Resource for 1970s B&W Aesthetic?

[agentlossing]

I've been browsing over some of the Documerica series of color images from the early 70s. I really enjoy the aesthetic that was peculiar to the 70s, and I have a few sources for color film from that era (such as Stephen Shore's work). But while I like and would like to further investigate 70s B&W images, I am having a hard time pinning down where, who and what to search for to fill in this niche.

Who were some good photographers shooting B&W in the 1970s? Some good books/collections/exhibits/web resources?

I'm interested in what the B&W aesthetic was that developed through the 70s; as an example of what I mean, I picture the 80s as crispy Tri-X, just as the 50s were slower emulsions and deep contrast with less fine detail (as a generalization).

 

[charjohncarter]

Henry Wessel did many B&W images in the 1970s. And a totally different type of photography (although classified in the same niche) Lewis Baltz did work that is unusual: copy film and a 35mm camera.

Wessel 1970:

https://www.google.com/search?rlz=1...AhVPAp0JHUiWDGYQjJkEegQICBAC&biw=1280&bih=881

Baltz 1970:

https://www.google.com/search?q=lew...oDQ&bih=881&biw=1280&rlz=1C1CHBD_enUS782US782

 

[Deleted member 65559]

Jim Marshall, the king of rock and roll photography of the era comes to mind. As well, i'd look for the numerous photojournalists who photographed the Vietnam war. Those are the images i remember from the 70s.

 

[Larry H-L]

Fashion and portraits.
https://www.jeanloupsieff.com/

 

[Erik van Straten]

Cartier-Bresson did a lot of B+W work in the 1970's. He made a small book about the USSR. In those years he used the first model of the Noctilux 50mm f/1.2 quite often.

The prints were made by Pictorial Service in Paris. The prints in this book are all split grade prints. The book is printed in copper intaglio printing. Duotone printing was not yet invented in those years.

Cartier-Bresson insisted that his negatives be printed in their entirety, but still without black borders at the time.

Erik.

 

[Chriscrawfordphoto]

A couple books you might want to check out are:

Landscape: Theory

Darkroom

Darkroom2

The three books above were published by a company called Lustrum Press that published a lot of really cool photo books in the 70s. The ones I listed have each chapter devoted to a single photographer who shows his images and talks about his working methods.

 

[raydm6]

Joseph Szabo
https://josephszabophotos.com/books/

https://www.demilked.com/1970s-youth-photography-joseph-szabo/

 

[lynnb]

The 1970s Masters of Contemporary Photography series of books might be useful. I gave my original copies away decades ago and later regretted it. There are bw examples by Erwitt, Duane Michals and others. The reproduction quality is reasonably good.

 

[Dan Daniel]

xxxxxxxxxx

 

[Freakscene]

Robert D’Alessandro - I especially love Glory (1973).

Marty

 

[agentlossing]

Cartier-Bresson did a lot of B+W work in the 1970's. He made a small book about the USSR. In those years he used the first model of the Noctilux 50mm f/1.2 quite often.

The prints were made by Pictorial Service in Paris. The prints in this book are all split grade prints. The book is printed in copper intaglio printing. Duotone printing was not yet invented in those years.

Cartier-Bresson insisted that his negatives be printed in their entirety, but still without black borders at the time.

Erik.

I do like HCB's work from that era quite a bit.

 

[agentlossing]

Henry Wessel did many B&W images in the 1970s. And a totally different type of photography (although classified in the same niche) Lewis Baltz did work that is unusual: copy film and a 35mm camera.

Wessel 1970:

https://www.google.com/search?rlz=1...AhVPAp0JHUiWDGYQjJkEegQICBAC&biw=1280&bih=881

Baltz 1970:

https://www.google.com/search?q=lew...oDQ&bih=881&biw=1280&rlz=1C1CHBD_enUS782US782

Baltz looks especially cool. That seems to be the missing B&W side of what Stephen Shore was up to, this "New Topographics" movement, which I find fascinating.

 

[agentlossing]

Ralph Eugene Meatyard. Eugene Richards. Robert Adams. Nancy Rexroth. Linda Connors (early). Chauncey Hare. Ralph Gibson. Mary Ellen Mark. Larry Clark. Graciela Iturbide. Bill Owens.

And the 'big names'- Winogrand, Arbus, Friedlander. Yeah, the New Documents exhibit was 1967 but it set a certain tone that lived through the '70s. Also New Topographics exhibit.

Basically 1970s B&W photography has pretty much every possible look you can imagine.

Very true that photography of the era can look any way - naturally, as photography was in fine fettle with many masters of the craft making work during that time. Good reminder about Eugene Richards. And Robert Adams. And Mary Ellen Mark. Geez. So many good ones.

 

[Deleted member 65559]

Fashion and portraits.
https://www.jeanloupsieff.com/

JLS was a brilliant photographer. In the '70s I never turned a page of Harpers Bazaar or Vogue. Much later when i stumbled across his photographs it was a revelation in B/W work.

 

[agentlossing]

JLS was a brilliant photographer. In the '70s never turned a page of Harpers Bazaar or Vogue. Much late when i stumbled across his work it was a revelation in B/W work.

Avant garde at its best.