dr._karl_hoppe

Absolutely fascinating. Still shooting film for 60+ years.

Here's another.

BTW, my great niece is the girl with the dark hair and ripped jeans. Virtually all exposures were taken with a 50mm Summicron ƒ/2 lens at ƒ/4 with shutter speeds varying from 1/30th–1/125th; some close-ups were taken with 90mm 'cron ƒ/2, at ƒ/2·8½–4. Either Tri-X or BW400CN pushed 1 stop to 800/30°. I'm mostly satisfied with the results even though I had no control over developing myself anymore. (It's very tough to shoot b&w film and give up control to a commercial lab when you were used to doing everything yourself.)

Will post a few more later today.

I'm mostly satisfied with the shots I took. Here are a few,

That’s amazing, Amsterdam. We’re Dutch. I was born in NYC when my father worked at UNHQ in NYC. Shortly after I was born, he was sent to The Hague on the Permanent Court of International Justice. When I was 11 we moved back to NYC and I graduated from high school. I decided to pursue a legal degree at Heidelberg rather than stateside, and while there attended the Max Planck Institute of Astronomy. I came back to the States and my career veered into astronomy. I never practised law but I did pass the NY bar exam. Sounds like your daughter made the right choice. It’s always good to have a back-up plan. I never thought my hobby would morph into a career but it did by some totally unexpected turn of events. Photography was my first love since I was 6 or 7 years old, but it never was a viable source of income, just a lot of fun.

My great niece loves theatre. She has been approached over the years to do modelling and acting in commercials. Her parents decided against it because they saw how others her age were robbed of a normal childhood. People we know told the parents to be prepared that her modelling and acting will totally take over the family’s life to the exclusion of just about everything else. I think my nephew and his wife made the right decision. She’s now at an age where she can explore her creative talents with a solid childhood behind her. I’m training her as a budding photographer, first with all the basics of film, then onto digital. I’m a retired astronomer so I have all the time in the world to mentor her along before I croak. I have no children so she will inherit tens of thousands of dollars worth of incredible Leica gear. She has done some back-up tracks for a couple of local recording artists, just fun stuff. She understands theatre, music, photography, etc. is a tough gig to crack into, so she wisely has decided to pursue a legal education as an “insurance policy” if the creative thing doesn’t pan out. I have a law degree in both civil and canon law from Heidelberg but unexpectedly veered from my hobby of astronomy into a professional career. You never know what path life will take you.

Sam, My great niece is in the production and you’re 100% right, the enthusiasm of the students is infectious. They pour their heart and soul into it, constant practice sessions, rehearsals. I was really blown away at how good these kids were.

I’ve had encounters where a DSLR with interchangeable lenses is a no-no, but if you have a mirror-less digital camera with a fixed lens, it doesn’t count as a so-called “professional” camera. Also, an M3 in a beat-up brown eveready case is hardly ever questioned. Heck, security can’t figure out how to turn it on!

Mike, I’m an old timer who can’t give up film even though I have loads of digital equipment. I have a huge stable of Leica M and reflex gear—cameras, lenses and tons of all sorts of accessories. I have a library of hundreds of books, all pre-digital. Used to do all my own darkroom work but because of health issues I had to give that up. I did my share of rock concert photography in the 1960s–70s, when it was fun—i.e. lax security, easy access back stage, performers approachable. People I talk to now say it’s not fun anymore, tight security; they herd you into a pen, first three sets, then get the hell out. A different world today.

FYI.—Excellent book on doing stage photography is Creative Techniques in Stage and Theatrical Photography, by Paddy Cutts and Rosemary Curr (London: B.T. Batsford, 1983).

Shot the third and final matinee performance with my M7 and BW400CN (1 stop to ISO 800/30°) as I ran out of Tri-X. Used 50 and 90 ‘crons at f/4. Got shutter speeds of 1/30–1/125. If anything comes out decent, I’ll post a few examples once I get the uploads from The Darkroom later in the week. Thank you for the advice above. I think Uncle Karl did a good job.

Most exposures I made at f/4 with shutter speeds varying from 1/30 to 1/125. Didn’t want to sacrifice DOF so set hyperfocal distance, 25 feet from front of stage to first row of seats. Tonight will bring my M5 and rely on its TTL meter, which is usually spot on. (Sherry Kräuter did a CLE years ago and it works with clock-like precision.) Unfortunately ran out of Tri-X, so using some BW400CN instead.

Decided to make a change in my equipment. Going with my trusty M3 and Summicrons, 50/2 and 90/2. Will be easier to focus with these old eyes and wide enough to be safe shooting at 400 or 800. Plus if my Tri-X are disappointing I have the digital monochrome as a back up. Don’t like that I don’t have control in the darkroom.

I was sent a video of a dress rehearsal and the stage is much brighter than I anticipated, the sets are pastels and bright. I think I’ll be OK with ordinary Tri-X at 400 or maybe pushed one stop. I decided to take the digital backups in monochrome. Thanks to everyone for their comments.

Excellent suggestion. I’ll set my DSLR to 3200 and take a reading. Decades ago I took a bunch of stage photos, but I had the opportunity to take incident readings when the actors were doing their blocking. Can’t do that now.

I have been asked to take some b&w film shots of an amateur stage production, the producer wants a retro 1970s b&w feel. I’m going to use TMax 3200 as the light levels will be low. I have a relatively fast f/2.8 zoom to use. Regarding exposure, would I better off spot metering each shot or just take an overall reading of the stage with my Weston Master V and leave it at that? Because of time constraints I will not be able to get in early and take incident readings on stage. It’s been 30–40 years since I photographed any kind of stage production, and because of health concerns can no longer do my own d&p, I’m at the mercy of a commercial lab. I will shoot digital as a back up, just in case. Thanks in advance.

Why? I always thought they were much safer than conventional small aircraft.

I have had fairly good results using Rollei Infrared 400/27° with either a 25A red or R72 opaque filter. I think the R72 gives better results, and as I use a Leica M, you don't have viewfinder problems with an opaque filter. Because of health issues I can no longer do any of my own processing, so I'm at the mercy of mail-in labs, like The Darkroom. Here's a shot I took of the Manhattan skyline upriver toward the GWB.

Does anyone know the difference between The Darkroom and Ilford Lab US? Although the addressees have different p.o. boxes, it appears The Darkroom does Ilford's developing and printing, but there is a disparity in price. The prepaid "Ilford" mailers are $16·95 each (from BH). If you add the $2 Web upload and 4" gelatin silver prints of $10, the total is $28·95, now add the $3·75 on postage to Ilford, and your grand total is $32·70. (If you want larger scans, that will cost you more.) Now if you order from The Darkroom, it's $11 for standard scans, $8 for 4" gelatin silver prints and $5·95 for return first-class mail postage—the mailers to The Darkroom are free—totalling $24·95. Is the extra $7·75 worth it for "Ilford" processing, or are you getting just the same product but at an inflated price because it's called "Ilford"?

Just signed in after being away for awhile. The new "look" of the site is ghastly and confusing to navigate. I doubt I'll be back here much. The old beloved site was just fine, clean, uncluttered, friendly. This new overhaul is, I'm sorry, just crap to the eye, and I'm very easy going and not hyper critical. Big mistake.

<p>Late to the thread but here's a bit of advice that was given to me many decades ago by a veteran Leica shooter: exercise your shutters every month, don't let the camera sit untouched for extended periods. I have a few Leicas I haven't used for years, but I take them out every month for a little 'exercise'. The old girls need a little air every month.</p>