Thomas Bertilsson (monolight - mostly away)'s photostream  

Photography and I.

Having been a photographer for nearly 15 years now I have gone through lots of phases and periods of wanting to achieve different things. It all started with a Pentax ME and a 135mm lens back in 1986 when I was in high school in Sweden. My dad loaned me his camera after I found out about a darkroom at my school. I shot a roll of film, and the people that used the darkroom helped me process the film, and then helped me print a couple of the frames. While I was fascinated I didn't really have enough interest to continue on my own.
About ten years later I went on vacation to Droset, England, and borrowed a simple Yashica T4 point and shoot camera, shot one roll of color film on the trip, and remember how amazed I was by the results. Now I was hooked, because I wanted to learn how it all happened.

So I started using that camera more, soon ended up with a spare Pentax 35mm camera that my dad loaned me, and I ventured into black and white film, home processing, and printing. I spent way too many years trying to find the ultimate film and developer combination, and that was a big waste of time, because I never learned enough about each combination to actually understand how it worked. I didn't realize it at the time, but printing was stupidly difficult due to very inconsistent negatives, and it wasn't until I had some of my prints reviewed by a gallery owner that I woke up to the fact that my prints were simply no good. I had spent all this time experimenting with materials without really learning anything about good photographs.
So, I decided to use one film, one film developer, one paper, one paper developer, and just use it. In the meantime I looked at a lot of photographs, in museums, galleries, online, books, and magazines. I studied framing, gesture, light, form, and added to my new-found proficiency with my chosen materials I started to actually achieve something that was worthwhile.
That was about seven years ago, and I am now arriving at a state where I feel that I have the ability to create a body of work that I am happy with from all standpoints of the photographic process. It all still happens with film and darkroom. I don't like digital photography for my own work; the process leaves me wanting more hands-on work and tangible actions. Besides, I spend eight hours a day in front of a computer screen. I just don't want to spend a few more hours in front of one just to do what I love.

So now I am working on some new stuff, as well as some other stuff, mostly printing to finish portfolios of work that have inspired me over the years, and I've nearly finished one of them. Everything is printed on the same paper, using the same paper developer, and I keep the toning as consistent as I can print to print. It's a new challenge, but one that I relish. Everything is falling into place, and I finally feel at home with all of it.

My equipment, if it's of interest:
35mm:
- Leica M2 / Voigtlander Nokton 35mm 1.4 / Voigtlander Nokton 50mm 1.5 / Leica Summitar 50mm 2.0
- Pentax KX / 55mm 2.0 / 35mm 2.0 / 100mm 2.8
Medium format:
- Hasselblad 500C / 50mm Distagon / 80mm Planar / 150mm Sonnar
- Zero Image 2000 pinhole camera
5x7 format:
- Century #2 / 210mm portrait lens / 210mm brass lens

Films:
35mm - Tri-X and PMK Pyro / TMax 400 and replenished Xtol / Fuji Acros and replenished Xtol
120 - Tmax 400 and replenished Xtol
5x7 - Foma 400 and PMK Pyro (rotary processed)

Paper:
Ilford MGIV matte fiber - Ethol LPD replenished
Ilford MGIV warmtone semimatte fiber - Ethol LPD replenished or Arista Lith for lith prints

Moersch MT3 thiourea toner, Kodak rapid selenium toner

That's it. 35mm prints are projected with a Leitz Focomat V35 and a 40mm f/2.8 Focotar lens and Multigrade head.
120 film is printed with an Omega Pro-Lab 4x5 enlarger and a Rodenstock Rodagon 80mm f/4 lens.
5x7 film is contact printed.

Hope you like some of my work, and that it perhaps gives you something viewing it. My own criteria for a successful photograph is simply that I experience something powerful when I view it. All other aspects of the process leads up to that final qualifier eventually.

I comment on photographs that I love, and don't feel any obligation to those that comment on my work to return the favor. Neither do I expect those whose photographs I comment on to do the same in return.

- Thomas