Seeing the Unseen that is Before Us

I try to create an emotion through a mood, an appreciation for what's there - something people walk by every day and don't see. - Robert Farber

When I was stating out in photography I became enamored with using a view camera. That's the camera that many people think is "an old fashioned" camera. It has a bellows, a large ground glass viewing area and requires the photographer to cover the back and his head with a cloth to be able to see an image on the glass. Here's an idea of the type of camera I'd discussing. This is a field view camera:


Back in the late 1970s I was literally married to farmer Brown's daughter and we lived right across from the farm. Many mornings I would jog on the dirt roads and pass the barn and silos. These would be things that I would see everyday; that many of us see as we travel outside of city or suburban areas. Usually we think, "If only I had a camera that would be a pretty picture." I guess there are two qualities that make me different, makes any photographer different. First we see the "thing itself" as Edward Weston put it. We try to understand and record what it is that draws us to this subject. It's as much understanding ourselves as well. Second is "seeing the light".

Before I even unloaded the camera, cloth and dark slides I saw the finished image. Ansel Adams called it "pre-visualization". Stephen Covey presented it as "seeing the end before the beginning". Jesus told us to "count the cost" of an endeavor prior to engaging in it.

For the photographer using film and paper that meant selecting the light you would work with. I wanted to present this image in the same early morning light I often saw it in when I jogged. A soft forgiving light that hid many of the flaws that this old building had. A light that held the promise of the hard work that would follow as the day advanced. That meant I would use a film with some inherent contrast - when the light is soft to prevent your subject from becoming "mushy" you increase the contrast with your choice of film, developer and paper. I would use a contrasty film and a developer that would bring out that contrast even more. And I probably was going to print this on a Grade 3 paper called Brilliant, a French paper that is no longer available.

To get a good depth of field and have everything in critical focus I probably used an f/stop of 45 or greater and an exposure time of several seconds. All of these decisions were made before I even took the lens cap off. Today, even though I work with digital cameras and Photoshop I still use the same disciplines - I see the image in my mind first and then I see or create the light needed. Many times I will get a request to work with a client at a time that they think would be "good for pictures". Usually it isn't.

It's a shame that many photographers and their clients will never see or experience the beauty of a fine art black and white print. Most work today is printed on color paper or paper with a lot of plastic in it. Plastic is much cheaper than silver. Even sadder in my opinion is that much of the work being produced today will be relegated to a monitor or an iPhone screen.

If you'd like to see and appreciate the beauty of a fine print I'd suggest visiting your local museum. Here in Hampton Roads the Chrysler Museum ( http://www.chrysler.org/ ) has recently acquired work from Berenice Abbott and August Sander.

When you look at an image consider this - what emotions does this image draw out of you? How do you react or respond to the photograph? Are you viewing something that you've seen before but never, literally, in this light?

Thi is the task and the joy of a photographer. To see what has been unseen though right before us and to bring it to light.