I Have Moved...

The Interface Publications blog and my writings are now happening over here...

www.interfacepublications.com.au

Heroes #2

Irving Penn

In 1958 Irving Penn was named one of "The World’s 10 Greatest Photographers" in an international poll conducted by Popular Photography Magazine. Penn’s response was that of a true professional…

"I am a professional photographer because it is the best way I know to earn the money I require to take care of my wife and children."

But he also said, when opening his commercial studio in 1953: “Photographing a cake can be art”.

When I was learning about photography and wanting to be a photographer, Irving Penn was the ultimate professional. He took commercial jobs but treated every subject as though it was art. He was the master of the still life for magazine advertisements, but what impressed me were his portraits. They were simple, dramatic, unconventional (for the time) and just oozed with the character of the sitter.

I just seeing the Picasso portrait and saying wow, I wouldn't have thought of doing that. The basic portrait idea at the time was to take a pleasantly lit photograph of the subject, showing them looking nice. Using a portrait to make an art image but still capture the person in a recognisable way was an entirely new idea to me.

Penn’s portrait style went through three distinct phases. In his early days he photographed his subjects with props that told their story, for example, the composer John Cage was photographed leaning over a piano. Later he switched to a much simpler style with plain backgrounds and created drama with the simple lighting and the pose of the subject.

The third stage, and the one that impressed me the most, were extreme close ups, with tight cropping. He wasn’t afraid to use contrast or to crop out portions of the sitter’s features.

Pablo Picasso

The light he used was mostly natural light from a window. He controlled it by the placement of the sitter, the angle of the background and the exposure. This had a major effect on me and I spent years trying to learn this technique. Today, it is still mostly a matter of luck if I get it right.

Marlene Dietrich

Unfortunately, there aren’t a lot of good examples of Penn’s work on the Internet. And the ones that I found are not reproduced well. If you are interested in portraiture, find a copy of a book of his work.

His advice to young photographers… “Every picture should have a reason for being. It should say what it intends to say in the clearest, most effective way, with the greatest economy of means. To arrive at this clarity you must constantly simplify, simplify; pruning away anything that can be spared. Keep the purpose of the picture clearly in mind”.

Truman Capote

New Website

The new version of the Interface Publications website has gone live. Unlike the previous version, the front page will change regularly, displaying a new image every few days.

The images are now displayed as Flash slideshow galleries. New images and galleries will be added as good images become available (that is a fancy way of saying I have to go out and take good images).

Please take a look:

www.interfacepublications.com.au

Heroes #1

This is the first post in what will be an occasional series about the photographers who influenced me as I was learning about photography.

Astrid Kirchherr

The moody black and white photos of Astrid Kirchherr are my earliest memory of being interested in photography as an art. My family had always had cameras and had always taken photos. I have boxes full of holiday snaps and family events going back to the 1920s. I even have some negatives that my Grandfather took during World War One (yes, One).

But Astrid’s photographs were more than holiday snaps, they contained emotion, they conveyed something to me. The first images I saw were of The Beatles in their early days. This series, taken in Hamburg; inspired my interest in black and white photography and has shaped the way I think people should be photographed.

Astrid photographed the group and individual members many times in the early ‘60s but by 1967 had virtually given up photography entirely. It was difficult to make a living as a female professional photographer in the 1960s and this was compounded by the fame she had gained from photographing The Beatles.

“They (magazines) wouldn't look at my other work. It was very hard for a girl photographer in the 60s to be accepted. In the end I gave up. I've hardly taken a photo since 1967”, she said.

It is a shame because I would love to know how Astrid’s work would have developed over time.

I am very pleased to have two of Astrid’s photographs on my wall, both signed. Forty-seven years after they were taken, they still remind me just how effective black and white photography can be.

Some photos from the Hamburg series:

Link

These reduced, scanned images do not do the originals justice, unfortunately.

Some slightly better scans are here:

Link

The last information I have about Astrid is that, along with Ulf Kruger, she owns a bookshop (K&K) in Hamburg.

What's Happening...

This blog is now used as an update page for the Interface Publications website.

I have been fairly active on the new image hosting site, ipernity, so I have added a link to my ipernity page to the site.

It is a very friendly, helpful community and I am enjoying posting there.

On the photographic front, I've just purchased a Canon 5D. As this camera has a full-frame sensor, all my lenses now work at their correct focal lengths. I have a proper wide angle lens again!

Basically, the camera is very easy to use, but it is several generations after my old D60, so there are some new tricks to learn.

I am still posting the occasional photo to Flickr, so you will continue to see me there too.

Now I like music as much as the next person...

Now I like music as much as the next person, but was it really necessary to subject me to a bland, instrumental version of "What The World Needs Now" when I visited one of those awful automated public loos while out walking this morning.

It didn't enhance the experience.

Where Have I Been?

More than a month without Interface? I can hear your cries of despair. But don't worry, I am OK.

While I was away, the great Flickr censorship issue happened. Unfortunately, this resulted in a number of my contacts and people whose work I admire leaving. They have joined a new European site: ipernity. So far this site is going well with a good sense of community. I have some work there too. You can see it here.

I am not sure yet if I will move entirely to ipernity, stay with Flickr, or run both. So far, I am enjoying ipernity more. The standard of work is high and so far everyone is playing together nicely. If I permanently move to ipernity, I will completely revise the way I put my work online. I don't know what that means yet.

On another note: today a man approached an airline check-in desk in Launceston and ask for a ticket to Canberra so he could see the Prime Minister. He then produced some gun parts. Police were called and he is now helping them with their enquiries. The headline in the online Murdoch Press says: "Armed Man Who Wanted to See PM in Custody". That headline could use a comma, or a possible re-cast. Or then, maybe the headline writer was just expressing the inner thoughts of many of us.