Analog Photography at its Best

Horst Faas, 1933-2012

Heroic photographer Horst Faas died yesterday, 10 May 2012, in Munich, at the age of 79.

He was born in Berlin in 1933 and became famous for his photographs as a combat photographer for the Associated Press, which included winning two Pulitzer prizes and mentoring young photographers covering the war in Vietnam.

In 1967 he was severely wounded in his legs by a rocket grenade and later confined to a wheel chair. You can read specific details of his remarkable life by clicking on these links:

Obituary in The Guardian and:
Obituary in the New York Times which includes a gallery of photos which can be viewed full-screen.

The following photos and captions are copyright material and courtesy of The Guardian.

A U.S. Army soldier wears a hand lettered "War Is Hell" slogan on his helmet, in Vietnam. June 18, 1965  (AP Photo/Horst Faas, File)

 

Hovering U.S. Army helicopters pour machine gun fire into a tree line to cover the advance of South Vietnamese ground troops in an attack on a Viet Cong camp 18 miles north of Tay Ninh, northwest of Saigon near the Cambodian border, in Vietnam. March 1965 (AP Photo/Horst Faas, File)

 
Women and children crouch in a muddy canal as they take cover from intense Viet Cong fire at Bao Trai, about 20 miles west of Saigon, Vietnam. Jan. 1, 1966 (AP Photo/Horst Faas, File)

 

South Vietnamese Gen. Nguyen Ngoc Loan, chief of the national police, fires his pistol into the head of suspected Viet Cong officer Nguyen Van Lem, also known as Bay Lop, on a Saigon street, early in the Tet Offensive. Feb. 1, 1968 (AP Photo/Eddie Adams, File)

 

Nine year old Kim Phuc runs down Route 1 near Trang Bang, Vietnam after an aerial napalm attack. June 8, 1972  (AP Photo/Nick Ut, File)Nine year old Kim Phuc runs down Route 1 near Trang Bang, Vietnam after an aerial napalm attack. June 8, 1972  (AP Photo/Nick Ut, File)

Memorabilia from Grant Hamilton's TimeZero World Premiere 28 April 2012

The entire cast, photo by Patrick Tobin

A full house, photo by Dave Bias

Dan Weissman, me, Grant Hamilton, photo by Dave Bias

Grant and me fist-bumping. Fran and Grant's brother in background

Courtesy The Impossible Project at this link

Grant Hamilton and me, relaxing after a few hours of filming my minor role in TimeZero in March of 2010.

Two years later, my pass for a seat down front with cast and guests

 


This explains it all -- who, when and where

I think the votes were high-fives and unanimous

The house was packed and enthusiastic. Grant Hamilton, proved he is indeed a Renaissance Man, with a full-length documentary filmed from coast to coast in the USA and in Holland and Austria. It became obvious that it must have been a herculean task to do it all, as he did, with great direction and cinematography. 

Bravissimo! 

With some good luck TimeZero should make its way to a cinema near you.

 

Grant Hamilton's film premiere: Time Zero, next Saturday, screening at 12:30

Grant Hamilton's documentary film, "Time Zero," the last year of Polaroid film, will debut at the Independent Film Festival Boston on 28 April this year. TIME ZERO: THE LAST YEAR OF POLAROID FILM Saturday April 28th, 2012 12:30pm at the Somerville Theatre 55 Davis Square, Somerville, MA Tel. 617/625-5700

Introduction by Grant Hamilton before screening at 12:30 pm

For directions: http://feitheatres.com/somerville-theatre/directions/

For ticket information:

 http://www.iffboston.org/2012/howtofest.php

 

 

30 Years of [my] Polaroid Instant Pictures

Guess what has been using up my time these last few weeks? Trying to do book production in this new mysterious way, so different from the old ways we were accustomed to. It's available at Blurb and you can now browse and buy at this link: http://www.blurb.com/bookstore/detail/3099518

Harry Callahan's Images and Space

I guess this is what I admire most about Harry, how he had the courage and conviction to use a small square format Rolleiflex for moody scenics such as those shown below. 

 

Photographer unknown, Harry Callahan in early middle age


Harry Callahan, Eleanor and Barbara, place and date unknown

Harry Callahan, Eleanor and Barbara, Chicago, 1953

 

Harry Callahan, Eleanor and Barbara, Lake Michigan, 1953

 

 Harry Callahan, Eleanor and Barbara, Chicago, 1954

Harry Callahan, Siena, Italy, 1968

Harry Callahan, Cape Cod, 1972


Harry Callahan, Cape Cod, 1972

Harry Callahan, Cape Cod, date and beach unknown

Paul Strand, 1890-1976

Walter Rosenblum, Paul Strand, 1973

Paul Strand had been born in New York City of Bohemian Czech parents but spent the end of his days living in France, where for the first time in his life he had a permanent darkroom in his own home. 

