Fuzion Magazine by Gabriel Fuzionmagazine

The I n tern atio n al J o ur n al of fine art S o cial and do cu mentary photo grap hy and film - iss u e 1

Fuzion

Cove r Sto r y Gabrie l Van Inge n

Fe a u re d A r ti sts R os e - Lynn Fis he r Die go Ve rge s

A r ti c l e s A new manife s to! T he P hotographe rs Pla ce T he Impos s ible P roj ect

G al l e r y

L o u i s G a i l l a rd

N ex t Issue

Av aila ble April 2 0 1 1

Next Issue

Issue Two of Fuzion Magazine will focus on Analog photography. Featuring work by artists using alternative processâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s including polaroid film and toy cameras. Let the Revolution Begin! Fuz io n Magazi ne

M a rc h 2 0 1 0

Deborah Parkin

w w w. f u z i o n m a gazi ne . co. uk

Je ff Mar ti n 4

Ani Asvazadur ian

Je ff Mar ti n 6

w w w. j m ar tin p i c t ure s.co m

This first edition is dedicated to Paul Hill - for the inspiration and to Marisa - for the dedication

F ro n t C over - Ga briel Van Ingen

Contents The Gallery Submissions to the Fuzion Gallery

Editorial Essay David Lee downgrades the importance of the decisive moment

The Impossible Project Polaroid enthusiasts rise from the ashes to develope a new company

Carl Radford The beauty of the wet plate collodian process.

Diego Verges Bali

The Ongoing Moment What is documentary wedding photography

The Photographers Place Gabriel Van Ingen revisits the Photographers place.

Jeff Martin Matador

Deborah Parkin September is the cruelest month

Book Review Bee by Rose-Lynn Fisher

02 10 12 20 24 32 40 50 60 68 78

E dit o ri al

Ray Moore and A aron Si sk i n d - Th e Ph o to g r ap h e r s Pl a c e i m a g e c o u r te s y o f P a u l H i l l

1 I ssu e 1 Wi n t e r 2 0 1 0

Fuzion N u m b e r 0 1-Ja nua r y 2011

Contributors Deborah Parkin Carl Radford Jeff Martin Diego Verges Gabriel Van Ingen Rose-Lynn Fisher Louis G a illa rd Herve Plumet Lia Saile Jeff Hutton Lauret Humbert Louis Gaillard Rebecca Rust Brian Henry Boris Zuliani Richard Bevan

Published by Fuzion Magazine

This Edition

Welcome to the first edition of Fuzion Magazine. Fuzion will be published Quarterly and is available as a free download via the Fuzion website and also avai able on the Ipad via Magcloud. Fuzion is also available to order in print via our publisher Magcloud.

Advertising: email editor@fuzionmagazine.co.uk for a media pack For inclusion into the photographers directory please contact the editor for rates.

Next Edition

Next issue we will present a series of portfolios from artists working with tradtitional photographic process’s. In this edition we will be showcasing an amazing portfolio of work by photographer Deborah Parking who works with large format Polaroid taking intimate portraits of her family.

Submission’s

If you wouls like to submitt a yor work for publication you can either send it direct to the editor or upload it through the Fuzion Maazine’s website.

Articles Gabriel Van Ingen David Lee

M a ni fe st o for t h e D i g i t a l D av i d Le e d ecl a re s t he e nd o f t h e d ec i s i ve m o m en t t o t a l i t t a ri a n i s m

“Images For A ll” is as n e a r a re a l i ty n ow w i th e l e c trical pho to gr ap hy as it is eve r go i n g to b e . w i th a d i g i ta l camera and a h ome comp u te r p i c tu re s c o s t n e x t to nothi ng and you can t ake a s m a ny a s o f te n a s yo u l i ke and , w itho ut f illin g t h e at t i c w i th b oxe s , s to re a l i fe ’s work o f daily sn ap p in g on a s m a l l s ta c k o f d i s k s i n th e c orne r o f a drawer. For mysel f , th e c o m p a c t, i n e x p e n s i ve came ra now go e s ever ywh ere w i th m e a n d 3 0 ye a r s o f writte n and d rawn diaries are n ow i m p rove d by th e i n s e r tion - often daily - of cas u a l ly u n a i m e d p h o to g r ap h s of the ever yday. H it h er t o, p h o to g r ap hy h a s f a i l e d to a c k nowled ge ou r h u mdru m live s , b u t i t h a s a lw ay s s e e m e d to me that it is p recisely t h e b a n a l a n d n o t th e e x tr a o rd inar y o r spec ial wh ich m ake s o u r l i ve s w h a t th ey a re . I t is pictures of t h e p edest ria n a l o n e w h i c h h i n t a u th e n tc ally at the flavou r of a life live d eve r y s i n g l e d ay. My pi ct u res, all t ake n w i th o u t f r a m i n g th e i m a ge and fro m de lib e rat e ly, eve n p e r ve r s e ly e c c e n tr i c v i ew points , show me af re sh my d a i ly u n i ve r s e f ro m a n g l e s a t which I am un accu st ome d t o s e e i n g i t. T h ey s e e m to reve al my mo od more accu rat e ly th a n i f I h a d d i re c te d th e c ame ra at w hat t o see . I am c o n s ta n tly s u p r i s e d a n d i n thrall to the n ovelt y of se e i n g my s e l f , my f a m i ly a n d my s mall co rner of t h e world u n e d i te d a n d u n c o m p o s e d . T hus it i s that th e dead, re p et i ti ve p i c to r i a l c o nve n ti o n s of photography h ave b e en e j e c te d . E a c h o f u s m ay n ow d ocument o u r wh ole life s e e n f ro m o u r ow n i n d i v i d u a l pe rspective s. N ot ju st som e o f o u r l i fe s o m e o f th e ti m e - but all o f it all of t h e t im e . T h e ve r y r a n d o m n e s s o f d igital snaps e x p ose s t h e lim i te d c o n tr i v a n c e s a n d b l i n ke rs of the past . Form erly acc e p te d n o ti o n s s u c h a s “ th e d e cisive mo me n t ” an d “t h e p e r fe c t d i s ti l l a ti o n o f a n eve nt i n a si n gle f ram e” are th e o r i e s s e r v i n g o n ly to jus tify the apot h eosis of t h e a u th e n ti c i ty o f th e s u b j e c t . W ith d igital p h ot ograp hy a l l p re te n ti o u s n e s s i s e l i m i nate d . And no mon ey is n ee d e d to p a r ti c i p a te i n th i s p i c torial free-for- all. A ll t h at i s re q u i re d i s th e w i l l to e xpe riment an d t o let t h e ca m e r a reve a l w h a t i t s e e s i n whichever w ay it dee m s f it w i th o u t th e l i m i ti n g p re j u d ice s of trad itio n al p ict orial fo r m s , c o nve n ti o n s o r v i ew points . No vi sa b le asp e ct of o n e ’s l i fe n e e d n ow b e c o n c e ale d o r overlooke d. I t is th i s tr a n s fo r m a ti ve , revo l u tionar y pro mise of digit al p h o to g r ap hy th a t f ro m n ow o n the re are no r u les, n e it h er go o d n o r b a d ap p ro a c h e s to tak ing pictures, wh ich con sum e s m e n ow.

