Showing posts with label © Phil Rogers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label © Phil Rogers. Show all posts

Friday, February 23, 2024

Bigger, Better, Faster, More!

Morning folks - I hope you are well!
Today's FB has a title that not only quotes an album by 4NonBlondes but also, I think, is at the root of what is currently wrong with photography.
Oh I know, chuck your coffee at the screen, drop your phone down the toilet, etc etc . . I know.

You see, to cut a long story short, megapixels, print size, formats, fps, USAF resolution charts, pixel size, face recognition, blah blah blah, you know, all the bollocks that (apparently) define a current photographer . . it's all, well, mostly, er, bollocks.
That new Sony camera that stops motion blur being a thing? 
What's the point in that? 
Someone dig up Jacques-Henri Lartique and tell him his photos of racing cars were crap.
For that matter, someone tell the ghost of Michael Cooper, that his autosport pictures were crap too. He was a hell of a photographer, with nerves of steel, a Pentax and a steady eye. I met him many years ago (he was a friend of my brothers) - to be honest you've not lived until you've stood with someone like Mike OUTSIDE the crash barriers at Brands Hatch on a F1 day . . . 

Anyway, back to the real meat and potatoes.
My friend and erstwhile blogger, Bruce Robbins of the Online Darkroom, has surprised me recently. Due to an overwhelming amount of 'crap' in his darkroom (OK, he has two dogs . . go figure) he has been unable to print anything. 
Fair enough. 
When life gives you crap, get the doggy poo bag out. 
In this case though, it has been the resurrection of his ancient Nikon D700 - a camera that is nearing prehistoric in digital terms - introduced in 2008; well regarded at the time, but still laughable in today's terms at a mere 12 MP. 
Even my Sony A6000 (which I have no fondness for) is 24MP . . read 'em and weep big boy!

But the thing is, as they said back in 1939, "'T'aint What You Do, It's The Way That You Do It  . . " because, to my eyes, with that and his cheapo Epson printer, he's producing prints that are every bit as good as what I am producing in the darkroom from a set-up that in current terms is around twelve times the price of his! 
Add into that, material costs, and, well, you don't have to be a brain surgeon . . . 


Hasselblad 40mm CF/FLE Distagon,Hasselblad 500 C/M,Ilford FP4,Pyrocat HD,Hasselblad Panoramic Adapter,Analog Photography,Analogue Photography,© Phil Rogers,Ilford MGRC Pearl,
Yep - full print, borders and all.
Ilford's MGRC 'unusual' size.


Of course that's a gross simplification. I use my set-up because I love it. 
I love the fact that I really am limited to a roll of film. 
I love the fact that I can go and stand in a red room for a few hours and work away. 
I love printing. 
I love photographing with film. BUT, for how much longer can this continue?

I was saddened to hear that Newton Ellis the famous camera repairers in Liverpool will be shutting their doors this year. Wow. There's really not that many people left who can deal with repairing these lovely machines we still lug about. 
Yes, I know electronics can go on 'modern' cameras, but mostly camera electronics are pretty (relatively) reliable. 
Can you find anyone willing to have a go at your beloved Contax II from the 1930's these days? 
NO (or at least not very many who understand that camera). 
It's a big thinking point.

Allied with this, we have the cost of materials - yes I know it is all relative - as longterm reader and FB friend Julian said recently:

As I was a-meandering through my paternal plan chest, I came across a Silverprint catalogue, dated 2002. In it so much stuff we can no longer buy. And Silverprint - whither went they? Sniffs and gazes rheumy-eyed into the distance.

The cost of a 100 sheet box of 8 x 10 Ilford Multigrade IV RC then...
(including VAT @17.5%) is given as £38.04 crossed out, or, to you guv, £27.26.
I think the crossed out price is probably RRP and Silverprint could offer a good discount.

Putting that through the mills of https://iamkate.com/data/uk-inflation/ to compensate for inflation:
We'd expect that to be £82.17 full price, or to you guv £56.88

There's the small matter of VAT now being 20% and I really can't be bothered with the calculation to find out that it adds a couple of quid!

Going into ilfordphoto.com and checking their prices for Multigrade RC, 100 sheets of said paper comes in at £84.09, which is surprisingly close to the crossed out price with a couple of quid for the extra 2.5% VAT. Nowhere near the "to you guv" level sadly.

So basically,  Ilford MGRC is currently probably bang on the money with regard to inflation and so on. BUT, does that make it affordable? 

Well that is hard for me to judge as someone who has come to the end of their 'usable' working life - I don't earn a wage, so I don't know. 
What I do know, is that in pocket money terms, it is a huge consideration.

Bruce pointed out that Ilford Portfolio in postcard size costs me approximately 70+pence per card - that's quite a lot of money; an average session with postcards elicits 12+ images . . a not inconsiderable  amount of money for a morning's work. 
Were I to inkjet them on 'premium' Hanemuehle postcard paper I'd be well under 50p; use a different paper and I would be considerably less. 
It's quite a thought, because with my costs, stack them across the numerous film formats I use and differing paper sizes, chemicals, storage, time (and also the sheer outlay in cameras and lenses) etc, then I really am living up to that term "Luxury Photographer".

Maybe Luxury Photographer, should be replaced with Financial Masochist
And not just financial either as I am about to recount. 
Again that thorn in my side Mr Robbins has shown me a different side.

