve been trying possibility of objective beauty.
7.30am and I was coming to
the end of a walk with my dog, ‘Struck, at first, by the awesome ut how, if there was
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Sydney, in Kensington Gardens.
The grey light blocked what
little colour was on offer from
transformation, I stopped walking and
peered up into the branches of the trees.’’ B no such thing as an
objective form of beauty,
could so many of us
All images © Alex Schneideman
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derive so much pleasure from experiences felt coincidentally, in the trees. The coincidence which this happens there is
the work of Wren, Mozart or so how can we explain that of experience created a moment no time for a sense of self to
Durer? You might be aware of personal sensation that we of revelation that I sensed as come to bear on the experience.
the term ‘qualia’. It is the name experience individually whether beauty. My extended mind For an instant, that moment
philosophers have given to the in a crowd or on our own? enjoined with the scene and for of dual-perception slipped under
subjective conscious experience. When I looked up into those a brief moment two versions the net of my adult mind and
Some believe that there can be branches that had recently been of the world lived side by side – hit my guileless, childlike,
a shared sense of qualia – a transformed with sunlight my the conjectured and the real. unchecked consciousness
shared personal sensation of mind was tricked for a moment. Because of the speed with right between the eyes.
beauty. This would answer the The discord between what was
Mozart question and it would only a few seconds ago with what THE IMAGES
certainly point to the existence is now, provided my conscious, There is nothing quite so melancholy as a torrential downpour
of objective beauty. But shared ever positing mind with a in summer – but the shift in aesthetic tone these climatic
experience is really just a cognitive dissonance. My mind conditions impose on the observer force him or her to
multitude of singular was literally and figuratively, reacquaint themselves with the familiar. The darkness of the
summer day contrasts with our subconscious prejudices and
in this shift we can find a new kind of beauty – one that is
simultaneously familiar and unsettling.
AGREE OR DISAGREE?
Let me know @ schneideman331 or email me at
alex@flowphotographic.com
LAST WORD
This is my last piece for the Thinking Photography column.
I’ve enjoyed every minute of writing for the magazine and loved
receiving the hundreds of emails I’ve been sent in response to
the articles published here. Without exception the comments
were intelligent and evidence of deep thought. I tried to write
back to you all. If I didn’t or you would like to raise another
photographic point with me please don’t hesitate – you know
where to find me.
FEATURE
Small Wonders
Fascinated by salt printing
and the miniature natural
world, Jan C Schlegel
produced a charming series
of 16 pictures, each displaying
the structural beauty and
elegance of insects. Here we
take a look at some of the
photographer’s finest work.
janschlegel.photography
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All images © Jan C Schlegel
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TECHNIQUE HANDHOLDING
TOP TIPS
Fancy giving yourself a little more freedom and flexibility? Then why
not leave your tripod at home and handhold? Lee Frost offers his
top tips to ensure your shots will be pin sharp and perfect.
W
hen did you last take a photograph handheld? To a degree, the importance of using a tripod also pre-dates
If you’re a wildlife or sports photographer then digital capture. Back in the good old days of film, if you wanted
you probably do it most of the time, but for the optimum image quality you needed to use the slowest film, which
majority of us, shooting handheld is seen as a meant that in all but the brightest conditions, a tripod was required
sin – a lazy option that results in images that to keep the camera steady and cope with slow shutter speeds. That
are poorly composed and, quite often, unsharp. logic still applies today, but not to the same extent. The default ISO
Serious photographers use a tripod at all times – and the bigger of most DSLRs is ISO 100 – for some it’s ISO 200. Better still, the
and heavier, the better. Right? Well, no, not really. While there are latest models produce fantastic image quality at higher ISOs, which
undoubted benefits to mounting your camera on a tripod, there are gives you more control over the shutter speeds you use and reduces
also pitfalls. It may slow you down, make you think more and keep the need for a tripod, even when shooting subjects that traditionally
your camera steady, but that’s not always a good thing. Sometimes would demand one, such as landscape, architecture and still life.
a tripod can slow you down too much, get in the way and cause So why not give handholding a try? You’ll be amazed at the
you to miss shots altogether. Fast and flexible also has its place in freedom it provides. You’ll also be able to experiment with techniques
creative photography, and that means ditching your three-legged that a tripod prevents. And I guarantee that far from lowering the
friend in favour of your own two hands. quality of your images, you’ll see a definite improvement.
