Showing posts with label Kodak Polymax. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Kodak Polymax. Show all posts

Friday, March 15, 2019

A Good Sesh


For the uninitiated in Dundee drinking culture, a "sesh" is basically a large amount of time spent down the pub. It's nothing like it used to be, but certainly does happen.
Maybe the same word is used elsewhere in Scotland . . . I know not. My drinking life began here - you'd need to speak to my pal Tzchic (NOT Chic, it's got a hard glottal 'k' on the end) about the niceties of what it was like back in the day. Quite something by all accounts, and maybe somewhat sadly for a balanced culture, the people he sesshed with are nearly all long gone . . . but that's another story or three (over a few pints).

Anyway, so, there I was, with a hillwalk planned, and  typically, I go on the MWIS site, and what do I find for the Angus Glens?

"White-out down to glen level".

Great.
So I called that one off - it is pointless risking things like that - the long and winding road to Glen Doll can be challenging when it is dry, so in a snowstorm, well, you're more than likely to run off the edge (there's no snow posts) or hit one of the massive ruts that are starting to appear.
(Not sure where anyone is in the country that reads this, but Tayside and Angus has some of the most shocking roads I have ever encountered, and they're only getting worse . . I think our next runabout should be a tractor or a Sherman tank actually.)

Anyway, no hillwalk, so . . .
Plan B?
Yeah, head over to Fife and do the rail bridge from the other side . . so there I was, ready to go, everything packed, and what happens, yep, just as the weather reports predicted, the sleet turned to proper big snow flakes bang on time for me leaving.
Allied to the shiteness of the conditions, the thought of operating a largish camera in freezing (or sub-zero) conditions is definitely not my idea of fun.
I got the message, turned tail, said feck it, AND HIT THE DARKROOM.

In hindsight, this was a sensible move!

A GOOD SESH



I've had a plan to do a bunch of 35mm prints for a while - I tend to stick to one format when printing simply because it's a mini-faff to change the lens and lens plates on the DeVere  - so, it was out with the Vivitar 100mm and in with the modernish 50mm f2.8 Nikkor in a recessed plate.
I gathered a bunch of negatives from my files (and their contact prints to keep me right) popped into the darkroom and off I went.

Oh and I forgot to mention - having been desperate (but time poor) to print on fibre paper for quite a while now, I thought:

Well, it's snowing - you've got the whole day you old fart . . get on with it.

So I looked out some ancient, and I mean ancient fibre-based paper.

Adox Vario-Classic.

It's so old it was discontinued in 2009 (!) and I'd had it a year or two when it was discontinued, so that makes it around 12 years old - not the most ideal of circumstances for the making of (hopefully) fine prints.
I wondered how contrast would be, so cleaned a negative, shoved it in the carrier and did a test strip on bog standard, un-filtered, nominal Grade 2..

Adox Vario Classic
Unfiltered Grade 2.
Exposure in 4 second increments.


And you know what . . well, you can see it can't you - the test strip was like looking at different gradations of a photo of a mud fish, sitting in mud, making a mud-pie . . in other words it was a tad muddy.

That's a big problem you can hit when using old papers.
Goodness knows, the way the world has gone with digital sweeping away that whole cash-cow of really, truly fine printing papers, there can't be many boxes of the old ones left any more, and those that are left well . . speak to Bruce at OD.
He has a box of Agfa MCC which is like opening a packet of grey mud inhabited by the denizens of mud city by all accounts.

I've tried the usual adding of benzotriazole to the developer and that has never worked for me - there are some workarounds on this, but to be honest, they all seem like a complete faff, when you could just go and buy a box of fresh paper.

Broadly speaking older GRADED papers, tend to survive very well if stored cool. Multigrade though can be a different matter.
Again, broadly speaking, I've found in my limited experience that old MG papers benefit from being exposed with filtration on the hard side - it just adds a tad of sparkle and lifts it above the mud.

But what about a box of paper with no instructions about filtration, and even no info at all on the web about such filtration - such was my luck with the Adox.
As far as I remember there were no such instructions when I bought it, and I seem to remember, even contacting Adox, such things weren't forthcoming, so I basically printed the majority of the box on that un-filtered Grade 2.

No wonder I never liked it!

Darkroom Life is a steep learning curve sometimes and, going on Ilford's own words, MG papers should generally be expected not to act like Graded papers . . in other words and to cut a long story short . . if you're going to use MG paper (even fresh stuff) expose hard.

As you can see from the test strip above, the natural cut of the jib of the Adox seemed to be mud - it was certainly a good deal muddier than I last remembered it and I was afraid I'd be spending a whole day producing prints that made me go 'Ugh'
So I threw caution to the wind and used the instructions for Adox MCC, dialling in an 'approximate' Grade 3 with 40 units of Magenta (in Kodak units used on the DeVere).

