Showing posts with label Kodak Tri-X. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Kodak Tri-X. Show all posts

Wednesday, July 17, 2019

Little Arithmetics - In Praise Of An Old 'Junker'

NO, it's not got that bad!
We're not talking about German Bombers from WWII, we're talking about olden lenses, y'know, those bits of glass you have hanging around (with some big romantic ideal attached to them) but haven't used yet.


The Portal.
Edinburgh, 2016
Leica M2, Canon Serenar 28mm f3.5, Ilford HP5+, Pyrocat-HD



Sometimes things can creep up and take you by surprise - such is the case with this photograph. 
It was taken on a lazy Saturday in Edinburgh, with the M2 and Canon Serenar 28mm f3.5 lens. 
I just thought it commonplace when I originally printed it, but now . . well . . . there was something about it that arrested my thinking.
To me it looks like the mannequins are actually walking through some portal into some 'other' place - I am knocked out by it. 
Are they leaving the material world behind, escaping through a time portal to a simpler time that somehow exists/doesn't exist. 
Do you see what I mean?
It's just so Space Age to my eyes that I instantly want to don my silver lamé suit and join them!
The lowly Canon Serenar has just given things that wonderful glow you get from single or uncoated lenses.
Strangely it also looks a tad 'fossil-digital' (y'know, that plastic look early digital photos had) - it isn't - I've cropped the original negative slightly, but that is about it - it's a scan off a print.

Thinking about the look of this, set me along other paths and I realised that I had another lens that was even older, and totally uncoated. Last time I'd used it I wasn't that impressed, but then I hadn't got a lens hood for it at that point.

So watcha talking about the Sheepy? Garn, spill the beans then . . . .

Well, we're only going on about a lens that is pretty damn old, from the dawn of 35mm photography. Indeed, it is almost the grand-daddy of them all . . the 50mm f3.5 Leitz Elmar.
The serial number of mine is 212290 which dates it to 1934. Concurrent with Hitler and the rise of the Nazi Party . . .  what has it seen and more to the point:

Why was I mad enough to make it my film lens of choice for a once in a lifetime holiday?


Another Portal
The Colosseum, June 2019
Leica M2, 50mm f3.5 Elmar, Kodak 400TX, Pyrocat-HD



It's a really strange move isn't it?
Risking everything.
As they used to say when I was young

"Would you risk it for a Swisskit?"

Well, I did. I threw caution to the wind, and there was a reason for this.
Here's the long and dull story:

For 10-odd years, we've had a 'holiday' camera - a wee Panasonic DMCF which has done a not bad job of detailing all our holidays, old caravan ones, and our expansion out into the world of travel when we could afford to do so.
It has done very well, but was starting to show its age - the screen was going and it had dents but it still took a decent picture.
I'd been wanting to upgrade for a while and I addressed this a few years ago with the purchase of a Sony A6000 - a fine wee camera, which sort of did a couple of holidays, though I was never truly happy with it - this being said:


Kotor Inflatable.
Kotor, Monetenegro, 2017
Sony A6000, 35mm f2, Nikkor-O



Dream On
Kotor, Monetenegro, 2017
Sony A6000, 35mm f2, Nikkor-O



Ghosts Take Selfies
Dubrovnik, Croatia, 2017
Sony A6000, 35mm f2, Nikkor-O



As you can see, it's colour rendition is really rather good.
I was using it in the above with a 35mm Nikkor 'O' pre-Ai lens with a Metabones adapter. Obviously the lens contributes vastly to everything, but all the same, the Sony made a decent fist of these RAW files.
OK - please don't turn off - I know, it's digital, my avowed Nemesis!
But at least I am still trying to sharpen my eye.

I'm not happy they don't exist as Cibachrome prints though.

Believe me, as someone who did quite a lot of Cibachrome back in the 80's . . they would look stunning on Ilford's long junked, Prints From Transparencies system . . . it had its own look - the colours were rich, vibrant, deep and extremely beautiful. It took a lot of work just to produce a single print, but if you got it right then that effort was rewarded manifold.

