PHOTOGRAPHERS OF THE PAST Peter Hayes FRPS

The RPS Benelux Chapter HISTORY OF PHOTOGRAPHY

Peter Hayes

“The older I get the more I appreciate the wondrous powers of monochrome film photographers of the past”

I was a little surprised when Armando asked

me to write an article for your eJournal. On which subject, I asked? “The type of black and white images you post on Facebook”, he replied. I am delighted to oblige. The older I get the more I appreciate the wondrous powers of monochrome film photographers of the past. The more you analyse their images the more you realise how good many of them were, how precise they were, and yet how open minded they were. They were not afraid to take risks.

Risk taking is something we encourage at the RPS. You can look at the Masters and learn from

them, but what your practice needs to be is your own photography. To establish a style, you will have to be prepared to fail. I know this only too well! I first used an Olympus camera at the age of 14, but little did I know then that I would spend my entire career looking at images... ...moving images. I worked in television making films and gave up still photography at an early age.

I CANNOT ENTERTAIN YOU ALL DAY

If only I had kept a camera with me at all times! I have interviewed world leaders, Prime Ministers, Queens, global celebrities, and never once did I take their picture. To be fair, it wasn’t my job, and it might have jeopardised the interviews had I tried to muscle in with a still

camera.

That all changed when I retired early from television, and instead of travelling from Devon to the House of Commons every week, I found myself at home with my wife, who was used to her own space. After a few days stuck at home together she said to me (somewhat unkindly, I thought at the time ) “I cannot entertain you all day, you will have to find something to do.” So that is when I went back to still photography with a vengeance. I have always liked Nikon, so I immediately bought a D3s and several lenses. These included a 500 mm because by that time I had taken up birding and had become a keen bird watcher, so it was natural to concentrate on taking images of birds. I had no idea how difficult it was to shoot a bird in flight and get the images sharp! I went to Gigrin Farm in Wales to get shots of the Red Kites swooping down for food. It took me several minutes to even see them through the viewfinder! The speed as they hurtled towards earth was incredible.

Later, I became interested in Distinctions and joined the RPS. I have learned a fantastic amount from other photographers and at one stage I was Photographer-in-Residence at Europe’s largest hospital, the Queen Elizabeth in Birmingham. Although I have been accepted into the RPS International Print Exhibition, I have no real interest in exhibitions or competitions, as I simply photograph for my own purposes. Neither do I have a website, although I do sell quite a few of my images privately. I have been chair of the RPS Multimedia panel and the Travel panel and acting chair on several others, plus the Fellowship Board. I now chair the Distinctions Committee.

I digress; back to Facebook and the black and white images Armando would like to see. The first person I would like to feature is Fan Ho (1931-2016), who documented Hong Kong in the 1940s and 1950s. Key to his work was his power of observation. He has been dubbed 'the Henri Cartier-Bresson of the East' although I would say there is a greater graphic quality to Fan Ho’s work. He would wander around the (then) British colony with his Rolleiflex capturing people going about their daily lives, but all the time playing with shape and form.

Page 25 | © Shirley Baker (1932-2014)

FAN HO

Let’s have a look at his most iconic image: Approaching Shadow, 1954.

I love the lines in this: horizontal, diagonal, vertical – they are all there. This image is designed to take the eye directly to the subject, who is clearly in reflective mood. The look on her face gives the image an emotional element that would otherwise be lacking. It is important that the brightness of the wall does not overpower the rest of the image, and this is managed well. All, however, is not as it seems; this is not a spontaneous image. The subject is Fan Ho’s cousin who was asked to stand in exactly the right spot. The diagonal line was added in afterwards in the darkroom and the look on her face was planned. Both, in Fan Ho’s words, symbolise her youth fading away. Fan Ho: gentleman, perfectionist and rule breaker.

© Fan Ho (1931-2016) - Approaching Shadow, 1954

JAMES RAVILIOUS

My next choice is worlds away from Hong Kong: James Ravilious (1939-1999). James was a huge contributor to our knowledge of village life and the English landscape. He chose a small area in Devon (where I live) between two rivers, the Taw and the Torridge. Essentially, he was a documentary photographer detailing the minutiae of everyday life in this small corner tucked away in the West Country. Many of his images would have been impossible to achieve had he not first won the trust of local people. It is hard to imagine anyone doing what Ravilious did today, unless they had private wealth of course. He did not. He moved with his wife Robin to the village of Dolton and was commissioned by Beaford Arts Centre (established by Dartington Hall) to compile “a photographic archive of the land and people of north Devon.”

