rich_deferrari1

I never went anywhere without a c330 in my bag and a blad in hand . And -another blad in the trunk. They are great cameras -workhorses. Capable of great enlargements. I shot many a side by side comparison under controlled testing/studio conditions when I was a technical photographic specialist. In an 8x10 -I defy anyone to tell the difference between blad and c330 under AVERAGE conditions. {no strong flare/backlighting,wide open or shut down. I have shot over 1500 weddings -split between blad and c330. That is about all I have ever used {Kowa super 66/Bronica S2a a bit} Relax -a 21/4 with 80 is all many folks need to shoot a wedding and cover it adequately. Best regards -RichD

Kelly -in my honest opinion I don't think it will "connect" with a lot of brides. It is non -traditional and not that strong of a candid image. I like the image idea -but- think the photo needs to be stronger and STANDOUT from others. I would not hire you based on this card . Very sorry -but I assume you want honesty. Try another image -best wishes -RichD

Keep on plugging!!!

Thank you all --you MUST leave a very good "paper trail" to say the least. Imagine the unthinkable happens ..........

Twice my family was told to "say goodbye" .... It is very hard on them.

I have 60 weddings on the books this year -plus family parties,portraits,schools,etc. You must make arrangements to cover all your work. I have 3 people who "string" for me now. I need a fourth! Any qualified folks south of boston????

Thank you and best regards -RichD

Apologies to the folks I was talking to about Daylab 3 weeks ago -I

was hospitalized for 3 weeks {unexpectedly}and am now trying hard to

catch up -let brides know I will be unable to shoot their weddings

{although my asst. will do them}.

Illness sucks-I really advise all one person studios to get

insurance to cover you if you are out of work long term.It is

available -and I am finding out it is also necessary. Also -once

you "need" it you can no longer get/afford it. I will catch up soon -

best regards -RichD

RDeFerrari@aol.com

Michael -thank you. I do appreciate it. Also thanks for mentioning the "purrple nitrile" gloves -these are the really good ones that will protect you from the chemistries. I have had some of the latex gloves break in some chemicals-not good protection. Thank you also for the info on reducing -For some reason I did not consider this -my brain simply locked on putting it in a one part toner bath. I think a one bath toner would have little effect. Take care all and best regards -RichD

ps. always remember safety in the DR

Thank you for the correction -as I said you would have to try it. David -would love to see what it looks like after you are done -please post an example after you do it and let us know of your experience. I again would have guessed that nothing would have happened -even in Farmers reducer - after it had been archivally processed properly in selenium toner. Wish I could go back in the darkroom {can't -medical/health}and try this. Please please please use heavy rubber gloves and tongs!!!!!!these chemistries are bad ,bad, bad - I used to scoff at the warnings -now I have terminal,incurable cancer. It is traced back to my old "darkroom {daze} days.

To the smarter posters who corrected the post -how much reduction can be done on a fully selenium toned print -a little -or -as much as you could do to a print that had never seen selenium? Thanks and best regards -richD

again -please be careful with darkroom chemistry!

Dave -you will have to try it. It has been a long time since I have done this type of thing or tried to figure out the chemistry behind it. My sense is that nothing will happen as you have already changed the silver to silver selenide. A noble metal -I don't think it will accept toner now. Also whenever toning - make sure to use a nonhardening fixer! . I could be totally wrong -please try it. I have been out of the research labs for a long,long time now. Best regards -RichD

Thank you William! appreciate your input! best regards -RichD

#1 - what Al said

#2 - I think it's nice to have the same "back-up" gear as primary gear -it makes it easier to make the transition if you do have a problem

#3 - Now that I have been playing with digital as well as my Hasselblad I see that both are very capable of shooting a wedding -in the right hands. A superior camera does not make a better photographer. Whatever you choose -master it. I never understood before when folks talked about the different look of film/digital until I had shot comparisons with both. They do have a different "look" Go with whichever YOU prefer.

For the most part -most clients don't care if you shoot film/digital/35mm , or 2 1/4. Lately though I have had a few {through EP-online} ask me which I used. After I explained what I did I asked them why they asked - no one could answer that. Funny. Thank you and best regards -RichD

I too like the idea -but am not crazy about either slogan either. But when I tried to come up with a better one -I couldn't. So -no slogan for me -Love the pix and idea though! Best regards -RichD

Stacy -you were the only respondent to my earlier post about this

new Daylab copier -which can be useful for copies/image transfer. If

I can swing it -do you want one to "Beta" {play with. I will include

free film}. Since I received no other postings from wedding photog's

I assume that no one else has any interrest-positive or negative- in

a product that can do this. Thanks and best regards - RichD

Stacy -feel free to email me at RDeFerrari@aol.com

ps. did you read Kathleen Carrs book?

