Rado

Flickr is a desert when it comes to good photography. (An observation which from the average flickrite's point of view is probably wholly besides the point.) I use it as a research instrument. How does Superia 1600 look like? How does the Zeiss 18/4 perform? What does the Sigma DP1 deliver in terms of image quality? That's the kind of technical trivia where I often get a kind of answer for by navigating the Flickr universe.

Once in a while one is in for a pleasant surprise. Long ago I discovered Tommy Oshima's work by looking for Noctilux examples. It's still an inspiration. Over the weekend I hit upon Giancarlo Rado's photostream - a fellow Zeiss and Fuji Reala afficionado - which provided me a pleasant half hour of browsing and admiring. It's colour work, it's very classical in conception and it's expertly done. Rado's main subject is the life of the alpine shepherds in the province of Trentino. The Lagorai chain, a very lonely and remote mountain range, is one his areas of predilection. Clearly he must have invested a lot of time and patience to get to know these rugged people so well. His portfolio includes a mixture of intimist portraits, often soberly framed in the Hasselblad square, and understated, abstract landscapes. The combination of Zeiss and Reala works wonders (as I experienced long ago in my Mongolian portfolio): the muted glow of earthy colours is simply intoxicating (look at pictures such as Inverno, Il grego perduto, Autunno, Il sonno and Julian Doro). All together the work testifies of Giancarlo Rado's quiet persistence and honesty and a genuine love for his subject matter. It may not be new and earth-shattering, but it speaks to the heart.