What I find fascinating with Brandt is that he new how far he could push it in the darkroom, but, in many cases, the idea never seemed to make the image prettier or to give it more mood, but, paradoxically, to make it more "real".
You don't get the feeling that this is an "artistic interpretation" or that he wanted to make the scene "dramatic" or "expressive". You get the feeling that this is what he really saw. He's a lot like W. Eugene Smith in that way.
Bill Brandt is the first photographer I deeply admired and tried to mimic. I tried to play with contrasts etc. But as Alex said with Bill Brandt his images came more realistic and not at all trying to create a dramatic mood. My early efforts came out just ridiculous
I think you were right I remembered my old book of Bill Brandt and it seems it was an old Kodak with a Zeiss lens.
The book also mentions that the camera behaved in a weird and unexpected way
I've always liked Bill Brandt. His technique and darkroom work seems rough and heavy handed, but it works great in his work. Nudes, portraits and documentary work. It's all wonderfully strange. Alien and familiar at the same time.
I think to create this image he may have used variable focus through multiple exposures by blacking out the outside light of the room when doing the close up and then putting the foreground into silluette when making the second exposure with the windows uncovered.
I think to create this image he may have used variable focus through multiple exposures by blacking out the outside light of the room when doing the close up and then putting the foreground into silluette when making the second exposure with the windows uncovered.