We recently had a mini-road trip to a setting we've been to before . . however this time is was dreich. And I mean proper Scots Dreich
Misty; damp; warm and cold at the same time; humidity levels through the roof; constant rain - not heavy, but a proper Scots Soaker (believe me, you need to experience it to understand that it is quite different from just 'getting wet').
 
I had the 500 C/M and 40mm Distagon; an A16 back and Panoramic Mask set . . on a tripod . . with my old Gossen Lunasix 3S and a cable release all housed in a giant shoulder bag. 
Fortunately, I had the rain cover from a Think Tank Urban Disguise on hand, for without it, my camera would have melted away to nothing
The large rain covers often supplied with most bags, are not pieces of annoying shite (as I used to think) but actually superb at stretching over a really large camera set-up.
As a counter to this, Bruce had a tripod, his Ona manbag, the D700 and 2 lenses . . . and that was it.

His camera, is a bit weather sealed - not up to modern standards but good enough. 
He didn't seem particularly worried is what I shall say, whereas I was completely paranoid about trying to stay dry. 
As for my stuff . . well, when I got home this is what I had to do:
Lens off then take the camera apart: remove hood; remove Acute Matte; clean water marks off of mirror where the rain had funnelled through; thoroughly dry camera body including removing wind-on crank to remove water which had seeped behind it.
Film back: kitchen towel dry; remove film; remove insert; remove dark slide; pop whole lot in Ziplock bag with silica. 
Lens: kitchen towel off the worst of the moisture; remove hood; filter; dry threads of both; pop lens into large Ziplock bag with silica in it for four days . . . and twiddle thrumbs.
You get the drift. 
And of course the shoulder bag was soaked too with no cover. 
Tripod - saturated, so: set, fully erect in a warmish room for a couple of days . . . 
Finally, reassemble camera and lens only to discover that you've just fired the lens before mounting it on the camera and have encountered for the first time the Hasselblad lock-up.
Look up how to sort it - quite simple really with a good long screwdriver and some care.
Breath at last.
So, nothing short of a pain in the arse really. 
Although his lenses got wet too, I don't think they got quite a soaking as mine did. 
And I bet he didn't have to take his camera apart!

This being said, it was an experience and has given me a number of pointers to situations like that in the future. But at the end of the day I could have brought home the same bacon with his set-up.
That is quite a consideration.

The film was FP4+ developed in Pyrocat-HD. 
I printed the images on 11¾ x 8¼ paper; the image size is 10½ x 5¼". 
They look good and I am happy with them, but like I say, I could have achieved the same with much less
I will say (amazing what experience can teach us) is that the nominal 6x3cm image size of the panoramic mask using this film (and camera) combo, is probably as good as I could have achieved with a 6x12cm back on a view camera. 
Had I been in the same circumstances with just a field camera and a 6x12 back, I simply wouldn't have bothered getting anything out of the bag. It is as simple as that.

Anyway, here's the images.


Hasselblad 40mm CF/FLE Distagon,Hasselblad 500 C/M,Ilford FP4,Pyrocat HD,Hasselblad Panoramic Adapter,Analog Photography,Analogue Photography,© Phil Rogers,Ilford MGRC Pearl,



Hasselblad 40mm CF/FLE Distagon,Hasselblad 500 C/M,Ilford FP4,Pyrocat HD,Hasselblad Panoramic Adapter,Analog Photography,Analogue Photography,© Phil Rogers,Ilford MGRC Pearl,



Hasselblad 40mm CF/FLE Distagon,Hasselblad 500 C/M,Ilford FP4,Pyrocat HD,Hasselblad Panoramic Adapter,Analog Photography,Analogue Photography,© Phil Rogers,Ilford MGRC Pearl,



Hasselblad 40mm CF/FLE Distagon,Hasselblad 500 C/M,Ilford FP4,Pyrocat HD,Hasselblad Panoramic Adapter,Analog Photography,Analogue Photography,© Phil Rogers,Ilford MGRC Pearl,



Hasselblad 40mm CF/FLE Distagon,Hasselblad 500 C/M,Ilford FP4,Pyrocat HD,Hasselblad Panoramic Adapter,Analog Photography,Analogue Photography,© Phil Rogers,Ilford MGRC Pearl,


Strangely, looking at them as scanned objects make them look better to my weird eyes.
But where does this lead me?
Remember what I said about bollocks up above?
Well, Bruce has proved to me that in modern terms, using something that is, in actual digital terms, as dead as a Dodo (and if you are careful and ACTUALLY KNOW WHAT YOU'RE DOING) then you can produce work that stands up with anything. 
I hope he writes a post about this, because the prints are really good - I was impressed. 

As for l'il ol' me, well, despite the obvious merits and pocket money friendly benefits of squirting (inkjet printing) I shall probably carry on printing with gritted teeth. 
One thing is for certain though. I want to print a fibre-based archive and that means 10 x 8" WILL HAVE TO BE my maximum paper size. 
I simply can't justify paying £95 for a box of 50 sheets of 9.5 x 12". 
Of course if anyone would like to send me some larger fibre paper, I will happily receive it and send you back an archival Sheephouse print of your choice 😄 

As another aside though . . who prints 20 x 16" in fibre these days? 
Its current price is £256 for 50 sheets - that's a fiver a print, plus very quickly exhausted chemicals . . and the sheer space involved to deal with the prints.
If the shitake hits the fan as I think is going to happen, I can imagine that the larger paper sizes will go first.
There really can't be many people doing big ones now . . surely?
But if you are out there (and you're reading this) my hat is tipped to you - you're both brave and masterful (and either professional or quite a bit well-off).