On 27 July 1962, my 10th bir thd ay, Dad boug ht m e my firs t came ra from a che mis t’s s hop on a blusyer y Hig h Stre e t in Bangor, nor th Wale s - we we re on Ho liday. It was a Kod ak 44A and cos t a s tagge ring for ty- two -a nd-six ( £2.12 [and a half] p for thos e too young to rem em ber ). A ttache d to the le ns was a leve r with two s et t ing s up for s un, d own for cloud s - and a clock work s hut t er do uble - clicke d s atis yingly like a d oor latch. Exci t ed beyo nd d e s cription, I was intoxicate d by the s ce nt o f t he new gre ay plas tic and the tug of the thin s trap on my neck: my 44A was e as ily the s mar te s t thing I had ever owned. Granny bought me two films e ach of 12 e xposures, o ne black and white the othe r colour trans pare nc y. My m o t he r s pe nt the re s t of the d ay finge r- wagging a bo ut wa st ing film, “be caus e it’s ve r y d e ar”, and is s ue d inst r uct io ns only to take picture s that we re s pe cial. Itching t o use my pre s e nt, I could nt work out what was and wasn’t specia l. W he neve r I e nquire d if this or that s ubje ct were specia l e nough the answe r was always no. ( It’s a goo d jo b La rtigue ’s pare nts we re n’t s o controlling and t ig ht fist ed.) T he firs t s ubje ct d e e me d s ufficie ntly s pe cial wa s o f my bir thd ay te a that eve ning: Dad took it. T he cake is in t he midd le of the table of the table and we are arced a ro und it s miling. T he firs t film las te d a full we e k a nd I wa s s te rnly e xhor te d not to take picture s of s tea m t r a ins, in truth the only s ubje cts I cons id e re d uniquely specia l. Engine s we re black , I was told , and the re fore a wa st e o f the colour. I was not eve n allowe d to take a pict ure o f P rince s s Marie Louis e , an e s pe cially rare LMS pa cific , a s it thund e re d along the uo line toward s Llandudno Junction: to this d ay I re gre t not having that pictu re . Inst ea d, I have a photo of Granny in a fawn card igan, t he fir st of he r in colour. She s lumps bone le s s and ha lf-do zing in a d e ck chair agains t the pe bble - d as he d gable o f o ur che le t- it is one of a d oz e n s imilar s naps hots we have o f he r. I have no picture s of this tiny but formida ble Victorian woman take n in he r re al life : s he wor ked fo r 52 ye ars through two world wars for the s ame ha t t er s; 52 te ars and the re is no picture of he r clock in g o n a t t he s oot- blacke ne d Strangeways mill or pie ce - wor king a t her trad le s titching machine . Ne ithe r is the re any pict ure o f he r in he r d ark s culle r y butte ring the s tump o f a lo a f o r, brale s s , s tand ing on a s tool to s oap he r armpit s in t he d e e p k itche n s ink . So much for the d ocume ntar y ubiquit y of the d e mocratic me d ium.

