APUG - Blogs http://www.apug.org/forums/blogs/ APUG.ORG is an international on-line community, completely devoted to traditional (non-digital) photographic processes. en Sat, 30 Aug 2008 13:27:47 GMT vBulletin 5 http://www.apug.org/forums/images/misc/rss.jpg APUG - Blogs http://www.apug.org/forums/blogs/ looking for space to make darkroom http://www.apug.org/forums/blogs/jss/70-looking-space-make-darkroom.html Tue, 26 Aug 2008 17:24:18 GMT i'm just starting to network in the artist community here in san francisco. i've decided i need dedicated darkroom space outside of my home. i've been convinced by some painter friends that such a space is super for productivity, and that's what i want. i found an established darkroom in an artists building but it was pretty unorganized and shared by 3 photogs now. i'm hoping to either find a cheap space i can convert or find one other photog i can go halvsies with. going half will make it a lot easier i think.

i have too many unrealized ideas and half-done projects to keep my current modus-operandi. ]]> jss http://www.apug.org/forums/blogs/jss/70-looking-space-make-darkroom.html Another analog photographer is gone http://www.apug.org/forums/blogs/falkenberg/69-another-analog-photographer-gone.html Wed, 20 Aug 2008 07:44:04 GMT A photographer that I have worked with has dropped analog completely. I know that this is not news in any way, since everyone is going digital. Most of the photographers I know only have their analog cameras stading somewhere as a museum piece. What was special about this photographer was that he insisted on shooting analog for his clients. It was interesting to see his clients look at polaroids in this digital age. The reason he gives for stopping with shooting analog is that there is no more Polaroids around. We sat down and planned his new digital setup, and during this he realized that he would loose some of his earnings when going digital. He used to charge clients for every polaroid and sheet film and development and printing. With the new setup he could only charge for printing. His clients seemed to like that he was "old fashioned" and did not mind paying for all of those things. After talking it through we decided that he should still work more analog with his new digital setup. We setup a workflow that automatically prints a 10x15 cm postcard size picture of all pictures he takes. Kind of Polaroids in the digital age. He also decided that he would only shoot with his 4x5 Sinar camera. He said that his clients could relate to him taking his time with a camera that complicated. That way he could better charge client for the time he uses. I have seen him work with his 4x5 Sinar and he works as fast as many do with their Canon or Nikons. I am sure he will succed in being digitanalog or whatever it should be called. ]]> Falkenberg http://www.apug.org/forums/blogs/falkenberg/69-another-analog-photographer-gone.html My Photo Diary http://www.apug.org/forums/blogs/gerryyaum/68-my-photo-diary.html Sun, 17 Aug 2008 06:29:43 GMT www.gerryyaum.blogspot.com Blog deals with my photographic adventures, photo articls, links to video and my latest images. www.gerryyaum.blogspot.com

Blog deals with my photographic adventures, photo articls, links to video and my latest images. ]]> gerryyaum http://www.apug.org/forums/blogs/gerryyaum/68-my-photo-diary.html The things we do for our art http://www.apug.org/forums/blogs/theflyingcamera/67-things-we-do-our-art.html Tue, 05 Aug 2008 12:57:44 GMT On Sunday, I was out with some other LF folks taking a visit to Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens (one of the least well known parts of the National Park system, very much off the beaten track), shooting some of my remaining Kodak HIE 4x5. I was taking the other folks to see the river overlook when I slipped on some wet grass on a downhill slope. My body went one way, my ankle, a different way. POP! I now have a nasty sprain, my ankle is the size of an orange, and I'm on crutches. The worst part of it is that I now can't get to my darkroom because it is in the basement, where the stairs are narrow, steep and rickety. So now I have a bunch of images on film that I can't check out because I can't get down there to soup them! I really hope they can put me in a walking boot so I can get off these damn crutches and get mobile enough to go back to the darkroom.

