At first I didn't quite 'get' the aesthetic of the late Sir Simon Marsden's infrared photographs. Based on my own experience of using the legendary Kodak HIE infrared 35mm film, I found them rather gloomy. Eventually I clicked and began to appreciate the atmospheric effects he was achieving. His use of strong back-lighting, dramatic angles and his expert printing soon made me realise that he, and the grainy halation of HIE, were made for each other.
Ironically, as many of you know, that grainy halation was a result of the construction of the film rather than the infrared light itself. However, the film was constructed like that because of the infrared light: the lack of an anti-reflection coating and base fogging being because Kodak couldn't find a way to make them work across all the wavelengths to which the film was sensitive.
When I came to work on the Infrared 2010 celebrations, I was delighted with how helpful and communicative Simon was. This was true of almost all the photographers I approached but Simon was the only one who was actually specialising in infrared photography. His Moydrum Castle photo from 1978 became our poster image.
He died suddenly in 2012. He died on my birthday. I was 61, he was only 63. We had communicated, chatted even, using email. I had never spoken with him or met him. An opportunity missed.
The Irish film maker Jason Figgis has been planning a film about Simon for at least a year—entitled Simon Marsden: A Life in Pictures—with the enthusiastic support of Simon's widow Cassie. Jason's blog about the project had its first posts back last July and has been quiet so far this year but I know the project is now ramping up. It will explore not just Simon's work but also the technical background and inspirations behind it.
Stay tuned, as they say.
Thursday, 30 June 2016
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