The Online Photographer

'Cuba: A Grace of Spirit'

So, this day, two news items of equal import from my friend and friend-o'-TOP Peter Turnley, who visited me here in Upstate New York last week.

First, today is publication day for Peter's newest book, Cuba: A Grace of Spirit.

Peter's first self-published book (although he had many books published commercially prior to it, both with his twin brother David and alone) was French Kiss: A Love Letter to Paris, and TOP readers were instrumental in its considerable success. (It sold out its first press run, which was large for a photobook, and is now in a second printing.) Cuba: A Grace of Spirit is similar in a lot of ways: it's a premium production with a deluxe hardcover binding, fine reproductions, and a beautifully made slipcase. Every copy will be signed by the photographer and the book will not be available in bookstores.

More about the book in a moment.

The second item of news is something I find quite amazing: Peter is going to be the very first American artist of any kind since the Cuban Revolution to receive a major show at Cuba's most prestigious art museum, the Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes de La Habana (the National Museum of Fine Arts of Havana). It will be a comprehensive career retrospective of his work.

This is undoubtedly a high point of Peter's ongoing career as well as a significant moment in the new epoch of Cuba's relationship with the United States and the world. I find it extremely impressive, and also, somehow, curiously encouraging...real "from life" photography getting some serious, respectful, celebratory attention on a major stage. The show, which is called "Momentos de la Condicion Humana" (Moments of the Human Condition) will run from November 13 through February 15th.

The curators at the Museo Nacional could not have made a better choice, in any event. Peter Turnley loves Cuba. He first went to Cuba to photograph Mikhail Gorbachev and Fidel Castro in 1989, and the new book is the culmination of half a lifetime of constant travel to the island. As some TOP readers know firsthand, he teaches workshops there. More recently, he became convinced that Cuba was approaching a turning point in its history and he intensified his travel schedule—he estimates he's been there, for different reasons but always to photograph, 20 times in the past four years.

My first reaction to the book was that it's the first time I've seen such a forthright portrait purely of the Cuban people. Cuba is picturesque, and so many photographers treat it like a "photo opportunity," mining the low-hanging fruit of its bright colors and signs of poverty and the obsolete '50s American cars for their quaint picturesque qualities in ways we've all seen before. Of course those elements are present (if subdued) in the new book. But what Peter calls "the vibrant, joyful, resilient, courageous, beautiful, and elegant spirit of the Cuban people" is what he loves best and respects most, and that's what you'll find front and center. It's really the subject of the book. (He also notes that this spirit "transcends politics and change," and signifiers of both take a back seat.)

I also think the book shows some interesting things about Peter's growth as an artist, but I'll leave those thoughts to another time.

Price
Last time, French Kiss was planned from the first to sell at a regular price of $85 (perfectly reasonable for a self-published book in a sturdy slipcase—self-publishing is more expensive than commercial publishing), and $69 was supposed to be a temporary, introductory price; but copies sold so fast Peter simply never raised the price. After the first printing sold out, he invested in a second printing, and there are still some of those left—still offered at that introductory price of $69.

So, the introductory price of Cuba: A Grace of Spirit is $69. And may stay there. Or might not. The edition is 3,000.

You can see some of the page spreads at the sale page, plus a video.

Oh, and if you missed French Kiss: A Love Letter to Paris, Peter is offering both books for a special price. (Saves on shipping and handling if people buy both at once.) Scroll down on the sale page for that. (Even if you already have a copy of French Kiss, you know what a great gift book it could be...for anyone you love, or for anyone you know who loves France.)

Every copy of both books will be signed.

And, any sales that come from here benefit TOP as well.

Photo by David Burnett

Congratulations to Peter, on both counts, and I look forward to hearing what people think of the new book. I'll present a "mini-portfolio" of my favorite pictures from the book sometime in the next few weeks. I might actually go to Havana for the show. When else am I ever going to get to Cuba?

Here's the link to the book again.

Mike
(Thanks to Peter)

Original contents copyright 2015 by Michael C. Johnston and/or the bylined author. All Rights Reserved. Links in this post may be to our affiliates; sales through affiliate links may benefit this site.

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Peter Turnley Prints

Peter Turnley, Paris 2013

It's not a TOP sale, but a lot of TOP readers will be very interested to know that as of this morning, Peter Turnley is launching his own limited sale of his prints. Here's the link. A number of our readers' favorites from our past sales are offered again, with prices not too much ($100) higher than ours—and you also have the choice of ordering your favorite in his larger standard 16x20" size if you'd like, which were never part of our offers. This is definitely the best way ever to get a large Turnley original.

This is an opportunity for people who missed our past sales, or who wish to add to their existing collections.

I started hanging framed prints in the new house recently, which (like putting pictures on the refrigerator door!) is one of the best parts of moving. In a prominent position by the eat-in counter, visible from the garage door which is naturally the main entry door, I hung my framed ID#16. Mine was a gift from Peter, but it's identical in every way to the smaller print available in this sale. It looks fantastic on the wall. I'm going to show you a few pictures of prints on my walls when I get home again (and ask to see some of yours, if you want to share. But let's leave that till later).

These are just superlative prints, of some of Peter's best-known pictures. As usual, the prints are made in Paris by Voja Mitrovic, who was Hentri-Cartier-Bresson's printer for many years. The famous Paris Rooftops picture is available again in this sale as well—as a poster, its has been one of the most popular pictures ever, selling an estimated half a million copies. But very few people own original signed silver-gelatin prints of the image. Very few people outside of TOP's readership, I should say.

If you do buy one (or two, or three, or...), please indicate that you heard about the sale here!

And of course, among the pictures offered for the first time at a reduced price, I have a new favorite (see above). You know what they say: sigh.

Mike
(Thanks to Peter)

Original contents copyright 2014 by Michael C. Johnston and/or the bylined author. All Rights Reserved. Links in this post may be to our affiliates; sales through affiliate links may benefit this site.

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Featured Comments from:

Bob Smith: "Oh God. TOP has done it to me again.* There are seven of these I want. I can't afford any of them right now. I am going to screen cap the seven and study on them for the next few days. Then I am going to 'rob Paul to pay Peter' to flip the old bromide around. Right now ID#1 is at the top of the list but I have a feeling I'll be drawing straws for the winner in end.

"*Mike, I know it isn't you putting on this sale, but if I wasn't a religious reader of TOP I would never have owned any Turnley prints and seen how beautiful they are in person and...."

A Halloween on the Trains of New York City

Words and Photographs by Peter Turnley

Rudy and Courtney on the #2 train in the Bronx, after midnight Halloween night

Very late Friday evening, I got on a #2 train heading north through the Bronx, New York. I wanted to see life on the trains on Halloween night, late, as people rode home. Once past the 135th Street stop, very few people were on the train with me. As I reached the end of the line, way out in the Bronx, I got off the train to return to Manhattan. I sat down on an elevated subway platform, in the rain, and waited for nearly half an hour for a train heading south to arrive.

It was cold, and I felt quite alone. This moment reminded me of how alone it would be possible to feel in life. I have been near that feeling a few times, and I longed to get back on a train and return home.

