Revisiting Your Proof Sheets … What You Find Might Surprise You … Revisited

A while back I wrote an entry called Revisiting Your Proof Sheets … What You Find Might Surprise You!  A couple of years ago I decided to take a look through my many proof sheets going all the way back to the beginning and found that there might be some gems that I missed for some reason.  I wrote that I found around a hundred or so images that looked like they deserved a chance to be printed and prove themselves. I said that I would be slowly going through the many flagged proof sheets and printing in between current work.  I knew that it would take a long time, but I was excited by prospects! Even though I haven’t done as much as I would like to I am still excited and have dedicated myself to doing much more this year and beyond.

The question in the earlier piece was why was it that so many images I revisited somehow now looked more appealing than they did at first glance?  I wasn’t sure.  Perhaps a different perspective, a new point of view, or the fact that I am older and hopefully somewhat wiser.  Or maybe I was too hasty the first time around.

I recently pulled out the excellent bookContact: Theorypublished by Ralph Gibson’s Lustrum Press (review to come) that contains proof sheets of number of well-known photographers, descriptive essays by the photographers, and the images they chose for printing.  One thing I noticed was the many near and not so near misses on their proof sheets. Not surprising at all (see last week’s entry).

The essay by the late great Mary Ellen Mark was particularly insightful concerning the topic of discussion and goes along way to answering my question:

“In reviewing this contact sheet I just re-noticed frame 24A—I think I’m going to make to print of it. This sometimes happens when you stay away from your contacts for a long time (I have not edited this sheet for three years).  You will often go back and find very good pictures that you missed before – I think often the distance of both emotions and time can give you a fresh perspective on your contact sheets.”

Great thinking by a wonderful photographer!  Thank you so much Mary Ellen – I think you nailed it!

So dust off those old proof sheets this year and take a fresh look at them. You may find some overlooked gems!

My Hit Rate for 2018

I finally went through my proof sheets for 2018 and spent some serious time in the darkroom during Christmas week. It was a great time to do this as pretty much anyone I deal with in my working life takes off just before Christmas and doesn’t return to their offices until after the New Year.

All of this activity got me thinking about the number of photographs I make, the amount that I select for printing, and the final number that survive. It turns out to be somewhat of a process. The truth is that I don’t go through a lot of film because I am pretty selective in what I want to photograph. If I’m not really attracted to what I am seeing I simply don’t push the shutter release. I am even more selective when it comes to looking at my proof sheets when determining those images I wish to print. I study them under the magnifier, and if I see something I like I take a red Sharpie and draw a frame around the image. If necessary I indicate where cropping is required.  Sometimes after further inspection I may decide that some of the frames I previously selected aren’t that exciting after all.  And even if printed, there is a chance that after further evaluation the print will have to be modified for some reason, or it may just get tossed because in the end the picture really wasn’t that good.

In earlier postings I pointed out that Ansel Adams said, “Twelve significant photographs in any one year is a good crop.”  And John Sexton said, “I find the single most valuable tool in the darkroom is my trash can – that’s where most of my prints end up.”

Think about these two statements for a while. I have.

Maybe my approach is not what works for others, but I really believe that the key to stronger work is setting a high standard and maintaining it. That means being highly selective in what we see and print, and finally in what we chose to preserve.

I identified a number of pictures from 2018 that I had not printed during the year.  My hit rate was below 10% and who knows what the final number of survivors will be once they all make it out of the darkroom. But I am satisfied with those numbers, because I have some meaningful images I am excited about.  I have also gone back through my older proof sheets again and identified many pictures I will be printing for the first time.  I made a good start on the 2018s this past week, but I will be pretty busy this coming year and beyond!

Have a great 2019, photographically and may your hit rate be good.

