Helen Levitt - fifty years of New York street photography

 

Helen Levitt was a native New Yorker, born in Brooklyn in 1913, and remained in the city until her death aged 95 in 2009. A quiet and introspective woman who never married she rarely sought fame or fortune but spent nearly seventy years photographing the streets of the city. She dropped out of school and learned to develop photographs in a darkroom before starting work for the commercial photographer J Florian Mitchell.

She first realised that photography could be art as well as commercial when she visited and exhibition of Henri Cartier-Bresson at the Julien Levy Gallery. The show influenced her work for many years and she began using her mother's friends as models using a second-hand Voigtlander camera. She even met Cartier-Bresson in New York and spent a day shooting on the streets with him later in life as her reputation was established.

Teaching children art in the mid-1930's she became interested in the chalk drawings many drew on the streeets at the time and started photographing them with her new Leica. The results were not published until 1987 in a book "In The Street: chalk drawings and messages NYC 1938-1948". But her interest in street photography was born and she continued taking pictures in the Manhatten districts. The lack of TV and air conditioning meant that people lived a large part of their lives on the streets. Later she would bemoan the loss of children outdoors saying "Children used to be outside. Now the streets are empty. People are indoors looking at television or something".

Her work was first published in Fortune magazine in 1939 and she received a grant from MOMA in 1946. Meeting the photographer James Agee through Walker Evans she was persuaded to try colour and from the 1950's onward shot in both colour and black and white feeling equally at ease with both. This pioneering work in colour was recognised by the Guggenheim Foundation in 1959 and 1960. Yet, while she had a strong reputation she remained pretty much unknown outside the photographic world and rarely gave interviews or talked about her work or motivations.

By 1965 her first major publication "A Way of Seeing" was published. Sadly much of her colour work up to this time was stolen in a burglary of her apartment in 1970. Arguably her most influential work was not published until 2005, "Slide Show: The Colour Photographs of Helen Levitt". She became a Fellow of the National Endowment of the Arts in America in 1976 and in 1988 a peer award from The Friends of Photography in California. Less known and recognised was the work she undertook on films, mainly documnetary, which included editing with Luis Bunuel. 

Her reputation grew during the 1990's and into the 21st Century and she is now recognised as one of the leading street photographers of her time and a pioneer of colour work and of the New York School of photographers alongside Saul Leiter and William Eggleston. Sadly, like many women photographers she has had to wait quite a while for her reputation to grow and for her work to now be collected and feted with retrospectives. Luckily for us (pandemic allowing) we will be able to see her work at the Photographers Gallery in November 2021 https://thephotographersgallery.org.uk/ 

You can see more on her life and work on these sites :-

https://www.lensculture.com/articles/helen-levitt-helen-levitt-new-york-streets-1938-to-1990s

https://www.icp.org/browse/archive/constituents/helen-levitt?all/all/all/all/0 

Artsnet

Ruud van Empel - Extreme Photoshopping

 

Ruud van Empel (seen above with one of his tree compositions at Beetles Huxley Gallery in London) is a Dutch photographer whose collaged approach is demanding and unique. Born in 1958 in Breda in the Netherlands he attended the Academy of Fine Arts in Breda between 1976 and 1981. He now lives and works in Amsterdam. His wok is sold and exhibited world wide and he has pieces in many international museums and art galleries.

After leaving college he started to create a new realism with the many photographs he took using traditional cut and paste techniques with some re-touching. It is fair to say that he re-invented photography at this time, adding a genre that did not really exist in the manner in which he explored it. He continued with this method into the 1990's but switched to digital processing in 1995.

Unlike some who try to achieve a surreal approach in his finished pieces he wants to maintain a naturalistic realism in his work, even when the juxtapositions seem odd. He is constantly taking pictures to work with and, whilst many of his pieces consider the natural surroundings, he often uses people and especially children in his work.

 Highly contrived and vividly coloured, van Empel’s photographs evoke the theatrical and uncanny, mirroring scenes we recognise with a disturbing, dreamlike quality. Birds and butterflies appear in odd sizes as part of a forest scene and yet the scenes are familiar to us.

