sexta-feira, 27 de março de 2009

On photography - multiple exposure


This glass is something like 10 years younger than me. And I still have it and use it!

25 years ago digital photography was something that came with dreams of science fiction. Film was what we use, 35mm or 120 and, very rarely, large format sheet film.
I start working on publicity with a loaned camera, a British MPP 4x5, with a 150mm lens. and one double sheet film holder.
The first pictures done like that where in association with a friend, also a beginner like me. And we use his home, after hours and taking over his living room, struggling with the furniture for space.
After a long night work, I went to the lab with that precious box contending the exposed film to be developed. There were just two labs working with them, the Kodak and the Agfa, and we had to be there before 9.30 am, or they wouldn’t do it that day. Three hours later, we went back and fight against other photographers for room at the light table where, with the magnify glass, we analysed the photos, trying to find out if they where ok or we had to do it all over again. I never had to do it!
After some time, my partner and I split and I got my own camera: a Linhoff Kardan Collor 9x12, with a Xenar 150 f/5,6 and two double sheet film holders. It wasn’t cheap, it was very used, but it works just the way I wanted. Even if their shift and tilt movements where not as wide as I would like. It was a real pleasure and fun working with this camera.

This picture was a kind of exercise.
As before, and since I hadn’t a studio were I could work, I took over my parents living room, when all the family when to sleep. And it took me some four hours to do this photograph, if I well remember that night.
I use a black cotton cloth as background, as well as for the stand. Black card, fixed with electric wire as “barn doors” and opaline translucence paper, fixed the same way, as diffuser for the 500 W lamps, one each side.
The exposure was calculated with a hand held meter, a Seconic, and the contrast controlled by using a spotmeter, a Pentax one.
To be sure about framing of the several exposures, I draw the shape, or at least the main points, on the viewing glass of the camera. And, if anyone wants to do the same, I can advise the use of dermatographic pencils, those use to draw on the eyes or lips. They are very smooth, very easy to clean after work and very, but really very difficult to keep sharp to do a thin line.
After the first exposure, I walked back the camera and reframe all over again. It was the best thing to do, since light was already done and approved. And no changes were done on the exposure, either iris or time. New set of marks on the viewing glass and the same sheet re-exposed.
Two more times the same procedure and it was done, all the four exposures.

With this kind of equipment we have to be very accurate about all steps of the procedure. Not only we may not have another chance to do it but also the time and cost of each original don’t allow any kind of mistakes.
So, we have to preview in our minds every detail of the finished work and to be sure that it will be the way we imagined it.
Some years after, I got the chance to buy a second hand Polaroid back. It was a wonderful up-grade…!
Working with this kind of cameras and do this kind of pictures is really fun. Spend all this time just for one picture may seam a lost of time and effort. But as we do it, the manipulation of all the techniques and the satisfaction of, at the end of all, getting the exact result of what we wanted is enough reward to overcome all the other troubles.
I learned some of these methods from some good masters I worked with. And with lots of readings and photographs seen from some huge masters: Ansel Adams, Edward Weston, Adreas Feininger and others.
Why didn’t I get the same perfection on my work? Well, I’m not the genie they were!


Texto e imagem: by me

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