Richard Vanek - Black and White Photography

This felt like a two days, but looking at calendar is whole week. Somehow I feel obliged to write here every day, but some time I really need to live that day and have no time for writing. Same excuse I have for not putting any pictures on-line. I still have two rolls I shot about tn days ago not developed, but recently I didn't touch the photo camera. Why is it you ask? Who knows, I just didn't feel like that for quite some time. This live is somehow taking me complete and I have no mood, or state of mind to make any pictures. Well it is not complete like that, from time to time I would do it, but it is very late or I think it just didn't fit. Maybe I simple should stop controlling myself and just do it. I wish it would be so simple.

Sometimes I writing here like I would talk to friend, god friend. Mostly I have little block, though. I miss good friend for some time now. From time we moved in this country and connections to family and friends are drying out slowly I feel more and more alone. It is strange on one side, but understandable on other. I can't listen myself tonight, so I will stop. Talk to you next time...

Yesterday late night I took my Nikon F100 and start playing with it. Just like with toy. I spoke with colleague at work about cameras. He is in process of buying new SLR (digital of course) so we had few talks. Than I browse a web a bit finding more info about Nikon F6. And start thinking why I didn't shoot any picture in last few weeks. Yes I was busy with family and some house things, but anyway it is not that difficult to release a shutter, is it?
On other hand I do not take picture like I use to few years ago. Just clicking any time I felt like. Maybe it is not good, not doing it like that, I have no idea. Nowadays I need to have a plan and I need to go after certain image before I can take camera in my hand.

So yesterday I was playing and clicking without film in it. Felt ok, but still it was that kind of playing without goal. Today morning we woke up to the beautiful cold morning with blue sky. Grass and trees have little white cover from frozen air. Very beautiful. I almost took camera from desk and did what I use to did before. Just take pictures of everything I find nice. Well, not today. Riding on my bike to work I was doubting if it was good decision. It felt so beautiful on fresh cold air, with bright sun in eyes...

I love it when time is slow and evenings are long. One can enjoy a moment as much as possible, without hurring, without tension.

My site was gone for five minutes today. Well it was accessible but files where gone. And not it was not my provider it was me who did it. I was trying out some ftp sync software and that one removed all files in fraction of second. Of course I had backup and I have copy so I could restore them quite fast. Problem was that I stop the ftp sync in the middle, so some files where gone some not. It tooks 5 min. Now all is ok I hope. In case you notice some strange thing or missing files, let me know please especially I am not sure in web shop part. Thank you very much for your help.

French fortress, old streets and kids playing around. We use to play a lot on our street as a children. There wasn't many cars but a lot of games to play.

Yesterday I wrote about 5 minute down because of my fault, now my site was down for one hour, because connection problems of hosting company. Yep, such a things happen ones a while, but explain it to me why it is always when it fits the least. When I open my web shop it went down for almost six hours. Now when traffic doubled in one day, and I was hoping that it will go that well, site went down for one hour. I am sorry for this but I can't do much over here. Hope it will be going well in future. I can't really complain, my site is very accessible in last two years in this hosting company I use.

I am recently working on series which is rather different that what I made so far. I showed on this web site few shots and more is coming. Jeff wrote me few lines how he sees it. I really appreciate his support. Here is what he wrote to me:

As for comments on your Night Mood Series... I like what you try to capture with your photography, Richard. Photographs that evoke meaning, remembrances, feelings in the viewer, by photographing those subjects that evoke them in you. It's that personal uniqueness that makes you and photography so special and that something extra.

Viewing this series, I am instantly transported back to when I was a kid, to memories of lying in my bed at night, I can at this moment picture it as if I was seeing right in front of me now, how the light would play through the window, the venetian blinds that were on the double window in my room. How it filtered through that onto my ceiling and walls. I would probably have never thought of trying to capture that in my photographic work, to bring out those same or similar memories in those who viewed my work, from their own lives, childhood or memories.

I have just finished developing of two rolls of Fuji Neopan 1600. They drying now upstairs and I am thinking about them. It seems like I have few nice images there. But as I always say, let us wait until I scanned them tomorrow. I try few new things I never did before but always dream about. I am sure I can show you something more tomorrow.

