First 120 Film Pictures

Am finished developing my 35mm stuff now moving on to the final lot of medium format b/w film. I shot a tiny bit of 120 Tri-x with a 65mm Fuji range-finder camera, here are a few scans. The photographs were made in Klong Toey slum, Bangkok.

Young Ali

Last night looking through a Christie's photograph auction catalog I found a wonderful simple portrait by Paul Strand. The image is of a young Egyptian boy made in 1959. I love the dignity and strength of the portrait, this is what I want to do, make photos of ordinary folk that shows a trueness to their selves.

Darwin

Contacted a friend who I had not talked to in 10 years plus yesterday. Where was he? The guy was on a fricking sailboat on the Caribbean not to far from Cuba. Now that living life! He bought a sailboat with a friend and sailed down the Eastern USA around Florida and across to Cuba. He will continue on down to the Panama Canal before heading North past Central America, Mexico and the Western States he will arrive back in Canada at Victoria some many many months from now.

Way to go Darwin, enjoy yourself, experience life, it's the best story I have heard of in a long time! So many people I know sort of go through life day by day not really doing much, the time passes by and then your old and feeble and physically unable to do the things you might want to do. Darwin is seizing life as a young man and living it to the fullest. Have safe travels my friend and no hand gliding!

Vincent

I got my small library room all finished last night, got all the books off the floor of my basement and stacked on shelves neatly in the library room upstairs. It is great to have a place to go now that has all the books in one room, I can study what I want when I want and not be crawling around on the ground looking in big heaping piles for one lost title.

Last night was looking over a book on Impressionists, this painting, Flowering Branch of Almond Tree by Van Gogh caught my eye, he had such a joy for life, for seeing and finding the beauty in the simplest forms.

Zone Testing

Got the Linhof 4x5 out and did some testing with Tri-x. I want to try some zone portrait photography over the next while. I used a standard reflected meter set at a ASA of 100 this last trip for the Khon Thai portraits. I found most exposures ok but at times they were also off a bit. I want to try to zone the tri-x and use a spot meter over the next while to see if I can improve my exposure and the tonality of my negs. I am unsure of where to place Thai skin on a zone system scale but I guess that will come with experience.

Will do the tests over the next few days (hate testing!) and see if it improves the quality of the negs.

Next trip I also want to try using a reflector in the portraits as Sturges recommended, especially to bring up the light a bit in the faces of people wearing hats.

Days Off

Am on my days off trying to organize things and doing some darkroom work as well. In the dark I am trying to finish off all my film development, done the 4x5 b/w film now completing the 35mm b/w followed by the 120 b/w. I am going to pick up C -41 chemistry tomorrow (over $1100 CAD) form a buddy who ordered it for me, with that chemistry I can complete the 220 color head shot film as well.

I also have a large film order in the works for the next trip to Thailand, it looks like that will cost another $2500 or so, damn this is expensive. Spending money on film seems different , feels better, I do not need any more camera/darkroom gear but film is different, film means your shooting and creating new work. The film order will be made up of 500 sheets of 5x7 and 1000 sheets of 4x5 Tri-x, plus 500 feet of bulk 35mm.

Spent yesterday hauling and arranging books. I have many photo books and they were sort of spread around the house mostly on the floor in my basement! I use the books for enjoyment and education and it was very frustrating to not be able to grab a book anytime I needed it. Last week I wanted to study Eugene Atget and I could not find the new book I recently got on him. I decided enough is enough and finished some book shelves in a upstairs library room (former small bedroom). I now have my books on the wall but not very well organized, at least they are in one place! Just counted the shelves, I have 15 - 4 foot long shelves loaded down with photography books and magazines of various types. Wonder how much all of this cost me? Somethings are better not to know!

The books are a great way to study and learn, to look at the work of others as well as technical books on a daily basis is a joy. I am a self taught photographer, all my knowledge comes from books, friends and shooting. There is also one self of art books in general that I try to study but with less success : ) Reading about Henri Matisse currently, love the direct simplicity of his lines thou doubt creating them was that simple.

Read recently (Milton Rogovin) of the importance of poetry so going to try to read some poetry, thou I usually do not do to well there, it tends to confuse me and put me to sleep.

Well going to get some food and then off to the darkroom to develop the test zone sheets and the last of the 35mm from the trip.

Quote: W. Eugene Smith

"Subjectivity is not a crime."

Quote: Bruce Barnbaum (Photographer)

"To me the important thing in making a visual statement is pleasing yourself, and then doing whatever must be done to bring that satisfaction to the highest level."

Youtube Darkroom Lessons

Been enjoying watching these darkroom lessons on youtube provided by Tom Johnston.

http://www.youtube.com/user/ZoneIII?blend=18&ob=5

Final Khon Thai Part 2

Finished developing all my 4x5 b/w film from the trip, here are the final scans.

Email Down Again

My contact@gerryyaum.com email is down again, the second time in the last few months. I am not sure why this is happening but if you need to reach me you can reach me at my gmail email.

gerryyaum@gmail.com

Quotes: W. Eugene Smith

"Negatives are the notebooks, the jottings, the false starts, the whims, the poor drafts, and the good draft-but never the completed version of the work...The print- and a proper one-is the only completed photograph, whether it is specifically shaded for reproductions or the museum wall. Negatives are private, as is my bedroom..."

Writing about his massive Pittsburgh project.

"I would say a great part of my finest work is of participation rather than observation."

He envisioned himself:

"in quest of de-veiling the mysteries"

His objective was:

"symbolization of the universal."

