Francis Cicoli Abad
My name is Francesco Cicoli
Abad. I am a fine art photographer living and working in Stockholm, Sweden.
I started in LF photography in 1996 - I took a workshop with Fred Newman. It was
he who got me started in LF and BTZS techniques. Over the years I have slowly
weaned myself from using a handheld computer. I now carry a small notebook with
me in the field containing all the different exposure iterations for all the
different SBRs that one may encounter. I find this quick and convenient to use.
It is amazing how BTZS has liberated me from the concerns of technique. I can
concentrate fully on composition and focus. BTZS has given me a motto when
taking photos: "One Neg - One Shot".
All photographs are scans of contact prints made from 8x10 inch black and white
in-camera negatives using a Wisner Expedition wooden field camera.
The films used are Efke PL100, Classic/Fortepan 200 or Classic/Fortepan 400.
The films are developed in Sandy King's Pyrocat HD formula using BTZS-style
tubes.
My paper of choice is Kodak's silver chloride contact printing paper, AZO.
The AZO contact prints are split-developed in Agfa Neutol WA and Moersch
Pyrocatechol in order to achieve a unique and excellent tonal rendition and
colour.
Simplicity is Elegance. There is a dignity to the contact print that makes me
keep coming back for more, and more, and even more. I am enjoying photography
for the first time. It has helped define part of who I am. I am truly excited at
this new endeavor, this new direction in my professional and artistic life.
Many thanks,
Francesco Cicoli Abad
