michael_a._smith1

<p> We have announced our workshop schedule for this year. Details are here: http://www.michaelandpaula.com/mp/calendar.html</p>

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<p >We will be conducting a workshop in Iceland in July and weekend Vision and Technique Workshops as follows:</p>

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<p >Bucks County, Pennsylvania: May 28–30</p>

<p >London, UK: June 11–13</p>

<p >Paris, France: June 18–20</p>

<p >Gochsheim, Germany: June 25–27</p>

<p >Florence, Italy: July 2–4</p>

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<p >Although Paula and I work with large-format negatives, the workshop is not format specific. Among many other comments we have received about our workshops are these:</p>

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<p >"I'll likely never look at a photograph or my ground glass the same way again."</p>

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<p >"There are events that occur in one's life that you consider a milestone for growth for who you are or become. I can honestly say that your workshop is one of my milestone events."</p>

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<p >"I truly enjoyed your workshop. The experience expanded my perspective and I have not felt this level of excitement since I started in photography. The best workshop of the dozen that I have attended."</p>

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<p >"I must say that your seminar was the best investment I have made since I bought my first shares of GE a long time ago. Not a day goes by that I do not put to use some of the vast knowledge base I learned."</p>

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<p >Michael A. Smith</p>

Michael A. Smith and Paula Chamlee will be conducting a

"Vision and Technique Workshop" from Thursday evening,

January 26 through Sunday afternoon, January 29, 2006 in

Sedona, Arizona under the auspices of the Sedona Arts Center.

Limited to 12 participants. Full information can be found at

http://www.michaelandpaula.com under "Workshops."

I spoke with Kodak today. Here is the quick version of my report:

There is plenty of Azo on hand. No one needs to panic.

A few years ago Paula and I saved Azo from extinction. We didn't

do this just to get everyone excited about silver chloride paper

and then leave them in the lurch. So we are having silver chloride

paper made elsewhere. There will be silver chloride paper

available as long as we are around.

Your problem is almost always caused by the film not getting

under the guide at the light trap end of the holder. When loading

the film, run your finger or fingernail along the edge near the light

trap and make sure the film is under the guide. Then check the

flap end with your finger to make sure the film sits below the

slighly raised area that the flap sets on. If the film is properly in

place and you still have the probelm, get rid of the holder.

It won't cover.

Michael A. Smith

I recommend that you get an 8x10 with an additional 5x7 back.

Then you have both formats in one camera.

Downside to an 8x10: none except for the weight if you are a

backpacker.

Someone above wrote that Azo was more difficult to print on than

other paper. Au contraire--printing on Azo is much, much easier.

Don't get clipped corners. If they are clipped you cannot see what

is in your picture in the corners. As a photographer you are

responsible for every square millimeter of the picture space

(inlcuding the corners) in the same way a composer is

responsible for every note or a poet is responsible for every

word.

Letting air out of the bellows: before you put the lens on, extend

the bellows to their approximate distance. No problem moving

the camera when you focus. if you have to move the back quickly,

just open the spring back with your finger a bit as you move the

back in or out.

To check for vignetting: Just look at the corners of the ground

glass. No more difficult than if the corners are clipped.

Michael A. Smith

5x7 contact prints can be very beautiful, as can 4x5s, and even 2

1/4s. In my opinion, in black and white photography there is

nothing quite so beautiful as a contact print--in any size. Small

contatc prints on relatively large mount board draw the viewer in.

There is an intinate, jewel-like quality to them that can be

exquisite.

Yes, don't use PMK. Even Gordon Hutchings said that he used

ABC when making negatives for contact printing.

And on the Azo Forum recently, Sandy King noted excellent

results with 400 speed J&C film. So if you want to use film that

fast, J&C is worth a try.

Many films to choose from at slower speeds.

Francis has it right, "It is so easy that it is ridiculous." You dodge

and burn a contact print same as you would dodge and burn an

enlargment. Your dodging and burning tools go between the

light source and the negative/paper sandwich. Nothing could be

easier.

