ABOVE: Young Joe Louis (1992)
I first met photographer Steven Katzman at the 2002 PhotoPlus Expo trade show in New York where he was displaying some of his large-scale black-and-white photo prints. I was stunned by the beauty and quality of the images and prints, and I included them and him in my report of the event. Then, I kept running into mentions of Steven and his work, especially in the context of state-of-the-art digital imaging and printing. I figured it was time to introduce more people to this talented artist.
From his bio: Steven Katzman is a self-taught photographer who has, over the years, combined his long-time interest in political science with his photographic journey. Like his forerunners, Jacob Riis, Lewis Hine, and Dorthea Lange, Katzman presents beautifully crafted, matter-of-fact images of his subjects, but his work goes beyond the parameters of photojournalism. The boxers, prisoners, and cremation images deal in subtleties that are ultimately political. In later series, he manipulated his subject matter to create metaphors. These photographs can be particularly disturbing, sometimes shocking. But Katzman's goal is never to merely shock, rather, he wants the viewer to think about the image and answer these specific questions in his or her mind: Who is the person in the photograph? What is (or was, in the case of the death images) their life like? How do you feel about the issues being raised? Katzman has already asked these questions of himself. He arrived at his answers through the direct experience of being up close and personal with his subject no matter how emotionally difficult it was for him. Through photography, Katzman attempts to share his experiences with the viewer.
In 1991, Katzman received a $35,000 corporate grant from Eastman Kodak Professional Photography Division for Reflections of the Spirit, a personal odyssey of a young boy struggling to become a man through the vehicle of boxing. The following year he received corporate grants from Beseler Company, Polaroid, JOBO Fototechnic, and Techno-Balcar. He has exhibited nationally and internationally and is in numerous museum and corporate collections with a portfolio of his work recently purchased by the George Eastman House International Museum of
Photography and Film.
Katzman recently received an Ilford corporate grant and is working on a book, Evolution of the Moment, about charismatic revival in North America that will be published by powerHouse Books, in fall 2004. He has also received a grant to document Newtown, an African-American community in Sarasota, Florida. He is a photography consultant for LexJet Direct and a faculty member at the Ringling School of Art and Design, Sarasota, Florida.
-- Harald Johnson, 15 September 2003
Q: You're known, in large part, for your B&W documentary or photojournalism work. What is the connection between that and "fine art" for you? How do the two overlap either in your mind or in your work?
A: First and foremost, I've always considered myself a photographer, using the camera like a painter would use the brush, capturing or creating different strokes of reality. I am documenting the symbiotic relationship between myself and the universe. This is my personal canvas.
I see no difference between arranging an artistic still life and documenting a spiritual revival. Both series require interaction between the photographer and the subject, personal trust and honesty in creating or capturing a moment. The impact of my work is further enhanced by my understanding of the medium. I believe that each photograph should have its own energy, its own personal light. I want you to walk into my photographs and question yourself.
ABOVE: Untitled: (Anatomical Preparation with Dried Dahlias) (1994)
Q: You've handled some tough subjects or difficult situations in your photographic career. What draws you to these places/spaces?
A: My photographs are a dialog, a personal diary documenting my relationship with my environment. The subjects that I choose are a metaphor of my pain, and alienation, of death and religion, and of sudden spiritual rebirth (see image below). I've always used the camera as my passport, allowing me personal access behind closed doors. I want the viewer to feel my pain, my anger and joy; to be aware of those that exist at the edge of society's wasteland.
ABOVE: Royal Albert Hall, London, England (2003)
Q: Is B&W still your main thing, or are you doing color, too? Does it matter to you?
A: Early on in my photographic career, I was greatly influenced by Ansel Adams, not so much by his images, but by his aesthetic vocabulary and the surface tension he created in his black-and-white prints. I adhere to his philosophy: the negative is the score, the print is the symphony. One can never lose sight of your passion, being easily displaced by the process. At the same time, it is necessary to have complete control of your medium. Previsualization allows you the opportunity to make changes, take risks, and grow as an artist. I used the "A" word. Sorry, I meant photographer.
I rarely shoot color. I always see my world in blacks and grays, but with digital, it's changing. The very notion that I have the capability of shooting color and changing the RGB file to grayscale is extremely exciting. The main reason for me to get involved with digital capture is for grayscale conversion and eliminating the film processing and the mechanics of the darkroom and its environment.
Q: You're also known as a master lab printer. When and how have you incorporated digital technologies into your printing, and has that been a good thing?
