HCB Film

2WK

2WK

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I did a search, but couldn't find what I was looking for.

Of all today's film, which would bear the closest resemblance to the film Bresson used?

Thanks. Sorry if this has been asked a million times before.
 
Roger Hicks said:
Possibly his talent was more important than his choice of film.
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So true. It is interesting, with all the HCB info I have seen I don't recall ever learning about what film he liked to use during any period of his life. I remember seeing one of his Leica's at the HCB Foundation in Paris but even there, no mention of film :)
 
2WK said:
Obviously he was talented. I am just curious about the grain, contrast etc.
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...over 60 years, during which time films improved beyond belief. Grain (for a given speed) decreased dramatically. Contrast is not inherent, but depends on development

He used what was available. And, from talking to one of his printers (whom we met at Arles -- anyone else going to be there in 2011?), he relied quite heavily on VERY good printers. He wasn't always that good at exposure.

Cheers,

R.
 
I guess that a lot of what we can see in the print is down to expert printing- and he didn't do his own as far as I know. It's probably safe to say that he used the best/most expensive/ most available film at any given time.
 
The latest book from the MoMa exhibition states he used Plus-X for the series in Spain with the torrero photos. (sorry, no clue about the time-frame at the moment)
 
I'm not convinced that he wasn't so good at exposure. He just regarded it as less of a priority than capturing a moment that wasn't about to wait for a change of aperture or shutter speed ... or precise focus even!

I read somewhere recently that during an interview exposure was being discussed and the interviewer asked him to calculate the exposure from the light falling on the man's face through the window they were sitting next to. Bresson did it instantly with total accuracy ... then gave him a calculation for the area in shadow which was also completely accurate apparently!
 
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Surely he used Perutz film. It was big before and after WWII.

Anybody have a clue on what the modern-day equivalent in looks would be?
 
buzzardkid said:
Surely he used Perutz film. It was big before and after WWII.

Anybody have a clue on what the modern-day equivalent in looks would be?
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I scanned a lot of that Perutz when I was archiving Bettina Mendel's photos and the nearest thing I can think of that would match it currently would be Rollei Retro 100 or APX 100 ... especially developed in Rodinal.
 
PICHA said:
A very interesting link here.
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Yes, truly worthwhile. Favorite detail: "After changing in to his night clothes, he sat on his bed and assembled two large Kodak film cans, [...]"

So to follow in his footsteps, not only do you have to roll your own (without a bulkloader): you have to do it in your nighties. Then you're golden :)

:)
 
It's funny to read the Patel piece -- funny and enlightening and moving as well -- but particularly so today. I teach literature and today in class ended up talking about the "morality" of art; and the morality of art resides exactly where HCB implies it resides, in determining and communicating the truth. Technique is your aide in so far as you have learned not to get in your own way. After that it doesn't matter.

In photography I'm still getting in my own way quite often.
 
chances are HCB did not use 400 film very much since he was famous for saying he shot at 1/125 which would blow out the neg in daylight. Anyway, back in the day there was no 400 speed film -- only becoming avail towards the latter half of the 20th Century.
 
It sounds like I share some things in common with him; in the daytime I shoot f5,6 almost exclusively. I like to have a shallow DOF on my subject, but any faster is usually overexposed.
 
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