Sandeha Lynch

Dizzying it may be, but that's a great effect in isolating the foreground.

I've seen a couple of similar Kodak bodies, but I wasn't impressed by the look of the lenses and shutters. Which are the lenses to look out for?

That certainly works - nice idea.

On account of a bay buyer dropping out for the wrong reasons (shutter oil is not fungus) I picked up my 124G for about a third of the usual price, but spending a little extra would have been fine. About a month before that, I'd picked up a late model Pentax MX, and then spent double again on a CLA. That's money well spent in my view - they'll run for years to come.

Didn't Captain Marvel carry one of those during the Kree-Skrull Wars?

I doubt you'll get a thesis outta that observation, Mike, but they are amazing images. Thanks for the link.

You have a third alternative. Go from RGB to LAB color, select Lightness, and then convert to Greyscale, then back to RGB for the print shop if need be. I forget the math, but try it.

Indeed, Todd. Fortunately there are so many different cameras in use here (and new oldies popping up each week) it's barely worth trying to keep up.

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CE ... really! Would it sound better if I said "Shoot the kids" ?

Don, your point was a good one. Consumer-priced transparency flatbeds are precisely what facilitated my move into larger formats.

Well done Jeff - that's a smart shot.

You want your kids to treasure it ? Use it on them.

Brings to mind those shots you took of 'road trash' ... they were good too.

Too much vignetting.

I focus using the center spot, but with low DOF at f4 it's vital that you don't 'move' the camera postion while recomposing. But also f4 is sure to be on the soft side with this lens (it's not a Planar after all) and at real close-up DOF can be hairsbreadth.

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The <i>see-saw</i> looks good, and would be a good focus test if you paint a 6" scale up the plank (well, laid at 45 degrees would be best) but at f8 or f11 it would have been a cracker shot.

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(Incidentally, my shot of the winding gear a few threads back was either f22 or f32.)

It can take a long time to get used to PhotoShop, and not only because of the apparent complexity and range of the tools. Somehow the eye has to learn as well, but it's very much down to taking your time and practicing the steps. If you already have a solid sense of visual composition, it's like having a rock-steady left-hand rhythm in your piano playing, but the right hand of melody must coordinate with it.

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Analysing the tone and contrast of a print in order to make an optimal selection is difficult because it means rejecting other alternatives. All those alternatives (low key, high key, low contrast, high contrast) may each seem appealing for different reasons. I think it was Raymond Queneau who once wrote the same short story in 99 different styles - to show that each style had an equal <i>value</i>. We can do the same with our images, but in the end there is going to be one optimal style of presentation that displays our concept at its clearest. Looking at the images of others analytically and critically helps us in deciding what works best in our own.

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I like Mike's rework of your steps Nancy, because ... its balance is clearer.

Diwan is exaggerating <grin>

Jason - do everything you said, only forget the Bender. It sounds as though you could do better than that ...

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The metal work is not that difficult and it helps keep everything rigid.

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Oh, and your first 8x10 contact print should be posted HERE.

More of a Classic, really. :-)

Hi Andrea - the link you gave may need to be edited. Please check it with PNet admin.

Alan, enjoy your DSLR. Give them good shelf space where they can see you, and these old 'bits' will be happy just to stare at you watching you work. They know they'll get fed sooner or later. Give it time ...

Be honest, you're hardly likely to want that "165mm Tessar LF lens" taking up valuable space in your cabinets. And neither would anyone else, of course ... though I do seem to have a little corner free. Let me know if I can help.

Cool torso, Diwan. Yes, I guess 35mm is too small for most purposes. We've seen from Mike C's shots what you can get out of 120 film, so I hope you keep at it.

Wonderful images, BJ. #3 also caught my eye, largely on account of the glow behind the peak and the composition - including the paving squares is a nice touch that echoes the structure.

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I may have a pretty uncritical eye when it comes to toning - I don't think I can really 'see' the difference between a duotone and a tritone. The color modifies the mood, and is the choice of your vision, so how any one color strikes me would be entirely subjective. More red in this, more cyan in this ... small difference for me.

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The only time I'd say I don't like the toning is if the contrast obscures things I feel are important, and even on that score I'd be trying to understand your choice before arguing for a different one.

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Great that you've written so much on the tech side. I think I read somewhere that plain water is OK as a clearing solution for Polaroid negs, at least in an emergency. Look forward to the rest of the packs.

Thanks Diwan, isn't it one of the great things about these forums that you can exchange ideas! I tried paper negs with pinhole a couple of years ago but I'd need more patience if I go back to that. I prefer film, but there's quite a range of film available, so when I found some Ortho (old stock, cheap on eBay) I just had to try it.

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If I compare the best lens I've got on my 4x5 field camera and this pinhole system, then I have to say that the pinhole is a bit of light relief for me. But the pinhole shots cannot be enlarged by much at all if you're after fine detail, whereas the 4x5 lens shots can be enlarged enormously. <p>

120 film works very well too, but anything smaller might be quite frustrating. A pinhole shot like the cabbage leaf works quite well partly because the neg is scanned at 1200dpi (usually), and then reduced in size. The reduction itself has a sharpening effect.

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But anyway, given your encouragement, I probably will do some more.