Quote: Sebastiao Salgado

"What I want is for my photographs to be the subject of discussion. I believe that photographers who get involved in social journalism are kind of like vectors that bring facts to the eyes of those who do not have the opportunity of seeing them directly."

Final Khon Thai Shots ( For Now!)

These scans are from the last box of 4x5 Khon Thai photos.

Cityscape/Slumscape

The environment that surrounds the people speaks about the people, sort of an indirect portrait. I think I will work and do landscapes/cityscapes (slumscapes) in the Khon Thai series of photographs. Here are some of the first attempts. Need to study the work of Eugene Atget more, his work on Paris is magnificent.

Indoor 4x5 With Flash

Shot a few 4x5 b/w flash photos when I did the color heads, not sure they work but wanted to experiment a bit with portable flash indoors with the 4x5.

New Khon Thai 4x5 Photographs

This is about it when it comes to new 4x5 Khon Thai photos, I only shot a bit of this style of image on the streets of Thailand (once I built up my nerve!). I hope to continue shooting this way with 4x5 and 5x7 cameras in the future. I want to bring in reflectors if possible to help with the lighting as Jock Sturges recommended to me. I also want to capture a wider variety of people. Do not want to do TYPES as August Sander classified them, that seems to class oriented. I just want to meet people from all parts of society and record who they are on a piece of film, to show the" commonality of all man/womankind" as Paul Strand would say.If all goes well over the next couple of years in this style of shooting I might move up to using a 8x10 camera on the streets/roads/all areas of Thailand.

Tonight am developing my last box of 4x5 b/w Tri-x film (have a few sheets of color Portra as well do yet). I am very excited about the prospect of shooting more Khon Thai large format street portraiture later this year. I am mostly over my fears of shooting the large camera on the street, now I just need to save money so I can afford 5 more weeks of making photographs in Thailand.

Note: the second shot of the man from Klong Toey slum was made with flash added. I think I prefer using daylight only but the flash will allow me to shoot in low light situations (indoors, late evening etc).

Help From A Stranger

Sometimes you meet good people by accident, people who help you and encourage your work. A while back I got a new (old/used) camera, a 5x7 Linhof. I want to use this camera my next trip (this year) to Thailand to work on my Khon Thai Series with 900 sheets of Tri-x 5x7 I bought off EBay at a discount a few years back ( need to shoot it before it gets to outdated). The film cost me more than the camera so I thought it was a smart investment. The camera came cheap but it did not include any lens boards, so I searched online but got no where. I then went to my favorite photography user group and asked for help. Here is an message I received today from one of the people I met online:

Hey Gerry,

The lens boards are on their way, via a USPS Priority Mail Flat Rate envelope to Canada.

In addition to the two boards I described, I found another lens board that I'm sending. It was with a 250mm Heliar (I think), and the previous owner had mounted the flange to the board. I removed the flange and used it as a jam nut, but you may find a use for this board, too. And you may be able to mount a three-hole flange in the original holes, so I included the three screws.

Forget about the postage reimbursement—I'd like to consider it a donation to help with your wonderful work. I remember admiring your work when you posted some images on ---- or maybe --- some time ago, and just recently I went back and reviewed your ---- gallery again. Well done!

Good luck with your trip! E


When your down about your work or you get lazy and wonder if its all worth it you meet a stranger like E who helps you without asking for anything in return. He encouraged me, gave me a pat on the back and helped my photography.

Thanks very much E

Quote: W. Eugene Smith

"Photography is a small voice, at best, but sometimes-just sometimes- one photograph or a group of them can lure our senses into awareness. Much depends upon the viewer; in some, photographs can summon enough emotion to be a catalyst to thought. Someone-or perhaps many-among us may be influenced to heed reason, to find a way to right which is wrong, and may even be inspired to the dedication needed to search for the cure to an illness. The rest of us may perhaps feel a greater sense of understanding and compassion for those whose lives are alien to our own. Photography is a small voice. It is an important voice in my life, but not the only one. I believe in it. If it is well-conceived, it sometimes works. That is why I -and also Aileen-photograph in Minamata"

Klong Toey 35mm Work Continued

Eugene Atget Calling

This morning before starting up in the darkroom (developing film), I was reading about some of Atget's work. I was looking over several of his pictures of workers, sex workers and also street workers of various kinds. Here is a man who shot photographs in Paris in the early 1900s, who used a glass plate view camera, who lived in a different time and world, yet his photographs speak to me and are influencing me, photography is truly a powerful medium. I hope I can make some comparability strong street portraits with my view camera of Thai workers my next trip to Bangkok. I plan on walking the streets and making photos of the street sellers, and people using carts and vehicles of various types to earn a living. Thank you Mr. Atget for the inspiration.

Some More Klong Toey Slum 35mm Photographs

Am quite excited by what might happen with the Leica M6 and 28mm F2 in the future, I need to work harder with it and carry it everywhere I go. Have been using the W. Eugene Smith development time for Tri-x in these shots. Two parts D-76 to one part water at 20C for 12 minutes and 30 seconds (agitation every 30 seconds). I will probably print them a little less contrasty when I am in the darkroom.

Enough scanning for now, developing some 4x5 sheets now on the Jobo, will do a bit more of that then develop 16 rolls of 35mm by hand.

Xpan Scans

Shot some Xpan 35 tri-x as well this last trip. I had trouble composing the long panoramic at times and also made errors when shooting quickly and not placing the subject within that panorama correctly accidently cutting off things I thought were in the shot.