Tim Rudman
Introduction
Tim Rudman obtained degrees in medicine and surgery in the late 1960's and for many years pursued his two loves of medicine and photography together, but now devotes his time to photography.
Tim is known internationally as a photographer, printer, author and authority on darkroom techniques, and notably for his pioneering work in the beautiful process of Lith Printing.
He is a regular writer and lecturer and has conducted workshops on printing and toning techniques in Britain, Spain, Australia, Canada and America, and has written for the photographic press in many countries. His images are widely published and his work is held in a number of permanent and private collections. His books on Printing, Toning and Lith printing have been critically acclaimed.
Tim is a member and past chair of The London Salon of Photography. He is also a Fellow of the Royal Photographic Society of Great Britain, where he sits on The Fellowship Board and for many years chaired the Photographic Printing distinctions panel, of which he was a founder member in the 1980's.
He is a member of the Freestyle Advisory Board of Photographic Professionals in Hollywood, California.
Tim's philosophy
Although I photograph in black and white and in colour, the majority of my work uses black and white materials although it is often quite colourful, an apparent contradiction I shall explain.
Also, I think of myself as a photographic artist, as opposed to a photographer who shoots in order to record events and details as they are generally seen or perceived. This is an important difference for me and it affects everything I do photographically.
Light is of course always all important to image making by photographic means, and certainly so to the photographic artist of any genre. This does not necessarily mean that the light must be "good" - as in bright, clear or strong - but that it is appropriate for the purpose of the image to be made. This might be a beautiful north light, or the early light of dawn or pre-dawn, the warm light of late afternoon or the clear low directional light seen often in the winter months. But it can also be the flat light of heavy rain, snow, mist or fog, or the fading light of dusk and these can be very productive times for my photography.
For me, the making of the print is the raison d`etre of all the stages that have gone before, and it is here that the components of the image-to-be are fused and fashioned as I want them. The tactile element of contact with the print throughout its various stages of production is for me an important part of the craft aspect of making a fine print. Therefore I prefer to make my prints in the darkroom, rather than in front of a monitor. I like the darkroom. I like the warm glow of the safelight, the smell of fixer and the sound of water. Here I enjoy the creative process and the peace and fulfilment it (sometimes!) brings. It is amazing how arranging shades of grey or tones of colour on previously blank paper can be so all-consuming and enduringly satisfying.
Apart from contact proofing I print everything onto fibre based papers unless there is a compelling reason to do otherwise. I like both the feel and the "depth" that these papers have. I process everything to the highest archival standards and use the archival toners based on gold, selenium, sulphides and polysulphides extensively, both for the archival protection they bestow on the print and for the aesthetic changes they can bring in terms of tonal range and colour shifts. I also often use lith developer with some papers for the unique results it gives using the lith printing process. Although I love and pursue "pure" black and white printing for its clean, unambiguous tonality, the combination of lith printing and the effect of these toners on the finely divided silver so produced opens up my "colourful world of black and white", which allows the creative printer so much extra (or perhaps different) range of expression and interpretation by allowing colours to affect spatial relationships in the print and to enhance the sense of atmosphere or change the mood in an image.
further information
Tim's website is; www.timrudman.com. and you are invited to join his mailing list.
Books: Information about Tim's most recent book "The World of Lith Printing" can be found at http://www.worldoflithprinting.com. This site also contains updates to the information supplied in the book regarding the availability of materials and limited details of his other books.
Tim's classic book on toning photographic prints has commanded high prices since both UK and US editions sold out. Tim is reprinting this in the summer of 2010. Details of the book, along with a mailing list for notification, can be found here
Workshops: Details of Tim's workshops in the U.S. may generally be found in the "Board of Advisors" section of the Freestyle website, or here for The Photographer's Formulary workshop centre in Montana. Workshops elsewhere can be found on his website.
contacting Tim
Requests for workshops are accommodated when possible and may be made directly through his website.