very very exciting...

[tongapup]

Mexican Notebooks by HBC. I have become toootally obsessed with his technical prowess. How does he avoid blown-out areas so well and have such wonderful, fine detail... is it the lens? at first i thought he was using jumbo-sized negatives, but no, just 35 mm. so it must be the lens. and his ability to "read" light. i'm sure he was a human light meter. (i wish my brother was that, instead of a human beat-box.) how did he do it? anyone know?

i'm not really going to mention the compositions, since we all know how great they are, and no amount of equipment or technical prowess can get you one of those.

and just while i'm at it...

"teenage" by joseph szabo. he was a high-school photography teacher and captured some stunning more-or-less candid images of the students at his school. it's kind of painful to look at because it's all so teenagery.

"the subway pictures" by peter peter. this guy really feeds my inner voyeur. he apparently concealed a camera in a bag on his lap and took pictures of people on the subway. and you thought i was creepy for stealing a shot. the results are fascinating to any connoisseur of urbanity. i guess it's an updated version of that walker evans book "many are called," which i've never seen, :(

wolfgang tillmans. thanks elise for introducing me. this guy's pictures freak me out. high art? low art? art at all? and what about that airplane-meal shot... you know the one...

[Luko]

is it the lens? at first i thought he was using jumbo-sized negatives, but no, just 35 mm. so it must be the lens

Part of, but not really :) ... HCB was using at that time the first Leicas and a Leitz summicron 50mm/2 lens (Same as mine hehehe ...) which is known as maybe the best lens that ever was produced, though very simple. Also at that time in the 30's, the lenses were not as good as they are now, so that's not the lens...

In fact HCB is known to favor really smooth and very bright enlargments he hates contrast and will always go to the print that will boast the more details.
HCb was a fine technician but not as much as Lartigue for instance who was a real wizard on his own : the secret of his skill is about geometry and zen archery, add light on top of that. however he also had much control on every output of his, then his printer had to obey to his likings.

Lisan you should read an interesting biography about a man of his time which is called "HCB : the eye of the century" by Pierre Assouline, it's a very interesting book where you can find all HCB hows and whys. You then understand he was more than a photographer but a man who was friend with the important artists of his time (Breton, Renoir, Doisneau...), an avid traveler who first married an indonesian dancer and who also met the important people of the world and, most of all an unbelievable provoker and anarchist.

[philip_coggan]

http://www.roslynoxley9.com.au/artists/18/Bill_Henson/

[tongapup]

I think the book only exists in French. I could read it but it would be a labour and I just want to enjoy it. Do you have any recommendations of English biographies of HCB?