brosigonzalesphotos

The Beauty of

Black & White

I can never, never, ever get enuff of Black & White Imagery.  As I've stated sevX over - in numerous blog entries - I learned  photography by Seeing in Black & White.  [I cherish the days when I shot w analogue Black & White film, processed the film myself, in a darkroom, and printed my own photos myself]  Yes, my professional training { in an advertising outfit, which had a photography department [with a photo lab ->darkroom/laboratory, that is] }  [mano mano lahat !!]  My expereince Black & White has always been the foundation of Photography.

- Fast Forward to Today -

Now, my darkroom IS digital - I use a desktop, a netbook, and a laptop - 

Simple as that.

This is actually a digital color photo which i "translated" into Black & White.

Tang Ina !!!   I Love Black & Whites !!

I really don't miss those long hours toiling at the lab, processing my film, printing bundles of prints [minsan trial & ertor lang talaga] - Pre Madugo Talaga  - --->then those Personal Experiments I DID [at home] with 
 transparent paint, tincture of iodine and also  .  .  .  .
yes -->Cyanide -The Poison !  .    .    .    .

[it is a fuschia colored powder] [No wonder Watusi  is fuschia colored !! Take a bite of Watusi - and pre -> You WILL DIE on-the-spot!! -   a F_______  !! fast way to commit suicide - in case U guys didn't know !!  ]

I would dilute cyanide in water, pour this misture on a metal "tray" -->[my tray being the tin cover of the Sky Flakes Crackers].  I would then use tongs to dip cotton swabs into the diluted cyanide and subsequently apply this onto the surface of my Black & White prints.  Only after several tries would I finally get the right mix/application to achieve a degree of chemical reaction [on the print surface] to the cyanide.  At a certain point i would, then, also dispose of the diluted cyanide.  The first time I disposed of the diluted cyanide [after around 10 minutes or so - cotton swabbing] - I did notice that the tin had actually started to literally corrode !! - rust/corrosion had actually formed !! in that short time span - That's how TOXIC the cyanide was !!!  [Truth be told - I actually got a handsome supply of cyanide powder from the office laboratories -Ha!]  It wasn't available anywhere cos I tried looking for it at comm establishments - None Available !! 

 

.   .   .   .  which I would APPLY on my  Black & White Prints & Negatives 

-for my artsy fartsy indulgences  [simply don't have the patience for that now] -- which, fortunately, produced priceless analogue images

-- a  few of which I was able to preserve.

The image below is one of my many favorites from my Film Daze.

- The One -

A Portrait - Timeless & Priceless

Nikon FM2 SLR used

Kodak ASA 400 35mm Black & White Film used

processed the film myself

printed the analogue print myself

APPLIED certain chemicals on the print surface to create a REAL Sepia tone

scanned the analogue print in a flatbed to convert it to a JPEG file

Those who really know me [a select few], and probably those who "follow" my portraits feats [randomly interspersed between sports feats] might sense by now - that behind every single one of my best portraits [also a select few]- there is a story,   Ye,--->there is always a story .  .  .  . 

With the photo above - the story is told in just two simple words.

brosi gonzales