Our Fam ily alb u ms l e ave m e ye a r n i n g fo r th e o rd inar y, yearni n g for in sigh t in to th e p r i v a te th o u g h ts o f t he ever yd ay live s of t h ose d e p i c te d . O n th e c o n tr a r y, th ey are full o f u n in t e rest in g, m i s l e a d i n g “ s p e c i a l ” p i c tu res , the same o n e s ever y yea r. T h e s e p i c tu re s te l l m e n o thing, fo r spe cialn ess in a wo r k i n g c l a s s M a n c h e s te r h o u s e hold meant o n ly h olidays- n o t a lw ay s a n nu a l -o r o u ti n g s . W hile no ne of mu n dan e life i s eve r d e p i c te d , th e p a s t o f eve r y L ancash ire f amily is p re d i c ta b ly i l l u s tr a te d i n p icture s the si z e of cigaret t e c a rd s s h ow i n g p a re n ts , c hild re n, uncles an d au n t s st ro l l i n g o n B l a c k p o o l p ro m o r we aring unfl atte rin g swimmin g c o s tu m e s o n b l e a k s tr a n d s at R hyl or Sout h p or t . T h e re a re e x c e p ti o n s to th i s r u l e . T he re w i ll be a p ict u re of e l d e r ly re l a ti ve s ta ke n a t a C hritmas family p ar t y. E n joyin g a c e a s f i re f ro m h i s to r i c e nmitie s , they w i ll b e se at e d in l i n e , f l u s h e d w i th m e rr i m e n t, protectively nu rsin g h an d b a g s o n th e i r b e s t f ro c k s , s ipping Babych am an d p rob ab ly -s m o k i n g Wo o d b i n e s . T h e se cond stalw ar t is t h e works ’ o u ti n g , a lw ay s p ro fe s s i o n a ly commemor at e d in a large , g l o s s y p r i n t, i n w h i c h th e work fo rce , S u n day- t ogge d a n d we t-s h ave d , i s g ro u p e d l ike a a cho ir again st a b ackdro p o f th e c h a r a b a n c w a r m i n g up to transpo r t t h e m t o M o re c o m b e . T h e th i rd e x c e p tion to the gen eral ru le are we dd i n g p i c tu re s i n w h i c h relative s clo se an d dist an t sp o r t u n f a m i l i a r h a i r s ty l e s a n d fancy dress for t h e side - sp l i tti n g a mu s e m e n t o f th e a s -ye t unbo rn. Was it a Kodak s p o ke s m a n w h o d e s c r i b e d the ave rage fi lm as com p risin g s e a s i d e s c e n e s w i th a C h ris tmas tree at b ot h en ds? An d w a s i t p e r h ap s th e s a m e bore d operative wh o sp e cu l a te d th a t a M a r ti a n w i th o nly our snaps to go on migh t re a s o n a b ly c o n c l u d e th a t we s pe nt lo ng ho u rs lau gh in g at th e s u n ? My fat h e r died t rag i c a l ly yo u n g . I a m p r i v y to n othing of his a ct u al life or in n e r th o u g h ts e x c e p t fo r th e par tial and unreliab le f ragm e n ts c a n re c a l l . A l l I k n ow f rom the pi cto ria l evide n ce of h i m i s th a t e a c h s u m m e r h e would stand o n a coast al p ro m o n to r y p o i n ti n g to th e horiz on in a pose p arodyin g t h e 1 9 th c e n tu r y p o l i ti c i a n ’s statue s he had su b limin ally re g i s te re d w h e n p a s s i n g P i c cad illy G arden s in M an ch e st e r. G o d k n ow s w hy h e s aw h ims e lf as a mo de rn day A p oll o B e l ve d e re , b u t h r d i d . L i ke thos e of G ran ny in h e r de ck c h a i r, we h ave h a l f a d o ze n o f the s e phoney caricat u re s, b u t n o th i n g s h ow i n g th e c a re- worn grafter an d f in an cially b e s i e g e d h o u s e h o l d e r h e w as . Only my im agin at ion c a n n ow te l l m e w h a t h e l o o ke d like on a w in t r y Tu e sday i n Fe b u a r y w h e n , f u l l o f p o gs live r fri ed to b elt h ide , h e s l u m p e d i n to h i s c h a i r by the blaz ing grat e an d lit u p a S e n i o r S e r v i c e , d o u b tl e s s a n g uis he d over th e u n p aid b ills w h i c h I k n ew we re a c c u milating under h is b ed. I wan t to b e a b l e to s e e th e e x p re s s ion on hi s face af t er a day’s wo r k o r to s e e h i m e a ti n g h is te a. I w ant to k n ow h im b e te r, b u t th e s ti l l e d c o nve n ti o ns and expense of p re - digit a l p h o to g r ap hy m e a n th a t h i s life is a shut c ase .

P hotography’s barmie s t conve ntions be gan ea r ly, The firs t picture s afford able by the work ing clas s were ca r t es d e vis te . Common by 1865, the che ape s t cos t a s lit t le a s s ix for two s hillings ( 10p) . Fle a Marke ts us e t o be full of the s e little picture s fe aturing thos e working peo ple whos e appe arance s we re be ing pre s e r ve d for t he fir st time in the his tor y of the ir clas s . T hey we ar t heir best clobbe r uncomfor tably, have pre s s e d the ir da m pened hair unre cognis ably flat, and ofte n s tand s tiffly to atte ntion as though t hey m ig ht topple ove r any s e cond . If they we re n’t alre ady unreco g nis able eve n to the or family, the s ylvan land scape ba ckd rop, painte d in a crud e pe rs pe ctive , and the co lum ns a nd pe d e s tals of aris ocratic archite cture ( props bo rrowed por trait paintings of grand e e s ) mus t have made it seem as if they had wand e re d into s ome one e ls e ’s life . Fro m the s e picture s , and many othe r formal photo g r aphs, we le arn more about the aft conve ntions of pho t o g r aphy than about anything e ls e . P hotography its e lf, i t seem s, is always the s ubje ct of photography. W hat was it about photography that caus ed it t o feel s o ins e cure about its e lf, that it d rove 19th cent ur y pho tographe rs to make it be tray its unique ne s s ? Its ver y m echanical nake d e ne s s , the e quality with which it t rea t ed eve r ything it s aw, e ncourage d its practitioner s t o discavow and fals ify and the n talk it up, and to clo t he it in e ntire ly inappropriate and unphotographic g a r b. The infe riority comple x of photography, and the pret ensio ns of its e ralie s t manipulators to be tre ate d like pro per a r t is ts , is the origin of my thrifty mothe r’s re pe at ed cavea t s that I s hould photograph only what was s pecia l. Idio t s the lot of the m. In the 1970’s and 80’s Salford Unive rs ity kept a Do cume ntar y P hotography A rchive . T hey colle cte d snaps-a nd pe rhaps s till d o- d onate d mainly by the work ing cla ss, a nd tape - re cord e d the me morie s of thos e fe atured in t hem . T he archive was an e ncyclopae d ic re cord of t he specia l but not, it s e e me d to me , much e ls e . W hat the pict ures rare ly s howe d is what it would be inte re s tin g t o know now. T he rare s t s hots we re tos e re cord ing da ily existe nce . Few picture s reve ale d the inte riors o f t he t errace d hous e s mos t pe ople live d in. T he wo r king cla ss took and pe s e r ve d only picture s of the s pe cia l beca use photographs we re e xpe ns ive and came ras co uldn’t be us e d e ffe ctive ly ind oors without a flas h, a process invo lving ye t gre ate r e xpe ns e , not to me ntion burnt fing er s. T he d igital came ra has s e e n off thos s tiltedness, t his unreve aling s pe cialne s s , this re liancw on the ar t isa n Hig h Stre e t profe s s ional who s aw eve r yone in the sa m e bo ring way. We can now e xpe rime nt for ours e lves a s never be fore . We are not us e d to s e e ing the banal, t he una r a nge d and und octore d , e s pe cially whe n they are peppered with the unpre d ictable vis ual tics that the d ig it a l ca m er a rand omly- at le as t n my cas e - s e e ms to lob in. It is precis e ly this unpre d ictability which now make s ever y im a g e a pote ntial nove lty.