Strand was greatly influenced by Alfred Stieglitz (see also Categories) and had studied with Lewis Hine  at The Ethical Culture Fieldston School, who was influenced by the Danish-American reformer and photographer Jacob Riis. 

Paul Strand, From the El, 1915. Platinum print

 
Paul Strand, Blind, 1916. Platinum print



Paul Strand, Abstraction, Twin Lakes, Connecticut, 1916. Silver platinum print

Strand later traveled all over the world, taking still photographs and making motion picture films. Manhatta was one of his most famous was a collaboration with painter Charles Sheeler that can be found at this link.

 One of my favorite books is Un Paese, for which Strand supplied the photos and Italian screenwriter Cesare Zavattini documented what life was like in 1952 just after World War II in his home town of Luzzara in the Po Valley of Reggio Emilia in northern Italy. Copies of the book can still be found at links such as ABE books.

I recently discovered a fascinating documentary film about Strand from Netflix: Under the Dark Cloth. It can also be found on YouTube.

Other recommended reference material abounds, including the following:

http://www.getty.edu/art/gettyguide/artMakerDetails?maker=1899

http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/pstd/hd_pstd.htm

http://knordnes.wordpress.com/2010/10/21/paul-strand-research/

 

Lillian Bassman 1917-2012

Thanks to Art in America for the photo

Lillian Bassman's death at 94 was recently covered by major print media in New York City and Los Angeles. I remember her name but not her style, so I Googled her and found some remarkable work to share with you. You can read the details of her life in those two articles so there would be no point in my simply rehashing her astonishing history and rise to fame. Her photos tell an interesting story as well.

Lillian Bassman, Untitled, date unknown

I couldn't find any information about this very typical Bassman pose and print but this and the photo below are very indicative of her unique style of the mid- to late 20th century.

 

Lillian Bassman, Translucent gown for Harper's Bazaar, mid 1950s

Thanks to the Tartan Spartan.

 

Lillian Bassman, Wonders of Water, Harper's Bazaar, 1959

Found on Fffound.

 

Lillian Bassman, Carmen, Harper's Bazaar, circa 1963

 

Lillian Bassman, Olga Pantushenkova, Paris, 1996

The hat is by Christian Lacroix Haute Couture, thanks to a great find in Filth in the Beast blog.

Last but far from least:

Imagine my surprise in finding this among examples of her work on a couple of blogs.

It seems as though the photographer was Horst, not Bassman, and very similar to the Vogue cover which was actually used in the UK edition, below.

Horst [Horst Paul Albert Bohrmann], Lisa Fonssagrives for Vogue (UK) cover for August 1940

[Screen capture from website of Phillips de Pury, France]

Chloe Aftel photographs love

More great photos by Chloe Aftel.

Chloe Aftel, Brittany, 2011

Polaroid Spectra Camera shooting Impossible Color film in natural light.

Chloe Aftel, Moran, 2010

Hasselblad camera shooting Kodak 400 film in natural light.

 

Chloe Aftel, Fashion Story, 2010

Hasselblad camera using Kodak 160vc film in natural light.

 

Chloe Aftel, Olivia, 2011

Canon Eos 1v camera with Kodak 160 nc Film in natural light.

 

Chloe Aftel, Becoming, A double exposure with a Polaroid Spectra camera using old Polaroid Spectra film

 

The printed cover

 

Model Karen Elson for Flaunt magazine, 2010, on Kodak Portra 160 VC  film on a Hasselblad 501 with 120 mm lens.

That Very Special Film in the Yellow Box

Paul Giambarba, Ruth Giambarba and the Polaroid peel, 1962, Kodak Tri-X film

 

Photographer unknown, George Eastman and Thomas Edison, 1889. © copyright Eastman Kodak Company

 

Ruth Tremaine Giambarba (1932-1978), Paul and children, Caprera, Sardinia, 1971, Kodachrome film.

I wish I knew where this came from so I could acknowledge the photographer. Much obliged!

Elizerman [Elizabeth Herman] - Leica and Rollei

Sorry for the delay, dear patient viewer.

Here are more from Elizerman on conventional analog film enhanced by her remarkable talent with a Leica M6 and a Rolleiflex T. 

Elizerman, Berlin, Kreuzberg 93, 2009

 

Elizerman, Street Berlin, 2009

 

Elizerman, Stockholm 2000, 2009

 

Elizerman, Oykel River, Scotland, 2010

 

Elizerman, Both, Self portrait, 2010

 

Elizerman, Philippe, 2009

 

Elizerman_Ullapool, the FBI pub, 2010

 

Elizerman, Paysanages, 2009

 

Elizerman, Isabella, 2009

Obviously, the rectangular photos were taken with the Leica M6 and the square formats with the Rolleiflex T.