Magnum Contactsheets

“Pulling a good picture out of a contact sheet is like going down to the cellar and bringing back a good bottle to share.”

— Henri Cartier-Bresson

Magnum Contactsheets was published March 2017. I just recently ordered this giant paperback, counting 524 pages, full of history. We get a look behind the scenes, and a look over the shoulder, of famous Magnum photographers. By looking at the contactsheets from the original films you get great insight of how these images came to be. What was shot just before and after that iconic frame we all know.

I’ve picked a few here that caught my eye, for example this beautiful photo of an Eiffel Tower Painter in Paris, 1953, shot by Marc Riboud.

In the book he tells about the first time being in Paris strolling around with his Leica and 50mm lens and just one roll of film. He noticed the painters high on the Eiffel Tower. Riboud climbed the tower and shot a whole series of fantastic images. He didn’t dare to speak with the painters, because he was shy, but also because he didn’t dare distract them at this height. 

Marc Riboud was asked to join Magnum Photos and the “Eiffel Tower Painter” was the first image he published in Life Magazine.

Salvador Dali by Philippe Halsman

This next one is a beautiful surreal portrait of Salvador Dali by Philippe Halsman shot in 1948. The portrait was inspired by Dali’s painting Leda Atomica which you can see on the right side in the photo. 

There were four assistants and Halsman’s wife in the studio. The chair and other props were suspended using wires. Halsman counted to three then the bucket of water and the cats were thrown and at the count of four Dali jumped in the air. After each shot Halsman went into the darkroom to develop the film and check the result. After six hours and twenty-eight takes it all came together.

René Burri about  ‘Che’ Guevara

“He never once looked at me, which was extraordinary. I was moving all around him, and there isn’t a single photograph in which he appears looking at the camera.”

“No plans, no projects. Cartier-Bresson lets his footsteps guide him, he travels economy class, stays in low-buddget hotels, eats frugally, but benefits beyond measure from the spectacle of life.”

— Piere Assouline

The lab assistant of the Life office in London put Robert Capa’s quickly developed film in the drying cabinet with the heat on high. The emulsion had melted so it slid a little over the surface of the film. Although it was a mistake the blurring of these images strengthened the dramatic impact.

This book is a great read and fantastic document for anyone who loves (documentary) photography. Highly recommended.