Larry Welna - June 14 2024

There is an obsessive custom I inherited from my Grandfather Don Tirso de Irureta Goyena and my Rosemary. This is to neaten up our home and clean it thoroughly before a guest comes. Tomorrow I am being visited Larry Welna the digital genius of the Vancouver Rose Society. I was particularly keen on cleaning up my oficina and studio. The oficina floor was littered with rose petals, their leaves, hosta leaves and their flowers.

I was particular in doing the oficina as I planed to take a portrait of Larry using my one-shot-gross underexposure technique with my Fuji X-E3. I checked my One Shot Fuji Holding Folder and there he was.

Something else happened when I picked up my oficina. On one side wall I saw the empty 16x20 Agfa Brovira pack. It was a fine archival b+w photographic paper. I was going to throw it away. And then I changed my mind when I noticed the two Kodak manuals that were so useful with my photography in that past century. Had I thrown it away it would almost mean that I would be closing a door to a century that made me the good photography that I may still be.

My Portland friendm Curtis Daily called me today and asked me if I had ever used a deep green filter. He had just purchased two.

I told him that Polish director Krzysztof Kieślowski was facing me at a room of the Hotel Vancouver in October 1997. I had been assigned by the Globe and Mail. The stellar arts reporter Christopher Dafoe was there. I had loaded my Mamiya RB-67 with Ilford FP-4 Plus’. I had set up some heavy duty grid-spot. One was aimed at his face the other was a hair light from the back.

Krzysztof Kieślowski  - October 1994

 

I was ready. The man sat down. It was then that I removed my dark green filter from my camera bag and attached it to the Mamiya. It was then that with a smile on his face he said, “Because I also shoot parts of my films I know exactly what you are going to do with me. You are going to make me look older.

To this day I consider myself lucky that Kieślowski faced me with my green filter.