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Thread: Info on the photographer Kipton Kumler?

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    Info on the photographer Kipton Kumler?

    Happened to come across in my bookcase a (misplaced on another non-photo shelf many years ago) small PB book "Plant Leaves" by Kipton Kumler. Love his images. Just ordered his 2nd? book "Kipton Kumler Photographs". Little info on him on the WEB other than he was from the Boston area and born in 1940. Images in his book "Plant Leaves" were from the early 1970s? and platinum prints so have to assume that he used a LF camera. Anyone out there in the FORUM have any other info on/about him? The equipment he used? Really guessing on this end that he used an 8x10 camera to take 1:1 images. Aperture had to be in the f/90 range. If he is still around would love to make the 2+ hour to the Boston area to visit him and maybe even record and interview to post.

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    Re: Info on the photographer Kipton Kumler?

    I remember him well - there was a nice feature on him in Popular Photography back in the day. IIRC he long ago moved on from photography to other things. I'll see if I can come up with any traces of that.

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    Re: Info on the photographer Kipton Kumler?


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    Re: Info on the photographer Kipton Kumler?

    From photographer to vinter. Interesting work. I note that he was a student of photography at MIT during the tenure of Minor White.

    Thanks Greg and Oren for posting.

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    Re: Info on the photographer Kipton Kumler?

    His 15 years as a large-format photographer shooting with large box cameras on 8x10 sheets of film cemented his respect for craft and quality. “The quality of large-format photography is unsurpassed,” Kumler says. “When you watch people view photographs in an exhibition, I could see people, in some cases, change and react. I learned that to be successful, a photograph has to have a presence. Something about it has to command your attention. It must be in some way arresting. And a bottle of wine has some important things in common with that."

    http://www.turtlecreekwine.com/publi..._Ed_Boston.pdf

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    Re: Info on the photographer Kipton Kumler?

    Thanks Oren for the info.

    Just got his 2nd? book "Kipton Kumler Photographs", a real pleasure the page through. In it he says: "All negatives were developed by inspection as this is the only way to extend some measure of attendant control over the development process." Sounds like he spent way less time testing out films and doing Zone System tests, and spending more time shooting images... a true craftsperson and artist. In my younger years (with younger eyes) I tried several times to develop my films by inspection with very limited success. Still have my dark green? half dome safelight (made in Germany) but doubt if I'll ever use it again. If I find myself ever in the Lincoln, Mass. area, will definitely stop by the Turtle Creek Winery and purchase some of his bottles of wine and hopefully engage him in a short discussion about his time delving in to the art of Photography.

    Greg

  7. #7

    Re: Info on the photographer Kipton Kumler?

    I've been reading this forum off and on for many years, but don't think I've posted before. It was nice to see a name I remember from the past. Kip Kumler (that's how he signed my copy of his book in 1979) taught a platinum/palladium printing class in the early days of the Maine Photographic Workshops. I worked there for the summer session and was able to sit in on his class and makes some prints. Most of the instructors were very talented, helpful, and pleasant people, but he and George Tice were the stand outs for me.

    I remember him as having a successful corporate background already at that time. I admired his pictures, and his ability to successfully market his portfolios at worthwhile prices. I recall he had some things to say about working with 8x10, but I'll be darned if I can recall any of it now. Large format was a whole new world to me then, so everything he and Tice had to say was a revelation for me.

    Mark

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    Re: Info on the photographer Kipton Kumler?

    I remember the name, and also his book 'Plant Leaves'. That was a long time ago!

    Just an observation - in Kumler, we have a man who started out as a photographer, and ended up as a winemaker.

    Another name from that period was Fred Picker - who started out as a wine salesman, and became a photographer.

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    Re: Info on the photographer Kipton Kumler?

    Quote Originally Posted by Crabtree View Post
    I've been reading this forum off and on for many years, but don't think I've posted before. It was nice to see a name I remember from the past. Kip Kumler (that's how he signed my copy of his book in 1979) taught a platinum/palladium printing class in the early days of the Maine Photographic Workshops. I worked there for the summer session and was able to sit in on his class and makes some prints. Most of the instructors were very talented, helpful, and pleasant people, but he and George Tice were the stand outs for me.

    I remember him as having a successful corporate background already at that time. I admired his pictures, and his ability to successfully market his portfolios at worthwhile prices. I recall he had some things to say about working with 8x10, but I'll be darned if I can recall any of it now. Large format was a whole new world to me then, so everything he and Tice had to say was a revelation for me.

    Mark
    Also took a workshop under George Tice in Bridgeport, Connecticut probably in the late 1970s. Most people associate him with the 8x10 format. The workshop was mainly on printing FB B&W in the darkroom. Distinctly remember him demonstrating his printing techniques for enlarging 35mm negatives since most of the attendees shot nothing larger than 35mm. A masterful darkroom printer... He took one of the attendee's negatives that was very problematic to print from. Slowly, hands on in the darkroom, took us through the steps he used to get an excellent print from that 35mm negative. Have taught photography on the University level for years and have to admit that a lot of professors deem themselves to be "Gods" and lecture more than do hands-on demos. Know of one professor that still teaches intro photo courses but never goes into the darkroom but only stays outside and criticizes the work the students present to her. George was 100% the opposite. He didn't explain things but showed you how to do them. His criticism was always on how to improve the image. Help to mold my way of teaching. Also my first introduction to LF. Distinctly remember passing around his 8x10 print of the Oak Tree, Holmdel, May, 1970. Pretty sure it was his Platinum print version, but back then Platinum, Chlorobromide, etc. were foreign terms to me.

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