Thanks. I haven't made many exposures in the past few months, but I've been doing my best to rekindle the spark lately.
Jonathan
Printable View
Well, welcome back!
Sinar P CZJ Tessar 135/4.5 Delta100 DD23
http://www.lucbenacphoto.com/img/s12...74550117-4.jpg
Ilford Multigrade RC paper negative in Ilford Multigrade developer:
https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8748/...7f2acef3_c.jpg
Chris
Thanks, Barry. I love those Cinephors, it's true. I think I paid fifteen bucks for this one.
Stone: I've had about ten sheets of Tech Pan loaded in holders for about four years but have been afraid to shoot them. Then I finally thought, "What am I saving them for?" The first sheet was way overdeveloped, but for this exposure two minutes in HC-110 1:49 did the trick.
J.
I opted for the Astia 100F because I wanted to contain the contrast for Ilfochrome printing.
http://rockbullet.tk/87/o.png
Lovely to see you back, missed your pictures so much.
Thanks, Tom. I hope to keep the engine running, too.
J.
This higher key image is a nice foil to the other.
The funny thing is the higher-key aspect is due in part to the high level of base fog in this old film. I don't think I can get any proper blacks from it, but if I develop it long enough--in this case twenty minutes rotary--I can draw out some decent highlights.
J.
Thanks, Ken. In fairness, your high-key still lifes are always instructive. Sometimes I need to be reminded that an image without blacks or whites can still be effective.
I agree about the sliver of focus in the foreground being distracting, but each time I cropped it down the image seemed too crowded somehow. Luckily, that decision is not set in stone.
J.
EDIT: Dan, here's a cropped version for comparison:
Feeling my way to a sense of 'proper proportion,' that's always the aesthetic struggle. Cropping gives me fits!
J.
Are only large format images allowed here?
Richard
Rainy week-end and a new lens to try so I have been playing around.
Sinar P Kodak Agnastigmat 203/7.7 wide open Delta 100 DD23
http://www.lucbenacphoto.com/img/s7/...83548277-4.jpg
http://www.lucbenacphoto.com/img/s6/...83367841-4.jpg
Sinar P CZJ 180/4.5 F11 Delta 100 DD23
http://www.lucbenacphoto.com/img/s6/...83367907-4.jpg
https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7324/...8f727c43_z.jpg
6x9_2014-3264+65-V2 by Renato__ Salles, on Flickr
Decaying leaves
Sinar F2 - 120 roll film back - Tominon 5.6/105mm - Rodinal 1:200 stand dev. 2hs 20ºC - Kodak Tmax 120 ISO 100 at ISO 64
Palmsonntag Linhof Master Technika Symmar 210 Fomapan 100
[IMG]tumblr_nlzgu504k81tlkmz3o1_1280.jpg[/IMG]
Thanks. Honestly, I know nothing about lighting, not in any formal way. What you see are the results of a lot of experimentation. There have been many failures along the way to these few successes.
As far as selling prints (or even giving them away), I'd be more than happy to, but at the moment I have no way of making them, at least not myself. All the gear I need is sitting in the garage just waiting for.the time and money to make a darkroom happen, but I also lack any kind of printer or the knowledge of how to use one.
Jonathan
Ha, well great. I wonder if the ground glass of LF helps more with the vision of an image than smaller formats? Interesting, that and/or your use of the zone system (I saw you mention it in another thread). Regardless, great stuff. I assume you just had a pitch black environment with bright spot focused lighting. Seems like it wasn't inside a tent or anything. Really cool.
And use this as inspiration! Yeah I would like to figure something out at my house to print at home. If I could rig up a sink in my garage I would probably get my own printing equipment (most of it now days is lingering around dirt cheap). For the time being, I have been printing at the darkroom of a "local" lab, where they rent it. Problem is only open M-F, of which I work. So I have to take a day off to go print. Did that a few times last year, plus had to teach myself about printing.
Best of luck getting printing sorted. Ansel said something to the affect of...that is where the real magic happens (I don't recall the exact quote).
I have a small tungsten spotlight that allows for a very narrow, focused beam. And yes, I used it in a very dark room to ensure deep blacks all around the subject. I hope to make some contact prints of my bigger (5x7 & 8x10) negatives at some point since that won't require an enlarger. I should be able to manage it in my small dark closet where I load and unload my film.
J.
Wow Jonathan this is wonderful. I'm stunned with what you do with old fogged film.
Thanks, Alan. In my experience it's rare that old film--even really old film--is completely worthless. Once you assess the limitations of each vintage emulsion, there's a lot of fun to be had. Some subjects are better suited to certain films depending on the amount of fog and other flaws. I'm really enjoying the look of this batch of Agfapan in particular. It's a tad bit gritty and low contrast, and most sheets have some minor emulsion damage, but it seems to be working well for my purposes so far.
If I'm ever forced to switch to digital it's the surprise element inherent in shooting old film that I'll miss most.
J.
That's excellent Jonathan. I really like the petals and contrast
Even better than the camellias! The luminous whites are just perfect and a nice fullness to the image from the DOF. Perhaps a small flag for that bright spot on the vase/urn/whatever?
This reminds me, I have a Zeiss 18cm f/4.5 Tessar that I have to get a lensboard for.
Thanks, Scott. I cut this bough for the photo and two days later a windstorm knocked all the petals off the tree out front. A good reminder to strike while the iron is hot!
Thanks, Bryan. I thought about burning in that left side of the vase a bit more, but blocking the light at the time of exposure would have helped, too.
Mount that Tessar! I have a full complement of Tessars and Xenars from 13.5cm through 30cm and they're all good. Not the best when shooting into the light, but all around lovely lenses.
J.
Wow. As already mentioned before wonderful work, I like the DOF of the table. It works so well with the long diagonal line of the flower's stem. And 1990 agfapan to boot!
Please do stick around.
You should go knock on some galleries doors Jonathan - seriously
I like the concept on this last one a lot.
You guys are too much! But thanks. I'd need prints before I hit up some galleries (oh, and, uh, the self-confidence to approach galleries in the first place), and sadly I couldn't say when that will happen. Soon, I hope, but as the Smiths famously asked, "How soon is now?"
What's funny about this shot is I was unhappy with it "straight." It seemed kind of boring and a rehash of what I've already done, but I kept seeing a corner of the white card I use as a fill reflector protruding into the image on the ground glass. In frustration I put the whole card in the frame and then....it worked even better. I wish I could say I pre-visualized this idea, but it just came together out of the blue.
There are many precedents for this idea, though, including the tree photographs of Myoung Ho Lee.
J.
Jonathan - please add me to your fan list. Your work shows beauty in simple things with each image. I am happy that you are sharing it with us almost daily. Love your work and looking forward to what you'll be sharing next.
Pali
Thanks, Pali. As for what I'll be sharing next....