It is not just the light bulbs. he had to make sure coverage was

exactly even. This is very different than just using UV as a light

source for contact printing. He also had to have a head made for

fitting onto the enlarger and he has a custom-made power

supply complete with voltage regulator. It is not just the bulb.

We were surprised to see how beautiful it all was and how much

care went into the production. We hope, for his sake, that it does

well.

I believe that if people see what a print on Azo is like compared

to a print on any enlarging paper and if they do not want to get a

larger camera, that they will seriously consider this. I hope so, for

Azo's sake.

I'm not sure, never having measured it, but I will and report back.

There will be two numbers--one for 8x10s and a lower one for

8x20s because the light is higher.

And it is a 300 Watt bulb I use, not a 100 Watt bulb.

To answer some of the questions posed:

Is there a price?

There is no price set yet. The inventor said "it will be between

$1,500 and $2,000." My best guess is that it will fall somewhere

near the middle.

1) How does one focus the negative on the easel using a UV

light source? There's two issues here: a) UV is invisible, so you

can't see what you're focussing; b) Eye safety and UV exposure

(see question 3).

Focusing was done as normally done--with a grain magnifier. A

UV filter is supplied with the unit to fir onto the grain magnifier

and another is supplied to fit on the filter ring. The inventor is well

aware of the safety issues. He even provides UV filtered

glasses.

2) How do conventional enlarging lenses, optimized for visible

light, perform with UV?

Don answered this one.

3) Any comments concerning safety and preventing UV exposure

to one's eyes? Are there safety features/interlocks engineered

into the product?

Covered.

4) Does this new light source give contrast ranges on Azo

equivalent to the contact-printed methods?

We found that one grade more contrast was needed than with a

contact print of the same 4x5 negative. That would imply that

contrasty negatives were good. This is exactly opposite of what

Don said, where he believes a less contrasty negative would be

better.

Last night I believe I posted an informational topic about a new

light someone has invented for wnlarging onto Azo paper. This

morning it was not there. I have posted it again.

Now it is possible that I never hit the "confirm" button, in which

case, please ignore this, but if it was deleted, could you tell me

why? It was not a commercial message in any way--just one that

alerted the LF community about a new product.

Last night Paula and I had the privilege of being the first, besides

the inventor, Pat Brady, to test his new light source for enlarging

on Azo paper.

Heretofore, Azo has been a paper for contact printing only. It is a

slow paper and if one wanted to enlarge on this most beautiful of

silver papers, the enlarging times were unduly long--easily

getting to 15 minutes to one-half hour with a conventional

enlarging head. A few years ago Durst came up with a 5000 Watt

bulb so that one could enlarge onto Azo, but the cost is $6,000, I

believe, and most folks would have to get their wiring upgraded

to carry such a load.

Pat Brady's invention, by comparison, is a dream--no extra

wiring, no hot lights, and short exposure times.

His invention is to use a set of four custom-made bulbs that put

out light in the near-UV part of the spectrum. The four bulbs

insure even coverage of the negatives. By using that part of the

spectrum that Azo is most sensitive to, enlarging times are

shortened considerably. Paula and I enlarged 4x5 and 2 1/4

negatives. Our exposures ranged from 30 seconds to two

minutes and that was with our Super XX film which has a fairly

high film base + fog density. With modern films, the exposure

times should be less.

The housing for the light fits Beseler and Omega 4x5 enlargers

and comes with its own voltage-regulated solid-state power

supply. Each of the components is handsomely designed.

Although we will not be enlarging our LF negatives, because of

this new light, at some point I look forward to reprinting all of the

35mm work I did during my first year as a photographer.

I understand that the light will be going to a few others to test

during the next couple of weeks. After that, it will be at the LF

Conference in Monterey in April and, I believe, it will be for sale at

that time.

Paula and I think this is a great invention, and we hope it will

help increase the sales of Azo as this slow paper will now be

able to be used by those who only make enlargements. And that

will help keep Azo in production.

Paula Chamlee (photographer, and also my wife) and I thought

the first LF conference in Albbuquerque was excellent. And this

was because of the energy generated by all who attended as

well as because of the programs and presentations. If this

conference will be as good, it should be worth your while to

attend.

