COOL, CREATIVE AND CONTEMPORARY

VISIT…
 © Anthony Roberts

BLACK + WHITE ay back at the

W
beginning of my career
in photography,
PHOTOGRAPHY someone casually
asked me what I
EDITORIAL specialised in. This
Editor Elizabeth Roberts
email: elizabethr@thegmcgroup.com took me a little by surprise because, at the
time, I simply took pictures when I felt like
Deputy Editor Mark Bentley
email: markbe@thegmcgroup.com it. So I mumbled something about being
Designer Toby Haigh
eclectic and left it at that.
As time went on, I realised there was a
ADVERTISING certain caché about working on projects
Advertising Sales Guy Stockton and that those who did so no longer saw
tel: 01273 402823
email: guy.stockton@thegmcgroup.com
themselves as amateur photographers –
which I think is a bit of a shame as the
PUBLISHING word amateur, in its true (or etymological)
Publisher Jonathan Grogan sense, means someone who does
EDITOR’S LETTER JULY 2019 something for the pure love of it, not as a
MARKETING
Marketing Executive Anne Guillot commercial enterprise. However, it wasn’t
tel: 01273 402 871

PRODUCTION
FINDING YOUR long before I started ‘specialising’ in
projects myself. This demanded coherence
Production Manager Jim Bulley throughout and therefore, at the beginning
Origination and ad design GMC Repro
Printer Buxton Press Ltd
OWN WAY of the project, decisions had to be made
as to what camera I would shoot with
Distribution Seymour Distribution Ltd (I don’t have that many so it wasn’t too difficult), a uniformity of style, and some idea
SUBSCRIPTIONS of how the end results were to be displayed.
tel: 01273 488005 Which brings me on to some conclusions I have made about working in this way.
email: pubs@thegmcgroup.com Firstly, it’s a very good way of working that stretches you both photographically and
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will automatically receive a renewal notice the quality of the images and decide that to get what I wanted, I would have to use film,
(excludes direct debit subscribers) so my Mamiya 6 came out of the bag.
Once I’d put all these restrictions on myself, I was delighted with what I was achieving
POST YOUR ORDER TO
The Subscription Department – but at the same, I felt I had become too much of a purist to simply have fun. And that
GMC Publications Ltd, 166 High Street, for us ‘amateurs’ is surely an important part of what we do – it’s the element of
Lewes, East Sussex, BN7 1XU, UK playfulness that is at the heart of creativity.
But my answer to this dilemma was ultimately liberating. I began a side-project that was
quite different, although connected, shot on a digital camera with the subject matter reliant
Black+ White Photography (ISSN 1473-2467)
is published every four weeks by GMC Publications Ltd more on happenstance than controlled conditions. I find that having the best of both
Black+White Photography will consider articles for worlds is the right way for me to work. It might not be right for everyone, but then we are
publication, which should be sent to the editor together all different and we have to find our own solutions to being creative. I think this is mine.
with a stamped self-addressed return envelope.
GMC Publications cannot accept liability for the loss or
damage of unsolicited material, however caused. Views
and comments expressed by individuals in the magazine
do not necessarily represent those of the publishers
and no legal responsibility can be accepted for the
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available outside the UK and Eire. Elizabeth Roberts, Editor
© Guild of Master Craftsman Publications Ltd. 2019 elizabethr@thegmcgroup.com

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 © Estate Jesse A Fernandez / Collection F Mazin Fernandez, courtesy Sitor Senghor
08
© Tracy Calder
02 26
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BLACK+WHITE PHOTOGRAPHY ISSUE 230 JULY 2019 NEXT MONTH’S ISSUE IS OUT ON 4 JULY
COVER
Picture by Elke Vogelsang
FEATURES
08 A LIFE LESS ORDINARY
The eventful life and powerful
pictures of Jesse A Fernandez
26 SPACE EXPLORATION
Tracy Calder on embracing
space in your photographs
34 LIVING A BETTER LIFE
Carla Kogelman reinvents her
© Carla Kogelman
34
childhood through photography 20 IN THE FRAME
Your guide to photography
48 RETURN OF THE NATIVE exhibitions in the UK
Unique bird photography
by Stephen Gill 25 ON THE SHELF
Our pick of the best new
NEWS photography books
04 NEWSROOM
What’s going on in the world COMMENT
of monochrome 22 AMERICAN CONNECTION
Susan Burnstine talks to
18 ON SHOW Michael Koerner
Celebrating the work of
Brian Griffin 40 REFLECTIVE PRACTICE
 © Stephen Gill © Elin Dolle

48 96

© Tim Clinch

70

© Michael Koerner

22 03
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FOR DETAILS OF HOW TO GET PUBLISHED IN B+W TURN TO PAGE 86 BLACKANDWHITEPHOTOGRAPHYMAG.CO.UK

Vicki Painting on the photographic
potential of empty rooms
64 A FORTNIGHT AT F/8
Tim Clinch shares his passion
for photography
TECHNIQUE
54 TOP TIPS
How to create stunning sky shots
60 PROJECTS IN VISUAL STYLE
Tim Daly on the pleasures of
photographing ruins
70 SMART GUIDE Eddie Ephraums investigates 72 SMARTSHOTS
TO PHOTOGRAPHY other art disciplines Prize-winning smartphone pictures
Adapting to a new
smartphone camera TESTS & PRODUCTS 74 SALON
80 CHECKOUT The best photo-stories
INSPIRATION The best camera bags for
06 MAGNUM OPUS street photographers 86 HOW TO GET PUBLISHED
A Magnum photo discussed We want to see your work
84 BLACK+WHITE LOVES
44 STRAIGHT TALKING New gear for your wishlist 90 NEXT MONTH
Chris Gatcum explores what
we mean by photography YOUR B+W 96 LAST FRAME
42 SUBSCRIPTION OFFER Your photograph could win
66 ONE DAY PHOTO PROJECTS Have B+W delivered to your door a great prize
 NEWS
HIGH CONTRAST
© The Bernard Simon Estate,
Wiener Library Collections
Albert Einstein (1879-1955),
Berlin c.1929 by Gerty Simon.
Original prints from the 1920s
04 and 1930s by Gerty Simon are on
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display in London. Gerty Simon
was a German-Jewish photographer
who photographed Albert Einstein,
Lotte Lenya, Peggy Ashcroft and
Aneurin Bevan among many others.
Her pictures can be seen at the
Wiener Library in Russell Square,
London, until 15 October. The
exhibition is part of the Insiders/
Outsiders nationwide arts festival
to celebrate refugees from Nazi
Europe and their contribution to
British culture.
Entries are now being taken for the
2019 Travel Photographer of the Year.
Photographers can enter a variety
of categories and awards. Prizes
include cash bursaries and Fujifilm
XT-3 cameras. Deadline: 1 October.
tpoty.com
Pictures by more than 70 Latin
American photographers are
on show at the Photographers’
Gallery in London this summer.
Urban Impulses: Latin American
Photography from 1959 to 2017
runs from 14 June to 6 October.
Artists include Graciela Iturbide
(interviewed in B+W 228),
Sergio Larrain and Alberto Korda.
NEWSROOM
News from the black & white world. Edited by Mark Bentley. markbe@thegmcgroup.com
© The Universal Order
Vortograph, 1917 by Alvin Langdon Coburn – one of the
pictures given to the Yale Center for British Art.
SUPPORTING V&A
The V&A in London has announced a long-term
partnership with Sir Elton John and David Furnish
to support public access to photography.
Sir Elton John and David Furnish have made
a significant donation to the museum’s new
Photography Centre. The partnership also
includes a major co-curated temporary exhibition
to be announced later.
GENEROUS GIFT
Pictures by some of the Victorian pioneers of
photography have been given to a gallery
dedicated to British art.
Nearly 1,400 photographs have been
donated to the Yale Center for British Art,
which is based in Connecticut in the US and
holds the largest collection of British art outside
the UK. The pictures were donated by the Joy
of Giving Something, a non-profit organisation
dedicated to the photographic arts, arts
education and supporting artists.
The gift includes a salted paper print of Orleans
cathedral by William Henry Fox Talbot taken in
1843, four years after the birth of photography.
Also donated are pictures by Horatio Ross,
David Octavius Hill and Robert Adamson, John
Murray, Roger Fenton, Charles Clifford, Linnaeus
Tripe, Thomas Annan, Eadweard Muybridge and
Samuel Bourne. Other highlights include work
by contemporary British photographers Susan
Derges, Adam Fuss, Jem Southam, Peter Fraser,
Simon Norfolk, Chris Killip, Martin Parr, Bill Jay,
Michael Kenna and Neeta Madahar.
© Victoria and Albert Museum, London
The Sir Elton John and David Furnish Gallery,
V&A Photography Centre
Sir Elton John is passionate about photography
and has one of the leading photography collections
in the world, with more than 7,000 photographs
including pictures by Man Ray, André Kertész,
Dorothea Lange and Edward Steichen.
Gallery 101 in the Photography Centre has
been renamed the Sir Elton John and
David Furnish Gallery.
 POLITICAL TENSIONS
Photojournalist Alejandro Cegarra is among the winners
in the prestigious World Press Photo competition.
His series State of Decay features black & white pictures
of the political tensions in Venezuela. The series took
third prize in the Long Term Projects category.
Roughly 4,700 photographers from around the world
submitted pictures to the competition. Winning photographs
can be seen in the World Press Photo exhibition, which visits
100 cities in 45 countries. See more of Alejandro Cegarra’s
pictures from his State of Decay series on the digital edition
of this magazine.
© Alejandro Cegarra

A demonstrator puts a rosary over his head before clashing with

© Petar Sabol / igpoty.com
Night Butterfly by the Bolivarian National Guard during anti-government protests

CLIMBING HIGH Petar Sabol. in Caracas, Venezuela, on 14 March 2014.

05
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This picture by Croatian photographer Petar Sabol won first prize
in the Black & White Photo Project run by International Garden
Photographer of the Year. WINNING PICTURE
The contest is one of four standalone competitions run by Igpoty Well done to Martin Chamberlain, whose black & white
each year. Entries came from as far afield as China, Australia, USA picture (below) took first prize in the Politics of Food category
and Europe. Petar Sabol won £500 and his picture was featured in of this year’s Pink Lady Food Photographer of the Year awards.
the new Igpoty 13 book and at the flagship exhibition at the Royal Congratulations also to B+W contributor Tim Clinch, who
Botanic Gardens in Kew, London. took both second prize and highly commended in the
See some of the best pictures from the competition on the digital On the Phone category.
edition of this magazine. For more details on Igpoty see igpoty.com. The competition attracted 9,000 entries from 77 countries,
which was the largest number ever received. The overall
© Adama Jalloh
winner was Chinese photographer Jianhui Liao, who won
NEW TALENT £5,000 for his colour picture of people eating noodles at
Eight photographers have a community celebration.
been selected for a London
exhibition promoting
new talent.
TPG New Talent
was launched by the
Photographers’ Gallery to
champion under-recognised
and emerging UK-based
photographers. The
photographers were chosen
Peckham from the series Love Story, from an open submission by
2016 by Adama Jalloh. the gallery’s curatorial team
and US artist Jim Goldberg.
The selected photographers are Rhiannon Adam, Chiara Avagliano,
Alberto Feijóo, Adama Jalloh, Seungwon Jung, Alice Myers,
Giovanna Petrocchi and Miguel Proença. Their work is exhibited
at the Photographers’ Gallery from 14 June to 6 October. Each
© Martin Chamberlain
photographer will also receive a year’s individual mentoring.
 Imitation Show
© Minghui Yuan

04
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NEWS EXTRA 1

IGPOTY
BLACK & WHITE
PHOTO PROJECT
Organisers at the International Garden Photographer
of the Year competition also run a standalone contest
for black & white photographers. Here we are pleased
to share some of the best entries from this year’s
competition. For more details see igpoty.com.
05
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06
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Agave
© Marc Sheridan
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Dainty Columbine
© Dianne English
Winter Hibernation II

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08
© Giuseppe Satriani
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010
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Extreme Climbing
© Minghui Yuan
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Gunnera
© Ludwig Esser
012
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The Chosen
© Noortje Russel

013
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Lesser Redpoll
© Alan Price
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Twists of Time
© Robert Keller
04
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NEWS EXTRA 2
WORLD PRESS PHOTO
Photojournalist Alejandro Cegarra has been
covering the political problems in Venezuela. His
powerful black & white series State of Decay has won
third prize in the Long Term projects category.
Here we share pictures from the series.

All images © Alejandro Cegarra

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 NEWS EXTRA 2

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 MAGNUM OPUS
Black+White Photography has
been invited by Magnum Photos
to choose one picture each month
from their archive to discuss, dissect,
examine and consider. This month
Elizabeth Roberts explores an image
by Chris Steele-Perkins.

I
t’s a small village in El Salvador in 1981 and it’s
time for confession. The weekly ritual has begun
and the confessors are lining up.
The solemnity of the occasion is lessened for us,
the viewer, by the comical aspect of the photograph
– the makeshift confessional made out of a chair
and what looks like a tea-towel draped across to hide
the identity of the priest, although his trousers and
shoes protruding from his gown must give some clues.
Then there are the three young girls, one
confessing, one waiting, and one – perhaps gleefully
– leaving the scene. Only she looks straight into the
camera, her soul cleansed and her mind at peace, or at
least that’s what her face seems to tell us. The camera
has blurred her figure because she is moving fast,
06 away from the scene of piety to the real world where,
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no doubt, she will commit more sins.
But we have to wonder to what sins these three
innocent young girls can be confessing to the priest
– a little greed, a little vanity, an unkind word? Those
whispered words through the cloth to the ear of the
priest must surely be innocent in themselves. The
lack of privacy dictates that there will be no heinous
crimes to reach the priest’s patient ears, no planned
murders or denunciations of faith.
In 1981 the population of El Salvador was largely
Catholic, particularly in the rural villages, and these
young girls will have been brought up to be pious
and accepting of their religion. Questioning might
not have been an option and adherence to the
rituals a normality of life.
The picture encapsulates the whole rural story – the
makeshift confessional, cobbled together to allow one
of the weekly rituals to take place, the holy pictures
that speak of instruction rather than aestheticism, the
much used baptismal font on its rickety plinth, just a
part of the furniture. Against this background the three
young girls are dressed for summer in sandals and light
dresses that describe the heat of the afternoon.
The photographer has caught this one moment in
the stages of confession – the waiting and regretting,
the telling of the sins, and the cleansed soul. We can
imagine how the priest, when he has finished his pious
duty, will take down the tea-towel and resume his role
in the community of which he is so much a part.
 INSPIRATION

07
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Village confessional, El Salvador, 1981.

