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Wow Trevor! According to the article you linked to you are a member of the 'back boy crew.' I didn't know that. Congratulations! 8-/

Great thread Craig!! I've been living in Kansas City, Missouri for the past 6 years. However, I still consider Augusta, Georgia home for some reason. Nice little golf tournament there every April. You golfers outta check it out sometime! ;-)

I agree with Eric~ in that the lab and specifically paper used may have something to do with disappointing results. Andre, try and find out if the lab you used has a Fuji frontier machine. I have used Porta several times and been disappointed with results from the frontier. However, if you can find a lab using the Noritsu machine, chances are the prints will be much better. The frontier just isn't set up for the Kodak workflow in my experience.

Nicole - Just as others have mentioned, a 'bath' for your chemicals of ice or warm water (depending on circumstances) will help regulate the temperatures.

 

For example, here in Missouri during the summer I have trouble keeping the chemicals cool enough to not develop film instantaneously. The water just comes out of the tap too warm. I use a large pyrex dish with ice water in it to cool the chemicals down. Likewise, in winter the tap water is far too cold, so I use a pan of warm water to similar effect. Of course, in spring and fall is the prime time to develop film!

 

Honestly, I've found that as long as materials are within five degrees or so apart, there will be little chance of danger. Some will say the flexibility is more like 10 degrees, but the bottom line is you will be OK.

 

Good luck with your portfolio!

Bill, I think having 10 people agree comes down to the fact that your son had limited choices, and that he is a beginner. If he were more experienced, and wasn't restricted on choosing his film, you would have a vast difference in opinion I'm sure!

Bill, yet another vote for Tri-X 400. I took a B&W photography class just a few years ago and we were told to begin with TMAX. I never was really pleased with the results however. Fortunately, I found HP5+ and have been very happy since. I know HP5+ wasn't one of the choices, but since Tri-X 400 is similar it will probably offer the best results for a beginner (fast film, easy to develop, easy to find in shops, etc.).

Oh Trevor! We in the USA do love our Legos. There is still a significant portion of the youth that enjoy them here.

 

If you were to come and visit the huge Mall of America near Minneapolis you would see a whole Lego playland. One can participate in building activities, buy Legos by the piece and color, and choose from thousands of sets to take home. Some of the imagination that has gone into the formations by the professionals is impressive!

Stuart - Photos 3, 4, and 5 look like the Mission in Santa Barbara. Nice pictures!

The destruction is incomprehensible. Even now, knowing what the news images have shown us, seeing the individual stories is powerful. The complete and utter destruction is remarkable and visually devastating. Amazing Sam.

I agree Frank. Beau, I've seen that shot before. I like it now as much as I did previously. Eric, that shot would make a great large print. Very nice sense of isolation there!

Al - Both islands are worth a visit, but depending on your time may be too time consuming. The biggest problem is that both are restricted access islands - there are not any roads/bridges to them.

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If you are interested in Cumberland, you need to make advance reservations with the National Park Service. You can read the information and decide your course of action <a href="http://www.nps.gov/cuis/pphtml/planyourvisit.html" target="blank">here</a>. It is a wonderful island, but allow a full day as much walking is involved. There are bicycles you can rent, but don't know how tied down you may be.<br><br>

Some, if not most, of Sapelo Island is owned by the state of Georgia and is primarily used by the University of Georgia for their marine biology program. (When I lived in Georgia a friend's father was the director of the operation so I got to go out there occasionally. Of course, because it is isolated, my friend had to live in Brunswick during the schoolyear with his mother.) Once again, while worth visiting, advance preparation is needed. <a href="http://www.gastateparks.org/info/sapelo/" target="blank">Here</a> is the Georgia state park web site. It is helpful. <a href="http://nerrs.noaa.gov/SapeloIsland/welcome.html" target="blank">This</a> site is run by NOAA and gives you another idea of the work that goes on there. The closest dock to Sapelo is in Darien, about 45-60 minutes from St. Simons.<br><br>

Hope that helps! Good luck.

Al, as a Georgia native I hope I can help you a bit. First, it's a great area to visit! Now that we have that settled I'll try to give more specifics...

 

Honestly, while St. Simons does have some wonderful areas, it is very populated. You will certainly want to visit the lighthouse as mentioned above. You will also want to see Christ Church, Sea Island (the Cloister), and the area around the pier. St. Simons has some good dining and shopping. There will be plenty of people to see.

 

IMO, if you are looking for landscapes and fewer people, you may want to look at spending some time on Jekyll Island, the island to the south of St. Simons. They are not far apart - one can easily see the northern tip of Jekyll from the southern point of St. Simons - but to get there necessitates a trip back to Brunswick and back out the Jekyll causeway.

 

(I wrote the information below for a birding friend who was heading to the St. Simons/Jekyll Island area. If you're not interested in birds, please ignore those comments.)

 

"If you choose to go to Jekyll Island you'll have to drive out the seven mile causeway. There are spots to stop (though none 'official') along the causeway and check for large wadering birds during high tide. During lower tide, look for sandpipers and plovers on the exposed mudflats. There is one tidal creek you cross on the causeway. Just before you reach the bridge is a pullout where one can safely pull aside and check for the Marsh and Carolina Wrens commonly found there.

 

I would suggest stopping at the Welcome Center/GA Highway Patrol office on the north side of the causeway about a mile from the bridge onto the island. They have a map of the island and a couple of nice brochures descriping the GA coastal birding trail and a checklist I believe. Also, look behind the center for more shorebirds.

