PHOTO ASSISTANTS NEEDED GRAFMATIC LOADING AND 4X5 AND POLAROID HANDLING

<p>Dear fellow photo.net users<br>

We are compiling a list of photo assistants who are proficient in the loading and handling of grafmatic 4x5 holders use of 4x5 film and use of 3x4 polaroid/Fuji films as candidates to be proposed for assisting some of the worlds top shooters while using the Littman 45 camera or The Littman 34 which shoots 3x4 Fuji 100c.</p>

<p>These cameras will be offered for rent to clients by one of the most prestigious NYc photo studios and as use of large format is now occasional photographers can benefit by hiring an extra assistant/s who is/are proficient with these tasks rather than get sidetracked into having his current assistants needing to familiarize and with limited success.</p>

<p>Please send me a PM if you are confident that you qualify for such responsibilities so as to provide a seamless service.</p>

<p> </p>

<p>Do "the world's top shooters" still use Grafmatic backs with their non-standard and variable register? How long does it take to pull and re-insert a DDS compared to fiddling with the handle and levers of a Grafmatic without accidentally fogging the film?</p>

Which studio will be renting these? Will they also be selling them? Why wouldn't this be done through a professional sales

and rental dealer like FotoCare or Adorama?

<p>Rodeo Joe ; we all use a microwave but some may want to use the brick oven for a candle lit diner on occasion. its a matter of preference .<br>

Mr. Salomon; Professionalism is indeed a term which applies to a dispensary.<br>

When large format was a usual necessity and more in demand such places would indeed make such effort based on expectancy of return not that they give a hoot one way or the other. whatever is on the shelf is based on how much it rents. that is conditional care or speculative professionalism.<br>

I don't shoot 4x5 as much but I still love it . If a place with a more demanding audience chooses to offer non conditional care IMHO that is twice as much professionalism or true professionalism if u may.<br>

It is a different type of Professionalism which related to the support respect and encouragement of a photography which isn't mechanical objectivist and purely pragmatic.<br>

a different type of professionalism which focuses on artistic pursuit and the justification of the use of eventual tools which may facilitate that.<br>

It would be derogatory defamatory and insulting to debase such establishment to your interpretation of professionalism as a dispensary and so I will not provide the name.<br>

BTW they will also soon have a locations rentals dept.<br>

Their clients will be notified by the studio directly <br>

thank you.</p>

 

Why, in plain English, can't you just answer the questions?

<p>The plain English answer is I did not come here to advertise the service but looking for assistants. it is not my place to advertise the service at this point. thank you.</p>

But, again in plain English, you have not said who exactly will be renting the camera and why not use NYC dealers who

do specialize in rental, including speciality cameras.

So why, in plain English, do you think it should be NYC dealers who rent out studio space including the machinery to be used there, Bob?<br>And why ask that question to begin with? I have to agree with William that it is a rather odd reply to his request.

That isn't what I asked. I asked which studio would be renting it and why established photographic rental stores for

professional photographic equipment would not be renting it.

 

And did not receive an answer in plain English.

Nor did i. ;-)<br>Why are you so concerned about who it is that is renting the cameras?<br><br>Or - to avoid an unnecessary discussion - it does indeed not matter. The question was if there is someone willing to share his or her experience loading Graflex backs for a fee.

Rental stores buy the equipment that they rent, they have steady traffic to rent. They have the ability to give the product

far more exposure to the shooters and they frequently sell the products that are rented. All of which is far more beneficial

to a manufacturer then only renting it from someone's studio space. Especially since that rental studio could be a

competitor of the rentor.

<p>Perhaps Bob could use plain English in informing that he is a competitor representing linhof and his posts to suggest unreasonable choices or conveniences which take the position of a competitor are not including the required plain English of disclosing that.<br /> rental houses are not horn tooters and will carry the product when new 55 film is again on the shelves. until then Bob expectations belong to an era past or one shortly in the future but not this moment.<br /> When Large format was very active Lens and Repro rented these cameras a lot but then they too went out of business entirely as the entire market changed as was the case with calumet</p>

<p>Rental places for automobiles don't rent sports cars but standard cars.<br /> In what refers to the disclosure of the actual business in question the plain English answer is<br /> the service has been presented by BOB as not a good choice and im not playing games or getting trapped by his usual strategy of combing the forums to paint competitors efforts as unattractive and then say if it is all that then the catleprod is justified and if you object and feel uneasy then you must be hiding something.<br /> here's the thing; The business has a clientele that has a demand for the service and will announce it to its clients. once they have a locations rental they will be as any other rental house and again it is them who will announce it. Im simply not at liberty .</p>

<p>Takes about 10 mins to learn how to use a Grafmatic back, same for the Polaroid holder. I used both of them a lot with my Super Speed Graphic and never had a problem.<br>

Any "proficient" assistant could learn both of these things in an hour.</p>

William,

I don't know where you get the idea that I am a competitor. I have been retired since March and don't represent any

company. And the company that I had worked for is no longer in business.

