chris_autio

I remember quickly moving from tool to tool via keyboard shortcuts. Is PH24 all whacko or is my 12 year-old keyboard whacko?

Fiber based papers are no longer available through Adorama. As for film, I would still stick with kodak or ilford. Even though Kentmere films are 40% cheaper, they exhibit high baselines, eliminating any detail in shadow zones.

With an LED bulb equal to 75 watts, I swapped out my cold light head, using again the direct bulb method.  It doesn’t get hot enough to make the neg change shape. At one time I was making 4-7 minute exposures for mural sized prints. Now I am able to stop down to f/22 and expose for 12-30 seconds. If you choose this route, make certain your bulb has no numbers on it.

The one advantage of your cold light head is that it is closer to the neg, allowing for 100% coverage. (My direct LED bulb vignettes two corners even with a 150 lens. I do not know why Beseler offsets source light 2 degrees with lens housing)

Sometimes I use an icamera to get an idea for a composition, to give me a place in which I can return. My biz is 99% digital, but I have resolved never to print my own work from my fancy epson. Anything digital inherently suggests post- work, and I see that those who do print have fun with their HDL and curves and saturation. 
 

I strictly shoot b/w, process 35mm120mm or sheet film. True, any film shot requires post work, but much more satisfying than pushing buttons.

I look look look at walls and compositions, especially when I have a camera strapped around my neck. There may be something here, I say to myself. So we draw the viewfinder up. But then again, no. Which I call non-photos. And why this doesn’t succeed is that our eyes are drawn to the door, which doesn’t have enough of anything of interest. Our eyes are drawn to the meter area, which doesn’t have enough shadow space to the right. Break rules ! Keep shooting! 

Kentmere, 60% of the cost of Kodak or Ilford works great.  It is slightly thicker.  400 pushed to 1600/3200 gives a nice grainy feel (whose times are not listed but I went with 16 and 19 ID-11), and the base of curve definitely begins higher.  Haven't shot it at normal 100 or 400 yet.

 I have had uneven development with Yankee and Jobo processors with sheet and 70 mm films. Your example shows this inordinate density throughout center of sheet. The best results I had were nitrogen bath processors. To do my own, I use tray processing, thin gloves. Trays sitting in larger trays such that temp stays steady. Carefully lift bottom sheet to top, laying it easily. Turn entire group (up to eight sheets) 180 half way through. Make sure there are only smooth surfaces throughout whole process. 

Thank you! Ordered rolls of Kentmere for 5.80/ rather than 9.80/roll. 

I agree with Conrad in that Rodinal is difficult to dilute accurately. When measuring light, I would hold ambient setting toward camera, making sure no sunlight lands on the white bulb.  Not sure if your 150 requires some bellows ext correction.  (my 210 lens usually requires some bellow ext correction.)  I don't think you need to shoot more than 3 trials to get a great negative.   On this type of scenery (to get detail in trees and building shadow) I would overexpose +2  and develop 20% less.  I know this sounds contrary to the problem you are trying to solve because you have a thin negative.  When tray processing, make sure there is nothing in tray that might scratch neg, draw bottom neg up to top, gently drop neg atop others, wear thin gloves.

Has anyone had a good experience with Bergger or Arista or other films? My concern is of course quality.  CatLab sheet films have little latitude.

Have had high baseline and scrubby patches with old film. 

Very outdated film. The baseline of these is maxed out.  Never buy old film unless you are making some other kind of art.  I have seen "vintage" on ebay films,

as it were an upgrade!

thank you. Solved!

Seems like the LOCATION used to include desktop.  Not sure how to include desktop withing LOCATIONs

Apologies this has nothing to do with photography, but file saving.  The PS 2024 or updated 2023 no longer allows me to quickly save photos into my folder on the desktop: I have to first go to menu "favorites" which no longer includes desktop, but then I have to go to MAC>MAC HD>users> myself > desktop > folder.  How do I return right to the folder from which I am working?? Thank you.  I cannot find it in Settings under "file handling".

I avoided all possibilities of lack of contrast by curtaining off of enlarger area and painting surface of easel.  The most optimal way is exposing through a new or fog free lens.  My experience after purchasing a mint fog-free Rodenstock Sironar lens simply blew me away.  I hardly ever use contrasting filters anymore!

Also, avoid warmer developer baths. If you have darkroom space, wash the print between baths.  Wash well, bathe the print in clearing agent, bathe again or allow print to soak overnight.

Have sent my camera twice now to get overhauled, but now my exposures from left to right are uneven. If there is a quick fix let me know.

Beginning (ever so slightly) are uneven exposures at 1/125, pronounced at 1/250 and 1/500 and not at all 1/1000 on most of frame. file shows 1/1000

oilOIL colored black and white

Noryr, I had similar streaks for the first time. If they were brownish... I souped them in a fresh batch of FIX, and they disappeared.

Figured this out to the extent that prints look very similar but not exactly to art.  Shot watercolor art in RAW at 5600-.50tint with polarizers and UV filters on strobes and camera.  Shot with Nikon 60 micro lens.  In Camera RAW, Dropped to 5300 K, -1 tint +20 Shadow, +50 white, +50 Texture. Only work in PS was in Levels, eliminating white. Tried white paper initially but now using watercolor paper Arches in my Epson 800.  Dropping kelvin 300 matched warmth of Arches, adding +20 shadow balanced use of polarizers.  Adding white eliminated #2 zone value, however you want to describe this. White of image matches white of watercolor print.

Has anyone dealt successfully with printing artwork from warm paper onto snow-white paper?  I have struggled with this before of never getting colors correctly balanced.

Perhaps printing on warm paper may be the only solution.

On 3/15/2023 at 4:30 PM, rodeo_joe1 said:

Always assuming the OP has a darkroom and enlarger. 

Or expose on a sheet of paper, reload enlarger with another neg, then reexpose sheet.

damn! Not sure how camera houses take action upon seeing these serial numbers.  When traveling throughout Brooklyn and Manhattan for a couple weeks, I put black tape over "Leica".  

Lassoed figures, copied, pasted onto photo, free transformed to flip horizontal, saturated and lightened. Placed on photo of revelers who visit Niagra Falls who

later get on a big boat together.  

yep that WAS it.  Seemed to be such a better tool than available sharpening tools.