A: It wasn't until recently that I decided to open the darkroom door, and let all the black out and enter into the digital light. Again, there were a number of circumstances leading up to this conversion. I had seen digital B&W prints, only to be disappointed, being told that this is the best current technology had to offer. No saturation, no rich blacks, no subtle tonal transition.
"It wasn't until recently that I decided to open the darkroom door, and let all the black out and enter into the digital light."
Last year (August, 2002) I had attended an Imacon seminar, knowing that it was time to archive my negatives. I brought a B&W negative along with a 30x30" photograph (Boxer, Young Joe Louis - see image at top of page) printed on Kodak Polymax Fine Art Paper and selenium toned (this silver print would take approximately five hours to produce, yielding two exhibition prints). The negative was scanned on the Imacon 848 and printed on an EPSON 10000 at 1440 DPI using ColorByte Software's ImagePrint RIP. Thirty minutes later, I realized that the digital age had caught up with traditional B&W printing, and that I was going to be part of this revolution. The comparison of that digital print with my silver print that took hours to pull can only be described as profound. It was scanned, outputted, and printed in daylight!
Because of my traditional background and visual aesthetics, I knew I would be capable of creating a digital file that would measure up to my standards. I also realized that the learning curve would be significant. An ongoing comment from people after looking at my digital prints is, " but they don't look like digital prints." If a photographer has always sent out his work to be processed by a lab, how is he supposed to know what a fine print should look like? In the early '70s, prior to having a darkroom, I would send my negatives out to the drug store. Those flat, gray prints were not my reality, nor should a commercial lab interpret the reality of a photographer's vision. Just as I realized I needed to have control over my visual destiny then, I won't jeopardize my art now.
ABOVE: Juvenile Offender I (1995)
ABOVE: Juvenile Offender II (1995)
Q: What are the most important hardware and software items you use for creating your images and prints? Any unusual uses, digital workflows, tips, or tricks you want to share?
A: I would always be amused that photographers who did their own darkroom printing would rarely buy the more expensive apochromatic enlarging lenses. The chain is only as strong as its weakest link. This is a philosophy that I still adhere to. I have spent years shooting my reality, thousands of dollars on camera equipment, building various darkrooms, buying film, paper, chemicals, and spending TIME! So, I'm not going to stop the process now.
My digital darkroom is broken down into two work stations (see image below). The graphics station consists of an Imacon 848 scanner, Apple Macintosh G4 dual-processor computer, Sony Artisan and 23" Apple Cinema Display monitors, and a 9x12 Wacom tablet. The Mac has three hard drives; one for work and the other two mirrored drives for storage. I have an external 250 GB LaCie hard drive for permanent storage backed up with DVD files. The DVD files are stored off site. The LaCie will join them when it is full. The printing station consists of an Alien Ware PC with a View Sonic VP201mb flat screen panel. This station is managed by ColorByte's ImagePrint RIP where the EPSON 9600 and 2200 receive their print jobs. Photoshop is installed on both work stations. All of the monitors are calibrated. Both work stations are isolated on 20 amp dedicated circuits. All of the equipment is protected by two power management systems.
ABOVE: The artist at work (photography by Anthony Uccello).
I use Photoshop the same as if I were in the traditional darkroom. I have found one tip that I use daily, and it was free: Dodge and Burn. Hold down Option/New Layer > Mode: Overlay > check Fill with Overlay-neutral color (50% gray). Bring this new layer to the top of the stack. Dodge and burn with your Brush tool, changing opacity as desired. With the Wacom tablet, you can set brush sensitivity to adjust for opacity and change the toggle switch so you can go between foreground and background, white and black. I would suggest you make all of your Levels and Curves adjustments prior to this dodging and burning. Thou shall not use the designated Dodge or Burn Tools in Photoshop!
Another tip that I learned is something I incorporate with the Healing Brush (J) when I clean files. Before I do anything to the scan, I go to Filter > Noise > Dust & Scratches. At that point, I select an area that has "dirt" and adjust the Radius (3-5) until it disappears. I then go to Threshold and adjust that setting (10-14) so that it simulates the film grain/digital noise. I then take a snapshot in History, highlight the original layer, and select the History Brush to the left of the snapshot. In Mode, choose Darken for negatives, Lighten for transparencies. Opacity is 100%. When I'm cleaning a file, I just toggle back and forth between the Y (History Brush) and the J (Healing Brush) keys. I do this at the beginning (100% enlargement at 3,200ppi, which is my scanning resolution) because I start to develop a dialog with the image, thinking of how I want to enhance the background.