Oh, and one more thing- at no point in the injury of this ankle was any camera harmed. The Shen-Hao didn't touch the ground, frankly, it hardly left the vertical position! ]]> TheFlyingCamera http://www.apug.org/forums/blogs/theflyingcamera/67-things-we-do-our-art.html Darkroom meltdown ( and resurrection ) http://www.apug.org/forums/blogs/theflyingcamera/66-darkroom-meltdown-resurrection.html Sun, 20 Jul 2008 14:08:43 GMT Well, I had to take my darkroom out of commission for over a month - I had some waterproofing work that had to be done in my basement, and the workmen displaced the stuff that was stored on the wet wall side of the basement into my darkroom. The darkroom is small when empty - 7' x 8'. With the normal working gear in it, there's a 2 1/2' x 7' walkway between the sink and the enlargers/UV unit/paper storage. With all the stuff moved in, there was NO walkway at all. Then, with the construction work, they kicked up a layer of fine orange dust (the soil around here is heavy orange clay, and when it dries out, it turns into a fine powder that gets on everything). The dust coated anything and everything in the darkroom.

After everything was finished, and I had the urge to go back in the darkroom again, I pulled all the stuff out, and started cleaning. This of course involved a lot of running water. I got as far as I could with the first phase of cleaning, turned around, and to my horror, there was water running across the basement floor in front of the basement bathroom. The construction had knocked loose the drainpipe inside the basement wall, and now it was draining across the floor, and not into the drain.

I cut open the drywall this morning, not knowing quite what to expect, fearing lots of moldy insulation and god knows what else. Luckily, the two pipes were just disconnected, and not broken. The insulation in the basement wall stops above the drain pipe, so none of it was wet. All I need to do now is go to Home Despot and get a new PVC pipe connector and some plumbers glue to splice in a new, slightly longer segment so the pipes won't come undone again. ]]> TheFlyingCamera http://www.apug.org/forums/blogs/theflyingcamera/66-darkroom-meltdown-resurrection.html wip pagazine http://www.apug.org/forums/blogs/simos-saltiel/65-wip-pagazine.html Wed, 16 Jul 2008 07:27:49 GMT Check out the first issue of wip, the electronic magazine for creative photography at *www.wip.gr* Check out the first issue of wip, the electronic magazine for creative photography at
www.wip.gr ]]> Simos Saltiel http://www.apug.org/forums/blogs/simos-saltiel/65-wip-pagazine.html New Studio http://www.apug.org/forums/blogs/theflyingcamera/64-new-studio.html Thu, 10 Jul 2008 19:18:19 GMT I found a studio to share outside of my house, finally! The price isn't cheap, but it's a lot better than what I would have paid to get my own space - $380 a month, plus utilities. It is close to public transit, and it is shared with three other photographers. I'll finally be able to advertise with a business address, and I'll be able to have models in to shoot without needing to do government clearance level background checks. Now I just have to move my gear in, and convince the other photographers to be a little more tidy in their storage of props and costumes ;) ]]> TheFlyingCamera http://www.apug.org/forums/blogs/theflyingcamera/64-new-studio.html Developing pains http://www.apug.org/forums/blogs/falkenberg/63-developing-pains.html Tue, 08 Jul 2008 20:44:10 GMT My plan was to develop 12 sheets of 4x5 film with great shots (naturally ;) ). Looking back at my day it was probably not the best decision I made. I have been home most of the day due to my boy being sick. We went to the doctor and found out he had pneumonia. On the way home we picked up our 4 year old girl. When we came home her temperature went up and she got sick too. Tucked them in bed. That was when I decided to use some time to develop som film. Maybe I should just have turned on the telly and watched something. Anyway I got all my chems out and prepped the bathroom for some darkroom time. Now I prepared the chems and some how I confused the fixer with the developer. That was how I ruined the first 6 sheets. Now on to the next 6 sheets. After loading them into the holder and putting the lid on. I checked the chems and I used the developer first. Everything went smooth until I saw the result. I overdevelop about one minute in order to have film more suited for alt. processes. For some reason the films were almost pitch black. There is only a hint of anything on them. I will try to use the, but I am almost certain they are unuseable. Anyway after saying a lot of not very nice words, my wife said "Well this gives You the oppertunity to make the pictures even better". She is right and I do have more fun taking the pictures than developing them. So now I will load a new box of Ilford FP4+ in the holders. Then off to bed to dream of all the nice pictures I will take tomorrow. ]]> Falkenberg http://www.apug.org/forums/blogs/falkenberg/63-developing-pains.html Show Pt II http://www.apug.org/forums/blogs/valerie/62-show-pt-ii.html Thu, 03 Jul 2008 23:48:56 GMT The show is hung and, if I do say so myself, looks amazing (the entire show.. a mixed media suitcase celebration). My panos looked so huge at home, but rather puny on these gallery walls. Tonally, they harken back to my infamous "dark and contrasy" roots... But that's how fairy tales often are, right?
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]]> Valerie http://www.apug.org/forums/blogs/valerie/62-show-pt-ii.html artomatic takedown http://www.apug.org/forums/blogs/theflyingcamera/61-artomatic-takedown.html Sat, 21 Jun 2008 16:51:15 GMT I'm sitting here at Artomatic, doing my last volunteer shift during deinstallation. The space looks very different with half the art remaining, and little debris piles here and there where people haven't finished cleaning up. Many of the artists who haven't removed their work still have the poems written for them stuck to their walls. There is this "poet" who goes through the show every year and writes a little stanza or two for each artist's exhibit. She deserves a lot of credit for tackling such a monumental task -it represents something on the order of 1000 poems in a one month period. However, I can't say that they are all Wordsworthian- both times I've gotten one, they've totally misinterpreted the photograph that inspired them. But then again, that is just firsthand proof of the subjectivity of art. ]]> TheFlyingCamera http://www.apug.org/forums/blogs/theflyingcamera/61-artomatic-takedown.html Hello again - what to shoot with my last 15 Polaroids http://www.apug.org/forums/blogs/falkenberg/60-hello-again-what-shoot-my-last-15-polaroids.html Mon, 16 Jun 2008 20:39:17 GMT Today I got a gift from the photographer I helped the other day. It was his last box of Polaroid 809 film and his filmholder and developer. I am sitting here with the box in my hand and I am wondering what to shoot with it. 15 shots. 15 moments in time. What to do. There is always the solution to sell it and use the money to fund the last 3 years of medical school :p Usually I have a lot of good projects that I could use this film for, but none come to mind at the moment. Beside I want this very last pack to be used for something very special. Perhaps I should use it for some fund raising project and in that way make it special. What do You think I should use it for ? Today I got a gift from the photographer I helped the other day. It was his last box of Polaroid 809 film and his filmholder and developer.
I am sitting here with the box in my hand and I am wondering what to shoot with it. 15 shots. 15 moments in time. What to do.
There is always the solution to sell it and use the money to fund the last 3 years of medical school :p