Anyway, that's quite enough from me for another post - if you've been reading for as long as some of you have, Bless You. If you're new to this malarkey, Bless You Too.

I am now off for a haul around town, sporting (wait for it) .  . the Sony A6000 and 16-50mm OSS E kit lens. Bruce said I'd probably get more out of it, if I put as much care into using it as I do with a film camera. 
Personally I can't see it, but we shall see.
The older I get, the more I think, Feck it . .WHY NOT?
Over and Oot.
H xx



Tuesday, February 13, 2024

The Whole Of The Moon

Morning folks - I've been thinking lately about what happens when we reach, say £10 for a 120 roll of FP4+. It's a frightening prospect isn't it? 
Though in reality we've been on £10 rolls of film for a while now, and I have started to ask myself what sort of justification both Kodak and Harman can make for, for instance:

TMY 400 - 120 Roll - on average £11

Ilford SFX 120 - on average £14.

You see, I understand costs have gone up - everything from energy to raw materials to wages - I do understand
However when you are pricing your main products (duh . . film) beyond the reach of a lot of people, then I think you need to sit down and have a rethink.


Luxury Photographer©,© Phil Rogers,© Phil Rogers Dundee,Ilford,Kodak,Analog Photography,Analogue Photography,Black And White Printing,
Frozen Out
Manufacturers Beware

I have recently been described as a "luxury photographer" in that I use film exclusively.
Well, I do.  
I get no enjoyment from digital, so I use film and I print it in my own darkroom. 
I'm also VERY fortunate, in that last year I was gifted a lot of outdated film and paper and I worked my way around its losses in speed and grade to produce very decent prints. 
I've printed more recently than I have ever printed purely because of that . . . and trying to produce 20x16" prints in a darkroom not much wider than the average understairs cupboard has been as much a challenge as it has been total fun
However, I haven't had to pay for this stuff - I have operated on a freebie basis all through the cost of living crisis - thanks to the extreme generosity of a friend.

The thing is though, now, rather than spending my pocket money on a nice new (old) camera or some useful filters, I am starting to think:

STOCK UP.

The one big thing the film I was gifted has shown me, is that despite all the online claims of being able to squeeze out something useful for ever, film will eventually 'go off'. 
I had some Tri-X that was so old that it was in a paper wrapper. It was fogged to feckery. 
Weirdly, TMY 400 which expired in 2009 was (and is) fine, but TMX 100 which expired in 1990 was pretty gubbed. 
Agfapan 25 from some very distant point in time was really fine, whereas Pan F, 10 years out, was fairly dull. 
When I am describing their states, I don't mean they're unusable, just that you couldn't use them for mission critical work. 
Stuff that is a few years out of date seems to be OK unless it is Ilford and then you might be struck by the dreaded mottle, which seems to strike completely randomly, even on film which expired in 2022! My own stock (roughly 100 sheets) of 2006 expired Kodak TXP320 which has been kept cool, is fine, but in the end I know entropy will get it.


Luxury Photographer©,© Phil Rogers,© Phil Rogers Dundee,Ilford,Kodak,Analog Photography,Analogue Photography,Black And White Printing,
A small part of it!


As for paper - Multigrade from over 10 or even 20 years ago, drops a couple of grades - yes, you can compensate, but I find myself regularly printing on Grade 3.5 or 4.5 and I'll tell you truthfully - it can be a complete fecker to deal with! 
Graded (such as Ilfospeed) seems to last a very long time indeed, as does a lot of old Agfa paper.

So why stock up?
Well, it ain't getting any cheaper. 
That's my entire argument. 
Nothing ever reduces in price. 
I remember when a roll of SFX was about £4 and it seemed extortionate then . . add on an extra tenner and I am glad I bought 20 rolls for £30 from the late-lamented Silverprint! It's all frozen too. 
There's a lot to be said for pleading with your partner for freezer space and filling a couple of clip-top hermetic boxes with film.

Paper though is a different matter, unless you can afford to run a small chest freezer, but even then, you can mitigate entropy in buying say Graded paper (if you can find it - Ilfospeed is being discontinued as we speak) and storing it as cool as you can. 
In the giftings I received last year, was a box of 12x16" Grade 2 Ilfospeed, "at least 10 years old" (actually, probably nearer to 20!) and it prints like a champ. 
Any loss of speed on a graded paper can be mitigrated by brewing your own Dr. Beers developer - that'll grab you at least another grade if you're careful.

So I think that is what I am going to do - take the defensive position. 
I really don't want to, but once I've retired I've got on average, what? about 20 years whist I can still be bothered to do any of this.
There's other casualties in the defensive mode too - I'm sorry for Kodak, because as a life-long Kodak user, I stopped using their film after the Alaris revamp simply because of their need to make money on the investment that buying a bankrupt company entails.
As you'll no doubt know Kodak film became almost entirely unaffordable overnight. And I now find myself driven the same way with their chemicals (indeed, if you can get them - Selenium seems to have been out of stock for a long time and the same with Polymax developer) they're pricing a loyal customer (and very regular user) out of the park! 
And I am not the only one.