And . . . .


Weird Day
Nikon F, 24mm f2.9 Nikkor-N, Tri-X, Pyrocat-HD


By jingo, it worked! 
That's a pretty close Grade 3 - I was elated actually.
My 2B pencil scribbles on the back (what d'ya mean you don't do that? It keeps you right - get a good result and you have a master print to refer to should you need to make any more y'berk) read:

Adox VC, GR 3 (?) 40 M, 20 sec, f8, + 6 edges. HC 110 in developer.

Ah, the last bit - I can hear the nits jumping from your scratching.
Well, that last bit is a salient point.
I use Kodak Polymax; it's a good developer . . usually.
However, halfway through my current big bottle, I've found that solids have developed in the bottom of the bottle and any developer mixed up from it lasts around 2 sessions at the most.

In the past (and you'll laugh) when I've noticed developer/print emergement time starting to slow and not wanting to have to exit the darkroom and make up some more chemicals, I've adopted the guerilla tactic of (cue embarrassment) squirting neat developer into the tray.
What can I say.
IT WORKS, noticably upping the emergement of the image and also, to a flat image, adding a tad more contrast.
You should try it.
Anyway, there I was with the above print, and (given the high silver content of the Adox) it was taking forever, to start to cog - I think I was on near enough 4 mins - luckily I had the safelight off - but enough was enough.
I tried to squirt some Polymax into the tray and discovered the fecking solids jammed the mouth of the bottle tight!
Oh the drama, and in the dark too! 
What did squirt out, missed the tray altogether and splattered me.
And then it hit me - a thought once spotted somewhere - using Kodak's HC 110 as a paper developer.

I haven't used it as a film developer in a good few years now, but I still had some in a well-sealed air-tight bottle, and seeing as it seems to be a glycol-based developer, I thought it should still be OK, so (still in the dark) I found the bottle, whipped the top off and dumped a bit in the tray.
And it worked.
Using my wee safelight torch (Jings they're expensive these days) I saw the image proper, emerge tout suit.
I was, to say the least, chuffed.
Jabber ✔✔

Whether the HC 110 has made any difference to the tonality of the print or not, I know not, but it did bring the image to completion.

Anyway . . . extremely pleased that I'd got way more than I was expecting, I piled more meat in the mincer . . .

 . . . Next! . . .

March Of The Seed Heads
Nikon F, 24mm f2.9 Nikkor-N, FP-4, Pyrocat-HD

The eagle-eyed will have seen this one before.
It was a lovely hot day in Fife and me and t'missus were on a picnic - the seed heads looked utterly manic to me - even though they're still, there's enough movement to make them look like they're on the march.
I wish I could have got that lower bit of hedge out of the way, but that would have involved tearing my trousers on barbed wire.
I love the feeling the single-coated Nikkor has given to the scene - it is a very fine lens.

Print notes:

Adox VC, GR 3 (?) 40 M, 28 sec, f8, + 6 edges. HC 110

I was a happy bunny ✔✔ actually - spurred on, with a quick visit to the living room for a cup of java, I continued.

 . . . Next! . . .

Dreams Flow
Nikon F3, 28mm f2.8 Ai-s Nikkor, Tri-X, Pyrocat-HD

Sometimes (as seems to be my experience of 35mm) you use a whole film . . and only one image strikes you as worth printing, and such was the case with this one.
It was a heck of a windy day and me and the wee one were out for a walk in lovely Perthshire. I saw this pool coming up, dodged off the path, slipped a bit in the mud and took the photograph.
Little did I realise that the water movement, wind movement and happenstance would dress the frame in such a way as to give it a dream-like quality. 
Look at those leaves on the right bit of water . . they look like they've been carelessly strewn by a Faery Queen. 
The 28mm Nikkor has done a sterling job - pretty good levels of detail for a fast film.

Print notes:

Adox VC, GR 3 (?) 40 M, 36 sec, f8, + 6 edges. HC 110

To paraphrase Nigel Molesworth's Christmas Present list:

Happy bunny again?
Oh YUS! ✔

  . . . Next! . . .


Fay's Pool
Nikon F, 24mm f2.9 Nikkor-N, FP-4, Pyrocat-HD

Ah, the mighty Fay - I never intended to copy her, but, well what else can you do with a similar day and the same subject matter?

MY Print notes:

Adox VC, GR 3 (?) 40 M, 26 sec, f8 base, + 6 edges + 4 lower right quadrant. HC 110

And now how it should be done:

Fay Godwin, Belstane, Druidic Gathering Place, Fife
She probably wasn't using a Nikon though . . . and to be honest, her photo knocks mine into a cocked hat!

When was the last time you saw someone wearing a jaunty tifter, cocked and ready for action?
Hmmmm . . . . . thought not.

