Chiaroscuro

'You will do foolish things, but do them with enthusiasm'.....Colette

Working through my black and white Point and Shoot series has me thinking of the photographers who influenced me when I first got into photography. I clearly remember the first time I saw Ralph Gibson's book 'Chiaroscuro' and became immediately intoxicated with his high contrast, grainy images.

Ralph Gibson would pull you into his  images using grain, contrast and texture.  Starting out as a photojournalist, he claimed,  caused him to have a lifelong relationship with grain. Additionally, and unbeknown to me until today, he worked with Robert Frank (another early influence with his book, The Americans) on a film in 1969, Me and My Brother,  starring Allen Ginsburg.

It has been quite rewarding for me to look back on these early black and white days  - not sure what prompted this but happy that it happened. Opens yet another dialog in my head regarding the direction of my work.

The image in the header is a scan from an original 12X20 black and white negative.