What ha s t h is ex t raord i n a r y m a c h i n e s e e n th i s time ? Waht so lids h ave vap o r i s e d ? W h a t m ov i n g l i g h ts have burned in t o a sh ower o f a b s tr a c t s q u i g g l e s ? The d igit al p ct u re a l l ow s u s to e m b r a c e w h a t p revio usly w a s t h ou gh t u n tu to re d , u n p re p o s s e s i n g a n d amateurish. W h at was dis c o u r a g e d b e fo re i s n ow e n coura ged as a n ew aest h e t ic ; th e a e s th e ti c o f to d ay, eve r yd ay. When G arr y W in igran d f a m o u s ly re m a r ke d th a t h e took pi ctures “ t o f in d ou t w h a t s o m e th i n g w i l l l o o k l i ke photo graphe d”, we migh t h ave b e e n e nv i o u s h e a t l e a s t was rich enou gh t o wast e s u f f i c i e n t f i l m i n o rd e r to satis fy hi s curi osit y- was it ove r 2 0 0 0 f i l m s l e f t u n d eve l o pe d at hi s death ? N ow we can a l l d o i t a n d i t c o s ts u s n o thing. We can record ever y d e ta i l o f o u r l i ve s . We c a n print them ou t on ch e ap p ap e r a n d p re s e r ve th e m i n book s a nd capt ion t h e m with o u t th o u g h ts a n d fe e l i n g s . We can take p ict u res at n i g h t a n d i n th e m o r n i n g a n d whe n we’re low an d wh e n we ’ve j u s t wo ke n u p. I n th e w ake of hi s celeb rat e d b ook T h e Am e r i c a n s , R o b e r t F r a n k s aid a pro po s of h is legacy : “ Yo u c a n p h o to g r ap h a nything now ”. Th e p rob lem t h e n w a s th a t n o b o d y to o k h i m at his word. Th er is h owever, n o e x c u s e fo r n o t p h o to g r aphing eveythi n g n ow.

Digital photography and its prolife ration m ea ns t ha t in the d is tant future whe n I am long d e ad , my gra ndchildren will k now me whe the r they like it or not: th ey will have an oppor tunity to k now the mund ane warp a nd wa eve o f who I was , war ts and all. But be warne d , the firs t rule in my manifest o fo r t he d igital d e mocratic age is that you d o not, on a ny a cco unt , look through the viewfind e r, but take the pic t ure unseen one - hand e d . Only in this way d o we circumva t e t o deve lop bad habits of re pe tition. T he re is no supr ise a nd reve lation in formulae . Oh ye s , and it is a capit a l o ffence to crop. A ll s uch atte mpts mus t be re s is te d .

David Le e T he author is e d itor of the Jack d aw, a mont hly newslet te r for the vis ual ar ts . d g.le e @ virgin.ne t www.the jack d aw.co.uk

Septemb e r i s th e c r u e l l e st m o n th - D e b o r a h Pa r k i n

O ld M an o f st o rr Gab ri el Van ingen headed to the Isle of Sk ye to f i n d th e I sl a n d sh ro u de d i n th e f a l l o u t o f vo l c a n i c a s h f ro m Ic eland.

Above : G a b r i el Va n Ing e n 18

Above: Gabriel Van I n gen 19

Th e I m possible Project took its name from a q u o te by E dw i n L a n d, th e m a n c re di te d w i th t h e i nve n t i on of inst ant photography. "Don't under ta ke a p ro j e c t", L a n d o n c e sa i d, "u n l e ss i t i s m a n i fe s t ly i m po r ta n t and near ly imposs ible".

Lia S aile

Oppo si te p age f rom le f t to r i g h t: Her ve P lu m et , L ia S aile , Je f f H u tto n Lauret Hu m b er t , L ou is Ga i l l a rd , R e b e c c a R u s t.

