Mixing things up

Yesterday was to be a day of photographing. By 7:00am I had packed up 2 bags and was ready to roll. I sat for a few minutes thinking of what I might like to shoot. Then I sat for a few more minutes. The next thing I knew it was early evening and I had nothing.

The problem is that I've got things backwards. Instead of going out and randomly hunting for photo opportunities I should just know what I want to shoot and then go do that. Except it never works that way. I'm not one of those people who just can't keep up with their own ideas. I wish I were.

So late yesterday as I was cooking brats I decided to do a fun still life with my food. The result is below. Not especially original or interesting, but it was something. Maybe if I just keep doing something--anything--the interesting stuff will come.

Banana and Bratwurst

Why I keep making photos of my dogs

It seems like I post a photo of one or more of my dogs every week. This is not because I think my dogs are especially interesting or photogenic (although they are that,) but rather it's because I can't think of anything else to photograph.

Some days I walk around the house or neighborhood looking for things that might make interesting photos. Nothing. Then I play with the dogs. They're so energetic and fun that I'm reminded how much I enjoy photographing them. Out comes the camera. Yesterday, it was the Hasseblad, which is the worst camera I own for taking photos anything that moves, but I still love the way it renders.

A Studio in my Garage

Studio photography has never really interested me. I take mostly "situational" photographs which require no setup or planning or, frankly, skill. Recently, however, with my continuing move to medium and now large formats, adding a little control to the process seems like a good idea.

As a baby step, I set up a "studio" in my garage. It consists of a backdrop, one strobe, and a small window.

My fancy new studio

Once I get the 4x5 camera rolling, I plan to try a few portraits here. Nothing fancy, obviously, but it's a start. Here's a test shot of my dad. I've got work to do, but it's fun.

Ron Baty. (Mamiya 6)

Going a little bigger with 4x5

If I were making lots of huge landscape prints, having a 4x5 camera would be an advantage. I'm not making huge prints of any kind, so having a 4x5 camera is entirely unnecessary. With that in mind, I just bought a Burke & James 4x5 Speed Press. As you do.

I have film and a JOBO. All I need is a few 4x5 film holders and I could actually use the thing. Can't wait.

Processing my own color film

"Color (C-41) processing is hard." Or at least that's what I always assumed. Several months ago I decided to find out for myself, but only yesterday did I finally get to it. 

The trick to color negative development is accurate, consistent temperature of the chemicals. I solved that by buying a JOBO processor from a guy on Craigslist. It can also be done with a pan of warm water. The JOBO keeps the chemicals at the correct temperature and will agitate (rotate) the tank for me. All I have to to is load the film, mix the chemicals, and watch the timer.

JOBO CPE2 with Lift

What ended up being the hardest part for me was finding decent information on how to actually go through the process. The few people who bother to write about color processing all seem to recommend something different. "You MUST pre-wash!" or "Don't EVER pre-wash!" It's crazy how little consistent information is available. I read a few articles, scanned the forums, and went for it.

The kit I used was from Rollei: Digibase C41. This seemed ideal as it seemed to have been specifically formulated for small runs and has a long shelf life. Of course I just found out today when trying to order more that it's since been discontinued. Naturally.

What I found was that the process was rather simple. Getting chemicals in and out of the tank was made easy by the JOBO Lift. Then hung the negatives to dry and scanned. Not bad. Here's the process I used.

• Pre-wash for 1:00 minute (The Digibase kit suggests it)
• Developer for 3:15
• Wash for 2:00
• Bleach for 6:00 (suggested from 4:00 to 6:30)
• Wash for 2:00
• Fix for 6:30
• Wash for 2:00
• Stabilize (directly in tank, not using JOBO as the stabilizer can gunk things up)
• Hang

I had 250ml of each chemical pre-mixed and in bottles held in warm water in the JOBO. Other than a few drying marks and the usual collection of dust, it turned out pretty well.

One of the things keeping me from shooting 120 color film is the cost and lag with processing. I ship the film to NCPS and in 7-10 days I'd get it back with scans. The cost is about $20/roll. Using the color kit at home brings that down to around $3.00/roll. I can live with that at the volume I shoot.

Here are a few shots from the Hasselblad on (the now discontinued) Fuji Pro 800Z.

I Get Bored

You know those people who have a seemingly non-stop flood of great ideas? The ones who then spend as many of their waking hours as possible making those ideas a reality? 

I'm not one of those people.

When my lack of ideas and surplus of time collide, I do things like the following:

Mamiya 6 | HP5+ | D-76

I threw a muslin backdrop on the wall, set a strobe with umbrella in the corner, dropped the Mamiya 6 on a tripod with the timer set and screwed around with a couple of eggs for 12 exposures.

