Edward Weston's Graflex lenses

[Bill_1856]

Anybody know what focal lengths EW used on his Graflex for the Charis nudes? (I was just watching the video documentary tonight.)

[Robert Langham]

I don't, but they all have that longish look to them, don't they? Even his portraits, like Galvan's head, shooting, look like something over 250 on a 4X5. In his landscape work with 8X10 he used some extremely long lenses, so I know he liked the effect and compression.

[Mark Sampson]

I'd search through both volumes of the Daybooks. He occasionally mentioned his gear, and the introduction/afterword explained some of his materials and techniques. Even fifty years ago people were interested...
The George Eastman House has an un-named rapid rectilinear lens engraved "to Brett from Edward" or something similar- they had it on display some time in the last ten years.

[dsphotog]

Bill, Is the video on line, what's the title?

[Bill_1856]

Bill, Is the video on line, what's the title?

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=eloquent+nude

[mdarnton]

I get the impression that he was not too reluctant to crop the Graflex film as necessary, especially shots like the Galvan head, which in his daybook he mentions more as a grab shot than very intentional (and expresses his lack of regard for the Graflex shots in general as being too casual for him, or at least that's what I read between his lines.) Remember, he was making enlarged negatives of the small film, so cropping to make an 8x10 contact was easy after the fact.

[Merg Ross]

Anybody know what focal lengths EW used on his Graflex for the Charis nudes? (I was just watching the video documentary tonight.)

Hi Bill,

Yes. A 10 3/4" f:5.5 Meyer Plasmat, most often.

Merg

[Bill_1856]

Thanks, Merg.
Did he use the same lens on his 3 1/4x4 1/4 Graflex, too?

[Carl J]

Hi Merg,

Can I ask a roughly related question that I've been wondering about. What 11x14 camera and lenses did Brett Weston use?

Thanks.

Carl

[Merg Ross]

Hi Merg,

Can I ask a roughly related question that I've been wondering about. What 11x14 camera and lenses did Brett Weston use?

Thanks.

Carl

I only saw Brett use the 11x14 a couple of times in the 1950's and did not pay much attention to the model. I believe it was a Korona. As for lenses he had a 15" Protar and also a Dagor 19" Convertible (8-12-19). For 8x10 he used an Ansco Commercial and later a Calumet in the 60's and 70's.

[Carl J]

I only saw Brett use the 11x14 a couple of times in the 1950's and did not pay much attention to the model. I believe it was a Korona. As for lenses he had a 15" Protar and also a Dagor 19" Convertible (8-12-19). For 8x10 he used an Ansco Commercial and later a Calumet in the 60's and 70's.


Thanks, Merg. Pretty interesting. There's a shot here on Kim Weston's blog from a 2011 exhibit at the Phoenix Museum of Art which shows his 11x14 on display and what almost looks like a brass lens, but it's too far away and too small to make out much detail:

http://www.kimweston.com/blog/exhibits-and-lectures/phoenix-art-museum-feb-2-5-2011

Thank you.

[Merg Ross]

Thanks, Merg. Pretty interesting. There's a shot here on Kim Weston's blog from a 2011 exhibit at the Phoenix Museum of Art which shows his 11x14 on display and what almost looks like a brass lens, but it's too far away and too small to make out much detail:

http://www.kimweston.com/blog/exhibits-and-lectures/phoenix-art-museum-feb-2-5-2011

Thank you.

Yes, that's the camera I remember. Perhaps the experts here can identify its origin.

That funky lens I saw Brett use on his 8x10 also. It was a barrel lens of very long focal length, something like 30". He made a lens shade out of a peanut can and capped the lens for exposure. It got very little use!

[Hugo Zhang]

In his 1926's Daybook, he wrote on April 30th that he "purchased a f/4.5 Zeiss Tessar lens of 21 cm focus, for 80 pesos. Longingly I had viewed this lens from the street, in the window of an antique shop. I wanted it for my Graflex, having worked too long with a lens not suited to my needs."

He was using a Graflex 3x4 camera during his Mexican years, hand held and in one famed twenty minutes session, made three dozens of exposures of Tina.

[Bill_1856]

8.25" on the 3x4 and 10" on the 4x5.
Thanks, Merg and Hugo, for answering my original and follow-up questions.
B.

[John Kasaian]

Wow! This is all very interesting information! Thank you, Merg.