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. HOLD IT STEADY
The way you hold your camera can mean all the difference
between a sharp image and a soft one. Ideally, stand with your
feet slightly apart and your back straight. Cup the lens with your
left hand, hold the camera with your right hand and tuck your
elbows into your sides. Before shooting, exhale so your body is
more relaxed and gently squeeze the shutter release instead of
jabbing it. The more you practise this, the better you’ll become.
Experiment with different shutter speeds too, to get an idea of
how stable your stance is and how slow you can go.
For added stability when handholding, kneel down on your right
knee and rest your left elbow on your left knee. Leaning against
a wall, fence or post can also make a big difference to stability.
Alternatively, create a makeshift support for your lens by placing
a camera bag or jacket on a wall or post to provide a cushion
then resting your lens on top.
KENGTUNG, MYANMAR
The 50mm prime lens can be a
lifesaver when you need to handhold in
low light – no other lens can better it.
Canon EOS 5D MKIII with 50mm f/1.8
lens, 1/125sec at f/1.8, ISO 1600
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Above HAVANA, CUBA
Panning is a great way to add a sense of motion to your handheld
shots of moving subjects.
Canon EOS 5D MKIII with 24-70mm zoom lens, 1/15sec at f/10, ISO 100
timdaly.com All images ©Tim Daly
It was back in 1910 that avant garde artists Georges Braque and were from the pop art era – Robert Rauschenberg in the US and
Pablo Picasso first experimented with collage by incorporating Peter Blake in the UK both incorporated ready-mades into their
strips of newsprint in their paintings. For these two artists who artworks using very different approaches and processes.
had been experimenting with their splintered viewpoints works, Collage, sometimes referred to as appropriation, is essentially
later to become known as cubism, it was a natural extension of creative theft, where an artist takes or adopts material from
their ideas. Yet from this point onwards many visual artists saw elsewhere and incorporates it into a new artwork of their own.
the potential of layering mixed media together in a process that For this project we’re going to explore ways of shooting and
became known as collage. Perhaps the best known collage artists reframing street art collage into new and dynamic photographs.
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1 LAYERS OF HISTORY
Collage allows you to combine and contrast the most unlikely
bedfellows, such as old against new, brash against subtle and so on.
Many of the most interesting works of art juggle layers of different
materials to tell richer and more complex stories. Look at the box
constructions of artist Joseph Cornell and see how he combines
found objects, textures and printed elements into miniature cabinets
of curiosity. On the street, look out for historical signage and
architectural styles that are swamped by evidence of the present. 2
For this example, an often-photographed door in Fournier Street
in Spitalfields, I’ve found a really textural subject with layers and 2 CUBIST SPLINTERS
layers of collaged fly-posting and graffiti. Like Braque and Picasso, you could search and create your own
fractured, cubist-inspired viewpoints too. In this example, I’ve been
INSPIRATIONAL QUOTE lucky enough to spot some discarded advertising panels left on the
roadside for disposal. Split and folded, they’ve made an odd visual
‘Popular culture isn’t a freeze-frame; it is images zapping statement against a backdrop of fly-posting and graffiti.
by in rapid-fire succession, which is why collage is such an Although I’ve found this as a ready-made, there’s nothing stopping
effective way of representing contemporary life. The blur you from taking your own visual materials out on location and arranging
between images creates a kind of motion in the mind.’ a similar picture idea. Rather than search for something that may not
exist, you could create your own source material and, like a still life
Artist James Rosenquist
set-up, arrange it to meet your own compositional requirements.
