Dark Matters » black & white

Leica Camera Blog

Roger Coulam — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 18:29:19 +0000

I am delighted to have written a guest blog piece for Leica http://www.leica.com/

The post explains a little bit about my background, my approach to photography, and why my subject matter has changed so much over the last couple of years.

It can be viewed at http://blog.leica-camera.com/guest-blog-posts/roger-coulam-the-gift-of-a-leica/ so please take a look and and leave some comments.

UPDATE Sept 13th – if anyone has had any problems adding comments to the Leica blog, please keep trying. I have notified them that their site is not working properly, and they assure me that it is being sorted out! Sorry – it is out of my hands.

William Klein

Roger Coulam — Wed, 20 Jul 2011 06:00:30 +0000

This is William Klein’s “Contacts Vol. 1, Portraits of Contemporary Photographers”.

It is rare to hear a great photographer, talking about their contact sheets and work in such an illuminating manner. For more information on Klein visit http://www.masters-of-photography.com/K/klein/klein.html

Here are two thought provoking qoutes from the man….

“Be yourself. I much prefer seeing something, even it is clumsy, that doesn’t look like somebody else’s work.” William Klein

“I used the wide-angle lens as a normal lens. I had no philosophy about it. When I looked in the viewfinder and realized I could see all the contradictions and confusion that was there with the wide-angle — that was what was great… I’d had a Rolleiflex with different lenses, I wouldn’t have cropped that much. I had no compunction about cropping, because I did my own layouts…[And] I’d use anything in printing. Throw cyanide, white out over things. I approached photography a little bit like a painter would play with a lithograph, fooling around, pouring milk, tea, anything on it. It was the sort of thing that anybody with any sort of strict, classic photographic training would have qualms about. But I had no qualms at all about doing things with photography. First of all, I had no knowledge of it, and I couldn’t care less, because I thought the whole photographic world was alien.” William Klein (via Lens Culture)

Trent Parke

Roger Coulam — Sat, 25 Jun 2011 06:00:29 +0000

A very interesting photographer http://www.magnumphotos.com/C.aspx?VP=XSpecific_MAG.PhotographerDetail_VPage&l1=0&pid=2K7O3R13MZYS&nm=Trent%20Parke

Thomas Joshua Cooper

Roger Coulam — Sun, 20 Mar 2011 06:00:25 +0000

I recently attended an inspiring talk by the unique artist Thomas Joshua Cooper, who is regarded as one of the world’s most important landscape artists. The event was organised by the North East Photography Network http://www.northeastphoto.net/

Thomas only makes images outdoors, only ever makes one image in any one place, and uses an Agfa camera that was made in 1898. He is well known for the extraordinary lengths he goes to in order to make his images, and can spend months travelling to the remote parts of the globe to make a single image.

Cooper has always emphasized that his images are made not taken or shot and the final stage in the process takes place in the dark room.

“When I make a picture it is a considered event and a considered action, and through that consideration the act of construction occurs. So for me, I never take anything because it seems first to be overly aggressive and possessive, I make something, I originate it.” (Thomas Joshua Cooper)

“I see my photographs as meditations, it is as simple as that. To be understood they must be experienced––felt, seen, known. Consequently, I often use the medium of the landscape, for everyone, in some small way, has some very personal relation to the land––thus they are ready (and willing) to come in to look, if not into, at least at the landscapes I produce. I have trapped them then! For if l have made the concept of the photographs strong enough, the viewer will begin to still himself for, indeed, I make Still photographs––and with the coming stillness comes the possibility of a deep meditational understanding and seeing. And seeing leads to Vision. And my photographs are there mainly as pointers, indications, of a vision of possibilities where stillness and silence abound––and where Light is understood to be a substantial reality. My photographs are my greatest teachers. It is my hope that they offer a moment of pleasure to my viewers––and perhaps a tiny hit of (mutual?) understanding … but, as always, I have no expectations”. - Thomas Joshua Cooper, Creative Camera, August, 1974, page 258

I would recommend anyone checks out Thomas’ pictures and words, as they can help to illuminate the thought process behind making pictures.