Still I wasn't going to let this put me off.

Happy ✔✔

 . . . Next! . . .


All Welcome In Europe
Nikon F3, 28mm f2.8 Ai-s Nikkor, Tri-X, Pyrocat-HD

You know, for a free standing, relatively prosperous European nation, the subject of racism isn't too far from the forefront in Belgium.
Blame it on the oldies blaming the EU for free movement; blame it on a past that saw 15 million Congolese murdered . . the sudden departure of Belgian Imperialism throwing Congo, Rwanda and Burundi into chaos . . . whatever.
The society wears its social divides on its sleeves, unless you're young, in which case you see all races mingling properly and with good nature.
It's changing slowly . . . well maybe that's stretching things a bit.

Print notes:

Adox VC, GR 3 (?) 40 M, 22 sec, f8, + 4 edges. HC 110

The poster was on a large wall behind our hotel - I quite liked the fact that all the 'blackness' had been picked away by someone with too much time and energy on their hands.
It niffed terribly of urine next to it, so maybe it was some post-beer leisure time.

Bunny ✔✔
Jabber ✔✔✔✔

 . . . Next! . . .


Does Your A-i Love You?
Nikon F3, 28mm f2.8 Ai-s Nikkor, Tri-X, Pyrocat-HD

I took this in Atomium (in Brussels - it's an extraordinary place - really, you should go - you'd have a blast!) and rather liked the fact that this mirrored surface turned everyone coming up the escalators into some strangely formed bulbous robot.
Well, you can't beat your brain for entertainment.
My poor wife stood by whilst I was doing this - I truly believe my photographic actions baffle her sometimes.

Print notes:

Adox VC, GR 3 (?) 40 M, 24 sec, f8 base, + 6 top and bottom, + 10 left and right. HC 110

Look at the contrast on that - it's got that polished stainless steel look perfectly (to my eyes).
Happy ✔
Bunny ✔✔

 . . . Next! . . .


Leaving Time? 1
Nikon F3, 28mm f2.8 Ai-s Nikkor, Tri-X, Pyrocat-HD
Ah, Train World (again in Brussels) - one of the world's most extraordinary museums.
It describes itself as a "An Opera To The Train" and it is. 
I won't even begin to describe it, save to say, GO (if you can) - it'll explain itself when you're there.

Print notes:

Adox VC, GR 3 (?) 40 M, 24 sec, f8, + 6 edges. HC 110

This is one of my favourite 35mm photographs ever - I love the light and reflections in it.
The eagle-eyed might spot some lightness at the far left of the frame - this isn't a printing mistake - it's an edge effect caused by less than usual agitation during development.  - if you look into the photo it is also apparent where light meets dark in certain parts of the photo.
(Actually, every print on here exhibits some sort of edge effect - tis on the negative, it's nothing to do with the printing.)
Whatever - it doesn't detract from the photo to my eyes, and certainly beats digital perfection.

Big 
Happy 
Bunny 


 . . . Next! . . .


Leaving Time? 2
Nikon F3, 28mm f2.8 Ai-s Nikkor, Tri-X, Pyrocat-HD

Again, Train World - a ticket office with some examples of ticket collector's uniforms. I deliberately printed this slightly darker because it complemented the sepulchural reflections of the windows which make the print quieter than usual. The clock just sets it off to a tee and again I am a you know what.

Adox VC, GR 3 (?) 40 M,  22 sec, f8, + 6 edges. HC 110

Great 
Big 
Happy 
Bunny 


And that as they say is that. Of course there were a couple, well 3, spoils and sadly the last of their herd.
I have 3 sheets left - and I'll try and do something decent with them.

Oh and the one thing I forgot to mention is that printing these, I used an old Joe McKenzie technique which he called "setting the print"
You see those bits where I say "4 edges" (sic)? Well that means an extra 4 seconds exposure to each edge of the print. It's quite a tight burn margin, maybe a couple of centimetres in from where the image of the film rebate sits on the paper in the easel (I always print with the rebate showing - it is rare for me to crop anything).
Joe said that he felt it made the eye settle itself into the print rather than looking at the edges - i.e. your eye is drawn into the print and doesn't search around for something to settle on. This was especially so when anything was mounted with white card.
Where the eye goes when it's in the print is another matter - at least the eye is looking at something and the brain is trying to interpret what it is seeing. 
Of course in the corners where the two exposures meet, you'll be getting an intersection with 8 seconds exposure . . . I'll bet it is noticeable now I've pointed it out 😉

It's all terribly esoteric isn't it!