I'm now finding myself in a similar situation with re-stocking photographic paper when this lot runs out. My dream of printing an archive of my 6x6 negatives at an image size of 8" x 8" on 9.5 x 12" FIBRE paper (it looks great) is fast disappearing down the swanny at a current cost for 50 sheets of somewhere in the mid-90 pounds (that's £95 for 50 sheets - yes you did read that right.)
If I wanted to do the same on Ilford's premium RC paper (Portfolio - it really IS lovely stuff and easy to use, but at the end of the day it is only a resin coated paper) then I would be exactly the same price
Portfolio in postcard size (10x15cm) is nearing £70 for 100 sheets!
Even a box of 100 sheets of bog standard 10x8" MG Fibre is around £130
You really DO NOT want to make any mistakes (surely the way that ALL beginnners learn) at £1.30 a sheet. 
Align that with:

"I have just cut a sheet of paper that cost £1.30 into quite a number of bits for test strips . . . GROAAAN!". 

And when you start thinking like that, you start (EVEN AS A PASSIONATE, EXPERIENCED AND COMMITTED DARKROOM WORKER) to think:

What the fuck is the point?

Trust me, the major producers are running a very tight line of:

Affordability vs. Fckck it, it's too expensive.

I would warrant that a lot of consistent Ilford (et al) shooters are of the, how shall we say, old git variety
You know, Mesdames et Messieurs like us. 
You started in 1970's or '80's and you still enjoy it
Maybe you have a darkroom, maybe you don't, but no matter what, the process of taking photographs is as much a part of you as breathing and no matter how advanced digital photography has come along, there's still nothing better than that release of the shutter, with some, but in reality little, idea of exactly how something is going to come out. 
You still buy film because you always have and you think you will, for as long as you can see clearly, and even then (like Bruce from T.O.D.) an autofocus Nikkor can help things along nicely.
In other words you are a KEY Ilford (et al) customer.

Yes, there's always the younger photographer . . the "Analog Revolution" (sic), but even then, factor in the cost of film against say, housing costs or trying to keep a young family above the tide line . . . well . . . see what I mean. 
The term Luxury Photographer has never been more apt.

For my own generation, despite what people think, we're really not all well off. 
Not by any means. 
A large chunk of us boomers are either on pensions or heading towards that phase of our lives on a lick and a promise - no tasty personal pension in place; maybe cut adrift from your work above the age of 60 and little chance of finding more because of the endemic ageism in society (it is there - trust me on that one too); on benefits or slipped between the cracks.
Yet there's one thing we want to do.

What's that Simpkins? C'mon lad, spit it out . . louder, so the whole class can hear you!
 
We want to take more pictures! 

And more importantly:

WE WANT TO BE ABLE TO AFFORD TO TAKE MORE PICTURES.

I want to make more prints and I want to be able to afford that for as long as I am able to lift a Beard Easel, so it is really hard coming smack up against the profitability vs. affordability thing.

Mark my words, I reckon when we get to the £10 roll of FP4+ some people will throw in the towel. 
£100 for 10 rolls of film - CAN YOU IMAGINE????

Yes there is of course Foma and numerous fly-by-night names out there (operating at a price slightly below, but in reality not that much different from the big ones) and good luck to them, but the thing I have found, certainly with Foma film (not the chemicals or paper) is a bit of a lack of Quality Control. I remember walking for many miles, taking a 5x4 camera with me and DDS's with Foma 100, taking some pictures, developing them, only to discover the emulsion was scored and pock-marked. 
GREAT QC is why I like Ilford and why I liked Kodak. Although, then again look at the mottle issue.
Kentmere as an Ilford brand is top-notch stuff btw.

What I would say to all manufacturers of film and paper and chemicals is this:

PLEASE - YOU NEED US JUST LIKE WE NEED YOU

We your customers understand the costs, but you also have to understand our costs - the current inflationary position of the world hits both sides of the coin. 
If we can't afford to buy your products, then YOU DIE. 
It really is as simple as that. 


Luxury Photographer©,© Phil Rogers,© Phil Rogers Dundee,Ilford,Kodak,Analog Photography,Analogue Photography,Black And White Printing,
I would never have bothered normally
 but it was 'free' so why not?!


I have found myself perusing my old archives recently, chucking out tons of shitty prints and thinking, actually, is there any point to this other than I enjoy doing it? 
Will anything ever be left, or discovered down the line? 
I doubt it. 
So if that is the case, is there actually any point in me spending a VERY large part of my disposable income on something that is akin to a dead end? 
If it were cheaper, I'd think feck it and keep on!
But when you sit down and factor in a lovely 8x8" image on fibre 9.5 x 12" paper all toned and everything, and then add in the pre-parts of that:
Camera; film; time; chemicals for processing; storage; enlarger; lens and darkroom equipment; paper chemicals; and finally archival storage, I think you must be heading towards at the very least £6 a print! 
And when you get to that . . well. why not just go digital? It's a shitload cheaper!
But like I said I don't like digital, so when I get to the point where this is getting financially crippling I might start to think:

God that's a massive wall of unaffordability I am heading down this hill towards . . I'm going to put on the brakes now, jump out of this vehicle and head uphill to where the sun is shining and I can enjoy a bottle of wine without thinking, gosh, that was around the price of ONE print.

