A photo taken in 1985 has resurfaced this week. Kelly Grovier looks at the power of a figure pushed to breaking point.

• By Kelly Grovier

9 December 2016

Some images never go out of date. They remain endlessly urgent. Where most viral photos enjoy a fleeting flash of fame, flaring up like a rash across social media, there is a cache of imperishable images that have lingered longer and strike a deeper chord. They stay forever part of the mind’s permanent collection of archetypal signs.

Predating by decades the instant-reaction platforms of Facebook and Twitter, an edgy image captured on the streets of Växjö, Sweden in April 1985 during a demonstration by the Neo-Nazi Nordic Reich Party succeeded (without today’s propulsive power of ‘likes’ and ‘retweets’) to imprint itself on the cultural consciousness. Snapped at the instant when a Polish-Swedish passerby, whose mother had reportedly been sent to a Nazi concentration camp, could no longer contain her irritation at having to share civic space with fascists, the black-and-white photo of Danuta Danielsson clocking a Neo-Nazi with her handbag continues to resonate for many as a silent rallying cry.

This photo – taken in 1985 – has resurfaced on social media this week (Credit: Hans Runesson)

Over the past few weeks, amid a spate of protests in America and throughout Europe in response to the outcome of elections and referenda, the image of the 38-year-old Danielsson lashing out in full swat has experienced a fresh resurgence, accompanied by the call to arms: “Be the woman hitting a Neo Nazi with a handbag you wish to see in the world”. 

Inviting readers to debate when even mild forms of violence are socially acceptable, the photo – taken by Hans Runesson – belongs to a long tradition of depictions of female figures pushed to breaking point. Artemisia Gentileschi and Caravaggio both explored the subject in their respective portrayals of the gruesome biblical story of Judith, who beheaded an Assyrian general planning to destroy the city of Bethulia. The Baroque painter Elisabetta Sirani was likewise drawn to Plutarch’s story of Timoclea, who pushes the man who raped her into a well.

The Luttrell Psalter intertwined biblical illustrations with scenes of ordinary life (Credit: British Library)

Long before these more famous scenes of female vengeance is the vision of quiet come-uppance meted out by a spinning rod-swinging wife on her abusive husband found in the 14th-Century manuscript The Luttrell Psalter, a sacred tome that innovatively intertwines biblical illustrations with scenes of ordinary life. The Medieval wallop doodled in the margins of the Psalter seems more a display of exasperation than a lethal blow. Created in an age when it was legal for a husband to beat his wife, the illustration is more courageous than slapstick. Like the photo of Danielsson, it sticks in the mind as an illustration of the difference between behaviour we might understand and behaviour we can applaud.

JFK Library’s Ernest Hemingway Collection

The JFK Library’s Ernest Hemingway Collection is a treasure trove for fans of the writer including up close & personal (and rarely shared) photos, letters, receipts, book lists, fishing logs and other notebooks. Much of it has been digitised, but onsite research with permission from the archivists to see the collection is also possible. I went through as much as the digital archives as I could and picked out some highlights to get you started…


Ernest Hemingway fighting a Bull in Pamplona, Spain (pictured in front of the horns of the bull).  Hemingway was participating in “The Amateurs” in 1925, one year before the publication of “The Sun Also Rises.”

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Cyanotypes: Photography's Blue Period

January 16 - April 24, 2016Prints, Drawings and Photographs Gallery

Invented by Sir John Herschel in 1842, cyanotypes are photographs with a distinctive Prussian blue tonality produced by treating paper with an iron-salt solution. The treated paper can be developed using only the sun, which made cyanotypes a favored technique among amateur photographers through the turn of the twentieth century. Cyanotypes: Photography's Blue Periodwill trace the rise of these "blueprint photographs" beginning with the botanical photogenic drawings printed by Anna Atkins in the 1850s. The exhibition will also feature contemporary artists who have recently revived the process manipulating the medium to varied expressive effects.