Anyway, whether you agree or not, it's not often you get handed something from a master printer (and he was) - so try it if you like and if it works to your eyes, raise a glass to the memory of Joe McKenzie.
As far as I know I've not read about this technique being used anywhere before, but it's funny you know, sometimes, when I'm printing I can sort of feel the presence of Joe goading me on and keeping me right.
He was an exceptional educator and master craftsman - and yet again, I thank fortune for having been in the right place and at the right time to have learned the small (really very small in the pantheon of printing) amount of technique I learned from him. 
Worra bloke.

Anyway, that's all folks - remember to remove your teeth from that mug - they need it for afternoon tea.


Tuesday, September 18, 2018

Complex Brexit Negotiations

Morning folks - well, after the doom and gloom of the last post, I've only gone and done it!

Whit? Biled Yer heid at last Y'big lummock?

Er, no, not quite, and forgive the above local parlance.
Y'see, I live (according to the BBC) in one of the newest, most urgent, creative cities in the world - yes, it's Dundee . . .
As a creative icon (sic) of said city, I can write what I want, so get it up ye!

WTF Sheepy? WTF??

Well, the V&A Dundee has opened to 'worldwide' acclaim, and though I am not from here (just entrenched as it were) I can say that my heart has swollen with civic pride at the thought of all that Scottish-Central-Belt-Bias being coughed out in surprise, that the Wee Hard Toon has such an iconic, beautiful and, I believe, game-changing building. A lot of people in Glasgow and Edinburgh will now be asking:

"Why Haven't We Got One Of Those?"

No pretensions though - this town will bring you down to earth with a bump if you get too Up Yersel'.

Anyway, back to what I only went and done:
I travelled . . . to foreign climes . . . well, the eye of The Storm actually . . . Brussels . . . with film and a film camera!

Actually, this is the second time we've been there, having fallen in love with the mad place a few years back. I know it sounds boring, everyone thinks it is a boring place filled with dull Belgians, wittering on about complex things . . and you know what . . no way is that true. 
Anywhere that can give you a statue of a giant Smurf (and I HATE Smurfs) that makes you laugh, or a museum dedicated to the most wonderful Magritte, or one dedicated to Sewers, or a totally bonkers cafe with over 2500 Belgian beers in stock, should be praised. Anywhere that can cover the link between the mess of the 21st Century and the hard idyll of medieval times with such panache and downright individuality is alright with me.
Brussels is a 24/7/365 sort of place - there's something happening all the time. It is also achingly photogenic from beautiful buildings to parks, to dogs, to rough bars, to traffic, to the pantheon of all races lumped together in one place - a real city of mankind. We felt sad to leave actually - it felt to me like a place I could live and I am not a city person.

Anyway, X-Rays, film and travelling:
Well, y'know there's a lot of conflicting info out there, so take it from me, a confirmed film nut:

Up to a certain point, travelling normally and passing hand luggage through a few scanners, you are more than likely fine.
Mine was Ray-Gunned 3 times in total in my hand luggage and it has lived to tell the tale. In fact the bag inspector looked at my Tri-X and said:

"Och that's only 400, not 3200 . . . it'll be fine!"
 
And sure enough. Even taking it through the scanners in the European Parliament, it was fine, so, please take it from me:

It'll be fine!

So, on that note, why did I take a 35mm camera after making my avowed stance on the last FB? 
Well, convenience actually and also reliability. I nearly freaked out and fell back on the Sony A6300, but was firm with myself, had a good chat behind closed doors, steeled my will and packed the Nikon F3 with the Ai-s 28mm f2.8 Nikkor.
I had wanted to take the Rollei T, but the last film I had through it showed some serious frame spacing issues, and I also felt that should I encounter problems with taking a few rolls of Tri-X through scanning, how would that be exacerbated with 120 film?
So, good ol' reliable Nikon. Not the M2 with Summaron - I often think you can look like a 'target' with a Leica - though to be fair it is very unusual to see ANYONE with a film camera these days. Even the mega giant Nikon and Canon SLR's and holiday compacts seem to have been supplanted entirely by phones - how fecking sad . . . whilst a phone is convenient, I laughed aloud when I saw what an iPhone did to direct sunlight on someone's holiday photos (Is that a lump of ectoplasm or an amorphous blob worthy of Ghostbusters? Nope, it's the sun!). 
It takes a fine photo in the right circumstances, but it is not a camera.

Anyway, gripes aside, I had fun with the F3 - sure it is loud and clacky, but it has a damn good metering system and with an Ai-s lens is convenience in itself.
Here's some pics - mostly phun with rephlections
The first 5 are prints made on some very old Tetenal RC, developed in Kodak Polymax (liquid Dektol).
Can a litre of paper developer last a year in a bottle? . . . in the case of Polymax . . yes. 
It is genius stuff.
The last two are shitty scans from the negative - I much prefer handling a print.



