Photo of Eugene Smith in the darkroom

[Marco Buonocore]

I'm looking for a photograph of Eugene Smith working in his darkroom. I can't remember where I saw it unfortunately! It's a shot of him sitting in a stool, with a TV in the background that was all gelled up. I gather he watched baseball on it. I'd like to get a proper print of this image somehow. Does it ring a bell with anyone? Maybe know the photographer who took the image?

Thanks!

 

[chip j]

Center for Creative Photography in Tucson has all his stuff.

 

[eddie]

If it's the one I'm thinking of, it was shot by Sherry Suris in 1978. There are a few photos she took, of him and his darkroom, in "The Darkroom Handbook", by Dennis Curtin & Joe DeMaio.

 

[eddie]

Is this what you're looking for?

http://www.filmwasters.com/forum/index.php?PHPSESSID=na9jsfdq35gngrdk9t2cbtbtv4&topic=2089.0;nowap

 

[Marco Buonocore]

Eddie,

Fantastic - that must be it! I only have a hazy recollection of it, but I suspect it's from that series. I'll try and get in touch with Sherry Suris and see what comes of it. I really appreciate your help!

 

[pbromaghin]

By the way, that is a fantastic book.

 

[eddie]

I only remembered the photo because of his cluttered darkroom. Mine often looks that way, so I found it comforting...

 

[Trask]

There are other photos of Gene Smith's darkroom that I've seen in reporting on his photos in the so-called Jazz Loft Project. He was living in an apartment building in downtown NYC that was half decrepit, and upstairs jazz musicians used to hang out and jam. Gene wired the building for sound and used to record what went down, and of course he photographed it all too. See www.jazzloftproject.org and click on images. You'll see Gene's famous photograph of Monk (that looks suspiciously like it was developed in 777) and a picture of Gene with his cameras looking out a window -- he made thousands of pictures of street life from there. As you see, Gene is younger here than the photos of him linked to above. I'm if you poke around google re: jazz loft you'll find more images of him in his then-darkroom.

And if, like me, you're interested in Gene's life and work, you might want to read his biography. He was a very complicated fellow.

 

[ajmiller]

......................................

And if, like me, you're interested in Gene's life and work, you might want to read his biography. He was a very complicated fellow.

Which biography would you recommend? Thanks

 

[Michael W]

I like this photo of W. Eugene Smith made by Arnold Newman

 

[Trask]

Which biography would you recommend? Thanks

Shadow and Substance, by Jim Hughes. It's lengthy, but really gives one an appreciation of all that Smith went through, or put himself through.