Rick Helmke

I thought when I first saw it that I was seeing a grainy b&w image, takes a moment to figure it out but I like it. I wouldn’t call it brutal or corporate, maybe harsh. Rick H.

Yeah I think mine said 18. Rick H

For some reason I rolled 100 feet of b&w in to 18 exposure rolls. I can only say that alcohol was not involved but in the last few days I’ve been dragging around a bagful of F2’s or F4s bodies and a full complement of glass. Same stuff I carried in my newspaper days which could explain why I don’t walk so much as lurch now. I’m finding I still enjoy these things often more than digital. I actually have to figure it out before shooting rather than leaving so much to a computer. Not a bad way to spend an afternoon. Rick H.

I wonder how this lady has determined she is related to the people in the photo and can she prove it? I also question the idea that I have any say in photo of a relative being published. If I own the rights to that photo then yes but otherwise I suspect it’s not up to me. As I grow older and less tolerant of nonsense I suspect she is just looking for a payday. Rick H.

I don’t have a picture handy but hands down the Nikon F2 with an MD-2. By the way Robert I had to use mine to defend against a mugger in New Orleans once. It didn’t break either and I was able to photograph him bleeding and unconscious with the same camera. Rick H

I spent a long time learning photography with film and while digital has its place its not the end all in imaging. I enjoy darkroom work, chemistry and all the things that go with that. It’s a process and a demanding one. I don’t have to wonder if my exposure is correct, if the image is in focus, if the shutter is fast enough. I know while shooting if I get it wrong and may have to do it again. I don’t need to see the image on a screen on the back of the camera. Don’t get me wrong, I use digital for most work but frankly, sitting in front of a computer gets boring quickly and I’m not as connected to the work. Maybe I’m just old…. By the way, I can get color lab work done locally every day. Good quality and there is cost involved but there always has been. Rick H.

Very nicely done, I enjoyed seeing these. Rick H.

I think tomorrow I’m going to take my Contax RTS out and finish the roll of film I loaded in it last year. I wonder what kind of film it is? Rick H.

When I was in the news business it kept me busy every day. I was constantly in the darkroom or downloading something under deadline pressure and I thrived on that. That work seems to have come to an end. I go to a college football or basketball game and where photographers were once elbow to elbow and three rows deep there are maybe 1/4 as many if it’s a big game. I suspect also that I live in the most boring town in the world which means I just don’t shoot all that much the last couple years. I think it’s time for a very long road trip once gas prices aren’t extortion as they are now. Rick H.

I like to think I’ve been at this long enough to not make a basic mistake, and then I make one. Bring the wrong film or not enough. Forget to bring extra cards, a card reader or laptop when I’m on a trip. Batteries or a charger. A couple years ago I remembered everything just right on an overseas trip and then didn’t use most of it. Rick H.

Mine are mostly Nikon: F2, F4s, N90S, Nikkormat FT, FT2 and 3. Ok so it’s all Nikon. Rick H

As someone who continues to use film a good bit still my recommendations would be a Nikkormat FT2or FT3 or the Pentax K1000, all very good manual cameras though the meter on the Nikkormats can be iffy. Also the F2 is just superb. If you want auto focus and exposure capability then the N90S is very capable and if you don’t mind spending a little more, the F4s. Lots of other good options but I have and use all those I mentioned. Rick H.

This reminds me again that I want to find a HiMatic 5, my first 35mm camera. Rick H.

The one thing I finally realized but never mention is that 90% of every photo I shoot is done with one of two lenses. Nikon, Canon and all the rest probably prefer I keep that to myself. Rick H.

I’ll try this again: I see two different faces here. I’m reminded of Micheal Meyers. I like it though, definitely different. Rick H.

I suspect that will give good results. Rodeo Joe, back in my newspaper film days we often pushed Tri X to 1600 with Acufine, usually for indoor and night time sports events. That’s when I realized the highlights were more important than shadows for my purposes. The theatre work I’ve done usually had much better lighting and I could go with slower shutter speeds. It might be a good idea to shoot a quick test roll early and process it first to see if you need to make any changes in developers or time. Rick H.

I still think the camera phone is the modern Instamatic. Generally provides decent results and most people don’t want to carry a camera everywhere, they never have. I use the camera feature if I want to get someone an image immediately but otherwise stick to Nikon. I doubt I’ll ever bother with mirrorless because I still don’t see the point, don’t need it and don’t want to replace all that glass. Rick H.

Honestly I would think twice about 3200. If you have a 2.8 lens you should be fine at 400 unless the stage is just DARK. 3200 will give a lot of contrast and grain and the lighting might make it worse. Expose for highlights and the medium tones and let the shadows go where they will. Since you won’t be doing the darkroom work you will have less control of the smaller details. Rick H.

I got in touch with them today and will be sending the 105 and a 250mm lens with a balky shutter for an RB67. Over the phone price guesstimate for each was pretty good. Rick H.

Evening everyone, I’m in need of a repair facility. I picked up a very nice manual focus 105/2.8 micro Nikkor from a member here. It was quite a bargain as it’s in excellent shape except the focus is quite stiff. I’d like to get that taken care of and Sanford Camera Repair is closed permanently. Who else does this kind of work? Thanks. Rick H.

I’m of the same mind as AJG in that I don’t use a service. I use multiple backup hard drives kept in different locations. Never had a problem with that setup and honestly it takes very little time. Rick H.

After looking over all this I found a YouTube video by someone named Rachel Larch about this topic. Over a period of three years she narrowed down submission to four agencies but finally just quit bothering. Quite a bit of time and work involved for very minimal income. I think I made more money at my first newspaper job and that was pathetic. By all accounts most photographers won’t do well in stock photography simply because the pay is so bad. Rick H.

I’ll answer this way which is basically just honest: 1. Things I find 2. Me 3. I don’t care if it is. That may sound flip but it’s true. I find photographs, I don’t make them. I photograph things because I want to, not because someone else wants me to and I honestly don’t care if it’s relevant to anyone else. This hasn’t always been true as there many things done for pay but I’m an old tired bastard now so I don’t do much paid work anymore. Rick H.

Me being me I’d suggest a Nikon D800, 810 or 850. The 750 and 780 are good. For glass I have the 24-120 and a Tamron 28-75/2.8, both good street lenses. If no zooms then a 50 and a 35. Many are going mirrorless of course but these bodies are all quite capable. Rick H.

I always enjoyed his found film postings here but he just disappeared. Glad to see he’s still active, thanks.