Black & White Photography

I find it interesting, as an author, that it are my five books on photography in the "Alchemist's Guide;" series that sell the most books. Books on another genre. Being biased as I am on the subject, I find it rather fits my mentor's pronouncement on "Equivalence"; comparing genres as equals of creativity. His particular story goes like this; Albert Stieglitz photographed a series a cloud images, which he felt was an important addition to his work, and while talking to an entourage following him one day and told them that his good composer friend in New York would see the cloud images and say "That's music man, that's music".

Well, the legend goes, that when he sent several of those images to his composer friend, it is said that is what he said upon seeing the images. The equivalence being in any genre, when a musical composition is played or a fine silver print is seen, or fine literature is read; they all have an equivalence. Albert's oration on that matter was so much richer than mine, but you get the image.

First rule of writing is "write what you know". Always good advice. My recently published book "Gallery of Hope" is all about black and white photography, even it's basic history, and advancements over time, woven into the story, not as a lecture of course. I have to say I enjoyed that immensely. O wrote the series of those books as Primers, yet full bodied, with everything a person needs to know to make a successful print of the type in the book. Between 100-150 pages. Each one a stand alone step-by-step how-to book on six different photographic processes, from silver gelatin chemistry and printing, Salt Paper printing, Kallitype printing, Palladium +Na2 [double sodium] printing, and finally Gum Dichromate printing and gum over Palladium printing.

Thus, after thirty years of commercial photography, and a gallery owner, representing black and white photographers, writing the story was somewhat cathartic. Which explains my bias towards black and white photography, and writing. I would like to believe there be an equivalence between the two products.