 

I still have not received a plain English answer to what I asked you twice. What studio will be renting the camera?

That was the discussion but in that original post he stated that it would be rented by a studio, maybe I would like to rent it.

But he does not want to divulge where I or anyone else would have to go to rent it. It does not appear to me to be that

difficult or complicated question to answer.

Well, Bob, you asked "why" (as in <i>"Why wouldn't this be done through a professional sales and rental dealer like FotoCare or Adorama?"</i> or <i>" why established photographic rental stores for professional photographic equipment would not be renting it"</i>) regarding a bit of the OP's post that was not part of the request it contained. It's like answering "Why don't you take up fly fishing instead of bothering with photography?" to the question "Who makes better UV filters, Heliopan or Tiffen?"<br>I don't know why you did that. Also not a difficult question. ;-)<br><br>Let's keep this friendly, and don't question people's motives when not necessary.<br>Now that you are retired, can you offer your services as a photo assistent?

I could work as an assistant, if I chose to, but I still would like to know who this prestige studio is. It does not take any

great skill to load film holders and any shooter who wants to shoot a large format camera should have no problem doing it

themselves or having their current assistants do it for them.

I think i would agree to that, Bob. But renting a studio and working with a camera could be something someone who doesn't do that (including work with that sort of camera) regularly treats himself or herself to. Not a regular work thing, but a luxury thing.<br>I.e.: mustn't assume that the customer targeted would be an experienced professional. You and i will have plenty experience using LF cameras and the accompanying paraphernalia. Would you be tempted to rent such a camera or rather use your own excellent and well known stuff?

I might be tempted if I could go someplace and handle one. But since that doesn't seem to be possible I would probably

pass on the opportunity. I also would not be shooting it in a studio. More likely for travel.

<p>It is kind of a strange request.. film loaders for hire...what does the gig pay? </p>

<p>As Mr de Bakker put it well there has been a reiterated insistence for a " plain English" answer which is standoffish and disruptive.<br>

As I informed the service isn't yet instituted and gathering resources for it and the last thing one wants is getting calls with a disruptive and standoffish demand for " plain English" and when a service is not yet offered.<br>

Secondly the business as I informed does not yet handle outside traffic and so my motivation for not answering the question is justified.<br>

When this changes and such business is prepared to provide a service and answers then the information is justified and will be provided and until then it is a distraction which is my duty to avoid. the matter has been addressed in plain English and considered closed.</p>

I am glad that you think that that last post is in plain English. It reads more like English as a second language.

<p>Mr Salomon last NY photo plus expo 2014 I believe I got a card from HP marketing and they said you were now with a different company and I may have seen you from a distance at the show?<br>

Anyway retirement doesn't change ones position except geographically ;)otherwise one would have to be a mercenary in what one says as opinion and which would change after there is no paycheck? so a retired Dodgers coach speaking about baseball to a Yankees coach ? Is anybody going to think retirement will retire the predator? what is " plain English " about that nonsense ;)</p>

 

<p>a you last post confirms what we could expect would happen if you were told<br>

anything but what you expected to hear if you called the studio haha</p>

<p>Ian sorry the discussion has been hijacked;) You are correct it isn't difficult to load holders but the idea is to keep a steady flow of ready to shoot film so the photographer has no distraction or interruption on one side and on his other side the other assistant is labeling the shot film and separating it batching it . an when shooting very very very fast another assistant is loading septum's onto boxes you can shoot very fast this way almost as fast as shooting Pack film polaroid where you just pull it out and go to the next shot.<br>

in this shooting method the photographer just focuses and presses the cable release and spends the rest of the time directing the subject instead of fiddling with the gear.<br>

otherwise the speed of operation of usual hand held LF versus digital makes the clients very nervous .<br>

When shooting personal stuff its best to have a bunch of holders than to have to bother with that .</p>