Black and white

Summary:

Here it is, the start of a new series with Fred Picker. The already departed master printer was also an excellent black-and-white photographer, as we can see in this series.

In the first part he analyses some pictures to show us how to achieve vividness and emotion in your photos. Similar structures for example can enhance the expressiveness of your photos. You can also attract more interest in your pictures by using optical illusions. Even after taking the shot, the moods in a photograph can be manipulated by using the different techniques in the darkroom.

Summary:

Ralph Gibson is a master of photography. Born in 1939 in Los Angeles he started his photo career in the U.S. Navy and worked as an assistant to Dorothea Lange and Robert Frank. We met up with Ralph in his parisian gallery where he told us how he works in both black & white and colour with his Leica and why he doesn't believe in digital photography.

Summary:

After studying art, Douglas Busch worked as an assistant to Morley Baer and worked with Al Webber and Ansel Adams. Early on, Busch interrupted his photographic career to join the family business and become a jeweler. But some years later his addiction resurfaced and he founded the de Golden Busch Inc., where he started to build the largest portable camera in the world.

His works ranges from early "Street Photography", to large format black and white photographs with extraordinary landscapes and cityscapes to bizarre portraits. His latest work is a highly abstract series called "Waves."
Douglas Busch's photographs can be seen at the Museum of Modern Art, NY (MoMA), the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) and the Getty Museum.

In this interview, Douglas Busch gives an overview of his artistic works.

Summary:

Richard Kalvar is an American Photographer and Magnum member since 1975. He has served as vice-president and president of this legendary photo agency.

"Kalvar's photographs are marked by a strong homogeneity of aesthetic and theme. His images frequently play on a discrepancy between the banality of a real situation and a feeling of strangeness that emerges from a particular choice of timing and framing. The result is a state of tension between two levels of interpretation, attenuated by a touch of humor." (Magnum homepage).

During the show presenting his current publication “Earthlings” in Paris, we had the chance to film this interview with him.

Summary:

The final part of the series on Fred Picker's photographic technique deals with magnification.

Professionals create proof sheets from their exposed and developed material before they print their pictures to check the quality of the shots they have taken. With a proof sheet it is easy for a photographer to determine the best negative from the range of exposures. Of course the proof sheet itself should be of the best possible quality. Watch this to find out how to get a proper proof sheet.

Summary:

The third part of the series on Fred Picker`s photographic technique is about film development.

The contrast of your photographic material can be manipulated with variations in development time. While the bright areas of the negative are developed only to a certain point, the optical density rises with increasing the development time. Using the Zone System, Fred Picker shows how you can determine development time for optimum contrast range.

Summary:

The second part of the series on Fred Picker's photographic technique is dedicated to film speed. The film speed indicated on the package of film may vary slightly from the real rate of the photographic emulsion. Professional photographers test their photographic material before they use it.

Fred Picker uses the zone system to determine the effective film speed of his material. Watch this to learn how you can obtain an optimal exposure.

Summary:

This series of films, provided by Calumet USA, is a real treasure. They feature Fred Picker, a very famous printer from the United States. Drawing on his many years of experience in photographic technique, he developed some products that are well known under the name of ZONE VI. He has also shared his knowledge in numerous photography workshops.

In this series of instructional videos, Fred gives us a glimpse into his photographic technique. Fred believed the creative side of photography is enhanced by mastering the technical aspects. Excellent results in the printing process depend on the quality of the negative.

In the introductory video, Fred shows us how to create an ideal negative. He has developed three personal tests to determine equipment specifications. To get these results, it is necessary to keep the photographic equipment simple and consistent.

Summary:

The subjects and themes that photojournalist Antonin Kratochvil seeks out have their roots in his past. He has experienced the oppression of a totalitarian regime in his past and he still protests against them in his photos.

We met him at his exhibition in Berlin and are pleased to present this impressive photographer to you.