Usually I have a lot of good projects that I could use this film for, but none come to mind at the moment. Beside I want this very last pack to be used for something very special. Perhaps I should use it for some fund raising project and in that way make it special. What do You think I should use it for ? ]]> Falkenberg http://www.apug.org/forums/blogs/falkenberg/60-hello-again-what-shoot-my-last-15-polaroids.html Goodbye my darling Polaroid http://www.apug.org/forums/blogs/falkenberg/59-goodbye-my-darling-polaroid.html Thu, 12 Jun 2008 08:00:19 GMT Yesterday I had the oppertunity to work with a photografer, taking portraits. We shoot all the portraits on 8x10" polaroid and did transfers to cotton with them. It is always fun to work with Polaroids, but as we all know it will soon be over. This morning I checked with all the pro photo shops here in Denmark and all have sold out of 8x10" Polaroid film and the distributor can not get any more. Now I will have to look around on the internet to see if there are any left somewhere. But for now I have said goodbye to Polaroid, but hope that we will reunite at some point in the future. ]]> Falkenberg http://www.apug.org/forums/blogs/falkenberg/59-goodbye-my-darling-polaroid.html A show http://www.apug.org/forums/blogs/valerie/58-show.html Wed, 04 Jun 2008 23:12:43 GMT How exciting! Someone saw my panorimics online and invited me to participate in a group show!

Theme of show:Suitcases.