© Chris Steele-Perkins / Magnum Photos
 Towards Jamaica
station in New York’s
subway, 1950s.

8
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F E AT U R E

All images © Estate Jesse

A Fernandez / Collection
F Mazin Fernandez,
courtesy Sitor Senghor

A LIFE LESS
ORDINARY
He survived political upheaval
in Cuba, became a refugee in
Spain and nearly lost his spirit
in New York. In Colombia,
however, he discovered a
new artistic voice. Donatella
Montrone looks at the work
of Jesse A Fernandez.
 9
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10
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Raquel Revuelta, Manuel Corrales and Mariano Rodriguez coming out of the Bodeguita del Medio, Cathedral Square, Havana, 1958.
esse A Fernandez was an artist
J
in every sense, drifting from
the written word to painting
to sculpture to photography
– adept at all disciplines,
defined by no single one. In
his early years he was plagued
by ‘spiritual imprisonment’
– perhaps never more so than in the late
1940s, while studying painting at the Art
Students League in New York. ‘As you
know, there are spiritual prisons and I felt
like a prisoner in New York,’ Jesse once told
biographer Arturo Matute. In his essay,
Matute also recalls the words of Venezuelan
intellectual Ben-Ami Fihman Zighelboim,
who said of his friend: ‘Jesse’s prison had
a name: New York. Poverty was his jailer;
words his only way of escape.’
He was born in Havana in 1925, the son of
peasants who had emigrated to Cuba from
Asturias in Spain. At the age of seven he
left for Spain with his mother and brother,
fleeing the repressive regime of former
Cuban president Gerardo Machado. ‘In
Spain I learned to fish, hunt, dance, sing –
to become a peasant. I didn’t know anything
about money,’ Jesse said of that time. But
then the Spanish Civil War broke and the
family returned to Cuba. It was a culture
shock, not least because the Asturian he
spoke was phonetically distinct from the
characteristic Spanish of the island nation.
‘Everyone kept calling me Gallego (an often
derogatory term for Spaniard),’ he said of
his return to his homeland. ‘I had to fight
to stand up for myself.’
Jesse studied at Academia de Bellas
Artes San Alejandro – the most prestigious

fine arts academy in Cuba – and in 1947
accepted a place at the Art Students League
in New York, a time of austerity, in which he
felt spiritual suffocation. While there he met
Cuban artist Wifredo Lam, who introduced
him to the many European painters living
in New York at that time, among which
were Marcel Duchamp, surrealist Esteban
Francés and the Austrian artist Frederick
Kiesler. ‘Meeting Duchamp was a major
influence on me,’ Jesse said. ‘He taught me
that to be an artist, you have to be free, and
to be free, you cannot have responsibilities.’
New York, 1955.
‘Jesse’s prison had a name:
New York. Poverty was his
jailer; words his only
way of escape.’
e moved to Colombia in the early
H 1950s and started working at
Propaganda Época, an advertising
agency in Medellín, where he met
Gabriel García Márquez and the sculptor
Fernando Botero. While in Medellín he
11
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started experimenting with photography,
locking himself away with instruction
manuals and studying the techniques of
Henri Cartier-Bresson and Walker Evans. His
artistic expression took on a fundamental
transformation. ‘Photography became a form
of contact with reality, and I found my own
technique in Medellín,’ he said.
Jesse travelled to La Guajira, a desert
region in northern Colombia bordering
Venezuela, and documented indigenous
peoples, ancient ruins and landscapes. In
Cabo de la Vela, a remote village in the north,
12
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 13
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Colombia, 1955.
14
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Guatemala, 1956.
he photographed the funeral of a young goat,
‘which ended up in an orgy,’ he is quoted as
saying. ‘It was night time, and I shot those
photographs using the jeep lights.’ His
nomadic spirit called him across continents,
where he captured daily life in Latin
America. He travelled to Mexico and
collaborated on a documentary project with
Spanish filmmaker Luis Buñuel, eventually
returning to New York. While there he took
commissions for Time magazine and the New
York Times, as well as Paris Match,
Cosmopolitan and, importantly, Life
magazine, which resulted in what are ‘two
masterpieces of portrait photography’ –
a photo of the Cuban poet José Lezama Lima
and one of Ernest Hemingway. Jesse made a
staggering 6,000 black & white photographs
in Cuba, including many memorable ones of
Fidel Castro and the revolution that ensued.
He is noted for having photographed some
of the most important literary, intellectual
and artistic voices of the 20th century,
including Willem de Kooning, Susan Sontag
and Tennessee Williams.
Arguably his most astonishing body of
work, however, is his photographic essay on
the Capuchin mummies of Palermo,
photographed in the catacombs’ dimly lit
chambers. Displayed in the bowels of the
Capuchin monastery are some 8,000 corpses
and 1,250 mummies, the oldest of which
dates back to 1599. It is the most
comprehensive documentation of Sicily’s
mummified corpses in existence and was
published as a book, Les Momies de Palerme.

I
ndependent curator Sitor Senghor assists
and advises long-time friend France Mazin,
Jesse’s wife of 12 years, on the affairs of the
Jesse A Fernandez Estate in Paris. ‘When
Jesse died in 1986, at the age of 61, his work
had never been shown in the UK,’ explains
Sitor, who introduced Jesse’s work to British
audiences for the first time at the 2019
London Art Fair. ‘Reception of Jesse’s work
in England has been strong among all
generations. The mummies of Palermo
and his portraits of celebrities are a good
Medellín, Colombia, 1950s.
‘He always happened to be
at the right place at
the right time.’
example: they appeal as much to
teenagers new to his work, as to art
critics and collectors.’
Jesse was a free man, says Sitor – he seized
opportunities as they arose. ‘And he always
happened to be at the right place at the right
time – witnessing Salvador Dalí having his
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moustache cut off by a jealous artist, for
example.’ Jesse always followed his calling,
however ephemeral. And even during his
bouts of spiritual deprivation, he chose not
to merely exist but instead to live.
To see more of Jesse A Fernandez’s
work visit jesseafernandez.com. For
information on upcoming exhibitions,
contact curator Sitor Senghor via his
website at sitorsenghor.com
16
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Colombia, 1955.
Wolverhampton
Art Gallery Entry
£5.50 for adults
29 June 2019 - £3.50 for children
(Free for children under 2)
1 September 2019 £14.50 for family tickets
(2 Adults and 2 Children)
Over 100 stunning wildlife photographs capturing some of the natural world’s
most astounding sights can be seen in Wolverhampton this summer, when, Tickets are available from
for the first time, Wolverhampton Art Gallery showcases the full collection of Ticketmaster at:
photography from the Natural History Museum’s breathtaking exhibition. www.ticketmaster.co.uk/WPY54

© Emmanuel Rondeau
 NEWS ON SHOW
Whether photographing a businessman or a celebrity, Brian Griffin knew exactly
© Brian Griffin,
Courtesy of Brian how to make the most of the relationship between himself and the sitter,
Griffin & MMX Gallery
says Tracy Calder as a new exhibition in London celebrates his work.

W
hen Brian Griffin
collected a Design and
Art Direction award for
his work on the Depeche
Mode album cover
A Broken Frame, he
did so dressed as the Royal Albert Hall.
‘Everyone was going on the stage in dinner
suits, so why not?’ he declared in an
interview at the Olympus Gallery in 1983.
Griffin was 35 at the time and had long had
an interest in the arts, particularly
performance art.
His act of rebellion was nothing new.
Born in Birmingham in 1948 he was raised
in the Black Country, an area of the West
Midlands synonymous with industry.
Having left school at the age of 16 he took a
job in engineering, where he worked for five
years. His father worked on a machine-shop
floor and would often come home with his
hands covered in oil. ‘My father was proud
that I came back from work as clean as I had
gone to work,’ he recalls in a film made in
his studio in 1980. Griffin had been advised
that you were not supposed to enjoy your
work, but as a spirited young man he
refused to accept this, and in 1969 he left
his office job and enrolled on a three-year
photography course at Manchester
Polytechnic School of Photography.
As soon as he finished college Griffin set
about establishing himself as a freelance
photographer. He promptly moved to
London, with the intention of becoming a
fashion photographer, but received his first
commission from Roland Schenk, art
director of Management Today magazine.
Unsurprisingly, Griffin had a rather
unorthodox approach to shooting corporate
portraits: many of his pictures showed great
humour and some were quite surreal.
‘I found new ways of portraying what was
regarded at the time as boring subject matter,
in desperation to succeed,’ he revealed in an
interview for the Birmingham Post in 2013.
Having held a well-respected position as
an engineer, he was able to establish a
rapport with many of the managers he
photographed. He learned how to read a
situation and when to propose something a
little out of the ordinary to the sitter. Having
enjoyed chess as a child, he knew exactly
when to make his move. This ability to
connect with the subject is crucial to
Griffin’s work. Whether photographing a
businessman or a celebrity he knew how to
make the most of the relationship between
photographer and sitter, and he treated all
his subjects equally.

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Museum of Cosmonautics, Moscow, 1974. Rocket Man, Dungeness, Kent, 1979.


Above left Charley, Shepherd’s Bush, London, 1977. | Above right Anthony Good, director of Jensen Motors, 1975. | Below right Bureaucracy, London, 1987.
y the late 1970s Griffin’s ability to create
B unusual and thought-provoking images
of men in suits had attracted the
attention of the music industry. Bands
such as the Jam and Ultravox often wore smart
shirts, jackets and ties, and the photographer
seized the opportunity to enrich his portfolio.
By 1980, when he set up his first studio, Griffin
had a client list that included Rolling Stone, the
Sunday Times and Esquire (US) magazines.
Just two years later he was standing in a
cornfield close to Stansted airport shooting
the cover for A Broken Frame. The image is a
masterclass in lighting, with three flashes
positioned to bring out the rich colours of the
subject’s clothing, while also boosting the
yellow of the corn. The light at the front is
reminiscent of a pre-Raphaelite painting.
‘his ability to connect with
the subject is crucial
to Griin’s work.’
Despite the success of this distinctly
colourful image, Griffin is primarily known
for his black & white work. One of his first
books, Copyright (1978) features
monochrome shots of businessmen at the
dawn of Thatcherism, many of the pictures
clearly inspired by religious paintings.
Copyright is one of several books that
Griffin has self-published over the years,
others include Open (1986), Work (1988)
– which was named the Best Photography
Book in the World at the Barcelona
Primavera Fotografica in 1991 – and
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The Water People (2005).
From 1991 to 2002 he worked as a film
director, creating TV commercials, music
videos and short films. In 2013 he received
the Centenary Medal from the Royal
Photographic Society in recognition of his
achievements in photography. A selection
of his pictures from the 1970s and 80s
(many of them vintage silver gelatin or
vintage silver bromide prints) is currently
on show at MMX Gallery in London.
SEE THE IMAGES
Brian Griffin – Work and Other Stories runs
from 6 June to 3 August at MMX Gallery,
448 New Cross Road, London SE14.
mmxgallery.com.
 NEWS IN THE FRAME
If you would like an exhibition included in our listing, please email Elizabeth Roberts
at elizabethr@thegmcgroup.com at least 10 weeks in advance. Edited by Tracy Calder.

LONDON Four newly commissioned works.

Romney Road, Greenwich SE10
rmg.co.uk
BRITISH LIBRARY
To 7 July ROYAL ALBERT HALL
The New Londoners To 23 June
Chris Steele-Perkins’ pictures of families RPS IPE
who live in London. The Royal Photographic Society’s
96 Euston Road NW1 International Photography Exhibition.
bl.uk Kensington Gore SW7
royalalberthall.com
GREENWICH GALLERY
17 to 30 June WELLCOME COLLECTION
12th Greenwich Annuale: GA12 To 26 January 2020
Members of the Greenwich group of Jo Spence and Oreet Ashery:
London Independent Photography. Misbehaving Bodies
Peyton Place, Greenwich SE10 Two artists explore the representation
thegreenwichgallery.com of chronic illness.
183 Euston Road NW1
LETHABY GALLERY, wellcomecollection.org
CENTRAL SAINT MARTINS
4 to 13 July THE WIENER LIBRARY
Wellcome Photography Prize 2019 To 15 October
Granary Building, 1 Granary Square Berlin/London: The Lost
N1C art.uk Photographs of Gerty Simon
Celebrating the work of this photographer.
20 MICHAEL HOPPEN 29 Russell Square WC1B
B+W GALLERY wienerlibrary.co.uk
To 15 June
Eamonn Doyle
Comprehensive show of Doyle’s work.
3 Jubilee Place, London SW3
MIDLANDS
michaelhoppengallery.com NEW ART EXCHANGE
To 23 June
MMX GALLERY Hassan Hajjaj: The Path
6 June to 3 August Unique look at culture and identity.
Brian Griffin 39-41 Gregory Boulevard, Nottingham
Pictures from the 1970s and 80s. Newcastle-upon-Tyne, 1978. nae.org.uk
448 New Cross Road SE14 CHRIS STEELE-PERKINS: © Chris Steele-Perkins

mmxgallery.com
SOME KIND OF TRUTH SANDWELL
To 29 June
NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERY To 30 June Blast! Festival of Photography,
27 June to 15 September Marking 10 years since the publication of England, My England, Talks and Walks
Cindy Sherman the Print Sales Gallery presents a compilation of 40 years’ West Bromwich, Tipton, Rowley Regis,
Major exhibition of Sherman’s work. worth of photographs. Oldbury, Smethwick, Wednesbury
St Martin’s Place WC2H blastphotofestival.com
npg.org.uk THE PHOTOGRAPHERS’ GALLERY

NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM

To 30 June
16-18 Ramillies Street W1F thephotographersgallery.org.uk
NORTH
Wildlife Photographer PHOTOGRAPHERS’ GALLERY Sandra Kantanen: Landscapes BRADFORD INDUSTRIAL
of the Year 54 14 June to 6 October Images of nature with a painterly feel. MUSEUM
Cromwell Rd SW7 TPG New Talent Annual Exhibition 25 Thurloe Street SW7 To 10 November
nhm.ac.uk 14 June to 6 October purdyhicks.com Studio to Selfie: An Exploration
Urban Impulses: Latin American of Portrait Photography
PHOTOFUSION Photography 1959-2017 QUEEN’S HOUSE Examining the genre.
To 29 June Featuring more than 70 photographers. To October 2019 Moorside Road, Eccleshill, Bradford
In Brixton 16-18 Ramillies Street W1F Bettina von Zwehl bradfordmuseums.org
Chris Steele-Perkins celebrates Brixton’s thephotographersgallery.org.uk Portraits of young women in the style
inhabitants from 1973-1995. of Tudor portrait miniatures. IMPERIAL WAR MUSEUM NORTH
6 Canterbury Crescent, Brixton SW9 PURDY HICKS To January 2020 To 24 November
photofusion.org To 15 June Susan Derges Yemen: Inside a Crisis
Features around 50 pieces. treated as not ‘native’.
The Quays, Trafford Wharf Road, 6 June to 25 September
Manchester iwm.org.uk Liz Hingley: Shanghai Sacred
Images revealing the spiritual landscape
JOE CORNISH GALLERIES of China’s largest city.
To 11 August University of Liverpool, Ashton Street,
Focus on Kate Somervell Liverpool vgm.liverpool.ac.uk
Includes photogravure images of Spain.
Register House, Zetland St, WIRRAL PARKS
Northallerton, North Yorkshire 6 June to 31 August
joecornishgallery.co.uk Yan Wang Preston: Forest
Exploring the modern practice of
NATIONAL SCIENCE moving ancient trees into new places.
AND MEDIA MUSEUM Outdoor exhibition, The Wirral
To 19 June openeye.org.uk
Above the Noise
Fifteen stories from Bradford.
Pictureville, Bradford
scienceandmediamuseum.org.uk
EAST The Duchess of Malfi, 2003,
National Theatre.
SAINSBURY CENTRE FOR IVAN KYNCL: IN THE MINUTE © Ivan Kyncl

OPEN EYE GALLERY VISUAL ARTS

To 7 July
Kinship
How women are using photography
to reflect on their sense of kin.
Mann Island, Liverpool Waterfront,
Liverpool openeye.org.uk
To 30 June To 7 July
The Body Observed: Magnum Photos Kyncl photographed more than 500 plays, operas and musicals.
More than 130 works from This display celebrates his ability to capture the essence,
Magnum photographers. atmosphere and emotion of a theatrical production.
UEA, Norwich scva.ac.uk
VICTORIA & ALBERT MUSEUM Cromwell Road SW7 vam.ac.uk

VICTORIA GALLERY & MUSEUM

6 June to 4 July
SOUTH Muddles Green, Chiddingly Ian Weldon
Tabitha Jussa & John Davies: FARLEYS HOUSE & GALLERY farleyshouseandgallery.co.uk Weldon cuts through the fairytale.
Can’t See the Wood for the Trees To 14 October 316 Paintworks, Arnos Vale, Bristol
Project looking at the proliferation of trees Lee Miller in Colour FOX TALBOT MUSEUM, martinparrfoundation.org
LACOCK ABBEY
To 7 July RPS HOUSE 21
John Paul Evans explores the polemics of To 23 June B+W
gender representation in photography. Altered Ocean
Fox Talbot Museum, Lacock Abbey, Mandy Barker combines science with
Lacock, Wiltshire the issue of marine plastic.
nationaltrust.org.uk 337 Paintworks, Arnos Vale, Bristol
rps.org
LUCY BELL GALLERY
8 June to 13 July
Tim Motion: An Eye for the Sound
Portraits of some of the most influential
WALES
jazz musicians of all time. NATIONAL SLATE MUSEUM
46 Norman Road, St Leonards-on-Sea To 30 June
lucy-bell.com Quarrymen
Portraits of five quarrymen of north Wales
PALLANT HOUSE GALLERY created by Carwyn Rhys Jones.
29 June to 13 October Llanberis, Gwynedd, Wales
Simon Roberts: Inscapes museum.wales
The hinterland of West Sussex.
8-9 North Pallant, Chichester
pallant.org.uk SCOTLAND
TURNER CONTEMPORARY SCOTTISH NATIONAL
To 8 September PORTRAIT GALLERY
Seaside: Photographed To 20 October
© Robert Price Examining the relationship between ARTIST ROOMS
THE MOON photographers and the seaside. Woodman, Arbus
Rendezvous, Margate and Mapplethorpe
To 27 July turnercontemporary.org Exploring the connections between
A selection of photographs from NASA’s archive, three hugely influential photographers.
complemented by deep sky and lunar photography
from Bob Winter, Andrew McCarthy and Robert Price. WEST 1 Queen Street, Edinburgh
nationalgalleries.org

MUSEUM OF MODERN ART, MACHYNLLETH THE MARTIN PARR FOUNDATION

moma.machynlleth.org.uk 26 June to 10 August
I Am Not a Wedding Photographer:
 COMMENT
AMERICAN CONNECTION
The bomb on Nagasaki in 1945 and subsequent family health problems form
the roots of Michael Koerner’s fascinating experimental work. He talks
susanburnstine.com
to Susan Burnstine about DNA and studying traditional analogue processes.
M
ichael Koerner’s
deeply personal
series My DNA is
a metaphor for his
family history and genetics, which
bind him to the past, present
and future. These chemigrams
symbolically explore germ line
DNA mutations inherited from
his parents via the creation of
fractals that echo the duality of
bombs exploding on a large scale
and his complex cellular existence
on a smaller scale.
Koerner’s mother, Kimiko
Takaki, was 11 years old and lived
45 miles from Nagasaki when
the nuclear bomb hit in 1945.
That episode led to a horrendous
family medical history beginning
with Kimiko and her four siblings,
all of whom died of rare genetic
disorders or cancer far too young.
22 Now in his mid-fifties, Koerner
B+W
is the only surviving sibling
of five brothers. His younger
brother survived only a few days
after birth. His next brother
was stillborn and the next was
miscarried. His youngest brother,
Richard, lived to the age of 32 and
died following complications from
two bouts of lymphatic cancer.
Koerner is currently monitoring
the possible malignancy of a
precancerous tumour and has
found a means to cope through
the creation of this work.
Above Waterfalls #7290 (2018) Below left Fingerprints #6179 (2018)
Below right Three Sisters (2018) Opposite top Tendrilles #0048 (2016)
Opposite below Genes (DNA Plate) #1937-1941 diptych (2017)
Koerner is a professor of
chemistry at the University of
Illinois in Champaign-Urbana.
Having a research background
in the chemical sciences
has allowed him to have a
unique understanding of the
photochemical principles and
it has informed his artistry.
‘Working at a major research
university allows me to
thoroughly search and have access
to an abundance of scientific
literature. Therefore I pour over
literature references from the late
1800s to find the most esoteric
and sometimes historically
forgotten chemical practices,’ he
says. Thus far, he’s formulated
14 developer systems based on
this method. Since beginning his
photographic journey in 2004 he
has been drawn to experimental
methods and surreal scenes.
‘Even back then, my goal was to
express my personal feelings of
a general sense of loss, confusion
and bewilderment because of my
on-going family health issues.
I just hadn’t found my voice or
my exact medium yet,’ he says.
His creative journey eventually
led him to using alternative
photographic processes.
I
n the mid-2000s he began
making cyanotypes, calotypes
and large platinum and
palladium prints. In 2009 he
began creating tintypes. ‘I read
all I could find on the internet
and studied everything I could
from John Coffer, Mark
Osterman and Quinn Jacobson.
 All images © Michael Koerner

EXHIBITIONS

USA
ATLANTA
High Museum of Art
Until 10 November
Strange Light: The Photography
of Clarence John Laughlin
high.org

AUGUSTA
Morris Museum of Art
Until 21 July
Masters: Group f/64
themorris.org

I attended my first tintype
workshop with France Scully
Osterman in 2009. However,
I only liked all the artefacts,
textures and anomalies caused
by the mistakes; that’s where the
character resides.’
Koerner was most interested in
creating fractal silver growth that
could be found on the edges of
old tintypes in the late 1800s and
he sought to control and
exaggerate those patterns.
‘I scoured the internet and asked
everyone how to produce those I plan to publish them in a book COOPERSTOWN
fractals. Nobody gave me a some day.’ Fenimore Art Museum
definitive answer. I collected To date, Koerner has created Until 2 September
old tintypes with these artefacts, chapters to his story, including Herb Ritts: The Rock Portraits
but couldn’t reproduce them,’ he Waterfalls, Finger Prints, Tears, fenimoreartmuseum.org
says. ‘Eventually, I turned to Phases / Tendrilles, Furó / Maru
reading the old literature from / Rōji, Coronae/DNA and Wicca LOS ANGELES
the late 1800s. Re-engineering Signs / Wrinkles In Time. Some Skirball Cultural Center
the chemistry allowed me to chapters are complete but many
23
Until 1 September B+W
produce those long-sought remain on-going. Kwame Brathwaite
artefacts and abnormalities.’ skirball.org
My DNA remains an on-going photoexperimentalist.com
story for Koerner. ‘I’ll probably instagram.com/ NASHVILLE
work on that series for years, and thecollodionchemist Frist Art Museum
Until 4 August
Connect/Disconnect
fristartmuseum.org

OAKLAND
Oakland Museum of California
Until 11 August
Queer California: Untold Stories
museumca.org

ROCHESTER
Eastman Museum
Until 5 January
Tanya Marcuse: Woven
eastman.org

SARASOTA
The Ringling
Until 21 July
David Burnett
ringling.org

TUCSON
Center for Creative Photography
Until 23 November
A Portrait of Poetry: Photographs
and Video by BA Van Sise
ccp.arizona.edu
PHOTOGRAPHY WORKSHOPS
Become the photographer you want to be.

SIGN UP NOW

www.leicastore-uk.co.uk/collections/akademie-workshops
 NEWS
ON THE SHELF
Black+White’s line-up of some of the very best new photographic
publications out in the bookshops or to order online.
IMAGES IN
TRANSITION:
WIREPHOTOS
1938-1945
David Pace / Stephen Wirtz
Schilt Publishing
Hardback, €50
I
nvented in the early 20th
century and used widely in
the 1930s and 40s, wirephotos
enabled photographers to send
their pictures over the telephone
or telegraph wires for the first
time. During World War II, in
particular, newspapers were
able to publish up to the minute
images for their readers.
Stephen Wirtz took to
collecting these images and, over
a number of years, amassed a
considerable collection. When
he teamed up with David Pace,
they started working on the
pictures, cropping, enlarging
and enhancing the ‘defects’. The
result is a completely different
reading of the images from their
original newsworthy meaning
– thus provoking questions
of authenticity and the role of
propaganda in photography.
With an interesting
introductory essay that opens
up the subject, this is an unusual
and compelling publication that
might well make you question all
forms of photography and art.
Elizabeth Roberts
LIGHT FOR
VISUAL ARTISTS
Richard Yot
Laurence King
Paperback, £24.99
ow in its second
N edition, Light for Visual
Artists is a surprisingly
fascinating book.
I say surprisingly because we,
as photographers, assume we
are pretty aware when it comes
to the subject of light. And so
we are, but it’s very good to
be reminded once in a while
about the crucial role light plays
in representation.
Aimed at photographers,
painters, animators and
illustrators, the book’s intent is to
inform and inspire artists to use
light as a tool for creating visually
powerful images.
The book begins with a look
at the fundamentals of light and
how it works, followed by an
exploration of the many ways in
which you can use light to create
mood and define your subject.
Examples, demonstrating the
points, are convincing in terms of
the subtlety that can be achieved.
It’s all a question of awareness of
what light is doing.
Light for Visual Artists is a book
that is well worth a good browse
through, stopping from time to
time for an in-depth read.
Elizabeth Roberts
MASTERING FILM
PHOTOGRAPHY:
A DEFINITIVE
GUIDE FOR
PHOTOGRAPHERS
Chris Gatcum
Ammonite Press
Paperback, £19.99
ritten by our own
W Chris Gatcum
(B+W regular
columnist), we’ve
been looking forward to this
publication for some time –
and it was worth the wait.
Between its covers, Mastering
Film Photography will give you
everything you’ve ever wanted to
know about the subject, written
in Chris’s inimitable and highly
accessible style.
From the basics of how
film works and film types,
to the more complex issues
of exposure, processing and
printing, we go on to learn about
the different kinds of lenses and
cameras, from the high end to
lensless and toy cameras.
Interspersed throughout
the in-depth technical info
are profiles of film-orientated
photographers, providing great
inspiration and ideas.
If you’ve thought about
dabbling with film, or you
hanker after returning to the
darkroom, this is a great book to
get you on your way.
Elizabeth Roberts
THE POOR IN SPIRIT
Yang Yankang
Unicorn Publishing
Hardback, £30
ublished as part of
P
Unicorn’s Chinese
Artists Series that
features leading
Chinese artists who are
not widely known outside
China, The Poor in Spirit
investigates the role of rural
Catholic communities in
Chinese society.
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It was in the late 1980s
and 90s that documentary
photography was extensively
adopted in China, and its focus
was mainly on marginalised
groups, of which rural
Catholicism was one.
As an award-winning
photographer in his native
country, Yang Yankang’s very
human photo-story draws much
from the western tradition of
documentary photography but
is imbued with a strong sense
of the cultural identity of both
photographer and subject.
Yang Yankang was born into
a Catholic family but later
converted to Tibetan Buddism
(the subject of another major
project by him) and so his
world view is closely in
harmony with the communities
he photographed.
It is an intensely perceived
body of work that at its heart
has a lightness of spirit.
Elizabeth Roberts
 FEATURE SPACE EXPLORATION
We are all familiar with the idea of negative space in photography, but few of us
All images think of it as a place where energy and possibility thrive, says Tracy Calder.
© Tracy Calder
Maybe it’s time to embrace space.
I
n 1952 pianist and composer David Tudor
sat on a stage in Woodstock, New York,
opened the lid of his piano, sat in silence
for 33 seconds, and then closed the lid.
He repeated this action twice more, for
varying amounts of time, before walking
off stage. The piece he performed, 4’33”
(Four Minutes and Thirty-Three Seconds)
by John Cage, is still considered one of the
most controversial musical works of the 20th
century. Cage and Tudor knew how elusive
silence is: throughout the performance
audience members coughed, shifted in their
seats, and some walked out of the room,
adding their own sounds to the piece.
Watching performances of 4’33” online,
three things occurred to me: firstly,
the absence of sound can make us feel
uncomfortable; secondly, complete silence
is almost impossible to find; and thirdly,
moments of stillness and silence can be
26
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extremely powerful. In Japan, for example,
conversation is peppered with brief silences
– these pauses are an opportunity to listen,
think and reflect on what is being said.
‘Reaching an intuitive understanding in a
silent pause is considered highly intelligent
and sophisticated,’ says Donna Canning
in Unique Japan (a website dedicated to
samurai swords and flower arranging!)
In the west we often rush to fill a silence as
any interruption to the flow of conversation
Below Sculptors, such as Eilis O’Connell, are
well aware of the energy and life that resides
in negative space, and use it to help viewers
connect to their work.
Opposite Artist Ma Yuan was fond of painting
in one corner of the canvas, leaving the rest
blank. Experimenting with this technique
can lead to new ways of seeing.
can make us feel we are not engaging or
interesting enough to the other party. In
truth, periods of silence (or near silence)
can be rich and expressive. Silence in speech
provides contrast, which can give the words
either side of it greater meaning. In music,
silence supports sound, giving a piece its
shape and resonance. Silence is powerful, but
in a world filled with noise and distractions
it can feel extravagant and self-indulgent. ‘It’s
one of our greatest luxuries, the empty space,’
suggests travel writer Pico Iyer in his 2014
TED talk The Art of Stillness.
T
he Japanese are masters of space.
In fact, they even have a word for the
silences, spaces and pauses in between
things: ma (pronounced maah). Ma
can be found in many aspects of Japanese life.
When people are taught the traditional bow
of greeting, for example, they are instructed ›
27
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‘We are all familiar with the idea of negative space in photography, but few of
us think of it as a place where energy, promise and possibility can thrive.’
› to pause at the end of the bow before
straightening up. This momentary pause is
a way of expressing thanks and respect for
the guest. Once again, this pause is rich with
meaning. Similarly, in noh theatre (a mixture
of music, dance and acting dating back to the
14th century) what the actors don’t say or
do is just as important (if not more so) than
what they do. ‘Noh epitomises the dynamic
balance between object and space, action
and inaction, sound and silence, movement
and rest,’ says Canning.
Ikebana (the Japanese art of flower
arranging) is another example of ma. In
Japan there are more than 1,000 schools
dedicated to the art. To master ikebana
the practitioner must first select branches,
leaves or blooms, and then tease out their
natural beauty by bending and shaping the
flowers and foliage until a balance of space,
colour, line and form has been achieved.
Above Leaving space in a composition gives
the viewer a chance to explore it with their
own thoughts, feelings and emotions.
Opposite In some compositions the spaces
in between objects are as important (if not
more so) than the objects themselves.
‘In the art of ikebana, space is an essential
component and often the focal point of an
arrangement,’ says Canning, ‘it is viewed
as invisible energy that gives life to the
form.’ To create a meaningful arrangement
ikebana artists accept that less is more.
Perhaps the greatest artistic expression
of ma is poetry, particularly haiku. ‘The
Japanese poet will use the bare minimum
of expression to provoke the greatest
emotional response,’ says Andrew Juniper
in his book Wabi Sabi: The Japanese Art
of Impermanence. ‘By withholding verbose
descriptions the poem entices the reader
to actively participate in the fulfilment of
its meaning and, as with Zen gardens, to
become an active participant in the creative
process.’ Juniper raises an important point
here – ma should not be thought of as
an emptiness or nothingness between
two things; it has an energy, a life, it is
celebratory. It provides room for thoughts,
ideas and creativity to flourish.
Ma gives rhythm to poetry, music,
conversation and even architecture. In a
traditional Japanese teahouse, for example,
there are no superfluous details or random
decorative details. Utensils, containers
and flower arrangements are positioned
according to precise rules and each one is
given room to breathe. ‘When considering
wabi sabi expressions, an allowance should
be made for space to play an active role,’
›
explains Juniper. ‘Non-clutter requires
29
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 Ma is not emptiness, more a
celebration of space. Carefully
controlling this region is key to
a successful composition.

