Red River Pros: Arthur Bleich

Arthur Bleich is a photographer, writer, editor and educator whose work has appeared in publications and exhibits throughout the world. He has done assignments for Time, Life, Architectural Forum, Sports Illustrated and others and is one of only a few photographers ever to document an Antarctic exploration operation for which he won a major national award. He is an acknowledged expert on digital photography and writes about it for professional publications.

The Client

U.S. Coast Guard Headquarters, Washington D.C.

The Assignment

Document the eight-month voyage of the USGCG Icebreaker Eastwind and her crew during an Antarctic expedition and subsequent circumnavigation of the world.

The Execution

"I shot more than 12,000 images on that assignment since, as an officer with no other duties, I had a virtually unlimited budget, access to everything and enough time to do it right. This image was taken from one of the ship's helicopters to give a feeling of isolation and serenity. Although I shot mostly with 35mm, this picture was shot with a 4x5 Crown Graphic camera at 1/400 sec with an aperture, I'd guess, of around f/11, on Tri-X sheet film– a moderate underexposure in order to silhouette the ship."

"The Eastwind had originally been going in the opposite direction and I thought it would look better with the smoke blowing across the bow. I radioed the bridge and asked the watch officer to turn it around but he refused without an order from the Captain who, at the time, was napping in his cabin. Taking a deep breath, I told him to wake up the 'Old Man' which he reluctantly did and the Captain told him to comply with anything I needed done. There's no describing the feeling of power I had as I moved that ship around like a toy boat in a bathtub."

Post Production

I had a small darkroom on the ship in which I developed film and made contact sheets. These were flown back to a lab at infrequent intervals where prints were made. It so happens that this particular negative got badly scratched and for years I deemed it a total loss. But technology eventually came to the rescue; I scanned it and resurrected it in Photoshop.

The Output

Two Red River papers work beautifully for this image. When prints are displayed under glass, acid-free Polar Matte holds all the detail in the image and perfectly reproduces its wide tonal scale. For prints mounted without glass, Arctic Polar Satin makes this image positively glow, without excessive reflections that other papers frequently produce. Its cool tone perfectly matches the mood of the image; in fact, it enhances it.

Contact

Arthur Bleich's web site is at: www.dpcorner.com. Information about the DSLR Workshop Cruises he conducts with other pros is at : www.dpcorner.com/cruise. He can be emailed at: [email protected].

Favorite Papers

UltraPro Satin

UltraPro Satin looks and feels just like traditional photo lab paper and features a medium depth luster finish.

Favorite Of: Jim DiVitale & Peter Randall

River Linen

River Linen adds a special dimension to your printed image with its premium quality linen surface paper.

Favorite Of: JVS & Helene Glassman

Aurora Art

Made using fine 100% cotton rag content, Aurora Art White and Aurora Art Natural offers the look and feel of fine art paper.

Favorite of: Marilyn Sholin, Matt Hoyle, Susan McCartney, & Kaitlin Walsh

Arctic Polar Satin

With its crisp blue white shade, Arctic Polar Satin ensures your images will project more brilliance. Its state of the art microporous coating will enhance details and color saturation.

Favorite of: Al Francekevich & Susan McCartney

Polar Gloss Metallic 255

Your images will take on a brilliant, almost luminescent quality with Polar Gloss Metallic 255. Everything from airplanes to flowers will look bolder, more saturated, and more real.