steve_wiley

Picto is a pro lab in Paris. There's a couple of locations, one in

Montpernasse and one in Bastille, I think. There are Leica shops

close by, too

Marc, I use a generic straight bracket that I bought from B&H. I

don't remember the maker, probably Hama. It's about 9 inches long and

has a 1/4 inch hole on one side which I use to hold the flash end of

an SC-17. It's also got a shoe, but it's really flimsy. I'm sure a

machine shop could easily make a much nicer version for a couple of

bu

Any dichro head will function as a VC head. Zone VI (Calumet) makes a

VC head, as does Aristo.

The camera shouldn't be important to the audience, only the

image.

I once read about using a light blue filter to increase rangefinder

contrast. I tried an 1/8 or 1/4 CTB (can't remember which) on my M3.

It was helpful, but it wasn't a revelation. Seems like an orange or

red filter would darken the viewfinder too much to focus or compose in

low light.

Reproductions seldom match the originals. I print professionally for

some photographers you've probably heard of, and I see this happen all

the time.

Arie, you can't judge print quality from a computer screen. Go to

some galleries that specialize in photography and ask them to show you

some examples of excellent prints. Incidentally, I've never

considered HCB prints to be the paramount of black and white printing.

I respect his efforts, but I don't think he's a modern day Goya. James

Nachtwey is, but not Salgado. Thanks for the link, though.

Ben/Bob, If you like Ektalure, you should try Bergger's Variable CB

Style. It's not an Ektalure replacement, but it has an ivory base and

a really beautiful, delicate semi-matte surface.

Tech Pan is very red sensitive. Be sure to test before comitting

important pictures to it, or your film may come back woefully

underexposed.

It's interesting that Grant chose to use a Daido Moriyama image

to illustrate his point. Moriyama was part of a group of

Japanese photographers (PROVOKE) active in the 60's whose

goal was to undo preconceived notions of how a photograph

should look or be made. Moriyama often worked by running

through the streets of Tokyo, photographing without looking

through the viewfinder. Thanks, Grant.

You may encounter problems if you remove film from the freezer

then refreeze it at a later time. I had a problem with red spots on

processed Fuji RSP a few years ago, and although they couldn't

give me a definitive answer, Fuji thought it may have been a

result of refreezing the film.

I just bought the 28mm VC finder. The frame lines in the top

right corner are dimmer than the rest of the finder. Does anyone

know if this specific to the brand or maybe to this one finder, i.e.

should I return it or get used to it?

Wait, let me get this straight. You invite people over and sit around

a computer and show them this 'saga'? And you're all entertained by

this? Boy, you guys really know how to party.

Wait, let me get this straight. You invite people over and sit around

a computer and show them this 'saga'? And you're all entertained by

this? Boy, you guys really know how to part

Hyatt, I've used the 160 NC that Jack mention in Mexico and was

really happy with the results. I rated the film at 100 and ran it

normal.

Since you now have a lab at your disposal, why don't you test the

films you mentioned. Stick to one developer ( I would say

D-76/ID-11) and try every film you're curious about. Once you've

found a film that's best for what YOU shoot and the way YOU

shoot it, try some different developers. Just change one variable

at a time.

Benzotriazole is a restrainer, usually used in combination with

Phenidone. All developers have a restrainer in the formula;

D-76/ID-11 use Potassium Bromide. It also has the benefit of

reducing fog on outdated film and papers. Edwal sells it as

Liquid Orthazite (with the addition of Sodium Sulphite.) Don't add

to film developer without testing first. Restrainers slow the rate

of development.

<p>

Cosmo gets good results because he overexposes the film to

get more detail in the shadows and the added restrainer slows

the rate of development in the highlights.

<p>

Arie, try rating Tri-X at 200 and developing it for 20% less than

normal. This will contract the number of steps between your

shadows and your highlights ( the difference is known as the

contrast index). The result will be lower contrast negatives that

are easier to print. This is particularly useful when shooting in

contrasty situations like the beaches of sunny Bermuda,

although many photographers do this as a rule.

Steve, I bet there is a lot of worthy subject matter in your own

backyard. It's a real challenge to make great photographs in a

place that you you take for granted or find mundane.

You don't have to photograph poor people (or peasants) to call

yourself a photographer

Like his work is an understatement. I really can't think of another

photographer who is as consistently great as Lee Friedlander (although

Koudelka,Eggleston and Nachtwey are at the top of my list as well.)

Given the amount of work he's done, and the seamless manner in which

he moves between genres, I am highly suspect of anyone who claims

they've never seen a picture of his that they like. His work really

deserves more than a cursory glance at the bookstore. My personal

favorite Freidlander book is "Factory Vall

Photography has never been about the truth, as photographers

have been manipulating their images since the beginning of the

medium, and I mean more than just routine dodging and

burning. Edward Curtis routinely retouched signs of civilization

out of his images of American Indians; Eugene Smith added

silhouettes of tools to his picture of Albert Schweitzer; Richard

Avedon would take the head out of one negative and add it to the

body from another. All of these examples were performed

without the aid of Photoshop. And don't think photojournalism is

above all of this. Look at this <a

href="http://commfaculty.fullerton.edu/lester/writings/faking.html"

>essay</a> by Paul Martin Lester.

The point is, saying digital encouages image manipulation is

like saying legalizing marijuana encourages widespread use.

Martin, I believe that Smith printed them for reproduction, not

exhibition. The subdued lightlng is meant to protect the prints,

as they are often the only ones in existance. My only criticism

was that the salon style hanging made it difficult to see some of

prints hung on the top row, at least for vertically challenged

viewers like myself. Otherwise, excellent show.

Very nice. Lots of visual information to digest. It made me think of

Walker Evans, not in a derivative way, but in the way it transported

me for an instant to the place it was made. Lives up to the term

"Leica Photograph