lee_crump

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I read AJ's original question and had intended to post my rapidly forming reply with our reading any other response.

 

I was stunned to see the volume of replies on my way to the submit a response button.

 

AJ the response at large would seem to be; The future of photography is safe and well in the hands of many enthusiasts. No technology will change this.

 

My personal response is; 1.) I began photography (non digital)to get time away from computers. I don't think I'll be tossing my F4 out the window as I rush out to buy the latest digital camera. 2.)OK maybe I'm cheap but if I spend $22,500 (cost of body and one lens) on anything I expect to be arraigning for liability insurance. 3.) If I were to pull this thing out of a back pack at an airport I fear I'd be tackled by a well meaning and worried TSA agent.

 

Historically; Consider the impact photography had on artistic painting. With the advent of practical photography, portrait and landscape painters were largely supplanted by photographers. The creative energy of these displaced painters gave rise to a series of artistic revolutions in painting that we are still enjoying today. Technology may, one day, force the evolution of my craft due to lack of materials. I don?t view this as a catastrophe only evolution.

Andrew:

Every answer so far has one commonality. None of them agree with any other answer. Trying to produce a work that a whole comunity will think of as great is like trying to herd cats! Ultimatly YOU must decide what is and is not great.

Phrhaps many people will agree with you. Pehaps few will. If I were to make photographs that I hated but most people loved I would not find this fufilling.

Ive noticed the same effect on poeple at slot machines in casinos. Zombies bereft of joy simply pulling the lever. I imagine they started with wide eyed excitement at the prospect of fufilment only to be ground down to monotany.

Thanks for all the good info

I have enjoyed the heck ou of my Nikon F4 since I purchased it 2 years ago. Im

intrested in LIGHTWEIGHT studio strobes. I don't intend to do much studio

lighting. I am intrested in being able to adjust the output of the individual

strobes, RF camera to flash comunication, 1-4 remote lights, use of

umbrellas/softboxes ect. and not spending gobs of money.

 

From what I've been able to find out the Nikon creative lighting system will

fill the bill. The one fact I have not been able to find out is; Can I use my

F4 with some gizmo mounted on th hot shoe to controll the slave flashes or do I

have to hock it and upgrade to an F5?

CORRECTION: I will NOT rush to that day by removing what I do not understand from my sight.

 

So much for posting under the influence!

As photographers we try to convey beauty, uglienss, awe, the mundane, order, chaos, sanctity, evil and many many other things that have no existance outside of the human mind. In short we try to convey ideas with images. I would imagine conveying images with words is very similar step. If we connect the dots from concept to image to words perhaps the leap from concept to words is actually a simple leap.

 

Anthony: I am also considarably baffeled by you inital post.

 

Pico: Mine will be a much dimmer world the day I understand all before me. I will rush to that day by removing what I do not understand from my sight.

I have seen many great examples of close up portrature on this site.

Unfortunatly most of these have the reflection from studio lighting in the

eyes. Is there any way to prevent this?

If a picture is worth a thousand words, what differnence will a few more make?

 

IMO: A caption can provide a varity of contextual depths to an image. A title simply provides a convient handle for discussion or markiting.

After a second tragedy where my stale developer did not work but the following fixer did I started mixing D76 in 32oz batches from packages ment to mix a full gallon. I have been doing this for just over a year now and had no problems that I could trace to developer.

 

In my limited memory of my chemistry classes the fact that 'a gas is less stable than a solution which, in turn, is less stable than a solid' sticks out.

 

I had previously posted a request that anyone who had had first hand problems with this practice please respond. I did receive many helpful responses but none of them had had a first hand problem with this practice. In deference to the opinions of those who claim that each 32oz batch may not contain a chemical that was not evenly distributed in the bag; I now give each bag of powder a good shaking before inital use.

 

Two useful tips. 1. Store the dry powder in a screw top bottle which will provide a better seal than a clothes pin on the bag of powder. 2. Place yor mixing bottle and a funnel on a digital scale, zero the scale and then pour in powder until the scale reads the desired weight of powder. (devide stated weight of powder in bag by 144 (the number of fl oz in 1 gallon) and multiply by the number of ounces required for you process)

 

As for one shot vs reuse or replenishment; The clincher for this argument was to calculate the cost per roll for D76.