Actually, that's given me an idea - maybe I will expand into colour printing in the future, proper colour from negatives and using the filters on the DeVere, but for the meantime, these digital files will have to satisfy an occasional colourful itch.

Anyway, holidays!
Rome!!
Ah yes, hot, busy, beautiful and ancient; the partial country of my forefathers, and we'll be taking pics too!
So, there I was, planning on using the Sony for this holiday, when Chopper (son and also nemesis) said he fancied a 'proper' camera for a 3 week European road trip.
He does leave these thing to the last minute, but un-phased, I initially thought film and so did he.
However seeing as he's never handled a 'normal' camera in his life, with 2 weeks to go till he left, then any thoughts of a nice Nikkormat were oot the windae.
So, digital it was and in a state of I Can Tak It, I said:

"Here y'go son"

handed him the Sony and a Sony E 16-50mm f3.5-5.6 OSS lens (its kit lens, but actually alright) and said:

"Awa y'go!"

But that left me in a conundrum in the colour, holiday snap department and in typical Sheephouse fashion,

I went totally over the top.

Now, no doubt you know people that go OTT when purchasing something, but I've been giving them lessons.
For me it involves hours of research and scouring, reading, watching and mulling.
Anyway, to cut a long story short, I ended up with another DSLR.

Eagle-eyed readers will remember a few years back I owned a Canon D50S - a sort of OK camera, which I actually traded for the Sony.
Anyway, TCALSS (to cut along story short) after some umming, I ended up with a used Nikon D300S and a 18-55 Zoom Nikkor.
Both things you'll know are (if you've read FB for any length of time at all) anathema to me.

But there y'go, with under a week to go to get myself sorted with something for holiday snaps, I had to make a stand and as it turns out chose wrongly.
Oh there's nothing wrong with the camera and the lens is alright, but if you've ever hauled a ship's anchor around in 30+ Degrees of heat, you'll know that such things as image quality pretty quickly lose their charm.
Allied to this is the bulk of a semi-pro camera.

My goodness, the professionals who hauled Nikon F2's around had it easy.

The F2 (a large and heavy all mechanical SLR) is positively sveldt by comparison . . and actually a darn site easier to use.

HOLD YOUR HATS - HE'S ABOUT TO GO OFF ON ONE!

To me, picture making is (or should be) a relatively simple process:

Focus, aperture, time, 'click' and wind-on. 

It definitely shouldn't be:

Check what mode you're in, check focus, zoom a bit, check focus again, oh wait a minute, I am in manual so I have to use a fucking wheel on the camera to adjust the aperture, and then, and then . . . ooo a picture.

It is crippling from the creative pov.

Fortunately, I had also decided I was going to take a 'normal' camera and shoot black and white too - enter the Leica M2, some lovely Ilford HP5+, FP4+ and my last roll of Tri-X. I've no qualms about travelling with film these days - it is simple.
But I needed a lens. I could have taken the 35mm Summaron or the 28mm Serenar, but instead in some weird alternate universe decided in me heed that what I needed was uncoated and old . . . enter the Elmar.

From the first frame the camera and lens combo proved to be a revelation - for a start I could carry it without resorting to a team of sherpas.
In use it was lightning fast - I'd do a quick Sunny 16 style calculation in my head, set the aperture, set the shutter speed, focus 'click' and carry on.

I had no idea what I had, but slightly over-exposing what I thought would do seemed to work quite well, especially using a staining developer like Pyrocat-HD.

Funny to think of the difference an experience can make, because I'd actually had a lucky escape - not three weeks before we left I was talking and seriously thinking again about selling all my Leica gear and getting something else . . . well not now.

No Way Hosepipe.

I will never be parted from the M2 - it is too intuitive and simple and light and quiet and just so completely the opposite of what a DSLR is, as to be a product from the different planet.

If you're a photographer, try and give one a go (or something similar from one of the many other manufacturers who made small light, FAST, quiet cameras).
Go on  - you owe it to yourself.