When I boarded the train returning south to Manhattan, initially there were only a couple of other people in the car with me. When the train paused at a Bronx stop, two people, a young man and woman, sat down in front of me. At first I wasn’t sure they were together, and the beauty of each of them captivated me. They both looked very much alone as well, and in their own world, and tired. Soon, the young woman leaned over and put her head on the shoulder of the young man.

I made a few photographs of them with out them being aware, and pushed myself to stand up and cross the train and lean near their faces. I said, "excuse me, I'm a photographer, and I'm riding the train photographing people tonight, and you both are so beautiful, could I please make a photograph of you?" They looked at each other and looked back at me and nodded okay.

I made several photographs, quietly, my heart excited by the gift of this moment. I handed them a card and asked them to contact me so I could send them a photograph. Then I sat back down and rode many stops in silence. When the train came to my stop and I got up, as I walked by the couple I said, "you offered me a beautiful gift tonight and I want to thank you." They both responded quietly, but strongly, "we thank you."

And this is for me, is what life is all about. Good night.

—Peter Turnley
12:30am, Nov. 1, 2014, on a train in the Bronx, New York

The A train, W. 4th Street, Manhattan, at 8 p.m. on Halloween 2014

A mother and her children return home to the Bronx after Halloween

Coral Foxworth, on the #2 train in Harlem

Text and photos © 2014 by Peter Turnley, all rights reserved

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Featured Comments from:

Speed: "Stories are best told in words and pictures. Peter is the rare person who does both well."

Paul: "Peter Turnley's work and approach to the photographic life in general should be obligatory studying for any aspiring street photographer. Obviously I'm sure the best way to learn would be with one of his workshops. [Link —Ed.] However anyone who for whatever reason cannot attend the workshops will learn an inmense amount of wisdom and knowledge by studying closely his words and images here at The Online Photographer and especially his daily images and thoughts on Facebook. His apparent lack of interest in gear, mixed with his full concentration on the image are a healthy respite from the usual gear-driven chat on the web. Personally what he's probably taught me most is the grace and respect towards his subjects and I find this is one of the key reasons he manages to capture such beautiful and compelling street photography."

John Krumm: "I read this small photo essay first thing this morning and was very impressed. Later I found my wife holding my iPad with her eyes tearing up...I had left it open to TOP and this story. She loved it."

Last Chance! Print Sale Ends Today

[UPDATE: Sale ended at 7:30 p.m. Monday, Nov. 4th 2013 Central Time. Many thanks to everyone who ordered prints! We will keep you updated as to their delivery status here on TOP. —MJ]

Our current Print Offer ends today. The order page is at www.topprintsandbooks.com.

The sale is scheduled to end at sunset, which is 4:41 p.m. U.S. Central Time. Although I probably won't actually close it down until more like 7:30. (Let's face it, the sun sets too early these days.) The ordering system apparently experienced some downtime for a while last night.

Here's the announcement of the sale, from last Wednesday.

Problems were few
By the way, a handful of people have had problems paying by credit card (through no fault of their own). I have no direct control over that—it's an automated merchant account that I've signed up for. However, there is also a PayPal option: it's at the bottom of the "cart" page:

...PayPal also takes credit cards through their own channel, so you could try that. If all else fails, you can choose the "Check by Mail" payment option and simply mail a check to me. And, if you had problems for any reason, sorry about that!

(For the most part the sales portal has operated smoothly.)

A final plug: Don't forget that prints make fantastic gifts. Easy to ship, because you can use the same nifty box the prints will come to you in. (I have to ask Peter where in the world he gets those beautiful boxes. [UPDATE: The answer is Duggal in NYC.])

All the orders are keeping us busy behind the scenes. As always, we hope you've enjoyed this sale, and thanks to everyone for your participation!

Mike

Original contents copyright 2013 by Michael C. Johnston and/or the bylined author. All Rights Reserved. Links in this post may be to our affiliates; sales through affiliate links may benefit this site.

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Last Chance!

No, TOP isn't turning into "all Turnley all the time." But you know how it is with blogs...one thing leads to another. A train post leads to more train posts. And so forth.

Anyway, just wanted to remind you that today is the last day to get the pre-order price on Peter's new book. All 3000 books just arrived in New York City from Hong Kong, and will be delivered to Peter's storage facility tomorrow, where he will begin signing them. They will begin shipping very soon, starting within the next two weeks at the latest.

So the regular price of $79 kicks in tomorrow. Which means today is the last day you can order it at the special pre-order price of $69...

...That I negotiated for you, remember? I talked Peter into offering it at a lower price for the month of October, prior to the arrival of the shipment.

Here's the link. (As usual, full disclosure: Peter's giving me a spiff for helping to promote his book. We're kinda in cahoots on this.)

This is for the deluxe first edition with the spiffy slipcase (the next edition won't have the slipcase).

The book will still be available after today, of course. But the regular price kicks in tomorrow.

Of course, you could get it for an even lower price (i.e., free) by just ordering all three of our sale prints....  :-)

Mike

Original contents copyright 2013 by Michael C. Johnston and/or the bylined author. All Rights Reserved. Links in this post may be to our affiliates; sales through affiliate links may benefit this site.

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Peter Turnley Paris Print Sale III Starts Now!

Peter Turnley, Couples along the Seine, Paris, 2013

A lot to talk about in a short space today.

First and most importantly, the announcement of our third sale of Paris prints—these three beautiful pictures taken by photographer Peter Turnley and printed by master printer Voja Mitrovic. The pictures are all from Peter's new book, French Kiss: A Love Letter to Paris, which starts shipping in one week (and is more than half sold out already). 

About our sales (I need to explain this again because many visitors drop by The Online Photographer for the first time just for our sales): We use an unusual marketing model that benefits both producers and purchasers. The sale lasts for a short "window" of time—just five days—during which we collect orders. Money in hand, the prints can then be made to fulfill the orders. Because the prints can be produced in volume—each already sold—the price can be kept low for the buyer but the photographer still makes money. Win-win.

Canal St. Martin Sailboat, Paris, 1982

And the 20% that is TOP's "gallery fee" helps keep TOP on the rails...so, win-win-win.

(Another nice side-effect of that is that fully 80% of the proceeds goes to the photographers, who, after all, deserve it. Compare that to the 30–40% photographers get to keep when selling through conventional galleries. Not that there's anything wrong with conventional galleries; I like them too.)

More about these pictures in a moment, but first, I also want to announce that TOP has a new storefront, or Web shop, or sales page, or e-commerce portal, or whatever you want to call it: www.topprintsandbooks.com. It's here, and this is where you go to place your order for these prints. Hopefully we've accommodated everyone's needs both externally and internally...you can pay by credit card (VISA, MasterCard, or Discover), by PayPal, or by sending a personal check or money order in the mail. PayPal offers standard currency conversion for the convenience of International customers (who—counting Canadians—make up 45 to 55% of TOP's regular audience). Please do bear in mind this is a new and as-yet untested system, so please have patience if we encounter any turbulence!

Eiffel Tour Tango, Paris, 2012

Now about these pictures.