Tickets Please

Nikon F3, Nikon 28mm f2.8 Nikkor, Kodak Tri-X, Pyrocat-HD, Wet Print - Tetenal RC
Who Is That Weirdo, And Why Is He Taking My Picture?

Nikon F3, Nikon 28mm f2.8 Nikkor, Kodak Tri-X, Pyrocat-HD, Wet Print - Tetenal RC



Hmmmmmm, Sheephouse?

Nikon F3, Nikon 28mm f2.8 Nikkor, Kodak Tri-X, Pyrocat-HD, Wet Print - Tetenal RC



Not Him Again . . .

Nikon F3, Nikon 28mm f2.8 Nikkor, Kodak Tri-X, Pyrocat-HD, Wet Print - Tetenal RC



WTF?

Nikon F3, Nikon 28mm f2.8 Nikkor, Kodak Tri-X, Pyrocat-HD, Wet Print - Tetenal RC



The Correct Use Of A Smurf

Nikon F3, Nikon 28mm f2.8 Nikkor, Kodak Tri-X, Pyrocat-HD, Wet Print - Tetenal RC.




Atoms Dream Of Atoms
Nikon F3, Nikon 28mm f2.8 Nikkor, Kodak Tri-X, Pyrocat-HD, Scan.




Crumhorn Mania
Nikon F3, Nikon 28mm f2.8 Nikkor, Kodak Tri-X, Pyrocat-HD, Scan.


And that is it really - more 'serious' photography will commence shortly, though I have lost a whole Summer of morning light again - never mind, Mushn't Grumble . . .

TTFN and remember:

How can I take care of yours if you've not taken care of it yourself?

PS:

Le Grand Schtroumpf is your man!





Friday, June 08, 2018

Dark Lochnagargh!

Warning - lots of reading and plenty of photos - if you are fine with that, please continue, if not, well I am sure there's plenty of other distractions out there.
But if you don't mind reading a bit and seeing some scenery . . welcome to Scotland!

Well there I was, egg on my face and an itch in my soles to put some miles in.
It's an urge y'see - the need to thrash one's body with a day out hauling heavy weights into the wild . . also commonly known as hillwalking!
Or in my case, pshaw . . . lightweight gear? Och no . . a day in the wilds with (usually) a bunch of camera stuff.
There's no two ways about it, I am a masochist.
I never seem to learn.
But the thing is, it's enjoyable; you get really hot, your heart thunders like a train for hours, and you'll get soaked (inside and outside your clothes) scorched, dehydrated, hungry; you'll become tired, elated, alive, exhausted and full of beans, all in a space of hours.
Add in the final element, THE UNKNOWN, and you have a recipe for a life-enhancing experience that helps you deal with the commonplace, every day, 9-5.
Well that's how I see it.

My companions on this trip were (I know, I know it IS a bit mad, but I'd rather be prepared than wish I'd bought something along):

Hasselblad 500C/M
Hasselblad 150mm Sonnar + Hood
Hasselblad 60mm Distagon + Hood
Hasselblad SWC/M + Hood (Shared with the Distagon)
Gossen Lunasix S (with spot attachment)
Hasselblad Quick Release (attached to Arca plate)
Gitzo GT3530S CF Tripod
Arca B-1 Ballhead
Panasonic digicam
Jerven Fjellduken (basically a cross between a poncho, cape and bivvi bag - a weird Norwegian lifesaver)
Kata HB-205 Backpack
Water
Lunch
Whistle
Map
Compass
Emergency Knife
Spare Paracord
Cable Ties
Blister Treatment Stuff
Buffalo Special 6 Shirt (does away with the need for layers - just wear next to skin like a cross between a shirt and a jacket. Beloved of UK Special Forces it has seen me through more shite weather than I can tell you.)
Lowe Mountain Cap
Polyprop Beanie
Pertex Mitts
Wrist Gaiters
Rohan Uplanders (trousers)
Wool Headover
UV Buff
Double Socks
Altberg Defender Boots

Anything else?

Oh yeah . . me.

I know that looks like a lot of stuff - obviously I was wearing the clothes (but not all the emergency stuff) but to be honest you prepare for trips into the wilds (albeit only 5 or 6 miles from a Ranger station) because you just never know.
This is Scotland after all and Winter might have started to go (it was the start of April I did this walk) but it can still rise up and bite you in the bum - the old (well, it's quite new actually) saying always rings in my head:
Fail to Prepare, Prepare To Fail.
I have often been astonished by people up mountains wearing jeans, tee-shirts, trainers and a light jacket - the weather can turn on a sixpence and a sunny day become cold and wet in an instant.  
By not wearing and carrying the right gear, and at least having a modicum of COMMON SENSE with regard to what you are doing,  you're being SOCIALLY IRRESPONSIBLE.
Y'see, what happens (should it all go shit-shaped) is that Other People have to come and find you.
Speak to any Mountain Rescue person and they'll tell you that being ill-prepared in the mountains can kill.

