Magnum and the Dying Art of Darkroom Printing
A few years ago, I had the pleasure of spending some time with Pablo Inirio, master darkroom printer at Magnum Photos in New York. I was thinking about that interview recently as I heard the news of Kodak’s bankruptcy and pondered the precarious status of “old media” like books, film and silver gelatin prints.
As Magnum’s printer, Inirio gets to work with some of photography’s most iconic images. In his small darkroom, the prints lying casually around include Dennis Stock’s famous portrait of James Dean in Times Square (right) and a cigar-chewing Che Guevara shot by Rene Burri. Intricate squiggles and numbers are scrawled all over the prints, showing Inirio’s complex formulas for printing them. A few seconds of dodging here, some burning-in there. Will six seconds be enough to bring out some definition in the building behind Dean? Perhaps, depending on the temperature of the chemicals.
Of course, this kind of work is a dying art. Darkrooms everywhere have been closing as increasingly, photographers choose pixels and inkjets over film and silver gelatin. Over the last fifteen years, almost every photographer I’ve interviewed has waxed poetic about that “magical” experience of seeing an image develop in chemicals for the first time. You have to wonder whether today’s young photographers will rhapsodize as much about the first time they color-calibrated their monitors.
I was curious to see how the last few years of digital progress have affected things at Magnum, so I checked in with Inirio by phone this week. He was still there, bubbling with the good cheer that, along with his darkroom skills, have made him a favorite with Magnum photographers. In the three years since we met, he said, surprisingly little has changed at Magnum. He had to switch to Ilford paper when Agfa closed, and he hopes Kodak doesn’t take his stop bath away—but otherwise, things are the same. “Collectors and galleries still want prints on fiber paper—they just like the way it looks,” he said. He’s often called upon to print from current members’ film archives, and for the estates of various deceased members, like Dennis Stock and Henri Cartier-Bresson. The prints go to exhibitions, book publishers and private collectors. “I’m still pretty busy—in fact, I’m backed up,” he said with a laugh.
Magnum has been digitizing its archive, but so far, Inirio hasn’t been tempted to transfer his skills to the digital realm. “Digital prints have their own kind of look, and it’s fine, but fiber prints have such richness and depth,” he said. He thinks darkroom printing will always be with us—after all, he pointed out, “people are still doing daguerrotypes.”
Magnum’s archive represents some of modern history’s best and boldest photojournalism. Its photographers have been at the front lines for over six decades, ever since, in an effort to gain more rights for photographers, the flamboyant Robert Capa brought together an unlikely group of friends in 1947 to start a photographer-run collective. In 1947 alone, the small group delivered work on Gandhi’s assassination, the foundation of Israel and life in the Soviet Union at the start of the Cold War. Since then, Magnum has continued covering world history with passion and visual flair. Last week, members Alex Majoli and Paolo Pellegrin won prizes in the 2012 World Press Photo Contest, for an image of shouting protesters in Tahrir Square and a photo-essay on post-tsunami Japan, respectively.
As an organization, though, Magnum has often teetered on the edge of collapse—either from financial troubles or because it attracts strong personalities who spend a lot of time fighting. The story of the agency’s first fifty years is entertainingly told in Russell Miller’s Magnum: Fifty Years at the Front Line of History, published in 1997 to coincide with the agency’s half century. Miller does a great job of conveying the amazing talent and bravery of Magnum members while also dishing about the agency’s dysfunctional family dynamics. (One of my favorite quotes in the book comes from photographer Ferdinando Scianna, who snarls, “Yes, Magnum is a family. I hate my family.”) My review of the book for the San Francisco Chronicle is here.
Capa’s own memoir, Slightly Out of Focus, was originally published in 1947 and is now available as a Modern Library paperback. As you’d expect, it’s lively and irreverent. I like the way it begins, with the story of how, in 1942, Capa was mistaken for movie director Frank Capra by a ship’s captain while on his way to London to photograph the blitz.. Happy to oblige, Capa regaled the captain with made-up gossip about Hollywood and “Capra”s numerous affairs with leading ladies.