3
3 TORN TO REVEAL
Peeling billboards that reveal previous pictures below the surface materials together – such as a landscape image with a face, or two
offer a great way to conjure up visual trickery. Like real life Photoshop halves of two different faces put together. The artist Julie Cockburn
layers that are ripped and torn, new images constructed from multiple (who folds and tears original photographic prints) is worth a look too.
originals can be really exciting to look at. To explore this aspect of On the street, you can experiment with similar subject matter by
collage look at the work of John Stezaker, who combines postcards keeping an eye out for unusual collisions between images. In this
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and photographic prints to create new and intriguing results. Looking example, found in Paris, the street artist has pasted multiple prints on
for collisions between shapes, Stezaker fuses unusual source to a flat wall to conjure up a surreal and unexpected scene.
4 5
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2 3
1 2
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4 FINAL IMAGE
For my project, I’ve found a really arresting set of portraits painted on
to the shutters of shops in one of London’s historic market areas.
INSPIRATIONAL ARTISTS
James Rosenquist Joseph Cornell
John Stezaker Robert Rauschenberg
Julie Cockburn Jasper Johns
Jean-Michel Basquiat Peter Blake 4
INSPIRATION TALKING ABOUT OUR PHOTOGRAPHY
As photographers we often work alone. But to really develop our work
All images it can be highly productive to link up with other like-minded people.
© Eddie Ephraums We need to talk about our photography, says Eddie Ephraums.
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y its very nature, stills photography is a solitary activity. that we support and critique each other’s work, and build towards
B
We photograph, post-process and think about our image- specific outcomes. One aim of the group is to help define, refine,
making alone. But how well does this approach suit us structure and manage such outcomes. It’s so hard – and far less
and the way our brains are wired? As humans, we thrive fun – doing this alone.
on interaction, and compared to being part of, say, a Something quite magical happens when sharing ideas within a
film-making team, stills photography seems peculiarly group, that may not occur when we have the same thoughts just going
singular in its approach. Is this why so many photographers I meet on inside our heads, or if we share with too large or too structured a
are looking for meaningful conversations with others, to talk about group, or if we express our thoughts via electronic ‘virtual’ means of
their photography and to share ideas? communication. Online, it’s so easy to comment on or even to criticise
I’m lucky, I get a lot of inspiration and insights from running other people’s photography from behind the anonymity of a screen.
workshops and small group mentoring schemes. Seeing what Compare this to really talking about our own or other’s photography
photographers get from talking about their work and sharing their face to face. It’s much riskier, but exposing ourselves in this way helps
insights has inspired me to jointly form a group of four like-minded to develop mutual trust, understanding and self-belief. These are as
(but quite different) photographers, to which I belong. The idea is powerful tools as any camera or post-processing photography app.
What can we get from talking about our photography with others?
Looking at my own images, I may think I know them, but the moment I talk
about them in front of others – seeing them from the viewer’s perspective
– all sorts of realisations pop into my head. And that’s before others have
given their feedback. Here Maggie Jarman talks about her photography,
this time sharing her knowledge of printing on fabric.
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ne aim of photography, and talking about it with together is limited, then small groups of four to five, with a common
O
others, is the ongoing search for self-expression. sense of purpose, seem to work well. Group dynamics is an art in
In this way, stills photography can be seen as a itself and I’m always asking for advice from a photographer friend
constantly evolving process of personal exploration who trained in this field in a previous career. Understanding and
and self-development – a way of discovering where managing expectations are key.
and how we fit in with the outside world and the As stills photographers, we need a creative environment to inhabit.
contribution we want to make to it. Going back to the earlier example For this reason I would encourage anyone to seek out other like-
of a film-making team, its group structure helps everyone know where minded photographers and to work together towards defined goals,
they belong and what they are working towards. This sense of place like a group exhibition. Yes, an exhibition costs money. And, yes,
and purpose is something we stills photographers often miss out on. it may not automatically make a profit, but is that its purpose?