Anyway, surprisingly, everything just fitted into the Kata pack. Phew!
It was designed for the broadcast industry, but it does a large MF kit pretty well, and, above all else, the harness and shoulder system are super-comfy!
Oh and it is very well protected - formed padding at the bottom, top and sides - it also keeps out rain surprisingly well (as I was to find out later)!
Anyway, this is the kit:


Tripod, Bag, Cameras . . . Fjellduken


Cosy Hasselblad Nest.
500C/M (And Film Back) On Bottom, Accessory Tub To Right Of It
SWC/M (And Film Back) Vertically To Right
Distagon and 150mm Lens Hood On Left, Film Above Them
Light Meter In Central Portion
Wide Angle Hood and Panoramic Adapter, Top Right Corner


Fjellduken In Its Stuffsack- It's A Bit Bulky
This Packed Into One Of The Pockets On The Pack.
If You were Caught In A Storm, This Would Save Your Life.
***Issued To Norwegian Armed Forces***

Arca Plates Too Expensive?
Too Many Hasselblads?
Attach Old Hasselblad Q/R To An Arca Plate And You Have A Universal System
For All Your Hasselblad Needs.

*** No Tittering At The Back ***




Who'd Have Thought You Could Have Done All That From One Simple Sheet Of Nylon?
I Can Justify All This Silliness From The Point Of View That If It Could Potentially Save My Life In Extreme Conditions, Why Question The Look.
© Photographs courtesy Varusteleka in Finland - One Of The Greatest Army Surplus Shops In The World

Anyway, ONWARDS!
It doesn't look too bad does it . . it WAS a bit difficult handling the bench at altitude though . . .
The pack balances surprisingly well, and the tripod was carried in my hand as it is light and not as heat-drawingly icy as my old metal Gitzo - what a difference! I have a Zing neoprene pouch to cover the Arca simply because it is a precision instrument and is better off without the stray scree and rain that being exposed might provide.
Anyway, enough of this, Bachnagairn I thought. It's a wooded area a good few miles away from anywhere (in a Southern part of the Cairngorms National Park - more about the park by clicking this link) and on a route up a Munro or two, those being Broad Cairn and Cairn Bannoch - you can also, if you have the legs, get over to Loch Muick which huddles under the long dark shadow of the mighty Lochangar - a proper, serious mountain . . . not that all mountains aren't serious places, just that this is imposing and not a bit frightening when viewed from the Broad Cairn side of Luch Muick.
Here it all is on a OS.


We start at the Blue P (Lower Right),
Walk 4 Squares Up And Two To The Left,
Then 1-And-A-Bit Squares Up To Corrie Chash . . .
And Back!
The Blue Line Which Delineates The Edge Of Each Square Equals 1 Kilometre (Left Or Right, Up Or Down).



The thing I would say about the walk to Bachnagairn is, you are lulled into a false sense of security by the relatively easy going at the start - wood and grass (a deviation from the long forest track of years back since the bridge was washed away - though it has now been rebuilt - the forest track is still punishingly shite) but getting increasingly boggy, till you're on lost tracks amidst peat and rocks (opposite Moulzie farm) and then you get back onto a landrover track which goes on for quite a way till it gets rockier and rockier.
This is not a place for footwear for the casual walker - it needs something heavy-duty.
Imagine a river bed full of stones.
There.
Easy, yes?
Now remove the water.
Got that?
Good.
Now you can imagine what the 'path' is like. It's rough and relentless full of stones of all shapes and sizes, and I actually think it could well have been a glacial runoff at some point, until millenia of erosion created the river, the South Esk, which flows fast and clear from these peaks. 
The path slowly ascends (for around 3 and a half to 4 miles) some 900 feet. I found that surprising when I got it on the OS site, but tis true and bloody feels like it actually! Add in your camera gear and water and it's a good workout.
Anyway, I got there - had a wee breather in amongst the pine and heather and bog, marvelled at how the river (mountain run-off . . and lots of it) had gouged a tight, deep canyon through the stone over millenia.
The river starts it's downward course just below Craig Of Gowal as Burn Of Gowal.
Gowal (Gobhail), in gaelic parlance, sort of means fork or junction or possibly like a pair of legs akimbo, so I am sure if you can imagine a mountain with its legs akimbo and a powerful course of water issuing forth . . well, all I can say is that the locals who had to provide pointers to the original map makers of the OS must have had a little fun for perpetuity!
Anyway, from there, I ascended another 770-odd feet in over just around 1 and a quarter miles - well, put two and two together . . .
Chuffin' Steep is what I'd call it, but I wanted to get to the delightful Allan's Hut.
It's called a hut but actually, it is a rough stable/shelter for mountain ponies which are still used in these parts. Sadly there were no ponies there this time - just the hut and a nice bench and views of Lochanagar in the distance and Broad Cairn close by.
The last time I had sat on the bench was 12 years ago, and at that time all I was carrying was the Rolleiflex and The Screamin' Chimp (a tripod) - incredibly lightweight stuff, but then I needed it for a 14 mile round circuit down to Loch Muick and back along The Capel Mounth. Could I do it these days? Well with lighter boots, quite possibly. Doesn't half shag you out though!

