Andre D. Wagner | The Gordon Parks Foundation Gallery - A journey to my exhibition

logan2z · Dec 25, 2024

I watched this last week and have been meaning to post it since, but forgot.

Probably the most honest, transparent behind-the-scenes photography video I've ever seen. I have to applaud Andre Wagner for posting it publicly. It made me realize that even successful artists struggle to make work, prepare for exhibitions, etc. just like the rest of us.

Warning: There's quite a bit of colorful language in the video so this probably isn't safe for work or general family viewing.

Alex Benjamin · Dec 25, 2024

This is so good, but heavy! Man, everything, EVERYTHING, in photography is about problem-solving. One problem after another, and each new one unexpected—like the one he encounters going from 11x14 to 30x40. As he says, even a breakthrough is followed by resistance, and that is followed by self-doubt. We all go through that, at different levels.

Thanks for posting.

Alex Benjamin · Dec 25, 2024

I want his studio...

logan2z · Dec 25, 2024

Alex Benjamin said:
I want his studio...

Same here!

miha · Dec 25, 2024

I wish him the best of luck. It seems he's got everything it takes, including talent and dedication.

Alex Benjamin · Dec 26, 2024

Reminded me of:

miha · Dec 26, 2024

Alex Benjamin said:
Reminded me of:

...

How true. I remember a conversation I had with a professional studio photographer, now retired, when she sold me her Mamiya some 25 years ago. She said to me, Miha, enjoy your photography as a hobby. It is way different and less satisfying as a profession.

fiddle · Dec 26, 2024

Thank you for the link, great video, and studio...
I went to his show, very nice prints.
Hes a really nice guy, met him a few times shooting around NYC.

Sirius Glass · Dec 26, 2024

Alex Benjamin said:
Reminded me of:

View attachment 386241

When I was a teenager thinking about what I wanted to do as a career, I realized being a professional photographer would take all the pleasure out of photography.

Chuck_P · Dec 27, 2024

That was very interesting to see and very impressive...............thanks for sharing. I loved the reality of his struggle and dealing with all the pressures involved.

So his problems with the prints early in the video were with gauging his dodging times on such large prints with respect to getting the right dark skin tone. My first thought was I wonder if he uses f-stop printing.

pbromaghin · Dec 28, 2024

Sirius Glass said:
When I was a teenager thinking about what I wanted to do as a career, I realized being a professional photographer would take all the pleasure out of photography.

This is about the smartest post you've made. It's why I have never accepted payment for any photograph I have made for someone else. If I accept money, I am selling the right to complain and I AIN'T TAKING NO COMPLAINTS!

pbromaghin · Dec 28, 2024

Chuck_P said:
That was very interesting to see and very impressive...............thanks for sharing. I loved the reality of his struggle and dealing with all the pressures involved.

So his problems with the prints early in the video were with gauging his dodging times on such large prints with respect to getting the right dark skin tone. My first thought was I wonder if he uses f-stop printing.

It appears to me that he is dry mounting. later on, doing this with his large prints, he was experiencing bubbling in the days after. I wish he would have told how he fixed it. Did it have something to do with the fact that he was heat pressing it in sections?

MattKing · Dec 28, 2024

pbromaghin said:
This is about the smartest post you've made. It's why I have never accepted payment for any photograph I have made for someone else. If I accept money, I am selling the right to complain and I AIN'T TAKING NO COMPLAINTS!

I enjoyed my work as a paid photographer - actually ran my own small business doing that.
I also enjoyed working as a newspaper darkroom technician and getting paid for that.
And getting paid for colour printing for professional photographers was also enjoyable.
Working in photographic support industries like retail was also satisfying.
But it was better for me to pursue a non-photographic career.
For a fairly long while though, the time demands of that career crowded out photography, and I suffered for that.

logan2z · Dec 28, 2024

Chuck_P said:
So his problems with the prints early in the video were with gauging his dodging times on such large prints with respect to getting the right dark skin tone. My first thought was I wonder if he uses f-stop printing.

I wondered that as well. I assume he does not use f-stop printing or he would have had little problem scaling up his prints.

Chuck_P · Dec 28, 2024

logan2z said:
I assume he does not use f-stop printing or he would have had little problem scaling up his prints.

My conclusion as well..........a fouled up 30x40, how painful it must be. My curiosity peaked so had to check it out. The paper size he cut was bigger than a 30x40 image, perhaps at 32x42.............assuming he's using something like this, he can get 36 sheets cut from a 98 ft. roll of 42" long paper, each cut sheet costing about $26 each. Amazing.

pbromaghin · Dec 28, 2024

Another video, a tour of his studio, pops up to the side and/or after this one ends. Really interesting. He is very deeply committed to film.

warden · Dec 28, 2024

Finally made some time to sit through this inspirational video. Thanks @logan2z for this. I got a lot out of it. Creativity on a deadline is a challenge, but can also offer salvation. Andre is living his dream, and is apparently thankful for it.

logan2z · Dec 28, 2024

warden said:
Finally made some time to sit through this inspirational video. Thanks @logan2z for this. I got a lot out of it. Creativity on a deadline is a challenge, but can also offer salvation. Andre is living his dream, and is apparently thankful for it.

You're welcome. Glad you got as much out of it as I did.

Patrick Robert James · Jan 2, 2025

I wonder if he has a mentor. Looks like he is flying solo with the problems he has which have fairly simple solutions. Kind of painful to watch. I applaud him though for muddling through it. It is not easy making that many prints in a short time especially when you are having problems. Wonder why he uploaded that more than a year after his exhibition.

logan2z said:
I wondered that as well. I assume he does not use f-stop printing or he would have had little problem scaling up his prints.

It doesn't work that way. You can't just "scale up." Large prints are their own beasts. Things change as you go larger, especially with smaller negatives. Contrast drops. Tonal relationships change.

Andre is the heir apparent to the whole NY street photography tradition. He has a lot of talent.

Sirius Glass · Jan 2, 2025

Unfortunately it is unlikely that I will be able to see the exhibit. I do have one of his books.

Certain Exposures · Jan 24, 2025

Moderator's Note: The discussion of Darkroom Equipment options that was here has been moved into its own thread, found here:

https://www.photrio.com/forum/threads/f-stop-timer-options.211661/#post-2866197

Patrick Robert James said:
Wonder why he uploaded that more than a year after his exhibition.

It doesn't work that way. You can't just "scale up." Large prints are their own beasts. Things change as you go larger, especially with smaller negatives. Contrast drops. Tonal relationships change.

Time spent scripting, filming, and editing for YouTube is time lost to photograph or print! Video demands so much.

Sirius Glass said:
I do have one of his books.

Lucky!

Andre D. Wagner | The Gordon Parks Foundation Gallery - A journey to my exhibition

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