Best wishes,

Michael

Paul Caponigro, The Wise Silence: Photographs by Paul Caponigro

Whenever I traveled overseas I always tried to find some time to visit museums … and of course photograph if possible. I think it was about 1984 or so. I was in London on business with the State Department and had some time to kill during an evening. As usual I would ask around or look at local artsy publications usually found in hotel lobbies. So I was skimming through one of them in my room and what do you know … Paul Caponigro was going to be giving a lecture that night at the Barbican Centre, not far from where I was staying!  So much for dinner, I had an hour to get there!  As I recall, Caponigro was speaking courtesy of a US Government sponsored tour. Perfect … I worked for the US Government!

You can imagine how excited I was as I scurried to get there and then get seated before the lecture began. Let’s face it Caponigro is one of the great 20thcentury masters. Black and white, large format, iconic landscapes, architecture, flowers, still life.  I had seen his pictures in magazines but had never seen them in the flesh. And of course I never had met the master himself! He finally emerged and the slide projector began projecting images on the screen. Oh no!  Caponigro was showing color photographs made with a Leica M6!  Not what I hoped to see and not what I hoped to hear about! Nevertheless, I still got a chance to hear Caponigro discuss his work and it was an unexpected opportunity to meet a truly inspirational photographer. No matter … it bothered me for a long time that I didn’t get to hear Caponigro talk about his incredible black and white large format pictures made at Stonehenge, Ireland, Maine, Yuma, Arizona or in Redding, Connecticut. And the list goes on.

Somehow though, I found the will to go on.

Then about twenty years later a very good friend of mine, who also happens to be a fine photographer, gave me a most wonderful gift for my fiftieth birthday … a beautiful first edition copy ofThe Wise Silence: Photographs by Paul Caponigro! Now we were talking! The incredible retrospective of Caponigro’s work up until the early Eighties was published to go along with the 1983 exhibition, The Wise Silence: Photographs by Paul Caponigro shown at the International Museum of Photography at George Eastman House, Rochester, New York.

Suffice to say, all the classics are in this incredibly beautiful book! The great images we know about, but many others as well. A beautiful leaf suspended in space, the white dear, churches, sunflowers, beautiful streams, ancient stone monuments, ice and snow, the American Southwest, architectural details, doorways and more! Over a hundred and forty stunning photographs in a large exquisite book you will want to look at again and again … serene, quiet and beautiful.

No disrespect to Caponigro’s 35mm color work, but what is contained in this book is truly special!  The book is not cheap, but would make a worthy addition to anyone’s photographic library.

I’m Featured in Radius Magazine!

Recently I was offered an opportunity to be interviewed for Radius Magazine. Radius focuses on art, music and life here in Bucks County and Hunterdon County, just across the Delaware River in New Jersey.  This was the first time I’ve been interviewed for my photography and I have to say it was a delightful experience! I met Lela Casey at my favorite coffee shop here in Doylestown and discussed the magic of black and white film photography and the darkroom over some really great hot chocolate. We also talked about my approach to photography and why photography has been such an important part of my life for over fifty years.

Lela did a wonderful job capturing the essence of our conversation, and the magazine chose some of my favorite photographs for inclusion with the story.

All and all a great way to close out what has been a truly rewarding photographic year for me. Well almost.  Actually, I plan to be pretty much locked in my darkroom between Christmas and New Years.  Now that’s a good way to finish the year!

If you happen to be out and about in Bucks or Hunterdon Counties you should be able to find a copy of Radius, and the best part is that it’s free!  You can also find it on the Radius Magazine website at http://www.radiusmag.com Look for Issue #46.

Freestyle Lowers the Price of Foma Variant III VC FB Paper

I am not familiar with the range of Foma’s black and white papers; I only use one type – Variant III VC FB … and only one size – 8×10. I have also used what most believe is its rebranded sibling, Arista EDU Ultra, and I’ve been hard pressed to see any significant differences in the two papers. But now I needed to order more paper for what I hope will be a good amount of time spent in the darkroom time between Christmas and New Year’s Day. I noticed that Freestyle Photographic, Foma’s US importer, has lowered the price of a 100 sheet 8×10 box of Variant III VC FB from $126.95 to $99.95. Many of you may be aware of this – if not this is a sizeable savings! The person I spoke to on the phone said that this has been the price since the beginning of 2018. That happens to be the same price as Arista EDU Ultra, both at Freestyle and B&H!  Note, however that Freestyle charges for shipping and B&H does not.

