AUSTRALIAN PICTORIALISTS
DR. JULIAN SMITH FRPS
By Eric R. Merton
DR. JULIAN SMITH FRPS
Russell Grimwade
February 1941 Page 50 - The Australasian Photo-Review
In the realm of portraiture, or perhaps more correctly character portraiture, Dr. Julian Smith has no peer and few, if any, equals. His work is known and respected throughout the world not only for its fine story-telling composition and atmosphere, but also for its superb technique, without which the thoughtful treatment of his many and varied subjects would be impossible.
Consequently, when it became my good fortune to have the chance of meeting the doctor and seeing him in action and studying his methods, I grasped the opportunity with rather more haste than good manners and now, after having spent many evenings with Dr. Julian Smith, evenings which I consider to be highlights in my photographic education, it gives me a good deal of pleasure to be able to tell you, from the point of view of a sitter, some of the methods of this interesting personality who has gained and maintained leadership in his particular sphere of photography.
As a man, Dr. Julian Smith is rather tall, of slight but wiry build and is a reservoir of pent-up energy which bursts its banks around about midnight, by which time he is reaching the height of his enthusiasm and the sitter is reaching for the aspirin. He wears a pointed beard and moustache and a pair of piercing eves which seem able to probe to the innermost depths of a person’s character to seek out which part of it he will portray. So far he has nearly always portrayed me as a sinister type, but he assures me that he intends no personal reflection.
On the evening in question I arrived at about 8pm. Dr. Julian Smith was in his studio with his great friend and veteran pictorial photographer, Mr W. Howieson, affectionately known to the doctor as “Billy”. Greetings were almost monosyllabic, but the doctor’s eyes were doing a spot of piercing and I was informed that I had the makings of a perfect Dante and was ordered to sit down and be draped. A powerful light of some thousand watts was turned full in my face, the glare made it impossible to see what was going on, but plenty could be heard and to my amazement a voice from under the focusing cloth exclaimed “Billy, he is just like President Roosevelt”. By this time I was a little dazed, after having seen my face in the shaving mirror every morning for the last twenty years, I must confess that I had never seen the slightest resemblance to either Dante or the President and sincerely hope that my recording of this incident will not cause a breach of diplomatic relations with our American cousins. This part of the story had to be mentioned to let it be seen how Dr. Julian Smith recognizes possibilities where none apparently exist. However, the resulting photograph fills me with the gravest doubts as to which one of us is the President.
Just before the picture mentioned was made, an amusing incident took place, which I will record because it shows the thoroughness of the man behind the camera.
It happens that I have a rather heavy growth of beard, which, in spite of the daily trip to the shaving mirror, shows dark beneath the skin. In the evening when the powerful front light was shone on my face the rays penetrated the skin and showed up tomorrow’s whiskers in all their glory. The effect on the focusing screen apparently was not all that could be desired, because the voice from beneath the focusing cloth announced to all who cared to listen, "Billy, he looks like a nutmeg” and then, in spite of the lateness of the hour, I repaired to the bathroom and shaved, and thus “yours truly” produced that skin you love to touch.
The actual taking of this portrait was extremely interesting. No make-up of any description was used. I was merely instructed to force my neck down into my collar, thus making it appear rather thicker than it really is. The exposure was then made with a full front lighting. The only after work on the negative was a deft stroke under each eye with a stomp dipped in powdered graphite. This had the effect of producing rather heavy bags under my eyes, considerably increasing the appearance of age. The retouching, if it could be called such, took not more than a minute or two.
MAESTRO
Dr. Julian Smith FRPS
I DOUBT IT
Dr. Julian Smith FRPS
THE SCOUT
Dr. Julian Smith FRPS
ENTR'ACTE
Dr. Julian Smith FRPS
THE PROBLEM
Dr. Julian Smith FRPS
VESPERS
Dr. Julian Smith FRPS
CASTLES IN SPAIN
Dr. Julian Smith FRPS
MY DAUGHTER
Dr. Julian Smith FRPS
COQUETTE
Dr. Julian Smith FRPS
OLD BILL
Dr. Julian Smith FRPS
Exhibited at the 1940 “Red Cross”
VICTORIAN SALON OF PHOTOGRAPHY
and purchased by Kodak (Australasia) Pty. Ltd.
for the Kodak Collection of
AUSTRALIAN PICTORIAL PHOTOGRAPHY
MAD HATTER
Dr. Julian Smith FRPS
Exhibited at the 1940 “Red Cross”
VICTORIAN SALON OF PHOTOGRAPHY
and purchased by Kodak (Australasia) Pty. Ltd.
for the Kodak Collection of
AUSTRALIAN PICTORIAL PHOTOGRAPHY
Later that same evening, or was it early the following morning, after the plate had been developed, it was decided to try out another type of character, and from a vast assortment of old coats, hats and wigs, a selection was made, to be worn as shown in the picture entitled “Maestro,” and it is to the draping and posing of this picture that so much care and thought was lavished. Few people realize the vast importance of back ground tone in relation to the figure. Many perfectly good portraits have been marred by having their back ground either too light or too dark. Note in the print in question how the background harmonises perfectly with the figure. It is dark enough to be unobtrusive, yet light enough in the right places to lay emphasis where emphasis is needed. Note the care with which the folds in the coat sleeve have been worked into position so that they form a line leading up to the face. Note, too, the sweep of the collar and scarf and the placing of the hair on the right-hand side of the picture. Even the angle of the cap and the few stray locks on the left are all part of a carefully arranged plan.