I am listening new album from David Gilmour, "On An Island". It is great! I have to tell you! I never been terrible fanatic of David Gilmour solo albums, and always liked more old music from Pink Floyd. That what is now on this album is something unbelievable. It has sound like some of the music from '70 by Pink Floyd. It reminds me very much sound of soundtrack "More". Sounds of album "Meddle" or "Atom Heart Mother".
It feels like his own himself has come to front again, feels like lyric and melancholic man is getting back to his roots. There is no more need for popularity run, no need for money making. What left is passion for creation of mood. He is doing it perfectly. I love it!

This is one of those nice shots of Ema which I like very much. This one is older from 2002, time when I was using Voigtlander Bessa-R and Kodak TMY film. Somebody find interesting that this one is developed in Amaloco AM-74 diluted 1:15.

4 A.M. walking into bathroom. Night is dark and only street light is coming through the wet window.

I have finished preview scanned of two rolls of night mood shots. Now I made selection and doing high resolution scans of this selection to see how do they turn out. So you can also watch it together with me. As I have one ready I put it in Night Mood experiment page. If you have something to say about particular new picture I would like to know about it, write to me! I really appreciate your comments. Thanks!

You are in bed, but you can see door. There is a light under them. When you pay attention there are voices behind. It is very late in the night you tired, whole day of playing. It is so safe to know that mama and dad are just one door far.

I had a lot of problems after I place my email, even in encoded form on my web pages. Spam rate raised incredible. And also a lot of time people like to send me a comment or note and they couldn't. Mostly reason was there were using some sort of inet cafe computer without local installed mail program.
So I have connect the mail link on top of each page to mail form in my web shop. Now anybody can send me a comment. I hope, I will not get even more spam :-) Hopefully I wouldn't have to implement some kind of image recognition filter. How are they called? Captcha, I think. So your comments are welcome!

Everybody think that you must be sleeping for long time now, but you are not. Intensive was a day and your mind is running fast even you are in bad over two hours. Beam of light from open door is drawing moving target on your wall. Mama check if you sleeping...

Some nights are different than they used to be...

As I promised I add my personal short text to each on the link I have on my link page. Now you can see my view on each of the links. I have also added few links to photographers work I like. Please give them a visit, you will not be sorry.
On my top page I also add link to one interesting site www.dvere.sk of my friend. This page is purely in Slovak language, so for most of you is inaccessible. Few of you who master Czech or Slovak language you can enjoy highly personal and philosophical view on life, things and all...

Stream of lights coming to all sides from light in your room. Why the same light has different feeling when it is on at 3 A.M. when you ill?

Night lights were always creating strange imaginations in me. Lights they look very different in night. In the night even the weakness beam of light has power to create feeling of space or give you a lead.

Looking into the window, looking for a quiet ground, place where one can put his thoughts in order and find again the balance of before.

Dangerous animal? Who knows, in a late night all those shadows are mutated to the different creatures.

Again I have add, now probably the last picture to the night mood gallery. Now I need to make selection. Tell me which are your favorites and what kind of feelings, those pictures you selected, creating inside of you. Tell me I am curious. Thanks!

I am missing Epson Archival Matt Paper, for some time now. I am using this paper for test prints as it has very similar way of reaction to carbon pigment inks I am using as Hahnemuhle PhotoRag or PermaJet Alpha, which I use for final archival prints. Visually I was buying EAM from local store here. It was the cheapest option as I didn't have to pay for postage. Just for fun yesterday I looked at Epson dutch site and find out that I can make order from there as well and I do not have to pay postage. Price was better than in local shop here and without postage it was great. So I have ordered. Today I have receive it and it come from Germany and I didn't have to pay in advance! Isn't that cool. I like it! Very nice. So I can finally use paper for testing which has good quality of image even it is not very light fast. This property is not necessary for test prints anyway.