It is a sobering thought (or it should be if you're a consumables manufacturer) that even someone like me (a core customer) with two really great enlargers (a DeVere 504 and a Meopta Magnifax) a decent selection of great lenses and all the gear and the passion to use it, is starting to think twice,
Thinking that the financial viability of what is really just a hobby; certainly a pastime that I love, but a pastime all the same, is headed towards the shitter. 

I chanced upon a chat with the illustrator Keith Walker today - you'll not know him, but if you read Commando comic from around the number 500, you'll definitely know his work; he said:

"What could be cheaper than a pencil and a bit of paper?"

and he's absolutely right. 
When I was small my hobbies were drawing and calligraphy - they cost peanuts . . . I'd hate to say I can feel them coming on again, but being a creative person I have to do something
If this continues I can see that happening. 
Really!

Anyway, I know nobody "up top" will read this, but I think, as a community, we REALLY need to talk about it. 
It's simple - if people stop using film because it becomes too expensive and manufacturers find themselves in a vicious circle of lower production and higher prices, what happens to the value of say your M6, or your collection of working Barnacks, or your Hasselblads, or your superb (but dead-ended) specialist cameras like a Fuji or Linhof 6x17 pano? 
Even the plain-Jane K1000s or Nikon Fs? 
They'll just become worthless lumps of metal and glass consigned to display cabinets.
You're talking about the collapse of a (albeit small) part of a profound, life-changing art-form. Yeah the digital stuff will continue, but it ain't the same . . well it's not to me.
This is serious stuff.

It's worse than that though, because I think the traditional 'wet' darkroom will kick the bucket first. 
Darkroom-based photographic print-making is heading the same way as the Dodo. 
I can see it almost gone in 10 years time.
Who do you know that prints?
I go to a Photography Forum every month, and of the average of 20-25 regulars, there's about two of us. And if I can't afford to . . . . well, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to work that one out . . .

I learned my craft on Ilfobrom and Kentmere Bromide (they were as cheap as chips) before heading up to the heady delights of Galerie. 
But even then with the incredible tutelage of Joe McKenzie I made a lot of mistakes. 
We all did
It was part of the learning curve, but the mistakes were affordable, not eye-watering
I was able to hone my craft at an early age on a student grant! 
It's been a gift that has repaid me in spades over the years, but I was only able to do it because the stuff was relatively cheap . . though still a (small) luxury!

Things have got to change before it really is too late.

Over and oot . . . you ain't seen me . . . right?
H xx








Tuesday, January 30, 2024

Mottley Crue

Morning folks - hope you are all feeling chipper, chopper and wearing your chaps, because Spring is coming! 
Up here in the nether-regions, the nights are starting to get lighter, as in you no longer have to shut the curtains at 3 pm.

Today's post is a tale of woe regarding the dread Ilford Mottle. 
You'll know about this, so I'll not bore you to death, however were you aware that you can sort of skirt around it, simply by changing what you photograph? 
Yeah, I sort of went WTF when I realised it too.


Ilford Mottle,Mamiya C330F,Mamiya Sekor-S 80mm,Pyrocat-HD,Fomadon R09 1+50,© Phil Rogers,Dundee,



Regular readers will know that I have often been regaled by a certain Mr. Bruce Robbins of The Online Darkroom with regard to the fact that I "don't take landscapes with horizons". And you know what? it is true. 
Maybe I've been mottled for a long time given my propensity for having a ton of ancient film hanging around, however, taking the sort of subject matter I take, I can honestly say I've never really noticed it.

It did however come to light recently when I used a roll of Pan F that was older than Methusula . . but I'd used other rolls from the same batch and they had been fine, so imagine my surprise when examining the negatives that there was more mottle on them than a basketful of dalmation puppies! 
I know, you've all gone "Aaaahhhhhh" and cuddled yourself into your jammies and all that and are now thinking about kittens and puppies skipping through fields of daisies playing hide and seek.
Enter the CRUE - feck me, it was horrible: 

A lovely super high contrast shot of a weird graveyard beset by floating alien landers descending in their multitudes. 

Wonderful skyscapes filled with a balloon-fest! 

Sunlit walls covered with blobs of chewing gum. 

You name it, it had it in spades . . . EXCEPT for the shadows. 
You see it only seems to affect the most exposed areas, or rather, it is most apparent in the areas that have had the most exposure; namely anything even-toned like skies or water or sunlit walls. 
Anything in shadow, and even scenes that are nothing but shadow, that is, say, landscapes in woodland, or with some sort of cover, actually seemed to be OK.

My second interaction with the horror of The CRUE was a few weeks back. 

A loch that was nearly totally frozen- it was incredible. 
The ice was beautiful, the stuff that was frozen into place was beautiful. 
I had the Mamiya C330F with me, and was berrating the fact I only had the standard 80mm, but in reality this saved most of my film, because I was forced into a close-view situation rather than my choice of wider views. 
Compositions were tight and often involved homing in on areas that were not evenly toned. 
It still got me of course, ruining a few frames that I really wanted to print. 
But the one image - probably my favourite landscape picture I have ever taken, was untouched and that was because it was 'broken' enough in the lighter areas - i.e. there was enough going on to totally confuse the eye from seeing blobs. 
Plus, there was a large chunk of darkness in it. And remember a Zone III shadow, doesn't really seem to show it at all. 

