Sometimes, when you’re out and about you get an unexpected bonus and learn something new. That happened to me on my recent visit to the International Center for Photography. I had walked from Penn Station but arrived about a half hour before it officially opened. Good thing I tried the doors. They were unlocked so I walked in, found someone and asked if I could sit down and wait. Turns out the café/bookstore was open so I looked around. And there sitting on a cart was a single copy of book by the photographer Peter Kayafas called O Public Road! Photographs of America.

I had never heard of the book or the photographer, but the cover looked interesting so I picked up and took a look.  Just the kind of book I really like … road trips that document America. Think Robert Frank’s The Americans, Walker Evans’ American Photographs and Jeff Dunas’ American Pictures.

Well, O Public Road! Photographs of America is a beauty and discovering it was an unexpected nice little surprise which made my visit to the International Center for Photography all the better! Not only did I see two great shows, but found something very special to own and enjoy.

Now, more the ever, good surprises are great!

Stay well,

Michael

Last week I stumbled onto the news that there were two shows about to be wrapped up at the International Center for Photography in New York. Graciela Iturbide: Serious Play and Sergio Larrain: Wanderings.

Needless to say I jumped at the chance to see this great doubleheader, but I had to rejigger my work schedule and figure out the best day to travel in order to avoid the wind and cold rain the Northeast has been having. That way I could take a nice leisurely walk instead of riding the subway from Penn Station.

I had seen some of Graciela Iturbide’s work before and previously wrote about it here.  I also had purchased her book Graciela Iturbide’s Mexico and was given a very beautiful signed small book eponymously titled Graciela Iturbidepublished the Throckmorton Fine Art Gallery. I had never seen Sergio Larrain’s work in the flesh but own one of his books, Sergio Larrain.

The Iturbide exhibit was the first retrospective of her work in New York City and included portraits and documentary work of the Seri people and other indigenous Mexican cultures and their traditions, pictures of the Oazaca Botanical Gardens, landscapes and found objects, self-portraits and perhaps most interestingly pictures made in the artist Frida Kahalo’s home bathroom that was turned into a museum.

The Larrain exhibit was drawn from Magnum Photo archives and focused on the early part of his carrier; mainly portraits of children and others, as well as street and rural scenes made during the 1950s and 1960s in Santiago, Valparaíso, Santiago, Paris, London, Peru, Bolivia, Italy and Chiloe Island.

The beautiful black and white images from both exhibits range in size mostly from 8X10 to 16X20.  But to me they appeared to be on the dark and moody side. Was this an artistic decision, a lighting issue or me? Not sure. Nevertheless, this didn’t distract from the magnitude of this dual show.

What did make me feel a little bit off was viewing the important work of two incredibly talented artists at a time when the regime is trying to take over a Latin American country for all the wrong reasons, while horribly mistreating Latin Americans in our own country … just part of a long history of our looking down at Latin American peoples, their cultures, their talents and their countries of origin.

Unfortunately both of these wonderful shows end today, so unless you live nearby or are in the area and can get there fast you’re out of luck.  But not completely … turns out there’s another Iturbide exhibit in New York at the Throckmorton Fine Art Gallery which runs through February 28th! In any case, I urge you to see their work when the opportunity comes up. Otherwise, think about picking up one of their outstanding monographs. They’ll make a fine addition to your library!

Stay well,

Michael

2025 … and oh what a year it was!  But here we are at the beginning of another new year and I am increasingly optimistic that the beginnings of the end of our Trumpian national nightmare are starting to unfold. Sure we have three more years of this s..t show to live through and there will be plenty not to like, but I really think he and whatever his movement was about is beginning to unravel. Not that much because of what our political figures have done, but because of what every day Americans have.

But just as there is renewed hope, it’s a time when someone so unpredictable and increasingly unhinged may attempt and do some strange and dangerous things, like a trapped feral animal that is being cornered. Venezuela for starters, Greenland, the Trump Class Destroyer, the East Wing tragedy, ICE insanity, Epstein coverup, the lame and grammatically stupid renaming of the Kennedy Center, the midterm elections and much more.

Yes all of this could happen. 2026 just kicked off with the stunt in Venezuela, coming right after  the release of the former Special Counsel Jack Smith congressional hearing transcripts and Justice Department’s continued lack of compliance with the Epstein Files Transparency Act.. Funny how that works.  But the more Americans stand up, the stiffer the backbones of politicians will become … same goes for the legacy media, law firms and universities … at least that’s my hope!

So don’t get discourage and don’t give up. That is what they want and it’s the only way Trump and the true believers that surround him … the Vances, Millers, Voughts, and Patels of the worlds will win.

And here’s something else … have fun and do what makes you happy. That’s what maintains a healthy balance during these trying times! So how do you do that? Beyond friends and family make time to get out there and photograph, and yes, develop your film and print some meaningful pictures!

So let’s all together make a resolution to make 2026 a great year, for all the right reasons!

Stay well, be vigilant and have a happy, healthy, and photographically wonderful New Year,

Michael

I recently ordered some film and supplies and decided to check out maybe getting some more paper. With only a couple hundred sheets of Foma left it was about that time. I went to the B&H site and quickly became shocked when I saw the price of $176.99 for 100 sheets of 8X10.

