Category Archives: Photography

Somewhere inside Oxford’s austere Weston Library, a vast, deep part of the city’s Bodleian Libraries that holds a fair chunk of its 13 million items, figures from the gloriously mahogany mid-1970s come to life. Angela Rippon, the newsreader, prances gaily in a chiffon dress; Margaret Thatcher smiles as only she can. David Hockney stands pensively beside a portrait of his own father, while Rudolf Nureyev sits in his chair, slightly tense. King Charles III, then Prince of Wales, grins in a carefree way not seen much in the five decades since. 

“He is an unusually good-looking young man, better-looking than I thought from his pictures” read the notes on the royal sitting, which took place in March 1977. They are by Bern Schwartz, the businessman who made a surprising and successful late conversion to professional photography. He assures us that the future king has a “very, very warm manner”; Charles’s only request was that he not be called “Prince”. “In America, he’s called ‘Prince’ all the time,” records Schwartz. “Just as if someone was calling a dog.”

These are the brightest traces of the Bodleian Libraries’ latest big acquisition. They have been given Schwartz’s entire archives – a time capsule of 1970s portraits, negatives, faded typewritten notes, thank-you letters and Schwartz’s favoured camera (a Hasselblad medium-format) – alongside a gift of £2mn by The Bern Schwartz Family Foundation, now headed up by his three children and a family friend. If the Foundation has already given gifts and prints to various non-profit institutions, as part of its aim to preserve Bern’s legacy, this is its biggest cash donation ever. It has allowed the Bodleian to hire a curator of photography for the very first time, who will be able to marshal a huge and disparate holding that ranges from William Henry Fox Talbot’s personal archive to extensive photography of the anti-apartheid movement.

The Prince of Wales, Nureyev and Lester Piggott are each asked if they like ‘body-surfing’

“It’s going to make us an institution that’s as well regarded as the V&A or the National Portrait Gallery for photography,” says Phillip Roberts, the man who has been hired as the Bern and Ronny Schwartz Curator of Photography. In the library’s hushed low-lit rooms, he unpacks the archive – much of which, such as the sitting notes and correspondence, has not been seen before. The gift will also lead to other archive acquisitions (he is in final-stage talks for four more) and several photography exhibitions; the archive itself will go on show in 2025. 

The gift also preserves the legacy of Schwartz, who went from being a penniless youth in the Great Depression to a very rich man who got to photograph John Gielgud and Golda Meir, Margot Fonteyn and Edward Heath, “Kiwi [sic]Te Kanawa” and Cardinal Basil Hume. Not bad when you consider that he had his first proper lesson in photography in 1973, when he was nearing 60. The notes from his classes with the great Philippe Halsman are in the gift too, plus correspondence typed up by Schwartz’s ever-supportive wife Ronny. “To have the notes and the negatives from the working process… that’s what makes it really special,” says Roberts. 

Bern Schwartz was born in New York City in 1914 and raised in Allentown, Pennsylvania. His father died when he was 18, forcing him to immediately get to work. It was hardly a propitious time – but it was also the end of Prohibition, and the young Schwartz got a job selling beer trays to a newly alcoholic nation. It led to many successful business ventures for a man who seems to have mixed suave, calm charm with a whirling restlessness. Eventually Schwartz would buy a textile manufacturing company in 1954, which led to him making a substantial fortune; he sold it to Standard Oil of Indiana in 1968. The Schwartzes began to split their time between La Jolla, California and London; it was also now that Bern could start photographing in earnest. He had always loved it: he bought his first Kodak aged 14. Soon, Schwartz used his contacts to get sittings in London, and the results would go so well (Thatcher used a portrait for an electoral campaign) that new sitters would appear by word-of-mouth. 

“He wanted his pictures to be a ‘visual biography’ of the person,” says his son Michael. “He wanted the person to be engaged in expressing themselves, and to show their greatness.” To him and his siblings, it was obvious the archive should go to the Bodleian Libraries. “It has been around for a few hundred years,” he says. “Chances are the photography is in good hands.”