The book French Kiss collects more than 40 years of pictures of "the love of life" in Paris, and is Peter's second book of Paris pictures (the first was Parisians).

He has used nearly every model of Leica film rangefinder for these pictures. But life moves on. In common with artists, photographers are most interested in the work they're doing now. And recently, Peter has been photographing more than ever in Paris, using modern digital rangefinder Leicas and sharing the results with his large followings on the Internet.

Two of these pictures are recent photographs made with the M9 and M Monochrom, which appear on the front and back cover of the new book ("Couples along the Seine" was taken just a few months ago, in August). To ensure consistency with his past work, they're printed on traditional fiber-base paper, from 4x5-inch internegatives, by Voja Mitrovic. Voja (pronounced "Voya") who printed the majority of Henri Cartier-Bresson's prints for three decades of Henri's life, still does a very limited amount of work for a select group of the world's top photographers.

Henri Cartier-Bresson and Josef Koudelka at Voja Mitrovic's retirement party, good-naturedly pleading with him not to go

The important thing to Peter is to maintain the continuity of his work in Paris, and its connection to the great French photographers of the city—many of whom he knew and were his friends. He also wants to keep intact the connection to the great tradition of the fine print indelibly associated with those legendary French photographers and the great Paris labs.

Pierre Gassmann in his famous Paris lab, with Peter Turnley

These prints normally sell for $1,200 each as 16x20's. Our TOP sale prints are smaller—12x16 inches (30.5x40.6cm), the traditional European collector print size—but sell for one-third as much. They are signed on the front by Peter and on the back by Peter and Voja. These prints will not be offered at this size or for our prices except in this sale.

Note that you will receive a small discount it you purchase two prints and a large discount for a third. These savings will be applied to your order at checkout. The price for one print is $395, two are $770, and all three prints are $995.

In addition, as a special thank-you for TOP readers who buy all three prints, Peter will include a free, signed copy of the new book French Kiss. (If you've already pre-ordered the book, you can email him and cancel your pre-order if you're getting the free copy.) The book you'll receive is the First Edition in the custom slipcase, which will cost $79 starting November 1st. (If you decide not to buy any prints but would like the book, you can click here.)

We hope you like our three choices. This sale ends in five days, at sunset next Monday. As soon as the sale ends, Voja will get to work making the prints. Early orders will be shipped first. We hope everyone's order will arrive before Christmas, but please order early if you want to make sure.

Click here to order

Vive Paris—Vive la Photographie!

Mike

Original contents copyright 2013 by Michael C. Johnston and/or the bylined author. All Rights Reserved. Links in this post may be to our affiliates; sales through affiliate links may benefit this site.

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Paris Print Sale Starts WEDNESDAY (And Some Nice News)

I've been remiss in not announcing the date and time of the start of our next 5-day print sale—I've delayed because I've been working hard on a new TOP e-commerce portal and it's not quite ready for prime time yet. (No healthcare.gov jokes, please.)

But come rain or shine, hell or high water, the sale will start this Wednesday, October 30th, at noon Central Time, and end at sundown on Monday, November 4th.

The three beautiful Peter Turnley prints are all from his new book, French Kiss. All were taken with Leicas, one with an M4, one with an M9, and one with an M Monochrom—the latter two using the printing process Peter talked about in our short interview last week.

And there's a nice bit of news: Peter has also decided that as a special favor for TOP readers (that would be you), anyone who buys all three prints will get a free signed book. Ain't that nice?

Please stop by here on Wednesday to see the pictures! They're really beautiful. I'll give you a hint—the book's cover picture is one of the three.

Also, on Monday morning (it's Sunday night as I'm writing this), I'll post more of peoples' pictures of their "supertraditional lens sets." (We had a 5-star sports day here in the Midwest and I've been mighty distracted by it, and goldbricking, if anyone remembers that word.)

Mike

Original contents copyright 2013 by Michael C. Johnston and/or the bylined author. All Rights Reserved. Links in this post may be to our affiliates; sales through affiliate links may benefit this site.

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Featured Comments from:

Joseph Bayot: "What if we already ordered a book but want to get all three prints now?"

Mike replies: After you order your three prints, you can just send Peter an email and ask him to cancel your earlier order. I'll have this information in the sale announcement as well.

Digital File to Silver Print

Introduction: As I've mentioned, our next Print Offer, which starts in less than two weeks, on October 30th, features some really fine and very recent Paris pictures by old friend Peter Turnley, from his marvelous new book French Kiss.

But an obvious question arose. Peter's been using a Leica M9 and an M Monochrom recently...and how does he get from there to the fine prints he's long been known for, and that so many of our readers have bought and enjoyed in the past?

So, I asked....

Mike: We're very much looking forward to your third TOP sale, just nine days from now, of several prints from your new book French Kiss. But one big question. How do you handle the mix of digital and traditional originals? You are known for the signed fine prints that Voja Mitrovic has made for you for many years. And any good printer is in part an artistic collaborator, not just a mechanic. Is Voja just out of the picture (no pun intended) when it comes to photographs you've made with the Leica M9 and M Monochrom?

Peter: Voja is still in the picture for all of my prints! The great news is that all of my Paris photographs, whether made by an analog or digital camera, are still printed as traditional silver gelatin prints by my friend Voja, who in my opinion is is one of the greatest black-and-white printers in the history of photography. Whether the photograph was made on film with a Leica M3, M4, M6, or M7, or made digitally by the Leica M8, M9 and M Monochrom digital cameras, they are all still printed by Voja Mitrovic as traditional silver-gelatin prints from a negative.

Mike: When you say "negative," what size negative?

Photo from French Kiss printed as a traditional gelatin-silver print from
a digital Leica M Monochrom original, using an internegative.
(This picture isn't part of our sale.)

Peter: We have taken the digital files and had 4x5-inch internegatives made, which Voja then prints traditionally on silver-gelatin fiber-base paper. I'm having an exhibition at the Leica Gallery in Salzberg, Austria starting on November 20th, and all 50 prints in the exhibit, covering a 40-year period of time, will be Voja's traditional silver gelatin prints.

Mike: And the obvious, if blunt, question...how good are they? Are they as good as prints made from in-camera negatives?

Peter: All I can say is that when I saw the silver prints made by Voja from these 4x5 internegatives from my original digital files, I was blown away. They are perfectly homogenous with the prints made from film. I've never seen these digital photographs look so beautiful on a computer screen.

For me, this new technique is life-changing. It allows me to finally have total continuity with the photography of my whole career, and to be proud of all of my signed prints for collection, whether they were made originally from film or by a digital camera.

Mike: I know that Voja doesn't print for anyone but a select handful of clients, but where do you get your digital-to-film internegatives made? And is this something that anyone can have done?

Peter: We use a terrific photography lab in Paris called Central DUPON Images. The process is called making a "shoot." That's what they call it in French—I don't know if there's an English equivalent, other than "internegative." We have spent time working with one their wonderful technicians calibrating a digital file with a standard set of curves so that when a 4x5 negative is made from a digital file, there is no excess gain in contrast or loss of detail.