30
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31
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 › discipline, and it is often necessary to get rid
of all excess in order to give sufficient space
to just one expression.’ Outside the teahouse
stepping stones are unevenly placed to force
guests to pay attention to their surroundings.
Nothing is left to chance.
pace also plays a crucial role in
S Japanese ink painting (known as
sumi-e). Here the artist creates
monochromatic images using
dark ink and a brush made of natural hair.
Great emphasis is placed on individual
brushstrokes, with the aim of capturing the
spirit of nature. Large areas of the canvas are
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left unpainted to highlight the relationship
between form and non-form. Chinese
landscape artist Ma Yuan (1160/5-1225) was
a true master of ink painting. ‘Ma Yüan was
‘Careful placement of
negative space encourages
the viewer to explore it with
their own thoughts, feelings
and emotions; essentially
to become an active
participant in the work.’
often called “one-corner Ma” because he
would restrict much of his painting to a single
corner, leaving the rest blank,’ reveals Juniper.
‘This technique enhanced the sensation of
open space and suggested infinity.’
We are all familiar with the idea of
negative space in photography, but few of us
think of it as a place where energy, promise
and possibility can thrive. In truth, there is
so much to be gained from changing our
attitude towards this region, and considering
it as an expression of ma. Negative space
can be seen as a pause point, providing an
opportunity to step back and reflect on
our work. Such regions create contrast,
giving the forms either side of them greater
meaning. Careful placement of negative
space encourages the viewer to explore
it with their own thoughts, feelings and
emotions; essentially to become an active
participant in the work.
Negative space is not emptiness – far from
it. ‘Space is a new area for visual exploration,’
say Andy Karr and Michael Wood in
their book The Practice of Contemplative
Photography: Seeing the World with Fresh
Eyes. ‘By reducing fixation on objects, you
can open your eyes more, your mind more,
and go out farther and farther, feeling the
spacious quality of the world.’ By celebrating
negative space we can act with greater
wisdom, opening our minds, our hearts and
our eyes to fresh opportunities.
Left Negative space creates contrast, giving the
forms either side of it greater meaning. It has
a crucial role to play in many compositions.
Opposite Spaces between leaves, pauses in
conversation, silences in a piece of music
– all of these are expressions of ma.
RECOMMENDED
SOURCES
The Tao of Photography: Seeing Beyond Seeing
by Philippe L Gross
Wherever You Go, There You Are: Mindfulness
Meditation for Everyday Life by Jon Kabat-Zinn
The Practice of Contemplative Photography:
Seeing the World with Fresh Eyes by Andy Karr
and Michael Wood
The Miracle of Mindfulness: A Manual on
Meditation by Thich Nhat Hanh
Get Some Headspace: 10 Minutes Can Make
All the Difference by Andy Piddicombe
The Little Book of Contemplative Photography:
Seeing with Wonder, Respect, and Humility
by Howard Zehr
Wabi Sabi: The Japanese Art of Impermanence
by Andrew Juniper
TED Talks: The Art of Stillness by Pico Iyer
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FEATURE LIVING A BETTER LIFE

The driving force behind Carla Kogelman’s images of children
All images comes from her own flawed childhood. A new exhibition in the
© Carla Kogelman
Netherlands explores her journey. Steve Pill reports.
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W
hether they are
throwing their heads
back on the swings,
getting acquainted with
the farm animals, or
basking in the lake on
a hot summer’s day, the children in Carla
Kogelman’s photos seem to be permanently
living their best lives. Her on-going series, Ich
Bin Waldviertel, is no Sally Mann-style doting
portrait of her immediate family though. It is
an attempt to visualise the idyllic childhood
that she herself was deprived of having.
Carla first met the Liebhart family on
commission for the Szene Bunte Wähne
youth theatre festival in Austria in 2012. In
search of subjects, the Dutch photographer
travelled to the rural village of Merkenbrechts
in the Waldviertel region, 100km northwest
of Vienna near the Czech border.
A chance meeting with Sonja Liebhart and
her two daughters, Hannah and Alena, led to
a tour of the family farm and the opportunity
to take the first photos. When Carla later
returned with her prints, the family were
charmed and invited her to stay on the farm
to continue the project. ‘So I was even closer
to my subjects. And grandma cooked a hot
meal for me at noon as well,’ she recalls.
‘I became part of the family.’
Carla’s own family life had been tragically
torn apart at an early age by a car accident
in which her sister was killed and her father
sustained serious brain damage. ‘I was two
years old and never got to know a “normal”
father. In fact, I felt embarrassed and very
ashamed by him.’
‘It is an attempt to visualise
the idyllic childhood that she
herself was deprived of having.’  thread running throughout is the idea
n almost-25-year career in social
A work and running her own theatre
agency followed, before Carla
retrained as a photographer,
graduating from Fotoacademie Amsterdam
in 2011. For one of her first projects she
revisited her own rural hometown in eastern
Holland in an attempt to recreate some of
that lost childhood magic, but it was no
Waldviertel. ‘The village had changed, the
houses where I had lived were changed, and
I could not wander through my childhood
anymore. However, spending the summers
in Waldviertel with the kids in the village,
I could walk through some parts of it.’
The experience has clearly provided great
comfort and inspiration to Carla. Even though
she doesn’t have children of her own, she says
her training as a social worker has helped her
to communicate with them easily. ‘I really
do respect their imaginative world,’ she says.
The photographer is currently in
the process of selecting the images
for a forthcoming solo exhibition at
the Stadsmuseum Harderwijk in the
Netherlands. Ich Bin Waldviertel will only
occupy the first floor, with her Because of
Pink series and photos from Benin filling the
other two floors, yet she says the common
of ‘growing up and finding your identity
through childhood’.
Carla hopes to continue photographing
the Liebhart daughters until they have
children of their own and the circle of life
is complete. In the meantime, she is intent
on keeping the nostalgic reverie alive in her
prints. Hannah and Alena’s parents divorced
last summer yet Carla has avoided training
her lens on the harder times. ‘My focus on
children always has a kind of positive vibe,
showing resilience,’ she says. ‘Maybe because
I want to show how life can be.’
PHOTOGRAPHY
BY CARLA KOGELMAN
…is on until 1 September at Stadsmuseum
Harderwijk City Museum in the Netherlands.
stadsmuseum-harderwijk.nl
37
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38
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39
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 COMMENT
REFLECTIVE PRACTICE
What is left behind in a room can often tell us a great deal about the previous
occupants and the events that took place. Inanimate objects speak of human
@vickipaintingphoto
presence and hint at what is to come. Vicky Painting reports.
40
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I
am always struck, walking into an empty
room, a few minutes after a group of
people have left, by just how much of their
presence remains. There are always subtle
clues pointing to what has recently taken
place, yet even without these signs there is
always a hint of something left over which
can be almost felt hanging in the air.
I recently visited a country estate in
Somerset that has reinvented itself as a
wedding venue and contemporary art gallery.
The traces of a wedding taking place were
dotted throughout the Victorian house.
Several rooms contained tables covered by
starched white tablecloths. These signifiers,
the foundations upon which many family
celebrations take place, were looking a little
less pristine after some exuberant toasting
had taken place. This celebration was a
small affair, but we visitors were temporarily
excluded from some rooms as the last minute
preparations took place. We could hear the
nervous chatter of the bride and bridesmaids
‘ONCE VACATED, THE
ONLY SIGN THAT THEY HAD
EVER BEEN THERE WAS A
JUG OF WATER AND FOUR
GLASSES SITTING ON A
TABLE UNTOUCHED IN AN
OTHERWISE EMPTY ROOM.’
waiting for their cue in one of the grand
rooms before they left for the ceremony
taking place outside, Once vacated, the only
sign that they had ever been there was a jug
of water and four glasses sitting on a table
untouched in an otherwise empty room.
Returning ten minutes later these too had
vanished. The fact that all of these rooms
were largely devoid of furniture seemed to
amplify human presence even further as
there was nothing to distract from it.
The main purpose of my visit was to see
Somewhen an exhibition by the artist Simon
Faithfull comprising a series of drawings,
text pieces and video works beautifully and
sparsely laid out on the first floor, the sound
of voices from screens in distant rooms all
adding to the uncanny feeling of time
and events crossing over and coexisting.
There was definitely something of the
uncanny about it all.
Empty rooms are always waiting for their
next occupants to arrive and perhaps it is
this tension, where the emptiness isn’t a state
of calm but more about the anticipation of
who might come in and occupy them, that
is perhaps so appealing.
Above All that is left of the wedding party sits
waiting to be cleared away in anticipation
of the next event.
Opposite The tall table with its double layer
of drapes appears to be dressed in finery
appropriate to the occasion.
41
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BLACK+ WHITE PHOTOGRAPHY
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2019
 INSPIRATION
STRAIGHT TALKING
Pictures can be captured on all kinds of devices and appear in all manner of
All images forms. As more photos are being taken than ever before, Chris Gatcum
© Chris Gatcum
explores what we mean by the word photography.

P
hotography is a
complicated beast.
Despite playing with
pictures for all of my
adult life I still struggle when
it comes to explaining exactly
what it is. I could have a stab
at ‘the process of using light
to form an image on a light-
sensitive medium’ (or words
to the effect), or maybe strip it
right back to its literal ‘drawing
with light’ Greek origins, but
this only explains the simplest
mechanics of the process.
Rattling off the multifarious
genres, niches and techniques
available adds a little bit more
detail, and we could also throw
some heavy-hitting names
– be they photographers or
manufacturers – into the pot to
add some light and shade to the
bigger picture. But that still falls
some way short of answering the
question: what is photography?
I increasingly suspect that
trying to provide a satisfactory
answer might be akin to
the visually impaired men
describing an elephant in that
well-known parable, in that

44
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we all approach photography
from a slightly different angle
and we all encounter different
facets of it at different times
and for different durations.
We might start out taking
landscapes, but gradually find
ourselves drifting towards street
photography, for example, or
we may choose to eschew a
world of colour in favour of
more monochromatic views,
or we may forever stay in the
darkroom making pictograms.
Given the past, present and
future of photography that we
can dip into, the possibilities
and permutations of what
we can do are potentially
limitless. So as the saying goes,
‘experiences may vary’, and so
too will our individual idea of
what photography is.
Of course, sometimes our
experiences will overlap, so while
I might not necessarily have a
predilection for portraits, I may
still be able to appreciate your
particular treatment of a head
and shoulders shot. Or we might
both shoot different subjects, but
with the same brand of camera
45
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and form an alliance through
the equipment we use. And
so, like two blind men feeling
different parts of an elephant’s
trunk, we can join two small
pieces of the puzzle together. ›

‘A photograph
can fill us with
happiness and
joy, or drive us to
sorrow and despair.’

Opposite We each experience only

a small part of photography in
our lifetime, so like blind men
describing an elephant, each of
us will only be able to describe a
small part of what it is. We have
to rely on hearsay and second-
hand accounts to fill in the gaps.