Capa’s larger-than-life personality, and his dramatic life story, were ripe for fictionalizing—and indeed, iast week I stumbled on Waiting for Robert Capa, a 2011 Spanish novel that has just been translated into English. The novel tells the story of the love affair between Capa and Gerda Taro, a young photographer who was killed in action in the Spanish Civil War. It’s a story that was also lovingly told last year in The Mexican Suitcase, an exhibition at the International Center for Photography. Apparently director Michael Mann has picked up the film rights to Waiting for Robert Capa. I look forward to reading it and will review it here in the near future.
Like darkroom photography, Magnum itself is undergoing a paradigm shift. As media space for in-depth photojournalism decreases, photographers are looking elsewhere for venues for their work. Agencies like Magnum are having to get creative about projects, partnering with nonprofits and corporate sponsors. But still, Magnum survives… and it’s nice to think of Inirio toiling away in the Magnum darkroom, continuing a tradition that started in 1947 with the first Magnum office.
A very interesting post – the demise of darkrooms is a major problem. Its getting very difficult (and expensive) to do anything other than digital these days which is a real shame.
Another interesting book about Capa that I came about completely by chance in a 2nd hand bookshop is A Russian Journal by Steinbeck. A memorable insight into Capa’s personal bathing habits….
Keep printing on photographic paper and shooting film! We must not let this die!
Viva la darkroom revolution! Cheaper paper would be a big help though!! Come on people, there is nothing like the smell of chemical vinegar on your hands!!
Really interesting post. Do you have that interview you mentioned up anywhere?
Josh: Sadly, no. For various reasons, the interview never made it online. But this post has been so popular that I might try to dig up my notes and do something more with them. Thanks for reading!
Enjoyed the article but I think that there will be something of a revival in traditional darkroom printing as a natural balance to the age of digital. The craft and artifact inherent in the traditional darkroom process will become I think particularly sort after in the Art Market….
I just want to note that there are still places where young people are learning traditional darkroom skills. Although many high schools are struggling to justify the cost of film programs, places like Youth in Focus in Seattle (youthinfocus.org), where I work, as well as a handful of similar programs elsewhere, are creating passionate young film photographers (as well as digital photographers) every day!
Have to agree with you Barry. I published “Darkroom User” magazine for seven years back in the 1990s, but it was a labor of love (a pleasant one, mind you) although one I was passionate about having hand-processed more than 10,000 films during my darkroom days and undoubtedly a number at least two or three times that in sheets of paper during my 35 years of wet-darkroom work. I’ve been “numerique” for a decade in France through necessity, rather than choice, but I still miss the Zen-like silence when working under the red glow.
Just a few days ago I decided to re-publish as many articles that are still relevant having been originally published in the old Darkroom User magazine… they will probably all have to be my images and articles as certain writers I used back then would want paying again a decade or more later. So far I have put two articles up, on “Agfa Rodinal” and (this morning as it happens) “Bulk-film loading”. Click over to… http://darkroomuser.wordpress.com/ if you are interested as there will be many more darkroom articles to follow on a wide variety of subjects in the coming weeks ;~)
http://www.labyrinthphotographic.co.uk/a-year-in-development-exhibition-february-2012/
more darkroom resistance!
Agree with Barry. There seems to be a resurgence in film use in general thanks in part to toy cameras (Holgas, etc) – and potentially that same interest in hands-on work in the darkroom.
The smell that comes out of the tank as the water goes in for the first time…to me like freshly baked bread.
whoops replied to wrong post! apologies
developing film is one of the best highs ever.i hope it will always be around.
Great post! I just translated it to spanish. You can find it on my photoblog: http://marcobellphotoblog.tumblr.com/post/18202136330/magnum-photo-y-el-moribundo-arte-del-laboratorio#disqus_thread
Mr Ansel Adams didn’t scratch a picture that way….
He used to wait for the right moment. (or even comeback and try it again)
And even not having the choice (surpluss) we have enjoyed concerning films, papers and chemistry… his negs and prints show us what means concerned!!!