Who Are You And Why Are You In My Way?
The Colosseum, June 2019
Leica M2, 50mm f3.5 Elmar, Kodak 400TX, Pyrocat-HD




Another Portal
The Colosseum, June 2019
Leica M2, 50mm f3.5 Elmar, Kodak 400TX, Pyrocat-HD




Peaceful Remains
Rome, 2019
Leica M2, 50mm f3.5 Elmar, Ilford FP4+, Pyocat-HD




An Island Of Calm.
Rome, 2019
Leica M2, 50mm f3.5 Elmar, Ilford HP5+, Pyocat-HD




Peace In The City
Rome, 2019
Leica M2, 50mm f3.5 Elmar, Ilford FP4+, Pyrocat-HD




Rest
Rome, 2019
Leica M2, 50mm f3.5 Elmar, Ilford FP4+, Pyrocat-HD




Folk Go Bonkers For The Swimming Bear
Rome, 2019
Leica M2, 50mm f3.5 Elmar, Ilford FP4+, Pyrocat-HD



Much Weirdness
Rome, 2019
Leica M2, 50mm f3.5 Elmar, Ilford FP4+, Pyrocat-HD




Temple Of Asclepius At Dusk
Rome, 2019
Leica M2, 50mm f3.5 Elmar, Ilford HP5+, Pyrocat-HD




Formal Fountain
Rome, 2019
Leica M2, 50mm f3.5 Elmar, Ilford HP5+, Pyrocat-HD


And onto the lens.
Well what can I say.
It's really old.
It certainly isn't the most ergonomic thing ever made; changing aperture isn't at all easy on the fly, BUT, it collapses (so that the whole camera is about as small as you can get in film terms short of going Minox) and as seen above produces results that are interesting, softly beautiful and quite unlike any other lens.
The Fison hood has definitely made a huge difference - it is a really well made little hood, thoroughly blackened inside and incredibly compact.

The one caveat I would add about it, is that using the knurled screw to clamp it onto the front of your Elmar can mar the lenses finish, so, a small strip of masking tape around the front to adhere to the knurled part of the Elmar provides a very positive gripping surface.
I'd also add that most OLD Elmars have caps that don't stay on!
Ah yes, a round of applause from the back!
True though - this is the result of the compression of the felt inside the ring of the cap over decades of use.
Here's an easy solution if you don't mind your felt being old and brown - the lid of a Bic Biro - the pointy clip bit - just use this to gently rub up the knap of the felt - do it carefully and it won't come loose.
Felt is a wonder material - highly under-rated, but it cleans up well.
I didn't use any liquid in this process as I have no idea what sort of adhesive the felt is held on by - it's probably an animal glue, so is probably fine, but not wanting to take any chances . . . .
Suffice to say it works, and should on any Leitz lens you own that has a push-on felt-lined cap!

Happy days 😄

BTW - these are scans from straight prints, which are on Tetenal RC paper - they don't make it any more, shame because it was nice stuff to use - they're printed at bog standard Grade 2.
The thing that surprises me for such an old uncoated lens is actually how contrasty they look and yet there's that air of glow that you get when the light is right.
I am super-chuffed.
The oof areas too - quite unlike modern lenses - not sure how they'd look in colour, but I think good ol' monochrome suits it just dandy.

And the Nikon?
Well, there's more to come so I'll keep you guessing.

Jacob Marley's Chain - by Aimee Mann

Well, today a friend told me this sorry tale
As he stood there trembling and turning pale
He said each day's harder to get on the scale
Sort of like Jacob Marley's chain

But it's not like life's such a vale of tears
It's just full of thoughts that act as souvenirs
For those tiny blunders made in yesteryear
That comprise Jacob Marley's chain

Well, I had a little metaphor to state my case
It encompassed the condition of the human race
But to my dismay, it left without a trace
Except for the sound of Jacob Marley's chain

Now there is no story left to tell
So I think I'd rather just go on to hell
Where there's a snowball's chance that the personnel
Might help to carry Jacob Marley's chain



Help to carry Jacob Marley's chain...




No exposure meters were harmed during the making of this FogBlog




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!





Wednesday, August 22, 2018

Crisis Of Faith





Penguin #41 (The Voyage Of The Discovery) Surveys The Future



Morning folks - that sounds a bit melodramatic and (as they say around these parts) up himself, but to be honest, it's not so much a crisis but more of an affirmation of intent.
I think the time has come for me and 35mm photogaphy to part company (almost).