Right To really get to know a town

or city you have to wander down
every street and avenue. Getting to
know photography is no different,
but how often do we venture into
less familiar territory?
46
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› As our experience overlaps
increase, we will start to create
a bigger picture, but can it ever
be complete? The problem is,
sometimes, our experiences
may never converge. I might
choose to only ever make
daguerreotypes, while you only
ever produce giclée prints,
or while I’m shooting large-
format paper negatives in a
pinhole camera made from a
decaying marrow, you might
never deviate from the Leica
lens on a Huawei smartphone.
In either case, this thing that we
both call photography will look
very different in approach and
execution: while you are holding
the tip of the elephant’s left ear,
I’m pulling the hairs on its tail.
U
nfortunately, with so
many photographic
alleyways to explore
it is highly unlikely
– impossible even – that we
Above It is not just different styles and techniques that make up this others can help to fill in the
thing we call photography, but the equipment as well. I have yet to fully blanks to a certain extent, it will
explore the potential of my triple-lens Robot 3 plastic compact camera. only ever be a secondary account;
it is one blind man telling another
will experience everything potentially explore every facet what he believes the tip of the
photography has to offer, from of every subject, and we could elephant’s left ear is like. And
photomicroscopy to deep sky in that way produce a picture of that is quite different to
astrophotography, glamour to the whole elephant, but I suspect touching it for yourself.
architecture. There are simply not that doing so would require the Moreover, even if we could
enough hours in one lifetime to services of the infinite monkeys somehow gain first-hand
do it all, so there will inevitably be and their infinite typewriters experience of all genres and
some cul-de-sacs that we do not (discussed in last month’s techniques (which I am sure
wander down (personally, I am column, see B+W 229). exceeds the realms of possibility),
more than happy to end my days A more realistic approach is to it would still only show what our
having never experienced dental use books, magazines, the metaphorical photo-elephant
photography). But without those internet and other resources to looks like on the outside. It would
first-hand experiences, without explore different photographic not explain how a photograph
shuffling into the darkest alleys styles and genres, discover new can fill us with happiness and
of photography, can we ever truly photographers, read about old joy, or drive us to sorrow and
say we know what photography and new techniques, and despair. Nor would it enlighten
is? No. Not completely. generally build up our knowledge. us as to why the end result – that
Of course, given enough But while immersing ourselves in final pristine print or onscreen
time and resources we could the work and experiences of image – is of utmost importance
to some people, while for others
the therapeutic hours in the
‘he possibilities and permutations of darkroom are the ultimate
what we can do are potentially limitless.’ destination and a finished print
is simply a welcome bonus.
Nor would it reveal how it is
sometimes the story being told
within the frame – or even the
story behind a picture – that
carries all the weight, and
need to somehow get inside and
explore its inner workings. Only
when we have sampled its DNA
can we categorically answer the
question: what is photography?
best served by not allowing the
question to flit between our
synapses to begin with. After
all, does it really matter what
photography is? Given what
is required (and the seeming
rather fundamental question,
because – let’s face it – how
can we know if we’re doing it
well if we don’t fully understand
what it is to start with? Sure
we can become an expert in

the photographic element is
secondary; the camera is merely
a convenient recording tool.
No, to fully describe our
photographic pachyderm we
not only have to explore every
crease and wrinkle of its craggy
exterior for ourselves, but we also
I
t’s tempting at this point to impossibility of achieving one particular photographic
conclude that nailing down it), the blindingly obvious field, and knowing the ins and
this ethereal creature is a fool’s answer is no. At the same outs of a preferred niche is an
errand and that we would be time, though, it does feel like a admirable achievement, but do
we really want to be the expert
Below Shooting in a different format is a great way to change the way you of an elephant’s third toenail
see photographs, and in doing so add to your idea of what photography when there’s so much more
is; not all shots have to be rectangular (or square). of the beast to explore?

47
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 F E AT U R E RETURN OF THE NATIVE
It all began four years ago with a fence post driven into the ground of Stephen Gill’s
rural home in Sweden. With a motion-sensor camera he recorded a huge range of native
species that flocked from the sky to land on this tiny perch. Now the project has
become a photo-book that lays claim as an objet d’art.

48
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 49
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All images Stephen Gill, The Pillar, 2016-2019, © Stephen Gill

50
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51
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 The Pillar, a series of
photographs by Stephen
Gill, with words by Karl Ove
Knausgård, is a cloth-bound
hardback with inserted saddle
stitched booklet with text.
It can be ordered online from
nobodybooks.com at £45.

52
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 Repeat Winner of the TIPA Award – 2013/2017

‘ Best Photo Lab Worldwide’

Awarded by the Editors of 29 International Photography Magazines

YOUR PHOTO IN
A GALLERY FRAME

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 TECHNIQUE
TOP TIPS
All images
© Lee Frost

SHOOT THE SKY

The sky tends to play a minor role in our
photographs, but give it centre stage and dramatic
results are guaranteed. Lee Frost offers his ten
top tips for creating stunning sky shots.

W
hen we shoot landscape images the sky often plays
second fiddle to the landscape itself. We tilt our
cameras down to make the most of foreground
interest and the sky is nothing more than a narrow
slither running across the very top of the frame.
In many situations this approach is necessary – the sky can be
empty and boring and if you include too much of it in a shot it
dilutes the impact rather than increasing it. But skies can also be
dramatic, unusual and eye-catching. There will be times when the
sky is actually more interesting than the landscape, and that’s
when you need to change your approach, tilting the camera up
instead of down so the sky can be celebrated in all its glory.
What makes the sky so fascinating and photogenic is that it’s in
a constant state of flux. Clouds come and go, changing in shape
and size, or form fascinating patterns that radiate in all directions.
54 All these permutations can be witnessed in a single day, and yet as
B+W
photographers we’re transfixed with what’s happening at ground
level rather than up there in the heavens. Now’s the time to change
all that and let the sky take centre stage in your images.

Near Alnwick, Northumberland

I love the simplicity of this scene. I was driving on the A1 when I spotted
it, but a quick detour enabled me to pull over, grab my camera and
capture it before the cloud drifted away.
Canon EOS 5D MKIII with 70-200mm zoom lens, 1/200sec at f/8, ISO 400
2

1 IF YOU DON’T LOOK, YOU CAN’T SEE!

Remembering to look is the most important thing you can do,
otherwise you’ll never know if the sky is worth closer attention.
So whenever you’re out scouting for great shots just get into the
habit of looking up as well as down. Often the best clouds will
be high, meaning you’ll need a wideangle lens to include them in
a composition without losing the landscape altogether. Another
ploy is to turn your camera on its side and shoot in portrait format,
and if that doesn’t work, get down nice and low and shoot from
ground level – a handy approach if you want to capture buildings
or trees against a great sky.
 55
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2 INCLUDE A LITTLE LAND Near Seahouses, Northumberland

It is possible to take successful shots of just the sky alone, but ideally you
need to include at least a slither of landscape to anchor the sky down and
add a sense of scale. Big skies only look best when you’ve got something to
compare them to. A good ratio to work to is ⅓ landscape to ⅔ sky, though
you will often want to include less of the former and more of the latter.
Another side of the road shot. The sky was just
incredible, and hung around for hours as there was
no wind. I included a little land to add a sense of scale.
Canon EOS 5D MKIII with 24-70mm zoom lens,
1/400sec at f/9, ISO 200

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4 SKIES IN BLACK & WHITE
Although it’s colour that often makes us sit
up and take notice of the sky – especially
at dawn and dusk – my own favourite sky
images are black & white. I love the fact that
by removing colour you can appreciate the
wonderful tones, textures and shapes in the
sky much more, and also that by taking a
step away from reality you have the artistic
freedom to really emphasise the drama of
a good sky without it looking over the top.
3 3 GET THE EXPOSURE RIGHT
I process the Raw files in Adobe Camera
Raw, save them as 16-bit Tiff files in colour,
then make a full size copy of the image and
convert it to mono using Silver Efex Pro.
The high structure presets in Silver Efex Pro
are great for pulling out detail and drama in
the sky. I then select the sky using the lasso
tool in Photoshop and apply auto contrast
to see if that makes any difference. This can
produce amazing results and although the
What you may find when you start letting
the sky fill most of the frame is that your
exposures are all over the place. Generally,
the sky is much brighter than the landscape
and has a tendency to fool your camera’s
metering system into underexposure. If that
happens, dial in anything from +⅓ to +2
stop of exposure compensation and shoot
again. You’ll soon recognise skies that are
problematic and increase the exposure
straight away. I usually shoot in aperture
priority and use my evaluative metering, then
just apply whatever exposure compensation
I need to get the exposure right.
Vik, Iceland
This kind of contrast tends to send camera meters
into a spin, but it’s easy enough to take a test shot,
check it, then adjust the exposure accordingly.
Canon EOS 5DS with 70-300mm zoom lens,
1/320sec at f/11, ISO 200
sky sometimes gets quite noisy, especially
the darker tones, I don’t mind as it adds a
stark textural effect, rather like film grain.
Isle of Skye, Scotland
I love dramatic skies like this, and more often
than not convert the images to black & white to
maximise impact. You can almost feel the weather!
Canon EOS 5DS with 70-300mm zoom lens,
1/640sec at f/11, ISO 400
 5

5 USE A WIDEANGLE LENS Venice, Italy

If you want to make the most of a big sky, you need an ultra-wide zoom. Not only will it let These amazing mackerel skies aren’t an everyday
you include masses of sky in your shots, but the distortion wide lenses give also exaggerates occurrence, so when you spot a good one you
the effects of dramatic cloud formations. For full-frame DSLRs, zoom lenses with a range need to make the most of it! I used the wide end
of 16-35mm or 17-40mm are ideal, while for APSC sensors you need to be looking at a of a standard zoom lens to emphasise the
57
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10-20mm or 12-24mm. Saying that, I’ve also taken some great sky shots using my amazing clouds. Canon EOS 5DS with 24-70mm
70-300mm zoom as it’s good for zooming in to capture sunbeams or cloudbursts. zoom lens, 1/4sec at f/16, ISO 100

6 FILTER THE SKY

FOR IMPACT
On a sunny day, when you’ve got blue sky
backing banks of white clouds, a polariser
will completely transform your images,
deepening the blue so the clouds stand out
brilliantly. Keep the sun on one side of the
camera and shoot early or late in the day
for the best results – though even when the
sun’s overhead in mid-summer a polariser
will still make a big difference. I use a
polariser even when I plan to convert an
image to black & white as it has a similar
effect on blue sky to a red filter, plus the
general contrast boost adds impact.
ND grads are also invaluable as they
let you balance the sky brightness with
the landscape so everything is perfectly
exposed – without a grad, the sky often
overexposes or if you correctly expose the
sky, any landscape you include in the shot
will be underexposed. In dramatic stormy
weather or at dawn and dusk, an ND grad
will add bags of impact to your images and 6
save time in post-production. Use a 0.6 Isle of Skye, Scotland
density grad during the day and a stronger I always carry a set of Lee Filters ND grads with me, usually hard grads in 0.45, 0.6 and 0.9 densities.
0.9 at dawn and dusk or if you want to In this case I used a 0.9 (3 stop) grad to emphasise the drama of the stormy sky.
emphasise a stormy sky. Canon EOS 5D MKIII with 24-70mm zoom lens, 1/50sec at f/11, ISO 200
 7 7 WATCH THE WEATHER
Ultimately, if you want to capture dramatic
skies you have to put yourself out there,
in the landscape, and take your chances.
Gazing through the kitchen window waiting
for something interesting to happen won’t
produce great images! That said, you can
put the odds of success in your favour by
keeping an eye on the weather forecast,
especially if you’re planning an early start
or a long trip. I check the weather forecast
several times a day when I’m on location,
so I can try to predict what’s coming,
or head to a different area if it’s not
happening where I am.
Annoyingly, no single forecasting
service/website/app can ever be totally
reliable, but they’ll at least give you a
guide. I use the Met Office app on my
iPhone (ironically, it seems more accurate
when I’m abroad!), and metcheck.com
plus xcweather.co.uk on my laptop.

8 Isle of Skye, Scotland

Crepuscular rays (or ‘God’s fingers’) are often
seen when the sun bursts through a stormy sky
and they make for stunning images. You can’t
really plan for them, so it’s just a case of being
in the right place at the right time.
Canon EOS 5D MKIII with 70-300mm zoom lens,
1/250sec at f/8, ISO 100

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‘Blue sky goes almost

black in infrared images
while stormy skies are
emphasised more
than normal.’

8 SEEING RED
Another really effective way to shoot
the sky is by using an infrared modified
digital camera, or by putting an infrared
transmitting filter such as a Hoya R72
on your lens so it blocks out most of
the visible light and only records infrared
radiation. Blue sky goes almost black
in infrared images while stormy skies
are emphasised more than normal. You
needn’t limit your IR shooting to sunny
weather either, as cloudy days also suit
digital infrared.

Holy Island, Northumberland

Although this shot doesn’t shout out infrared,
the use of a converted IR camera allowed me to
make the most of the dramatic sky without the
need for an ND grad.
Converted Canon EOS 5D MKI with 70-300mm
zoom lens, 1/640sec at f/8, ISO 200
 9

9 CAPTURE MOTION IN THE SKY

It’s worth carrying a 10-stop (or similar)
neutral density filter such as the Lee Filters
Pro Stop IRND 10 or Hitech IR ND Pro stop
10. This type of filter cuts the light entering
your lens by 10 stops so the exposure has
to be increased 1000x to compensate –
which means even in broad daylight you can
get away with exposures of 30 seconds or
more. The effect on the sky is that drifting
clouds record as streaks of tone, adding a
surreal twist to your landscapes – and they
look amazing converted to black & white.
Blyth, Northumberland
The criss-crossing clouds in this scene have been
emphasised by using a 10-stop ND filter to achieve
a long exposure and record movement as the
clouds drifted overhead. Canon EOS 1DS MKIII
with 70-200mm zoom lens, 2 mins at f/32, ISO 100

10 KNOW YOUR CLOUDS 59

10 B+W
Can you remember all those funny names
for clouds you were taught in geography
at school? No, neither can we, so here’s a
quick reminder of the most photogenic ones.
Cumulonimbus – big, billowing,
dramatic clouds often seen during thunder
and lightning storms.
Cumulus – classic cotton wool clouds
that drift across the sky looking pretty.
Cirrus – wispy streamers of cloud found
at high altitude and consisting entirely of
ice. Often called mare’s tails.
Stratocumulus – low-level lumps of
broken cloud that can be in fairly uniform
rows or random patterns. Good clouds to
have at dawn and dusk as they tend to be
uplit by the sun while it’s below the horizon.
Cirrocumulus – patterns of small white
high clouds more commonly referred to as
a mackerel sky because they look like fish
scales. More common in winter.
Stratus – Low-level bands of flattish
cloud that can cover all or most of the sky,
though when in streaks against blue sky
they look fantastic.

