Kenro Izu at Rubin Museum of Art in NYC

[arkady n.]

There is an article in New York Times about Kenro Izu's photographs at Rubin Museum of Art in NYC.

"As Carleton Watkins and other early photographers of the American West did in their day, Mr. Izu contends with cumbersome equipment: a custom-made 300-pound camera that he brings on steep treks through the Himalayas. Later he makes contact prints (direct prints processed without enlargement) from 14-by-20-inch negatives, and then brushes on a coat of carbon pigment or platinum or palladium. The results have a satiny richness that somehow seems ephemeral, like unfixed charcoal."

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/21/ar...gn/21bhut.html

[Eric Biggerstaff]

Thanks for the post.

I am a fan of Kenro's work, but a 300lb camera! What the heck is that all about? Could it be a typo? If not, sure isn't an easy backpacking kit!

[Michael Alpert]

That quote has misinformation about the prints (which are not carbon prints) and about the weight of the camera. Kenru Izu's camera is one that Deardorf made especially for him. It is heavy, but not that heavy! Perhaps Kenru was misheard. He might have said that the total weight of everything he takes on his photographic expeditions is 300 pounds. Anyway, there is no finer photographer. His prints are beautiful and meaningful, and Kenru Izu as a person is a gem. If he gives a talk during his exhibit, try to attend it. He is soft-spoken, so it's a good idea to sit in front.