Gaspe, Quebec 1983

•    I haven't posted a blog since January so I thought it was about time to get going with a new one. I have been busy with other work but I was sorting through some old black and white film from the eighties and got the notion that some of these might be of interest. The negatives were mostly from Gaspe, Quebec; which is at the mouth of the St. Lawrence river in Canada. I made two trips to the Gaspesie Penninsula; one in 1983 and another in 1984, and both ventures were exceptional. I had always wanted to go to Gaspe since my favorite photographer, Paul Strand, had spent much time there and his images were outstanding. His photographs had been taken over fifty years before I set my camera and tripod up there but the essence of French Canada was still thoroughly evident. Beyond the fantastic photography that awaited you every morning, there were the awesome, local inns and restaurants that served the greatest seafood ever. After an early shoot we would go have a crab omelet and when the sun was high a fish lunch was in order. The late dining choice was always fresh lobster and you chose your own from a live selection that was brought to your table. The appetizer was always a small bucket of Periwinkles, marine snails, that were great with a nice white wine. Enough about food!
•     The images of Gaspe that I am showing this month are all from medium format cameras. They were taken with a Mamiya RB67 and a Hasselblad, for those who are interested in what equipment I used at the time. It really doesn't matter because as we use to say," It isn't the camera or the photographer that dictates proficiency --- it's the end result --- the picture." My film of choice was always Kodak Tri-X Professional, shot at an ASA rating of 250.
  
  
  Today I only use digital cameras but I still miss the good, old days of developing film in a tank and printing the negatives on fiber based papers. There is a romance to film that is lost with all of the digital formats available today, but I won't go there ---- for now. I also might add; I shot many exposures of color film on my trips to Gaspe, as well, but I am still bias toward the monochrome image ---- even if it is printed digitally.
•      I sincerely hope you enjoy the prints that I have chosen for March and will continue to look in.