Organized in collaboration with a seminar from Clark University, the exhibition will be presented with thematic emphasis on botanicals, landscape, abstraction, and portraiture—areas that dominated much of the production of cyanotypes in the early twentieth century and recur in contemporary work. Artists on display include nineteenth and twentieth-century photographers Henry Bosse, Edward Sheriff Curtis, and F. Holland Day, and contemporary artist Christian Marclay.

Sponsored in part by:

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Cyanotypes: An Evening in Blue

February 18, 2016 6-8pm

Please join us as the Worcester Art Museum celebrates the publication of Cyanotypes: Photography's Blue Period, the catalogue associated with WAM's groundbreaking exhibition tracing the history of the cyanotype from the 1850s to the present.

From 6 to 7pm, tours will be offered by co-curators Nancy Burns (Assistant Curator of Prints, Drawings and Photographs) and Kristina Wilson (Associate Professor of Art History, Clark University), as well as the Clark seminar students who spent a semester researching this antique photographic process. Music, hors d'oeuvres, and a cash bar will be available throughout the event. Contemporary artists featured in the exhibition will also be on hand to celebrate. Join the fun and come dressed in your best blues! Free with Museum admission.

An hommage to horror moms

‘It Felt Like The Right Time’ 

 Jamie Lee Curtis has been paying homage to her horror film roots with her role in Fox’s new series,“Scream Queens” recreating her mother, Janet Leigh’s, infamous shower scene from “Psycho.”  

 

Christina Ricci, who as a child famously portrayed Wednesday Addams, dressed up as Morticia Addams...proven to be a photoshop but still a great image. 

 

A Vanderbilt Halloween

Some ideas for a new look at old costumes. You don't have to be half dressed  to look stunning. This is from one of the many Vanderbilt balls that were the height of society. Press were invited to photograph the guests with backdrops possibly added later. Click here for the full guest list.

Julia Margaret Cameron Victorian Celebrity photographer

Visiting Birr castle in Ireland recently I started reading up on early women photographers and Julia "caught my eye" 

The Parting of Lancelot and Guinevere

Artist: Julia Margaret Cameron (British (born India), Calcutta 1815–1879 Kalutara, Ceylon)

Date: 1874

A little bio from the MOMA

" one of the greatest portraitists in the history of photography, Julia Margaret Cameron (1815–1879) blended an unorthodox technique, a deeply spiritual sensibility, and a Pre- Raphaelite–inflected aesthetic to create a gallery of vivid portraits and a mirror of the Victorian soul."
"When she received her first camera in December 1863 as a gift from her daughter and son-in-law, Cameron was forty-eight, a mother of six, and a deeply religious, well-read, somewhat eccentric friend of many notable Victorian artists, poets, and thinkers. "From the first moment I handled my lens with a tender ardour," she wrote, "and it has become to me as a living thing, with voice and memory and creative vigour." Condemned by some contemporaries for sloppy craftsmanship, she purposely avoided the perfect resolution and minute detail that glass negatives permitted, opting instead for carefully directed light, soft focus, and long exposures that allowed the sitters' slight movement to register in her pictures, instilling them with an uncommon sense of breath and life.
"Cameron's three major bodies of work: portraits of men "great thro' genius," including painter G. F. Watts, poet Alfred, Lord Tennyson, scientist Sir John Herschel, and philosopher and historian Thomas Carlyle; women "great thro' love," including relatives, neighbors, and household staff, often titled as literary, historical, or biblical subjects; and staged groupings such as her illustrations for Tennyson's Idylls of the King or her Annunciation in the style of Perugino."

See more of her subjects here

And Here

Black Dogs Project

This photo series started after a conversation about how black dogs have a harder time getting adopted than other dogs. I decided to start a photo series photographing black dogs on a black background in my studio. Using social media, I recruited local dog owners who have black dogs to photograph. It's an amazing journey that will become a book in the fall of 2015.

Click here for all the lovely puppies

Transforming Ordinary Office Employees into Super Athletes Without Photoshop Trickery

 

They may look like fitness models, but they aren’t.
They’re everyday people — office workers, programmers and mothers who took the chance to try something they had never done before.

