Photo of George Krause and Tony Ward courtesy of W. Keith McManus, Copyright 2023
Text by Tony Ward, Copyright 2023
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Quality Time With a Legend
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I first met George Krause at an exhibit of his work in 1974 at Photopia Gallery on South Street in Philadelphia. This was the first time I was introduced to his work and was taken immediately by his mastery of the craft. His early black and white street photography from the 1960’s are included in the canon of photographic history evidenced by his inclusion in the seminal publication in 1973, Looking at Photographs, 100 Pictures from the Collection of The Museum of Modern Art by John Szarkowski, who at the time was the director of photography at the MOMA.
We became friends when I invited him to exhibit his work while I was a graduate student at the Rochester Institute of Technology from 1977 to 1979. Here is a draft of a letter I sent to George regarding the invitation to exhibit his work at the institute and his response.
Letter to George Krause from the Tony Ward Archives 1978.
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From the archives of Tony Ward 1978
George, now 86 years young called me on the eve of the recent annual Photo Review picnic as he and fellow octogenarians Larry Fink and Neal Slavin were being celebrated at this years event which was held at Haverford College in Haverford, Pa. On the eve of the celebrated gathering George mentioned that he was going to visit noted photographer Lawrence Salzmann at his charming home in Powelton Village the day before the picnic. Many thanks to W. Keith McManus for capturing this intimate moment with a dear friend and mentor to many photographers world wide.
Darkroom: Black and white processing and printing services.
This is the darkroom where Tony Ward spent countless days, months and years making thousands of gelatin silver archival prints for his well known body of black and white photographs exploring various subjects including; portraiture, fashion, nude and erotic photography of which he became world renowned.
The darkroom was built in 1985. This unique creative space is available for rent to the public at The Ward Studio on a per project basis. Photographers that rent the darkroom may keep processing chemicals for developing film and prints stored at the studio for ongoing darkroom sessions.
Price for darkroom rental:
We offer a four hour minimum at $175.00. Any time over the first four hours is charged at $50.00 per hour. Photographers are responsible for their own chemistry. Amber bottles are best for storage.
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Price for darkroom consultation:
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Professor Tony Ward is available for one on one consultations regarding darkroom process and technique at $200.00 per hour.
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Location: 704 South 6th street Philadelphia, Pa. 19147
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To schedule a darkroom session:
Contact: Tony@TonyWard.com
Phone: 267-475-0828
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Note: Any person using the facility must present proof of being vaccinated for Covid.
Some say the return to film is a reaction to a world where everything has become digital, fast and easy. It is certainly true that shooting film requires you to slow down and this makes it a very enjoyable experience. Perhaps the reason is even more simple than that. The main reason for the resurgence of film may simply be because it’s beautiful. That’s what got me hooked.
At New York Camera & Video we’re seeing our film lab get filled with orders on a daily basis. It’s all types of orders too. Color, black & white disposable cameras, even slide film. We also sell film cameras and many don’t last on the shelves for more than a day. There’s also an increasing level of connoisseurship for it. Many customers know which cameras and lenses are of quality ore even collectible. They can speak in great detail about the differences between film stocks. This has a lot to do passion film seems to bring out in people and the vast amount of knowledge now available on the internet. We’re seeing customers of all ages. In fact, our older customers are shocked when I tell them our largest demographic of film shooters is roughly between the ages of 18-30.
Our film connoisseurs are a joy to speak with. However, the most enjoyable aspect of my job is helping someone who wants to get into film for the first time. They usually start out with something simple like a point and shoot camera. Within a few months after they’ve had some decent results they’re back in the store asking about trading up for a fully manual 35mm camera. Many even take it a step further and get into larger format film cameras. It’s thrilling to see their knowledge expand and the quality of their images progress over time. It’s not long until they’re coming in and giving us tips and pointers.
This isn’t just a fad like when fashion from a past decade briefly makes a comeback. The apps on our phones like Instagram have been trying to emulate film for years. The look of film never stopped being beautiful. Kodak and most of the other film manufacturers are doing so well that they’re figured out ways to resurrect discontinued films back to market.
More are on the horizon in the next year or so. That’s not a venture a company would take on for a fad. Even our professional digital photographers are beginning to add film to their wedding and portraiture packages. They tell us their customers are beginning to request it. Nothing beats the soft look of skin tones shot on film. We now have to process color film every single day to keep up with volume and we’re constantly getting new regular customers. If you’re interested in dusting off your old film camera and getting back into it or perhaps trying it for the first time, stop by our store. We have everything to get you started. A knowledgeable staff, cameras, hard-to-find batteries, developing, printing, even home processing materials.
About The Author: Kenneth Taylor is a professional photographer and employee of New York Camera & Video. To visit his website, click here: https://www.expoterrestrial.com
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Editor’s Note: New York Camera & Video address: 1139 Street Road. Southampton, Pa. 18966. Phone: 215-357-6222
Being an infectious diseases physician, research microbiologist, and former deputy commander of the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research (which is in the business of identifying, researching, and mitigating infectious disease threats), I thought I’d make a few comments about Coronavirus Disease-2019.
