Now you can get any combination of film and developer the heart desires at the touch of a button on your phone. It will cost you £5.99 and comes in Android and Apple flavors.
Monday 28 October 2013
Massive dev chart App
Digital truth have produced an app for all that wonderful film developing time data they have on their site. Called the Massive Dev chart timer. It has different colored screens so it can be used in the darkroom and will recalculate times for different temperatures.
Labels:
app,
developing,
digital truth,
film,
mobile,
phone,
store,
times
Friday 18 October 2013
Basic kit for producing Black and white negatives.
For those
who are thinking of processing their own
film it
can be quite daunting for the first time. If you keep things basic by
using popular brands like Ilford and Kodak for film and chemicals not
much can go wrong. What people don't tell you is that film like FP4+
is quite forgiving and a good place to start processing for the
novice, making it quite easy to get good results.
With
the advent of digital the darkroom has become a lightroom with the
help of a scanner and changing bag. You no longer have to look for a
place in the property that is or can be made light tight.
The
basic kit:
Changing
Bag: looks like a
tee-shirt without a hole to put your head through and is double lined
to make sure it is light tight.
It will take time
too get used to and will require some dummy runs to get the feel of
it. Developing tank:
there are two types, 35mm and universal. The universal tank will
allow you to process 120 format as well as 35mm; you will also need
to practice loading the film onto the spiral. Oh! before I forget
there are two types of spiral plastic and metal each uses a different Technic to load. I would suggest starting with the plastic type first
as it easier to get the hang of. Force
film washer: is a
tube that fits onto the water tap and into the top of the developing
tank. It is for putting water into the tank for the wash cycle. Three
measuring jugs that
will cope with more than 600 mls of fluid,
Chemicals: Developer, Stop and Fix, all
come as concentrate or powder and will require mixing with water to
get the right working strengths. Spirit
thermometer: for
checking that the chemicals are at 20 degrees C.
Storage containers:
of a suitable size will be needed to keep diluted chemicals.
Wetting agent: by
putting a couple of drops in the developing tank after you finish
washing the film and a minute before you take the film out helps to
prevent drying marks on the film. Film
clips times two: so
you can hang the film up to dry and if you place one on the bottom it
stops the film curling while drying. An alternative is to use Pegs.
Labels:
basic,
black and white,
film,
ilford,
introduction,
kit,
kodak,
materials,
negative,
processing
Friday 11 October 2013
On a personal note.
120 negatives. |
My Dad introduced
me to the wonders of Photography and encouraged me with a 120
format Instamatic range finder, this gave me the freedom to take pictures whenever. It was not
until my late teens that I was in a position to buy my first SLR
camera that turned out to be a Nikon, this improved my picture-taking skills to a level that
allowed me to take on commissions. After some years in the doldrums,
my wife encouraged me to take a C&G photography course, which
re-ignited my interest for photography.
Featured in Black and white photography magazine |
My photography has been influenced over the years by the art world and artists like Dali, Matisse, Picasso, Andy Warhol. As well as photographers like Fox Talbot for his early pictures, William Egglestone for his get it right in one frame of mind, David Bailey for his belligerence, Paul Fusco, Henri Cartier Bresson for watching and waiting, Roger Hicks for his no nonsense approach and the architecture of the Art Deco movement for its bold lines. Which makes for a bit of an eccentric attitude to picture making.
Digital |
Having been introduced to film at a very young age I still take a large number of pictures in black and white. This does not mean I shun digital, I use it a lot, it's another format that allows me to express my view of the world.
I hope what you find posted here interesting and helpful, I know it talks about out dated methods that a lot of people feel should be dead and buried; but it is the foundation to the digital age, with many aspects in common.
This picture was taken on Zero pinhole camera. |
The time of year will influence my post rate. Put another way, if the suns out so will I.
Labels:
art deco,
camera,
colour,
dali,
darkroom,
film,
monochrome,
negative,
William Egglestone
Sunday 6 October 2013
A bit of a surprise.
There was
a new kid on the block, a brash whipper snapper that goes by the name of Fisheye 2.
This little fellow punches above his weight with the quality of pictures he
produces. I'm not sure why I am surprised at this. I can only think that my
view of the toy camera market has been tainted by the snobbery of professionalism!