Mike: Is there usually?

Peter: In general, the digital file that is projected onto a piece of 4x5 film has a bit less contrast than a digital file one would print from directly. We have studied this carefully and made many tests and arrived at a standard setting that enables us to have constant, excellent mid-tone values and levels of detail in the highlights and shadows in the 4x5 negative that the silver gelatin print is then made from.

Mike: And how about the "blackline"—will the digital prints have an integral black line around them like the prints from film? With 35mm it shows the film edge, but of course there's no equivalent in digital.

Peter: I grew up with the old traditions of great printing and have always used a black line around the edge of my prints, as did Henri, to indicate an uncropped print from a full negative. I also love the way the black line "closes" a print. So we also incorporate this black line—filet noir in French—on our digital files, in order to have it also in the 4x5 negative. For me it's a matter of consistency across my life's work.

Mike: And how widespread is this process that Central DUPON uses, do you know?

Peter: I'm sure that there are labs all over the world, and certainly in the U.S. that can make these internegatives, but I will say that the culture of attention to detail in the great Paris photography labs has always been outstanding.

Mike: Thanks Peter. Anything else you'd like to add?

Peter: I want to return to the most important point—the resulting silver prints made from these internegatives derived from digital files are undistinguishable from silver prints made straight from original negatives. Really sensational.

Mike: Thanks very much, Peter. I can't wait to see some examples.

Mike

Original contents copyright 2013 by Michael C. Johnston and/or the bylined author. All Rights Reserved. Links in this post may be to our affiliates; sales through affiliate links may benefit this site.

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Featured Comments from:

Tony Roberts: "Salgado has been employing the same process."

Roger Bradbury: "After seeing the Leica video where you can see Peter Turnley and Voja Mitrovic examining a large negative (on the French Kiss book web page), I had already thought as much. It is fascinating to discover the details, though."

Ed: "Man, what a headache and endless hoops to jump through; just shoot film in the first place."

Peter Turnley replies: I'd like to respond to that because I realize that at first glance your comment makes sense but actually the reality is exactly the opposite. To "just shoot film in the first place" is not the easier answer with less headache. (I shot film for 35 years with great pleasure). Shooting film means spending money for every roll of film, money and time developing the film, making contact sheets, archiving them. Having problems carrying film through any airport security system. And, maybe most importantly, some of the new cameras like the Leica Monochrom offer the opportunity to make photographs with amazing tones in low light conditions with high enough shutter speeds with no camera or subject movement/blur, and one can actually make photographs of authentic spontaneous moments in very low light that one can't do with decent grain films like Tri-X. Digital files are very fine as well for magazine publications, online publications, and even book publications.

The making of an internegative from a digital file happens in my case only for photographs that are going to be exhibited or offered as signed collector prints. I will be having an upcoming exhibition in Salzburg, Austria of 50 photographs representing 40 years of photographs in Paris. Of all of this work only 20 of the photographs were made with a digital camera so only 20 internegatives were necessary to make. At the end of the day, this was not a headache or even a great expense compared to what shooting film these past two years would have represented. I know it is tempting to say that shooting film seems like less of a headache, but I actually don't think it is. And, I can't believe I am writing all of this, because I have been for so long in the camp of people that really love film. But, that is why this is all worth discussing now, because the combination of being able to work with an amazing, game-changing digital camera, and making internegatives to be able to make gelatin silver collector prints by a master printer—this all really represents progress.

Stan B.: "There are now a variety of 'hybrid' solutions available, each negotiable to the particular shooter's needs and finances. Inkjet prints from silver neg scans can be downright spectacular when properly executed. It's a helluva lotta work in post, but well worth it when you get that big (up to 27in from 35mm), beautiful print that I would have felled an entire old growth forest to achieve in the darkroom. I've seen B&W digital work that has taken my breath away, and stuff that looks plastic, sterile and 'artificial.' I guess it's mostly determined in post, and what particular combination (of thousands) one uses. Shooting film makes sense financially if you don't shoot as often as pros are likely to. No doubt Mr. Turnley's results represent the zenith of what is currently possible."

Wayne Pearson: "I really do not care how Peter makes his images, whether they are film, digital, use internegatives, or not. His images are wonderful. That is all that matters, are the images good or not. His are. Thank you for sharing his work and the occasional interview on this site."

'French Kiss: A Love Letter to Paris' by Peter Turnley

As I said before (but should say again), I'm hardly objective about this whole project. I've been talking to Peter about it since he first got the idea for it, I've kibitzed on the various edits as the book evolved, and Peter is kindly giving me a spiff for helping to publicize it. All of which you need to know up front.

So now back to this idea of "home base" I mentioned yesterday, which most readers seemed to really get. I've long been aware that I come to photographs with two hats on. One is my editor's/critic's hat. In that frame of mind you have to be open to all sorts of work, and take creators of art at their work and on their own terms. And then there's my personal hat, where I get to bring my own taste to the forefront. 

That's where I find my own home base, which has long been what I used to call "Photo 101 Style"—35mm B&W photographs of "found life," printed full frame—a style popularized by Henri Cartier-Bresson and adopted by innumerable other photographers as their own over many years. It's just what I love best. It's home, for me. And it's what I do myself. I have very little of my work in that style digitized, but there certainly are a lot of boxes of it in the house.

So Peter Turnley's Paris work—black and white, mostly 35mm photographs of "found life" in the world's most celebrated city—hits me right where I live. This is the kind of work I do myself, or try to. It's the style and technique of photography that I work in, and of all the myriad kinds of photography out there it's the one that appeals to me most naturally and most strongly.

Still and all—I got my copy last Friday, and I have to say I couldn't be more pleased with the way the book turned out.

Peter holding his new book

The book is a very nice size—in fact, its dimensions are very close to the "ideal size" I chose for TOP's books, although it's thicker. Big enough to let the pictures "breathe," but not so big that the book is hard to hold in your hands. The unmarked, matching-color slipcase is beautifully made, and the book in its slipcase makes a crisp and tidy presentation.

The book has very little text, and lots and lots of photographs—138, which means the book is best taken in over several viewing sessions—138 pictures is a lot to look at in one go.

The pictures are laid out one to a page, on facing pages, with none running across the gutter. The presentation is ideally respectful of the viewer's desire to primarily simply see the photographs.

The reproduction is very nice. I neglected to confirm if they have been spot-varnished, but it looks that way. The reproductions aren't exact replicas of Peter's originals (which tend to be much larger anyway), but they are very close in feel to the originals. A full, rich, vivid range of tones.

Many of the pictures in the book are literally of people kissing. Almost everyone is happy, and the feeling-tone, overwhelmingly, is of affection and companionability.

I like the fact that there are a few gay couples included—the spirit of the book seems generous and inclusive. A few pictures bespeak friendship more than love: there are a few children, a man and his dog—even two dogs "kissing"!—and a few old couples. Like this one (I own a print of this, and it's a personal favorite):

Oddly, I have only one problem with the book—and it's completely peculiar to me personally—it's just that I haven't been in a particularly romantic state of mind, or place in my life, in recent years. It's a very romantic book—a romantic view of Paris, a romantic view of love—and I imagine it would resonate strongly with anyone who is close to that state of being at present. But the key word there is "imagine"!

