Photographer similar to Ralph Gibson

[Jeremy]

That would be great! I've heard bits and pieces from reading the forums.

Dave, we're packing to move and the fiance already packed the darkroom books so I don't have access at the moment. Can you send me an email reminder to go through the book for you after the 6th of August?

 

[bjorke]

The "Darkroom" book is available in the University of California library system, fwiw

I might also suggest, as a variation, Steve Pyke.

 

[Dave Krueger]

Dave, we're packing to move and the fiance already packed the darkroom books so I don't have access at the moment. Can you send me an email reminder to go through the book for you after the 6th of August?

Sure! Will do. Thanks!

 

[bjorke]

SOme here may enjoy this essay by Stacey Oborne on Brandt, btw

 

[Jeremy]

Have been under the weather, but was unpacking books today and the next one to go on the shelf is the Lustrum Press Darkroom book!

So...

Having learned from the lithographic process I now go directly to contrasty subject matter and expose for the narrow contrast ratio I desire. I overexpose and overdevelop and, in the process, pick up grain and contrast. This yields a dense negative, but through the years I have found that I prefer them this way. A dense negative offers a range of possibilities that, when explored, yields greater content.

To develop Tri-X, I use 10cc of Rodinal for every roll. If I am developing two rolls of film in a two-reel tank, I fill the tank with water at 68 degrees to within a quarter of an inch of the brim. Then I pour in in 20 cc of developer and stir. This is generally considered too harsh a solution, but it gives me the quality I desire. An eleven minute development time with agitation every minute and a half for ten seconds yields a contrasty negative having the appearance of blocked highlights. Thinner negatives, finer grain, longer development... I've tried all of these approaches, but the only negative that I consider interesting in terms of its potential is the overexposed, over developed one.

 

[Jeremy]

In terms of printing, here's a little snippet:

Because I almost always shoot in bright sun on Tri-X with the camera set for f/16, there's a uniformity to my negatives. I start printing on either Brovira No. 4 or No. 5 paper (note: this book was printed in 1977) with a fifteen second exposure and the El-Nikkor enlarger lens at f/5.6. When I print I think of the will of the negative and how I should respond to it. While the image is fixed, the light can be manipulated. Even when I'm making the first exposure on the first sheet of paper, I try to imagine the light rays from the enlarger penetrating the emulsion of the paper. When i develop, I imagine the developer softening and penetrating the emulsion of the film or paper. That's also the way I think when I expose film in the camera. Looking through the rangefinder, I'll imagine millions of rays of light going through the lens and burning into the film. This attitude brings me into closer contact with the materials. I like to think of the energy, the speed, and the meaning of the entire process. I could never give anybody else my negatives to print, because they wouldn't make the same decisions. Printing is not only a question of skill, it's a question of attitude.

There is much, MUCH more in here from him, but the rest of it deals with images printed in the book as concrete examples. I heartily suggest finding this book on eBay, bookfinder.com, or your local used bookstore if possible.

All quotes from:
Darkroom Printed by Lustrum Press in 1977. Edited by Eleanor Lewis.

 

[patrickjames]

I think the above snippet from the book illustrates well the fact that you don't have to do things the conventionally perfect (and boring in my opinion) way. In other words, zone system blah blah blah... If you experiment with your photography in many different ways and keep following the aesthetics that attract you, you will arrive at something interesting and unique.

After reading this thread, I went on line and bought a bunch of books from Lustrum press. Both Darkroom books, and three Theory books; Nude, Landscape and Contact.

I have liked Gibson's work for most of my imvolvement with photography. I am really looking forward to reading these books. Thanks for this thread!

Patrick

 

[Dave Krueger]

Thanks!

Jeremy,

Thanks for the quotes. Kinda makes me want to go out and find a copy of that book. That's exactly the kind of information I find particularly interesting. Would sure like to see some of his actual prints, though.