Jose: Well, Ansel Adams did once famously remark that “the negative is the score; the print is the performance.” Although his negatives were amazingly well exposed I believe he did do a fair bit of manipulation in the darkroom too.
To not manipulate a neg in the darkroom would in itself be a crime – careless and lazy – there is no way a negative can lead to a perfect unmanipualted print each time. Dodging and burning are basic and necessary – As Sarah says below, “the negative is the score; the print is the performance”
An artist will naturally seek improvement and perfection. A straight print would never fulfil. Infact the few times I have had a “perfect print” I have felt cheated and unsatisfied – like I have missed something.
I actually wonder how someone can possibly understand if they never had their hands on film?
@propagandaphotos Agree. Russian Journal is an excellent read.
I dare to say that the number of darkrooms has increased. Because it is not easy to operate economically viable many may find some space in their own premises.
I am not yet convinced that darkroom work itself is on the demise. I agree that the days of film in PJ are over.
What ever the situation I will keep shooting film till the nearest lab keeps it developing.
http://kaushalsingh.wordpress.com/
the solitude of the darkroom was something i enjoyed and now sorely miss…..shooting,developing and printing were the holy trinity…..plus being in “the darkroom” with your honey could also be special but in the end its the finish product that counts not the means to that end
Great post. Where can I see more of those marked-up guide prints? If they’re from a book, I’d love to pick up a copy…
Thanks, Joe. The guide prints are not from a book. They’re exclusive to this blog post. Pablo shared them with me when I met him at Magnum a few years back.
Thanks for such a great post. There isn’t enough behind the scenes stuff like this for so many iconic images out there.
I love to shoot film and I’ve been stocking up on it just in case it becomes harder to find. I need a bigger freezer!
Photo blog: http://www.simplyoxford.com
Long live film.
Ansel Adams has time to wait for the perfect light, which he knew how to use it. Photojournalism is on the fly. I konw both, and as an assistant spent two years in the darkroom. processing and printing, didnt love it at the time but until digital it was the best way to learn b&w printing. Would like to start it again, the equipment is in the attic getting dusty! Maybe some day.
Saying that it’s dying in your title just continues the perception that it is. But it very much still alive… at least in my darkroom. Nice post.
Darkroom, it never dies.
Brilliant artcle, fantastic to read it and heartening to find people who feel the same as I head to my own darkroom to start printing for an exhibition in London. Please consider yourselves all invited – details on my website
For Joe Holmes and others with similar interests:
Check out the following book which has marked up prints like those on this blog showing exposure times for dodging and burning. Like all of you, I haven no intention of giving up either film or my b/w darkroom any time soon.
Black & White Photo-Lab
Processing and Printing
Juline Busselle
Silver Pixel Press, 2000
ISBN: 1-883403-67-7
The marked up prints are quite interesting. When printing in the digital realm, the masks on adjustment layers look very much the same – many layers for many subtle, nuanced tweaks of the image.
I’ve read that W. Eugene Smith would make a copy negative of a ‘perfect’ print, then print that negative. With the layered file, that perfect print can be reproduced over and over, and even re-interpreted. I’ve seen several different versions of some of Ansel Adams’ iconic images, printed in surprisingly different ways.
Great discussion, and great article. Thanks for your hard work on this blog.
–
Gary O’Brien
Photographer
Tucson, AZ
Reblogged this on PRONAOS.
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Wonderful article. Mr Inirio should be respected in the darkroom world as a very rare and dedicated personality, who goes way above and beyond what’s normally achieved in a darkroom. Printing negatives that were exposed in less than ideal lighting conditions, often quickly and on the fly, without proper metering. It’s just incredibly difficult to make such negatives look that good! A few other printers come to mind; Sid Kaplan who printed for Henri Cartier-Bresson, or how about Gene Nokon who taught Yusuf Karsh a thing or two about f-stop printing? There’s a marvel in Toronto by the name of Bob Carnie, who is a really talented and amazing darkroom printer, but it’s a bit of a dying breed.