Firstly, we’ve known about coronaviruses since the 1960s. Named for the crown-like arrangement of glycoproteins on their capsid, the coronaviruses comprise a family within the order Nidovirales and consist of four genera: alpha, beta, gamma, and delta. Coronaviruses are common in birds and mammals (with the greatest diversity in bats), and human infections are caused by two alpha- (i.e. HCoV-229E and HCoV-NL63) and several beta- (e.g. HCoV-OC43 and HCoV-HKU1) species. Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus (SARS) and Middle East Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus (MERS) are also beta-coronaviruses. Coronaviruses are ubiquitous and along with rhinoviruses, parainfluenza, metapneumovirus, and respiratory syncytial virus, cause most community-acquired upper respiratory tract infections (i.e. the common cold). As with other respiratory viruses, coronaviruses occasionally cause more severe illness. Individuals at the extremes of age (i.e. infants and the elderly), as well as those with comorbid pulmonary disease (e.g. chronic obstructive pulmonary disease), or immune compromising conditions (e.g. hematopoietic stem cell transplant or HIV infection) are at increased risk. Certain coronavirus species (e.g. HCoV-OC43, SARS-CoV, and MERS-CoV) also are associated with more severe infection. Except for SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV, there has not been much interest in producing coronavirus vaccines. This derives from the fact that most coronaviruses: 1) cause mild, self-limiting illness; 2) are difficult to replicate in tissue culture; 3) display antigenic variation (That is to say that the surface proteins against which protective antibodies would be made change); and 4) Vaccine trials with at least one animal coronavirus demonstrated a worse outcome upon challenge with the virus (a problem similarly posed by dengue virus). Although some medicines, including antivirals and chloroquine, have demonstrated potent in vitro antiviral activity against tested coronaviruses (i.e. SARS-CoV, HCoV-229E, and HCoV-OC43), there are no clinical trials assessing efficacy and treatment is supportive. As with other respiratory viruses (such as rhinoviruses), coronaviruses are transmitted by respiratory aerosol, and the mainstay of prevention is handwashing, respiratory hygiene (i.e. covering the cough or sneeze), and disinfection of fomites (i.e. inanimate objects which can become contaminated).
The coronavirus now in the news emerged in late 2019 as a novel variant out of Wuhan, a city in the Hubei Province of China—hence, its earlier designation 2019-NCoV (i.e. 2019 Novel Coronavirus). Since it is no longer novel and is genetically and clinically like SARS, 2019-NCoV was re-designated SARS-CoV-2. SARS-CoV-2 has subsequently spread to other countries including South Korea, Italy, Iran, and Japan. Most cases have been among people who had either traveled from China or who had been exposed to someone known to be infected with SARS-CoV-2. However, several cases in the United States were recently diagnosed among people with no obvious risk factors, suggesting that community transmission is occurring. The incubation period for SARS-CoV-2 appears to average 3-6 days. Because viral DNA has been isolated from respiratory secretions of exposed asymptomatic individuals, it is believed that not everyone who is exposed will become ill. The extent to which these individuals transmit SARS-CoV-2 to others is not yet known. Epidemiological studies of the Wuhan outbreak suggest that most infected individuals will have mild disease (81%), and only a minority will develop pneumonia (14%) or pneumonia with respiratory failure, shock, or multiorgan dysfunction (5%).The overall estimated case fatality rate (CFR) appears to be ~2.3%, making it less deadly than some influenza strains and far less deadly than MERS. Moreover, the CFR was lower outside of Wuhan (0.7%) and as with other coronaviruses, risk factors for severe or critical disease include extremes of age, comorbid illness, and immune compromising conditions.
SARS-CoV-2 RNA detection is by means of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification, using an assay that is currently only available (in the U.S.) at the Centers for Disease Control and CDC-qualified labs. However, there is a push to make the assay more available (e.g. to state health labs). Currently, the treatment of individuals infected with SARS-CoV-2 is supportive, but antiviral drugs including nucleotide analogues and protease inhibitors are being studied. As with other coronaviruses, the mainstay of prevention is handwashing, respiratory hygiene, and disinfection of fomites. Several labs, both in the U.S. and in Israel, are pursuing a SARS-CoV-2 vaccine, buoyed by the stability of at least some of the spike glycoproteins as well as sequence homology with several other human and poultry coronaviruses. It is also possible that as more and more people become exposed to SARS-CoV-2 and develop protective antibodies, transmission between susceptible individuals will decline (the “herd effect”).
Although the emergence of a novel pathogen is never a trifling matter, it is important for people to have a realistic understanding of the disease caused by it without succumbing to hysteria. To date, SARS-CoV-2 has shown itself to be a respiratory viral pathogen most commonly causing mild, self-limiting illness, with more severe disease limited to certain susceptible populations (in contrast, say, to the 1918 H1N1 influenza virus which disproportionately killed healthy younger people). Moreover, researchers are making progress in developing vaccines and therapeutics. I certainly don’t mean to trivialize SARS-CoV-2. However, I’ve seen far more lethal viral pathogens such as HIV, rabies, Ebola, and other viral hemorrhagic fever viruses; and unless something changes with the virus, I am only moderately alarmed by SARS-CoV-2.
On a positive note, the anti-vaxxers suddenly seem awfully quiet on social media…
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Dr.Michael Zapor
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About The Author: Dr. Michael Zapor is the Chief of Medical Services at Veterans Affairs Medical Center in West Virginia.
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Disclaimer:
1) Dr. Zapor did not write this essay in any official capacity.
2) Because the COVID situation is developing rapidly, some things included in the essay (e.g. case fatality rates) are a bit outdated.
