Page 88 - AlertDiver_Summer2011_web

photosensitive emulsion. That paper would be processed in a tray of developer, rinsed and put in a solution to “fix” it with permanence. It would be dried, and only then could one get some sense of the potential of any negative from the roll. The photos that were worthy would next be gingerly placed into a negative carrier (if they were scratched they would be essentially useless), then into an enlarger and then projected onto another piece of emulsion-coated paper of a given contrast grade. The darkroom magician might use a bunched fist to dodge a part of the print that appeared too light, or he might form a tiny cone of light to burn a bit more brightness on an area that was too dark.

Next that paper would go into the developer, gently rocked back and forth, processing by inspection under that same yellow safelight until just the right tones emerged. For some prints, still other processes might be applied. There could be a sepia toner to make a photo look aged or a selenium toner to achieve yet a different look. By the time the fixer, wash and drying were done there would inevitably have been several hours, or even days, invested per image — and that’s assuming there weren’t imperfections that had to be “spotted” with a fine camel-hair brush and a special solution meant to mimic the tones of black and white, as that would add even more hours. Clearly, this is a different mindset and a different discipline that has guided Brooks all these years. It’s why he could be satisfied with taking only 12 shots per dive with his Hasselblad Super Wide camera. In fact, he usually ended up with fewer than that; his protocol was to take the first shot as a kind of a throwaway, just to make sure everything was working before happening upon a once-in-a-lifetime photo-op and coming to the crushing realization that the camera had jammed. Then there was the last shot, the one he’d save in reserve just in case something amazing swam by on the way back to the boat. Just 10 frames

per dive defined Brooks’ world for so much of his life. Judging by the quality of his work, 10 frames served him very well. While today’s photographers enjoy a virtually limitless imaging capacity on every dive, the ability to pace a dive to just 10 shots is rare. Perhaps this — combined with the aesthetic to see the sea in black, white and shades of gray — has forged a vision unique in underwater photography.

Stephen Frink//

Photography is the “family farm” for you. Your father founded what is perhaps the most famous educational facility for photography in the world with Brooks Institute. How did all that come about, and how were you involved?

Ernie Brooks// When I was very young my dad loaned me his camera, and I photographed all the kids in my class sitting on a slide on the playground. That was 1939 in Lompoc, Calif. We processed the film and printed the photo, and it was used in the local paper. I guess I first became a commercial photographer in kindergarten! But the inspiration for a teaching facility happened in 1943 during World War II, while my dad was working in Dayton, Ohio, for the Civilian Army Corps. He devised a curriculum to

Ernie Brooks

Opposite, clockwise from top: While best known for his Hasselblad images, Brooks also experimented with more unusual cameras, such as the 70mm Hulcherama (used for 360-degree panoramas) shown here at a shallow wreck in the Bahamas. Ever the student of light, Brooks could transform something as mundane as the sun reflecting off the sea into art. The marine life offshore of his Santa Barbara home was a consistent inspiration for Brooks’ genius. In this simple composition, a diver’s exhaust bubble gains new significance when captured by Brooks.

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IMAGING // S H O O T E R