>
> Some one on an earler message was wondering how sudek worked his magic w/
> only one arm. I believe he had a few assistants in his time. They were
> usually women. i will look it up in my home library to see who and for
what
> periods in the man's life. I think he was also missing one eye from the
war
> accident.
> Encredibly, he choose 8x10 as the favored camera size. I'll dig up all of
> the facts which are usually different than my memory. ;-)
>
> Russell Cothren
The choice of camera size is linked with the decision he apparently took in
1940 (as stated by Ann Farova) to use contact printing only (though he did
still own a 24 by 30 enlarger.) Of course he also - and very effectively -
used a old Kodak 10 x 30 cm panoramic camera.
Also some of his contact prints are as small as 4.5 x6 cm. He wrote to
Bullaty "as you know I have the following sizes: 13 by 18, 18 by 24, 24 by
30, 30 by 40, 10 by 30, and everything is now done with borders." (these
sizes are of course metric - 18 by 24 being equivalent to 8x10)
Among assistants mentioned in the book by Sonja Bullaty - are of course
herself, his wartime assistant painter Vladimir Fuka, Dr Helbich ("friend
and occasional assistant"), Jiri Toman (who writes about assisting him with
the panoramas that 2it was an incredible sports activity. We'd leave at
9.30am the latest and be back after sunset. Breakfast in the morning and
then only photographing. Three or more cameras, material, a darkroom for the
panoramic camera, lenses, tripod, tripod heads etc....")
Sonja Bullaty of course went to New York where she lived with her husband
Angelo Lomeo; Sudek continued to send her prints and in 1976 agreed these
should form the basis of a book and exhibition. The information above is all
taken from that book (haven't time to look at the others now and some are
in Czech anyway. There may be more information I can read in the Aperture
book)
Sudek; Sonja Bullaty (introduction by Anna Farova), Clarkson N Potter, New
York, 1978 ISBN 0-517-53294-8
Well worth searching the libraries for.
Peter
Family Album/Gay Pride - http://www.dragonfire.net/~gallery/index.html
Also on Fixing Shadows: ----------- http://fermi.clas.virginia.edu/~ds8s
Future Pres and elsewhere... E-Mail: petermarshall@cix.compulink.co.uk