The detail and care taken in the placement of objects, in the creation of light and space as well as the careful colouring shows how intensely his pictures are worked. You can find out more at his website https://ruudvanempel.nl/ 

 ...and here with a short video of him at work thanks to his London representatives Huxley Parlour Gallery https://huxleyparlour.com/artists/ruud-van-empel/ 

Photography of the built environment

 Adam Leitch - Bosjes Chapel, Capetown

The built environment is all around us and provides many opportunities for photographers. Whether in urban or rural areas, whether a spectacular architectural masterpiece or a run down shack, whether internal or external the possibilities are endless. They may provide a good opportunity to record the present for posterity or create a wonderful abstract picture that will make people look twice. The problem is we often walk past places which give us these opportunites or are not sure how to make the best of them. Here I consider the main things you should think about and the tools you will need.

Yao Li - Dongzhuang Building Museum, China

As photography is all about light you will have to pay close attention to the time of day that you take your photographs, as well as weather conditions. If shooting an indoor scene then where does the light fall at different times of day? Will you need to supplement that and if so is flash best (and can you use it) or will you need more substantial directed light or even to paint the space with  torchlight whilst on a long exposure? Think about how you want the final image to look before you start shooting. When outdoors consider whether you want bright sunlight or moody shadow, reflected evening light or rain slicked pavements and windows. Also consider the immediate surroundings. Are there specific elements that would add interest or context to the final image? The Photographers Emphemeris ( https://www.photoephemeris.com/ ) is easily downloaded onto your tablet or smartphone for a small charge and helps track the movement of light in any place in the world across any day or time you care to mention.  The photograph below are taken by me and seeks to illustrate a couple of these points. It shows the Chrysler Building in New York and I quite deliberately sought an angle to show the street lamp as well as the building itself as I felt this helped to both frame the building and describe the enormous scale. The evening light caught the top of the building and the cloud was low so as not to interfere with the outline of the building itself. The overhanging branches filled an otherwise empty space and shooting in mono meant that distracting colour allowed the building itself to take centre stage. 

Nigel Walker - Chrysler Building, New York

The second important consideration beyond light is position. Do you want to show a part of a building or all of it? Are you going for an abstraction or a representation? Are you showing it in context with the sort of life and people it attracts or standing alone with no human involvement? If you are going to try a whole building approach then where is the best vantage point? As the human figure can be important or a distraction also consider how you might make the building appear empty or full of ghosts and shoot at a slow speed or with muliple exposures that can merge figures or make them disappear. The picture below of the Guggenheim in Bilbao took me three days to work out the best available vantage point having tried several others, at least one of which was thwarted by poor light and another by rain. So be prepared to walk around and explore possible angles.

Nigel Walker - Guggenheim Gallery, Bilbao

The last big consideration is the lense that you use. Clearly a standard lense can be used but a wide angle or telephoto can be very useful depending on the shot you might want. Although more specialist a tilt/shift lense can come in handy for, as the name implies, these lenses allow you to tilt and shift the focal plane, or the perspective, of the lens and reduce perspective distortion. This way you can straighten converging lines, minimize a large subject, and more. They are sometimes complex to use and the best will cost around £2000 new although used ones can often be picked up from reputable dealers for half that price. As you won't use it much I suggest you could also hire one from around £40 for a weekend to £240 for a couple of weeks. Search the internet and use reviews on sites like Trustpilot to get the best deals.

Nigel Walker - Barn, Dordogne

Finally remember that it doesn't have to always be the most recent and gobsmacking architecture that you look for. This old barn, heavy with ivy and sitting at the back of a field of dying sunflowers caught my eye in rural France and I very much enjoyed taking it, although having seen it a couple of days before I had to time my return so that the sun caught the end of it towards late afternoon. So get out, keep you eyes open and your minds working and enjoy yourselves.

52 Assignments - A practical series of photography books

 

52 Assignments - Landscape Photography by Ross Hoddinott and Mark Bauer is one of the books in the 52 Assignment series recently published which could prove informative and helpful to any photographer. Ross Hoddinott is a multi-award winning photographer of natural history and landscape while Mark Bauer is also a landscape photographer who runs excellent workshops in the UK. So both know their stuff. Other books in this series cover topics such as nature, street, experimental and travel and are written by photographers with expertise in that field. All are recent and so the information in them is up-to-date. For this blog we'll stick with Landscape as an example.

