Let the drums roll and the kazoos blow!!! Yes, despite my boyish good looks I am in fact now officially 70 years old today. That’s right baby, the big Seven O! And why not celebrate it here! Ok, I know this isn’t world peace, but why not!  I tell you this because let’s face it, it’s an age that many might consider a little vintage and I’ll admit as I got closer to the big day I felt somewhat age ambivalent, but now I’ve decided that’s just nonsense. Afterall, earlier this year my grandchildren agreed I was only 53 and I feel better than that! In any case I don’t intend to coast along and eat bon bons, or slow down one bit!  I have too much I want to do! In fact I feel like I have hit a real creative phase that has been going on for some time but now it seems to be intensifying.  And I’m having more fun!

I know that many involved with the arts and music seem to have their most productive period in their younger years but don’t understand why that has to be the case at all. Perhaps it comes down to how one looks at their life.  You can say “this is what I’m supposed to be doing now” or “I’ve done this before and don’t have anything else to say”.

Well, surprise … I’m more excited about the photographic life I am living now than I have ever been before!

And why do I say that?  Here’s what I think. Mostly because I’ve given up caring about what others think about my pictures. I also don’t care all that much about the need to exhibit my work. I have done a lot of it over the last few years with Monalog, but I’m not driven by it. Another contributor has been to stay near nearby … my so called “2 Hour Rule”. It really helps focus my work and keeps me from unnecessary travel for something “new and different”. But if something important comes up that’s not around the corner I’ll make time for it. I just don’t have a need to travel far distances to do my work. Another thing that helps with focus and continues to excite me is working on projects, and I have a number I continue to work on.

Unencumbered by what others think or what I don’t care about I’m making photographs of what I want, when I want and how I want to. I post them on my galleries here, and if people want to see them that’s fine; if not, no harm no foul. What I really want to explore at some point in the not too the distant future is creating photographic books … but more for me than for anyone else. I still love gear and the gear is so much of what our photography is all about, I don’t lust for it anymore. I’ve tried out a bunch of interchangeable lens medium format cameras in the past several years because of a project requirement (nothing finalized so nothing to write about), but I’m not obsessed about it like I would have been in the past. No lying awake at night with a brochure ready to read on my night table.

I also love writing about what I love and haven’t missed a week in the almost nine years since I first published this thing. That’s a lot of entries! But you know what, I’ve communicated and made friends with a lot of great people as a result, and I have no intention of slacking off on this either!

Yes, I am 70 today and I’m doing everything I can to stay physically and mentally in shape because this photography thing is the bomb!

I have a lot to do and say and intend on doing it all for a long time!

Som happy birthday to me!

Stay well,

Michael

I’ve been using both the Focomat 1C and 2C exclusively for the past year and while it took some getting used to after all my years working with the DeVere and its color head, I am happy to say that while different and in some ways more of an effort to work with I am quite pleased with the results. So I thought it was time to discuss my “user experience with these overbuilt photo-mechanical wonders.  My mode of operation thus far has been to use the 2C exclusively for medium format enlarging, leaving the IC for its intended application as a dedicated 35mm enlarger. This arrangement has made sense given its legendary 50mm Focotar 2 lens.

This week I will discuss the Focomat 2C. Mine came equipped with the wonderful 100mm Focotar 2 f5.6 lens. Apparently only 2800 of these fine lens were made so I’m lucky to own one, especially since they can be quite pricy if you find one for sale.  Of course, the whole enlarger is expensive, especially if you have a late grey model like the one I was able to snag. Same thing, with its little brother, a late grey 1C.  But as previously discussed, when the opportunity presented itself I couldn’t resist the chance to get them both!

My first enlargers were Omegas with condensers, but I’ve been a user of cold lights (Beseler) dedicated cold light enlargers (Zone VI), and color diffusion enlargers (DeVere) most of my photographic life. According to my copy of The Leica Manual and Data Book, published in 1956, there are drawbacks to both condenser diffusion type enlargers. The authors state that “the Leica enlargers are a composite of both types; they utilize a defused light source consisting of an opal enlarger lamp in combination with a single plano-convex condenser. The resulting machine has the advantages types and the faults on neither. Prints are definitely more snappy than those made on a pure diffusion enlarger, and “normal” grades of paper can be used, even with the low-gamma miniature negatives. The condenser used in conjunction with the diffused light source increases the efficiency of the system so that exposures are conveniently short; but because a diffused light is used with the condenser, it need not be adjusted for different degrees of magnification.  Graininess and dust are not brought out to an objectionable degree with the Leica enlargers, yest detail and sharpness are maintained.”