Creative juices apparently haven't all dried up (as I have currently been fearing). Ideas are smashing in. ]]> Valerie http://www.apug.org/forums/blogs/valerie/58-show.html Teaching http://www.apug.org/forums/blogs/theflyingcamera/57-teaching.html Tue, 03 Jun 2008 11:33:53 GMT The previous weekend, I did a little wet-plate demo for some interested folks at Artomatic, the big exhibit at which I've got some work hanging. Well, one of the students at my demo went back to tell his college instructor about my demo, and now I've got an invite to repeat it for the college class at Northern Virginia Community College. I might also be teaching/demo-ing platinum/palladium for them. This is really great, as it helps to redeem some of the sting from getting rejected from grad schools - I'm going to get some college teaching experience, which I can put on my artists resume. ]]> TheFlyingCamera http://www.apug.org/forums/blogs/theflyingcamera/57-teaching.html Grain, tonality, format size and all that http://www.apug.org/forums/blogs/keithwms/56-grain-tonality-format-size-all.html Sun, 01 Jun 2008 18:29:27 GMT How much is grain per detail (and tonal smoothness) a function of format size?

First, the film grain per area is a constant of format size. This is important.

We can estimate grain increase per one stop increase in required film sensitivity as ~2x. In other words, if you shoot a film at ISO 200 then there will be ~2x more grain per detail than the same shot at ISO 100.

Obviously this is a very rough approximation and a rather pessimistic one at that. There are many different kinds of film grain, many different developers and developing procedures... and there is no reason to expect a linear relationship which will certainly fail at ISO extremes. Still, this ballpark estimate seems reasonable because detail per grain is ultimately nothing more than a signal to noise ratio, and if we shoot at ISO 200, we do so because the signal is 2x weaker than it would be if we could take the shot at ISO 100. The development process is basically an amplification process, so I think it's reasonable to say that 2x weaker signal corresponds to ~2x weaker overall signal to noise ratio. Again this is just a ballpark estimate! Of course it will fail at ISO extremes an for certain films and developers etc.

Alright... if you buy that a one stop increase in ISO means 2x as much grain per detail, then you see right away that a jump in format size which roughly quadruples the film area will give the same detail per grain as a one stop reduction in film sensitivity.

Let us list the format sizes and the approximate frame areas; I will define the letters A,B,C, etc. to denote roughly quadruple area format jumps:

35mm: 24x36 mm = 863 mm^2 = "A"
645: 56×41.5 mm = 2324 mm^2 = 2.7*A
67: 56×70 mm = 3920 mm^2 = 4.5*A = B
4x5: ~12903 mm^2 = 3.29*B = C
5x7: ~22580 mm^2
8x10: ~51612 mm^2 = 4*C

So here is my simple conclusion. The following exposures will yield roughly the same detail per grain:

Equivalent detail per grain:
35mm @ ISO 400
=6x7 @ ISO 800
=4x5 @ ISO 1600
=8x10 @ ISO 3200

35mm @ ISO 50
=6x7 @ ISO 100
=4x5 @ ISO 200
=8x10 @ ISO 400

Do you believe it? :) Obviously this is very rough approximation based on many assumptions. ]]> keithwms http://www.apug.org/forums/blogs/keithwms/56-grain-tonality-format-size-all.html Mamiya RB Back Question..? http://www.apug.org/forums/blogs/cburdicksr/55-mamiya-rb-back-question.html Fri, 30 May 2008 19:17:48 GMT I currently shot with several different medium format camera systems and have for over 35 years. One would think, I would know or have found the answer to this question by my by now. Does anyone know for a fact, if the RH12/24 singer or grayflex film backs will mount to the RB Pro, Pro S, or Pro SD System camera and actually be a usable entity? I would like to be able to do 6x6 format on this system thus eliminating a couple of other complete camera systems I have been totting around in my arsenal of cameras. If this is an actual reality, are there any quirks to the operations or functions of the backs? thks! I currently shot with several different medium format camera systems and have for over 35 years. One would think, I would know or have found the answer to this question by my by now.