It is a brilliant piece of kit that allows a further string to the creative
bow.
Let's be
honest it is not my camera. My wife purchased it because she loves the fish
bowl effect it produces when printed. She also thinks that the double, triple
and many more exposures on a single frame are awesome. But the main thing is
ease of use.
This can lead to a bit of a dispute over who took what, especially when both of us are using it at the same venue! The only rule, once a film is finished we agree that colour or monochrome film is loaded. My wife prefers colour but more black and white film has been exposed.
This can lead to a bit of a dispute over who took what, especially when both of us are using it at the same venue! The only rule, once a film is finished we agree that colour or monochrome film is loaded. My wife prefers colour but more black and white film has been exposed.
Basically it
is a point and shoot camera with a 170 degree field of view. With a couple of
important buttons the most important as far as my wife in concerned is the
little one on the back that allows the shutter to be re-primed for multi
exposures and the other on the top right front by the shutter release ( which i
think is the most important), this controls exposure the; L position locks the
shutter so it is not tripped accidentally; N is the standard setting of 1/100
sec @ F8 and B a bulb setting that allows long exposures.
I must admit
it's good to get away from all those decisions an SLR brings to the picture
taking process. Just concentrating on the composition is unexpectedly liberating knowing that if it
all go's wrong it is a minds eye fault and not a technical one! when it comes
to multiple exposures where serendipity influences the mix, some are far better
than others. Nevertheless always interesting. I felt that I had been
taken back in time to the excitement and wonder I experienced with my first
camera.
It was a
surprise when Elizabeth Roberts editor of
Black and White photography magazine got in touch asking if it would be
OK to publish some of these pictures in the portfolio section. An unexpected
boost to what has been a bad news year.
These
pictures were taken in and around Baton upon Humber area, over a number of
visits. They are a mix of pictures all made playfully exploiting the advantages
of the lens. I had not intended to create a series. It just so happens to be an
interesting part of the river Humber with its nature reserves, the bridge and
foot path that extends to the estuary.
Three makes
of film were used Agfa APX @100 ISO, out of date HP5 @400 ISO and out of date
Fomapan 200 @200 ISO all developed in ID11. The pictures have been printed on a
number of different photographic papers. The ones that appear in the magazine
are printed on silverproof matt. Developed in a mix of Moersch SE6 blue and
Ilford warmtone.
Labels:
black and white,
editor,
film,
fish bowl,
fisheye 2,
lomography,
magazine,
moersch,
photography,
silverproof
Friday 20 September 2013
Avoiding graininess
If you like
your pictures smooth and grainless then you need to pay special
attention to its avoidance throughout the process. The best approach
is correct exposure, development and method; once mastered graininess
will not be a problem. When you start using film speeds above 200 ISO
it becomes more critical to get the exposure right in some cases a
faster film has been used when a slower one would have done the job
just as well. In this instance a fine grain or ultra fine grain
developer will go a long way in inhibiting the clumping of the silver
hilade crystals during the processing, allowing quite large prints to
be made without the grain showing.
The main
causes of grain growth are:
- Over exposure.
- Too highly concentrated developer solution.
- Too long a development time.
- Too high a temperature.
- Too much agitation during the development process.
This picture was taken using Rollie's R3 variable ISO film set at 1600 ISO developed using R3 developer. If I had used a fine grain developer the grain would not have been this exaggerated. This picture was taken late almost to late as the sun was just off touching the horizon. If I had set 400 ISO it would have been a blur. Apart from that I think it is a good shot caught just at the right moment.
Labels:
black and white,
darkroom,
development,
film,
grain,
graininess,
method,
monochrome,
processing,
traditional
Friday 13 September 2013
Same picture different camera.
The
recent airing of a documentary on Vivian Maier sparked a debate between my wife
and myself not on the wonderful pictures taken but about her camera equipment
and what it has added to her pictures.
Fg 1 |
Vivian used
a twin lens reflex camera (TLR). As the name implies it has a viewing lens of
the same focal length placed above the lens in front of the negative. They are
coupled together so when the viewing image is sharp it is the same at the focal
plane. There are several things to note when using this type of camera. One of
the oddities is the image; it is reversed, left is right and vice versa. So if
someone or object is moving towards the left of the screen the camera will need
to be moved to the right. It is
something that is a bit disconcerting when using the camera, more so for the
first few times. The view screen gives no indication of depth of field until
the negative is printed as there is no aperture settings. This lens design also
exhibits the parallax effect this is
where the juxtapositions between far and near objects are seen differently between the two lenses. This can
be compensated for by moving the picture taking lens up to where the viewing
lens is positioned.