Ok, so what about my experience with the 2C so far?  I think there is definitely something to be said about the above. I really do love the prints made from my medium format negatives. Overall the Focomat prints look crisper and perhaps a little clearer if that is possible compared to those made with the DeVere with color head, while not exhibiting any of the harshness of those made with typical condenser enlargers. And while all so far have been from 6×7 negatives there is the capability to easily make prints from any medium format negative size by simply switching a mask in the beautiful and robust two piece glass negative carrier.  The carrier can also be used for 35mm negatives with a 35mm mask. I absolutely love the carrier and it is better built than my DeVere glass carrier. I also have the gorgeous and rare dedicated 35mm single surface glass carrier. So if I ever decide that I want to try out 35mm negatives with this enlarger and its 60mm Focotar lens I have a choice of carriers! And by the way, both lenses are permanently mounted a lens stage that slides beautifully from left to right under the light path for quick and easy switching between formats!

Dust is not an issue, especially since I use my Zone VI antistatic brush religiously on both the negative and all four glass surfaces. To be honest, I think dust is more of an issue with negatives than with glass. But you know what, it is all worth the effort because the prints are beautiful! And once autofocus is set up, focusing the enlarger is a dream. Why? Because you never need to worry about focusing again!  For the longest time I kept double checking with my grain magnifier even though everything was spot on. Now I don’t bother. I just choose the size of my image and I’m ready to print! Using the enlarger, I feel like I do when I’m out there with my M3 or M2 … it’s overbuilt, ingenious and precise. In short a joy to use and there’s a real pride of ownership. Yes I’m a gearhead, but believe me it’s true!

The big difference for me has been the change from the utter ease of using the DeVere color head with my Zone VI digital exposure compensating exposure timer to using Ilford Multigrade filters with a first generation Zone VI solid state timer that lacks exposure compensation (Note: both timers have built in dry down compensation features).  The good news is that Ilford filters are speed matched from grade 0 to 3.5. According to Ilford “multigrade filters are numbered 00–5 in ½ step increments with the lowest filter number corresponding to the softest contrast. They are easy to use with no complicated calculations required when changing from one filter to another – the exposure time for filters 00–3½ is the same which then simply doubles for filters 4–5.”  Because I rarely if ever use high contrast filtration, this means I’m pretty much able to get all of the benefits of using my Zone VI exposure compensating development timer with the DeVere color head.  Yet there’s still a difference. With the DeVere I could easily dial in the most minute contrast changes. With the 2C and Multigrade filters I don’t have this degree of control. That having been said, I am able to get less then ½ step increments of contrast by using development techniques I haven’t tried since my graded paper days.  For example, when developing my prints I can get greater contrast by vigorous agitation and less contrast by not agitating at all.  Oh and one other word about using the filters. My enlarger comes with the filter tray between the condenser and lens. As a special touch when you wish to remove the filter from the tray, there is a tab you push down and the filter pops up for easy removal. Those Wetzlar elves thought of everything!

Yes, notwithstanding the autofocus that truly is the bee’s knees, the 2C takes a little bit more effort to use.  But I don’t really feel like it does and I seem to enjoy the process more!

All of this having been said, I have begun toying with the possibility of getting a dedicated color head made by Kienzle that works with the existing condensers and is said by the manufacturer not to change the look of the print.  The only way I would do it would be if I fully felt comfortable with Kienzle’s claim and I could somehow use my Zone VI exposure compensating timer with it. In other words, a bit of a leap of faith and I would have to be able to place the thermistor in the light path in such a way that it could “see” changes in filtration. If both these issues could be dealt with would this stupendous enlarger become the ULTIMATE enlarger?

Stay well,

Michael

Let me cut to the chase. If you can make it you should high tail over to Fotogafiska before these shows end on September 29^th (FYI, that also happens to be the day that the photographic museum shuts its doors at the Flatiron district address and looks for a new home). But more to the point, in my opinion, what really matters is the Vivian Maier exhibit! Simply stated, it is one of the most meaningful shows I’ve seen in a long, long time and capped off a summer full of terrific exhibits I was able to see!!