Does anyone know for a fact, if the RH12/24 singer or grayflex film backs will mount to the RB Pro, Pro S, or Pro SD System camera and actually be a usable entity? I would like to be able to do 6x6 format on this system thus eliminating a couple of other complete camera systems I have been totting around in my arsenal of cameras. If this is an actual reality, are there any quirks to the operations or functions of the backs? thks! ]]> cburdicksr http://www.apug.org/forums/blogs/cburdicksr/55-mamiya-rb-back-question.html Randomness http://www.apug.org/forums/blogs/theflyingcamera/54-randomness.html Mon, 26 May 2008 23:07:36 GMT I went for a jaunt in the countryside today, took a drive up to Harpers Ferry. On the way home, I stopped off at an antiques mall and found a lovely 1/4 plate daguerreotype for $95. No case, but the image, the mat and the glass were all in excellent condition, with the packet still well sealed, so no major oxidation or fading. I'm going to shop around for a modern replica case for it to better protect it. ]]> TheFlyingCamera http://www.apug.org/forums/blogs/theflyingcamera/54-randomness.html Wet Plate Success http://www.apug.org/forums/blogs/theflyingcamera/53-wet-plate-success.html Mon, 26 May 2008 10:39:02 GMT Well, not exactly, but I did give my wet plate demo and discussion yesterday at Artomatic. I used a box brownie for the camera, and coated my plates on some black glass cut down to the brownie's size - 3 3/4 x 4 1/2. We were getting the exposure pretty close on the third plate, but I ran out of developer. The bigger success was just being able to demonstrate the process, and have an interested audience. There were six folks in all who came for the program, and all left interested in the process. There was even a teenager - he was especially interested in learning in greater depth, and he wanted to know if and when I would be teaching it. I told him I will when I have a better grasp on the medium. That was the best compliment I got from the entire day - my little slide show plus the demo made someone want to study with me. ]]> TheFlyingCamera http://www.apug.org/forums/blogs/theflyingcamera/53-wet-plate-success.html preparing my exhibition http://www.apug.org/forums/blogs/nze/52-preparing-my-exhibition.html Sat, 24 May 2008 20:55:43 GMT as some may know I'll have an exhibition starting on the 15th of june. And few try I 'll print some of the photography tonight. The exhibition will be separate in 3 groups, 1 series of 10 in palladium platinum, another 12 in GSP on old mat paper and a last one consisiting of one image print in different process. I already do my selection and will print al the gSP tonight, I'll do the toning tomorrow. I'll print the platinum in the following days. ]]> nze http://www.apug.org/forums/blogs/nze/52-preparing-my-exhibition.html Quite a ride.......g*a*s http://www.apug.org/forums/blogs/jimgalli/51-quite-ride-g-s.html Thu, 15 May 2008 22:32:30 GMT So, I'm in Delaware with a LOT of females. My grandson and me are trying to make the male population seem significant and failing at it. Meanwhile the ladies decide to go to New York. Well rooms even in NJ are hideous and if I go it'll mean 2 instead of 1 so I opt out which gives me more time than I really want here at my daughter's computer.

Meanwhile Gustavo is yakking about Plasticca lenses. It's his fault. I wasn't thinking about Plasticca's until Gustavo steered me right off the straight and narrow. So since I had plenty of time and nothing to do I go to Seth's site and read about Oscar zwierzina Plasticca lenses. They sound fabulous and I know Emil has one. Google. MWClassics in UK has the perfect plasticca. An 18" f3.5. The rarest and best, and the price seems sort of fair for a Dutch Pinkham.

G*A*S hits and hits hard. "Have to have it" to about the tenth power. But I'm broke (as usual). What to do what to do!!!somebody else will get it!!!!gotta have it gotta have it. So I contact the nice folks in UK with a proposal, very calmly et al. "I'm on holiday but if I paypal you half or so will you let me finish when I am back home........etc. very calm like it's nothing. Nothing at all.

"Yes, OK" they say very graciously. So I send as much as I can without tipping over the checking account and I put together a plan. I list a bunch of stuff here and at LFForum at excellent value and wait. Yes, folks will buy things even in rough economy when the price is nice.

Finally after 10 hours the chap in UK says .........uh........we can't find that lens. We sold it weeks ago etc. etc.

:rolleyes: :mad: :rolleyes: :(

Anybody out there got an 18" f3.5 plasticca???? I NEED one..........badly! ]]> jimgalli http://www.apug.org/forums/blogs/jimgalli/51-quite-ride-g-s.html