mike_troxell2

I just ran across this thread and am responsing to it long after it was posted. But just in case anyone else is searching the archives for information on Turner Reich filter size, I just found out that my TR 12/19/25 uses a series 7 filter.

"David Gabbé , aug 10, 2003; 04:36 p.m.

Has anyone thought of taking their existing ground glass and grinding it w/the 3 micron grit? I'm most interested in the 1 stop increase in brightness for wide angle lenses. According to the article, the commerical glasses were ground w/the 5 micron, not the 3. Seems like a great approach to upgrade your current equipment."

 

I know this thread was last posted to over 4 months ago but I just read it and noticed that noone ever answered Davids question. I'd be interested in knowing if anyone has tried regrinding their existing ground glass using the 3 micro powder. I have a Ansco 8x10 that has a very dim ground glass and would be interested in trying this.

I just got a Ansco 8x10 thats in great shape. The only problem with

it is that the ground glass is scratched and marked. If I replace

the ground glass, do I need to worry about anything special: do I

need to align the gg some way, are there different thickness of gg,

etc.? Or do I just remove the screws holding the original ground

glass and drop in the replacement, then retighten and go?

After around 13 years with a 4x5 I'm thinking seriously about moving

to 8x10 or 11x14. I want to start making contact prints instead of

enlarging. I thought about getting an 8x10 at first but since nearly

all of my enlargements from 4x5's are 11x14, I would also like to

look at a few 11x14 cameras. Before I buy anything, I would like to

rent an 8x10 or 11x14 and work with it for a few days to a week. I

live about 2 hours from Atlanta, GA and was wandering if anyone knew

of a place in Atlanta where I could rent an 8x10 or 11x14?

"beauty in the landscape and why it touches something deep inside us"

 

Why? Because we (photographers) see things differently. We see the beauty that is there. If we wern't able to see it then we wouldn't be photographers. Which brings up the question, Do we see things differently because we are photographers or are we photographers because we see things differently?

The Daybooks, of course (read both volumes 3 times), also Through Another Lens by Charis Wilson. I always enjoyed reading the Zone VI newsletters. They are worth reading if you can still get them, Calumet sold backissues for awhile. Art & Fear and one that I don't think has been mentioned, The Artist Way by Julia Cameron.

Just always remember that NO legitimate site will ever ask you for your password. If the administrator has to get into part of the site for some type of maintenance and can't do it because they need access, they can always assign a new password and then have you change it once they are through with whatever they are doing.

I've read alot about Pyro but always in relation to contact printing LF negatives. By your referrence to developing 35mm and 120 negatives in pyro I assume you were making enlargements? Why doesn't anyone ever tell me about stuuff like this? :) Seriously, I had always connected pyro with contact printing on a paper such as Azo. How well does it work for negatives that will be developed? Is developing in pyro still worth the extra effort, even if you are enlarging the negatives instead of making LF contact prints?

Thanks for the advice everyone. I've been printing with graded papers for years but VC is a whole new area for me to explore.

I'm planning to use both Forte Elegance and Kodak Polymax Fine Art VC papers. So there is no "standard" setting equivalent to a #2 graded paper? It depends on which paper you are using? I was hopeing there was a standard setting I could use as a starting point for testing papers. I still have some Bergger #2 paper that I normally use. What if you are using a graded paper such as Bergger with a Zone VI VC cold light head. Do you just set all the VC controls to 0 and print like you normally would with a cold light head?

I just enrolled in a community college darkroom class because I was

told that they had a 4x5 enlarger and I don't have a darkroom at the

moment. I was pleasently suprised when I got into the darkroom to

find that they not only had a 4x5 enlarger but it had a Zone VI cold

light variable speed head on it. I've always used graded papers

before and have never used a variable speed light head. Noone in the

darkroom is familiar with the 4x5 enlarger since noone there uses LF

(don't ask why they have the enlarger, I don't have a clue. I'm just

grateful that they do have it). Does anyone who is familiar with the

Zone VI variable cold light head know what settings I would use to

simulate a grade #2 paper?

I'm adding one other paper/developer combination to my test list. Forte Elegance neutral tone paper developed in Versaprint II. There may be other developers that work better with this paper but I've heard good things about this paper/developer combination. Anyone else tried these togeather?

"good luck trying to compare all those fine papers in a community darkroom! I hope you're not having to share solution trays, and I hope you'll get to use the same enlarger each session"

 

I've got that covered. I'm the only one in the darkrrom class who uses LF so I have a Besler 4x5 enlarger all to myself. I also plan to do most of my developing after hours and on weekends so I should be the only one in the darkrrom most of the time.

 

"IMO Zone VI print developer is very slightly better"

 

 

My developer and paper of choice used to be Zone VI developer with Brilliant graded paper. I wasn't sure how Zone VI deveoper worked with todays papers. I'll give it a try again and see.