The book starts with an overview of the 52 weekly assignments which are comprehensive as you can see. From the basics of composition and technical advice on specific topics such as shooting a sunset, to printing and selling work online are all covered here. The books are also well sized to take with you when you are following the assignment.

Each assignment is headed with any special kit or tips that you should consider as well as some of the practical steps to getting the shot you want, along, of course, with examples.

The above shot suggests online resources too that can help you time your arrival for the best shots and reminds you that the sun can continue to give perfect and interesting light beyond the time it sinks below the horizon.

Following the simple assignments not only helps you get excellent shots (provided the weather plays ball) but adds a wealth of information that will be relevant for much longer. All the books can be bought online but as prices vary considerably do shop around. For anyone looking for a reasonably priced Christmas or birthday present for a photographer this series could be very helpful.

Great British - John Blakemore

 

There are probably few living photographers who have been as influential as John Blakemore over the years. Yet his star does not burn as brightly as Bailey, McCullin or Parr, whom most people would name immediately. 

Blakemore was born in 1936 and discovered photography while on national service with the RAF in Aden. Self-taught, as most people were at that time, he returned to his hometown of Coventry determined to record the re-construction of the city. He had become inspired by Edward Steichen's "The Family of Man" which he had seen in a copy of Picture Post sent by his mother while abroad.

He worked as a photographer initially for Black Star agency and then in a number of studios producing portraits and commercial work. He also became a printer of black and white photographs - of which he has become a master over the years learning, and using, the Zone System made famous by Ansel Adams

After a spell as a photographer at Courtaulds he left Coventry and joined his friend Richard Sadler as a lecturer of creative photography at Derby College of Art, later becoming Emeritus Professor of Photography at Derby University where he taught from 1970 until 2001.

Landscapes and still life are his main subjects and he is known for his handmade books, many of which are now in his archive in the Library of Birmingham. He has consistently championed the British countryside and landscape, working in the same small areas for many years to develop a close relationship and understanding of them. Working mainly in black and white he says that "the silver print is my chosen and primary means of expression". His book, "John Blakemore's Black and White Photography Workshop" is still held as a masterclass in landscape work. His landscape work has been described as richly nuanced which comes, at least aprtly from his printing techniques.

He is also famous for photographing tulips for over a decade of which he says "The tulip journey, then, was ultimately a visual journey, an investigation and discovery of visual possibilities. The tulip became an object of attention and fascination. It became both text and pretext for an activity of picture-making. The photographs are not finally, or not primarily, about tulips: they contain tulips. To say this is not to diminish the role of the tulip. Had the vase of flowers on the table when I made the first tentative exposures exploring the space of my kitchen been, let’s say daffodils, then the journey, if it had ever begun, would in all probability have been shorter. The daffodil, although it is a delightful flower, exhibits a stubborn rigidity of form; it lives and dies at attention. The tulip, however, is a flower of constant metamorphosis; it stretches towards the light and gestures to occupy the space." And that observation, perhaps, say what all photography is about.

You can visit his website here :- https://www.johnblakemore.co.uk/ 

There is also a recorded talk by him presenting his work from 1955 - 2016 at the Meeting of Minds conference in 2017 here;- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oa8woJC-0lg

Seven great You Tube sites to help you as a photographer

 

It is arguable that photography is far more complex these days than it ever was in the days of film. It isn't that it is simpler but the digital proliferation of equipment, lighting, programmes for post production, techniques and ways of showing work are thrown at photographers from all directions. At the same time the internet can provide more free help than was ever available even twenty years ago. So in these days of lockdown what better than to be able to access some new skills, improve old ones, or even think about trying something different. 

The problem is which help to turn to. The internet is awash but some sites are far better and more reliable than others. This blog concentrates on You Tube, which is one of the most accesible ways of getting help because it is highly visual and provides commentary yet can be variable in the way in which advice is presented. You can also halt a presentation or re-run it so as not to miss anything. The seven links provided here are a starting point to You Tube Channels I have found extremely helpful. Each example covers a different aspect of the sort of help you may want. If you find the examples I have included here useful then I suggest you subscribe to the channel so that you automatically get updates when a new programme is released. Equally if you want to find out more about the channel you can click on the their icon which will take you to their home and show you many more of their You Tube videos. Most of these are American but don't be put off by that although some interpretation may occasionally be needed !! 

