Re: Shooting for Alternative Processes

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From: Dave Rose (photo@wir.net)
Date: 06/26/01-07:26:53 AM Z


My primary interests are nature/landscape subjects. My approach to taking
pictures is to just go out exploring with my 4x5 and Nikon. When I have
preconceived notions about what/how I'm going to photograph, the results are
often 'forced' and less than satisfying. My best work is the often the
result of stumbling on the unexpected - something just 'grabs me', and I
respond. When I've taken an exceptional photo, I usually know it the
instant I release the shutter. I strive to be open and spontaneous, and my
technique (Zone system, etc....) is well-honed to the point of being almost
automatic, requiring little thought. I'll often photograph a subject in
both B&W and color. Not indecision on my part, but because I like to have
as many options as possible in the darkroom.

The decision to print an image as Cyanotype or Gum often comes later, in the
darkroom. Indeed, some of my best gum prints are the result of digging
through my negative files and thinking "wonder how this would look as a gum
print?" Certain subjects lend themselves to gum. For example, I have an
extensive collection of Indian Rock Art (petroglyph & pictograph)
photographs. Printing these on Cibachrome was an exercise in frustration.
Printed in gum, these images come to life.

"How do we pump our blood back into an image?"

For me, capturing the image out in the field is the 'make or break' moment.
If I've done a good job there, everything else falls into place in the
darkroom.

Best regards,
Dave Rose
Cactus Cowboy
Big Wonderful Wyoming

(snip)
> Joe, at what point do you begin to have a sense of the image you want to
> create?
> And Gary, would you agree that there is a huge distinction between
technique
> and process? We so often discuss techniques on this list but for me
> alternative processes is more than technique....it's another way of
> approaching the construction of a visual image using photography. And much
> too often do we get carried away with the technique and/or subject matter
> omitting the soul of the image. How do we pump our blood back into an
image?
> Ernestine
>
> Ernestine Ruben


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