Author Archives: Michael Marks

Bokeh, Schmokeh!

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You’ve been cooped up for awhile, but maybe even before Covid you thought about it … even dreamt about it. Have you heard about Bokeh, but more importantly how much do you care about it? It’s become an omnipresent force on the Internet, and most likely it is of critical importance at most technically oriented camera clubs, along with RAW, megapixels and other digitalia. Do you worship at the altar of Bokeh, reading about it incessantly on the Internet? Have you become so obsessed that you only think about shooting wide open, which in turn causes you to make lens purchasing decisions based on how many blades are used in their diaphragms?  Worse yet, do you buy many different lenses of the same focal length so you can test them to determine which if any provide the elusive Bokeh you crave?

Do you dare to read on?

Is it properly pronounced bo-keh, or bo-key, or bo-kay? Who knows, but according to Wikipedia, the term comes from the Japanese word boke (暈け or ボケ), which means  “blur” or “haze”. It’s become an entire subject of photography. So very critical, that for many it is just as important as the subject itself. This really should not be too surprising. It enables people who really are not terribly serious about making photographs that truly matter to stay occupied in the pursuit of what they mistakenly think is important verses getting out there and doing something of real value.  If you have seen any one of the myriad of discussions out there, they are often accompanied by pictures of cute pussycats, vases with or without flowers, or the ever exciting backyard bird … all made with very expensive lenses. High art indeed!

Bokeh has become mystical, cult-like and a photographic religion.  Best I can tell it is all about the quality or “creaminess” of blurry out of focus areas in the photograph that seem to be as important as the subject matter itself. Heaven forbid your Bokeh not be soft and creamy, made up of the dreaded heptagonal shaped reflected points of light instead of smooth round circles of light that contain no hard edges!

Stop the madness already!

Do you think that Adams, Weston(s), Strand, Cartier-Bresson, Frank, Winogrand, Smith  … I could go on and on … would give a flying fig about Bokeh?  The answer is NO! Let’s think about this for a moment. When the many “decisive moments” came for HCB do think he thinking about circles vs. heptagons? NO! I am sure he used his Summicron because it had an overall look and feel he admired, but I suspect he didn’t loose very much sleep over out of focus creaminess.

For those obsessed with Bokeh it will be all right. Just use the lens you have. Its quality is probably as good or better in many ways than which was available to the great masters. So take a deep breath. Concentrate on making pictures of importance rather than worry about soft creaminess and how much you need to spend to get it.

Bokeh, Schmokeh!

You want creaminess; go get some ice cream with high butterfat content. Now that’s something to obsess about!

I think I’ll go test some Häagen-Dazs and Ben and Jerry’s! And then maybe a comparison with Cold Stone Creamery and then I’ll try …

Oh, I forgot to mention … I heard there is a new flavor taking ice cream world by storm … Bokeh Schmokeh.

Stay safe,

Michael

My Work to be Exhibited at the Da Vinci Art Alliance Subjective Perspective Members Exhibition, Philadelphia, March 11th – March 28th, 2021

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I am very pleased to announce that my photograph Cowgirl, Middletown Grange is being exhibited as part of the Da Vinci Art Alliance Subjective Perspective Members Exhibition at their gallery in Philadelphia. The show runs from March 11th through March 28th.

There will be a virtual Public Opening Reception on Sunday, March 14, 2-3pm you can attend at https://davinciartalliance.org/subjective-perspective

Here is what DVAA says about the show. “The constant stream of news, record breaking Covid statistics, and philosophical battles to fight have created an atmosphere of constant engagement. For better or worse, this shift has brought more people off of the sidelines of politics and plunged them into the fray of social discourse. In doing so, we all became active participants with unique ideas, backgrounds, and unshakable beliefs, our own subjective perspective. This exhibition by the DVAA membership presents each work of art as a unique and valuable perspective as experienced our artists.”