I know this isn’t in the same category as world peace but it is interesting, and who knows how long this price will last – Freestyle would not say. As readers know, I love this paper.  Suffice to say, I just order 300 sheets of the Foma!

Freestyle Lowers the Price of Foma Variant III VC FB Paper

I am not familiar with the range of Foma’s black and white papers; I only use one – Variant III VC FB … and only one size – 8×10. I have also used what most believe is its rebranded sibling, Arista EDU Ultra and I have been hard pressed to see any significant differences in the two papers. That having been said, it was time to order more paper for what I hope will be a good amount of time spent in the darkroom time between Christmas and New Year’s Day.  I noticed that Freestyle Photographic, Foma’s US importer, has lowered the price of a 100 sheet 8×10 box of Variant III VC FB from $126.95 to $99.95. Many of you may be aware of this, if not this is a sizeable savings! The person I spoke to on the phone said that this has been the price since the beginning of 2018. That is the same price as Arista EDU Ultra, both at Freestyle and B&H! Note, however that Freestyle does charge for shipping and B&H does not.

I know this isn’t in the same category as world peace but it is interesting, and who knows how long this price will last – Freestyle would not say. As readers know, I love this paper.  Suffice to say, I just order 300 sheets of the Foma!

Michael A. Smith, 1942-2018

About ten years ago I decided to take a weekend workshop with Michael A. Smith and his wife Paula Chamlee. But first we communicated via email due to the fact that I was a kosher vegetarian. That is because both he and Paula were very interested my somewhat interesting food regimen and wanted to make sure that anything they served me would meet my dietary requirements.  This discourse went on for a number of emails and I finally did make it to their workshop. It was a great weekend and I really ate well!

I owe a number of things to Michael and Paula. It was while driving through Doylestown on route that I discovered completely by accident exactly where I would like to live! And then there was the action packed weekend I spent assisting him print some 100 photographs for a book and show on the city of Chicago.  I’ve worked for three Undersecretaries of State, held a senior position in the Executive Office of the President, and negotiated with the Soviets, but this was intense! Have you ever got up and started printing shortly after the crack of dawn and pretty much gone straight through the day until late at night?  I did … once. I learned a lot from a Master printing for several days in a row, while barely coming up for air.

We stayed in contact over the years. I visited them a number of times and attended events related to exhibits of their work at the Michener Museum. I couldn’t afford Michael’s prints but I was lucky enough to own several wonderful books of his and Paula’s work, as well as others they printed and published through their Lodima Press.

Earlier this year Michael suffered a stroke. I visited him and Paula while he was at recuperating at Doylestown Hospital and kept in contact with Paula afterwards. A couple of months ago I saw them at a lecture at the Michener Museum for View Finders: Four Photographic Voices, a wonderful show that included their photographs. Shortly after that I met for coffee with Paula and gratefully accepted hand delivery of their two new books, Iceland: A Personal View, Vol. 1 and 2.  Michael was doing better and there were a number plans in the offing. But a little over two weeks ago I learned of Michael’s passing and subsequently received the following email that I want to share:

“It is with deep sadness that we announce the passing of a true visionary, Michael A. Smith, Founder of Lodima Press.Michael’s passion for making, promoting, and teaching photography remained sincere and strong throughout his more than 50-year career as a leading figure in fine-art photography. As a result, Michael was known internationally as a brilliant photographer and as an extraordinary teacher, theorist, critic, and publisher. No matter which hat he wore at any given time, Michael never tired of giving his time, knowledge, and passion to the visual arts.

Moreover, Michael always dreamed big. His greatest dream (indeed, his ultimate dream) was to continue giving back to the world of photography—a world that had given him so much success, sense of purpose, and simple joy. In particular, Michael wanted to give back by fostering scholarship, organizing exhibitions, and advocating appreciation, not only in photography but also to allied areas of the visual arts.