A few words here about the actual posing may be of considerable interest; it certainly was to me.
After the type of lighting had been decided upon and the lamps roughly set into position, the pose of the sitter is given full consideration, and it is here that the endurance test comes in. Dr. Julian Smith starts off very quietly, prowling up and down the studio seeking inspiration. It doesn’t take long to find it, and then things happen. He becomes galvanized into action and orders come thick and fast. “Turn a little to the right, hold the head up, up, higher, hold it! “Now move the eyes a little, here, see my gaze there, don’t move.” At this point one “freezes” into position; one may blink, but not too often. The doctor, by now fully aroused, is darting back and forth between the camera and sitter. A fold m the coat is patted into place; back to the camera to see if it is correct. A stray wisp of hair in the wig is curled to form a more definite line. A light is moved a few inches —all at breakneck speed. Where does the man get his energy?
I have been limp for the last half hour. Even at length, when the last light has been adjusted to suit, the cap has been given its final tilt, my numbed senses can still hear rather distinctly “Don’t move, don t move.” The last few “don’t moves” are rather superfluous, because by then the sitter is in such a state of mummification that he can’t move anyway, so the exposure is usually made with comparative ease.
All this may sound a trifle hectic, but you have my assurance that it is all in deadly earnest. It is only when we stop and look back that one’s impressions take definite shape.
Dr. Julian Smith’s lighting equipment is comprehensive, but he seldom, if ever, uses more than one or two lights at a time. As well as a number of halt watt” type in appropriate reflectors, he has a pair of sodium tubes that are delightfully soft to work under, though I doubt if they will ever be commercially popular, owing to the fact that their peculiar colored light gives the sitter a rather sickly pallor. From a photographic point of view this is quite all right, but the psychological effect it might have on a non technical sitter may give the impression that the sickly look would record on the film. It is interesting to note that when a person is photographed by powerful hall watt light, the pupils of his eyes contract to mere pin points, whilst under the soft sodium light they dilate to almost their full size.
Our readers will probably be interested to know just how Dr. Julian Smith gets the rich brown tones which are such a feature of his work.
Most photographers know that modern enlarging papers are usually developed at temperatures ranging between 65 to 70 degrees Fahrenheit. Imagine my dismay when an exposed sheet of 23 x 17 paper was thrust unceremoniously into a bath of steaming hot developer, an image appearing with such suddenness that I almost expected it to leap out of the dish, the resulting almost black print dropped deftly into the fixer, and then a few moments later eased back to correct tone and brilliance with a pad of cotton wool soaked in Farmer’s reducer. Having been born of good British stock, I was able to stand the shock rather well, but felt that an explanation was due, so started asking questions.
The developer used is Pyrocatechin, and, as used by the doctor, it must be hot, not just warm. His negatives are usually made on extra rapid plates, and are developed to a fairly strong contrast. However, if his method is unorthodox, nobody will deny that the finished prints are of beautiful quality.
In conclusion, the question has often been asked of me, “Where does he get his models; are they paid actors?” Definitely not; anybody will do, providing their constitution can stand the buffeting. It is a matter of being able to picture the type the sitter could be expected to portray, and then persevering with the posing and lighting until the desired result has been obtained.
Such work should not be undertaken lightly, or failure will result. Dr. Julian Smith gets his results by making use of a superlative sense of the artistic and a persuasive manner that makes even the least likely sitter appear as a perfect model.
SELF PORTRAIT
Dr. Julian Smith FRPS
This portrait was especially made to accompany this interview.
FOOTNOTE
Mr. Merton has asked me to add a few words, not that I consider his very capable piece of writing needs any help.
I find that I approach an evening in the studio in one of three ways: I either aim at a straight portrait, or I endeavor to portray an idea already preconceived (may be months before), or I invite a likely - looking sitter and by costume, lighting and pose aim at tone scheme and design. In this last the title may then at once leap into being, or sometimes only occurs when the finished print is seen. In Mr. Merton’s case I had heard of his mastery of the printing processes and thought of attempting only a straight portrait. This I did and despite his huge limbs, managed to compress him into a pleasing design and luckily got a first-class viewpoint of his head at the same time.
Development and printing from the wet negatives of these took some time and was the chief object, as I wished to learn something from him. Then later on, by pursuing the second method above mentioned — the definite idea — I quickly communed with myself, using the theme of a “master” printer and from this was born the title “Maestro”.
I enjoy the medieval in portraiture and immediately robed our sitter in a cloak of the period. There must, of course, be long hair — wig adjusted. The pyramid resulting was topped with a studio hat of quilted velvet of ancient lineage. Then the background. One of low tone three - ply previously figured with kalsomine in backyard (this affords endless entertainment on fine sunny days, by the way and variations are constantly needed) was chosen and carefully and independently lit to give the “come and go” in relation to the model. Backgrounds are important. No picture is a real success unless the back ground is right. It affords the illusion of third dimension so essential.
In achieving the idea of “Maestro” we used a general low toned scheme with the main modeling light concentrated on the face. Mr. Merton’s brows are prominent, so that this main light had to be lower than is customary in order to illuminate his bright and very direct eyes. The trick of leaving the upper portion of each eye in shadow adds to the idea of concentration aimed at. Very little instruction induced the right set of the mouth and the result is seen.
Mr. Merton is a very sympathetic sitter and, in addition, is extremely steady, so the work was easy and enjoyable, although from his account of it he seems to think I “treated him rough”.
Dr. JULIAN SMITH FRPS