As a days goes by and I was putting those night mood shots up, more and more I think how to go further. Seems like certain way is defined now. I need to improve it a bit. And still going around with those fourteen prints and asking people what do they think. A lot of you send me your comments. Thank you very much.
Yesterday I have read David Gilmour interview in MOJO magazine. A lot of interesting info for a Pink Floyd fan as I am. One thing strikes me most. When he is talking about how do they create music in '70. He said something like this: "We had a rule in band we do what we find for the best we do not care what others think. We expressing ourself we make what we like." This is big true I think. Once you like to create something original something yours it has to come from you and not from what others find nice, interesting. By this I do not want to say that I do not care about views of others, I only saying that direction, way and decision will be driven by myself at the end. But I feel that that what he says is really the right way to create. You need to do they think which you like. that way you can become original. That of course doesn't mean that you also become popular, known and rich. But you will be more satisfied, I guess and that is what I am looking for.

I have got very nice mail from Paul Politis, photographer who's work I admire very much. He was writing much more, but I have found really interesting to read his comment, not only about that particular photo, but also his view on, well, read it here: bathroom: Unlike the other two, this one introduces a human being into it, reaching out toward the light. Again, very metaphoric. I think we tend to put our own emotions into a picture like this, imagining that the character in the photo is reaching out for something that he can't quite capture, something perhaps we are reaching for in life but have not yet attained.

The Greek key in the window reminds me of the myth of Tantalus, which you may know of, which is a Greek myth about a man named Tantalus, who was punished for some reason or other by the gods. His punishment was to be put into a body of water up to his chin. When he would stoop down to drink, the water would recede, and when he reached out in front of himself to grab at some grapes that were dangling before him, they would move away. This is where the english word "tantalize" comes from, which means exactly that: "To excite (another) by exposing something desirable while keeping it out of reach."

I think this is the strongest of your night experiments so far (for me anyway) because it really speaks to trying to attain a goal, reaching out in the darkness, unsure, toward the light. For people like me and you, it may be trying to find what moves us in photography, and trying to find "our voice" and our "reason" for taking pictures and get satisfaction and some meaning from them.

I just read on your blog how you were affected by David Gilmour saying that he (and the rest of Pink Floyd) created to please themselves. And this is what I have known and believed for a long time. If you go through life trying to please others, you will usually fail in pleasing most of them in the end (and they will use you along the way to get what they want from you), and you will certainly not respect or be happy with yourself in the end. I think you are on the right path: even if I or anyone else hated the photographs you are taking, you must try to listen to your own voice to decide if they are good or not. No matter what shit we put on the internet, there will always be some people that like what we are doing and some people who hate it. I find that for me, the compliments make me happy only for a while, and the insults hurt for only a while, but in the end if I am truly happy with something I have photographed, that lasts.

I have spend all past days to work on my last set of photographs, those from night mood experiment. All it boils down to selection of six prints for now. With great help of Hans Zoete and few other friends selection was made. You can see it in night project page.
Same set of photographs will be exhibit at portfolio group exposition at Breda, The Netherlands from 1th of April until the end of April. This will be group exposition of member portfolio group led by Hans Zoete.

Yes, I do have new printer. But there is a story behind it. As you maybe know I am using carbon pigment inks for producing my photographs. I started way bank in 2001 when I have got epson 890 printer. Simple and cheap machine. I was already following Digital Black and White printing group at Yahoo for couple of month. I asked few people to send me some test print s with those new carbon pigment inks from MIS call UT. I was amazed. Using printer for 80 euro and special inks which with cartridges and all other necessary stuff cost almost twice as much you can produced great black and white prints. That time, five years ago Paul Roark, designer of those inks helped me a lot. I started to be independent from lab and was producing prints with much higher quality and much higher lightfastnes. Than new inks come, new generation UT2 inks. When I was done with UT I moved to UT2. Even nicer tones and archival value on good paper raised even higher to almost century, according to tests.
I was printing more and more still using my epson 890 printer. From time to time would be nice to have bigger print but A4 was maximum I could get out of this printer. As I print more and I run out of inks I bought CFS (Continuous Flow System). So I didn't need to refill cartridges anymore I could print almost non-stop. And that what was I doing. Every image I have put on web in last two years was first printed to see if it is standing the most critical view.
I used expensive and nice paper like Hahnemuhle PhotoRag, or PermaJet Alpha or Omega papers to produce prints sold on my web shop and cheap, good but no archival Epson Archival Matte for test prints.
CFS system it has its problems and you need to take care, when you do that it works flawlessly. Last month I did cleanup of it as it start producing drops of inks it help for a while, than it was back. I did more things and repairs. Printer works but is not reliable anymore. Yes almost five years of printing had probably took his tax. Could work with cartridges perfectly, I do not know I didn't test it.