The breadth of knowledge, collective life experience and mutual Of course we want to be professional in our approach, but the real
insights that can be found within a group of like-minded, well- value of practising photography – its true currency – is finding out
intentioned photographers is incredible. The more everyone shares what we have to say and sharing this with others. To realise what this
– and realises just how much they have to share – the more they is, we have to be bold and brave, and one way of doing this is to stand
and the group’s photography grow in confidence. Compare this to up for our creativity and talk about it.
trying to develop our photography in isolation. If available time envisagebooks.com
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B T
of time, the first separate editions worldwide) who accompanied me on at all. In my dealings with
column I wrote for and asked if I could do a shoot the trip revealed that the them they have been one
this magazine was in Malta for them. Remembering picture desk is manned by hundred per cent professional
about a trip to the how much I’d enjoyed it last three people, two female and one and courteous.
islands of Malta for a time I jumped at the chance. male, in their mid-twenties who If she was disappointed at the
magazine shoot. I remember at As always, once we’d finished were described as wonderful, sight of a fat old bloke with a
the time coming up with a rather our negotiations, I asked them exciting, enthusiastic and white beard and a dodgy knee
catchy slogan for the tourist where they had found me and incredibly passionate about when we met, the writer was
board to use to attract readers seen my work. The picture photography. Quite frankly you charming enough not to mention
to visit – Malta. It looks great in editor told me that they had could have knocked me down anything, and the young people
B&W. Unsurprisingly, they did been following my Instagram with a feather! Apparently few on the picture desk have assured
not take me up on my offer. But feed for some time, loved it and young people these days have the me that they love the pictures, so
Malta, especially the wonderful decided to commission me on time to look through a website I guess I did something right. An
capital Valetta, really does look the strength of it. and source pretty much all their interesting insight…
wonderful in B&W and I would Like most photographers photography through Instagram. The second thing about Malta
certainly recommend a visit. these days I put a lot of time It makes me feel rather old, that I noticed is that, while there
I have been back there and effort into my website, as but at the same time, reinforces are not many things that unite
recently and there are a couple I consider it to be the most the reasons why I put such effort all photographers, I have yet to
of things that happened this time important way to showcase my into my Instagram. And, meet a single one, of any age or
that were rather interesting and work – my shop window – so the thinking about it, it’s incredibly gender, who can walk past a
that I would like to share with next part of the conversation was democratic. I was chosen to battered old door without taking
you. The first is how I came to what floored me. I asked them shoot for a very prestigious a picture. Every photographer
66 be there again. what they thought of the work magazine, by kids young enough I have met does it!
B+W
I was contacted by the Indian on my recently updated website to be my grandchildren, through Yes the phenomenon of Door
edition of the world’s best and they said: ‘Dunno – we’ve being judged soley on my images. Porn, as it has become known,
travel magazine (yes, that never looked at it!’ Please don’t think I’m being seems to have taken over the
All images © Tim Clinch
WHAT TIM
DID THIS
MONTH
All images
© Mark Perrott
FACE TO FACE
For more than 50 years
Mark Perrott has worked as
a documentary photographer
in Pittsburgh, USA. His series of
portraits is a delightful study
of artists in the area. He talks
to Steve Pill.
How did your artists’ series develop?
In the mid-1980s I was invited to join
Gallery G, an artists’ collective. When I joined,
I decided to make on-location portraits of
Gallery G’s established painters, sculptors and
printmakers in their studios. On my very first
studio visit I met painter Robert Qualters. He
brought out a dozen or so paintings, including
Robert Qualters one intimate and arresting canvas titled Nude
68 Self Portrait. The portrait I made that day
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of Bob with his self-portrait started me on
this 40-year exploration.
Beyond my Gallery G subjects, I started an
informal search for regional artists working
in all mediums. Pittsburgh’s a small town
by national standards and over the years
I’ve come to know many of the region’s
working artists.