S h ake i t l ike a Polaroid Pictu re Its no secre t t h at I h ave a f a c i n a ti o n w i th a l te r n a ti ve photograph ic p roce sses, toy c a m e r a ’s a n d p o l a ro i d f i lm. I s pent the wh ole of t h e se c o n d ye a r o f my photography degre e u sin g d i f fe re n t p o l a r i o d f i l m s , creati ng mu lit layre d ima g e s by l i f ti n g th e e mu l s i o n o f s evera l Pol aroid image s an d th e n l aye r i n g th e m to g ether o n t o a f in e ar t p ap e r b a s e w i th s tr i p s o f te x t cut fro m a labe l gu n . T h ere w a s a g re a t s a ti facti on in cre at in g sin g l e , u n i q u e i m a g e s th a t c o u l d never be du p licat ed or re p e a te d d u e to th e n a tu re o f the pro cess. By the en d of my degre e I h a d b u i l t u p a n i m p re s s i ve co llecti on of dif fere n t Po l a ro i d c a m e r a s a n d re s e r ve film s to ck. Sad ly t h e wh ole co l l e c ti o n w a s l o s t d u r i n g a n a ccident w hi lst t h ey were in s to r a g e , n eve r to b e re p l a c e d . The slow de m ise of Pola ro i d a n d eve n tu a l e n d o f instant fi lm p rodu ct ion in 2 0 0 8 e n d e d my j o u r n ey w i t h po laroi d. It was t h e e n d o f a n e r a fo r a n i c o n i c b r a n d of instant fi lm s an d t h e en d o f a tr u ly u n i q u e p h o to g r ap hic pro cess. In the di git al e ra t h at we n ow l i ve , m a ny p h o to g r ap he rs a nd ar tists are t u rn in g t o a l te r n a ti ve p ro c e s s e s a n d trad it ional ph ot ograp h ic p ra c ti c e s to re d i s c ove r th a t e l u s ive , unique q u alit y t h at d i g i ta l i m a g e s s tr u g g l e to c o nvey. Whil st I am a ch am p ion fo r th e d i g i ta l i m a g e , I to o l ong for the uniq u e n ess an d in d i v i d u a l i ty th a t p ro c e s s e s s uch a s the cyan ot yp e , we t p la te c o l l o d i a n a n d th e p o l a ro i d can o ffe r.

Ente r the Impos s ible P roje ct, found e d by Flo r ia n kaps, A nd re Bos man and Marwan Saba. A t the las t m inut e t hey s te ppe d in and bought the las t polaroid product io n pla nt in Ens che d e in Holland . In march 2010 they b eg a n pro d uction of the ir firs t monochrome film for sx70 ca m er a s and now have a range of d iffe re nt films for different came ras from the s x70 to a holga with polaro id ba ck a nd s pe cial limite d e d ition runs . Spe ak ing at this ye ar’s P hotok ina in Se pte m ber Ma r lene Ke lnre ite r from the Impos s ible proje ct e xpla ined t ha t the aim of the company was to s ave the product iuo n o f analouge ins tant photography from e xtinctio n. At t he s how they we re s howing s ome amaz ing prints pro duced in Cologne us ing the fable d 20x24 Polaroid Ca m er a . Fo r the proje ct they prod uce d a s pe cial, unique la r g e-fo r m a t inte gral ins tant film which containe d the bra nd new a nd 2nd ge ne ration of Impos s ible Silve r and Color S ha de che mis tr y. T he Impos s ible proje ct’s films are cons tant ly evolving and improving largly d ue to the compa ny’s et ho s of involving its us e rs in the d eve lopme nt pro cess. There are s ome e xciting d eve lopme nts planne d for t he fut ure but one I am par ticually look ing foreward to is t he 8x10 film mate rial. For fur the r information I highly re comme nd t ha t yo u s ubs cibe to the Impos s ible proje ct’s re gular news let t er.

w w w.t he - i m p o ssib le -projec t.com

Bria n H e nr y

B oris Zulian i

Jeff Hut t on

Ric hard Bev an 23

The Truth That Lies Beneath Wet p l ate collo d ia n por tra i ts by Ca r l R a dford

My full time occupation is within the drug and alcohol addictions field. Many of those with whom are work are complex and damaged by the experiences that they have endured, as a result many have often built up layer upon layer of façade to protect themselves from themselves, from those around them and their reality. It often takes a great deal of time to peal away these layers to reveal the truth that lies beneath. Professional ethics do not allow me to make images of my clients. However, if I could, I would utilise the wet plate collodion process. It has the ability to do in a matter of seconds that which can take me months, even years – it reveals a truth that is difficult to hide or ignore. I am not sure why or how this happens but collodion seems to get beneath the skin – the façade being difficult to keep in place. It gets to the soul! Using the wet plate collodion process for portraiture results in images that have an aesthetic that is difficult to explain until one has the object – the plate – in ones hands. The images have a depth, a three dimensionality that holds your attention in a way that I seldom feel with photographs in this age a mass media. The sitters often engage with the images in a unique way - I believe it is due to the fact that the image is reversed – it is how they see themselves in the mirror – the reality is they see themselves as they are. The interaction with my sitters is important to me. These are not decisive snatched moments; they are the result of an engagement, a shared experience. The degree of openness, trust and co-operation dictates

Tim

the success or otherwise of the resultant image. A true collaboration albeit, often, a directed one. The images presented here are intentionally low key, direct, often intense and challenging. The wet plate collodion was invented and subsequently published by Fredrick Scott Archer in 1851. Scott Archer did not patent this process and unfortunately, as yet, has not been given the recognition he deserves for this significant advance in photography. The process has barely changed at all since this time. This process is responsible for opening up photography to a much wider audience than had previously been possible and allowed for the relatively easy reproduction of duplicate images from glass plate negatives. Portraits became accessible. Scott Archer died in 1857 and is buried in Kensal Green Cemetery in London. A small group, which loosely became known as ‘The Collodion Collective’, got together to raise the funds to place a marker at what had always been thought to be an unmarked grave. As the site was being cleared for the marker stone to be placed on his grave the original family headstone was found in undergrowth nearby and subsequently restored and replaced at the grave with along with the commemorative marker.

bath and placed into a plate holder. At the camera a final check of composition and focus is done before the exposure is made, which normally takes between 2-8 secs for a portrait with a fast lens. The plate is then returned to the darkroom and under safelight conditions the plate is flowed with developer and the image should form in approx 8-15 seconds for a positive image. The image is ‘stopped’ with water before being fixed – when the final image emerges. After a further wash the image is dried and varnished.

