Richard Vanek - Black and White Photography

Seems like small things which took a lot of my attention in last few weeks are at their end. I really like to come back to what I like to do most and that is photography. I still have some eight rolls from Prague to develop and some of them shout be very interesting, really night shots.
Also updates, which were not very often on my pages, has as a result lowering Alexa rating of my pages. It is quite nice indication of interest of the visitors.

Maybe you remember I was posting some of my photos to FIAP competitions about five to six weeks ago? Well I have got answers only from two of them, French and Croatian. In none of them was my pictures chooses even to show on exhibition. Well, what to say, better luck next time. On other hand it feels, looking at the chosen photographs, that this is probably not the best place for making my photos visible. I need to go other way.

My site was accepted by www.findingblog.com. I have placed link to their site on my front page together with drop down box where you can rate my site. So if you like you can use it to rate my pages and help me to get better position in findingblog.com. You can od it also here:

We saw them. As we stopped and turn around they start making moves toward us and the car begin to move on reverse direction to us. I have pushed shutter release like a crazy. I wanted to catch as much as possible and to hide film. I still didn't know what I was suppose to seen. Though are flashing in my mind. Those few seconds and we were standing still while there were coming closer and closer, tunnel start to be filled with car smoke...

I have saw today movie from 2004 Modigliani. I knew his painting for very long time and liked them very much. Today I have learn a bit about his live as much as movie described it. It is surprising how his live is remembering some of my friends. Or is it other way around, does they just copied the style of artists living in Paris at the first quarter of twenty century?
For him it was live for them it is maybe just a game. I can imagine that in some kind of self destruction mode, when soul is flying around, when everything is possible, it is also possible to create connection and realize imaginations and feelings when otherwise are hidden behind curtain of the daily shade. Does one must be crazy to become immortal?

Today morning my daughter was helping me with preparing sandwiches to school for all our kids. When we were done I asked her to bring me the school bags, so I can put drinks, sandwiches and fruit into them. Until I turn around she was already back and even, she was putting all the stuff in the bags for her brother as well. I looked at her with a smile and thanks her for a help. She replied: "You know we are also something, we are not just a sand". She let my there staying with open mouth, finishing of the work with school bags.

In the last few days chaos was increasing in my mind. From day to day I felt like something is going to explode. I felt very uncomfortable, couldn't find my usual calm mood. The reason was unknown to me. I guess it was like it always were, but of course I wasn't sure. What often bothers me is that I have so many things to do. Some of them I must to and some of them I like to. My big problem is not give them priority or see what is really necessary and what is not, my problem is with action. I never get to the action. I usually start with a small thing whcih I like to get into better mood. What happened is that I stay with this too long, much too long, only because I like it. As a result is that I have no time left for things which has to be done. This increase a pressure and I become very nervous.
Friday I had nice chat with my friend Daniel Staver about these things. He suggest to take one "have to" and one "like to" task per day. Tasks rather bigger not small ones. I did that today and I am just finishing my second "have to" task, even this one is half of the kind "like to". They both done. What is nice that I did a lot of work and even I spend whole Sunday working and not really on the things I love to do it still feels good. Reason: I didn't kill whole Sunday with some small thing. I use the time to to useful work.
Hope it will be going this way on, it will help me get out of this stagnation...

Deep in the night, you can't sleep, you even didn't try. Stand up from the desk and walk slowly to the kitchen. You take a cigarette and smoke it on balcony...

I was working on this for some time, only bit per bits, but now it is ready. I have little bit enhance my journal pages. Now you can also see in journal when new picture is added. Same way as it is for very long time now also in RSS feed. I hope the nicer look of the journal pages is also little plus.
As usual, I kindly ask you in case you see in your browser some strange behavior, or something is not as you expected, please let me know

Bar view after fourth glass of whiskey in less than ten minutes. Nothing is real anymore...

One evening I was walking in streets of Prague and met strange guy. He invite me for drink. We stayed very long, talked and also just sit in silence. After couple of bottles of whiskey he told me his name, Jeremias Kazinski. I never saw his face clear. He was always hidden by the charisma of poems and mystery stories he was was full. In certain moment I looked next to me and he was gone and only this photo reminds me him.

Today I have received email from Jeff. He sent me few links to photographer with name Duane Michals. I must say I never heard about him before. Just looked at first link and I like it. Really it is funny and serious at the same time. I will surely write today more about him, more when I take look to other links and see more =work from him. Thank you very much Jeff!
I also like little texts which accompanies some pictures on that web pages. Somehow they are very, very close to my and my thoughts. Particularly I like this one:

"The day the silent snow descends and lolls to sleep all living friends, I too will slumber in the earth among the seeds and squirrel's birth. Who will miss me? Who will care? When I am called and no one's there?"
- Duane Michals

As we run I started to loosing clear vision, probably thanks to smoke, I turned around, but I haven't seen anybody on tunnel in curve and all was so blurred. We kept running...