PROFILE
Born in 1946, Mark Perrott is a commercial
and portrait photographer based in
Pittsburgh, USA. He has published three
books, the most recent being 2013’s
E Block, about Pittsburgh’s abandoned
Western Penitentiary. His work is featured
in several major collections, including the
San Francisco Museum of Modern Art
and the Brooklyn Museum of Art.
markperrott.com
Thad Mosley
TECHNIQUE SMART GUIDE TO PHOTOGRAPHY
It’s easy enough to take a picture in perfect circumstances but when the
weather’s bad or the situation isn’t appropriate for a camera, that’s when
timclinchphotography.com the smartphone comes into its own. Tim Clinch looks at how to get
@clinchpics | clinchpics
the best from the least favourable locations.
o, if we believe the saying ‘the best
3
All images © Tim Clinch
T
he original pictures from the taxi ride
and my village were flat, grey and
uninspiring, just like the weather, and
the swimming pool was taken in
torrential rain. But a bit of judicious work in
Snapseed has created something much
better with plenty of impact. Apart from
some straightening and cropping, the tools
that made them pop were the Details slider
(I only ever use Structure in this tool and
never add sharpening) and the Tonal
Contrast before converting them to B&W.
The picture of the bar is an example of
somewhere I would not feel comfortable
using a camera as it would have felt too
intrusive. As you can see, because
I didn’t want to attract attention, I shot wide
and then cropped the image substantially,
and added contrast in the final image.
So, two lessons for this month are to use
your mobile at all times, not just at sunset
on the beach, and once you’ve taken a
picture on a grey
rainy day don’t
dismiss the
image if it looks
a bit flat and
uninspired. Do
some work on
it and see if you
can transform
it as I did with
4 these images!
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INSTAGRAMMER
OF THE MONTH
This month there are three whose
feeds always make me happy!
1: Piroska Mihalka (@piroskamihalka)
Always thoughtful, beautifully composed
and interesting work.
2: @grafik80 I know very little about this
person but according to his bio he is a
French man called Dominique. Very strong,
punchy pictures – mainly architectural
and graphic. Lovely stuff!
3: Lucrezia Herman (@lucdigital)
Her photography is mainly B&W and taken
with an iPhone. An endless stream of
fascinating details, still life and architecture.
And lots of dogs…what’s not to like?
SMARTSHOTS
The one camera you always have with you is on your phone, and we want to see the pictures you
take when the moment is right. We have three Class 10 32GB Micro SDHC EVO Plus cards to
give away each month. With a transfer speed of 95Mb/s, each MicroSD card also comes with
an SD adapter – meaning it’s compatible with both your smartphone and digital camera.
© ALEXIS POND
72
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© RAMON GENEROSO © DAVID MCCANN
www.samsung.com/memorycard
YOUR B+W
SALON
In our search for some of the best work by black & white aficionados, we came
All images across this thoughtful documentary by Steve Hynes in which he looks at
© Steve Hynes
Tibet and its people – and how Buddhism plays a central role in their lives.
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7HO ZZZPHUFKDQWFLW\FDPHUDVFRP
2SHQ 0RQGD\6DWXUGD\ DPSP 6XQGD\ DPSP
TESTS AND
PRODUCTS
CHECKOUT
A tripod is the one companion no photographer should be without for
portraiture, landscape, still life and architecture, says Daniel Calder,
as he rounds up some of the most recent and reliable releases.
BENRO SLIM JOBY GORILLAPOD RIG
CARBON FIBRE Flexible friend
Incredible value Joby’s
distinctive ball
If you’re searching for a joints are put
lightweight carbon fibre tripod to work on
that costs less than most the GorillaPod
aluminium tripods look no Rig to create a
further than the Benro Slim truly flexible small
(TSL08CN00). The £99 price tripod with pliable
tag is simply astonishing, and arms. The Rig
that’s with a ballhead included. is composed of
Thanks to the slim magnesium Joby’s strongest
alloy shoulder it’s light too, GorillaPod and
weighing a shade over 1kg. ballhead (the
It remains quite tall (51cm) 5K), which is built to Arms on the Gorillapod Rig
when closed down, but support 5kg of DSLR camera enable all sorts of accessories
the slender profile and and lens. Added to this is a to be attached to the tripod
drawstring carry case special hub plate for attaching
means this shouldn’t be a pair of six-socket arms with The GorillaPod Rig is aimed at
too much of an issue. The two cold shoe mounts for lights the modern content producer,
80 working height is a very usable and a microphone, as well as who is equally adept at using
B+W
146cm, but the suggested Bright blue anodised a GoPro mount. A strap is also a DSLR or a mobile phone,
payload of 4kg makes it a better aluminium twist locks and included in the bundle, allowing shooting stills alongside video,
choice for mirrorless cameras a matching Arca-Swiss the tripod to be attached to a and of course filming themselves
than big DSLRs with long compatible camera plate give tree or post for extra stability doing whatever they are doing.