We all need to find something to smile about these days.  The photograph I chose makes me smile every time I look at it. I can’t ask for anything more than that!

I hope to see you at the opening!

Stay safe,

Michael

Monalog Collective Photographers Virtual Sharing and Learning Experience – Your Covid-19 Photographic Life, Saturday, April 3, 2021 at 2pm EST

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I am excited to announce the first of Monalog Collective’s Virtual Events to be held on Saturday, April 3rd at 2pm EST.  And this one features yours truly!  This event is open to all and hope you can attend!

The following is from our announcement.

Covid has caused all of us to be creative in ways we have not been before. Because it is not currently possible for Monalog to schedule in-person photographic events, the Collective will be hosting a series of exciting virtual events until we and our fellow black and white analog photographers can get together.

Your Covid-19 Photographic Life is the first of Monalog’s virtual events. This Zoom-based seminar will be an intimate discussion with Monalog Collective members Michael Marks, Paul Margolis and David Haas concerning the photographic challenges they have faced during the Covid-19 pandemic. Monalog Collective member Drew Wagner will host the event. Presentations will include:

  • Member background, type of photography, description of their work, format and materials used
  • Each member’s story of what they have done photographically during the pandemic and how the pandemic has affected their the work and creativity
  • What motivates each member to create during the these difficult times, and what have they done outside of making and printing photographs to “keep their head in the game” and maintain interest in creating and being creative

Total program time will be approximately 60 minutes.

This and future events will take place on Zoom and will be free of charge. Those who register to attend will receive an email with a link to join the lecture prior to the event start time.

Note: Audio, video, and other information sent during these Zoom sessions may be recorded. By joining this session, you automatically consent to such recordings. If you do not consent to being recorded, you can turn off your video sharing within the application or consider not joining the session.

We look forward to seeing you at these upcoming seminars!

The deadline for sign up is March 27, 2021.

For further information and to reserve your place in this event please contact Michael Marks at: info@monalogcollective.com

Stay safe,

Michael

Do What You Like, When You Like To Do It

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In the past I wrote three entries: Make Photographs That Matter … To You; Don’t Push It; and Do It Because You Need To, Not Because You Think You Must.  These entries were all about making the types of pictures that are truly meaningful to you, not pushing yourself when the feeling is not right and photographing because you feel the need rather than guilt.

I woke up a couple of days ago still thinking about these themes, but in a different sort of way. I thought about everything I do in photography, in other words … the entire photographic process. The more I thought about it the more I realized that I have not focused on an important and critical element … doing what you like, when you like to do it.  For the sake of this discussion I am not thinking about some of the mechanical steps in photography I don’t enjoy, like developing film.  They are essential and I can’t get around doing them, so I buck up and deal with it.  NOTE: If you must, because it’s such a complete turnoff, you can get someone to develop your film, but I think it’s a mistake.

Look, all the other things about photography really don’t matter if you don’t like making photographs and I think printing them. Right?  But believe or not, I think there are some people that make photographs and may even print a few who don’t really enjoy much or any of it. Maybe they enjoy the gear. Think Leica, Hasselblad and Linhof aficionados and fondlers that love the mechanical exquisiteness of these gems more than they enjoy making art with them. Or those that do all the work to outfit a state of the art darkroom, admire their achievement, but never make use of it.

So the real question becomes do you really like photography?  Do you like making photographs and printing them? And finally, do you do something of consequence – anything – with the prints you make, other than sticking them in an old photographic paper box, never to be seen again and forgotten?  I believe we all need to think about this to some degree; it really may come down to doing what you like, when you like to do it.   Otherwise you may spend a lot of money with little tangible results, and go through a lot of mental gyrations when precious thought could have been better spent.  If you actually do something the results will be disappointing, you won’t enjoy yourself and your desire to do more will sink lower.