I made this photo little bit in a style of Rocky Schenck, at least I have tried. It is my first attempt. Hope it will go better in future. I like it, but I feel it is still far from perfect.

I saw yesterday move Capote (2005). It was very nicely made movie. It looks most of the time as watching photographs. Camera and composition were great! The feeling from whole movie reminds me time when one could enjoy every simple moment of a life. You know, there was really no hurry, time enough for telling what you like to tell, time for looking at the ray of a sunlight, or shadow on the wall. Not sure if you know what I mean. It reminds me also feelings I have got from books by Hemingway when I read them in my twenties...
Very nice feeling from movie, interestingly done. I must say I never read book from him, but now I feel like do that.

The day the silent snow descends and lolls to sleep all living friends, I too will slumber in the earth among the seeds and squirrel's birth. Who will miss me? Who will care? When I am called and no one's there?
--- Duane Michals

Yesterday I have decided to put whole my night mood series for sale. It was exhibit this year in April. They are printed on Ilford Gallery Pearl paper in size 30x40cm (almost 12x16 inch). Those are original prints never printed before and I can ensure you, there will be not printed this way again.
I will put them on eBay as series, so no separate sale of prints, just whole six prints at ones. Delivery without matting and without framing. Each print is signed, named and numbered 1/1.
Before I do put them on eBay if anybody has interest and has serious price in mind, he or she can contact me directly.

It is late evening, I am again rather tired, but do not want to go to bad yet. Scanning some films I have developed yesterday and feeling blue after having almost hour telephone conversation with my old friend. Actually based on his phone call I have come to computer and start looking at some photographers works. Also today Daniel told me about his succeed with selling his prints which were exposed, and some still are, in cafe near by Oslo in Norway.
But back, I wanted to write about why some photos are better appreciated than others. Or not even that, maybe I was just wondering, why from so many photos, which are produced, only few take that certain attention, which brings them to the front. First one is nice picture when you look at it. After while I though, well, what is actually on the photo? Feels bit strange thanks to the focus so typical for large format cameras. So technically is interesting, but I am loosing interests because it doesn't tell me anything more. Doesn't surprised me either, doesn't leave me thinking. When I on the other hand see photos like the second one feels much more alive. I started to think what is going on is she taking bath or something happen. So there is a little secret as addition to perfectly technical and composition image.
Than you look at style of photos, how they are presented. Some playes with sharpness as whole, some only in parts, some have very high contrast. Some others has really very define style typical for certain author. Sure think is if author has typical form which also fits the contents of image than is a big plus.

So if I summarize this little bla about what make goo photo good in my view, I can say that having own distinct style and produce images which has secret and can tell you or your imagination more than what is directly see on picture is great plus. To produce such images one needs to have something to say and needs to have own way of saying that.

Does that have any sense? Will see tomorrow...

Today I have received my prints from FIAP competition in Slovakia, Fotoforum 2006. I must say that I am sad and a bit annoyed. Not because only one my print was exposed. For that I am glad, especially that I have kind of sentimental feeling to this photo exhibition. From my childhood I was visiting it as I lived hardly 60km far from the place where it is organized. I always dream that one day my photo will be hanging there. That happened this year.
I am sad because what they did to my prints. They placed it for the way back to the same envelop i send it to them. This time envelop was wet. One corner from A3+ sized envelop was totally soak by water. And because the cover paper was absolutely dry I can easily assume that the enveloped was wet before they put my print into it. So this is have they value somebody else work. I am sorry but I will not send my prints to the again.

I though I will share this with you. I just saw it somewhere, I feel is greatly applicable for photography as well:



"Perfection is not when there's nothing to add, but when there's nothing to take away"

--- Antoine de Saint-Exupery

In case you experience connection problems to my web site I like to inform you that my web provider is doing some service work on network connections. Therefore there will be some small drop outs in following hour or two. Please excuse this and in case you can't load a page try again after while.
Thank you for understanding.

I was there, lying on the street, useless and powerless. Nobody give a damn about me. People were walking around and above me. That all without a look down to me. So I took a camera and I start making pictures...

I am going to develop today Fomapan 400 in Tetenal Emofin two bath developer. I did use this developer with good results on Fuji Neopan 400 and Kodak TMZ 3200. I will try it today with fomapan 400 films which I have exposed at 1600. I am really curious how it will go. I may write than my experiance with Tetenal Emofin developer on my experiment page together with some pictures.

That is years ago. I was working far from home, coming only for weekends. Once before Christmas I have bought this toy to my son. He loves it. He was walking with it anytime of the day, making this puking noise. Memories are nice thing!

And now, bring the sacrifice please....

Following text is in Slovak language, please excuse me, but it is ment to be for people who understand that language.

