alex_hawley

Hi James and welcome to the LF world. I went through the same dilemma a few months ago. Bought a polaroid holder along with several standard 4x5 holders. Problem with the polaroid is that the film is so damn expensive. After wasting two packs of it, I realized I learned just as much or more by loading the regular sheet film and developing it in trays. Sure, you have some lag time and don't get intstant feedback, but that didn't bother me.

 

As far as regular film holders go, the standard Lisco or Riteway holders have given lots of people yeoman service for many years. Never used any Sinar products but to me, the difference appears to splitting hairs. I'm sure one can make the same flubs loading a Sinar holder as can be done with a Lisco.

 

Haven't ever used Quickloads, but I only shoot B&W. Some who shoot color swear by them.

Doug's benchmark of rating looks pretty good. Probably the best I've seen so far. All art is subjective. People will always view each piece with a different opinion.

This is all very interesting. I, like many others I presume, thought using a safelight would fog modern pan films, and that development by inspection was viable only for the old orthochromatic films. Learn something every day in this forum!

Amen Brothers, Amen. Young photographers should start out using totally manual cameras with B&W film, learning to develop and print right along with taking the shots. Once some competency is gained, then branch off as desired. The popular magazines have really become just endless product promotions for their advertisers. Some short technical articles can be found but mostly, these magazines say "buy this and shoot National Geographic covers in an instant!". So, the neophytes get a lot of dung flung at them from the start.

 

After a brief three years back in photography, I find myself regressing - a 1940's vintage camera with 1950's lenses, pyro, rodinal, and amidol developers, fiber paper. The only thing I lust for now is a good spot meter. But a Pentax analog will do just fine.

Leanord, I did a quick Google search for "navigation tables" and found this:

 

National Imagery and Mapping Agency (NIMA) Maritime Safety Information Division http://pollux.nss.nima.mil/index/index.html

 

I didn't delve into the site at all but it may get you the information you need for altitude and azimuth of the sun at a specific location.

 

The standard reference used by the US Navy to explain all this is "American Practical Navigator (Bowditch)". Here's another link that has some of the typical stuff used in celestial calculations and also offers Bowditch for sale.

 

http://www.waypoints.com/celestialsupplies.html

 

Calculating sunrise and sunset times by hand is not too difficult. Both the US Navy and Royal Navy publish tables each year to do this. The Local Apparent Noon, the time of day when the sun is at its highest, follows from sunrise and sunset.

 

The azimuth angle is a bit more difficult and time consuming. Believe me, being able to get this info from the 'net or a computer program is MUCH easier than doing it by hand from the tables. Have fun and good luck!

With this set up, and being July 4, you could use a couple pounds of flash powder.

Thanks Tuan! This forum and the excellent info on you site has been of invaluable help to me in my LF adventures.

Great stuff Scott. I'm old school too; always calling them buffalo. Truly one of the most impressive creatures on the planet. I like the perfesser's idea. Wait until cold weather sits in then get out there on crisp morning. Its a truly wonderful site; the frost on the thick manes, huge clouds of frosty breath--now ya got me dyin' to see it once more.

Thanks for everyone's very good suggestions and help. Its always reassuring to know there's a place to turn to for help.

 

Best Regards,

Alex

Thanks for the encouragement Bill and you may be right. And thanks for all the suggestions so far. As many have suggested, I'm looking for my own way but I get befuddled. I've been perusing occasional issues of B&W Magazine and Lenswork. Both are full of excellent examples to emulate and aspire to. Seems like I should be able to photograph a barn as good as Morley Baer but when I make the print, I think I fall far short of that aspiration. Part of this beffudlement I think, is that I don't really have the understanding of composition; so, I can't really say why one photo works and another one doesn't. I'm almost shooting blindly; once in a while it works, mostly it doesn't.

 

I know several artists build their settings; that's great and I and admire them highly. But I'm mostly a weekend shooter trying to take ordinary, plain things and present them such that it catches the eye and perhaps tells a small story. If I have a vision, its more in line with Walker Evans (I think!?).

 

Oh well, onward and upward. Thanks again for everything so far, especially the book suggestions.

Ain't no such thing as "farmed" or domestic buffalo. No one in a thousand years has been able to domesticate the North American Bison. Although they can be successfully maintained in relative captivity, and can behave fairly docile, they can go from asleep to full rage in an instant. They can go through a tight four-wire barbed fence like it ain't even there. And seeing a 2000 lb bull sail over a six-foot fence is a memorable moment. Think your Ford F-150 is tough? Ha! Get it in the pen when Mama has a calf, then call your insurance agent to report a total loss from buffalo butting. Scott, just be careful and heed the warnings people are giving you, especially that of having a spotter who's familiar with them. Happy Trails!