I also incorporate nik Sharpening Pro into my workflow. I find this invaluable for sharpening my images for various publications as well as for output on the EPSONs. This is a tool that works with the Wacom Intuous 2 Pen Tablet. You can sharpen the image overall and then selectively add or decrease the sharpening, local or general, per your individual taste.
You can also save the layered work to edit at a future time as you see fit. I always save a layered and flattened PSD and TIFF file at 100% (3,200ppi for 120 format), then enlarge and sharpen depending on the job. [Editor's Note: Katzman works on his files in the native scanning resolution of 3,200ppi, merely changing the Document Size resolution in Photoshop to match his print size.] The original files are always left unsharpened.
Environmentally, I use Hunter sun shades to control extraneous light while I'm working with the sound of Jazz, Trance, or Chill playing in the background.
ABOVE: Cremation I (1996/2003)
Q: How has using a RIP helped you, and do you think others can benefit from using RIPs for their output?
A: This new-found love didn't bloom by itself. After purchasing the Imacon 848 and hooking it up to my two-year-old Dell laptop--that's right, my laptop--I purchased an EPSON 2200. I read the corporate manifesto, bought the product, and began to question my economic commitment let alone my sanity. It was during this time that I was introduced to Chris Cudzilo, Vice President of Digital Printing at LexJet Direct. I mentioned my frustration of not being able to reproduce a neutral B&W print with all of the seven inks let alone with just two, black and light gray. He smiled, and as they say, "the rest is history." When I visited their office in Sarasota, Florida, I noticed five B&W photographs displayed on the wall, each having a different tone, ranging from sepia to selenium. All were neutral in their respective color space, no color shift from shadows to midtones, just deep saturated blacks and clean highlights. They looked like photographs, but they were pigment prints. They were printed with the ColorByte ImagePrint RIP.
A partnership was formed between LexJet and Steven Katzman, and some of the results were seen at the LexJet booth at PhotoPlus Expo in New York last October and also in a national ad campaign in Photo District News and Photoshop User. It is important to point out that I took delivery of the EPSON 9600 towards the middle of October and printed the LexJet exhibit in time for the New York installation later that same month! I didn't have time to soft proof, nor do any other type of proofing, for that matter. Relying on monitor calibration, ImagePrint, and LexJet technical support, the 40x50" photographs had a major impact at the show. People had never seen digital prints with such a neutral color and smooth transition of tonal values, not to mention the quality of printing. Also during this process, I took delivery of the Mac G4 with the 23" Cinema Display. Up until that point, I had never used a Mac. Not only was I treading water, but I was learning how to use OS9 and OSX while at the same time inputting and outputting!
In my workflow, ImagePrint is a necessity. With its tint picker, you can change the tone of your B&W prints with repeatable and consistent results. Imagine printing an exhibition of 80 silver photographs, all with the same tonality and value. It is a monumental job that I was always reluctant to undertake. With Photoshop and ImagePrint, I no longer shy away from these commitments but look forward to producing 40x50" prints for exhibition.
After the New York show, I was in an exhibit at the Ringling School of Art and Design, Sarasota, Florida. Anthony Bannon, Ph.D., of the George Eastman House, saw two of my large Revival prints, and they have since purchased a portfolio of my work through a gift donated by art patrons Anthony and Cornelia Uccello and Hahnemuhle FineArt. Not silver prints, mind you, but pigment inkjet prints! Dr. Bannon is also writing the introduction to my new book, Evolution of the Moment.
What does all of this mean? The ability to output a file in the traditional sense regardless of size is no longer dreaded. I don't have to mix caustic chemicals nor inhale acid, fixer, and toners. I am not at the mercy of a commercial lab that doesn't share my aesthetic vocabulary. I am in complete control of my vision, my work. If my interpretation changes, I have the file to return to, not the darkroom environment. I get immediate feedback, which leads to greater creative risks and rewards. It is no longer an effort to output my work compared to traditional printing methods.
ABOVE: Untitled (1993)
Q: I notice that you do print sales from your site. How has that worked for you? Are there other marketing vehicles or activities that you've tried that either have or have not worked?