Things didn’t start out well. After being cooped up with Covid and post virus quarantining I needed to get out and quickly determined to go to New York before it was too late. So, last Monday I got up early, drove to Hamilton Station in New Jersey and caught the 8:33 train. It was a gorgeous day and I was feeling much better, so instead of taking the subway I decided to walk to Park Avenue South, only find that Fotografiska was closed … despite what their website and signage on the building entrance said!

#$%^#$%^&*(!?

After a little pounding on the glass door, someone came out and told me they were now closed on Mondays. Good to know.

#$%%^&$%^&*?

I was a little bit mad, so I turned around, walked back to Penn Station and caught the next train back to Jersey.

Not to be deterred, I called Fotografiska the next day and confirmed they would be opened the remainder of the week. So, on Wednesday, I repeated the drill. I got up early, drove to the Hamilton again, and caught the 8:33 train. It wasn’t gorgeous like Monday, but the walk was still nice and I arrived 15 minutes before the museum opened. When the doors opened I went to the front desk with a determined look, and to their credit the cost of my ticket was waived!

My main interest was to see the Vivian Maier show and as indicated above; it didn’t disappoint! The show was composed of self-portraits, wonderful street scenes of ordinary life … people interacting with each other and their environments, made during the Fifties and Sixties in New York and Chicago.  There were also a group of pictures made of children at play and several landscapes made in and around Paris, the beaches in New York and Chicago and several other locations. Also included in the show were images of portions of people’s bodies, such as hands and the back of heads, or hands holding things like a purse, a hat or a cigar. These fragments actually said quite a lot about the individuals they were attached to even though we don’t know anything else about them!  Finally, there were images that captured the street surface itself and artifacts found on it, along with some pictures of doorways and windowsills. The important thing was that Maier got close to all her subjects. That’s because: one, she was a great photographer, and two, she was limited to using the 80mm lens on her Rolleiflex 2.8F TLR.

The vast majority of the tastefully sized photos were black and white, but there were a handful of color images made with a Leica IIIc and a 90mm Elmar lens. Both cameras were on display at the show along with one of her signature hats! What is amazing is that these images were but a tiny sample of the more than 150,000 negatives Maier produced during her lifetime.  Everything I saw was incredibly powerful!  Perhaps the thing that illustrated just what an accomplished and empathetic photographer Maier was were her proof sheets on display, each of which contained a number of incredible pictures!!  Finally, if all of this wasn’t enough, there were the movies she made on the street later in her life.

Ann Morin, curator of this fabulous show, said the following about Maier … “She has the faculty to understand the extraordinary in ordinary life”.

All in all an incredible and memorable show of one of the great photographers of the last century!!!

Next up, the Bruce Gilden exhibit. Okay, I’ll be honest, after finally seeing Gilden’s work in the flesh I can confirm that it’s not my cup of tea. However, it may very well be yours!

The show was composed of very large black and white street scenes and color portraits. Perhaps the problem I’m having is how Gilden’s images are in such stark contrast to Vivian Maier’s pictures of people. To me, they simply lacked the sense of humanity and inner understanding of the human subject that Maier was able to extract and display in an empathetic manner. This having been said, Gilden’s work is visually powerful and I’m sure many find it very compelling.   I’m glad I had the chance to see it.

Stay well,

Michael

I apologize! Somehow, with all the shows I’ve seen this summer I forgot to write this one up! I was reading the Washington Post about a blockbuster impressionist show that just opened at the National Gallery of Art and someone commented on the Mary Cassatt exhibit that just closed in Philly.

Hmm, I went to that @#$%$!?

In July, I went to the Philadelphia Museum of Art to see three exhibits … Mary Cassatt at Work, Transformations: American Photographs from the 1970s, and In the Right Place: Photographs by Barbara Crane, Melissa Shook, and Carol Taback.  This triple header, not to mention a wonderful bonus exhibit of Gee’s Bend Quilts alone justified the cost of my annual membership!!!

The main event was the Cassatt show. I’m a sucker for impressionist art and Mary Cassatt is one of my favorites! And I’ve always felt that you can learn a lot about light and composition from paintings … especially so with impressionist works.

To say that Cassatt was an incredibly creative woman would be an understatement, and both she and the work she created were at the forefront of social change. The exhibit included over 130 works of oil and pastel paintings, color prints, prints from black and white ink drawings and etchings, all made on a special printing press. A wonderfully diverse and exciting show to say the least! It travels next the de Young in San Francisco, so you can catch it if you’re on the west coast or to plan to be this fall!

