“Retro” Press Photography?
“Press photographers take photographs to record news, current events and lifestyle stories. They aim to capture the best images which document an event, tell a story or convey a message and support the printed word. The pictures are then reproduced in newspapers, magazines and online.”
https://www.prospects.ac.uk/job-profiles/press-photographer
For the purposes of this website, let’s focus on the equipment and techniques of the press photographers from the 1930’s to the 1960’s: large format Graphic and Graflex cameras using various different flashbulb types. The advent of 35mm film cameras, electronic flash, and now digital capture have made this older methodology pretty much obsolete for the current era, where the news cycle is compressed into minutes rather than the “morning edition” and “evening edition” of the prior day news.
However, the photographic record of an entire period of history is dominated by the black and white print – lit by the bright bulbs required to get enough image onto the film available at the time. The fine detail in the prints and the rapid light falloff from the center of the photo to the edge are a signature of photos that defined an era:
In this April 5, 1951, file photo, David Greenglass, second from left, former army sergeant, is led into Federal Courthouse in New York by U.S. Deputy Marshall Eugene Fitzgerald, left, for sentencing as an atom spy. Greenglass, whose testimony led to the conviction and execution of his sister, Ethel Rosenberg and brother-in-law, Julius Rosenberg, died on July 1, 2014. He was 92. (AP Photo/File)
The equipment and consumables (film, flash bulbs) to reproduce the look and feel of the era are still available. Graflex press cameras and flash bulbs are no longer produced but are still available (the one exception where flash bulb production is still going on is Meggaflash Technologies in Ireland). Film is still produced in the large format (4″X5″) size that fit these older style cameras. Film availability and product range has narrowed significantly since the heyday of film photography, but hopefully the remaining large players (Ilford, Kodak, Fuji) and niche players (Adox, Agfa, Foma, Rollei) will continue with production.
Let’s go on a journey together and look at how we can reproduce the look and feel of the photos of the era.
In the Equipment section there is a overview of the cameras I possess and use as well as the huge number of accessories (flash guns, film backs, etc.) that are needed for creating photos. I have decided to devote an entire section in Equipment to flash bulbs. There are a LOT of pages out there that have flash bulb information, but many are disappearing or are outdated. I would like to be a resource to those who want to learn about these delightful incendiary devices that put out a little or a LOT of light.
In the Gallery area I present a variety of photos that I produced.
The Blog is a regular (I hope) set of musings about my latest projects, desires, rants, mistakes, and triumphs.
Resources contain a set of links to places that are useful.
Contact me – to ask questions, hire me to be the photographer for your 50’s party or other event, or give friendly suggestions. There are a lot of folks out there who lived through the era – I want to hear your stories and show them here!