'For every observer of a moment there is a seperate, unique and equaly valid reality.' -Frederick Nitsche

 

Well, actually thats what a drunken friend, who had read it in a book, written by a biagropher, who had prpbably never met Frederick Nitsche in person, told me.

 

All we can really do is to understand existance from the stimulus we can gather and act upon that understanding.

 

A photograph IS a frozen moment chosen by a photographer. However, only the moment is frozen not the perception.

I have been mixing my D76 powder in small parts for about a year now. Since I started doing this I have not experienced any developing problems. I have heard the "don't mix partial bags of powdered chemicals" warning before. (In deference to this warning I have started shaking the D76 bag before I begin dispensing.) I had previously posted a request for replys from people who have had first hand problems with this practice. I had no replys from any one who had. In fact your post is the first developing problem I have heard that involved this practice. Before I began using incremental parts of D76 bags I had the same problem twice. The first time I threw out ALL my chemicals and the problem was solved. On the second go round I narrowed down the problem to non functional developer (Ilfosol-S). IMO yous is a problem w expired developer. I now have two counts of this happening withoout sub dividing powdered chemistry and one with. Until presented w more first hand evidence of problems I will continue subdividing my D76 bags. (If you are reading this and had a developing problem involving this practice I'll be looking for your replys.)

I find the use of 14x jewlers loupe to work great. I've just got to move ot around.

I had shot a long roll of the Cutty Sark and Greenwich Observatory. I tried to get thet 37th exposure and broke the film. The best thing I could think to do was put the camera in my lap, cover with my coat and try to rewind the bulk loaded cannister manually. As sat there fevorishly working my hands in my lap under my coat and quietly cursing to/at myself a woman looked at me in complete disgust and muttered something to the effect of 'dirty tourist' / 'some things should not be done in public!'.

Been there.

 

Done that.

 

Twice.

 

Second time round found developer (Ilfosol-s) to be culprit.

 

Switched to D76. never had problem since.

Just buy more black an white film.

 

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=NavBar&A=FetchChildren&Q=&ci=7224

 

http://www.adorama.com/catalog.tpl?op=itemlist&cat1=Film%20%26%20Darkroom&cat2=Film&cat3=Black%20%26%20White%20Film

 

NOTE! After you purchase more film you will run out of chemistry before you run out of film! This will leave you in a "10 hot dog per pack / 8 hot dog bun per pack" type problem in perpatuity. TURN BACK FROM THE MADNESS NOW BEFORE YOU ARE DOOMED TO ENJOY CHEMICAL PHOTOGRAPHY FOR EVER!

 

You are duly warned.

I love a good, simple answer. Thanks.

There is an adjustmet on the dial of my RB67 Pro S metered prism that I can set

at 8, 6.3, 4.5 or 3.8. What are these settings for?

 

The dial already has settings for apature, film speed, and shutter speed.

Back off on the zooming. Try some other transiitons like fades or wipes. A zoom is good for a point of focus shot like a ring, but not a group shot.

 

If you are going to zip past some shots do it with the environmental pics like table settings or candles.

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I have been partially mixing D76 powder for about a year now and have had no problems. In concession to people who claim the powdered chemicals are not well mixed in the bag I open the bag to let in some air, hold the bag shut and shake. For log term storage I put my powder in aluminim screw top bottles.

I use the Adorama (http://www.adorama.com/BLAA.html) brand bulk loader and never had this problem.

Rahul:

 

On a rough count you have about 7 answers for every 3 photographers. It would seem to me that every photographer has a differnt preference. I would suggest that you try a varity of the above suggestions to find your preference.

 

As for my input; Delta 100 unless its one of those still, cloudless, sunny, PanF+ kind of days.

I use an Mamiya RB67. The 220 backs of this camera will use 120 film w no problem. (So long as you remember to change the film after 10 exposures!) I recently picked 2 220 backs off eBay for about $60.