What to do then?  Most of us have some idle time on our hands these days, but the vaccines are ramping up. Things might get busy again during the next several months, so now is the time to think about this existential photographic issue now!  Why not start by considering the subject matter you really would like to photograph. If you can’t think of anything perhaps it’s best to stop here and call it a day.

Once you have determined what you really want to photograph, then take a look at the gear you own and make sure it works best for the subject matter that you really want to make pictures of.  One thing to be careful about is not to get caught up in a romantic whim. It can lead to huge expenses and lots of incredible equipment that ends up gathering dust!

For architecture, a view cameras with movements is best. For landscapes where great detail and tonality is essential, then cameras that produce large negatives matter. Look, there are some people that do street photography with view cameras, but for the vast majority of folks we’re talking about 35mm.  In this case, don’t become immobilized over the issue of rangefinders vs. single lens reflex cameras. If you do, you won’t ever make a picture! Actually, this problem can exist with most formats, e.g., rangefinder vs. SLR (even in medium format), center tilt vs. bottom tilt, and camera size vs. weight. I could go on. In the case of street work I can honestly tell you I have used both rangefinders and SLRs and it hasn’t made a bit of difference in how I worked or in the results I got!

Great, now you have figured out what subjects you like and the best camera to maximize the results. What about the lenses? Think about how you see things. Start out with a “normal” lens and take it from there until you determine you really need more than that one lens to accomplish what you like.  With 35mm we are talking about a 50mm lens. For 6×6, a 80mm, for 6×7 a 90mm (Note these are approximations; Pentax make a 105 and a 90mm). For 4×5 a 150mm and 8×10 a 300mm. Keep it simple. The overwhelming majority of photographs I have made have been with a 50mm lens or near equivalent with other formats.

Nailing down all these time-consuming gear issues will clear your head and free you from self inflicted paralysis. In short, it will make you happy and allow you to make the photographs you like!

We’re on a roll! You know what you like to photograph and what you need to effectively do it. One other thing here … don’t forget about a tripod if you need one to make the best possible pictures you can of the subject matter you like!  Now, and this is really important – you have to come to grips with the fact that you don’t need to travel far or to exotic locations in order to make the kind of photographs you like. If like landscapes I suppose you could get hung up on the need to visit the Grand Canyon or Yosemite, etc. to get what you want, but I think that would be a big mistake.  I know that wherever you live there are beautiful landscapes nearby.  Some can be very intimate. Just observe! Don’t look for excuses!  I have instituted a two-hour travel rule for myself and I am quite happy with my output!

You have now made great progress. The final requirement to making photographs you like is to make them at times you like to photograph.  Think about that. Why go out when there isn’t a lot of time to enjoy yourself, or on a day when you have other pressing or stressful things to accomplish. Schedule a time that will only be devoted to photography, without mental or other distractions.  Don’t push it. Put it on your calendar, then go out and have fun!

I am quite convinced that if you do these things you will then be so excited about the potential of the final product that you will want to get into your darkroom and create the wonderful images that fulfill your vision.  Just like making photographs in the field, schedule a time that will only be devoted to the darkroom, without mental or other distractions.  Again, don’t push it. Put it on your calendar, then have fun!  You know I am getting so excited I want to develop some film, even though I’m caught up!

Stay safe,

Michael

Takeaways from the Through the Lens: Modern Photography in the Delaware Valley Exhibit

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So last week my wife and I had a pleasant visit to the Michener Art Museum to see a very interesting show, Through the Lens: Modern Photography in the Delaware Valley, made all the more interesting because pretty much we had the entire museum to ourselves!  Another artifact of the pandemic I guess. The Michener had been closed for some time, but just recently opened for by appointment only visits. We both felt grateful to be able to actually get out and see something of real interest instead of the grocery store or post office. So it was nice to meander slowly through the exhibit.  And since it was just the two of us, it enabled me to wax poetically about whatever photograph struck me in a particular way without embarrassing myself in front of others (I’m always looking for little silver linings during this terrible time!).

