NEWSROOM

N E W S R O O M News from the black & white world

Edited by Mark Bentley markbe@thegmcgroup.com

HIGH CONTRAST

Lacock Abbey and the Fox Talbot Museum have re-opened, although you’ll need to book your visit in advance. The idyllic country house was once home to William Henry Fox Talbot, the inventor of the photographic negative, and the museum is now home to hundreds of cameras, devices and toys dating from the 18th century, as well as almost 3,500 photographic images ranging from the earliest processes through to the first par t of the 20th century. National Trust members can book for free, while tickets for adult nonmembers are £10.

Leica is to move par t of its M-mount lens production from its famous Wetzlar factory to a state of the ar t facility in Por tugal. The move is to avoid a 25% tarif f imposed on ‘Made in Germany’ products by the US government. Lenses to receive the new ‘Made in Por tugal’ engraving include the Summilux-M 50mm f /1.4 ASPH, 35mm f / 2 ASPH and 28mm f / 2 ASPH. Leica’s Por tuguese-made optics will be identical in design, manufacture and warranty, and will filter through to retailers before the end of the year.

A 109-year-old camera shop has burned down in Kenosha, Wisconsin, during recent rioting. Rode’s Camera Shop opened in 1911 and was owned by the Rode family until eight years ago when the business was bought by employees Paul Willet te and Tom Gram. The riots were triggered by the shooting of Kenosha resident Jacob Blake by a police of ficer. The co-owners subsequently declined a presidential request to be par t of a ‘tour of damage’ visit and photo oppor tunity. ‘Everything Trump does turns into a circus and I just didn’t want to be involved in it,’ said Gram in a local T V interview. Sandra Gould Ford in her of fice in Homewood, PA , 2017 by LaToya Ruby Frazier

KRASZNA- KRAUSZ WINNER ANNOUNCED

Chicago-based visual artist LaToya Ruby Frazier has won the 35th Kraszna-Krausz Photography Book Award for her eponymous book LaToya Ruby Frazier.

Published to accompany last year’s exhibition at Mudam Luxembourg, Frazier’s powerful tome brings together three series that comment on racial discrimination, poverty and post-industrial decline: The Notion of Family (2001–14), On the Making of Steel Genesis: Sandra Gould Ford (2017) and And From the Coaltips a Tree Will Rise (2016–17). She receives a £5,000 prize.

‘In my photographs, I make social commentary about urgent issues I see in the communities or places I’m in. I use them as a platform to advocate for social justice and as a means to create visibility for people who are on the margins, who are deemed “unworthy”: the poor, the elderly, the working class, and anyone who doesn’t have a voice. I create depictions of their humanity that call for equity,’ said Frazier.

Frazier is an associate professor at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and will soon publish two new books: LaToya Ruby Frazier: The Last Cruze (2020) and Flint is Family in Three Acts (2021).

END OF AN ERA

Jürgen Schadeberg, described as the father of South African photography, has died aged 89. He is best remembered for his iconic images of Nelson Mandela and the struggles of the apartheid era, and leaves behind a personal archive of more than 200,000 negatives spanning 70 years.

Born in Berlin in 1931, Schadeberg worked as an apprentice for the German Press Agency before emigrating to South Africa where he became lead photographer and artistic editor for Drum, a magazine produced for a black audience. As a foreigner, he was able to enter otherwise segregated black communities and photograph not just the forced removals and harsh conditions facing workers, but also musical luminaries such as singer Miriam Makeba and trumpeter Hugh Masekela.

After leaving Drum in 1959 he documented the demolition of Glasgow’s slums, Berlin’s Cold War division and South Africa’s first free elections. He also taught photography in England, America and Germany. In 2014 he received a lifetime achievement award from New York ’s International Center of Photography.

Pagan roots – St Bar ts Easter Vigil by Niki Gorick. © Niki Gorick

OUTDOOR DISPL AY

An outdoor exhibition of photographs of people of a variety of different faiths is now on display in London.

The pictures by Niki Gorick were taken at various events in the City of London and can be seen at Guildhall Yard until 28 October and then Aldgate Square from 29 October to 26 November. The photographs can also be seen in a book, Faith in the City of London, published by Unicorn Publishing, price £25.

COMPACT COMPANION

Sony has unveiled the world’s smallest and lightest full-frame camera with in-body image stabilisation (IBIS).

The compact Alpha 7C shares a lot of its spec with the popular Alpha 7 III – the same 24Mp CMOS sensor, ISO 100-51200, 10fps burst speed, hybrid AF system and 5-axis IBIS – but offers a smaller viewfinder, fully articulated touchscreen and single SD card slot. Sony’s new travel and street-friendly mirrorless measures 124 x 71 x 59mm, weighs 509g and has an RRP of £1,900. A complementary FE 28-60mm f/4-5.6 lens continues the small and light theme, measuring 66 x 45mm and weighing 167g.

A camera made in the early days of photography is coming up for auction.

The Mousetrap camera was made in about 1840 and is the first of its kind ever to be auctioned. It goes under the hammer with specialist photographic auctioneers Flints Auctions on 19 November with an estimate of £50,000 to £70,000. Only six other Mousetrap cameras are known to exist, all in a museum collection. Constructed from wood with a simple fixed focus lens, a Mousetrap camera was used by one of the founders of photography, William Henry Fox Talbot, although there is no evidence he used this particular camera.

Jonathan Brown, camera expert at Flints, said: ‘This auction is a once in a lifetime chance to acquire a Mousetrap camera as one has never before come to the open market and it is impossible to know if an opportunity will ever arise again. We anticipate a great deal of excitement and interest from private collectors and museums.'

© Ar tcurial

UP FOR SALE

Jeanne Moreau, c. 1970 by Slim Aarons A collection of almost 40 portraits of celebrated French actress Jeanne Moreau was due to be auctioned online by Artcurial from 16 to 22 October. The collection includes pictures by Slim Aarons, Cécil Beaton, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Peter Lindbergh, Helmut Newton, Bettina Rheims and Agnès Varda.

Profits will be donated to the Jeanne Moreau Foundation, which protects artistic creation and ensures initiatives in the field of cultural and artistic creation. ar tcurial.com

EARLY CAMERA TO BE AUCTIONED