Any Great Medium format photographers?

[DREW WILEY]

Do you therefore mean merely medium-great?

 

[Pioneer]

Do you therefore mean merely medium-great?

Just pushing a few new ones out there just for the fun of it. Sometimes the difference between medium great and great is mostly a matter of publicity.

 

[Regular Rod]

Jozsef Pataki

https://www.flickr.com/photos/90016941@N04/

Excellent images. Well worth wading through...

RR

 

[Alan Gales]

We forgot all about Drew's favorite medium format photographer, Robert Mapplethorpe!

 

[nwilkins]

this is kind of a silly topic but these people come to mind off the top of my head

Mark Steinmetz
Gregory Halpern
Jason Fulford
Ron Jude
Tod Papageorge
Todd Hido
Harry Callahan
Lee Friedlander

 

[drkhalsa]

Robert Capa used a Rolleiflex.

 

[xtolsniffer]

I wasn't aware of the work of John Davis, but I really like it, those industrial landscapes are amazing. However, in the technical notes he gives this advice for processing FP4:

"As a starting point you may wish to follow my technique by using Ilford's FP4 120 roll film (which I rate at ISO 80). Use Ilford ID 11 or Kodak D76 developer, dilute 1 part developer to 3 parts of distilled water. Process for 8 minutes at 21 degrees centigrade. In a day light tank, agitate the developer by one inversion of the tank every 15 seconds for the first minute and then agitate every 30 seconds for the following 2 minutes and then once every minute for the remaining 5 minutes. In the first stages of development remember to tap the bottom of the tank on the work surface after agitation to dislodge any air bubbles on the film."

The time of 8 minutes is really short, for 1+3 at 20 C the recommended time is 20 minutes. Even down-rating to ISO 80 and at 21 C it seems a very short development time. At 1+1 it might be just about right for 8 minutes. I was just curious as I love the tonality of the prints on his website.

John Davies

http://www.johndavies.uk.com/

RR

 

[removed account4]

schwabb
kouklis
kertsez

 

[Mainecoonmaniac]

Thanks for mentioning Jozsef Pataki

Jozsef Pataki

https://www.flickr.com/photos/90016941@N04/

Never heard of him until now. Awesome photographer!

 

[DREW WILEY]

Well, Dorothea Lange is still remembered with terror around here. Quite an "in your face" stalker type, who even her own family dreaded once she picked up a TLR. Her work comprises the crown jewels of the Oakland Museum's own archives. But oh my, could she ever spot a picture!

 

[Jaf-Photo]

Well, Dorothea Lange is still remembered with terror around here. Quite an "in your face" stalker type, who even her own family dreaded once she picked up a TLR. Her work comprises the crown jewels of the Oakland Museum's own archives. But oh my, could she ever spot a picture!

In the case of highly talented artists, like Lange, all bets are off. If the result is enduring art, then who cares if people like them?

A lot of the greats in various artistic disciplines had little or no people skills. (Look up Caravaggio's bio for instance.)

 

[Shawn Rahman]

this is kind of a silly topic but these people come to mind off the top of my head

Mark Steinmetz
Gregory Halpern
Jason Fulford
Ron Jude
Tod Papageorge
Todd Hido
Harry Callahan
Lee Friedlander

I disagree - these kinds of threads may seem silly at first, but at least they identify new artists to many of us. Jason Fulford? Ron Jude? Where else would I possibly be exposed to them but for your post? Thank you, btw.

 

[nwilkins]

I disagree - these kinds of threads may seem silly at first, but at least they identify new artists to many of us. Jason Fulford? Ron Jude? Where else would I possibly be exposed to them but for your post? Thank you, btw.

I only mean it is a bit silly to ask about photographers based on film format. A topic like "recommend some of the most interesting art photographers working today" would still have brought up those names (and others who do not necessarily shoot MF, like Vanessa Winship (LF) or Trent Parke (35mm)).

As for being exposed to those kinds of photographers, a good place to start is the (similarly silly but useful) year-end best-of photobook lists that appear every December/January. Like these:

http://cphmag.com/fav-photobooks-2013/
http://www.littlebrownmushroom.com/lists/my-top-10-photo-books-of-2013-by-alec-soth/
http://blog.photoeye.com/2013/12/the-best-books-of-2013.html

Anyway yeah those guys are great. Side note: If anyone has a copy of Gregory Halpern's A for sale for a reasonable price I would love to own it. Same with Steinmetz's South East and/or Greater Atlanta.