So about two weeks ago I start investigating again about new printers and inks. I look at new epson 2400 which looks great, but as a new product is quite expensive around 800 euros. I look at epson 1290s, it is the same technology, now old as my epson 890, just A3 size same as epson 2400. You can get new for around 340 euros. And there is a nice epson R220 (only A4) but for as little as 85euro. That I need to buy new inks, cartridges or CFS system which is for these printers between 140-250 US$ with 4oz UT2 inks. I didn't know where to go. A lot of money for myself who is selling inly over Internet and that not really much. But I really like to have A3 option to print. For a while I was truing to convince myself fro epson 2400. New technology future and such a thing, but those 1000 euro total with inks is for me huge investment. R220 option was also interesting, also new technology, independent cartridges, cheap. Only the A4 size was stopping me from going that way.
After a while I wrote email to Paul Roark, explaining him option and my needs and asking him for advice. And even not one hour later I had answer. All very interesting views and informations. But the most interesting was that he was suggesting epson 2200 or 2100 in Europe as a possible option. This is a printer replaced by new epson 2400. I completely forgot about that printer. Also my friend Daniel Staver is using this printer and there is a huge support for it. Also MIS has dedicated black and white UT7 inks for it. So I star looking for this printer. Paul mentioned that epson US is selling refurbished version for quite low price. Epson Europe has no such a option, I called them. I looked at market, few shops still have it for around 600 euros, but hey you can get 2400 for little bit more. Than I look at eBay, price in UK an Germany are going round 300 euros. I looked at local second hand sites in The Netherlands and found two. One for 250 and next for 350. And later on I have found one which has no price mentioned but people from few days ago where bidding around 190 euros. I called the person.

What happen was that I met very nice professional photographer who was very open to try and test printer. I visited Robert van Tongeren tonight at his studio. Printer was there and was working perfectly. We had couple of hours talking about all kinds of things. Starting with photo business, over creativity, management and future. Views at work and human satisfaction. Very very nice discussion. At the end I come home not only with printer, but also with very nice feeling that I met nice person.

So I have new epson 2100, thanks to advice of Paul Roark, designer of nice carbon pigment dedicated black and white inks made by MIS. I like to thank also my friend Daniel Staver, who I was bothering today whole morning about all the details of epson 2100. And I like to thank Robert van Tongeren for nice chat and my new printer!

I have made first print on my new Epson 2100 printer. I for now using UltraChrome inks from Epson which are installed on printer. I made order today to MIS for UT7 inks with some more nice stuff to be able to print nicely on glossy paper as well. And that it almost what I did print today. I used Ilford Smooth Pearl paper with epson UltraChrome inks. It is a pearl kind of semi glossy paper. Interesting is that to get neutral print I used Quad Tone RIP - QTR and not grey balancer. This was also my first print using Quad Tone RIP - QTR. Somehow it just went perfectly. Print looks little too dark, but that could be because of lighting I have tonight. But contrast is great, no bronzing on print and the black are really deep. I like it. And I must say I do not mind that this is not the most archival combination. Somewhere I have read about some 20 years or so. I am thinking to use this paper for my coming exhibition. Yes I still do not have prints done. Now when I have A3+ size possibilities maybe I will do it myself and if I print A3+ size it could be quite enough big. Well bigger would be better but I like to have feeling that I made these prints myself with all control I could have.

I wrote yesterday that Ilford smooth pearl has no bronzing. Well today under day light I can see a lot of bronzing. Blacks are nice deep, but bronzing is a huge problem here. I will try to spray it today with Premier Art's Print Shield.
Now after every day discussion with Daniel Staver I am having more and more information. Now I am quite sure that I will do prints for exposition myself. I will try print on Epson Archival Matte paper tonight and than I need to buy A3+ print size. I hope cartridges will handle that I have no others and have no intention to buy new ones as I have ordered yesterday UT7 inks for more than a price I payed for the epson 2100.