Now this is all well and good saying, "Only use Ilford film to take pictures of shadow areas" - of course that's preposterous; however in my case and in the case of the older films I have (about 15 ancient, bog standard Ilford) I think I am going to have to think every time I press the shutter
This is a hell of a nuisance, though remember I don't take normal landscape pictures so who knows.

The thing I would say about the mottle is that it operates under no rhyme or reason. 
The HP5 (expired October 2022)  I used on the ice shots came from a batch of 10,  8 of which have been perfect
The Pan F came from a batch of 5; 3 of which have been perfect for such ancientness
Given that the rolls are foil-sealed, the only way the 'moisture' explanation can have occured is its presence in the paper during manufacture. 
But that still doesn't explain why films from the same batches, stored in exactly the same way, can turn out quite differently
Nor does it explain why high-toned areas are affected whilst dark-toned ones barely seem to be.

You could go out of your nut thinking about this, but what can you do?
Using film is an operation of trust. 
We trust manufacturers (and kudos to Ilford when I told them about my problems, they were nothing but BRILLIANT) - but photographing is a complex and hope-based thing at the best of times. 
You know: film badly loaded in a reel; off chemicals; bad handling etc etc, but to add to that mix the possibility that what you are using isn't up to snuff . . well . . bring on the straight-jackets.

I now have quite a stash of newer (expires 2025) film - FP4 - lots of it. Plus some  . . . cough . . . Tri-X that I got for the bargain price of £6.40 a roll (I do like it in 120) so I shall put those aside and use my older films first, but only in situations where I am lurking in the shadows, tinkering with my grusset.

Anyway, here's a few pics - the Pan F ones were processed with Fomadon R09 - a very reliable developer; the HP5 ones were developed in Pyrocat-HD  - a good combo too.
 
The icy prints were on extraordinarily old Ilford MGRC (if my box image matching abilities are correct I'd say around the year 2000). 
I simply have to print at Grade 4 with this because at anything less than that it is simply M.U.D. 
But on Grade 4 it looks good - I've got about another 75 sheets of 9.5 x 12" to use, then I'll have to start buying some!

The Alien Attack Pan F pics are extreme enlargements from the contact print, simply because I didn't want to waste any paper printing them! Please excuse the quality. Also please note I wanted to try and make something dreamy out of very ordinary scenery, so added in a deep red filter to make an already contrasty film even more contrasty!

Anyway, HP5+ first:


Ilford Mottle,Mamiya C330F,Mamiya Sekor-S 80mm,Pyrocat-HD,Fomadon R09 1+50,© Phil Rogers,Dundee,



Ilford Mottle,Mamiya C330F,Mamiya Sekor-S 80mm,Pyrocat-HD,Fomadon R09 1+50,© Phil Rogers,Dundee,



Ilford Mottle,Mamiya C330F,Mamiya Sekor-S 80mm,Pyrocat-HD,Fomadon R09 1+50,© Phil Rogers,Dundee,



Ilford Mottle,Mamiya C330F,Mamiya Sekor-S 80mm,Pyrocat-HD,Fomadon R09 1+50,© Phil Rogers,Dundee,



Ilford Mottle,Mamiya C330F,Mamiya Sekor-S 80mm,Pyrocat-HD,Fomadon R09 1+50,© Phil Rogers,Dundee,


What appears to be 'ice granules' in some of these are in fact mottles - they're most obvious on the last pic of Neil (I accidentally fired the shutter and moved the tripod at the same time and at the wrong speed . . the streaks are Bromide Drag, but the mottling is obvious on his coat) and the one before it with the frozen, sunken jetty.

And now for Pan F Alien Attack:


Ilford Mottle,Mamiya C330F,Mamiya Sekor-S 80mm,Pyrocat-HD,Fomadon R09 1+50,© Phil Rogers,Dundee,



Ilford Mottle,Mamiya C330F,Mamiya Sekor-S 80mm,Pyrocat-HD,Fomadon R09 1+50,© Phil Rogers,Dundee,



Ilford Mottle,Mamiya C330F,Mamiya Sekor-S 80mm,Pyrocat-HD,Fomadon R09 1+50,© Phil Rogers,Dundee,



Ilford Mottle,Mamiya C330F,Mamiya Sekor-S 80mm,Pyrocat-HD,Fomadon R09 1+50,© Phil Rogers,Dundee,



Ilford Mottle,Mamiya C330F,Mamiya Sekor-S 80mm,Pyrocat-HD,Fomadon R09 1+50,© Phil Rogers,Dundee,

Och well, them's the breaks as they say - annoying to say the least, especially when the combination of weather and sunshine and shadows is not repeatable again this year . . . . 

As an amendum to this, I shot another roll of the mottled Pan F (same batch number and expiry) and it was FINE
Hmmmmmmmmmmm. 
Basically the whole thing is a shit show.

Anyway, that's it - hope it doesn't affect you, but remember, if you've any doubts, get into some dense undergrowth without any sky and start tinkering with your grussets* - you know it makes sense!

That's all for now.
H xx

* You'll need to listen to Kenneth Williams' "Rambling Syd Rumpo In Concert" for this to make any sense.

Monday, November 06, 2023

Last Post

OK folks - don't spill yer coffee. 
It very nearly was The Last Post too, due to some very strange error messages on my Mac. 
It's pretty old, and have you seen the price of a new one these days? 
Anyway two days down the line and a reinstallation of the operating system, everything seems fine . . phew.

