Gene Laughter

[terri]

Gene Laughter, whose amazing bromoils were an inspiration to me, passed away on February 14, 2017 (August 20, 1932 - February 14, 2017).

He was a master photographer and bromoil artist. By the time I got interested in the process, he had quit doing workshops, so I had to content myself with purchasing his book, "Bromoil 101" and a video he made on the the process showing techniques on "hopping," as it is often called by those artists.

Despite being unable to take a class from him, I chatted here at APUG with him several times, and he was unfailingly courteous, encouraging, and even flattering - heady stuff for a bumbling beginner like me.

As film photographers become more marginalized, those making beautiful art from alternative photographic techniques such as bromoil become even more so - and we have lost a dear one!

Here's a link to some of his work. He never bothered with a website.

Please do look. RIP, Gene - and thanks for the advice on those brushes!

 

[removed account4]

terri

thank you for posting this !
i used to do facebook IDK 10 years ago, and kept in touch with gene there
after i left, and i wanted to go back and "join" again, so i could keep in touch with him.
such a nice person, willing to share and teach. and his bromoils are mind blowing ( understatement ! )

RIP

one of the best !

thankfully, now, he can now get paper that isn't supercoated !

(there was a url link here which no longer exists)
(there was a url link here which no longer exists)

 

[terri]

Ah, thank you for the links to his work here! Always just leaves me shaking my head in admiration.

 

[NedL]

I did not interact with Gene at all but reading old threads here at APUG I was impressed by his patience and generosity helping APUG members with bromoil.
If you are a subscriber of APUG, you should do yourself a favor and put aside time to look through Gene's (there was a url link here which no longer exists). IMHO he produced beautiful art.

 

[MattKing]

|I am so sad to read this. Gene always seemed to be perfectly named, in that he seemed to always get much joy from what he did.
I'll think of him whenever I hear a Dinah Washington song.

 

[mooseontheloose]

RIP Gene. I remember him from my early days at APUG, and bought his book as well, he was real master of his art.

 

[TheToadMen]

He was a great bromoil printer and ambassador. I remember his flying bird print:

 

[Wayne]

I did know know of Gene before but all I can say is WOW! His bromoils are simply stunning.

 

[TheToadMen]

His last posts on APUG on Aug 13, 2011:

Gene: "My current favorite paper for bromoil is Slavich grade 2."

Question: Matte or Glossy?

Gene: "Matte. I never use glossy for bromoil. Either semi-matte or matte."

Just remember that.

 

[papagene]

This is. so sad to hear. Gene's work was quite stunning.
RIP Gene.

 

[David A. Goldfarb]

Missed this first time around. Gene's work was always inspiring. His daughter just posted this on his page on facebook:

Most of you have probably heard that Gene passed away, peacefully, on Valentine's Day 2017. Over the past few decades he beat the odds against many different cancers and numerous other serious medical conditions. Meanwhile, he remained the only caregiver of his beloved wife, Nadine, who suffers from advanced Alzheimer's, until hospitalized the week before his death. He fought the good fight until he could fight no more, and now can enjoy creating endless works in mediums yet unknown to us.

In addition to his family and friends in VA and SC, Gene valued his many online artist friends and contacts from various alternative photography groups.
(- Gene's middle daughter, Leslie)

 

[NedL]

Fix for broken URL above:

https://www.photrio.com/forum/media/users/gene_laughter.746/

worth a look if you haven't already.

 

[Wayne]

I did NOT know of Gene before but all I can say is WOW! His bromoils are simply stunning.

Worth repeating, and worth editing to say what I meant. I only wish I had time to pursue my non-toxic bromoil dreams, but I don't and won't for some time to come.

 

[Jerevan]

I missed this first time around - sad to hear of his passing last year. He was an amazing inspiration and a master artist.

Hats off and may his little airplane ("Air Mail" - one of my favourite bromoil of all time) fly a long, long time.