Anyway. look we've walked all these miles together and we haven't even had a tea and pee break yet.

I have been a little remiss and not told you about the dalliance I had halfway to Bachnagairn on an island in a river, but I didn't want to spoil the tension.
So, OK here's the full journey, there and back in two sets of contact prints. The first was taken with the SWC/M, the second with the 500 C/M with the 150mm Sonnar.


Hasselblad SWC/M, Ilford Delta 400 (EI200), Pyrocat-HD


Hasselblad 500 C/M/Zeiss 150mm Sonnar, Ilford FP4 (EI80), Pyrocat-HD

Sorry, what was that at the back Jones 1?

You what?

EH?

Erm? Oh yes, the missing bit in the first contact print?

Erm . . .well, y'see . . . . 

I only went and forgot to take the bloody lens cap off under the shadow of Dark Lochna . . gargh!

I think you could have heard the screams over in Banchory actually - I could certainly hear them echoing back from Lochanagar!
Anyway, with the SW the solution is simple - treat use of the camera like you would a LF camera - check everything twice before using.
This being said though, I wouldn't have left the lens cap at home even with a filter on the lens, simply because you can never have enough protection for a chunk of scratchable glass.

I was so pissed off with myself, that I took a picture of Allan's Hut, (by hand and full of camera shake) packed the SW away, harumphed and stomped like a big baby, walked to Corrie Chash, had a bloody good look at Loch Muick, all elegant and deceptively easy to get to. Got fed up again and decided to save my energies for the woods at Bachnagairn.
I did however, make an executive decision that because I was using the SW, I'd take no wide pictures with the Distagon, and instead use only the 150mm Sonnar. 
This proved to be a good decision.

The 150mm is the cheapest lens you can buy for a Hasselblad. Don't let that put you off - OK, mine is a later CF version, but for VFM it is one of the world's greatest optical bargains.
For a start, everything just looks so beautiful in the VF with it - seriously. The out of focus areas are a melding of softness and an extreme transformation of light that makes you want to look at it all day.
And then there's what it does in the translation.

OK, so we're on our way home now then - see, that wasn't too bad was it - you don't even smell like a wet sheep yet!
Anyway, our walk in prints. All made by me, in my guerilla darkroom, with paper and chemicals.
I suppose you could call them test prints as I've done them on RC as opposed to something nice and fibre-y, but they turned out well, so if I don't get a chance to print them for perpetuity, at least I will have copies . . . Oh and where you read Dektol, it isn't powder Dektol, just liquid Polymax, which is, apparently, the liquid version.
I'll also do a bit of talking under each picture, if you don't mind, just so's you don't get confused.

The first lot were all taken with the 150mm Sonnar.


The Famous Hut Of Allan.
The Hills Behind Surround The Walk Home.

A bog standard 'portrait' of The Hut. 
1/8th, f32. Shadows on ZIII. MLU, Cable Release and Tripod.
Straight print, no burning or split trouser printing. Ilford MGRC Pearl, Grade 3, Kodak Dektol.


Consequences Of A Winter's Storm.


The bleaching of the branches was such that I had to take a picture of them.
1/4, f22. Shadows on ZIII. MLU, Cable Release and Tripod.
Straight print, no burning or split sauce printing. Ilford MGRC Pearl, Grade 3, Kodak Dektol.



The Woods At Bachnagairn


I prayed for a roll of colour film at this point - sadly I had none. In colour it was truly astonishing. I chose 1/30th because I didn't want smokey water, nor frozen in time, I just needed some movement. Unfortunately the bit above the lowest run is visually disturbing, but the Sonnar has imparted, I think, an air of old-timey-ness to this, to the extent that it could have been taken in 1918, not 2018.
1/30th, f22. Shadows on ZIII. MLU, Cable Release and Tripod.
Straight print, no burning or split brain printing. Ilford MGRC Pearl, Grade 3, Kodak Dektol.


The Woods At Bachnagairn 2


Could have done with a tad more exposure.
You could spend all day taking pictures of the runs of this river. I was stood midstream to take this.
1/30th, f22. Shadows on ZIII. MLU, Cable Release and Tripod.
Straight print, no burning or split Groundhogs printing. Ilford MGRC Pearl, Grade 3, Kodak Dektol.