Anyway, I'll preface this post with a wise old saw from my old mate Ian 'Unter, of Mott The Hoople.

"Contrary to what various people say, this is the best possible form of music that there ever was, just this . . "


© Phil Rogers, Dundee, Ilford Portfolio, Postcards,Analog Photography,Black And White Printing,Darkroom,


Regular readers of FB will know that I've struggled with formats over the years and this year has been the craziest courtesy of a couple of people - a certain Mr. Robbins of this parish who loaned me (amongst other things) a long-time lustable (the Mamiya Press [6x9]) and a friend at the forum who asked me whether I could reseal his Mamiya RZ (6x7) - a complete 3 lens, 3 back, AE finder etc etc kit! It is still here. I also did his OM4Ti (35mm) for him too . . . .

Sheephouse Turrets has been awash with cameras, from a Rollei Old Standard (6x6) the above two, various lenses, a new (old) Canon L2 (35mm) and a new (old) Mamiya C330F (6x6). 
It's quite bonkers - there's around 20 useable film cameras in the house and I find myself ever drawn to the old faves - my Hasseblads (6x6 and 645) and Nikons (35mm). 
Don't ask about the LF stuff (5x4") - I've enough film to last my lifetime and zero enthusiasm for lugging two and a half tons of gear anywhere at the moment.

The funny thing is, I would say it has probably been the most photographically active year of my life too, which has been great.
That has come courtesy of two things - the DCA Forum which forces me to produce something every month; it's not like they have me in a straightjacket or anything, but being nearly the ONLY ambassador for the DARK (room) ARTS, I feel I have to keep the side up. 
The other thing is The Thursday Occasional Club, where Mr. Robbins and I head out into the wilds of this 'ere neck of the woods.
It's a day of talk, laughter, great company, cameras, film, and (to me) a feeling that we're almost like the last two Neanderthals in a world of Homo Sapiens.
 
Despite the 'analog revolution' how many people do you know that use film? 
My answer to that is very very few.
Even in Brussels on holiday - a city that isn't exactly quiet - I spotted ONE Pentax ME. 
And that is it. 
Maybe we all come out at night . . I dunno, but it does feel to me that the world is getting smaller.

To this end (game) I've been thinking:

"What the fuck is going to happen to all this stuff when I pop my clogs?"

And it's not just the ever increasing 'burden' of camera stuff, it is (to my mind) THE WHOLE POINT OF DOING THIS
To wit:

THE PRINT

Y'see I find myself thinking a lot about how in another 20 years, I really could either be pushing up the daisies or can't be arsed to go through the lengthy and increasingly punishingly expensive process of (ahem) "traditional photographic practice".
To wit (yet again) so what happens to my 'legacy' (as it were) of decades of printing . . will I be bothered to care about it, or, on a darker note - how do the people that I leave behind, deal with it?
 
Bet you've never thought that before

But you will, and hopefully now you will be concerned, because you have put so much effort and skill into this whole creative effort, producing these smallish bits of time and paper which are a total reflection of your personality, that it really has to mean more in the great scheme of things than meeting an acrimonious end in a skip.


© Phil Rogers, Dundee, Ilford Portfolio, Postcards,Analog Photography,Black And White Printing,Darkroom,
London Circa 1965.

Oh I know, photos survive - I was reminded of this recently when I uncovered a photograph of my recently departed sister with our family friend AJ. 
Maggie was about 14 and on her arm is the biggest fecking parrot you've ever seen. 
It's a family photograph and was a surprise to her daughters who had never seen it before. 
Family stuff tends to survive, albeit in an incredibly truncated version - and that is fine, because something will hopefully sail onwards. 
But creative stuff - that's a whole different kettle of fish - who wants it? More to the point, who is interested? 
Well, if you're a well-known photographer, someone somewhere is probably prepared to store it in perpetuity (and even more so if they can monetise it!)
But if you're a smalltown, Joe Soap (like me) who produces interesting (to my eyes) work that no one knows about . . . well . . the future is quite bleak. 
It's a fact, that despite all these well-meaning bits of nostalgia (like the 'return' to film and indeed LPs) the world is ever-increasingly becoming less grounded in physical stuff.

At the start of the year I thought:

I know, I'll print at 9.5 x 12" and store them in archival sleeves and that way someone at some point will think they have some worth rather than just chucking them.

But then, you're casting forward a huge burden of responsibilty on future generations, and, again, who's to say they'll be interested, or even have the space?

It's hard isn't it.

Please excuse me whilst I grab a cup of tea.

Certainly, printing at that larger size suits Medium Format.
There's no two ways about it, an 8x8" image on that size of paper screams gravitas (and also looks beautiful if you have been careful).
But the 35mm stuff . . yeah. 
Well . . . 

And so with much chin-scratching did I realise that the vast quantity of 35mm stuff I have, was destined to remain forever just a tiny, squinty thing on a contact print, which is ridiculous when you think about it!
I've got a daft number of 35mm cameras and lenses and I don't even consider myself a 35mm photographer! 
I've got thousands of 35mm images, which, whilst pretty stupid looking on a contact, surely must have meant something to me, in that I actually took a photograph of them.

The Medium and Large Format stuff is easy to deal with. The worthwhile, printable images are all too easily visible (though of course you can revisit at a later point and something might catch your eye that you didn't consider in the beginning) but 35mm stuff?
Well if you were to print everything you fancied printing, at sizes like 8x10" or even 5x7" you're still creating a VAST amount of burdeny-stuff. 
That's a new phrase btw - B-S.