Everything goes fast around, you are busy and active. Than, suddenly, you look out of the window and you see the slow pace of wind, trees. I wish to join them. So you wait and watch, watch and wait until all slows down.

It is a late in evening and I am finishing some paper tests. I bough today cheap Epson Photo Paper, glossy one. I have prepared file in resolution which I will use for final A3+ size prints and made test crop of small size A6. Now I am printing these small test prints to safe ink and at the same time paper. I can still see, on small crop, how the whole A3+ size print will look. It reminds me doing preparation for final print in darkroom. You know all those test strips.
I kind of like it even this has no much future as a UltraChrome inks will be replaced by MIS UT7 ones. And those, according to tracking, had left Chicago today lunch time.
I made a lot of spraying on Ilford Smooth Pearl paper. I will see morning in daylight if it helps.
What I have also try today was printing using ICC profile of Ilford paper from Ilford itself. It turns out quite ok comparing to QTR, just warmer.

So here I am busy with technical stuff, I hope you do not mind, but I can imaging that it isn't any extremely interesting reading. Therefore I put one more night mood image on-line. Maybe you find it interesting, I like it quite a lot.

So here I am printing for exposition which will be 1st of April. We are going to install all prints already this weekend and that is why this hurry. Today I had to made final decision. I had two options, either I will print with matte black on Epson Archival Matte paper or I will stay with Ilford Smooth Pearl paper and use photo black (which I have). First option has no risk of bronzing, but was more expensive. I wouldn't mind to pay those few euros more for ink and paper. Problem was that I drove around and couldn't find EAM in A3 size. I actually found one matte black cartridges for epson 2100, but it was two years expired :-). So at the end only option was to print on Ilford paper. I like those deep black anyway very much and for this series of night mood it fits perfectly. I have now done four from six prints and I have to tell you they look very good. I will spray them morning and than few times more, but still I believe they will look very good.
I have also did small test today. I placed Ilford paper behind normal and matte glass. All bronzing was totally gone. Print look very good behind matte glass. Glossy glass was also good but I hate those reflection that you can see yourself in it. Otherwise cool.

Only short message. I just saw brilliant movie "The Return" from Russian director Andrej Zvjagincev. It is excellent movie. If you have a chance do not let it pass.

This is not nice, I know, but I have to say I was extremely busy with preparation of last print for exposition which starts this Saturday. So yes I am writing late.
I installed five prints last weekend at the place, but I still miss one. Now final it is printed the way I like it. It was rather difficult, but I have managed.
We are exposing in the same place as two years ago. There will be work from nice photographers and variation of work. I am exposing my nigh mood series. You can see final selection and some kind of pre selection which I did before on this experiment page.

And there is one secret I will tell you little later. The secret is about my next work. It is really exciting and I am looking forward to it. It is also why I wasn't writing much here, I was reading a lot :-) Well as I said I tell you later, otherwise there would be no secret anymore.

Today was a bit difficult day. Well still is, I just get used to it. Morning I had to faith on my bike against wind and rain. It is not far away but those 20 minutes biking against strong wind with rain took a quite of my strength.

When I come home I found package with new b&w carbon pigment inks, UT7 they call them. That was very nice, problem was that they put 50% tax on it!!! Terrible. I need to call them this is just too much, at least I want some explanation.
In any case Sunday, I will be filling new inks into cartridges and doing my first real b&w prints on my new epson 2100. I am looking forward to it.
What also excites me is that my dear friend R. is coming over. It was long time he was here.We have a lot of things to talk about. He will also bring me that Fomapan 200, about 60 meters of it. I am going to use this film for this year as mine 125ASA film. I am expecting a lot from it.

So time goes on, I am tired but I need to still prepare few things for Saturday. I am curious how many people will come. Two years ago it wasn't so much. This time there is a chance there will be more. And I am not going to tell you yet the secret. Only small info, I am working on it already now!

One feels often quite alone, especially when he starts think too much. Maybe that is why we use to sit in front on TV and kill ourself while still alive. We do things repeatably every day the same so slow and so often than we do not realize how we become robots. Alive robots, eating, sleeping, producing and dying...

I have recently joined friends on www.dvere.sk to create completely innocent but shocking view on every and each common day. If you can read Slovak, enjoy. If you can not, wait a while and see...