ONE

PHLearn is a site that teaches Photoshop in easy stages. This seems to be the most used package in digital post production. This particular link takes you to a lesson in using the recent sky replacement tool as an example. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ognLpUNLDwM          

TWO

Tony and Chelsea Northup have some great reviews of kit and cameras - such as this one for anyone thinking of buying the new Canon EOS R5 (for instance). They give good reviews and are not afraid to point out the drawbacks too. In addition they have a live broadcasts on Thursdays which are sometimes worth watching depending on the topic.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=93XjksrZKgQ  

THREE

COOPH proves that you don't need expensisve lighting or equipment to play a few tricks and make your photos stand out.... includes using smartphones and home shooting.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nIRpw_O5VzI   

FOUR

This community, SLR Lounge, is dedicated to helping photographers think more about what they are doing and why. Run by working, professional photographers there are a variety of discussions and tips. This one considers whether articifical intelligence is ruining photography. Bet you had never considered that before - or at least not framed in that way...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZfHt0fMKRF4 

FIVE

One of my favourite channels with photographer Jay P Morgan who has a no nonsense approach to advice. Simple, direct and always useful. The Slanted Lense covers a variety of topics but his advice on the use of lighting, indoors and out, is invaluable.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VfF3-5qgyn4 

SIX

Possibly the most common photographic genre is landscape photography. It is accessible to all and costs nothing. Beauty abounds and changing light and seasons makes it endlessly variable. So here is Thomas Heaton, an English landscape photographer, to help you think about how to make those landscapes even better....although this one looks at why it took him two years to decide to make a photo book of his work.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jOkc4MamYgE 

SEVEN

Anthony Morganti provides by far the best help in learning the complexities of Lightroom. If you shoot in RAW then Lightroom really is the best programme to use for my money. But it is big and it is that size that makes it so good. You will never learn all the complexities by sitting and fiddling with it so someone like Morganti to guide you through it is worth having on hand

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T0f0NiDBPbk 

If you have enjoyed this blog or found it useful then why not subscribe and allow new ones to find their way to your inbox automatically. Feel free to leave a message for me as well. I'm always interested in the thoughts of others, including new sites which I have not yet come across. 

In My Room - a book of intimate photographs by Saul Leiter

 

Saul Leiter is known to many as one of the original New York street photographers, and notably one of the first to use colour film during the 1950's. What some may not know is that during his life he shot thousands of mono pictures of his wives, lovers and friends in his flat and small studio on East 10th Street.

In this excellent book "In My Room", with an introduction by Carole Naggar and afterword by Robert Benson, are shown a very small sample from this collection. In his afterword Benson writes "The women in these photographs are unguarded: they are naked, not nude......They are just out there, these women, frail, beautiful and deeply human." The intimacy with which Leiter worked is clear and palpable. The models are people he knows, and who trust him, which could explain why they were viewed as so private. Shot between 1952 and the early seventies they use natural light, which softens them and gives an almost accidental feel. 

They could be voyeuristic apart from the fact that we know they were shot with complicity from those involved. Many just show the preparations for everyday life. Others are more sensuous and personal. All feel as though you are being allowed into a small private world of tenderness. They could never be described as salacious. Rather they are uninhibited. The pictures are massively different from the very controlled portraits and fashion shoots he did for Harper's Bazaar, Elle, Vogue, Esquire and other top magazines with experienced models.

Some are almost abstractions which his use of black and white allows. many hold the feeling of his love for Japanese art, as he himself first studied painting.

In her introduction Naggar says "Leiter's nudes have a spontaneous and romantic quality, like the scattered pages of a diary, or stills from early movies.......Leiter's gaze is not that of the typical male: the women can be in turn shy, aggressive, or playful, but they are always partners and full participants in a give-and-take...". 

For anyone wishing to photograph women there are some wonderful lessons to be learned here about closeness and trust.

"In My Room" by Saul Leiter with an introduction by Carole Naggar and an afterword by Robert Benton is published by Steidl (ISBN 978-3-95829-103-4). 

An interview with Margit Erb of the Saul Leiter Foundation about the work can be seen here - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9yz-301syQ0