It's a prickly pear isn't it man-cub?

Let me rewind a bit to a recent trip Brussels.

WTF Sheepy are you off on one again?

Well yes, y'see I discovered (well actually he's been there a few years) a most wonderful shop. 
It is called Avec Plaizier. 
You can find their Instagram here

We've been in his shop before, but this time (on a chucking wet morning) with a Canon L2/35mm LTM Nikkor around my neck and a subcutaneous feeling that there was little point in me carrying it, all of a sudden I had a revelation.
And it literally did land with a massive CLONK in my head.

Postcards


© Phil Rogers, Dundee, Ilford Portfolio, Postcards,Analog Photography,Black And White Printing,Darkroom,


My goodness it was so obvious. 
All those years of weird pictures - print postcards
They're small (ostensibly 6x4" but in these metric days 10x15cm) but they're handleable in a way that even the smallest arty print isn't.
There's no bull with a postcard. 
You're not handling it with kid gloves; it's there to serve a purpose. 
Yes it will get damaged, written on and (if fulfilling its destiny) will travel somewhere and end up as a skidder under a posties shoe, or (hopefully) ultimately be pinned to a noticeboard or attached to a fridge, or even end up framed. But the thing is, it is out there, like some subversive entity, disseminating your mad view of the world and passing through the hands of others.

I was in such as fever as to be nearly breathless.


© Phil Rogers, Dundee, Ilford Portfolio, Postcards,Analog Photography,Black And White Printing,Darkroom,


OK, back to reality and an order to place - I was determined. 
Not many places stock that size of paper, and indeed as far as I can see, my only choices are Ilford MGRC and FB and Ilford Portfolio. 
Harman don't even produce it as Kentmere; see what I mean about the world getting smaller?
Years back every manufacturer produced it. 

Biting the (expensive) bullet I ordered some Portfolio from Process Supplies (who I love by the way - a proper old-school, knowledgable company [who else would tell you that Ilfospeed is now discontinued and they're running down stocks?]). 
Incredibly with Portfolio, you're nearly 70 pence a sheet for this size. 
I will say though, never having tried it before, gosh it is good. 
It's pretty stiff and will dry relatively flat though that is dependent on relative humidity - mine developed a temporary bow on a very very wet weekend, but it returned to nearly normal after. 
The emulsion is the same as Ilford MG, this meant I could produce ad-hoc test strips with my Kentmere paper as there was no way I was cutting a sheet of this stuff up.
I also decided, seeing as I really want these small worlds to last, that I'd double fix and selenium tone them. 
Quite a lot of work for something so small, but you know what, I feel it is worth it.

Gosh, you can even get Secol postcard sleeves (and acid free rummage boxes) to protect your masterworks too.

Of course, being postcards you can print as many as you like - once you've nailed the original print, make notes on the back, and that is your reference. Store it safely if you want, but if you want to bang out 10 copies of the same thing you can easily do so. Traditional photography, is, after all, a semi-industrial process!
As a size, 10x15 is a cinch to handle. 
5x7" trays and you're laughing. 
What could be easier?

Anyway, here's a selection of some of my more, how shall we say, esoteric photographs. 
I trimmed the borders off for the scans, but for all of the actual cards, I am using a border of 5mm Left and Right, and 4.5mm Top and Bottom. 
My lovely old (gifted) Leitz easel is wonderful for this.


© Phil Rogers, Dundee, Ilford Portfolio, Postcards,Analog Photography,Black And White Printing,Darkroom,



© Phil Rogers, Dundee, Ilford Portfolio, Postcards,Analog Photography,Black And White Printing,Darkroom,



© Phil Rogers, Dundee, Ilford Portfolio, Postcards,Analog Photography,Black And White Printing,Darkroom,



© Phil Rogers, Dundee, Ilford Portfolio, Postcards,Analog Photography,Black And White Printing,Darkroom,



© Phil Rogers, Dundee, Ilford Portfolio, Postcards,Analog Photography,Black And White Printing,Darkroom,



© Phil Rogers, Dundee, Ilford Portfolio, Postcards,Analog Photography,Black And White Printing,Darkroom,



© Phil Rogers, Dundee, Ilford Portfolio, Postcards,Analog Photography,Black And White Printing,Darkroom,



© Phil Rogers, Dundee, Ilford Portfolio, Postcards,Analog Photography,Black And White Printing,Darkroom,


As this is a work in progress (and seeing as Ilford stopped printing the Postcard stuff on the back of them) I still haven't physically trialled one in the postal system yet, but I intend to. 
You get proper 'PostCard' rubber stamps and a wealth of archival inks to rub them up with - I've got one on my Christmas list.

Maybe Portfolio is too much?
It would probably be cheaper producing them with an inkjet, but I don't own one, so for the moment . . . anyway, I just like printing, so I'm not going to let a squirter spoil my fun.
I'll maybe get some Ilford MGRC and try that too and see what happens.

Anyway, I can report that to me they are a success and have a lovely uniformity to them which I've always felt was lacking in any 35mm prints I've ever made. 
It is a new way forward and I do believe I will adhere to it.

Give it a go if you can - they look (AND FEEL) really good . . honest.

Until the next time, TTFN and remember to be kind to that old man stuck up your chimney.
H xx