But that's just me, now. Anyone who is flush with romantic feeling should respond to these pictures with great sympathy. You'll have to let me know if you do.

The book was designed from the start to be suitable as a gift book, and it would be perfect for that. Peter actually wanted to print enough copies to last through Valentine's Day. A word about that, though: as you might have seen, the book was featured on the New York Times' Lens blog last week, and it's been selling briskly. Although there are 3,000 copies in the press run, sometime today (Tuesday) the number sold will shoot past 1,000. And it's only been out for a little longer than a week. So of course I'm already getting a little nervous—I don't think it's going to last past Christmas, if it lasts until Christmas. So, yeah, it would make a great Valentine's Day gift, but you'll have to lay in an order before a lot more time has passed. Word to the wise. You know how it is.

If there's a second edition, it probably won't have the slipcase (or be signed—all the first editions are signed). But might be a little less expensive. But there might not be a second edition.

Two more fun little details about this book: Peter thinks that a) almost all the pictures, with maybe just one or two exceptions, were taken with Leicas; and b) he thinks that every single generation of Leica rangefinder camera is represented, from the M3 and M4 to the M9 and M Monochrom. So there's that for Leicaphile interest.

Peter, his assistant James, and all the people he hired to help with the production of the book get all the credit for everything turning out so well. But I am going to take credit for one little thing—the regular everyday price for the book was slated to be $85, but I talked Peter into offering it for $69 during the first "pre-order" month—this month, October. That was me. For you. When the book starts to ship in November I think the price will go back to what it was supposed to be originally. So for now it's a better deal. You're welcome.  :-)

Here's the link to the order page.

It depends what's "home" for you, but I can't see how anyone wouldn't like French Kiss. And if you don't, you can always give it to someone you have a crush on—who knows? Could work. You know what they say about Paris and love.

Mike

Original contents copyright 2013 by Michael C. Johnston and/or the bylined author. All Rights Reserved. Links in this post may be to our affiliates; sales through affiliate links may benefit this site.

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(To see all the comments, click on the "Comments" link below.)
Featured Comments from:

Ed Hawco: "I have a print of the geezer in the wheelbarrow too. I'd love to know the story behind it."

Peter Turnley replies: In 1984 I was invited to participate in a one-year group project documenting the life of one street in Paris, la rue de Lappe. It's a famous street next to the Bastille where there have been traditional dance halls renowned for great music where people like Edith Piaf sang. It was a street that was at that time still very working-class and not yet gentrified, with many bars, restaurants, dance halls, and residential apartment buildings.

The group of photographers that participated in photographing the life of the street that year included William Klein and several other outstanding French photographers, and it was an honor to be part of this group. One day I walked into the courtyard of an apartment building, and as I recall, simply came across this couple, the concierges of the building, kissing, as the husband of the couple sat in a wheelbarrow.

The concierges all lived on the ground floors of buildings in Paris. They were a very important part of the social fabric and history of a street like this. They were often the very salt of the earth—warm hearted souls with lots of stories to share.

Bob Smith: "'It's a very romantic book—a romantic view of Paris, a romantic view of love—and I imagine it would resonate strongly with anyone who is close to that state of being...' Well that did it. I'm more in love with my wife 25 later than on the day we married. I ordered a copy the day you posted about French Kiss, but I'm ordering another one to give her for Christmas to keep at her office (Liz can't stand Valentine's Day...too commercially forced on us in her opinion)."

Just Out: Peter Turnley's New Paris Book

Enthusiastically noted: Peter Turnley's new book goes on sale today.

...Which is going to be great fun to watch.

I can't pretend to be anything close to objective here. I've been hearing about this book for years, since it was a gleam in its author's eye; I've been heavily involved as one of several friendly advisors during the development of the book; and, TOP will be offering three original prints from the book for sale at the end of the month (including the cover image). Peter, of course, is a longtime "friend of TOP," and we've had two hugely popular sales of his Paris pictures prior to this next one. He and I met for the first time just recently, but I felt as if I were meeting an old friend. Which of course I was.

I have not seen the book yet. I have seen the final edit in PDF form. And many of the edits prior to that. And have shared my opinions with Peter along the way.

The book is called French Kiss: A Love Letter to Paris and it is a sort of hybrid, or a book with two vectors: on the one hand it is a book of art photography. On the other hand it is a romantic picture book that will appeal to anyone who is in love or has ever been in love...even if they don't have any particular passion for photography. You know...the kind of thing that (gasp!) actually appeals to people who aren't photo nuts.

I know, crazy, right?

It is many other things:

• Career-spanning: the earliest picture in the book was taken in 1975 and the most recent one was taken not even two months ago (August 2013);
• A gift book, only available in a special deluxe edition, slipcased and signed; and
• Self-published. Peter's going it alone on this one (although it is professionally produced). Pretty brave, if you ask me.

A few more things I can tell you:

The special pre-order price is good through the month of October. All the books ordered in October will be shipped in early November, and will arrive (at least to U.S. addresses) in plenty of time to re-ship for Christmas or Hanukkah.

This isn't a TOP sale. The book is going to be widely publicized, and it's for sale direct-only.

The edition is 3,000 copies, which is kind of a lot for a printing of a photography book. So there should be a plentiful supply, at least for a while. Nevertheless, I'll try to keep you up to date here.

Leica is not sponsoring the book in any way, but they have made a short film about it, which you can see at the book page. All of the pictures in the book were made with Leica rangefinder cameras, from the M4 to the M Monochrom and every model in between.

All the books will be signed.

Enough for now. I should have a copy in my hands a couple of days, and I'll wait till then to say more. As I say, I think this is going to be fun.

Mike

Original contents copyright 2013 by Michael C. Johnston and/or the bylined author. All Rights Reserved. Links in this post may be to our affiliates; sales through affiliate links may benefit this site.

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(To see all the comments, click on the "Comments" link below.)
Featured Comments from:

Ned Bunnell: "Thanks for sharing this news. As a previous person noted, immediately placing my order for Peter's book was a no-brainer. I wish him well with this self-publishing venture, but I'm sure it'll sell out. I'm really looking forward to seeing the book not only for his beautiful images but the book's design, reproduction quality, paper stock etc."

[Ned is the former president of Pentax Imaging. —Ed.]

Bob Smith: "Ahhh, home from work. Grab the iPad and click on TOP to see what Mike is tickling our brain cells with today. A new book he seems to feel strongly about. Paris, my favorite city I've never been to. Hit the link for the book, hit Buy Now and buy it...then say to myself What. Did. I. Just. Do? Guess I'll take a look at the preview and watch the video...okay Mike's nailed it again I think.

"This will make book #4 purchased because of TOP's recommendations. I'm afraid to look through the Book and Book of the Week sections. Don't know if I can afford to."

Mike replies: Plus, you have to save a little dough for our first book. [g]

Kenneth Jarecke: "Congratulations, Peter. This book looks great and I can't wait to get a copy."