A: I had my website designed by Ross Pike, a former graphic design student at Ringling School of Art. I felt that if I had a site for people to view my work, it would generate print sales, act as a web gallery for additional photographers, and add more income. I view mysite as an electronic business card, sort of an 18th-century carte de visite, but updated. It says more about me than my name, address, and phone number. When people inquire about what type of work I do, I just say, "go to the website." A picture is still worth more than a thousand words. Imagine a portfolio.
My photographs cost $1,000-$3,500 depending on image size and edition number. I have had a lot of interest from the site, but no sales. People are reluctant to spend that kind of money sight-unseen. I believe that the process of purchasing a print is something that takes time to develop. And for that to happen, the collector needs to be in a gallery environment conducive to this relationship. While I don't believe that a website encourages this dialogue, especially with small images at 72dpi, it can be a valuable part of the process.
The George Eastman House Portfolio started with two 40x50-inch exhibition prints hung in a gallery, so they were already aware of my technical proficiency. Their final choice of images was determined by a committee, who did it by looking at my website.
Does this sound too easy? At age 52, nothing is that easy. My suggestion is: get the work out by getting it hung in galleries, not restaurants nor blind auctions. If you aren't serious about your work, why should your potential patron or collector take you seriously? And above all, be your worst critic. Too many of us are famous in our own minds before we exhibit. Be honest with yourself, and your work will reflect your integrity.
Q: You recently explained that you've started teaching photography. Tell us about that.
A: I was asked by the Ringling School of Art and Design to teach this fall. The course is View Camera Technique: the Zone System and Advanced Printing Technique. Is this a bad dream? Here I am, becoming Mr. Digital, and now I'm supposed to walk in the steps of my silver ancestors!
I decided to teach because I am selfish. I feel that my students will give me more in return than I can ever teach them. Yes, I can teach them about the zone system and camera movements. I can encourage them to take an alternative step, to risk success; that failure brings us that much closer to ourselves. But, I have the opportunity to see myself in their eyes, to be young at heart and mind, to be inquisitive; to question myself and my world.
ABOVE: Fourth Street Church, Sarasota, Florida (2001)
Q: What's your latest project, and what's next for you?
A: The latest project I'm finishing is my book, Evolution of the Moment, scheduled for publication in this fall by powerHouse Books. This is a documentary on spiritual revival. I am also writing a personal narrative of Evolution of the Moment for Penguin Press, which should be out by spring 2004.
Currently, with the help of a Vernon Buchanan Community Grant, I am beginning to document Newtown, a black community in Sarasota, Florida. Newtown is a synonym for white America's worst nightmare; it isn't Martin Luther King's Dream. This is a community filled with drugs, crack whores, drive-by shootings, crime, and yes, hope. How does a white man gain entrance to such a hostile environment? I have a passport: my camera, integrity, and faith. Is this photojournalism or art imitating life? Are my shadows exposed on zone III, or have I overexposed someone's pain. This is life; this is what my camera sees. This is where I choose to make a difference with my photography, my art.
Q: Any final words of advice for those who want to improve their digital printing and imaging?
A: I am a self-taught photographer: zone system, view camera technique, B&W printing. I read articles, attended a few workshops, made mistakes, and shot a lot of Polaroid film. I could not have reached the same proficiency in digital output without Chris Cudzilo at LexJet, John Pannazzo at ColorByte Software, and Photoshop guru Jon Schiller. With the advent of the digital age, with its chat rooms and e-mails, the world is available to those who ask. DP&I.com makes me available for those who ask. So let me tell your readers to take advantage of me and my peers. We are happy to share our digital knowledge.
I believe we are in the golden age of digital photography, and this is only the beginning. Imagine doing all of this three years ago. Technology has created a new price point enabling the photographer to participate in digital output. The only excuse available to photographers today is the fear of flying; growth is from pain, not complacency. Let the world witness your work. Don't plant a tree, create a forest for the next generation.
"The only excuse available to photographers today is the fear of flying; growth is from pain, not complacency."
As a photographer, I remember the first time I developed my first image--the magic, the excitement of seeing a latent image appear from a blank sheet of paper. Oh, the alchemy of silver halide. Now, I am embraced by this same excitement and passion every time I see the fruits of my labor output to my digital printer. For those photographers reluctant about getting into the digital light, remember the child naiveté. The training wheels don't stay on for long.
(All images are copyright © 1992-2003 by Steven E. Katzman. All rights reserved.)
CONTACT INFO:
Steven Katzman can be reached at:
info@stevenkatzmanphotography.com
Visit his website at: http://www.stevenkatzmanphotography.com