Before his passing and, most movingly, since then, many people around the world who knew Michael, his work, and his mission have asked what they can do to make the dream come true. If you feel motivated to contribute to that essential effort, please make a donation to Arts of Our Time, the not-for-profit organization that Michael founded in 2003. By contributing, you will enable Paula Chamlee, his wife, partner in the arts, and AOT co-founder, to honor Michael’s memory, ensure his legacy, and keep his dream alive for the benefit of future generations of visual artists as well as for the many people who care deeply about the arts.

A memorial service is being planned at the Michener Art Museum in Doylestown to celebrate his life and work. The date is yet to be determined, but will take place sometime after the holidays.”

At the View Finders: Four Photographic Voices lecture both he and Paula presented a wonderful distillation of their approach to photography and what is important to them for making great images. From a previous posting, here are the highlights of what Michael said:

  • An important point of photography is to have an experience; it’s much more than just clicking the shutter. Their way of working is quite the opposite of the digital capture routine.
  • Neither he nor Paula worries about what time of the day they make photographs. Photographs are made whenever they present themselves.
  • Always be aware of the spaces in the photograph using the edges and the corners to define the boundaries.
  • Everything in the photograph is important and must be in the right place.
  • When photographing people with the view camera everything and everyone has to be in the right place at the right time; you have to wait for the right moment when everything relates to one and other as you only have one shot.
  • When photographing he has no preconceptions and never has any idea of what he will photograph.

As I have previously said, if you are unfamiliar with Michael and Paula’s work you need to check out their website ( http://www.michaelandpaula.com) or their many beautifully printed books. Of course it’s best to see the real prints. Their photographs are beautiful and the print quality is incredible! Both use large format cameras and primarily contact print from 8×20 (Michael) and 8×10 (Paula) black and white negatives using their own Lodima silver chloride contact paper.

Michael was an outstanding photographer, wonderful teacher, critical thinker and a true visionary. He did much to inspire others to take up large format photography, kept important photographic materials alive and published a wide range outstanding books of his and Paula’s work, as well as that of other important photographers. He was a genuine original with a true passion for art and life. I was lucky to know him and experience his vision.

This Thanksgiving

I was in Pittsburgh this past Tuesday on business, but I made a point to stop by the Tree of Life Synagogue in Squirrel Hill. When I was in graduate school back in the late Seventies my wife and I had our first apartment around the corner and we attended High Holiday services there.  I had called ahead but all I got was a recorded message, and when I drove by there was a police car parked at the entrance. I was content to park my car, place a stone outside where some flowers had been laid and say a prayer.

We live in a time of senseless killing, hatred and unhinged political discourse in America that threatens our sense of decency and the foundations of our democracy.  So much so that it might easily cause one this wonder what we can be thankful for.

This Thanksgiving my wife and I, along with our one-year old dog Sparky hosted our two children, their spouses, three grandchildren, their two dogs and my wife’s mother.  A true recipe for chaos and anarchy!  It was wonderful to be with everyone, the food was great as usual, my wife’s mother enjoyed herself, and the dogs didn’t destroy anything.  I’m thankful for this.

When things are changing all around us and what was once recognizable now becomes unrecognizable, we must do whatever we can to make some kind of difference.  But we can’t lose sight of the small things; those moments in our personal lives that are really so important, like everything about this holiday and those we celebrate it with. I am thankful for all of that. I am also thankful that I can make photographs with film, and print them in my darkroom on silver gelatin paper. I am thankful that I have a choice of films, papers and chemicals I can easily obtain. I am thankful that my fifty year old cameras and lenses can still be repaired and maintained by skilled experts. I am thankful that I can find the time in my busy life to do this work that makes me so happy. I am thankful that I have the opportunity to teach and hopefully motivate others to find their own vision.  Finally I am thankful that I can find something I want to say here every week and that doing so has led me to others that share the same passion for this wonderful medium.

So all in all I have a lot to be thankful for. I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving with friends and family. Take a moment to think about all those small things you have to be thankful for; they probably add up to something much greater than you thought!