Black_White_Photography_-_Winter_2014

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B+W

Dear Elizabeth

Four years ago I picked up a

camera again after about 20

years, and a couple of weeks

later I picked up a copy of

Black+White! I’ve not put either

of them down since. Over this

time I’ve been on a fantastic

journey, embracing both of my

passions – music and

photography. I’ve been

photographing jazz and soul

musicians both in performance

and sitting for portraits ever

since. Tomorrow night I step

into the real arena as a

photographer for Ronnie Scott’s

Jazz Club in Soho. I would like

Dear Elizabeth

I would like to comment on Ian

Barber’s letter The Craft of

Photography in Issue 169.

Grayson Perry said in his Reith

Lecture in October 2013 that if

Michelangelo were alive today

he wouldn’t be painting ceilings

he’d be making CGI movies and

3D printing. He opined that

artists have always been early

adopters of new technology and

I would say, on the whole, the

same is true of photographers.

Would Ian Barber write his

own photo editing software (if

he were ever to use such a

thing)? No, I suspect he’d use

Photoshop or Lightroom,

written by experts. DSLR and

CSC manufacturers pay experts

to design and write the software

for their cameras, including

built-in light meters, so why is

he so against people using it?

There are overrides for

situations when the camera’s

computer can’t cope with

extreme light situations, but

mostly the experts’ settings

operate exceedingly well, and

this leaves one’s mind free to

concentrate on composition,

new angles, etc. when the light

is changing fast.

With regard to printing, the

price of inks seems to have

rocketed sky-high over the

past few years, so as an

amateur I’m now very selective

with what I print, but I can play

a slideshow of my favourite

images on a high resolution

computer monitor using

Photoshop Bridge, and the

results are excellent.

Why reinvent the wheel?

Trish Jones

Dear Elizabeth

I am an old photographer – of

a time when one had to judge

exposures from experience as

light meters were not commonly

available. I agree with the

sentiments expressed by Ian

Barber (Issue 169) about the

craft of photography and must

confess that I regret having

parted with my film and

darkroom equipment at the

advent of digital imaging. But,

surely, what matters is the

finished picture not how it was

made. Digital cameras are very

good at making pictures, the

photographer’s art is to see

them, and the craft, these days,

is to master digital processing

and printing.

Royston Morgan

Dear Elizabeth

I have taken your most excellent

magazine since the very first

issue and have enjoyed

something in every one. The

articles by Lee Frost are always

really informative and

stimulating. The articles by Tim

Clinch are stimulating, but in a

different way. I remember his

somewhat dismissive review of

the Fuji X100 but I went ahead

and bought one anyway and

have enjoyed it a lot. To see him

now with the X-Pro 1 makes me

reflect on two comments he

made which are getting under

my skin. The first was about the

size of digital SLRs and how one

can be much more discreet

when out and about with

something like the X-Pro 1 but,

even more so, his comments

about technical perfection and

the ‘camera club mentality’ –

and why we should relax and

just enjoy our photography.

Tim may not quite appreciate

how this amateur photographer

has a camera club sitting on his

shoulder (though I have never

been in one) thus the search for

YOUR B+W

IN CONTACT

INSPIRED BY B+W

WHY RE-INVENT THE WHEEL?

IN PRAISE OF THE PICTURE

THE BEST OF COMPROMISE

We reserve the right to edit

readers’ letters for reasons

of clarity and space.

We want to hear your views, ideas and opinions

so write to us on paper, Facebook or email – and

don’t forget to send us a picture. We have three

Class 10 EVO 16MB SD cards to give away

each month. With a Grade 1 transfer speed of up to

48Mb/s, this is ideal for DSLRs and full HD camcorders.

GET IN CONTACT

On paper to Black+White Photography, GMC Publications Ltd, 86 High Street, Lewes BN7 1XN

On Facebook at facebook.com/blackandwhitephotog On email at [email protected]

© Carl Hyde

© Stephen Spooner

technical perfection and the

search for the camera which will

give it to me. Someone who

sells pictures has reinforcement

that what he/she does is

worthwhile to someone else.

Photography is a compromise

I know, but how far are we

prepared to go along that route?

Please pass on my best

wishes to Tim and tell him

how much of a response he

is provoking.

Stephen Spooner

to say thanks to Black+White

for the inspiration. Please never

stop the fantastic work.

Carl Hyde

WINNER

WINNER

WINNER

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