Alnmouth, Northumberland
I captured these cirrocumulus clouds over
Alnmouth Bay, using a polariser to darken the blue
sky behind them and also to enhance the clouds
themselves. Canon EOS 1DS MKIII with 24-70mm
zoom lens, 1/80sec at f/8, ISO 100
 timdaly.com All images ©Tim Daly

TECHNIQUE
PROJECTS
THE PLEASURE OF RUINS
If you are drawn to exploring uninhabited and atmospheric places, then
IN VISUAL
STYLE
try your hand at our latest project. There are lots of suitable places around.
Tim Daly guides you through the rubble.

s author Rose Macaulay

A
suggests in her seminal
book Pleasure of Ruins
(1954), many of us are
drawn to decayed and
fallen places, not to see
a historic site intact, but because we can
rebuild it in our own minds.
This key concept – that a ruin triggers an
almost subconscious urge to recreate and
reimagine the past, links together many
photographers working in this genre. Over
the last 15 years this kind of photographic
practice has emerged under the new
moniker of urban exploration, yet its very
essence can be traced to a time before
photography was invented. In the early
1700s, a group of English noblemen formed
the Society of Dilettanti to study ancient
Greek and Roman art and was instrumental
in the founding of the grand tour and
60 the support of overseas archaeological
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excavations. Their keen interest in sifting
through the ruins of the past to gain
new insights into the present is perhaps
an early forerunner of today’s ambitious
documentarists and urban explorers.
Like many scholars of the classics,
meaningful ruin exploration will involve
history, archaeology and a broad
understanding of cultural studies. So, if
you enjoy reading around your projects,
you’ll have an ideal mindset to tackle one
of the following themes.

INSPIRATIONAL QUOTE
‘We must establish the
appreciation of ruins
and decay, visually.’
John Piper
1
SECTION 1:
1 THE GRAND ESTATE
THEMES TO CONSIDER The photobooks of Simon Marsden, especially his seminal In Ruins: The Once Great Houses
Wherever you are based, there will be of Ireland, are terrific examples of ruin photography. Marsden’s unique approach captured the
an established or emerging ruin for you delicate beauty of ruins using the characteristic infrared film. Grand estates provide a wonderful
to explore. To start with, pick a smaller opportunity to explore the past through photography and in this example I’ve found a derelict
and easily accessible subject to practise site that has become overgrown with thick vines, changing the shape, form and appearance
on, perhaps leaving alone the grander, of the original building. Think carefully about the season you’ll be shooting in and how this lets
more difficult sites until you have you see more or less of the underlying structure. Hidden by decay and choked by new growth,
built up your confidence. your job is to contrast new against old.
 2

2 RURAL DEPOPULATION
All communities change over time yet many fail to adapt to the pace
of progress, especially those in a rural or isolated location. For this
theme, find and explore a pocket of rural depopulation and try to
capture evidence of abandonment. In rural parts of Ireland many
homesteads and houses were left intact by the last family member to
leave or pass away. Such vacant properties are still very much evident
all over the Midlands and the West, testament to a lost way of life and
today’s fast moving times. Many houses, like this example, are literally 3
frozen in time and look like their inhabitants have just popped out to
the shops. Many too are stuck in a time capsule of their own era – full 3 INDUSTRIAL RUINS
of material goods, furniture, fixtures and fittings that provide a perfect Photographers such as Bernd and Hilla Becher are most famous for
record of life in the 70s or other era. While many ruined houses have observing industrial installations such as gasholders and water towers,
been altered by the weather, see if you can shoot objects, things and then collecting them together into grid-like sets called typologies.
artefacts that describe who lived there and when. If you are switched on by industrial ruins then you could pick an
industry that’s on the cusp of change or one that has already entered
4 MOD PROPERTY a terminal decline. Undertake solid location research to begin with,
61
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Scattered across most regions of the UK, old Ministry of Defence marking up your sites as saved pins on Google Maps. Aim to make
property can provide a fascinating insight into the political turmoils a collection or typology of these locations, visualising them as a set
of previous years. Secret bunkers, Cold War installations and missile rather than a collection of single images. This industrial building shot
testing sites are perhaps the locations that draw the most crowds, in Normandy was slowly being absorbed by a nearby forest.
but there are also smaller and less obvious stories that haven’t yet
been told. In your region, search for the sites of army or prisoner of
war camps or old barracks and see if you can unearth anything still
standing or that which has been modified into a new use. On the
Norfolk coast there are still signs of former military estates that have
been changed into holiday estates. This example, found next to the
A41 near Whitchurch, may not be around for much longer.

5 THE FADED SEASIDE TOWN

While there are many photographers who have captured the rusting
ruins of Victorian seaside resorts, fewer have explored post-war
holiday estates lining the less glamorous margins of the UK. Away
from the big resorts, explore smaller areas such as the Essex or Kent
sides of the Thames estuary. Here you’ll find many clusters of holiday
homes, caravan and chalet sites that still clearly show their origins of
the post-war years. Caught in a state of flux, see if you can capture
the changing face of these seaside communities by looking for
textures and layers of the past, as this example shows.
 SECTION 2: EMPHASIS TECHNIQUES
Along with its richly patinated subject matter, ruin photography can be enhanced by good communication skills and how you create emphasis.
1 before you embark on your shoot. Look for combinations of textures
1 CLOSE-UP DETAILS
While visiting dramatic and large-scale sites it is often easy to overlook
details and smaller subjects that can really add to your project. When
visiting a site for the first time make an initial survey of the location then
return and retrace your steps looking for smaller things that you’d missed
62 first time. In many projects where I’ve returned to the same location over
B+W
a period of time I’ve always spotted new things I simply hadn’t seen
previously. On a DSLR camera system most standard 50mm lenses will
allow you to focus on objects and fill the frame with a single sheet of A4
paper as a background. Special macro lenses, however, let you get
closer to smaller objects and tiny fragments, as this example shows.
3
2 CONVEYING TEXTURE
Close-up textures of buildings and signage can symbolise decay
but also provide visually attractive images out of unlikely and ugly
places. Aaron Siskind’s super-sensory photographs of textured
walls, wood and weathered materials are a good example to look at
– rust, peeling paint, woodgrain, rough and smooth surfaces – and
see if you can combine them into one composition. The presence
of texture confirms and communicates age.
3 TEXTURE EDITING
Lighting when we are shooting on location is rarely perfect and is
often flatter and lower in contrast than we’d like. This can lead to
many images lacking punch when they are converted to black &
white using Lightroom’s default processes. The clarity tool, however,
provides a clever way of making the edges of tones more distinct
and helps to separate out colours and tones from one another,
as this example shows.
SECTION 3: THINKING ABOUT SYMBOLISM
Nowadays it’s not necessary to shoot the most obvious aspects of a
project as your images will be consumed by a visually literate public.

1 THE STORY OF THINGS

The juxtaposition of objects and the subsequent collision of their uses
and purposes can also create a micro-story within your bigger project.
Look for groupings of things and see if you can spot any unusual
bedfellows. Often you’ll not be aware of a more complex reading until
you are later reviewing your shoot on a contact print, or on screen, so get
into the habit of shooting anything and everything that catches your eye.

2 INDIRECT SUGGESTION
The physical deterioration of things and objects can also be used to
suggest a similar change in public attitudes and beliefs. Signs, symbols,
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statues and tableaux are all designed to project a meaning to the outside
world, but when that message becomes faded or jaded it provides a
good thing to document, as this pockmarked devotional statue shows.

3 METAPHOR
We can always find scenarios and settings that can be used to
symbolise a bigger, more complex issue than the picture really shows.
In this example shot in a derelict house in Ireland, the boarded-up
fireplace and crumbling room describes the physical state of an
abandoned homestead, but ‘not keeping the home fire burning’ could
also be read as a metaphor for diaspora and rural depopulation. Ask
others to speculate what your images mean to them and you may well
discover an interpretation you’d never imagined possible.

4 FINAL OUTCOME
For my project I’ve made a detailed study of an abandoned homestead
in Ireland – a place that was still richly textured, where paint was falling
off the walls in vast shards.
 COMMENT
A FORTNIGHT AT F/8
One of the best ways to improve your photography and keep your
timclinchphotography.com
inspiration alive, says Tim Clinch, is to talk, discuss, argue and debate
@clinchpics
with other photographers – and, above all, to take pictures.
F
ive years ago I met
someone who I am
delighted to say has
become a good friend.
Mariana (not her
real name) came on
one of my workshops in Spain.
She lived in Scandinavia and
was running a blog about food.
Her blog was successful, full of
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All images © Tim Clinch
nice, if slightly underwhelming,
photography and she explained
to me that her dream was to
become a professional food
photographer. To this end she
had left her well-paid job and
had decided to go for it. I found
this admirable. She had decided
that unless she found out if
she could cut the mustard as a
photographer she would never
know, and I was determined to
help her if I could.
To cut a long story short, she
did it, and is now a successful
working food photographer with
her own small daylight studio
round the corner from where she
lives in the capital city. She has
a list of good clients, a regular
column in the city’s biggest
selling Sunday newspaper, and
has just had her third cookbook
published. I hope it does not
sound condescending, but I’m
proud of her and am delighted to
have played a small part in her
success. But Mariana has
got where she is by dedication
and a lot of hard work.
One of the things she has done,
which is to me one of the most
important things any of us can
do to further our photographic
education and growth, is to keep
asking questions. She kept in
touch with me and we regularly
go on a trip – call it a private
workshop if you like – and
take pictures. We not only take
pictures but talk, discuss, argue,
dissect and ponder on the world
of photography and where we
want to go with it (oh, and have
a few nice meals and glasses
of wine as well). It has become
as valuable to me as it is to her
and our yearly or twice yearly
photographic voyage together
has become something I look
forward to immensely.
M
ariana is passionate
about her
photography and
is always asking
me to show her something new,
and I always have to tell her that
there really isn’t anything ‘new’.
There is a lot of fine-tuning and
experimenting to be done and
THE PICTURES
All the pictures come from a
picture-search I just did for a
client for ‘Pictures of a Spanish
City at night with atmosphere and
movement/blur’ from my archive.
These images were shot in Madrid
ages ago. Just as well the client
asked for movement/blur. I have
no idea why I was wandering
about the streets of Madrid with
the ISO on my camera cranked up
to 32000 after closing time. Maybe
it was something to do with Rioja?
a lot of enjoyment to be had;
there are a lot of discussions
and a lot of pictures to be taken,
but new? My advice is simply to
concentrate on your images, set
yourself goals and above all ‘do’.
I am a firm believer in what
Jack Hollingsworth (a very
interesting writer and innovative
speaker about iPhoneography)
recently said on Twitter: ‘Most
growing photographers don’t
need more instruction or
education, they need more
inspiration and motivation’.
Bearing in mind that I have been
a professional photographer for
over 40 years and counting and
will go to my grave considering
myself a ‘growing photographer’,
I guess that means all of us.
So yes, there is nothing quite
like sharing and discussing a
passion as Mariana and I (and
many of my photographer
friends and colleagues) find out
during our time together, but
there is nothing like ‘doing’ to
take things on a step or two.
I am a firm believer in what
the famous ice hockey player
Wayne Gretzky once said –
obviously he said it about his
chosen sport but it is applicable
to photography as well: ‘You miss
100% of the shots you never take’.
‘Mariana is passionate about her photography
and is always asking me to show her something
new, and I always have to tell her that
there really isn’t anything ‘new’.’’
WHAT TIM DID
THIS MONTH
Have been spending a lot of
time wishing I had a studio like
Dan Winters’ (see below).
Realising that a) I haven’t,
but b) I do have a nice office
and it needs tidying up!
Realising that living where I do,
in a small village in the foothills
of the Balkans in central Bulgaria,
means that I am not seeing as
many exhibitions as I would like
(possibly the understatement of
the decade). I am just about to
spend some time in London, for
the first time in about five years,
and have lined up a few to visit
with some of my friends, and I am
very much looking forward to it.
This coincides with an exhibition
of Vivien Maier’s photography and
65
a wonderful exhibition of Russian
B+W
still life painting, both being held
in the National Gallery in Sofia,
so I will be well looked after!
At the same time quaking in my
boots at the prices that London
exhibitions charge to get in!
PHOTOGRAPHER
OF THE MONTH
My choice this month is
American photographer Dan
Winters (danwintersphoto.com).
Winters is one of those annoyingly
clever and creative people. Known
for the broad range of subject
matter he is able to interpret, he
is widely recognised for his iconic
celebrity portraiture, his scientific
photography, his photojournalistic
stories and, more recently, his
drawings and illustrations. He’s
photographed everyone from
Barak Obama to Ryan Gosling
and a lot of people in between,
as well as many top advertising
campaigns. He also possesses the
kind of studio in a former general
store, that we’d all like to own,
about 25 miles outside Austin,
Texas, full of eclectic collections
and curiosities.
 INSPIRATION
ONE-DAY PHOTO
TAKING TIME TO SEE
PROJECTS /5
For his next One-Day Photo Project Eddie Ephraums goes in search
All images of the art of close observation and finds himself in a sculpture studio,
© Eddie Ephraums
seeing what he can learn from a different artistic discipline.
nlike other arts, simply react – taking rather than subject. Of course, this isn’t to photograph a sculptor friend

U
photography can
capture the briefest
of moments,
measured in mere
fractions of a
second in time. In the click of a
shutter a photograph can record
our immediate response to a
situation. We can take an image
and not question why it speaks
to us or ask ourselves how we
want to engage with it. We can
creating – without forethought always the case. But for this latest working in clay with a life model,
or forging a connection to the One Day Project I was curious to see what I might learn about
the art of observation from such
Below THE INSPIRATION a deliberate artistic process.
I am always interested to explore new ways of connecting with a subject, What was immediately
seeking to learn from the other arts. The slow pace of sculpting challenges apparent about sculpting is
the photographic notion of taking time, and it takes awareness to another just how engaging it is. Clearly
level: consciously looking, appraising and re-appraising the subject, often it focuses the mind, yet in the
over days or weeks. In this image, I was conscious of the model watching lengthy process of looking at
me, while I observed my sculptor friend Paul studying her and the sculpture the subject, it also seems to
he was creating. I felt part of the creative process, not quite sure who open it up. There is no shortcut
was the actual subject! to looking and no obvious