Carl will be leading workshops in wet plate collodian photography: 28-29th May 2011 2nd-3rd of July 2011. For more information http://www.carls-gallery.co.uk

How are the images made? It takes approximately 15-20 minutes to make an image and then another 10 minutes or so for the final wash and varnish. To start the sitter is place in the scene, framed and focused with the position being noted by both the subject and myself. The plate, whether glass, japanned steel or aluminium is flowed with collodion then allowed to skin over before being immersed into a bath of silver nitrate for 3-5 minutes. The plate is now light sensitive, under safe light conditions the plate is removed from the 26

Right: Piet

Trevo r Ye r b ur y

L e f t: Jo hn

N e x t: Ste f - A l

Die go Ver g es Di e go Ver ges t r ave led to Bali and stumble d a c ro ss a tr a di ti o n a l B a l i we ddi n g .

D iego Verg e s w ww.di ego v erg es . c o m

I was travelin g t o Bali on a s e l f f u n d e d p h o to g r ap h i c e xpe d ition to d ocume nt its culture and pe ople for a photo essay I fo und my self welcom ed in t o a s m a l l c o m mu n i ty a n d a l l owe d acce s s to photograph a trad itional Bali we dd ing ce re mony. W hi lst dri vin g a small jee p i n th e a re a o f R a n d a n g I P ulle d up to the s id e of the road whe n I notice d a ce re mony go ing o n in a sma ll ho use . A s soon as we s to p p e d a yo u n g m a n c a m e ove r, introd uce d hims e lf and told me that a we dd ing wa s go ing o n a nd wo uld we like t o join t h e m . U p o n a rr i v a l a t th e h o u s e whe re the grooms family live d , we we re warmly gre e ted by t he Br ide and G roo m wh o we re we l c o m i n g th e i r g u e s ts . The Cerem ony last ed for two d ay s a n d ove r 2 5 0 g u e s t s had arrive d for the ce le brations . T he firs t d ay was s pe nt in preper a t io n fo r the weddin g cermony o n th e s e c o n d d ay, g u e s ts we re we lcome d , animals we re s acrifice d and pre pare d by the m en fo r t he ne xt d ay. Th e re was a gre a t a tm o s p h e re o n th e f i r s t d ay, food and d rink was pre pare d for the gue s ts and the p re celebr a t io n c a rri ed o n in t o t h e early h o u r s . The preperat ion s for t h e s e c o n d d ay b e g a n a t 5 a m with the me n cook ing the food and the re s t of the family prepa r ing t he t ra d itio nal B ali rit u als for th e c e re m o ny. At 1 0 a m g u e s ts s tar te d to arrive with gifts for the couple and the n t he Hindu cere mo ny star t ed wh ich last e d fo r h a l f a n h o u r a f te r w h i ch the gue s t we re offe re d an abund ance of food and d rink which seem ed t o never en d. The two days celeb rat ion s e n d e d w i th th e d e p a r tu re of the Brid e who le ft he r family home to move into th e ho use o f t he Gro oms fam ily. T h is is an i m p o r ta n d p a r t o f th e c e re m ony as it s ignifie s the le aving of he r family and e mbraci ng t he g ro o m s as her ow n . I ha d travel e d t o Bali wit h th e i n te n ti o n o f c ap tu r i n g a s tor y for my por tfolio but I neve r imagine d that I would be g iven such open access t o p h ot ograp h a tr a d i ti o n a we dd i n g c e re mony. T he photographs are a te s te me nt to how ope n an d fr iendly t he v illagers we re du rin g my s tay w i th th e m .

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T HE ONG OIN G MOMEN T G A B RIEL VAN INGEN

Right : Gabriel Van I n gen 40

Gabriel Van I n gen 43

WH AT IS WED D I NG D o c u m e n tary

photography As a photographer I am constantly re-evaluating my approach to documenting weddings. Pushing myself to do better each time I lift the camera to my eye. Before I press the shutter, I ask myself â&#x20AC;&#x153; Is this documentary photography; is this a unique and true momentâ&#x20AC;?? For it is a photographic truth that I am interested in, not a staged, preconceived version of the event. My goal as a wedding photographer is the pursuit and capture of an ongoing moment, without interruption or interference. To capture more than a single decisive moment, to try both in a single frame and a body of work to create a feeling of timelessness and motion. I see Documentary photography as a story telling practice, it has a very cinematic tradition in that it attempts to capture a story in a series of images. It has an ongoing narrative throughout a series of images which together should form a complete story. To really approach a wedding as a documentary photographer you must not interfere at all as the day unfolds in front of you. You must engage with your subjects without directing them. There must be no attempt to stop life as it unfolds in front of the lens. Simply be receptive to the moment and with a bit of luck when the shutter is pressed the ongoing moment will unfold.