After enjoying Mary Cassatt at Work I moved on to see Transformations: American Photographs from the 1970s. The very diverse exhibit, drawn from the Museum’s collection highlighted a fascinating decade in America’s recent history and a time when photographic art was changing rapidly. The show containing both black and white and color prints made from 35mm, medium format and large format negatives included images by Joel Meyerowitz, Robert Adams, William Wegman, Lee Friedlander and Lucas Samarus. Interesting enough, there were older images printed in the Seventies including Ansel Adams’ Clearing Winter Storm, Yosemite National Park, 1937 and Timothy H. O’Sullivan’s Shoshone Falls, Snake River, Idaho Territory, 1874 (printed by Chicago Albumen Works).

All in all a great exhibit that showcased just part of the Philadelphia Museum of Art’s photographic collection!

Last up, Photographs by Barbara Crane, Melissa Shook, and Carol Taback. Following a theme, this all black and white exhibit showcased three photographic series, also made in the Seventies. The three series were made in New York, Philadelphia and Chicago, and all were vastly different from each other. I’ll admit I had never heard of these artists before, but I am glad I saw their work!

Barbara Chane’s pictures were taken in front of a doorway to the Chicago Museum of Science and Industry, all of people entering or leaving the building.  A very simple idea, yet powerful as it produced a body of work that created a real sense of place and time! Melissa Shook’s series was made up entirely of small square jewel-like self-portraits, head shots, nudes, etc. Again, a simple concept, yet effective, giving me an intimate understanding of this person at a particular time in her life.  Finally, Carol Taback’s series included collages made of multiple strips of small images captured in a commercial photo booth located in Philadelphia’s Woolworth’s department store. The pictures included nudes and individual and group portraits. While the vision was more complex, the concept was just as simple and effective as the other two series.

For me, this last exhibit served as a powerful example of what can be accomplished with a clear idea, highly focused vision and great execution. While the individual pictures were not necessarily blockbusters, each series stood as a powerful body of work with its own message. There was much to learn from this exhibit that could be applied to personal projects and I’m glad I was able to see it!

All in all a great outing, full of surprises!

Stay well,

Michael

Last Tuesday I felt fine until all of a sudden I started shivering just after I finished my monthly Monalog Zoom meeting.  I’m normally cold in my house and end up wearing sweatshirts or sweaters all year long. It’s either too cold because it’s freezing in the winter, or it’s too cold because my wife has the air on too high! But this was unusual. It lasted about two hours then all was well. I woke the next morning after a fitful night of sleep but felt pretty normal and good enough to make a trip visit a friend in Maryland.  He’s 81 years old, so just to be on the safe side, I decided to wear an N95 mask and sanitize my hands before I walked in the door. Good thing I did!  On the way home I had a few minor coughs … no big deal. When I got there and a few more coughs later, my loving wife told me I looked like #%^$*. She told me to take the test, and there it was … my second go round with Covid.

#$@$%^&*

Turns out it wasn’t as bad as the first time around, nevertheless by Friday I was getting ready to pull my hair out. What to do? Be creative!  While not 100% I decided to go into my darkroom and start to chip away at this year’s negatives. Great idea! Get ahead vs. my usual year-end printing ritual. I took things a little bit easier and continued working part of the day on Saturday and Sunday. A bit of a struggle but am very happy with the results!

So my week didn’t turn out exactly as planned, but once reasonably able I turned to my creative self and made the best of a bad situation. In fact, doing so was a good learning experience. There’s always time for creativity, even when things aren’t as you planned or hoped for. In fact, maybe these are the times for you to try to be creative!  Don’t stress it … just try something. What’s the alternative? Sitting around feeling sorry for yourself or watching the Gameshow Network all day?  Much better to do something, even if it’s just going over proof sheets to see if there are any gems you’ve missed.

I ended up working on some things that, who knows, may lead to a whole new creative avenue going forward, while at the same time thinking about and trying some new approaches to using my Focomats.

In a few days, things should be back to normal and I’ll be looking for time. I’d prefer not to be sick, but this time I used my downtime creatively … and well!

Stay well,

Michael

Several months ago I exchanged emails and a very nice phone call with a reader that was interested in my thoughts concerning the work of her late husband. While he was an accomplished photographer, she was finding it difficult for anyone to review and talk to about his life work. She told me that he spent endless hours in his darkroom to produce his black and white images, but was rarely interested in exhibiting, let alone selling his work. When he died suddenly and unexpectedly she was in a quandary about what to do. Now she was grappling with the intrinsic value of her late husband’s work.