66
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formula (or photographic-type
preset) to seeing. If I compare
this to my own photography,
I wonder if I impose a habitual
way of seeing on my subjects?
Do I take enough time to
perceive them for what they
are, or do I unconsciously frame
them to fit some pre-existing
notion of how they ought to
look? Everyone’s photographic
view is predefined in some
way, in particular by other
photographs we see. We can’t
help but be influenced by them,
subconsciously integrating how
they look into our way of seeing.
When I consider habitual
67
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Above THE IDEA the taking, it was the sculptors
I wanted to see if I could make photographs that both responded to and themselves I began to see in their
reflected something of the essential nature of the sculpting process. As well work. An issue with photography
as examining the notion of time, I was interested to explore how a sculptor might be that it’s too easy not to
engages with the subject and continually reviews their work from different put ourselves in the frame. This
angles, building up a deeper understanding and greater appreciation of it. would be ironic, given the selfie
There’s a lesson in this for photography: not to assume that what first culture we live in.
catches our eye is necessarily the best or most informed view.
T
he very slow, in-the-
perception, I think of the many studio with a group of sculptors moment process of
(perhaps similar looking) all working with the same life sculpting reminds me of
landscape photographs I’ve model, what became apparent the mindful exercise of
seen of places like Iceland or was the difference between their the last One Day Project (‘being’
Hokkaido. In contrast, standing sculptures. Unlike inanimate on the beach before I took out
in an unglamorous sculpture landscapes, which are there for my camera, see last month’s
column in B+W 229), and how
‘I tried to think, not as I thought a that affected my connection with
photographer should, but as a sculptor might.’ the subject. Similarly, I would›
 › have liked to have first spent
time in the sculpture studio
without my camera. However,
this was more of a One Hour
Project, photographing my
sculptor and photographer/
film-making friend Paul Burgess
in the lunch break between
classes. With so little time to
shoot and the studio so full of
students, each wanting to finish
their piece on the last day of
term, there was nothing else for
it but to go with the flow. I tried
to think, not as I thought a
photographer should, but as
a sculptor might.
As with all these One Day
68
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Projects, I set myself the be complete if it manages to
challenge of conveying a story show everything. To succeed,
in three images. Taking a cue it has to engage the viewer,
from sculpture, I tried to employ inviting and enticing them
time, using longer exposures in, to share in the experience,
and repeated glances at the to create their own image of
subject in some of the frames. the subject – a bit like being a
A photographic paradox is that photographer making pictures
a set of three images can never in a sculpture studio.
Below THE REALISATION
Compared with the very hands-on physical process of sculpting,
photography can seem stand-offish and rather two-dimensional, in perhaps
more ways than one. Practising other arts (I’ve been doing life drawing
classes) can help to open our eyes and involve our other senses, to make
images that explore not just how we see a subject, but how we think, feel,
interpret and interact with it too. Every photograph should put us in the envisagebooks.com
frame, as much as the subject. openstudioworkshops.com
 TECHNIQUE SMART GUIDE TO PHOTOGRAPHY
Changing systems is not always as easy as it might seem and the resulting images
All images might not be exactly what you were after but, says Tim Clinch, there are some simple
© Tim Clinch
and effective ways to get round the problems and still produce great pictures.
70
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s I mentioned last
A month, I had a
misfortune with my
iPhone and have
now become the owner of
a Huawei P20 Pro. Well, my
adventures in Android-land
have been progressing and
I’m rather enjoying myself
having two phones!
Putting aside my slight
annoyance when I realised
the deals being offered on the
P20 Pro were so good only
because Huawei were just
about to launch the P30 (which
I haven’t tested, but is by all
accounts really rather amazing),
I am impressed with everything
to do with the Huawei. The
camera and lenses are very
good and I would recommend
them to anyone, but there are
a couple of things I don’t like.
Firstly, the lenses on the
Huawei can sometimes seem
too sharp! Now, this may sound
W
strange to you but, especially hich brings me runs on Macs so I had just
when taken in bright sunshine,
the images can look like they
have been over-sharpened in
post-production, a look I really
don’t like.
to the second
annoyance.
When I tried to
download Hipstamatic on to
the Android phone, I found it
accepted it – but I am now
beginning to wonder about the
exclusivity of Apple products.
So, here’s how I have
replicated the look of
One of the apps that I do was only available for IOS – Hipstamatic’s TinType (dialled
enjoy using in my mobile in fact, I discovered that loads right back) that I quite like,
photography (but only when all of photography apps are only using Snapseed on my Huawei.
the effects are dialled right back available for IOS. Step 1: Choose, crop and
to almost zero) is Hipstamatic’s Until I got an Android phone straighten your image.
TinType. I’ve written about it in a I had only ever used Apple Step 2: Add structure using the
previous column and think that products. My phone, tablet Details slider.
used carefully it can look lovely. and computers were all Mac. Step 3: Using the Vignette
So I thought I would try this on The world of professional tool, slightly darken the
some of the Huawei images. photography and publishing corners of the image.
Step 4: Using Noir, add an
INSTAGRAMMER OF THE MONTH effect you like.
My choice this month is Matt Wilson (@matt.wilson.gc), a photographer Step 5: Convert to B&W
based in Chile specialising in all things wine related. The world of wine is using the preset that suits
often something that can be taken far too seriously and Matt’s work is… your image.
well, crazy, but in a very good way. His portraits (many in B&W) are brilliant Step 6: Using the Lens Blur
and from the school of ‘why photograph a winemaker holding a glass of wine tool, adjust the area you want
when he could be pouring it over his head…and why shoot a winemaker in a to adjust and add blur (warning
field of vines when they could be up to their neck in a bath full of Merlot?’ – don’t go over 30 as it can
Just as with the great Elliott Erwitt, I love a photographer whose pictures look far too strong).
make me smile. Quite often Matt’s make me burst out laughing! Thanks Matt! I find that using Noir before
 timclinchphotography.com | @clinchpics | clinchpics

71
B+W

converting to B&W tones down
the slightly over-processed
look I sometimes get on the
Huawei. All the photographs
this month have been
processed using this method.
I have received several
emails asking me if I am being
sponsored by phone (or
camera) manufacturers, so
I would like to set the record
straight and say that no,
I have no affiliations to any
manufacturer and all my
equipment, both phones and
cameras, has been purchased
by me using my own hard-
earned cash – and, believe
me, in these times, hard-
earned it definitely is!
 SMARTSHOTS
The one camera you always have with you is on your phone, and we want to see the
pictures you take when the moment is right. We have three Samsung EVO Plus
64GB MicroSDXC cards with SD Adapters (worth £25.99) which have up to
100MB/s Read and 60MB/s Write speed to give away each month to three winners.

72
B+W

WINNER © ERIC VAN PARIJS

© DAVID DENAGEL © MIKE GINDLING

 WINNER © JON HARRISON

WINNER © DAVID BONE

73
B+W

© NICHOLAS STRATFORD © BENJAMIN HARRIS

SUBMIT YOUR PICTURES

Submit your hi-res pictures through our website at: blackandwhitephotographymag.co.uk
or via Twitter by tagging us @BWPMag and using the hashtag: Smartshots.
If you are submitting via Twitter we will contact you for hi-res if you are chosen.

www.samsung.com/memorycard
 YOUR B+W SALON
In our search for some of the best work by black & white aficionados,
All images we came across Muhanad Baas’ Botanix project – the meeting
© Muhanad Baas
of minds between two seemingly quite different disciplines.

74
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‘This series was born from the encounter of two passions, medicine and photography.
For the first, I was trained to observe what is visible: the body, and to try and discover what
is less visible, hidden inside, away from the gaze: the state of the organs, and that of the soul.
For the second, magical tools have been invented in order to translate the moment, to fix this
illusory and fleeting fragment of our lives. Thus Botanix was born: like the botanist displays of
natural history museums, I wanted to share this vision of the nature that surrounds us: pure
and simple lines, a harmony and softness of hues, a certain tenderness hidden from view.
I wanted to see the invisible differently, in transparency, such is the prowess
of this small wave of ionizing radiation, so discreet and so powerful at the same time.’

bullesdencres.fr
75
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76
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77
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SUBMIT YOUR WORK TO SALON

We are looking for stories told entirely in pictures. If you think you have just that,
submit a well edited set of between 10-15 images online at blackandwhitephotographymag.co.uk.
Turn to page 86 to see how you can submit your work.
 MASTERS OF
DESIGN
Over 80 years of experience in photography
goes into every camera we make, so you
can be sure they always handle perfectly

FUJIFILM-X.COM
 TESTS AND
PRODUCTS
CHECKOUT
Street photography requires a type of bag that is inconspicuous, light to
carry, easily accessible and supremely comfortable. There are some great
bags out there to choose from. Daniel Calder looks at what’s available.
FIG HANBOROUGH
Luxury satchel
If you really don’t want your
80 camera bag to look like a
B+W
camera bag, and you’re willing
to spend nearly £300 on it, then
the Hanborough from Fig is a
tempting choice. It’s a beautifully
handcrafted satchel, constructed
in leather with attractive brass
fittings, including four studs on
the bottom to protect the base
when resting on the ground. A
range of gorgeous colours add
to the appeal – choose from
brown, navy, burgundy, yellow,
black, tan and green. It’s a
sizeable bag that’s deep enough
to accommodate a DSLR and a
couple of lenses along with small
personal items, or one camera
and more of your everyday items.
A couple of internal dividers allow
you to configure the interior and
help protect your kit, while an
inside pocket accepts a tablet
or 13in laptop. Another zipped
pocket on the back, just below
the embossed Fig logo, is ideal
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
External dimensions
Weight
Fits gear
Guide price
Contact
for any documents.
Two clasps beneath the
buckled straps on the front allow
fairly quick access to the inside,
especially if one is left open.
There’s a top handle as well
as a long, detachable strap for
carrying the bag across the body.
LIKES
Spacious
Beautiful vintage design
Premium leather in seven
colour options
DISLIKES
Little organisation within
The Fig Hanborough is finished
with high quality brass fittings
to add to the classic look.
25 x 31 x 12.5cm
Unknown
1 DSLR + lens, 1 extra lens, 13in laptop
£295
figbags.co.uk
MANFROTTO STREET
MEDIUM BACKPACK
Comfy backpack
Size and comfort are two
compelling reasons for the
Manfrotto Street Medium
Backpack to be considered
a good choice for street
photographers – especially if you
tend to spend all day capturing
images, as there’s ample room
for spare clothing, a drinks bottle,
and a few other bits and bobs.
The backpack design certainly
helps carrying heavy loads, aided
no end by the plump straps and
padded back panel.
The camera equipment is
stored in the bottom of the bag
and has its own zipped access
point through the front of the
backpack. Thick, adjustable
dividers in red and camouflage
print keep the kit in place.
If you ever need extra room
or leave the camera at home,
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
External dimensions
Weight
Fits gear
Guide price
Contact
The top section of the Manfrotto
Street Medium Backpack provides
ample room for other items.
LIKES
Space for a 15in laptop
Comfortable carrying all day
Roomy enough to carry
a camera and other things
DISLIKES
Could fit on to the back better
this padded section can be
removed and the bag
becomes a regular
backpack.The top half
of the bag is for other
items, and a range of
pockets help all manner
of objects find a home.
There’s even room
for a 15in laptop in
the dedicated pocket
behind the back
panel. A tripod can
be carried in the side
pocket too. This
handsome
two-tone bag
is made from
nylon with a
water-repellent finish.
46 x 28 x 15cm
1.1kg
1 DSLR + lens, 2 extra lenses, 15in laptop
£125
manfrotto.co.uk

LOWEPRO SLINGSHOT EDGE 250 AW
Quick access
A sling bag is ideal for street
photography as it provides rapid
access to your camera without
the need to take the bag off
and leave it unattended while
you’re busy capturing images.
Lowepro came up with the
original idea and the design of
the Slingshot Edge 250 means
it shouldn’t attract too much
attention with its slim profile and
classic black nylon exterior.
The single strap allows the
bag to be swung from back to
front very quickly and unzipped
to reveal the padded section
that protects the camera gear.
A separate section sits above
this compartment and is
accessed in the normal
way from the top of
the bag. Here you’ll
find enough space for
a lightweight jacket
or lunch, a pocket
for a tablet
and a zipped
pouch for
small items.
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
External dimensions
Weight
Fits gear
Guide price
Contact
Another pocket on the front
stores your phone, keys and
notepad – this is a very well
organised bag.
Two straps are included to
help carry a tripod on the front
should you so wish and there’s
a cover at the base that can
be whipped out for any
sudden showers.
LIKES
Slim profile
Full, rapid access to the camera
Nicely organised, with lots
of pockets
DISLIKES
Utilitarian appearance
Accessing the camera
can be achieved without
taking the bag off.
26.7 x 15.6 x 48cm
800g
Mid-sized DSLR + lens, 1 extra lens, tablet
£100
lowepro.com
BILLINGHAM
HADLEY DIGITAL
CAMERA BAG
Small shoulder bag
With its diminutive size, the
Billingham Hadley Digital
Camera Bag is a handy option
for street photography. Besides
being light, it’s also robust,
weatherproof and easily opened
with one hand. It may not be as
inconspicuous as some bags,
thanks to the classic Billingham
styling, but the leather strap
and brass stud fastenings add
to the overall impression of a
lovingly made product.
The front strap enables the
bag to be popped open without
fuss, while its buckle allows you
to adjust the fitting depending
on what’s inside. The neatly
overlapping top lid prevents
water ingress to the main
compartment, as does the
rubber backing to the canvas
or Fibrenyte fabric that the
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
External dimensions
Weight
Fits gear
Guide price
Contact
The Billingham Hadley
Digital Camera Bag
has just enough
room for a DSLR
and spare lens.
bag is made from.
The cushioned interior offers
good protection for a DSLR
with a small or mid-sized
lens attached, or two smaller
cameras. If you need a little
more room, you can always buy
one or two of the Billingham
End Pockets for around £50
that attach to the sides of the
bag. A leather shoulder pad
providing extra grip and comfort
is also available for £28.
81
B+W
LIKES
A wealth of colours from classic
khaki to neon red
Protected against bangs
and bad weather
Easy to open one-handed
DISLIKES
Not much room for other things
21 x 13 x 21cm
470g
1 DSLR + lens, 1 extra lens
£140
billingham.co.uk

