Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2000/08/21
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]2000-08-21-11:29:43 Ted Grant: > Just wondered if anyone out there has done any "serious portrait work" > using only window light? In colour or B&W, and what film/lens > combination they used? Well, it ain't me myself (which may be what Ted was looking for) and there was a brief mention of her a few months ago, but... how many of y'all have seen Jane Bown's work? Somehow I'd never even heard of her 'til I went to the UK on business a few months ago; I stumbled into a gallery which was showing some of her work. When I mmentioned her on the LUG, it turned out she was a personal favorite portraitist of several LUGgers, including our host Brian. http://mejac.palo-alto.ca.us/leica-users/v17/msg02410.html http://mejac.palo-alto.ca.us/leica-users/v17/msg02428.html http://mejac.palo-alto.ca.us/leica-users/v17/msg02496.html She's done a weekly photo for the Observer for years now, and seems to be well-enough known over there, although I'd contend that she doesn't have the international recognition the quality of her work should command; I really liked her stuff. Un-gimmicky portrait which tend to get at something individual in each subject. As for the technical stuff: as Ted specified, she apparently seeks out a good little patch of natural light. All the pictures I saw were in black and white, and I seem to recall reading that she pretty much unvaryingly takes the pictures with a 50mm lens at f/2.8 on her Olympus. A really pleasing look. Oh, cool: here's a page about the _Observer_ show/book: http://www.art-network.co.uk/publications/bown/herframe.htm