Liz, Mother of 3

People often look up to the superstars in magazines, marveling at how amazing they look without realizing that they too can look the same.
Armed with $20,000 of lighting equipment and a homemade rain machine, I wanted to prove to them how amazing they looked, straight out of camera.

Chris, 61 year old grandfather of 12

Great Lighting. No Photoshop.

“Hollywood-level lighting” makes a huge difference.
Once set up properly, anyone can look absolutely phenomenal straight out of camera. Muscles beautifully defined, faces perfectly lit.
No tummy tucking or Photoshop funny business needed, only the small tweaks: light, contrast & colour.

Stephanie, 24 year old Front Office Executive

Hours of Trial and Error

Great results take time. And time is money.
We took 2,000 shots in a single day in order to produce fewer than 20 final photographs. Each person had to try out a variety of different poses before even beginning to perfect the one that worked.

Shandrew, 37 year old — Director of operations

It starts with believing in yourself

Good lighting and great equipment is only a small part of making people look their best.
Getting them to believe how amazing they looked, was the true magic ingredient behind the creation of these shots.
Watch them transform in front of your eyes:

Toni, 62 year old grandma

This year, give yourself the gift of self-confidence.

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About the author: Benjamin Von Wong is a photographer based out of Montreal, Canada. Visit his website here. This article originally appeared here.

Low-Key Photography for Beginners – Enter the Dark Side

Mo is a long time Light Stalking denizen who you can also find on Flickr.

Low-key photography is a terrific challenge for both the novice and the experienced. It is a very simple technique that brings instant drama to an image but could take a lifetime to master. Like most other forms of photography, it is all about illumination and elimination.
Low-Key by Mo Dube (Shadow Stalker)

(Tucker by Sarah Christine on Flickr)

A low-key image is one that contains predominantly dark tones and colours. Like high-key images, they convey atmosphere and mood. But where a high-key image feels airy and light, a low-key is usually dramatic and full of mystery. And where high-key lighting over-lights the subject to reduce contrast, low-key lighting creates striking contrasts through reduced lighting. Shadows are now the primary element of the composition.

(A Portrait in Darkness by Sean McGrath on Flickr)

Black and White is a popular choice as it really brings ‘light’ to the shadows.

(Thinking by Thibault B Photography on Flickr)

But there is a lot to be said about the drama of colour when the light is right.

(Heels by woody329 on Flicker)

To create a low-key image, all you need is your camera and one light source. Depending on the results you are looking for, you might also make use of a fill light or reflector. If you are lucky enough to have your own photo studio, fabulous, this will give you a reason to use it. If you don’t, no worries, you don’t need one.
This shot was inspired by the way the computer monitor lit the photographer’s hand:

(Hand Print by qwikrex on Flickr)

Camera Settings – The only setting that should absolutely stay constant is the ISO. Set it to 100 (or as low as your camera will let you) and never move it. Keeping your ISO low will give you good image quality, keeping it both dark and noise-free. Then it is just a matter of adjusting the shutter speed and aperture to achieve the desired effect for the light you’ve chosen.
Lighting – Choice of light is all up to the photographer. You have only one key light so the only choices you have to make now are direction and strength. The only ‘rule’ you should impose on yourself when shooting low-key is to never allow light to reach your background. I know, never say never. But unless you have a particular reason to add texture there, don’t do it. This is called ‘contamination’.
Following is a very basic studio light setup for low-key photography. Remember that direction and intensity are all up to you but avoid lighting the background. And don’t be afraid of back lighting! It can produce some spectacular results.

 

If you don’t have a studio, you still have several choices. A popular one is to use two separate rooms. Block off all light in one room so that if the door is closed, you could see nothing. Use the adjoining room as the light source. You can use the door to help control the incoming light. Try to keep the light from hitting the camera or the background.

 

If you are unable to muster adjoining rooms, we still have choices. Indoors and out. Daylight and night. Why, I’ve been known to create low-key images with the levels sliders in Photoshop. (no hate mail, please).
But this isn’t about Photoshopping, so let’s look at ways of setting the camera up to achieve our results. With an off camera flash, we can create a low-key image any time of day. It works in the midday sun if you are indoors and works nicely outdoors on a dull, overcast day.
On a tripod, in manual mode:

1. Set your ISO as low as your camera allows.
2. Set your shutter speed to the fastest it will go with the triggers you are using. This will reduce a lot of the sun light.
3. Set up your shot.
4. Start with the aperture wide open (low number). Take a test shot and progressively narrow it until there is no ambient light in the frame. The histogram should be flat lined at the bottom.