I have all the cameras

This weekend a Canon EOS-1V showed up on Craigslist for $300. No one in their right mind would pass up the chance at Canon's ultimate film SLR at that price, right? Right? I certainly didn't.

It's out of control. I now have a Nikon F6 and a Canon 1V. The F6 is technically for sale, but still. Last week it was a new-ish Leica lens for the M7 (one of 3 Leica bodies). See what I mean? So here's a bunch (not all) of what I currently have.

That's just ridiculous. Who needs all that? I love it, that's not the problem. The problem, as I see it, is that I don't know what I want to be when I grow up, photographically anyway. I just keep all my options open (All available options in the world, apparently.) I fancy myself a "film shooter" so I keep buying film cameras. I love them and I love film. That's not going away. On the other hand, I don't carry a film camera with me everywhere these days. Dragging the Leica around my neck everywhere I go is something I thought I'd wanted to do, but I don't. Not really. I have a 1DmarkIII that is awesome. Why on earth should I have the 1V? Who needs 10fps with a film camera these days? I don't.

If I'm being honest (and I think I am) I'd say that I should shoot digital for everyday snaps (with the X100) or things that need speed (1DmkIII). Shooting film should be for more considered work and for that I should stick with medium format (or larger, someday.)

What I should do is sell the lot of the 35mm film cameras (save for maybe the Leica M3 because damn) and keep the Mamiya and Hasselblad for film. The rest is easily covered digitally. That's how I feel right now.

You see how it is?

Leica 35mm Summarit-M Incoming

A few years ago my only camera was a Leica M6-TTL and on it was mounted the best lens I've ever used, a Leica 35mm Summicron ASPH. Since then I've gone through many cameras and lenses, but I still regret selling the Summicron. I'd purchased that lens (used) for $1,300 and sold it a year later for the same amount. I wish I'd known that in just a few short years the prices for used copies would double. Today, a "bargain" grade Summicron fetches in the neighborhood of $2,500. Dammit!

Frustrated with sky-high prices, I sought a cheaper 35mm lens and ended up with the wonderful Voigtlander Color Skopar f/2.5. It really is a great performer, and costs around $400. I should be perfectly happy with it. So what's the problem, then? I hate to admit it, but although it performs just fine, I don't like how the CV lens looks or handles. I'd describe its handling as "sharp and clicky" which probably doesn't mean anything to anyone but me. It has a pinchy lens cap and the ears on the aperture ring are easy to bump. Handling to me is nearly as important as image quality, and the CV lens doesn't do it for me.

After reading every article and review on M-mount 35mm lenses, I made a decision. I wanted a modern 35mm Leica lens, but I didn't want to spend the money for a Summicron. Enter, the 35mm Summarit-M.

The Summarit line, introduced in late 2007, is considered a "budget" line of lenses. They are not cheap by anything other than Leica standards, but several compromises help keep the price reasonable. The primary difference is speed. At f/2.5, it's a half-stop slower than the famous Summicron. Also, no aspherical elements means, well, I'm no lens expert, but what it means is probably slightly more distortion and lower contrast. Otherwise, the Summarit is a Leica lens through and through, so I ordered a used one. If it handles anything like the Summicron did and produces images at all like the samples I've seen, I should be very happy with it.

Update: While it's a beautiful lens, I decided to return the Summarit before finishing the first roll. Too much money for something that is only marginally better than what I already own.

The source of my avatar

It was while buying some old camera gear from a gentleman that I noticed a pile of negatives on his kitchen table. I asked about them and he said that they were a bunch of old negatives he'd picked up some years before at a garage sale. My nostalgia meter redlined so I asked if they were for sale. He threw them into the deal for $10 or something.

The negatives were all what looked to be family photos from the early 1900s. I scanned the whole lot of them. One of the photos was of a man with a pipe wearing overalls pushing a woman in a wheelbarrow. I love the photo. They both are laughing, and the man's laugh looks so genuine and comical that I cropped it and now use it for my avatar just about everywhere.

Print made from found negative

Daniel Milnor on Darkroom Printing

Working in the darkroom made me a far better, sharper photographer in the field. I could no longer be sloppy, make a good scan and make a workable digital print. Making a good darkroom print starts with a good negative, so you have to be more focused and more on your game. I also love the reality of never being able to make two prints the same, meaning that each and every print is a unique object, the complete opposite of digital printing. But ultimately my decision to go back in the dark is spurred by the unfortunate reality that I have absolutely no feeling toward machine made inkjet prints.

Yes, that.