My hope is that articles such as this will spur an interest in the art of printing silver gelatin in a darkroom. There are lots of people shooting film these days, but not very many who do anything other than scanning that film and then work with them in the digital domain. Nothing wrong with that, but we need more printers to keep raw materials for production of silver gelatin papers viable and available.
If you’re curious about darkroom printing – find a way of doing it! It is tremendously rewarding, and one of those labors of love that keep getting better every time you do it.
Thomas Bertilsson
Photographer
St Paul, Minnesota
Can anybody explain the printing notes? I can make out fractions but do these represent burning and dodging times? If so, how would you action all these adjustments when making a print?
I can’t wait to do my own printing!
I develop my own film and recently purchased all that I need for the dark room – but have nowhere in the house to set it all up
I’m a hack compared to Mr. Inirio, but use print maps just like his in my darkroom when I print. You have to, because there’s no way to remember it.
Notes in the map could have to do with contrast grades as well as times for dodging and burning, although I’m doubtful Mr. Inirio used variable contrast papers when he made those prints.
It’s all about having a critical eye when you print. Tonal values are chosen carefully to support the content of the print, and making what’s important stand out while toning down what isn’t.
You have to remember that a lot of the negatives that someone who prints for Magnum uses are often exposed in less than ideal lighting, probably not metered perfectly (or at all) because it’s a matter of capturing a moment that will disappear quickly. You could even be dealing with push processed film, which is a printer’s worst nightmare to eke shadow detail out of. In short, many of the negatives are just incredibly difficult to print. If you have the time to set up lighting in a studio, or carefully meter a scene you’re photographing, a lot less darkroom gymnastics are required to reach desirable results. While you should always maintain a highly critical eye, and never settle for anything less than the very best you can achieve, what you see in the article above is pretty extreme by my experience.
My respect for printers such as Pablo Inirio, Gene Nokon, Sid Kaplan, Keith Taylor, Bob Carnie, etc grows as I accumulate more darkroom knowledge myself. It is nothing short of amazing what they can achieve, and as artists we should all aspire to their level, or perhaps even aspire to being better, to forward the art of darkroom printing, and safeguard it for future generations to enjoy.
Tom, I have to agree with you 100%.
I forgot to mention that often with difficult negatives there are lots of techniques employed to eke the very maximum out of them, such as flashing the paper, building masks, tweaking the paper developer to adjust print contrast in between individual paper grades. You can use techniques of diffusion for effect, and use burning- and dodging tools to flash just parts of the paper, etc etc etc. There is a lot to know about silver gelatin printing that most people don’t even know about (including myself).
If you’re truly interested in the mechanics, as well as the art of printing, I highly recommend Ralph Lambrecht’s book ‘Way Beyond Monochrome’. It is a fantastic piece of literature that discusses nearly every aspect of b&w printing.
I will also say that it is very hard to relate all of the text to real world results until you actually start printing in the darkroom. Hands on, get down to business and just start printing. Find a way of doing it, and experience the joy and magic of watching your efforts appear before your eyes in the developer tray.
Hi Jono, I’m not sure how Pablo does all of his burning and dodging on these prints during the exposure time. I do recall that he had a lot of handmade dodging tools of various sizes, and theoretically one could hold three or four of them at the same time. Even so, it must require an enormous amount of concentration to create a series of prints from these specs!
Good luck setting up your darkroom at home!
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10000872396390444812704577607700939340864.html
I teach an advance B&W printing class at the corcoran we mix chems from scratch,
and I really love being able to give an example of a true printer.
Wonderful post.
Thanks so much! This has been a very popular post. Thanks for reading, and please send the URL to anyone you think might be interested!
Reblogged this on INCOGNITO and commented:
… here is a reminder of the good old days … sometimes I miss them … the care free attitude and the luxury of time that came with it … on a good day I managed to print five final prints. Now I would not even dream to go back to a darkroom to print … mostly because I do feel differently for water so precious and time even more precious.
why does hollywood still shoot movies on film,when they could cut cost and not. simply itis better and always will be
Peter Bruce Photo
Because you cant replicate the feel of film with pixels !