"The Story"

Zous (CH)

photogravure

Important representative of the American pictorialism. Fassbender was born in Germany and time and again returned to the Black Forest or Tyrol to take pictures.
(Fritz Simak)

Three hundred years ago this old medieval town of Zous on the Rhine had been relieved from the tyranny of a long and oppressive conquest during the Thirty Years War (1618–1648). Ever since, the inhabitants of the quaint old town have celebrated the anniversary of their freedom.Now the festival is over. It had rained a bit, but this had not dampened the spirits of the villagers, as they re-enacted with dramatic pageantry the heroism and strife of the past. Men, women and children all participated and here we find a group of village maidens by a roof-covered well recounting their happy day.
Composition:
The grouping is such that the interest is concentrated on the girl with her back turned to the camera. There is an easy grace of expression and pose in the grouping of the girls. On a circular base, the figures are arranged in pyramidal fashion, topped off by the roof of the well. The aged setting and the youthfulness of the girls are a pleasant contrast.
Technical Approach:
During the play, the stage and setting were overcrowded. But after the performance, I was able to achieve careful posing. Because it was late in the evening a long exposure was required, which made a tripod necessary. Figures in the background had to be removed by etching and retouching.
Data:
Camera: 2 ¼ x 3 ¼ Makina
Lens: Anticomar
Opening: f.6.3
Exposure: ½ second
Film: Agfa Super Plenachrome
Print: 14x17 Defender Veltura
(Adolf Fassbender, 1937)