While printing this show I have used a variety of different 16x20 glossy fibre photo papers. So far I have printed on Bergger, Agfa, Eagle, J&C and Ilford. Over the last little bit it has been only Ilford warm tone. Boy has the printing gotten easier when I reverted to a paper I know better and now have made 5 or so prints in a row using it.
I am only doing the multiple paper thing to use up my existing supplies and to save some money for future photography, so its sort of a forced thing at this point. In the future thou I plan to limit myself too one maybe two photo papers. Just like too many films, developer or cameras, too many photo papers is disastrous. Jumping around like a drunken jack rabbit from one thing to another confuses you, and dilutes the positive results you might achieve with your work. We never really really learn how to use anything well, instead of being experts on one thing we become mediocre at many things.
I need to limit myself to achieve more. As Steiglitz told Weston "Less is more"
In the future I will use only Tri-x film, only Ilford warm tone, cool tone papers and limit my camera choices to format, 35mm Lecias, 120mm Blads, 4x5 Linhof, 5x7 Linhof, 8x10 Deardorff.
Only by truly learning the tools of the trade can you become proficient with them, and only when your proficient can you make important photos. You need to feel and use everything naturally, there should be no unnecessary thought or wasted actions. If your thinking tech stuff to much or do not understand your tools because you are not familiar enough with them, everything plugs up and becomes stagnant or you make simple silly mistakes.
Jock Sturges told me he could operate his 8x10 instinctivly from behind the camera and under the dark cloth, no meter, no unnecessary delays or movements. With Sturges everything is extremely fast, natural and fluid. My friend Larry told me when he did a workshop with National Geographic photographer Steve McCurry the guy was super fast, there was no delay, no confusion, he just got the job done lightning quick. Cartier-Bresson was like that with this Leica rangefinder, and Salgado is currently like that with his Leica's and Canon digital. I want to be like that, I need to cut down on the distractions. The toys of photography mean nothing, the photographs of photography mean everything, more photographers need to learn that.
So to get back to my original point, I will use 2 photo papers and learn them, so I can understand my paper better. Eventually I will be able to print faster and better by being consistent and simple in my paper choices.
I am only doing the multiple paper thing to use up my existing supplies and to save some money for future photography, so its sort of a forced thing at this point. In the future thou I plan to limit myself too one maybe two photo papers. Just like too many films, developer or cameras, too many photo papers is disastrous. Jumping around like a drunken jack rabbit from one thing to another confuses you, and dilutes the positive results you might achieve with your work. We never really really learn how to use anything well, instead of being experts on one thing we become mediocre at many things.
I need to limit myself to achieve more. As Steiglitz told Weston "Less is more"
In the future I will use only Tri-x film, only Ilford warm tone, cool tone papers and limit my camera choices to format, 35mm Lecias, 120mm Blads, 4x5 Linhof, 5x7 Linhof, 8x10 Deardorff.
Only by truly learning the tools of the trade can you become proficient with them, and only when your proficient can you make important photos. You need to feel and use everything naturally, there should be no unnecessary thought or wasted actions. If your thinking tech stuff to much or do not understand your tools because you are not familiar enough with them, everything plugs up and becomes stagnant or you make simple silly mistakes.
Jock Sturges told me he could operate his 8x10 instinctivly from behind the camera and under the dark cloth, no meter, no unnecessary delays or movements. With Sturges everything is extremely fast, natural and fluid. My friend Larry told me when he did a workshop with National Geographic photographer Steve McCurry the guy was super fast, there was no delay, no confusion, he just got the job done lightning quick. Cartier-Bresson was like that with this Leica rangefinder, and Salgado is currently like that with his Leica's and Canon digital. I want to be like that, I need to cut down on the distractions. The toys of photography mean nothing, the photographs of photography mean everything, more photographers need to learn that.
So to get back to my original point, I will use 2 photo papers and learn them, so I can understand my paper better. Eventually I will be able to print faster and better by being consistent and simple in my paper choices.