This is a difficult issue if there was one! And as I have been thinking more and more about scheduling my visit to New York City to see the Vivien Maier exhibit before it closes I also began to think about my dialog with my reader. As photographers we all at some time think about the value of our work, be it monetary or intrinsic. For many this issue becomes consuming, especially as we get older.

The fact is that few of us will ever sell very much or get meaningful exhibits of our work. There are many reasons for this that go beyond the quality of the work. Most are oblivious to the realities of the art world and what’s necessary to overcome them, or simply refuse to try to do what is takes to overcome them. Many soldier on, frustrated and seeking affirmation of their work in some manner. Yet some do not seem to require this affirmation and Vivien Maier appears to be an example. During her life she made over 100,000 negatives and yet few knew she existed, that is until she passed away and her life’s work was discovered almost by accident.

I have met and known many photographers that require affirmation of their work through, sales, exhibition and other means. I also know many fine photographers that just don’t worry about it. Maybe they did before, but not now. This is where I am in my photographic life now, and to tell you the truth I feel so much better. I’m even starting to come to grips with what will or will not come of my negatives once I’m gone. What I care about, and what my reader was trying to deal with is the intrinsic value of the work … to us.  And that is what really matters isn’t it? For others, trying to determine the intrinsic value of our photography is a difficult thing. Not going to happen, and yet again, no affirmation.   But good work is good work, and good work that his personally meaningful is even better work! And that my friends can be very self-affirming.

Stay well,

Michael

A couple of weeks ago I took the train New York, then hopped on the subway to see the show, Paul McCartney 1963-64: Eyes of the Storm. What could I do … I’m a huge Beatles fan, so there was no doubt I would end up in Brooklyn! I had never been to the Brooklyn Museum of Art before and it couldn’t have been easier. The 2 Train left me off about fifty yards or so from the museum’s entrance. Nice, and once I had the logistics settled I walked a block or two and found a spot for a bagel and cream cheese. All good.

At the entrance to the show a quote from Sir Paul said “I’m not setting out to be seen as a master photographer, more an occasional photographer who happened to be at the right place at the right time. We were just wondering at the world, just excited about all these little things that were making up our lives.”  Well, there you have it. So the question is does famous make you good?

It turns out that in 2020 nearly one thousand photographs were “rediscovered” in Paul McCartney’s archive. All were taken with a Pentax 35mm camera he acquired in the fall of 1963. How do I know that? The signage on the wall said so, but what was really wonderful to see for all you gearheads (like me) was Paul’s camera in a glass enclosure, a well-worn black Pentax SV, sporting a 55mm f/2.0 Takumar lens. Yes, all of the pictures were made with one camera and one lens. Almost all the pictures were black and white, Tri-X being his film of choice. And how did I know that?  From the contact sheets on display, containing Paul’s markings!

Simple but incredibly effective!

None of the prints of the pictures he made of the other Beatles, George Martin and Brian Epstein, the many fans, the press, and the venues and streets in Paris, New York, Washington, DC and Miami made while touring were cropped. The pictures made in Miami were in color. All were either inkjet or chromogenic prints, the exception being four silver gelatin prints made in the darkroom.

The show was huge and also contained other photographs, including earlier ones of Paul’s family made by his brother Mike, as well as others by photographers such as the great Harry Benson. Included in the show was his famous 1964 picture of the Beatles having a pillow fight in their Paris hotel room.

So back to my question.  Does famous make you good?

In short, not in the case of Paul McCartney. He didn’t need to be a member of arguably the greatest rock and roll band ever to deserve a show in a topflight museum. In fact, I really think Paul could have had a pretty wonderful photographic career if that’s what he chose to do … but I’m sure glad he didn’t!

I don’t know if McCartney is a “genius”, but I do know he is an incredible and talented “creative”, who at age 82 shows no sign of slowing down. One of those that can do it all and do it all well. He’s a singer, songwriter, musician, author, painter … and yes a fine photographer! Frustrating for those that are prone to jealousy? Yes. Inspiring for those that aspire to be creative in their lives? Yes!

The Brooklyn show ended on August 18^th, but if you live in the US you can catch it in September through mid-January 2025 at the Portland Museum of Art and the De Young Museum in San Francisco beginning in March.

Stay well,

Michael