Black

When I feel the need for some inspiration to get my photography moving I often look to a small 1967 Aperture Monograph entitled "Paul Caponigro".  Caponigro focused on a great variety of subjects, but the book I own is mostly closeups of natural forms.  I wrote here before about his picture from that book of an apple which seems to transform into a abstraction encompassing the Universe.

What most stood out to me this time in looking through the monograph's images was Caponigro's use of black as a compositional element.  Sometimes the deep black areas in his prints serve primarily as a background to forms and patterns.  Often, however, the black areas are patterns which become a principal compositional element. In either case the visual impact is achieved primarily through careful exposure control and a balance between the the prominent blacks and the nuanced full-spectrum tonalities of other compositional elements.

Caponigro was also a skilled writer and teacher. While browsing the web material on him today I came across an interesting snippet in the Lumierepress Archive of his work with his assessment of Adams' Zone System for calculating exposure. I am inspired to look at more of his many books to gain more insight about his distinctive style and techniques.

Another photo artist I need to spend more time with who made effective use of dark to black tonalities is Brett Weston.  I have several of his father's books, but none from the famous son, though I did get to see a fine exhibit of his work several years ago at the New Mexico Art Museum in Santa Fe. The White Sands series provides a unique view of that place.