Video (4min 32sec): Gordon Lukesh, Photographer. Gordon Lukesh was trained as a mathematician and spent 12 years teaching before working in industry and then starting two businesses. One business takes him and his partner Susan Chandler to many intriguing areas of the world, mostly lately central Siberia. These trips have provided many opportunities for photography.
He has always been fascinated by geometric shapes. He says : “Bonne Chance! is one of my favorite photographs and is truly a luck shot. I was trying to capture the intricate detail of the cobblestones near Montmartre as the sun set, and as I clicked the shutter, a black cat ran across the seen. I had no idea how the cat would appear in the scene until I had the film developed in the United States. The picture is a full negative and completely undoctored!”
His camera of choice is the super quiet Leica M6 and he uses three lenses, a super-wide 21mm, a 50mm and a 135mm. Photographs are taken on black and white film and his personal darkroom produces photographs as large as 11x14, while a professional laboratory produces larger versions. “Working in the darkroom allows me to feel close to the process and have control over my images, and fiber-core paper greatly increases the depth of the images. I am always apprehensive as the images appear during the process!”
A preview of the upcoming Perspective5 Art Show at Stables Gallery Taos, NM - October 3-12, 2008. Visit: perspective5.com.