[Ken is a former contract photographer for TIME and U.S. News & World Report. —Ed.]

Stephen F Faust: "Ordered! As a current owner of both McClellan Street and Parisians, I'm really looking forward to having a signed copy of this. Though I do have to wonder how much overlap there will be with the content in Parisians?"

Mike replies: I asked Peter for you, and he said there's "very little" overlap. He estimated off the cuff that at least 80% or 85% of the pictures in French Kiss are not in Parisians.

Andreas: "I like Peter's photography and also purchased a print of his photos in the past (also a kiss-photo ;-). Also, I find it a good move to self-publish and bypass the publishing industry. But I don't understand why this is brave, considering that it will certainly sell out in a short time. And I don't mean this cynical but as an honest question."

Mike replies: Well, you're probably right—it will most likely prove to be a good investment and end up being profitable (see the post after this one for a positive update). But producing a high-quality book can be a minefield, and the investment is all up front—it's just not easy for someone who has never paid much attention to money to drop tens of thousands of dollars into a project that has no absolute guarantee of returning to break-even. After it proves to be a winner it will seem like an easy decision, but anyone who self-publishes a photo book—as anyone who has done so can tell you—still has to climb pretty far out on a limb. Maybe "brave" is overstating what it takes, but it is not for the faint of heart.

Peter In Portugal

A nice short film about our friend Peter Turnley in Portugal, on a Portuguese website, Público; reader John Krill sent me the link.

The interview must be very new—Peter's in Portugal right now, and I notice that one of the pictures featured at the end of the interview is one that I know he took just the other day.

Mike
(Thanks to John)

Original contents copyright 2013 by Michael C. Johnston and/or the bylined author. All Rights Reserved. Links in this post may be to our affiliates; sales through affiliate links may benefit this site.

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(To see all the comments, click on the "Comments" link below.)
Featured Comments from:

Ed: "Nice little feature on Peter. He's probably right, photography is about life, most of the time. Or about what's become of it these days. I like the way he shoots, never sneaky, always in the open and in full view of the public and with a lot of Aretha Franklin in his mind."

Manuel: "Let me put this into context, Mike: Público is a portuguese newspaper which employs the best portuguese photojournalists and is very seriously focussed on quality—which, of course, includes photography. Reading this newspaper can be nothing short of a revelation when it comes to knowing the work of the greatest photographers. (And, of course, Peter Turnley is a great photographer, entirely worth Público's attention.) Not only they publish great photographs, but they often publish rather interesting articles on photography. It's a newspaper that's worth reading, and even more so because of the sheer quality of the photographs they publish.

"As you see, that's as far removed from the Chicago Sun-Times affair as you can imagine...."

Happy Valentine's Day!

L'Esplanade de Trocadero, Paris, 2012. Photo by Peter Turnley.

Happy Valentines's Day to everyone...from those who are in love now to the lover in those who don't have one now. Peter Turnley's wonderful picture above (taken with either an M9 or an M-Monochrom) is from a small set of his pictures published today at PDN (née Photo District News). They come from a large project of new and old work with the working title of "French Kiss," most taken in Paris, centering around the theme of love and affection, that will become a major new book approximately a year from now. We will of course keep you updated!

Have a great day, and gentlemen, here's your warning: don't forget flowers.

Mike
(Thanks to Peter)

Original contents copyright 2013 by Michael C. Johnston and/or the bylined author. All Rights Reserved. Links in this post may be to our affiliates; sales through affiliate links may benefit this site.
A book of interest today:

(To see all the comments, click on the "Comments" link below.)
Featured Comments from:

Ben Syverson: "Before I even scrolled down I knew this was Peter...wonderful."

Chaz L: "I'm not enamoured of everything that Peter does, but this picture is just wonderful. A modern classic and the perfect complement to Valentine's Day. Thanks for showing this one, Mike."

Peter T.: "Tango and photography. My two favorite activities, together."

Roger Overall: "This is such an evocative photograph. It captures location so beautifully, and suggests romance through the ages. The way the slender physique of the lady in the foreground suggests youth (the common association with romance) is contrasted with the more mature couple on the left. Love is for everyone, and for life, the photograph says. Of course, this is one interpretation: the one I want to read into it. Isn't that the great thing about photography? We take what we want from an image by giving it our own story."

Jlsalvignol: "The magic of classicism: Framing, Timing, Rhythm. Here is Paris. Merci Monsieur!"

Twin Photographs

By Peter Turnley

An amazing twin story.

This morning, I was looking at my brother David's Facebook page and I came across an astonishing coincidence, if you can call it that. I saw that he had posted a photograph he had made of a man drinking a glass of wine at a bistro in Paris in 1973. As I looked at it, I realized that I had photographed the same man, in a different bistro, when I first went to Paris in 1975.

One has to think about the chance of this happening. In a city of more than 10 million people and a seemingly infinite number of cafés, not only did we photograph the same man, two years apart, but both of had come across the guy in a different bistro, and both of us photographed him at a bar counter with a glass of red wine...wearing the same coat. I must confess that after a life of experiencing the often unusual realities of being a twin, with a brother that also spent a life in photography and who is also a world-class photojournalist, this discovery really has me shaking my head with amazement.

Photographs by David Turnley (above), Paris, 1973, and
Peter Turnley (below), Paris, 1975.

If you'd like to see more about some of the rather surprising and amazing aspects of our twin lives and careers in photography, have a look at this "60 Minutes" piece  from CBS called Double Exposure.

Peter

Original contents copyright 2012 by Michael C. Johnston and/or the bylined author. All Rights Reserved. Links in this post may be to our affiliates; sales through affiliate links may benefit this site.
A book of interest today:

(To see all the comments, click on the "Comments" link below.)
Featured Comments from:

Jeff: "Have you considered that you may have photographed his twin brother?"

Vincent: "Never underestimate the compulsion of french people to hang around in bars. I can say: I'm one of them."

Turnley Prints Have All Shipped!

I've never done an "N/t" post on TOP, but this could almost be one. The news is in the title—Peter, his hardworking assistant James McLendon, and the shipping department at Duggal have completed shipping all of the prints from our recent Peter Turnley sale no. 2.

You might still need to allow up to 10 days for delivery to the U.S. and up to three weeks for delivery to non-U.S. addresses, but they're a-comin'.

Mike

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Letter from Paris This Morning

Voja Mitrovic and Peter Turnley earlier this morning in Paris.
Photo by an anonymous passerby.

April 29th, 2012

Dear Mike,

I met Voja this morning in Paris on this beautiful and windy Sunday. I have been meeting Voja almost every Sunday I've been in Paris over the past thirty years. Today was one of our most special meetings. Voja handed off to me a suitcase of 26 kilos' worth of carefully wrapped, handmade silver prints destined for all of the collectors that have acquired a print or prints in our recent special offer of six of my Paris photographs. You can not imagine the special sense of pride and bond of friendship that this morning's encounter represents for me, knowing that six of my photographs that are a result of my special thirty-five year love affair with Paris will be soon in the hands or on the walls of collectors on all the populated continents of the world, and knowing from the bottom of my heart that each print will have been made by one of the greatest printers in the history of photography, in my opinion the greatest.