Y'see, the thing is whilst I appreciate the convenience and portability of the medium, I've never really been a 36 or 24 frame snapper.
Yeah I could load my own cassettes and take say 12 or 15 at a time, but really, what would be the point in that?
For more ease, I could just fit a 645 back on the Hasselblad, or use the Rollei T's 16-on kit. And for all that there's some remarkably good 645 cameras still out there, you really would be hard-pressed to beat the Rollei for compact quality. 
And anyway, I find myself quite happy with 12 frames of 6x6.
And when I think about what I have just said, I have started to wonder why I actually need:

1 x Nikon F
1 x Nikon F 2
1 x Nikon F 3
1 x Original Nikomat
1 x Leica M2
1 x Olympus Trip (sorry Steve - you can have it back if you want)
1 x Olympus XA 2 (ditto to Bruce!)
1 x Nikon AF600 (legendary cult camera with outstanding 28mm lens)
1 x Olympus OM 10
1 x Pentax PC35AF (world's first autofocus compact camera)

And that's before we get started on lenses:

Nikkor 300mm f 4.5 (pre-Ai)
Nikkor 80-200mm Zoom (pre-Ai)
Nikkor 105mm (pre-Ai)
Nikkor 55mm Macro (pre-Ai - Self Compensating Type)
Nikkor 50mm f1.4 (pre-Ai)
Nikkor 50mm f1.8 (Ai)
Nikkor 35mm f2 'O' (pre-Ai)
Nikkor 35mm f3.5 (pre-Ai - K-Series)
Nikkor 28mm f3.5 (pre-Ai - K-Series)
Nikkor 28mm f2.8 (Ai-S - second version)
Nikkor 24mm f2.8 (pre-Ai)
Leitz 35mm f3.5 Summaron (M3 'specs' version)
Leitz 50mm f3.5 Elmar (made in 1932)
Leitz 90mm f4 Elmar (M version)
Canon Rangefinder 50mm f1.8 
Canon Rangefinder 28mm f3.5
Zuiko 50mm f1.8 

And then there's the accessories - lens hoods, filters, cases, bags etc etc etc.

See what I mean - along the way, things have got totally out of hand, and seeing as it is rare these days to lift a 35mm camera, let alone take a picture, something has to give.

The really sad thing is, I won't say it hasn't been Fun acquiring all this stuff!
There's nothing like the excitement of getting a real bargain of a lens (most recent was the Ai-S 28mm f2.8 Nikkor [late model] for £100) - given the prices on these things these days, I just couldn't resist.
But, at the end of the day, does it not just distract from the most important thing?

Er, which is Sheepy???

Image Making.

It's like in musical terms:
2 weeks to make an album or 2 years to make an album?
You get distracted along the way and at the end of it, for all the extra stuff that has gone into making that album, does it have the sense of immediacy and urgency that makes a great album truly great? Having more of everything thrown at something, doesn't necessarily mean it is going to be any better than a bare bones approach.

In image making terms, for me, I have a solid and versatile Medium Format collection.
I still can't do it justice, and even my long daliance with Large Format (in the form of hundreds of 5x4" negatives and TWO 5x4 cameras [!!!!!!!]) has not really equalled (to my eyes) the images I have made with that kit (be it 'professional' Hasselblad or 'amateur' Rolleiflex T).
So when I throw 35mm into that mix, I am way off the mark of where I want to be.
Not only that, I am dedicating time to making 35mm images, that to be totally honest, I would rather be making on 120 film.

So is this the last 35mm film ever from me?
Well no, simply because I can't ditch it all.
As Steve said to me with regard to collecting anything, you always have to ask yourself:

"Do They Make Them Anymore?"

And in the case of film cameras the answer is pretty much a resounding NO.