Above: Gabriel Van Ingen 45

G a b r i l Va n I n g e n

Gabriel Van Ingen 47

Gabriel Van Inge n 49

Eat breath sleep T h e p h oto grap h e rs place

photography Right : Paul Hill - image cour t esy of C ar l Rad ford 50

Pa u l h i l l i n tro du c i n g B r i a n G r i f f i n A cup of tea, a slice of homemade cake and a warm handshake greeted me when I arrived on Saturday morning at the Photographers Place in Wirksworth, Derbyshire. The workshop was on the theme of environmental portraiture, the third in a series of new workshops started in 2010, lead by Paul Hill, Nick Lockett and Martin Shakeshaft. Only a couple of days before I had emailed Paul to let him know of my plans for the magazine. Considering I had not talked to Paul for about 3 years since finishing my MA with him at De Montfort Uni, I was pleasantly surprised to get an email back from him the next day “come and hang out with us on Saturday, Brian Griffin will be here so you can gather some material for your magazine”. How could I turn down the opportunity to revisit the Photographers Place and to also hear Brian Griffin talk at the same time? I was really interested to see how the new Photographers Place compared to my first workshop with Paul Hill back in 1993. Whilst studying for my National Diploma in photography I was extremely fortunate to have a tutor who knew Paul Hill, he arranged for us to spend the weekend at the Photographers Place where we spent the weekend literally eating, sleeping and breathing photography. The defining moment of the weekend was walking into Paul Hill’s library to find an original Edward Weston Print hanging on the wall. Sitting there on a sofa in the middle of the night, in what seemed to me to be an Aladdin’s cave of photographic treasure I surrounded myself with a collection of Paul’s books and introduced myself to the world of photography. Several years after that first meeting with Paul I called him at De Montfort to enquire about applying for a place on the MA and I was greeted with the same warmth and enthusiasm that had greeted me only a few days

“I had run summer school at Trent Poly and took students on field trips into the Peak District - and they stayed at what became The Photographers’ Place. Some of those students later became quite big names too.” -Paul Hill ago. “ Ah Gabriel yes I remember, you came up to see me with Martin a few years ago”. Its quite possible that apart from Paul’s knowledge and passion for both the craft and teaching of photography, its the familiarity and warmth that Paul’s expresses, his ability to bring people together, to instinctively know who to introduce you to in any given situation is one of the reasons why the Photographers Place was so popular and continues to be so now. After I had caught up with Paul I sat down with both Nick Lockett and Martin Shakeshaft, the two new workshop leaders who have joined Paul Hill in establishing the new Photographers Place. It was immediately apparent that that both Nick and Martin had a great understanding and appreciation of the history of the Photographers Place and a clear understanding of how they now want to re-establish it with these new series of workshops. Martin explained that “the aim of these new workshops was to follow the same ethos as the original ones had, to provide an environment for the more considered photographer to further explore and develop their photography”. I spent the afternoon of the Saturday of the workshop following the delegates around as they explored Wirksworth,

I am still so much in love with photography now as I was back in the 70â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s - Brian Griffin

guided by either Paul, Nick or Martin they were presented with a variety of pre-arranged and spontaneous portrait photographic opportunities. I joined up with Paulâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s group where we caught a steam train from Wirksworth train station which took us to the Derbyshire Eco Centre. An open day showcasing sustainable building ideas and techniques provided some great portrait opportunities for the delegates to practice the skills that they had discussed earlier in the weekend. Once we arrived back at the workshop the delegates edited and prepared their images to be presented on a large screen for an informal but insightful group discussion later on that evening. Brian Griffin arrived later on in the day and gave an inspirational and passionate talk about his work from his early black and white images to his most recent commissions for the London Eurostar project and the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic games. Brian gave an open and honest appraisal of both his career and work from his first editorial assignments up to his most recent commissions. A lesson I was fortunate to learn from Paul Hill during my first Photographers Place workshop back in 1993 is that a residential workshop is just as much about learning and communicating with the other delegates as it is about learning from the course leaders. It was obvious to see that the delegates at the workshop were absorbing as much information from each other as they were from the workshop. For myself my second Photographers place experience cumulated in

being invited to Birmingham to the opening of Brian Griffins Face To Face exhibition, followed by a curry with Paul, Brian, Nick and several other Photographers. I will be heading back to participate in the next workshop in March with John Blakemore as guest speaker. So if you want to spend a weekend eating, breathing and sleeping photography I will see you there for a chat over a few drinks. After that who knows where the adventure will lead?

a l l p h o to g r ap hy - G a b r i e l Va n I n g e n

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M A T A D O R JEFF MART IN “It was a wonderful experience unlike anything you could do in the States (not just because it was a bullfight) but because you didn’t have to jump through a ton of paperwork and bullshit to get the shots”

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September Is The Cruellest Month D e b o ra h Pa r k in

I have had an interest in photography for many years. Before I started working in photography seriously I was studying for a Ph.d in Women’s War and Holocaust Writing and teaching literature in adult education. However just before my daughter was born just over 5 years ago, bored and heavily pregnant I enrolled for a darkroom course at our local adult education college. I absolutely loved it. Several months later I decided I didn’t want to go back to university and bought myself a digital SLR and from there on my passion and obsession in photography began in earnest. My photographic journey began with a digital camera until I went to university for a year and learned darkroom skills and started working with medium and large format cameras. This year I have completed a course in wet-plate collodion with Carl Radford and this is now a medium I am actively working with. At this moment in time my preferred medium is a 4x5 large format camera (Toyo 45 field), using Fuji’s instant black and white film (FP-100B45). I started using this camera at university but only for still life photography. I loved it immediately and wanted to explore it more creatively. I loved the movements and felt it would be a great camera for expressing things that are important to me in my work, such as memory and emotion. When photographing children with large format camera’s, patience is required. One of the reasons for using instant film is that the children get to see the image immediately and therefore feel part of the process. My latest project is called “September is the Cruellest Month.” These portraits were taken over the summer of 2010 when I came to the stark realisation that my children are growing up (and to a point away) from me, and that time passes and is never recaptured – we are only left with memories and photographs. Taken on a 4x5 large format camera, using Fuji’s instant black and white film, I wanted to capture moments of our summer together whether it be in play, at the mountains, at the sea, moments of contemplation … moments that don’t necessarily record the act but will trigger the memory and emotion I felt in years to come when I look back and hold these images in my hand. I am photographing for the future as well as the present. Why “September is the cruellest month”? Because it is the time when I have to let my children go back out into the world again without me. The summer holiday is now over. Back to school, back to their clubs, progressing, moving on. Something we all embrace and want for them, but secretly wanting to hold back time a little bit longer.We can’t stop time but we can freeze it for a split second in our photographs. I also feel that this project is about me as a parent and how I see childhood. I look upon today’s childhood with a sense of sadness. Children do not have the freedom that I had as a child. They are not allowed the freedom to roam around the streets or woodlands unsupervised as we did. As parents we live in continual fear of them being taken away from us or hurt and we want to protect them, but it comes at a price. Children’s lives are much more organised and controlled by us now. They go to school and they go to clubs where they are told what to do and how to do it. You don’t see many young kids running around having adventures of their own and that includes my children to a point. So when I do look at them I have this in mind so I want to capture that moment when