Both Michael and Roberts affectionately use the same term to describe Schwartz’s approach: tunnel vision. He seems to have needed it to court and cajole his famous faces. According to his notes, most meetings seem to start by someone saying how busy and tired they are: Henry Moore is “harassed”, Zandra Rhodes is “quite drowsy”, Rudolf Nureyev is “exhausted”. In fact, the ballet superstar looks “like a walking zombie” after a round of endless performances and partying. Hockney, meanwhile, forces Schwartz out of his comfort zone, as the photographer tries to incorporate the artist’s own painting of his parents into the shot; countless negatives show how the two work together. Yet somehow, the sitting always seems to end in effusive thanks and invitations to tea. Schwartz’s means of seduction vary, but it’s notable that the Prince of Wales, Nureyev and Lester Piggott are each asked if they like “body surfing”, a late passion of his discovered in California. Broadly, they do. 

There is another touching comment in Schwartz’s notes on the Prince. “I also told him about my philosophy of life,” says the photographer. “That no matter what age I died, whether it was next year or when I was 100, I hoped that I would die young and that this meant just exercising and keeping very involved in activities.” The following year, in November 1978, Schwartz was due to be in Rome to photograph the new pope, John Paul II. However, the 64-year-old abruptly had to cancel in order to fly back to California to have treatment for pancreatic cancer. Six weeks later, on 31 December, he was dead. Michael, who was 30 at the time, eventually decided to interview many of his father’s business colleagues and family members to find out the source of his extraordinary drive. One told him that “working with Bern, you had a sense of satisfaction, because you felt like you were building something”. The large cache at the Bodleian Libraries suggests he’s set to keep doing the same.

British Culture Archive – A Celebration of Life in the North during the 1970s-80s will open on Saturday, February 4 with residents invited to meet the archive’s founder and exhibition curator, Paul Wright.

The British Culture Archive documents, highlights and preserves the changes in British culture and society through documentary photography.

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The project was first established on Instagram (@britishculturearchive) and aims to make photography accessible and engaging to people of all backgrounds.

The archive features the work of many renowned photographers practising in the UK today.

The Peoples Archive, founded by the British Culture Archive in 2017, is a crowdsourced archive documenting everyday life in 20th Century Britain

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Its aim is to give a voice to the “man in the street” and give a platform to a diverse spectrum of society and communities from across the UK.

This exhibition features work by professional photographers as well as snap shots from people’s photo albums which show everyday life in the north.

Bury Art Museum is open from 10am to 5pm from Tuesday to Friday and from 10am to 4.30pm on Saturday.

Sony doesn’t often make development announcements, but it has announced that it is developing a new telephoto lens with sports photographers in mind. The new lens will be the Sony FE 300mm F2.8 GM OSS and it will sit alongside the FE 600mm F4 GM OSS and FE 400mm F2.8 GM OSS, offering long reach with a large aperture that’s perfect for photographing sport, action and wildlife.

Sony hasn’t announced the price of the FE 300mm F2.8 GM OSS yet but the FE 400mm F2.8 GM OSS retails for £10,490/$11,998 while the FE 600mm F4 GM OSS costs £11,999 / $12,998.

As a G Master lens aimed at professional photographers, we can anticipate that the lens will deliver outstanding image quality, the focusing will be swift and the lens will be well-balanced on a full-frame FE-mount camera like the Sony A1 and Sony A7R V.

As an OSS lens, the FE 300mm F2.8 GM OSS will have Sony’s Optical SteadyShot system built-in. That means it is stabilised and doesn’t rely solely on in-body stabilisation. That’s significant with a telephoto lens as the stabilisation elements within the lens can make greater corrections than sensor-based stabilisation at longer focal lengths.

There are no further details about the FE 300mm F2.8 GM OSS, but it is expected to come to market in early 2024.

New Sony SD cards

Sony has also announced two new 512GB UHS-II SD cards, the SF-M512T and SF-M512. Both cards have the same specification, but the SF-M512T is part of the Tough range and can withstand harsher treatment.

The two cards have a maximum read speed of 150MB/s and write speeds of up to 277MB/s. The cards will go on sale at the end of January 2023 for €330 (SF-M512T) and €300 (SF-M512).