 

"and put up a sign 'Contains Pyro - Extremely Toxic!' on the tray to discourage others from using it"

 

I'm planning to do some work with Pyro but I figured the sight of me standing over the dakroom sink wearing my 3M 6001 respirator with the double vapor cartidges would be enough to discourage any casual comunnity darkroom student from getting anywhere near where I'm working:)

 

"My experiences with community darkrooms have been pretty dismal"

 

Been there. Done that. Already heard one student ask if they should try to get the best exposure they can or just fix it in the darkroom:)

Sal, see, if I hadn't posted you probably would never have learned the fine art of hyperlink posting. I feel that my life has meaning now. :)

I see what you mean about the Bergger paper. I was looking at the Bergger Prestige (I think thats the name) on the Calumet site. I'll give the Bergger graded paper you mentioned a try. Thanks

I used to use Dektol for developing most of the time. I'll stick with it for the time being until I have the time to test a few others. I'm interested in enlargeing some of my best 4x5's onto 8x10 negatives and trying AZO developed in Amidol but that will have to wait for awhile.

Sal, I'd love to work with Bergger graded but the bergger that Calumet and most other places is carrying is $26 for 10 8x10 sheets and around $90 for 10 16x20 sheets. Thats a little more than I can afford unless I'm limiting myself to 1 pack of 16x20 per week.

 

P.S. May whoever it was who decided to discontinue Brilliant fiber graded paper have their mother-in-law decide to come live with him and his wife.

After almost 10 years out of the darkroom (but not out of

photography) I've finally gotten into a community college darkroom

and am going to start printing again. The problem is that most of

the papers that I used to print with (Brilliant graded #2 was my

favorite) are no longer available. I've got packs of 4 different

papers of 11x14 on order and will be experimenting with them to see

what gives the best results. I'm trying 2 types of graded and two

types of VC paper. My problem is that I'm not sure what developer to

use with todays papers. I'm ordering boxes of:

 

(1) Bergger VCNB Neutral White Glossy Paper

 

(2) Kodak Polymax Fine Art F DW

 

(3) Illford Gallerie double weight glossy #2 graded

 

(4) Oriental Seagull graded

 

 

All negatives are 4x5 Tri-X developed in HC-110 for 6 1/2 minutes.

Be nice, people. Someone could be reading this who has just bought a LF camera and has never looked at one before :)

"One lousy day of photography is better than one good day without it."

 

Best quote I've heard in the entire discussion. I think the question that you should be asking is what kind of lifestyle do you want. If you have to be driving a Mercedes or whatever and have to have the best clothes and the finest apartment or house, then work as a corporate wage-slave like I did for 10 years in the IT field (ok, maybe I am a little bitter about that :). If your happy being able to pay your bills, driving an older model car and wearing last years fashions but doing what you enjoy, then do what you enjoy. Its your decision and one choice is not necessarily better than the other. Just make sure you can live with whatever choice you make.

Jay,

 

Before someone convinces you to give up and go for a career at Wal-Mart or whereever, you might want to take a look at a couple of these books. They present a realistic side to the subject of making a living at photography or any form of art.

 

Art and Fear: Observations on the Perils (and Rewards) of Artmaking by David Bayles & Ted Orland

 

How to Survive & Prosper as an Artist: Selling Yourself Without Selling Your Soul by Caroll Michels

 

The Artist Way by Julia Cameron

Jerry,

 

I do most of my 4x5 work in the Smokies. I live near Chattanooga, TN, about a 2 hour drive to Townsend. I'll send you the other information in a email.

Anne,

 

"Maybe if enough of us show interest we can encourage/

support the effort to have a workshop in our region"

 

I'd love to get a few LF workshops going in the area. It sometimes seem like there are plenty of LF workshops in every part of the country except the southeast.

Does anyone know of any good LF workshops in the SouthEastern US?

Most of the ones I see listed are in the Northern or Western states.

Thanks for all the advice. I've been using 8x10 QuickMounts for 4x5 transparancies but at $2 each they can get expensive. Unfortunately, nearly every solution is expensive. I think Bill is probably right. All they are asking for is to have the transparancies labelled. I think most photo editors just want to see good, sharp trancparancies that will meet whatever their needs are at the moment. A well done photo submission package is important but I think we probably sometimes go overboard. I believe I'll start using the individual PrintFile 4x5 sleeves, the #45-1 sleeves that have a strip at the top where you can label them. I use NSCS Pro 3 for all my filing and labeling and the labels it prints will fit perfectly in the space on the PrintFile sleaves. Thanks again for all the responses.

Thanks for the responses. I'm looking into all the solutions that were mentioned. I have some of the FoldMats from LightImpressions. I like them but I heard of one photo editor who complained about them taking up too much space on the light table. As far as scanning 4x5s and burning them to a CD/DVD, I scan everything to my files but some editors do not accept digital submissions. I'll keep looking. Anyone else use any other solutions for 4x5 presentation?

How do most people submit 4x5 transparencies to photo editors? I've

used the TransVue mats before but I'm considering the Bair #45 4x5

Transparency Mounts from The Stock Solution

(http://www.inkjetart.com/sp/45.html). Has anyone used these for 4x5

submissions? If not, what mounts/sleeves do you use?