they seem away from me and they are in their own world, a world without adults so to speak.

Publications: “A Portrait of a boy” published in SHOTS Magazine (Issue 109, Autumn) Children (2010) ‘Rabbit” selected for the Wide Awake Dreaming exhibition at the Vermont Photography Workplace Gallery (2010) “Rabbit” published in the Wide Awake Dreaming book. (2010) “Playtime” published in Blur magazine (2010) “Memory” a selection of 10 images from this portfolio selected and published in SQUARE MAG ISSUE 1 (2010) “Lost” published in Photographers Forum Best of Photography 2009 “Playtime” published in Photographers Forum Best of Student Photography 2009 “Carousel” published in Photographers Forum Best of Photography 2008 “Carousel” Fine art Nominee in Black and White Spider Awards 2008 “boy alone” Silhouette Nominee in Black and White Spider Awards 2008 “Carousel, My Beautiful Girl and Tiptoe through the Water” all published in David Prakel’s “Photography FAQS: Black and White” 2008. Representation: Haslam’s Fine Art Gallery, Hexham

For more information http://www.deborahparkin.com

http://www.deborahparkin.com

Rose- ly nn fi sh e r

Sca n n i n g e l e ctro n m i cro sco py p re s e n ts a n ew f ro n ti e r, r i g h t h e re . Ex p l o r i n g th e e n d l e s s s t r u c tu re s a n d fo r m s th a t co m p r i se a l i ttl e b e e a t h i g h e r a n d h i g h e r m a g n i fi ca ti o n , w e ge t a h i n t o f t h e a m a zi n g a n d u n e n d i n g co m p l e x i ty o f n a t u re a l l a ro u n d u s .

Bo ok R ev i ew BEE - the microscopic majesty of the honey bee By Rose-Lynn Fisher. Rose Lynn Fisher’s book Bee is an amazing collection of images, capturing the honey bee using a scanning electron microscope gives her the ability to examine the bee’s anatomy in such detail that I found myself transfixed by the beauty, intricate detail and structure of the humble honey bee. BEE presents sixty astonishing photographs of the honeybee’s anatomy in magnifications ranging from 10x to 5000x. Rendered in stunning detail, Fisher’s photographs uncover the strange beauty of the honeybee’s pattern, form, and structure. Comprising 6,900 hexagonal lenses, their eyes resemble the structure of a honeycomb. The honeybee’s proboscis—a straw like appendage used to suck nectar out of flowers, folds resembles a long, slender hairy tongue. Its six-legged exoskeleton is fuzzy with hairs that build up a static charge as the bee flies in order to electrically attract pollen. Wings clasp together with tiny hooks and a double-edged stinger resembles a serrated hypodermic needle. The honeybee’s three pairs of segmented legs are a revelation, with their antennae cleaners, sharp-pointed claws, and baskets to carry pollen to the hive. These visual discoveries, made otherworldly through Fisher’s lens, expand the boundaries of our thinking about the natural world and stimulate our imaginations. “I am fascinated by bees, respect and admire them; all that they do perpetuates and adds to life’s bounty. In my mixed media artwork I’ve worked a lot with geometric pattern, primarily with hexagons, and explored sacred geometry. I used to incorporate beeswax and when the windows were open bees would come and visit, and land on the work. But this project really began the first time I saw the bee’s eye and was amazed to see that it echoed the structure of honeycomb. Whether this was a coincidence or a clue to a much deeper meaning inherent in this congruency of form inspired me deeply and made me want to explore further. It has been a gradual process – that first time was back in 1992. So this project has unfolded over years and years, with an evolving emphasis as I’ve come to understand more about bees, about their ongoing challenges and about pollination”. The book is separated into six sections, each one depicting a separate body part from the antenna to the wing. Each of the sixty black and white photographs offer a captivating insight into another world, revealing the startling similarities between the structure of the honey be and the shape of the honeycomb. Bee will appeal to people who are passionate about bee’s and bee keeping as well as to those who will simply be amazed at the quality and detail of the photographs inside.

“I am fascinated by bees, respect and admire them; all that they do perpetuates and adds to life’s bounty.” w w w. ro se - ly n n f i s h e r. c o m

Rose-Lynn Fisher is an artist working in photography and mixed media. She has a bachelor of fine arts from the Otis College of Art and Design. Book review by the Editor Gabriel Van Ingen. £20/128pp/2010/ISBN 978- 1- 56898- 9 44-0

FACE TO FAC E

BRIAN GRIFFIN

Face to Face: A Retrospective The Bl ack C ount r y: C ol l ege d es Ber nard i ns , P ar i s 18 Novem ber 2010- 23 Januar y 2011 New Ar t Gal l er y Wal s al l 8t h Apr i l - 19 June 2011

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