Voja and I sat down for a wonderful lunch at my home away from home in Paris, La Brasserie de l'Ile St. Louis. As we shared lunch, Voja described in minute detail every gesture of burning and dodging he made for each of the photographs that was printed, the choice of multiple filters used for each print's exposure, the number of seconds in each corner and area of each print, washing and drying time, flattening, and signing.

Voja is already one of the most handsome men I've ever encountered. His good looks emerge not only from his tall and powerful slavic physique, but even more from a profound sense of humanity, pride, and dignity that come from a person that has spent his life doing honest and good work with every part of his mind, body, and heart. I wish I had a film to share with you and your readers to show you the incredible spark in his eyes, and the beauty of his gestures as he described to me his recent three weeks' work on the prints for our print offer.

I write you at this moment sitting at the desk of my apartment in the center of Paris looking out at the blustery clouds of this special day for me. I write to you with gratitude for the chance to share my photographs with you and your readers through publications and our print offers on your site, and with great thanks to everyone around the world that has touched my heart by choosing to have one of my photographs on their walls and in their homes, and with an immense sense of pride that this whole process has put me in touch with the pride and love for visual communication that you, Voja, and all of your readers represent worldwide. Our common love of visual expression and the universal language of vision and photography bring us all closer together in this world, and I am immensely proud to be a member of this wonderful community. Thank you to you and to anyone reading this. I will fly to New York on Tuesday and look forward to begining to ship my photographs—Voja's prints—starting on Wednesday.

With my warmest regards,

Peter

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Featured Comment by Clay Olmstead: "I went to a talk that Mr. Turnley gave in Austin recently. He spoke for over an hour, while a slideshow of his outstanding pictures played on the screen behind him. He is clearly a man who is more in touch with his humanity than most of us. I went away with a resolve to do more digging, to uncover more of my own humanity. I would recommend to anyone to spend some time in this man's company. It's not an exaggeration to say you will be a better person for it."

Update: Turnley Print Offer

A brief update on the status of the Peter Turnley Print Offer that was recently concluded: Peter is scheduled to rendezvous in Paris with Voja on the 28th to pick up the finished prints. He'll fly with them back to New York, and within a few days he and his assistant James will begin working with the shipping department at Duggal Visual Solutions to get all the prints packaged and dispatched.

Of course, there's no telling when any particular order will be boxed and shipped, nor how long it might take in transit. But that should give you a general idea of how things are progressing.

I'll post another update once all the orders have shipped.

Mike

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Last Day!

Just a reminder that our current sale of Paris pictures by Peter Turnley printed by Voja Mitrovic is about to end. We'll take orders up until 6 p.m. U.S. Central Time tonight (Friday). I think that's midnight Fri.-Sat. GST, if I'm reading the tables right. [UPDATE: Sale is now over.]

We really don't take late orders, so please don't assume we will—in fact, I'll be sending the orders to Paris right at six o'clock tonight so Voja can get to work bright and early on Saturday morning in the darkroom.

Voja

Voja's going to be working really hard for us these next couple of weeks, and I'd like to extend a special thanks to him, along with my admiration.

As a side note, I really want to thank everybody for all the nice comments. A special shout out to The Wright Language School in the Chugoku mountain range in western Japan, servicing Tsuyama, a rural city of about 110,000 people. Andrew Nichols writes, "This will be the fourth print from your offers I'm looking forward to displaying here at our language school. Gordon's, Charlie's, and Ken's works greet me and our students every day, relaxing and inspiring us, and the chance to hang one of Peter's photos printed by Voja will add to our mini-collection greatly."

Things like that are just nice to hear.

Mike

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Peter Turnley Print Offer II

"Glance"

This week, TOP is pleased to be able to offer, once again, a selection of fine prints of our friend Peter Turnley's pictures of Paris.

[UPDATE, Friday 4/6/12, 6:00: Sale has ended.]

These prints are available year-round, to all, for a standard price of $1,200 for a print on 16x20" paper, which is a reasonable price for fine prints from a well-established living photographer. TOP is able to offer somewhat smaller prints for much lower prices because we take orders in advance and then produce the work specifically to fulfill the orders we get.

Because of this, as regular readers no doubt know, we only take orders for five days. When the orders close, that's it—the printing and shipping materials are purchased in bulk and the work starts. We really don't take more orders once the sale closes.

"Wheelbarrow"

I've assigned one-word titles to the pictures for ease in ordering. These aren't Peter's formal titles for the pictures, just tags to help me identify them.

These are traditional fine prints on fiber-base silver-gelatin paper made from film negatives, taken with Leicas or Nikons. The prints will be made, once again, by Voja Mitrovic, who was Henri Cartier-Bresson's favored printer for more than 30 years and has been the printer for a select list of the world's best photojournalistic-style photographers, including Josef Koudelka and Sebastiao Salgado as well as the Turnley brothers.

"Kids"

This sale differs from our last one in that anyone ordering three prints or more can choose an additional one for free. And because of this, we're including one print that was offered in the last sale—Peter's signature image of the rooftop view of the bridges on the Seine with the Eiffel Tower in the distance. Last time, many purchasers bought two of these, persumably to give one away as a gift. We hope to make that even easier for you this time.

"Rooftops"

This picture is surely one of the most recognizable pictures of Paris in the world—in poster form, it has been a huge all-time bestseller. But relatively few people own an original, signed print of it.

The prints are exceptionally lovely. I own several (including my favorite, the one we're calling "wheelbarrow") and am looking forward to adding a couple more to my collection this time.

The price for these prints is $395 for one, $375 for the second one, and $225 for the third (and fourth). The prints are the standard European print size of 30x40 centimeters (~12x16 inches) (image area slightly smaller). The prints are signed on the front by Peter and on the back by Peter and Voja. The editions are unlimited.

One print $395
Two prints $770
Four prints (three plus one additional fourth print for free) $995
(Each additional print is $225 more.)

"News"

To order....

[Ordering information removed; print offer ended 6 p.m. Central Time 4/6/12]

The prints are made in Paris but order fulfillment is done from New York, so U.S. shipping is $15 and for all other countries it's $25. I'm very sorry, but prints cannot be shipped from Europe.

The sale will close on the afternoon of Friday, April 6th.

"Lovers"

Thank you very much for considering our sale and for reading TOP!

Mike

ADDENDUM: Some people in the Comments seem to be worried about European delivery, customs, duties, etc. We did not have any problems with that last time. Packages originated as USPS international mail and most were delivered within ten days. They were declared as documents and value was accurately stated as the replacement cost for us, which was the price of materials. We can't guarantee anything absolutely, but based on our actual experience last time, European buyers don't need to be concerned about delivery issues. —MJ

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Les Pères Spirituels

Peter Turnley with Robert and Pierrette Doisneau.
(Their daughter took the picture.)

I was talking to Peter Turnley about our upcoming print sale of a selection of his Paris pictures, which starts next Sunday, and something came up I thought you might be interested in.