lenses. The support can be the tripod a distinctive look. and security. But beyond that, the sheer
weighed down for extra stability A lever on each leg enables flexibility of the product means it’s
by hooking a bag on the the leg angle to be altered, completely open to interpretation
underside of the centre column. although it’s a slightly awkward and could be very handy for
process of lifting the lever, specific types of photography,
moving the leg and pushing the whether that’s macro, still life or
lever back to lock the position. sport, or absolutely anything else
you can think of.
LIKES
£99 for a carbon fibre tripod LIKES
Distinctive blue detailing Amazing versatility
Lightweight Arms allow you to add lights
and other accessories
DISLIKES The strap allows you to find
Not for DSLRs with long lenses a stable support anywhere
DISLIKES
Uninspired design
LIKES
Compact, light and strong
Impressive extension range
Includes a handy multi-tool
key ring The centre column
of the Alta Pro 2+
DISLIKES can assume almost
Centre column cannot be angled any position
BLACK+WHITE
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LOVES SIGMA 14-24MM
F/2.8 DG HSM|A
POLAROID 96 CAM NEW PHOTOGRAPHY New wideangle lens in Sigma’s high-end
Refurbished Polaroid camera with new outer Art range. Designed for top cameras, it
shell and colourful design. Limited edition of GEAR IN THE SHOPS offers an f/2.8 aperture throughout the zoom
2,000 cameras worldwide. Takes Polaroid range and features dust and splashproof
Originals 600 film, which is available in black
AND ONLINE construction with weather sealing.
& white, colour and special editions. £1,399
£179.99 polaroidoriginals.com sigma-imaging-uk.com
BEXAR VAGABOND
CAMERA STRAP THINK TANK
Premium leather camera strap designed PERMAJET PHOTO LUSTRE 310 STORYTELLER BAGS
to keep your camera comfortable and New paper boasting luxurious lustre and New shoulder bag with flip-top lid for quick
secure. Features adjustable strap and o-ring 310gsm premium weight. A high D-max access plus zippered pockets for valuables
attachments. Available in dark brown, tan, provides deep blacks and good tonal range and stretchable side pocket for water bottle.
medium brown and black. for black & white photographs. Available in three sizes.
$125 (about £88) bexargoods.com From £17.95 (25 x A4) permajet.com From £60 thinktankphoto.com
PRODUCT
OF THE
MONTH
BENQ SW240
New photography monitor with advanced
black & white mode, allowing users to view
photos in a black & white film effect.
£399 benq.co.uk
SONY A7 III
The latest version of the popular to 10fps with either mechanical shutter
series features a newly developed back- or silent shooting. The camera also offers
illuminated 24.2Mp sensor offering enhanced AF tracking, 5-axis optical
increased sensitivity. The updated Bionz X in-body image stabilisation and 15-stops
processing engine is about 1.8 times faster of dynamic range. The NP-FZ100
than its predecessor and the ISO range is battery supports shooting up to 710
100 to 51200 (expandable 50 to 204800). pictures on one charge.
The full-frame camera can shoot at up £1,999 (body only) sony.co.uk
85
BLEU DE CHAUFFE B+W
FUJINON XC15-45MM
New lens for Fujifilm’s X-series cameras.
The lightweight and compact zoom lens
is ideal for landscapes and portraits
and is available in silver or black.