Vazeny priatelu, v Septembery tohto roku som bol fotit v Prahe. Stretol som kopu zaujimavych ludi. Rad by som s nimi nadviazal kontakt. Jedine co mam je par fotiek. Ak nahodou poznas niekoho na tejto fotke, daj mu prosim vediet aby sa so mnou spojil prostrednictvom webu alebo mojho telefonneho cisla. To je na vizitke, ktoru som skoro kazdemu ten vecer podaroval. Vdaka za akukolvek pomoc!

A aby som nezabudol, Kazisnki je stale zivy. Jeho najnovsie pravdy cerstvo na dverach.

Yesterday I have met again with Caroline Schroeder and Hape Smeele. based on discussion with Caroline I made changes to selection for "Remembering of Childhood" selection. This is reflected at www.richard-vanek.eu web site. That site contains picture for this selections. I hope to be able to exhibit these picture some time in Spring next year. It all goes closely to the end. I will print all images again in the same size and paper and put them on wall in my living room. I hope I can make final decision soon and that start to looking for a nice place where to offer my images.
Selection on www.richard-vanek.eu is not final and will be update this week hopefully more than once. Take a look and if you feel like tell me what do you think.

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I have noted that quite often the image which I put on-line looks much darker on other screens, especially on my TFT screen at work. I would need to investigate that a bit more. For now I have update last image to little brighter version. Not only that but I have also change complete contrast of the picture a bit. Feels better now!

For now selection of nineteen photos at www.richard-vanek.eu is finished. I have just uploaded last four. This is more or less, at least for some time, selection which will be presented on my coming exposition in spring of 2007. I would like to hear your comments. Please focus on photos you can skip texts for the moment.
Thank you a lot

Water is flowing under the tree in a slow flow, same like my thought are floating in my head. I wish to keep this mood for little longer...

This weekend, I was busy with six prints I have promised to my friend from Prague. Those are type of shots I liked few years ago. Nice, sort of touristic shots of town. Some of them I still like, if they have some nice hidden element, which bring tension to the composition. I think I will post them as they are finished, but I still consider them as last few of that style. I also thing that these kind of shot are probably those who sells. I do not know, you tell me!
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As you may know, I developed last week three rolls of Fomapan 400 exposed at 1600 ASA in Tetenal Emofin developer. They turn quite ok, of course grain is rather visible and I think I could make developing little longer. What I like to tell you is that this developer is terrible in a sense of handling. I did damage ground in my room before, but I have forgot about it and now I spit just a few drops in kitchen. Terrible, it leave marks every time, just a little drop, it doesn't matter if you wiped it immediately it is in and after few days it become so visible, that you can't remove it anymore. I guess I will not use this developer anymore in future, it is just too aggressive.

I am sure that few years ago beautiful flowers where in this window, that kids were happily playing on a backyard, that nice food was prepared and good days happened in this house. You never know, maybe your home will be looking like this when you grow. So do not forgot, that all you do can come back to you.

I added column on top of my site which display links to the interesting sites I have found. I think it is nice to have this kind of life info on page. You can than come every day and use these links to find more photography oriented sites, which I also find interesting. It is quite possible that I will extend this information to include my comment for each link. I guess that would make it even more interesting.

I am making little experiment to allow commenting on the pictures. I am really curious how that goes. So from now on you can leave comments on pages /photo/. I am using external service haloscan.com for managing and storing comments. You are not force to use your email address, only in case you like to have private email addressed answer.
Another nice feature is that you can also add images and smiles simple html formating is also allowed. And because I payed little money for this no advertisements is for one year from now.
So do not hesitate, if you have something to say, do it!

I spent some time with web updates. I hope it is now better and you can find more information and easier. I am planning to add search button to my web page. I am still not sure if I should use google or roll my own. Google has advantage that it is easy to implement, disadvantage is that the output page is in google way and doesn't fit my web style.
Anyway today I will put on line first few shots from touristic view on "Mala Strana" in Prague.

Watermill at Mala Strana in Prague, September 2006.

Charles bridge, Prague. September 2006. As seen from Mala Strana, Praha 1.

• first two images from touristic view on Prague are up, you can use now commenting options to leave your comment. Especially answer to my question would you buy this print :-)
• I have again problem with Internet Exploder. It doesn't display my front page the best way I wish. After I enhanced del.icio.us links with my comments, lists are having extra space in IE. I fixed the problem for now. This is not the right fix as the bullets from list items are gone now. I am too tired to play with it any more, if you know simple solution, let me know please

View from the Charles bridge. Far on horizon is National Theater. Prague, September 2006.

I am glad, first comments are starting to appear at images. It is rather nice to have some feedback. When commenting will grow I will put last 3 comments on front page. That would make front page even more dynamic. And I could also add commenting to the project, experiments and articles.
So do not hesitate tell me what do you think about my photos!

Inside of the house at Mala Strana, Prague. September 2006.

Watermill at Mala Strana in Prague, September 2006

Under Charles bridge at Mala Strana, Praha, September 2006.