Consequences Of A Winter's Storm 2


I was heading back and I saw this at the side of the South Esk - some hell of a storm run-off had deposited it and it reminded me of the bones of a mythical creature of some sort. The sun was out and I really wanted to isolate it. Amazingly this picture is at f5.6 and 1/500th. You might not get it from the scan, but the print has a 3-dimensional quality I've not really seen before. That is the magic of the 150mm. 
It's sharp as a, well, sharp thing.
1/500th, f5.6. Shadows on ZIII. MLU, Cable Release and Tripod.
Straight print, no burning or split milk printing. Ilford MGRC Pearl, Grade 3, Kodak Dektol.


And then we get onto the SWC/M - again, comments underneath (if that is alright with you):


River Place


I liked the shapes of the pools on this island in the South Esk. Sadly the horizon is well off, which I find visually disturbing - och well, there's always next time!
1/15th, f22. Shadows on ZIV, Cable Release and Tripod.
Straight print, no burning or split (ting headache) printing. Ilford MGRC Pearl, Grade 3, Kodak Dektol.


Old Bones Of Trees And Stones


This was taken on an island in the middle of the South Esk. I was 'attracted' by the way the tree's reflections mixed with the striations of the rock. It clearly shows how the Biogon handles things delicately. I can't quite define it, but delicate is definitely the word I would use.
1/15th, f22. Shadows on ZIV, Cable Release and Tripod.
Straight print, no burning or split those loons again? printing. Ilford MGRC Pearl, Grade 3, Kodak Dektol.


Big Balls (Of Rock)


Yep, these were two boulders, around 9 feet tall each of them. The SW was right inbetween their gap and I liked the play of light on the hills. You encounter glacial deposits all over this region - it is just like they've been dropped from the air - goodness knows how many thousands of Winters these stones have seen, or how many weary travellers have rested in their lee.
1/125th, f22. Shadows on ZIII, Cable Release and Tripod.
Straight print, no burning or split dates printing. Ilford MGRC Pearl, Grade 3, Kodak Dektol.


Quiet Pool In A Quiet Wood


Absolutely my favourite photograph from the whole day and the last one taken too.
One doesn't like to blow one's own trumpet, but from a personal point of view, it is, I think, my most favourite landscape photograph I have ever taken. The camera was dead level btw - any leaning trees are leaning trees!
1 Second, f22. Shadows on ZIII, Cable Release and Tripod - Hat Used As Rain Cape.
Straight print, no burning or split (ah yeah, at last!) GRADE printing. Ilford MGRC Pearl, Grade 3, Kodak Dektol.
It had started raining an hour before, slightly at first, but if you've ever been in the Scottish mountains you'll know that such rain can quickly soak everything. Fortunately I wasn't too far from tree cover at that point, but drip-lines under trees are just that. 'Modern' conifer plantations are too densely planted to walk through comfortably, so you have to stick to the drip-line. 
It gets pretty soggy pretty quickly
I'd spotted this pool on my way out and was determined to compare the SW with the Sonnar, but as you can see from the Sonnar contact, I misjudged reciprocity and underexposed (mainly because the rain was falling quite heavily and I didn't want to get anything soggier than it was already).
Fortunately for me, the SW version came out great.
It shows to my mind, perfectly, the way the Biogon handles fine detail. Remember this is a 400 ASA film! 
I was super-close to the pool, water was falling on me and the camera, but I dunno, the camera has captured that indefineable 'something' one always searches for in a photograph. 
The eagle-eyed might well spot a peculiar triangular lump of trees in the top-right corner . . . this is some Bushcraft persons' shelter, minus the person.

And that's it all really folks - hope you have enjoyed yourselves.

I headed off as storm clouds gathered over the hills - the tops became enveloped and obscured with mist and snow and in the glens the rain got heavier and heavier - I made it just in time. Phew!

So, an hours' journey to get home along lonely roads with farmhouses huddling down in the dreich afternoon; I unpacked, set cameras and bag to dry; boots hosed down, with newspaper stuffed inside; my sweaty clothes peeled off; I jumped in the shower, had a mug of coffee and a Blue Riband, and then sat tight and waited for tea time. 
I was hoping it would be something lovely and delicious. 
My missus was doing the cooking, and it was.

TTFN - remember, these boots were made for walking, and that's just what they'll do . . . one of these days . . . you might be a decrepit old git and unable to lift your legs thus rendering you a sedentary lump in the middle of the common room, slowly becoming covered with the detritus of an old folk's home; till all that is left is the husk of who you were, covered with bits of other people's skin, particles of food, false-teeth impressions, elastic stockings, incontinence pads, tufts of hair, and a lone, creaky voice, asking 'Are We There Yet?'
Carpe Diem Folks, Carpe Diem!