At the beginning of March, I started experimenting with infrared photography. I was fascinated by the possibility of creating pictures with waves of light that we cannot see with our own eyes. Infrared light (780nm to 1mm) is electromagnetic radiation that has longer wavelengths than those of our visible light (380nm to 720nm). Cameras normally block the infrared wavelengths before they hit the sensor to maximize image quality. With the help of modified cameras (that have the filter removed that blocks the infrared light) it is possible to capture those wavelengths inside the camera. Special infrared filters help with blocking the visible light hitting the sensor to a certain degree.

The reason for plants and trees being more colourful than buildings and water is the substance chlorophyll. Chlorophyll is a green pigment than can be found in the chloroplasts of algae and plants. In comparison to water and concrete, It strongly reflects the infrared wavelengths that are invisible to our eyes, resulting in a more vivid colour rendition.

For this experimental study, I worked with a modified full-spectrum camera that allowed me to capture the invisible infrared light and also the visible light resulting in a special mixture of both spectrums. This mixture of both spectrums enabled me to create pictures with unusual, unnatural or even peculiar colour renditions that still have a touch of reality to them.

Strange colours. Strange shapes & forms. Strange objects. Strange combinations of nature & urban life.

Strange times.

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You can find Roland Krämer on the Web:

Copyrights:
All the pictures in this post are copyrighted to Roland Krämer. Their reproduction, even in part, is forbidden without the explicit approval of the rightful owners.

Charlie Kucik is an artist from the Washington D.C. metro area, who is currently based in Savannah, studying fibers at the Savannah College of Art and Design. They specialize in digitally collaging images and photography. Their work aims to capture the authenticity and uniqueness of queer individuals around the world.

The youngest of four boys, Kucik is making quite a statement as they learn themselves in their work but also understanding the layers of who they are.

Growing up, sports was the only outlet, specifically swimming pre-pandemic and Kucik shares that he was an avid swimmer before stumbling into art. They didn’t find their love of art until their junior year of high school when they joined the yearbook team, their passion for photography began.

Kucik started as a film major but dabbled in advertising, and fashion photography, and now landing in fibers.

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We bonded over being overestimated by all that SCAD had to offers as far as majors go, which gives you the opportunities to play and figure out where you want to be, while at the same time getting to the point where you need to pick something we are passionate about, this isn’t cheap.

We both agreed that you have to learn your find your place not only with your art but also understand art is only an extension of yourself. “You have to live your life to create from a place of authenticity”. Being creative can show up in several areas of our lives from walking your dog enjoying nature and being inspired to redecorating your space, and organizing all the things.

“Life feels like it was on a pause button at the being of the pandemic and now that the play button has been hit, we are just trying to figure out life differently,” Kucik said.

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“My grandmother used to live in the house of a famous painter, who died in the house!” And then she herself fell in love with watercolors creating hundreds of her own pieces, a spooky turn of events that turned into so much more, creating a spark for young Charlie.

Kucik’s first show features 63 pieces and will be at Alexander Bistro, located at 1201 Bull St. The opening reception is Friday from 7-9 p.m. with 10% of the proceeds going towards Planned Parenthood Southeast.

“The goal of the pieces of the show was to select pieces created during the course of two years that are a combo of what I do, I didn’t even know what to do but just wandered in and saw the work on the wall, and talked to the main barista where do you get your art from, I do art if you ever need work up, Oh great let’s do it! Bam it just happened,” Kucik said.

I’m often asked how I have my work displayed in certain spaces, and just like Kucik, I literally notice art is on the wall and ask the question and find out what the business’s process is for rotating artists. People in Savannah generally like art and are open to all sorts of art being in their business spaces especially if it fits their vibes.

I’ve been turned down because my work didn’t fit their preferred aesthetic, I’ve learned to take it as a learning experience and a challenge to overwhelm or just move on.

IF YOU GO

What: Gallery opening for Charlie Kucik

When: Friday from 7-9 p.m.

Where: Alexander’s Bistro, 1201 Bull St.

Info: alexandersbistro.com

This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Savannah GA art galleries: SCAD Charlie Kucik at Alexander’s Bistro