 

[rolleiman]

I know of tons in 35mm, a few really big ones in LF, but can't really think of any in MF. Sure, Strand used a Mamiya TLR at one point, and Ansel used a Hasselblad, but any others?

Most "great" photographers who were professional did not confine themselves to one camera format, they had to be versatile to earn a living. Most would use medium format in the studio, usually Hasselblad or Mamiya 6x7, and more often 35mm on location.

One of the most innovative press photographers of the 50's & 60's, Bert Hardy, generally used Leicas or Contaxes, but perhaps his most famous picture of all...... Two Blackpool Showgirls sitting on the sea wall, with a gust of wind blowing up the dress of one of them, was taken on a fixed focus amateur box camera of the time, in order to prove the point that it really is the man behind the camera and not the camera itself that counts.

 

[Jon Shiu]

Brett Weston

 

[DREW WILEY]

I tend to think of Brett Weston as more a large format photographer. Sure, much of his classic work later in life was done with an RB67, and
some with an SL66. But he cut his vision with big view cameras, and basically transferred that kind of visualization to his smaller camera work,
which is often the case with we LF types. In other words, he was no snapshooter.

 

[Alan Gales]

I tend to think of Brett Weston as more a large format photographer. Sure, much of his classic work later in life was done with an RB67, and
some with an SL66. But he cut his vision with big view cameras, and basically transferred that kind of visualization to his smaller camera work,
which is often the case with we LF types. In other words, he was no snapshooter.

Jon and Drew, I just became aware that the St. Louis Art Museum has a Brett Weston exhibit going on until early December. I'm looking forward to checking that out!

 

[benjiboy]

Most "great" photographers who were professional did not confine themselves to one camera format, they had to be versatile to earn a living. Most would use medium format in the studio, usually Hasselblad or Mamiya 6x7, and more often 35mm on location.

One of the most innovative press photographers of the 50's & 60's, Bert Hardy, generally used Leicas or Contaxes, but perhaps his most famous picture of all...... Two Blackpool Showgirls sitting on the sea wall, with a gust of wind blowing up the dress of one of them, was taken on a fixed focus amateur box camera of the time, in order to prove the point that it really is the man behind the camera and not the camera itself that counts.

Bert Hardy was one of my idols and a great photo journalist he used a Kodak Box Brownie to shoot the picture you refer to http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2010/04/16/article-1266605-092AC228000005DC-119_468x400.jpg

 

[Slixtiesix]

Bert Hardy! Thanks Rolleiman and Ben to show me this wonderful photographer. Didn´t know him before...

 

[rolleiman]

Bert Hardy! Thanks Rolleiman and Ben to show me this wonderful photographer. Didn´t know him before...

Glad you "found" Bert Hardy. One of the things you notice about past "great" photographers, is that they usually produced their memorable pictures using the minimum amount of equipment. No several thousand pounds worth of exotic lenses and cameras, often just a single Rolleiflex or maybe a Leica with just a couple of lenses.

 

[hoffy]

Heres the funny thing. If Bert took that photo today, he would be arrested for upskirting!

Fabulous photo though!

 

[benjiboy]

Heres the funny thing. If Bert took that photo today, he would be arrested for upskirting!

Fabulous photo though!

I recommend that anyone unfamiliar with Bert's work look at his pictures online, because in the days before photographers were celebrities his work for Picture Post ( a British equivalent of Life Magazine ) was renowned, he was a sergeant in the army photography and film section in WW11 where he shot some great pictures, and I particularly remember his shots of the U.S. Marines landing at Inchon in the Korean War http://www.slightly-out-of-focus.com/Bert_Hardy_Inchon.html

 

[filmamigo]

Milton Rogovin. Primarily a Rollei 3.5.

http://www.miltonrogovin.com/

 

[Pioneer]

Heres the funny thing. If Bert took that photo today, he would be arrested for upskirting!

Fabulous photo though!

Why?

I understand that both girls were models that he hired.

 

[Slixtiesix]

Another one: Patrick Demarchelier: Hasselblad, Pentax, Mamiya