Like most top-level photojournalists, Peter's always felt a debt of gratitude to his professional journalistic associates—his editors at Newsweek, the people at Corbis, gallerist Agathe Gaillard, Pierre Gassmann of Picto, and mentors such as Howard Chapnick of Blackstar. But besides those important people, there are what the French call les pères spirituels—"spiritual fathers," although the term might just as easily apply to brothers or sisters or mothers. It implies seeking out a different kind of support—and a desire to belong to a deliberate tradition encompassing more than just oneself.

John Morris, a dean of photojournalists and Peter's great good friend

Starting when he was young, as a new immigrant to Paris, Peter made a deliberate effort to get to know the great photographers of the city. He found the great French master Robert Doisneau by simply looking him up in the phone book. "I didn't have any agenda," he says. "I just wanted to meet him, to be in the orbit of this guy's spirit." He ended up working as Doisneau's assistant.

One lesson Peter remembers is that Doisneau could put his hands on any of his negatives from the previous thirty years within thirty seconds, and he never went to bed before he had developed, contact printed, and captioned every roll of film he'd taken that day. (Peter thinks he would have loved the digital age.) What this meticulous organization did was to allow Doisneau's entire life's work "to breathe, to live, almost like a living organism." Work that you can't find, that you can't share, might as well be lost.

Willy Ronis with one of his most famous pictures

Other encounters were more serendipitous. In 1975, his twin brother David—also a top photojournalist, now teaching at the University of Michigan—called from New York and told him to be on the lookout for an up-and-coming photographer named Josef Koudelka. Peter had never heard the name before.

Not long after that, he was in the Jardin de Luxembourg sitting on a bench with his girlfriend and a man walked by, and Peter noticed him surreptitiously taking their picture, so he jumped up and ran after him—"Did you just take our picture?" The man seemed nervous and claimed to be a tourist, but Peter had noticed his two beautifully brassed Leicas, which were hardly tourist cameras. It was Koudelka.

Josef Koudelka

Koudelka keeps things simple. Some time later, as the two shared a meal at the offices of Magnum Paris, Josef told Peter something he always remembered. He said, "My idea of a good life is I wake up in the morning, I go out and walk, and I make three films [i.e., shoot three rolls —Ed.] a day."

"It does sound like a good life," Peter says. (Does to me too.)

With Édouard Boubat

Peter's a very intense guy—that might be an understatement—and as you hear him talk about these people you can hear his enthusiasm take wing. The man who became his best friend among these pères spirituels was Édouard Boubat. They met because Jim Hughes (who also writes for TOP from time to time) had published both their work in the same issue of 35mm Photography. The two became close friends—they met several times a week whenever Peter was in Paris, for many years. (Boubat died in 1999.)

As with many of the great photographers he knew, they seldom talked about photography. The topics of discussion always had to do with world affairs, an engagement with the issues of the day, with...well, life. These days it seems like photography consists of an endless roundel of keeping up with cameras and software. It's important to remind ourselves, at least now and then, that a lot of what's important about photography isn't about photography at all.

Agathe Gaillard

I guess the point here is that it's important to know where you come from, and whose work yours builds on. Peter used his many-decades project of Paris pictures to decompress from high-stress photojournalistic assignments, but it wasn't just that. He was eager to belong—belong to the grand tradition of the great photographers of Paris. Knowing many of them personally was a big part of that enthusiasm.

André Kertesz taking a picture from Peter Turnley's balcony, Paris.

Mike

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Original contents copyright 2012 by Michael C. Johnston and/or the bylined author. All Rights Reserved.

Featured Comment by Andrew Molitor: "Great little piece here, this is the kind of thing I love on TOP! Also, some really good portraits here. Love the one of John Morris, a classic look and a wonderful face.

Featured Comment by Jim Richardson: "Among the luminaries mentioned I was heartened to see the name of Howard Chapnick. Few people warrant the kind of admiration I feel for Howard and all that he did for photography, shepherding young photographers, standing firm for the value of images, working to put photography squarely in the mainstream of serious culture. He made my first book happen, shaping a mass of images into a coherent documentary, and along the way treating a very young photographer with serious consideration. And he was a supremely kind and decent man. One other thing. He headed Black Star, the photo agency. So his hobby was to bet on horses that had "Star" in their name. Pretty human."

Featured Comment by John: "One of my favorite TOP posts ever. You'll likely be back to gear tomorrow, but why not make it editorial policy to once a week address themes like this? 'Wednesday: Photography Unplugged.' The community needs it.

Featured Comment by Debbie: "Wonderful post about a wonderful human being. I gave myself the gift of a workshop in Paris with Peter last May and all I can say is in addition to all of his 'Peres Spirituels' he is now forever one of mine. His delight in sharing his knowledge and his own mentors is unique and life changing. Thank you Mike and especially thank you Peter."

Peter Turnley II

In just a couple of weeks, just in time for spring in the Northern Hemisphere, we're going to reprise one of our most popular print sales ever. Our first Peter Turnley sale, back in 2010, featured pictures of Paris from his out-of-print book Parisians. I've just been through the fun and satisfying process of choosing, with Peter, several new pictures to offer as fine prints—and I'm really hoping you'll approve of the ones we picked! The body of work Peter has to draw from is enormous—he's been in the process lately of working on an all-new book of Paris pictures.

As before, the prints will be made by Voja (pronounced "Voya") Mitrovic, who for many years has been the master printer for some of the most famous photojournalistic-style black-and-white photographers on the planet—not only Peter, but Henri Cartier-Bresson, Sebastiao Salgado, Josef Koudelka, and many others. If you haven't read Peter's article about him, now would be the time. Voja has now seen all our choices and approved them (meaning, he knows the negatives and knows each one prints beautifully).

Now that the first sale has already happened, many readers have already seen Voja's prints of Peter's work firsthand, and can attest to their quality. (Remember this great video, from Pak Wan?) If you love classic 35mm B&W (as I do), they are...what do the French call that gesture where they kiss their fingertips and then open the hand?

Also as before, we're going to offer these prints for very "democratic" prices compared to art gallery prices. One of the very most gratifying things about our sales is how many people tell us it's the very first time they've bought original artwork.

The five-day sale is now pretty firmly scheduled to begin on Sunday, April 1st (no foolin'). Please be sure to check in at least once that week and take a look.

Mike

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Original contents copyright 2012 by Michael C. Johnston and/or the bylined author. All Rights Reserved.

Featured Comment by Itippi: "In Italy the gesture means 'al bacio' (worth a kiss)."

Featured Comment by Ed Buziak: "I've spent 11 years in a bar here in France and there does not seem to be a word for the actual gesture. However, the words 'C'est chouette' or just 'Chouette'—loosely translated as 'It's great' or 'Really nice'—are generally uttered at the same time as the gesture. 'Chouette' is pronounced like the word 'sweat' but with 'shh' (as when mama tells a child to be quiet) for the initial 's'...or try saying 'shh-wet.' 'Chouette' is also French for Owl...such is the beauty and complication of this language largely based on Latin."

[Ed is the Founding Editor Emeritus of Darkroom User magazine. —Ed.]