Certainly ditching the lot would be foolhardy should I wish to go back further down the line, but for the moment, how do I thin the herd?
Well, my Nikons I will keep forever - emotional and ergonomic attachment, ease of use and that 100% viewfinder - but the lenses?
Well as you can see, there's a ton of those, but for me in practical terms the longer ones can go.
Not the 105mm - it has, unusually for a Nikkor, separation, but strangely still takes an ultra-sharp, ultra-smooth photograph.
On the wide front I actually like them all, but how many wide-angle lenses does a man need?
So, I think maybe the 35mm f3.5 and the 28mm f3.5 should go.
They're both fine - the 35mm is a K-Series (basically the last iteration of a pre-Ai Nikkor . . . very highly regarded and apparently the wide if you like digital IR photography).
The 28mm f3.5 is fine too, but I am hoping the 28mm f2.8 (CRC, late Ai-S version) is better.

So, here's some pics from a film that has sat in the camera for a good few months - that just shows how inspired I am to shoot 35mm these days.
The first 2 were made with the 24mm f2.8 (pre-Ai) - it is an utterly superb lens.
The final 4 were made with the 28mm f3.5 (the lens that McCullin shot Vietnam with) - certainly no slouch either.





The Selling Of Myth




A Warm Spring Day At A Quiet Place




Penguin #3 (Mr. Sofishsticated) Fans




Penguin #3 (Mr. Sofishsticated) Alone (for once)




Penguin #57 (Touchy) Post Vandalism




Penguin #7 (Sid The Penguin)


"Yes, we know all this sheepy, where does that leave the Leica?"

Well, y'know, whilst I have enjoyed and often actually loved using that camera, it needs to be used more.
Mine saw a proper professional life before it reached me - ever seen brassing in a film chamber? Yeah, exactly. It still works like a total dream though - smooth as silk - but to be honest I've never truly clicked with the rangefinder as I find the 100% view I get through the Nikon's viewfinders suits me more. 
Leica's are wonderfully quiet in use, they really are - everyone should try one at some point (though you could experience the same with any of the great old rangefinders tbh -try a Canon or Nikon) . . . 
But here's the thing with Leicas . . . 
OK, this is a big one, because, contrary to popular belief:

OWNING A LEICA DOES NOT MAKE YOU A BETTER PHOTOGRAPHER.

Yes, they are wonderful, intuitive, image making machines, but no more so than say a Nikon F from the same period.
And the thing with Leicas, is that you are sort of are inducted into a club, where it often seems that keeping up with the Jones' is the only thing you can do:

"You what? You've ONLY got a 35 f3.5 Summaron? . . Oh you poor boy! Well you'd better go and get a Summicron hadn't you!"

It is mad actually, quite MAD
The madness has been cemented in my mind by the new Leica M10-P - no doubt a wonderful camera, but £7000 for just a camera body. I'm sorry, but even if you do go and buy it, it won't make you a better photographer. You could have the road trip of a lifetime (with a Rollei) for that money and come back with arguably better photographs.
So, and I find it hard to be typing this, because I thought I never would . . . the M2 will be going.
What will I keep from my Leica 'system'?
Well . . . strangely the humble Table Top Tripod and ballhead, simply because they are arguably one of the most wonderfully useful photographic accessories ever made.

So, that's a big chunk of aspiration and dreaming cut away
And the rest of the 35mm stuff will go too, or else just get filed away somewhere.

I'll put a full stop on this now before I say too much, but I'll leave my last 35mm image to the one below.

It was made, as were the rest of the ones on this post, with a Nikon - in this case, my old F with a 24mm Nikkor. The film was Tri-X rated at 200 EI and it was developed in Pyrocat-HD.
There's something about the look of this that reminds me of some Japanese horror films of the 60's . . maybe it's the lens  -I doubt I could have achieved anything better with any amount of expensive Leitz glass . . .


Seed Heads, Fife


Oh, nearly forgot . . . the Penguins? 
Maggie's Penguin Parade (plenty of info here) - a huge piece of public art in Dundee and Angus, encompassing 80 Penguins, all decorated differently, and all in aid of Maggie's Cancer Centres. 
It is probably the best, most engaging thing I have seen for a long time - there's always people collecting 'photos' of them . . . young, old, doesn't matter, they're all walking away with a smile on their face. 
It really is quite something.

Over and oot the noo.

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