From there, you have to experiment. Set up your flash and shoot. If there is too much light in the scene, you could lower your flash output or move the light further away. If the background is contaminated, you could change the direction of light or move your subject further from the background. Whatever you think of is fine so long as you achieve your intended outcome.

(Tea Cup by Renee Stewart Jackson)

If you are not blessed with a flash, you can still take outdoor, low-key shots. You just have to wait until night. Then head out into the darkness and find your light source. It could be a streetlamp, moonlight, car headlights, or a flashlight that you brought along.
Experiment – Ultimately a low-key image is just one that contains predominantly dark tones. There are many ways to achieve that. Feel free to use one of the most useful (and under-used) features on the camera – exposure compensation.

 

In closing I’ll add that although we are trying to capture darkness, it is the application and control of the light that makes a great low-key image. The lack of light puts all focus on what light is allowed to stay. All your lighting decisions will show in your image so although it can be fun and whimsical, really good low-key photography requires a good knowledge of light, shadow and tone. Precise application of lighting is required in order to control the very important shadow detail.
Manipulate your lighting and placement of subject until the shadows fall exactly as you want them. It’s that easy. And difficult.

 

See you on the dark side.
 

Lee Miller: In Hitler’s bathtub

By Fiona Macdonald

Lee Miller (David E Scherman/Lee Miller archives, England 2014. All rights reserved)

Vogue model, Surrealist muse – and war correspondent. As a combat photographer with the US forces during WWII, Lee Miller created a unique historic record.

“I was living in Hitler’s private apartment in Munich when his death was announced.” These words came not from a high-ranking Nazi officer or a hardened Allied soldier, but from a fashion model-turned-photographer. Lee Miller – who became the muse and lover of Surrealist artist Man Ray during the early 1930s after appearing on the cover of Vogue – was one of a small number of female combat photographers embedded with Allied troops in WWII.
Her account of their advance in Western Europe has been put together from manuscripts, negatives and contact sheets for the new book Lee Miller’s War: Beyond D-Day. After her death in 1977, Miller’s son Antony Penrose discovered the records in trunks in her attic. In the book’s afterword, he describes finding “maps still splattered with Alsatian mud, captions and notes scribbled on scraps of paper, orders and passes from the military, looted souvenirs”.
Miller’s photographs and reports appeared as spreads in Vogue between 1944 and 1945. “The gore and violence of her articles feature boldly in the pages,” says Penrose. “The grim skeletal corpses of Buchenwald are separated by a few thicknesses of paper from delightful recipes to be prepared by beautiful women dressed in sumptuous gowns.”

Evacuating wounded in Normandy (Lee Miller archives, England 2014. All rights reserved)

Miller rarely talked about the war in the years that followed – Penrose describes how she spent them “in a misery of depression and alcohol abuse” – but she gave evocative accounts in her reports for Vogue.
“The ward was like a jungle of banyan trees. A maze of hanging rubber tubes swaying in khaki shadow – one to the nostril and one to the wound of each man.” Miller’s description of an evacuation hospital near Omaha beach in Normandy was published in the fashion magazine in August 1944. Her story, Unarmed Warriors, was Miller’s first as a war correspondent accredited by the US Forces.
“The authorities had figured that ‘hospital’ meant lots of nurses so Lee would feel at home and Vogue’s sensibilities would not be offended. They were wrong on both counts,” writes David E Scherman in the foreword to Lee Miller’s War. Instead, she “was happiest with GIs, wounded or otherwise … and Vogue printed, and continued to print until the end of the war, whatever martial violence or gore that Lee turned up.”
A photographer for Life magazine, Scherman became Miller’s mentor, and the pair gained a reputation for being the first on the scene. With soldiers of the 45th division, in April 1945 they discovered Hitler’s Munich apartment – where Scherman captured the iconic bathtub shot. “Lee took a leisurely, overdue bath in Hitler’s tub while an angry lieutenant of the 45th, soap in hand, beat on the locked door outside.” They also accompanied the first Allied troops to see Hitler’s Alpine retreat in Berchtesgaden.
According to Penrose, the bathroom portrait was a loaded image. He told The Telegraph: “I think she was sticking two fingers up at Hitler. On the floor are her boots, covered with the filth of Dachau, which she has trodden all over Hitler’s bathroom floor. She is saying she is the victor.”