© James Ravilious (1939-1999) - Ivor Brock rescuing a lamb in a blizzard, Millhams, Dolton, Devon, 1978

For 25 years Ravilious worked tirelessly to do just that, all on an extremely modest salary and using his own equipment. What resonates with me is the humanity of his work. These are intimate images, full of integrity. If you look closely at them you realise that they convey much, much more than the apparent subject portrayed. Ravilious is routinely described as underappreciated during his lifetime. This is true, but he is certainly recognised now. Thanks to the sterling work of his wife Robin and his daughter Ella, James’ work is now internationally recognised for the brilliant, detailed archive that it is. It is an object lesson to any documentary photographer. The copyright to his work is still held by the Beaford Centre.

© James Ravilious (1939-1999) - Oliver Bennett with her Red Devon Cows, Cuppers Piece, Beaford, 1979

EDWARD STEICHEN

My inclusion of Edward Steichen (1879-1973) will surprise no one. The perfect fusion of portraiture and fashion photography, the work he did for Condé Nast has been much copied ever since.

I have always admired this Steichen image of Gloria Swanson. Silent film stars use their eyes to convey emotion far more than most actors do today, for obvious reasons, but there is something else here. We see Swanson’s hypnotic eyes, but Steichen has emphasised them. As he wrote in his autobiography:

"At the end of the session, I took a piece of black lace veil and hung it in front of her face. She recognized the idea at once. Her eyes dilated, and her look was that of a leopardess lurking behind leafy shrubbery, watching her prey. You don't have to explain things to a dynamic and intelligent personality like Miss Swanson. Her mind works swiftly and intuitively."

Yet again, we have that extra element that differentiates the good photographer from the great. We see Swanson not just as a star but as a person with individual qualities. Incidentally, Steichen also stressed that to achieve the very best portraiture, there must first be a true affiliation between sitter and artist. That means time, patience and communication between the two.

© Edward Steichen (1879-1973) - Gloria Swanson, 1928

EDITH TUDOR-HART

Edith Tudor-Hart (1908-1973) was an AustrianBritish photographer who also spied for the Soviet Union. She was a communist and an active anti-fascist, who used her photography to further her political ideals. She was involved in recruiting members of the Cambridge spy ring (including Kim Philby), which so damaged British intelligence. She later acted as an intermediary for Anthony Blunt.

Much of her work is about protests and political gatherings, but I particularly admire her images of poverty, education and child welfare, which raised social awareness.

© Edith Tudor-Hart (1908-1973) - Gas Street, Finsbury, 1938

© Edith Tudor-Hart (1908-1973) - Child Staring into a Bakery Window, London, 1935

SABINE WEISS

Next, we look at Sabine Weiss (1924-...), a SwissFrench humanist photographer who began taking street images in New York and Paris but later branched out into fashion and portraiture. She would take images of almost anything and anybody! She didn’t need to ask permission for street portraits; people were much more forgiving in those days. She was well trained in the early days and has a great eye for images. She quickly learned how to use natural light to the best advantage.

She began taking images in 1932 with a bakelite camera bought with her pocket money and later learned about photographic technique from Frédéric Boissonnas, at his studio in Geneva. She moved to Paris in 1946 to become assistant to Willy Maywald.

I have not room here to say much more about this fabulous woman, who managed to bring joy into many of her images. As she says: I photograph to preserve the ephemeral, fix chance, to keep in an image what will disappear: gestures, attitudes, objects which are testimonies of our passing.”

© Sabine Weiss (1924–...)

SHIRLEY BAKER

Shirley Baker (1932-2014) was an under-rated social documentary photographer, featuring everyday life in the North of England at a time of industrial decline and social neglect.

However, there is a lot of life in her images, and fun! These are just a few of my favourite photographers. There are many more! So what do they in common? A good eye, and a desire to tell a story. The narrative is crucial, and whether they intended it or not, they all, in various ways, ended up documenting some aspect of life. They were each superb at their craft and they have left a lasting legacy.

© Shirley Baker (1932-2014)