wildbrush's art.to.day - my introduction about photography

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wildbrush's art.to.day - my introduction about photography -

When I started this website in November 1999, I put on display one handmade picture I was proud of. The basic structure of the site turned out to be very flexible. But as this is my first web project, I underestimated the time needed for maintenances. Currently, there is only a very limited selection of my pictures on display.

Neither this website nor my photography in general have commercial goals. But it's my pleasure to see that my photography seems to have some value for other people as well.

Please contact me if you would like to see more.

Equipment

After many experiments I work with one camera: NIKON F4s in 35mm format. I have developed a strong preference for zoom lenses up to 300 mm over the last two decades. This lens gave me the wide range for the composition of my pictures. Preferably the range between 150 and 240 mm creates the vision of the final picture that I have in my mind.

I have found several film/developer combinations that I like. In B&W my favorite films are Ilford HP5 400 and Kodak TMAX 100 PRO. In colour my favorite film is Fuji Superia 200. I have discovered Kodak Xtol recently and I appreciate this developer very much for its quality and flexibility. In the darkroom, I use a Philips enlarger CGS 130 with a Fujimoto 1:2.8/50mm. I haven't found a convincing paper/positive developer combination yet. So I use a huge selection of various papers from Agfa, Barnet, Forte, Ilford, Kentmere, Kodak, Oriental Seagull, Maco, Paterson, Process, Sterling and Tetenal. This range gives me the base for the working mood I am in and the best choice for a specific motive and it's result. Because of processing convenience, I prefer RC paper. Sterling PRO RC VC is my favorite. But I like also the fiber based papers for their very good and deep blacks. My chemistry is mostly from Ilford, some from Fotospeed.

Notes on Black-And-White Photography

• Background

I am a semi amateur/professional photographer based in London, United Kingdom. Two years ago, I discovered basic black-and-white darkroom work during my mature student time at the Uxbridge College, London, UK and my fascination is still growing. In this college I learned the basics of b/w processing and I also learnt at home with a lot of books and a huge waste paper basket.

• Black-And-White as one Process?

Our visual information today are overloaded by colour. Seeing everything in colour is the normal process of viewing. But I like the reduction to one colour scheme (monochrome). This is my preferred working method. The eye and the brain are not used to this sort of monochrome view. Pictures in monochrome are standing out of the usual captured images. I like the range of one colour going from light to very dark shades of its value. This is opposite to my colour feeling when I am painting. There I use very strong colour contrasts and create very colorful images. Previsualisation (or rather the vision in mind) is most important for me. In my brain I work out the final image and in the working process I try to get as close as possible.

I do the first print from a good negative in black and white. Than I visualize the same print in one colour scheme. Therefore I studied on my own the lith printing process. (...it is the explanation for my huge range of photographic papers.) My goal is not to produce colour-prints but the touch of monochromatic appearance in a colour mood. That gives my prints mostly an surrealistic touch. That is the style in painting where I am coming from. I like to mix reality with fantasy and to make things looking strange. One part of that strange looking is the pseudo solarization effect - also called 'Sabattier-effect'.

I am also keen to find new ways of printing processes and like to experiment around. My working approach is a lith printing process in which I can control on top of all the solarization effect.

• Aesthetics

Making a 'black-and-white' coloured print hasn't anything to do with documenting reality. In my opinion the photographically artist has to produce his own view of our world. The way he is seeing 'his world'. Experimenting with deviations from this value in the darkroom is the real challenge.
I try to create monochrome pictures with distinct aesthetic features. I hope that I can develop my printing techniques to a more sophisticated level. Your advice is very welcome, by the way.

• Motive

I do prefer specific motives which shows a strange mixtures of reality - sometimes going into extremes. This is the way I am thinking and visualizing my daydreams. With my camera I try to capture those extremes outside/in the field or arrange them at home. In the printing process I give them the last touch by introducing experimental image building in the darkroom.

Other Photographers

I do not have any specific photographer as an idol but I am impressed by a lot of them. I realise immediately good work which tends towards my own way of thinking/working. I do not want to copy any existing style which made already a big name. I try to be unique on my own.

Digital Imaging

When I work on pixel base I use a (today very old) 300Mhz Windows-System, a Linotype-Hell Sapphire scanner and scan in RGB mode at a resolution of 300 dpi from paper prints. Afterwards I use a vast range of software to produce the image which I bear in mind. I also create scenes in 'Bryce software' because it gives me the possibility to build my own reality in a super-naturalistic/surreal style. And this I have done for many, many years. But than there was a point when I realized that my way of working is in the darkroom. Because the darkroom is truth.

Digital photography with all it's 'after-work' (using software filters and plug-ins) may be the step into the 3rd millennium. I see already younger generations playing funny games with this electronic toys.
For many years I used the same toys but for me they where tools to express myself. The younger generation will use the buttons on their keyboards because the software is built to produce something funny - not artistically. 'Having Photoshop' is their darkroom. And if they produce a mistake or unpleasant image they push the 'undo-button'. But there isn't one in the darkroom! That is the difference: previsualisation or playing with surprise.
Browsing through today's photo magazines shows the result. Digital images with a 'twirl-filter' or something similar are hype. And editors jump onto the trend. That will be the future of photography. But not mine. I have done it already years ago to an excess and now I am back in the reality.

But maybe I would like to take pictures in addition on a digital base. Saving time and the danger of mistakes by developing them in the own darkroom. Also deciding on the spot if a picture is well done and worth to keep it, and work on it with the normal camera or at home at the computer.

Here is the point where digital imaging and darkroom come across: I have to produce real negatives from bytes.

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