The show focused on 70 years of work by photographers that lived in the Delaware Valley and included approximately 100 images drawn from the Michener’s collection. The great photographers featured in the show I was familiar with included Paula Chamlee, Michael Smith, Edmond Eckstein, Larry Fink, Emmett Gowin, Ray Metzker, Stephen Perloff and Charles Sheeler.  It was especially wonderful to see photographs made by Monalog Collective member Edmund Eckstein, as well as those by Paula Chamlee, Michael Smith and Stephen Perloff, who I’ve had the good fortune to come to know.  Through the Lens had it all, from street photography to classic landscapes, in black and white and color.

If you happen to go, some of my favorites were Paula Chamlee’s 8 x10 Azo contact prints From the Series High Plains Farm, Adrian Texas, 1995 and Kjalkjordur, Iceland; Michael Smith’s 8 x20 Azo contact print Bucks County; Edmund Eckstein’s See You Tomorrow Mom, From Doylestown Hospital Series, Basic Training, Ft. Jackson, South Carolina, and Hyde Park, London, UK; Stephen Guion’s Dwelling House, Bedroom Window; Andrea Baldeck’s Hunger in the Stomach; Emmett Gowin’s Edith and Isaac, Newtown; Claus Mroczynski’s White House, Canyon de Chelly, NM AZ; Stephen Perloff’s Benjamin Franklin Bridge; Jack Rosen’s Slabs for Homes, Levittown, PA; and Ray Metzker’s Pictus Interruptis: Philadelphia, Spring Tingle. 1980.

The Michener is a true gem and I’m only two minutes away by car, or twenty minutes by leisurely walk. You might say I’m lucky. Really lucky because I stumbled onto Doylestown by accident and then found the museum. The deal was struck after driving up from Virginia to see a gorgeous Edward Weston exhibit with my son about ten years ago.  We sold our house shortly thereafter, made the move, and I‘ve never looked back.

We need to be grateful for places like the Michener, and for local galleries and other organizations that support art. Covid-19 driven isolation has helped to make that clear to me. I’m lucky to be an active member of several outstanding organizations here in Bucks County and Philadelphia. Now more than ever we need to be connected with photography in whatever ways we can. Being out there and making pictures is best, but seeing great photographs made by great photographers, as well as great art in general is so important. If we can’t see the work in person, viewing online exhibits is the next best thing. Do it and be a part of it!

The Michener show was a real treat. I urge you to see it if you’re nearby and feel it’s safe to do so. Through the Lens: Modern Photography in the Delaware Valley runs through August 15th.

Stay safe,

Michael

Being Part of a Community

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The other day I was on the Phillips Mill Photo website and noticed they had put up a short video talking about the organization and last year’s exhibition. I have previously written about my inclusion in the show. Interviews were conducted and there’s a short segment in which I say a few nice words. You might enjoy watching it at https://www.phillipsmillphoto.com/pmpe2020-exhibition.

I bring this up because it got me thinking about the importance of being a part of a photographic community – whatever that community may be. This has been especially important during the virus.

I joined Phillips Mill last year around the beginning of Covid. Everything went to hell for in person events but they kept at it and put together a wonderful online show. Phillips Mill is a great organization with a long and prestigious history here in Bucks County. They have been around since 1929 and I’m certainly glad to be a member and part of a long tradition. A couple of months later I joined the DaVinci Art Alliance in South Philly. DVAA’s mission is to “build community through art” with public exhibitions, programming, and interdisciplinary partnerships.  It’s a non-profit art space that provides resources, exhibition space, and community for its artist members and the surrounding neighborhoods. Just a little younger then Phillips Mill, DVAA was established in 1931. I am really enjoying DaVinci and have already participated in several shows and virtual events during Covid. You can check DVAA out at DVAA-Da Vinci Art Alliance. Finally, I founded the Monalog Photographer’s Collective at the beginning of 2020. We started out with 6 members. We planned on a couple of great in person events, but you know the story. Nevertheless, with everything that has happened during the pandemic our collective has grown to fourteen members and I am very excited about the future of the group! Check us out at https://monalogcollective.com.