#$%^&*()??!!?$#%^&!

The last time I purchased the paper it was $149.99 and before that $99.99.  I’m sure everything costs more to make these days but this is a little nuts!

I’m certain though that the latest price increase is brought to us care of the dear leader’s tariffs or maybe even something worse. Maybe he thinks analog black and white photographers are democrats living in blue states and it’s another act of retribution.  Like withholding clean energy funding from sixteen states, or dismantling government operations like the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Colorado because the governor won’t do his bidding.

So what do I do? Hold off and hope things return to a somewhat more normal or buy now because of the fear that the price of foreign made paper will go even higher? Who knows, with you know who’s cowboy foreign policy and appeasement proclivities, Putin may just decide to invade the Czech Republic and I won’t be able to get my beloved paper at all!

I think I’ll wait until the new year and my next credit card billing cycle to take another look.

Stay well,

Michael

Awhile back I wrote #7 Simplify … One Film and One Developer! Well, guess what …the same goes for your paper and developer! That’s right. Maybe I’ll take some heat on this but stay with me here.

Yes, I know different papers and developer combinations can yield different looks that some may prefer for say a snowy scene vs. a portrait. Fine, I get it. But I think this leads to more choices, more time and a lot more money spent on ever more expensive paper.

As with film, I think it’s best to focus on just one paper and developer combination. For me it is Fomabrom Variant III with Photographer’s Formulary Liquidol. I’ve been using this combination for some time and have been very happy with the results. Ever since I couldn’t get Forte’s excellent VC paper anymore and I finished my last bag of Zone VI print developer. Note: Liquidol is claimed to be a liquid-based replacement for the Zone VI powder- based developer.

Is it the perfect combination? I’ll give you the same answer I gave for Tri-X and HC-110 … Heck if I know! What I do know is that Bruce Barnbaum recommended the paper and the developer seems to give me the same results of my old friend Zone VI in an easier to mix version.  That’s enough for me. The proof of course is in the results and I really like what I see. However, if you try this combination your mileage may vary as they like to say.

Look, pick whatever paper/developer combination you like and learn how to use it.  Oh, and it goes without saying, just make sure to choose a good quality fiber paper. DO NOT USE RC!!! Let me repeat that for the uninitiated. DO NOT USE RC!!! Just like film, it takes some time to really learn about a paper and how it behaves with a particular developer … another reason in my opinion to use just one combination.

Can you get better results using different papers with different developers for different negatives instead of simplifying like I’ve done. Maybe, probably, perhaps.

As with sorting out what camera for what purpose and settling on one film and one developer, doing the same with one paper and one developer simplifies my life … one less thing to worry about … and this helps me to focus on what’s really important … making meaningful pictures with prints that look the way I like, with the quality I want.

Try it and see how it works for you!

Stay well,

Michael

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving with those that are most important in your lives … your family and friends. Mine was great and as usual my wife outdid herself. Although I’m a vegetarian I more than made up for things, especially with the four pies we had for dessert!

I really do have a lot to be thankful for. My family foremost, and a life lived on my own terms, doing the things I felt were important and made me happy. My work enabled me to travel all over the world, but I was always grateful to be back. It was great to be an American. I felt lucky.

This year it’s a little different, isn’t it … a year in which our freedoms and much of what America has stood for are being challenged on a daily basis.

So what am I be thankful for right now?

Here are just a few things.

First, that I’m not a woman who has had a man point his finger at my face while telling me to be “quiet, piggy”.

Or that I’m not a Ukrainian child, cold and afraid, huddled in a damp basement while the so-called leader of the free world tries to sell my freedom out with a 28 point plan written by the Russians with some help by his “special envoy”/real estate buddy Steve Witcoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner.

Or that I’m not someone who has had his or her door knocked down, been pepper sprayed, been taken away while my family members screamed in terror or have been unlawfully detained in a third world-like detention center because my language is Spanish and/or my skin color isn’t white.

Here is another thing I’m thankful for. For the courage of six democratic lawmakers, all former veterans or members of intelligence community who spoke out in a video to make sure current members of the military and intelligence community know “Our laws are clear: You can refuse illegal orders; you must refuse illegal orders. No one has to carry out orders that violate the law or our Constitution. We know this is hard and that it’s a difficult time to be a public servant. But whether you’re serving in the CIA, the Army, our Navy, the Air Force, your vigilance is critical.” They went on to say “Know that we have your back, because now, more than ever, the American people need you. We need you to stand up for our laws, our Constitution, and who we are as Americans.”  These brave Americans are continuing to stand tall and are not backing down even after the dear leader called for their arrest and execution and others in the regime look for other ways to try to intimidate them.

I’m also thankful I can still write this and not land in jail, or worse for “seditious” behavior.

Look, I know America is far from perfect. It never was and never will be. But it is worth fighting for our democracy and all that is good about America. So, finally, I’m thankful that more and more Americans are waking up to the clear and present danger we all face and are making their stand in both big and small ways.

Remember, 2026 is around the corner and with continuing vigilance we will vote out enough of the collaborators in November so that next Thanksgiving all of us will have even more to be thankful for!

As the “seditious six” said in closing their video, “Don’t give up the ship”!

Oh, and by the way, keep making photographs.

Stay well,

Michael