Saddened today to discover that one of my photographic hero’s has passed.
I have long been a Bill Schwab fan. First buying his book ‘Gathering Calm’ (first edition pictured below) in the early 2000’s. I subsequently bought his 2nd edition reprint (different cover) when that came out approximately a decade later.
Image © Bill Schwabb
Schwabb’s images are very beautiful and highly seductive. It was abundantly clear to me that Schwabb was in love with photography for its interpretive features. Film rendered all of his scenes with a beautiful graininess that allowed one to depart from reality with ease. His use of contrasts when printing in his analog darkroom not only gave him the power to tell others what he thought was important, but also to convey his artistic style. We are not looking at literal views with Schwabb’s work. We are looking at emotive seductive dream worlds that convey something which lies underneath the surface.
I took heart in immersing myself in his beautiful book and of knowing that his images were a combination of responding to special moments in the landscape, and his own special way of printing.
Image © Bill Schwabb
Back in the film-only days, if you were able to get a good composition on one roll of film, you were fortunate. If you managed to also have great light on the same roll of film - you were doubly fortunate. But if you managed to have a frame on a roll of film where the composition was great, and the lighting and exposure were also great - then you had hit the jackpot.
It seemed back then, that we were all hunting for a single shot on a roll of film that had all these qualities. In today’s digital ease, the real goal for everyone making serious landscape photography is how to stand out from the crowd. In other words, how to craft and hone a unique style, that would make one’s work recognisable to those who know of you.
Image © Bill Schwabb
Bill Schwabb’s images were always like that to me. Whenever I stumbled upon his work, I always knew they were his images before I checked the name of the photographer. A unique voice is often difficult to define, but easy to spot once it’s honed and crafted.
I’m very sorry to hear of Bill’s passing.