Why is this so important to me?  Of course making photographs really matters, but to me the whole photography experience is much more than that.  When I am out and about the experience of looking, discovering, and perhaps most important, interacting with those I come in contact with matters just as much. And I have found that being part of a community(s) can be equally important. Why? With DaVinci and Phillips Mill I am part of continuum of photographers that goes back nearly a century. With Monalog I am working with others to build something I think is special and will hopefully endure. But more than that … it’s because of the friendships made and the long-term relationships developed.

Friendships have always been an essential part of my life, so it was only natural that I would like to develop ones involving something I love so deeply. Friends that have the same passion I do, that want to share ideas, that care about each other and help one and other with no questions asked. What can be better than that? Besides family, not much! If Monalog were to fold tomorrow, it would have all been worth it, just for the friendships I’ve made.

So get involved in a photographic community … especially during these difficult times. There are many opportunities out there, like the ones I’m involved with or others from online forums to local camera clubs and artist groups, and coops. You can even start one like I did!

Take a chance. It will be worth it!

Stay safe,

Michael

My Photographic Process – Step 13 – Selenium Tone the Print and Step 14 – Wash and Dry Your Prints on Print Drying Screens

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Ta, da!

Ok, you’ve made your best print(s). Now you want to provide the finishing touch. Selenium toning provides a nice shift in tone away from the olive appearance characteristic of most papers.  It also supports archival permanence and can help set the blacks.  Some people will develop their prints and go all the way through toning in one session. I generally do not do that and prefer to accumulate enough prints that need to be toned and do them at one time.  After my prints have been developed, washed and dried as previously described, I store them in an archival box that has a sticker on it that reads, “To Be Toned”.

My toning process is as follows:

  1. Soak prints in water for 10 minutes.
  2. Fix prints in plain Hypo solution for 3 minutes
  3. Tone prints in Selenium Toner. I use a ratio of 1 part toner to 20 parts water. This ensures that the tonal shift will happen more gradually, giving you a greater amount of control.With Foma Variant III toning times tend to be four to seven minutes, but each paper is different and some do not tone at all. Pay close attention so you don’t go to far!  Also, make sure your room is well ventilated. Breathing in Selenium is not good for you!  I always have my fan running and the door wide open!
  4. Remove your prints when you are happy with how they look and put them into a tray of Hypo Clear. I use Permawash mixed 1 gallon of water to 3 ounces of chemical for 2 minutes.
  5. Rinse for 5 minutes

Then proceed with Step 14 to wash and dry your prints on print drying screens as was described previously in My Step 12.

Congratulations, you have come a long way and accomplished a lot!

Stay safe,

Michael

My Inclusion in the 2020 Photo Review 36th Annual International Photography Competition Exhibition

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At long last the photographs selected to be included in the 2020 Photo Review 36th Annual Photography Competition have been posted on the Photo Review website for a virtual exhibition.  You can see them here: https://www.photoreview.org.  The 2020 competition was juried by Kathy Ryan, Photo Editor, and Jessica Dimson, Deputy Director of Photography, of The New York Times Magazine. There are a million competitions and you could spend all your time just working on that, so I try to focus on those that interest me for a particular reason(s), including who the jurors are and how competitive they are. That was the case here.

It’s sometimes very surprising what photos will be selected when you submit several and I have been pleasantly surprised those that have been chosen for the last several shows I’ve been in.  I am particularly happy about my selection for this show. It speaks strongly to me about the ambivalence for many concerning the times we live in. I thought about that when I made the photograph a couple of years ago and I still feel that way now. Perhaps the jurors felt the same way.

Stay safe,

Michael