£259 fujifim.eu
HOW TO GET PUBLISHED IN
BLACK+WHITE PHOTOGRAPHY
Visit our website
86
B+W
Do you have a single image that you’d like We are looking for contemporary black & white pictures that
printed big and hung on your wall? Send tell a story about the world as you see it. Send us a well-edited
the file to us and you could win just that. set of between 10 and 15 pictures.
87
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ONLINE COMMUNITY
FOLLOW US ON FACEBOOK
facebook.com/blackandwhitephotog
FOLLOW US ON TWITTER
@BWPMag
FOLLOW US ON INSTAGRAM
Shoot with your smartphone and send in your pictures – you could be one of three
@bwphotomag
lucky winners each month who wins a Samsung Class 10 EVO 32GB MicroSD card.
Upload your pictures to our website, via Twitter by tagging us @BWPMag and using FOR ALL CONTACT DETAILS
the hashtag #smartshots, or email them to anna.evans@thegmcgroup.com. blackandwhitephotographymag.co.uk
If you are successful we will request high-res files.
Bring the beauty of the darkroom into the digital world with
the award-winning FB Mono Gloss Baryta 320, a paper that
will enhance your monochrome images with rich blacks,
Image © Paul Hassell
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NEX T MONTH
CENTENARIANS IN ITALY
BY RAFFAELE MONTEPAONE
Leica M6 0.58 TTL Silver Die Letzten 999 (Complete; boxed with certificate 402/999) Mint £2390
Rolleiflex 2.8GX Expression 94 (boxed with soft case & rubber lens hood) Mint- £2290
Horseman SW617 Professional + 72mm f5.6 Super-Angulon XL with V/finder & Centre filter (boxed) Mint- £3190
Aperture is keen to acquire your quality Leica equipment. We are always looking for sought after cameras and lenses such as black paint
M2, M3 and MP, 50mm f1 and f1.2 Noctilux, 35mm f1.4 Summilux, etc...! Selling your Leica equipment couldn’t be any easier at Aperture.
We can give a very close estimate over the phone or an immediate fair offer on the spot. Payment is by BACS Transfer directly into your bank
account (ID Required). We can also offer a commission sales service for higher value items of £1000 and above, for which the commission rate
is 20%. For items of £2000 or higher, the rate is 17%. We constantly have customers waiting for top quality Leica cameras and lenses;
you’ll be amazed how quickly we can turn your equipment into cash!!
Please contact us on 020 7436 1015 if you require any assistance or further information
Aperture Camera Repairs
Aperture offers an in-house repair service for film cameras and lenses. We specialise in repairs to classic marques, such as Leica,
Hasselblad , Rolleiflex and Nikon. We aim to provide a service with a rapid turnaround, usually within a week.
All repair work carries a guarantee of six months.
Please contact us on 0207 436 1015 or 27@apertureuk.com
To advertise on these pages please call the Photography team
B W CLASSIFIEDS
+ on 01273 402823 or email advertising@thegmcgroup.com
B+W
BLACK+ WHITE
PHOTOGRAPHY
Order yours online or by phone. bwphotomag
VISIT WWW.THEGMCGROUP.COM Find us on Instagram
CALL +44 (0) 1273 488005 COOL, CREATIVE AND CONTEMPORARY
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This month’s winner is Chris Evans who wins a 20x24in print dry-mounted on to Foamex,
an exceptional quality and highly rigid foamboard. Chris can choose from a range
of four digital C-type and seven fine art inkjet papers for printing.
HOW TO ENTER
Go to our website: blackandwhitephotographymag.co.uk
to submit your images or send them on a CD to: B+W Photography, Find out more at
Last Frame, GMC Publications Ltd, 86 High Street, Lewes BN7 1XN www.theprintspace.co.uk
Refocus
your
attention
www.streetphotography.com
Our Revolution is to expose the BEST for free. To inspire & educate.
If you have outstanding street photography, street-portraits, street
art-photography, street-documentary or have something impressive
to say about the past, present or the future of street photography,
then we’d like to hear from you. Visit the website to discover more.