Thanks for the head up. Worth a trip just to see them. I'm guessing

these would be prints that Edward gave to his sister May who lived in

Dayton. Some years ago the Dayon Art Institute had a show of EW work,

"Gifts to My Sister." There was an exhibition catalog. Wonder if many

of the same prints are in this exhibitio

Hey, Jim, you are not supposed to say things like that. Just kidding.

I call'em like I see 'em.

DW Azo. No luck, unless an awful lot of people want it. Paper is run

in master rolls. They are 50" wide and miles long. To make a DW roll

would cost somewhere around $250,000--I'm guessing here, could be off

by $50,000 one way or the other, but I guess it doesn't matter unless

someone has money around that is burning a hole in their pocket real

badly and wants to do a hell of a lot of printing. And retail prices

would make it a bit higher, though if someone wanted to get the double

weight roll, they can have it for our cost.

The Bergger contact print paper is not a contact printing paper--which

means that it is not a silver-chloride paper. It is the silver

chloride emulsions that make a contact printing paper a contact

printing paper--not what someone

Thanks, Jorge, for pointing out the hyocrisy. People seem to not be

against people announcing things for sale, just against my

announcements. And I never did announce a book for sale, I just

announced that certain books were forthcomi

Thanks, Jorge, for pointing out the hypocrisy on the part of those who

make comments on selling things here. And I never went nearly as far

as this other guy just did, all I have done is mentioned that books

were forthcoming.

Since the ground side of the glass faces the lens and is where the

image is focussed, for focussing it does not matter if the glass is

thick or thin. Thin glass will be brighter, but there is no difference

in the focusing plane.

I have never used a gridded screen and recommend to everyone that they

not be used unless you are doing architectural photography or some

other type of commercial photography where precision is critical.

Personally, I find that gridded screens visually get in the way of the

picture, and I wouldn't be at all surprised if they don't also get in

the way for most everyone else, although I believe most are not

conscious of it. I recommend that you use your eyes to see if things

are sqtraight and level, if you want them that way--and not a gridded

screen. It is a visual medium we work with and I think people are

better off if they learn to depend on their own eyes and their own

judgement and not on things like gridded screens. All this is just my

opinion, of course.

Thanks, but you did not really answer my question. I am not posting an ad, nor do I want to. At some point, I do think I would like to post something that is primarily informational, but there is a commercial component to it, i.e. " I will be teaching a workshop." Or, "Azo paper is avaailable." Can I post these sorts of messages?

I am, by far, the most accomplished fine-art photographer who contributes to the LF forum. (My photographs are collected in over 100 museums, 25-year retrospective at the Eastman House in 1992, etc, etc.) In my areas of expertise, I happen to know more than anyone else who posts to this forum, and I am happy to share my knowledge. Part of that is letting people know what is available from me. Think of me as a resource. To many people, my presence on the forum lends credibility to the forum. I cannot, however, give of my time, which is VERY limited--I work over 18 hours a day and still run short of time--if I cannot occasionally make the sorts of postings I am referring to. As stated in my posting on the lf forum--I do not make these postings often. Please reaad my posting on the lf forum referred to above--and answer briefly. Thsnk you.

In the LF Forum in a topic originated by jnanian, titled "lf forum

content" (or something very similar) I posted a long response and

specifically asked you to respond. If you would, I would be most

appreciative.

I have never been to this part of the site before, came here on

someone's recommendation, am on a strange computer, and am afraid I

cannot get back to that forum and then back here without losing it

all completely, so am asking you to look at the forum topic. (If I

thought I could get to it and copy and paste it here, I would.)

You will get your camera back. Not promptly, however. I dealt with

Ken many times. I've met him a number of times. I've been to his

place. He does excellent work. The delays are beyond

maddening. Whatever his excuses, they do not justify such

delays. If his email is out, he should call or write. His business

practices are poor. Or poor minus. But he is not dishonest. What

you do is up to you--your choices range from waiting patiently to

filing a law suit. I'd recommmend something in between.