PEAK DESIGN EVERYDAY TOTE
Innovative design
Peak Design has re-imagined
the tote bag into a cavernous
camera bag that doesn’t look
out of place in the urban jungle.
The high quality design is full of
clever ideas that aid carrying,
organisation and access.
Two metal adjusters allow
the length of the straps to be
altered quickly, so you can carry
it in the hand, over the shoulder,
as a messenger bag across the
body (which keeps your kit safe
while photographing), or even
as a backpack for heavy loads.
A double zip on either end of
the bag undoes the entire panel
so you can quickly grab your
camera without taking the bag
off your shoulder.
Made from a water resistant
nylon and canvas shell, the bag
is stiff enough to stay upright
when placed on the ground,
while the long magnetic closure
stays open once pulled apart
for easy packing.
Two thin origami-like dividers
fold up into a variety of shapes
to protect the equipment
inside by creating separate
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
External dimensions
Weight
Fits gear 1 DSLR body + 1 mirrorless body with lenses, 4 extra lenses,
Guide price
Contact
compartments, holders and
shelves. A host of smaller
pockets, including four for
batteries, take care of everyday
items, as well as a 13in laptop.
LIKES
Multiple ways to carry the bag
Ingenious flex-fold dividers
Rapid access points
DISLIKES
Only two grey colour options
A double zip on the side panel
of the Peak Design Tote allows
rapid access to the camera.
40 x 37 x 20cm
900g
13in laptop
$189.95 (£147 approximately)
peakdesign.com
THINK TANK RETROSPECTIVE 10 V2.0
Understated messenger
The Retrospective 10
messenger bag from Think Tank
seamlessly blends into the urban
background, as the understated
exterior gives no suggestion of it
being a camera bag. Yet there are
lots of little details to keep your
gear safe and readily accessible.
Velcro secures the main
flap, but if you need to remain
discreet, Think Tank has stashed
away two pieces of fabric that
can cover the Velcro loops
and stop the bag making a
noise when opened. Another
thoughtful feature is the zipped
lid inside. This covers the main
compartment and prevents
anyone reaching in and grabbing
the equipment. This could
become annoying if used every
time, so another Velcro spot
can keep the lid attached to
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
External dimensions
Weight
Fits gear
Guide price
Contact
The interior of
the Think Tank
Retrospective is
nicely cushioned.
the main flap, moving with it as
it opens and closes when you
don’t need that added security.
The bag has an ample number
of pockets to store accessories,
including one for a 12in laptop or
tablet and an expandable water
bottle pocket on the side. A long,
wide and padded webbing strap
ensures comfort. The canvas
fabric is finished with a durable
water-repellent coating and a
detachable rain cover
is also included.
83
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LIKES
Zipped main compartment
for security
Inconspicuous appearance
Silent Velcro opening
DISLIKES
Drab styling
33 x 26.7 x 17.8cm
1.2kg
1 DSLR + lens, 1 extra lens, 12in laptop
$170 (£130 approximately)
thinktankphoto.com
 CANON EOS 250D
This successor to the Canon 200D boasts a
guided user interface to help you learn how
to get the pictures you want and offers a
creative assist function to enhance images.
Other features include a 24.1Mp sensor, Digic
8 processor and vari-angle screen.
£529.99 (body only)
canon.co.uk
PERMAJET FB PEARL 300
New fibre based paper with a 300gsm base.
Makers promise excellent tonal range, a fine
art pearl finish and strong D-max, making it
suitable for colour and monochrome work.
It’s available in A4 to A2 sheet sizes
and 17in to 44in rolls.
From £32.95 (A4 x 25 sheets)
permajet.com
POLAROID ORIGINALS
ONESTEP+WHITE
Add some fun to your photography with
the new white version of the OneStep+.
The instant analogue camera can connect to
your smartphone via the Polaroid Originals
app to provide extra creative options.
£139.99 polaroidoriginals.com

TESTS AND
PRODUCTS

BLACK+WHITE

84 ALVIN LANGDON
B+W
COBURN BOOKS
These special limited edition facsimiles of
Alvin Langdon Coburn’s books London and
New York are quarter-bound by hand in
leather and feature 40 images reproduced
from the first editions at the Bodleian library.
The original introductions by Hilaire Belloc
and HG Wells are accompanied by texts by
Geoff Dyer and Rut Blees Luxemburg.
£395 foliosociety.com
LOVES
RICOH GR III
New high-end compact camera loaded
with a 24.24Mp sensor. Features include an
anti-aliasing filter-free design for enhanced
NEW PHOTOGRAPHY image resolving power, a newly developed
18.3mm f/2.8 lens and a new imaging
GEAR IN THE SHOPS engine. The camera has a magnesium alloy
AND ONLINE body and a 3in high-definition LCD monitor
with touchscreen operation.
£799.99 ricoh-imaging.co.uk

4X5 MK4 8X10 MK2

INTREPID 4X5 MK4 AND 8X10 MK2

Intrepid has released upgrades of its large-format film cameras. The 4x5 is now in its fourth generation and the 8x10 is in its second.
Both have a new slim black aluminium base, providing a stable foundation, and have a focus plate on linear metal guides for sharp focusing.
The bellows are made from lightproof-lined vinyl and are thicker and more durable than before.
Intrepid 4x5 – £280 Intrepid 8x10 – £480 intrepidcamera.co.uk
 PRODUCT
OF THE
MONTH

LEICA 35MM LENS
The new Leica APO-Summicron-SL 35mm
f/2 ASPH lens has an L-mount, making it
compatible with L-mount cameras made by
other manufacturers. It promises high image
quality in a robust but compact design. Leica
say new and extremely precise manufacturing
methods and measuring technology have
been developed entirely for the production
of this range of lenses.
£3,900 leica-camera.com
PANASONIC
LUMIX G90
The Panasonic G90 is a hybrid
mirrorless camera suitable for stills
and video work. Its 20.3Mp sensor
has been designed without a low-
pass filter, allowing the camera to
capture greater detail. It also boasts
the latest Venus Engine processor
and 5-axis dual image stabilisation.
The OLED live viewfinder has
2,360k-dot resolution and offers
100% field of view and 0.74x
magnification. The 3in OLED
monitor has 1040k-dot resolution
and is a touchscreen.
Continuous shooting is 9fps and
the camera also shoots 4K video.
The rugged body is magnesium
85
B+W
alloy with a redesigned grip for
more comfortable shooting.
Other features include the facility
to shoot dynamic monochrome
pictures with emphasised
highlights and shadows.
£899.99
panasonic.co.uk

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
Lens fitting: Micro four-thirds
Megapixels: 20.3 (effective)
FUJIFILM XP140 Touchscreen: Yes
This tough little camera is dustproof,
Continuous shooting: 9fps
waterproof to 25m, shockproof to 1.8m and
freezeproof to -10°C. It has a 16.4Mp sensor, ISO 100 to 25600
boasts a new processor and shoots 4K Weight: (body only) 481g
video. It’s available in a range of colours. Dimensions: (w x h x d) 130 x 94 x 77mm
£179 fujfilm.eu
 HOW TO GET PUBLISHED IN
BLACK+WHITE PHOTOGRAPHY

Visit our website

86
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SUBMIT YOUR IMAGES ONLINE AT

www.blackandwhitephotographymag.co.uk

BL ACK+ WHITE PHOTOGR APHY COOL , CREATIVE AND CONTEMPOR ARY

 LAST FRAME SMARTSHOTS

Do you have a single image that you’d Shoot with your smartphone and send in your pictures – you could be one of three
like printed big and hung on your wall? lucky winners each month who wins a Samsung EVO Plus 64GB MicroSDXC card.
Send the file to us and you could Upload your pictures to our website, via Twitter by tagging us @BWPMag and using
win just that. the hashtag #smartshots. If you are successful we will request high-res files.

87
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ONLINE COMMUNITY SALON

FOR ALL CONTACT DETAILS

blackandwhitephotographymag.co.uk

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PRIVACY

If you win a prize (Last Frame or

Smartshots) you agree we can give
your contact details (address, email
and telephone number) to the prize
sponsor so they can contact you
about sending you your prize. They We are looking for contemporary black & white pictures
will not use your details for any other that tell a story about the world as you see it. Send us
purpose or pass them on to a third party. a well-edited set of between 10 and 15 pictures.
 Aperture Leica
17a&b Riding House Street, London, W1W 7DT. 020 7436 09844

A very special promotion not to be missed!

Trade in any digital SLR or CSC camera body against a NEW Leica SL body. You can
now receive £1300 towards your Part-Exchange
Leica SL (typ 601) Camera Body - Our Price: £4590 less £1300 = £3190 Inc. VAT
This promotion does not apply to the SL Lens Soft Bundle as listed below.

We have also two very special SL Lens Bundle deals right now until 30th September 2019
Bundle 1. Leica SL in Black + 24-90mm f2.8-4 Elmar-SL + Remote Release Cable RC-SLC4 + USB 3.0
Cable 3m + HDMI Cable Typ A 1.5m Combined RRP £9115. Promotion Price : £6950 Inc. VAT

Bundle 1. Leica SL in Black + 50mm f1.4 Summilux-SL + Remote Release Cable RC-SLC4 + USB 3.0
Cable 3m + HDMI Cable Typ A 1.5m Combined RRP £9295. Promotion Price : £6950 Inc. VAT

We are now an official Leica stockist. Please call or visit our website for your requirements and availabilities. We
are also keen to purchase your pre-owned cameras and lenses either outright or through part-exchange.
www.apertureleica.com Tel: 020 7436 9844 Email: info@apertureleica.com
THE ROYAL BALLET
COLIN JONES VINTAGE PHOTO EXHIBITION Presented by Aperture

A stunning collection of vintage photographs of the Royal Ballet is now exhibiting at

Barclays Bank Piccadilly Circus Branch
Branch, 48 Regents Street,
Street London
London, W1B 5RA
For further information and print sales please visit www.apertureleica.com
 NEXT MONTH
B + W ISSUE 231 AUGUST 2019 ON SALE 4 JULY

MATILDA TEMPERLEY’S SOMERSET

90
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© Matilda Temperley

STUART FRANKLIN’S LATEST PHOTOBOOK

THE CITY AS PHOTOGRAPHIC PLAYGROUND
WAYNE MARTIN BELGER – UNIQUE CAMERA PROJECTS
 BL ACK+WHITE PHOTOGRAPHY COOL , CREATIVE AND CONTEMPORARY

91
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© Caimi I Piccini

PHOTOGRAPHY DUO CAIMI I PICCINNI

DOCUMENT THE IMPACT OF STEELWORKS
TOXINS IN SOUTHERN ITALY

CONTACT US

Web blackandwhitephotographymag.co.uk Facebook facebook.com/blackandwhitephotog

Twitter @BWPMag Instagram@bwphotomag
Gallery-quality
giclee prints

image © Jo Froehner
from £7 delivered

Point101 specialises in giclee printing, mounting and framing. We offer a wide

selection of archival papers in matt, textured, pearl and gloss.

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setup and manage your limited edition prints, using Point101’s online tool.

We offer a friendly and professional service to all photographers. Visit our

website for more information or our contact page to book a free consultation.

Rated 9.6 / 10 on Trustpilot

point101.com
)GVQHH[QWTƂTUVQTFGTWUGpDNCEMCPFYJKVGqQPEJGEMQWV
 Change gear.
Seamlessly upgrade your setup or free up funds from your photography and filmmaking
gear. Commitment free, hassle free, risk free. Collection is free too.

MPB is the easiest way to sell your kit. Get an instant quote, get a box, get paid.

www.mpb.com
@mpbcom
 To advertise on these pages please call the Photography team
B W CLASSIFIEDS
+ on 01273 402823 or email advertising@thegmcgroup.com

Buy or sell at Manchester’s largest selection of

The Real Camera Co.

BRIGHT ROOMS
DARKROOM & STUDIO, PECKHAM, LONDON
used photographic equipment
Having trouble finding what you want? We’ve got nearly everything under one
roof, from Agfa to Zeiss, through books, cine, darkroom,
a gallery, lighting, projection, and video.

Got a question about photography? We can answer it.

Starting a college course? Want to set up a darkroom?
Baffled by digital? We can help.

The Real Camera Company. Run by enthusiasts.

Photographic retailing like it used to be.

Sevendale House, 7 Dale Street

(Entrance on Lever Street), Manchester M1 1JA

Tel/Fax: 0161 907 3236

www.realcamera.co.uk
Dedicated to the monochrome photographer

B+W
BLACK+ WHITE
OPEN ACCESS DARKROOM & STUDIO
PHOTOGRAPHY COURSES | MASTERCLASSES PHOTOGRAPHY
ALTERNATIVE PROCESSES | PRIVATE LESSONS
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INSTAGRAM & FACEBOOK: @THEBRIGHTROOMS
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Find us on Instagram
423 PECKHAM LEVELS, 95A RYE LANE, PECKHAM, LONDON, SE15 4ST
COOL, CREATIVE AND CONTEMPORARY

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EHFDXVHWKHUHVQRWKLQJ
EHWWHUIRUFDPHUDVWUDSV

ZZZHGG\FDPFRP
GLVWULEXWRU8.MRKQVRQVSKRWRSLDFRXN
&RPIRUWDEOHDQGKDUGZHDULQJ
)LQQLVKHONVNLQLVRQHRI WKHWKLFNHVWDQGÀQHVWOHDWKHUVLQWKHZRUOG7KLVKLJKTXDOLW\QDWXUDOSURGXFWWKHHUJRQRPLFGHVLJQRI WKHVWUDSDQGSDLQ
VWDNLQJDUWLVDQDOSURGXFWLRQLQDVPDOO*HUPDQIDFWRU\PDNH(''<&$0SDUWLFXODUO\FRPIRUWDEOH\HWH[WUHPHO\GXUDEOHDQGWKHUHIRUHVLPSO\XQLTXH

94 B+W CLASSIFIED JULY 2019

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 YOUR B+W LAST FRAME
Here at B+W we’re looking out for some really stunning single images that
just lend themselves to printing and mounting large scale. Each month one
talented winner will have their picture given this treatment by London’s
© Elin Dolle
state of the art printing service, theprintspace – it could be you!

96
B+W

This month’s winner is Elin Dolle from the USA who wins a 20x24in print dry-mounted on to Foamex, an exceptional quality
and highly rigid foamboard. She can choose from a range of four digital and seven fine art inkjet papers for printing.

HOW TO ENTER
Go to our website: blackandwhitephotographymag.co.uk
to submit your images or send them on a CD to: B+W Photography, Find out more at
Last Frame, GMC Publications Ltd, 86 High Street, Lewes BN7 1XN www.theprintspace.co.uk
 Refocus
your
attention
www.streetphotography.com
Our Revolution is to expose the BEST for free. To inspire & educate.
If you have outstanding street photography, street-portraits, street
art-photography, street-documentary or have something impressive
to say about the past, present or the future of street photography,
then we'd like to hear from you. Visit the website to discover more.