 

If you've never been to Jekyll, it's a simple island to navigate. There is a main road that runs a ring around the whole island and one main road to bisect it (there are smaller sand/dirt roads, but they are trickier to find). The south end of the island (especially land side) is much less developed than the north end, though because the entire island is a state park, only 35% of it can be developed at all

by state law. During spring migration trees drip with warblers. During fall, less so, but still can be impressive. Near the southern point is a utility pullout/trail. Try to park here and walk to the beach (not too far). You'll definitely need a scope, but this area is traditionally a great area for terns, gulls, and migratory seabirds.

 

On the north end be sure to drive up through the area by the pier. Once again there are a few tidal creeks along here which often have interesting birds. During low tide many people go crabbing on the mud flats. On the northeast side of the island just past the Villas By the Sea condo complex (as you're heading north) is an area called driftwood beach. Lots of debris collects here during storms and it has created an interesting area for smaller, shy birds. Lots of cuckoos, flycatchers, warblers, and more Brown Thrashers than you can imagine can be found here.

 

There is only one gas station on the island. Immediately adjacent to the west side of the building is a trail that one can drive up to a pumping station (just a couple hundred yards). Park near the station and walk the past it to the north. A trail there goes through scrub and a couple of marshy areas. These parts of Jekyll are freshwater, not saltwater. If you walk about 1/4 mile of the trail shortly after

crossing a creek there will be a pond on your left. There are a couple of alligators in this pond (usually easily seen). When I was there in May there was also a Green Heron that walked within 5 feet of me. This trial loops around and comes out near the stables for the Jekyll Island Club Hotel.

 

Rent a bike and enjoy the island at a leisurely pace if you have the time. Also, look for Giff Beaton's "Birding Georgia" at the library and photocopy the pages on Jekyll. He is one of the premier GA birders and has good tips for the Jekyll, St. Simon's, and the surrounding area."

 

As a photographer, I would definitely check out the driftwood beach area mentioned above on Jekyll Island. There are cool landscapes to be made there, especially in black-and-white. Have a great trip!

Andre - Just to add to the chorus: I really like DD-X. It is my primary developer with HP5+ and FP4+. While taking classes I was stuck using T-Max, and was never particulary impressed. DD-X, while not the cheapest, is the one I've tried with which I really am comfortable.

Good interview! Nice to see a feature piece on street photography. Thanks Michael for convincing Eric to let you post the links!

Ray - I've always liked that particular photo. It would definitely be in my top 25-30 "I wish I had taken that photo" here on photo.net.

Will - I agree. Money doesn't seem to be enough, but as Skeeter points out, it is needed.<br><br>

 

If a person is searching for organizations this non-profit clearinghouse, www.Networkforgood.org (<a href="http://www.networkforgood.org/topics/animal_environ/hurricanes/?source=YAHOO&cmpgn=NEWS">here</a>), has a nice list of non-profits in the area that can help. I have linked directly to the hurricane relief page. One of the more interesting features is that by clicking on a non-profit's name you can see their financial charts and see what percentage of donations actually go to the cause. There are groups here of which I wasn't aware. While there's nothing wrong with the American Red Cross, sometimes it's nice to have choices!

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Help as your heart leads you to do.

Neil - As I recall, Mike Dixon is over in Korea or somewhere in Asia right now. Also, while here in the states he was known to reside in Nashville for the most part.

 

While Al can account for Dennis C, has anyone heard from John Fleetwood? (Hope I have his name right!)

Stuart - Nice photos. I've long been curious about visiting Iceland. Your photos do nothing to dampen my desire to visit. Very nice mood conveyed...

 

Harry - I also use Firefox, but didn't have issues with Stuart's photos loading. Make sure you don't have the box checked that only loads photos from the originating site (such as photo.net). It would prevent photos loading that were hosted on Stuart's site. Look under Tools--->Options--->(left pane)Web Features--->Load images. There is a secondary box for the loading of originating site images only. That should be unchecked. Hope this helps!

I'm sure you'll get many opinions, but I love HP5 with Ilford's DD-X. It's easy to use and produces very nice results. HP5 looks good in DD-X at 800 to 1600 as well. Have fun experimenting!

Patrick - That is a great shot. Very nice tones on that. Thanks for sharing!!

Brian - I know you're caught in a tough spot. However, increasing the subscription rate slightly might not be such a bad idea. I don't like higher rates, but honestly, I get more than $25/year worth of information, arguments, laughs, and pleasure. If (on the honor system likely) you were to have a student rate of $25, and a regular rate of something along the lines of $40 it might work.

 

It may be more of an administrative nightmare than it's worth. Just throwing another idea on the table.

Nice photos David. One heck of a ride!!<br><br>

 

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/doxid">Link to David's photos here.</a>

My biggest issues as one working with taxonomies and information architecture is that these are not even true, accurate keywords. If a person was to come to photo.net and search on film, photography, camera, flash, computer, etc. they would have such a mountainous list of results that they would never return.

 

The hard part about developing good, solid keyword lists is findability. When searching, you need recall (not leaving any potental content out) and precision (finding exactly the document/content for which one is looking). Unfortunately, those concepts are diametrically opposed.

 

Developing valid keyword lists is a difficult science. The keywords which have been popping up on these threads are functionally useless.

Andy - Makes sense with regard to the head bobbing. Over on the wedding forum there were references to the noises made - perhaps due to the emotional nature of the event. In any case, it's a digitally-inspired phenomenon.

Barry - I've heard that 'chimping' was the term used because people tended to gather around and utter 'oohs' and 'ahs' as someone scrolled through the photos.

 

Of course, not much can be seen on a small screen, but that doesn't stop people from trying. I guess in the process the 'oohs' and 'ahs' can sound like a chimp, hence the term as it relates to digital photography.

 

Just another new term to add to the digital photography lexicon...