John -do a free engagement sitting for them and try out some of the "slimming" techniques. That will show you where you are at/what you are up against. I have had "large" brides say -wow -I look great and the occaisional one say -"my gosh -I look fat"!!!! This has worked great for me. Best regards -RichD

Michael -I had two of these -if I can find them {probably!} I would entertain an $offer or a trade. Thank you -RichD

RDeFerrari@aol.com

Incident light metering is the way to go. It measures the light falling on your subject -not reflected by your subject. Hence it can't be fooled by whites/blacks and the ammt. of light they reflect. Best regards -RichD

I give my previews to my clients in person -it helps to hear their oooohs and ahhhhhssss and get their feedback on the photos. I present them in a nice floral wedding "bag" -cost appx $2.00 each. I got tired of assembling preview books. Best regards -RichD

Due to my "bad" eyes I stopped focusing years ago and now rely on zone focusing. There is so much depth of field available at F8 or 11. Haven't had an out of focus pix in years! Try it -it works great. Best regards -RichD

At weddings I also leave my camera prefocused at 10 feet -this helps capture good candids.

Hi Enrico -I own 3 of these lenses and have always been extremely happy with all of them. I have shot many a wedding/prom/event with them . They are nice and sharp with good color contrast. They are good picture takers. These days I use my blads more {interchangeable backs/brighter screens} but I always have a c330/80mm in my car as an extra backup. Enjoy -they are good picture takers! Best regards -RichD

Hi Rich -where will the wedding/reception be? I am just south of Boston and nowadays avoid it like the plague {usually}. The "Big Dig" has made travel a mess.One of my folks might be interrested though -good to work with someone new always -pick up new ideas/techniques. Let me know if you need any info -I know most of the venues pretty well. Best regards -RichD

There were appx 4 very different shutters for the sx-70 line -each one worked a bit differently. Sorry -I no longer have detailed info on this -call Polaroid at 1-800-343-5000 -or leave a ? at www.polaroid.com. {Polaroid} Someone there should remember the answer to your question. Best regards -RichD

Correct ! The older Daylabs {some outputted to wet conventional chemistry_others to Polaroid 's} made prints only from slides/negs.This new copier was created to make copies from any type prints appx 4x5 or 4x6 onto Polaroid pack film -3 1/4 x 4 1/4 {ie T669/T664}. The intended market was either scrapbookers or image/emulsion transfer artists. People often say "I wish I could see this/that in a product or I wish a product existed that would..." Well folks -this is your chance to truly influence whether a product goes to market or not. So -please let me know if you think you might ever use one. Thanks and best regards -RichD

Thank you for your response -I charge "custom" prices for doing image transfers of wedding/portraits to clients. I have a very high sucess rate with them and I {my clients too} think they come out beautiful They are truly "one of a kind" . For paper a safe bet is Arches 88 . Hot press papers work best -cold press don't typically work as well. Bienfang and hahnemuelle{sp?} also make some really nice papers. Of course you can "improve any paper by giving it a gelatin bath to make it smoother and give the dyes something to mordant{stick} to. Thanks again -RichD.

ps . would love some more feedback please.

A friend of mine who owns Daylab has asked my opinion about a product

{last one I helped bring to market} and its possible interrest to pro

wedding photographers.I thought I would do a quick survey here.

Thanks in advance for your honest opinions. Daylab makes a copier

that will take 4x6" prints and makes a quick copy of them onto

Polaroid film {like T-669/T 664}. This is a 3 1/4 x 4 1/4 instant

film. This film costs about a $1 a sheet. You can then do a number

of creative things with these films. For B&W you can hand color

them ,for color you can do emulsion lifts or image transfers. For

examples of these go to Kathleen Carrs website or Daylabs website or

many,many others. I have seen "magic" with these processes. You may

also be able to do sx-70 manipulations also. So -my question. At appx

$100 - would anyone be interrested in a copier like this ? Do you

think you might use one? Anyone do any of the Polaroid Creative

processes{ie. image transfer,emulsion lifts, B&W handcoloring,sx-70

manipulations} and integrate them into your wedding work {rather than

just personal work}.This product will be shown at the big wedding

show in April also to gauge how it will be accepted. Sorry for the

long post -your honest assessment is appreciated. Thanks and best

regards -RichD

The newest roller assemblies from Polaroid are backwards compatible to most Polaroid backs/cameras.{CAME OUT ABOUT 10 YEARS AGO} They have small edge cutouts in them that helps keep developer from leaking out. They also pull far more easily and last much longer. For the cheap cost they are really worthwhile to have.They really make a big difference! Best regards -RichD

I have been using General Products for about 20 years now -they have a decent {cheap!} flush album available that is easy to put together and a Reversible hand matted album that looks nice and is reasonably easy to assemble. I like dealing with them -they generally fix mistakes pretty quickly. I've only had a few bad experiences in over 20 years -not bad. Best regards -RichD

One of the key things to remember when using a polaroid back is to keep the roller assembly clean. Remove the roller assembly -it is one piece and is NOT able to be disassembled by the user! ONLY use water to clean the roller assembly -never use water or any other solvent - ever. This will insure long life to your roller assembly. Thanks and bestregards -RichD