Aerial bombardment of St Malo (Lee Miller archives, England 2014. All rights reserved)

Miller spent time on the frontline too: after reports that St Malo had been liberated in August 1944, she was sent on a seemingly safe assignment to report from the French town. But when she arrived, she discovered it was still held by German forces. From a hotel room, Miller documented the gunfire in her own inimitable style: “The rooms had innerspring mattresses which made a rather bouncy perch for picture-taking, especially as the artillery bursts made me jump a bit each time.” She describes two soldiers lying on a bed “in a beautiful honeymoon room facing the sea”, with a telescope trained on their target.
Her frontline reportage has a poetic quality: long-range artillery etched “arcs of sound” over her head, creating “invisible sphere-songs with their trailing rattle”. Scherman called her story on a battle in Alsace “one of the best examples of frontline reporting ever filed”.

Fred Astaire signing autographs (Lee Miller archives, England 2014. All rights reserved)

Miller regretted leaving the front, and wrote in a letter to her Vogue editor “it is very bitter to me to go to Paris now that I have a taste for gun powder”. Scherman described the scene that met them in the liberated city: “It was an orgy of tanks, flags, newsmen, German snipers, cheering crowds and crazy, over-elaborate Paris fashions. We expected ill-clad grey mice and found cork-shod, balloon-skirted, high-coiffed beauties… Lee immediately looked up old friends, including a delighted Picasso.”
A world away from the battlefront, in Paris Miller photographed Marlene Dietrich in a satin coat by Schiaparelli and Fred Astaire signing autographs for the “bare-bottomed girls of the cast in feathers”. Yet she never settled back into her pre-war life. In a 1945 letter to Scherman, she describes her restlessness: “for some reason I always want to be somewhere else”.

The oldest photograph

Adam Clark Estes on Gizmodo

Twitter lit up with wows a while back as this handsome photograph of Broadway and Franklin Street in Manhattan circa 1850 got passed around. According to one source, it's "believed to be the earliest photograph taken of New York City." That would be cool—if it were true.

It's not. Sure it looks old—there's a horse and buggy! it's sepia-toned!—but it's tough to say if this is even a pre-Civil War photo. Are those power lines to the right? Where is Daniel Day Lewis's character from Gangs of New York? And what the hell are they doing to the street?

The actual oldest known photo of New York City surprisingly contains very little city. A daguerrotype believed to have been taken in 1848 sold for $62,500 a few years ago. It shows a surprisingly bucolic scene—you'd never guess that the road in the foreground is actually Broadway. Actually, at the time it was "a continuation of Broadway," according to a note that was included with the daguerrotype. This means that the road in the photo is likely Bloomingdale Road which became Broadway in 1899.

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There is also a new documentary about Vermeer and the camera obscura 

How did Vermeer paint his masterpiece?

A new documentary explores the possibility that the 17th century Dutch painter Vermeer used a camera obscura - an optical device that projects an image of its surroundings onto a screen - to create one of his masterpieces.

If this was the case then it would challenge the view that the artist had an incredible innate ability to paint with such accurate and precise detail.
Talking Movies' Tom Brook reports.

See the report

Black and White

Black and White Handstand

Black and white Photography is a reviving art with companies offering your black and white photos originally shot in color and vice-versa.  The exercises under more are for creating a black and white image and the second is for coloring black and whites. For those more comfortable with dark room techniques there are   Burn and Dodge tools for you to play with. There are also many programs online like POLADROID for example that create that old photo style look.