Fg 2 |
With the
idiosyncrasy of the TLR explained, it makes the street pictures she took even
more wonderful. But I digress, this post is really about - 'does the camera add
something of it's self to the picture?' In other words would you have taken
that picture no matter what camera you were using?
I have
canvassed opinions from other photographers and it has been suggested that the
different working methods needed for different camera types and formats would
indicate that the camera adds something of it's self to the picture. Or is it
just perception? I will admit that certain cameras like the Lomo fisheye 2
undoubtedly adds to the composition in a particular way with its fish bowl
negatives and distorted edges, this is also true of the pinhole camera with
it's long exposures and blurred movement. These camera are chosen because of
these attributes but the same could be said for the main stream digital, 35mm,
medium, large format multi lensed system cameras. Maybe the premise is wrong
and it is the lens that leaves its mark so to speak.
Fg2 |
Lets be
honest there are a multitude of factors that come into play when making a
picture. With the camera lens combination playing the leading roll. I have not
until the above question arose, made the same picture with different cameras
and formats from the identical place. In my case it just does not happen.
Figure 1
Lomo fisheye 2 and figure 2 Nikon F5 with 28mm lens both 35mm Agfa APX 100 film
@ ISO 100 are a couple of examples where I have made the same picture with a
different camera in about the same place.
In
conclusion the camera and lens you choose to use has an effect on the pictures
you take therefore imparting something of is self on the end result.
Fg1 |
Labels:
camera,
documentary,
lomography,
monochrome,
photography,
traditional,
twin lens reflex,
Vivian Maier
Saturday 6 July 2013
Using the Agfa Isolette camera
Carrying
on from a previous post on the Agfa Isolette The
opportunity to use the camera was provided by a break in the weather
- it cleared enough not to be soaked as soon as you leave the house.
The
flip out film holder makes it easy to load a new roll of film. There
are in built springs that provide friction, so the film is kept tort,
keeping it as flat as possible at the focal plane reducing
distortion. The film back clicks shut with a reassuring clunk. It
also has a little red window in the back with a sliding cover in
which to view the film numbers as you wind on. The film is advanced
with a knob on the top right hand side of the camera that has a built
in reminder to wind on after each exposure otherwise the shutter will
not set.
To
reveal the lens you press a button on the top left hand side. In this
case the lens followed by the bellows leaps forward from the front of
the camera with an enthusiasm that can knock it out of your hands if
you are not prepared for such athleticism. Once the front is open you
are presented with the five main controls: lens focus, a full set of
apertures from F4.5 all the way up to F32. A limited number of
shutter speeds: B, 25th, 50th, 100th
and 200th A self timer and most importantly a lever that
primes the shutter for release. The only other thing present is a
connection for flash.
On
the top of the camera is the shutter release that allows a remote
cable to be fitted, a cold shoe for a range finder or other
accessories and another knob that has four settings marked Col NK,
NT, K and T. (I do not have a clue as to what they represent.) As far
as I can tell it has had no affect on my negatives. It has a viewer
and a tripod mount.
After
I got used to the idea of guessing what the distance should be set to
and then remembering to alter it for different views, I found myself
taking shots quickly almost like an automatic. I did take light
readings to start with but it became clear that the light levels were
stable enough not to need checking for each shot.
It
became clear that there was a problem once the negatives had been
developed. Some how light was getting into the camera. Having checked
it carefully before hand I should have carried on and cut a piece of
light sensitive paper to fit the camera and left it for a minute to
make sure. Once the paper had been developed in the normal way it
would have shown that light was leaking in from the bottom right
corner of the exposure chamber indicating a problem with the bellows.
I'm
a little disappointed with myself for not doing this check in the
first place. If I had followed through with the test, I wouldn't
have had a duff set of negs'!. It would have made an interesting set
of prints as the gremlin's face in the tree roots shows.
Labels:
120 format,
Agfa,
camera,
film,
fp4,
ilford,
Isolette,
photography,
traditional
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