Good question Bill. Landscapes, still lifes, small details, machinery, ect. Take a look at my portfolio. I haven't done portraits, probably won't ever do nudes.

 

To add to my first post, I realize studying a reference won't enact an ovenight miracle, but I'm sure thirsty for some basics to build upon.

I'm struggling with composition, aesthically so. Maybe this is a

plea for some of our more accomplished bretheren to point me down

the path of aesthetic righteousness.

 

I feel I'm starting to get a handle on the craft side of this art,

but good composition continually alludes me. I'm not a trained

artist by any means. I've always been immersed in the technical

side of things. I don't have time nor patience to fool around with

classes, even though there is a state university nearby with an art

department. Besides, I'm a 50 years old and a vetereran who probably

wouldn't mesh too well with art school students or professors (maybe

this is a bad assumption).

 

So, is there a good, concise book I can read? Understand this whole

subject is subjective, but it seems to me there's something more to

good graphical arrangement than the rule of thirds.

Scott - Sure I would try it with a 4x5 but not within the fence, and with someone to keep watch. Secondly, don't try it during calving season. The cows become extremely aggressive when they have calves - I mean, they will flat go after you. And they can move faster than you can think. Other than that, if you go inside the fence, stay with a small and quiet camera. And have someone with you that the animals are comfortable with. Cheers from Kansas!

Its been 15 years since I used night vision goggles, but with the technology of that era, they didn't really do anything in a totally darkened room with no light penetration at all. Outside, even with an overcast sky, there was enough light from the sky to do something. I doubt that the inexpensive ones on the market would be much better. Course, like I said, its been 15 years.

I have my holders numbered sequentially, 1,2,3, ect., and always write the type of film loaded in each in pencil so its eraseable. I've used sticky notes but in the desire to have something of a permanent record to understand how I screwed up, I came up with this sheet. Its not mine originally. Its modified from the similar one in "The Negative" by A. Adams.<div></div>

Sorry Andrew, but if you read my paragraph again, I used the terms North America and American, not USA. I was trying to be careful not restrict it to the USA. Didn't mean to cut out Canada nor Mexico at all.

Great question Per. In my opinion, the greatest distinction is in landscape photography. Western North America is unique in its terrain. American photography has showcased this unique beauty ever since the first camera crossed the Misouri. I've seen a few parts of Western Europe. Some places in Italy, Spain, and Portugal come close as Sergio Leone showed in his movies. But one doesn't see as much of those areas in photography as is shown of the American West.

 

Now that you bring up the subject, I wonder why we don't see more landscape work from Russia?

Thanks for posting this Kevin. I recently saw that this film was available and had been wondering if anyone had tried it yet.

I keep an empty film box handy. When the negitive's out of the frame, I lay it in the box crossways so that one edge is down inside and the other is sticking out free. Makes it a lot easier to pick up and dust off.

 

From what I've read, a lot of the big-time 8x10 contact printers use a vacuum easel. Obvious advanages to that after working with a frame. However, a vacuum easel is a long way in the future for me, if ever. Once I got the routine of the print frame down, it doesn't seem so clumsey.

Domenico, have you tried a piece of translucent plastic like the type that is used in lighting fixtures? Get a flat piece, like is used in suspended ceiling fixtures, and cut it to the size you find convenient.

"Anyone do 4x5 contacts on Azo"

Well, not quite yet but I'm getting geared up for it. Jonathan, with the help of a paper cutter, a box of 100 8x10 sheets will turn into 400 4x5 sheets. That knocks 75% off the cost of paper per print.

I'm struggling with the same think with my roll film back. All I can say is try cropping if possible. Otherwise try dodging them. Its highly frustrating!

Thanks for posting this Ellis.

Sitting by a pond fishing one day. There was a cow (female) grazing on the other side. The bull (male) came along and became interested in her. Just as he's making contact, the cow touches her nose to the electric fence, and BAMMM!! Bull is knocked on his can literally. His eyes go crossed, then start rolling around, shakes his head as he's sitting there on his haunches. Cow turns her head back towards him, smiles as if to say "not today big boy".

 

We were laughing for 45 minutes. Completely forgot about fishing. Even if I had a camera, I was shaking too hard from laughter to take a shot. Who says animals are dumb?!