Photography Photography Thread vs. BL Shutterbugs unite!

[thujone]

nice find! gonna be interesting to see what develops

 

[SKL]

I kept a darkroom years ago, before I moved to the city, when I actually had a basement and some space that could be put to that use. So if either of you need any advice let me know although it is pretty straightforward tbh ... here in the city you can rent darkroom time surprisingly cheaply, although right now I am getting into photography again but have been happily snapping away digitally ... there is something about film, though, of course, and particularly the choices you can make in not only in selecting film and taking the photograph but in printing which is missing obviously with digital ... just thinking about it I miss that part of photography, although I don't necessarily miss some of the more repetitive and chore-ish aspects of keeping a darkroom and developing film, etc. It's a tradeoff I guess.

Posted in the other thread but I think I am going to get a macro lens. Just trying to decide if the cheapest (40mm) Nikon option is a good one or if should spend a bit more ... which I could but I'm not sure if I really should atm ... especially as I'm not entirely sure how much macro photography I plan to do ... I have fun on a day off just strapping on the camera and walking around outside or in the subways, etc. but macro stuff is a whole different sort of project although I guess there is as much interesting stuff at that level as there is at the other ... taking macro shots of different objects and surfaces in the subway in NYC (which is one of my favorite subjects for regular photography) might be an interesting project ...

 

[SKL]

the subway in NYC (which is one of my favorite subjects for regular photography)

(this is actually using the 40mm Macro lens I mentioned above, which I wound up buying, which is of course useful for more than just super close-ups)

 

[sigmond]

Is that you, a friend, or just some random guy waiting for the subway?

 

[SKL]

random guy

 

[thujone]

SKL tha subway dandruff inspector

 

[hydroazuanacaine]

i found someone pretty to pose for some test-shot-mimicking polaroids ...

some developer burns. my standard for success is getting a discernable image that isn't washed out, some i'm ok with these.

thanks, gabriella.

 

[Chatative]

Some interesting shots in here guys.

Not been taking many photos lately myself. I guess because nothing is catching my eye, but then again... it's not like I'm actively searching!

This was the version of the photo I wanted to use for Forgotten, but as I fiddled with it a lot rather than a straight to B&W conversion I figured it would probably count has heavily edited. I actually had wanted to go back to the park to take a better shot on my DSLR (the other was on my iPhone) but the damn park was closed for setting up an event until the first close date of the contest! Typical... 8)

Anyway, here is the B&W version:

 

[thujone]

i found someone pretty to pose for some test-shot-mimicking polaroids ...

very nice, the Kodak-y colour balance looks good with people as the subject

 

[hydroazuanacaine]

thanks, thujone.

photo looks great in color and B&W, Chatative. and converting to B&W doesn't qualify as "heavily edited" in my book. unless SKL says otherwise, i think that's fine for the photo contest.

as of today, my darkroom is operational ...

forgot to include my colored glass chemical jugs the in the photos, but they're pretty.

first finished print ...

wish i would have stepped to the side to put some distance between the utility pole and his head, but this is a new hobby for me, i'm learning, and i'm still alright with the photo. dust marks because my staticwisk brush and white gloves didn't arrive until late today, and i was already deep in work without them.

bought a space heater, but it's still a huge pain keeping the developer tray at exactly 68 fahrenheit. with the fixer and stop bath, you get a few degrees wiggle room. but not the developer. will be easier when it's hotter out and i can just dip and ice bag in it from time to time, as opposed to trying to keep the room at 68 and occasionally having to pour the developer tray into a graduated cylinder to run under hot water and then pour back into the tray.

darkroom is still functional without running water -- utility sink nearby -- but oh boy would that sink being in the room be nice.

this one's the product of playing digital darkroom with a negative scanner and photoshop, which isn't as much fun, but i like the photo more ...

both are tri-x 400 through a nikon fg.

 

[CfZrx]

yeah, thats awesome!

 

[hydroazuanacaine]

thanks, CfZrx! took a while to figure out and get setup.

 

[thujone]

sweet darkroom, portrait shots are awesome

 

[sigmond]

 

[hydroazuanacaine]

thanks, thujone. that's one ugly animal, sigmond. but nice shot.

tried a few night shots on a recent roll ...

portra 400 through an old compact 35mm (olympus 35rc). no tripod and shot on manual override to keep the shutter speed acceptable. i ended up with some noise in post to get the detail i wanted. well, depending on the screen they're being viewed on. on my iphone screen there's no noise, but they're also too dark. i think the 35rc takes a gritty picture in general, which i usually like, but not when there's so much black space in the photo.

 

[SKL]

Police presence in an NYC housing project. The cranes, which I first noticed at Occupy Wall Street, have become a ubiquitous presence in areas that are statistical hot spots for arrests, mostly low level drugs, disorderly, whatever. Taken just from a phone (S7), not particularly well composed (although the S7 has pretty sophisticated camera settings making it almost SLR like in your ability to select different variables, but I've yet to be able to practically use them) but interesting, and serendipitous, plays of light:

 

[sigmond]

that's one ugly animal, sigmond. but nice shot.

oh come on, im pretty sure its a Capybara which imo is one of the better looking rodents.

tried a few night shots on a recent roll ..

very nice! i really like the first one. i remember having trouble with noise when took pictures at night.

 

[undead]

I love coming back and finding this thread still kicking! Great photos all around, everyone.

Here's a few I shot during a recent whitewater event near me.

I have a ton more, but these are the ones that I liked the most. I'd be happy to post more if anyone wants to see any others.

 

[hydroazuanacaine]

interesting, and serendipitous, plays of light

yeah, the light flares make the photo, SKL.

nice, undead. last is my favorite because the subject's face is the least obscured. second one is pretty cool too, where clearing the water is so well captured.


just bought this calumet 4x5 monorail on ebay ...

sally mann shoots on large format, so i want to as well. she's 8x10, but after a little reading it sounds like there is good reason to learn on 4x5. once i learn how to shoot with it using negative film, i want to try collodion tintypes.

unfortunately the negative scanner on my v600 tops out at 120 film. not yet sure how i am going to solve that.


less recently filled my vegetable crisper to the brim with now discontinued fp-100c and bought a polaroid land camera 250. first decent shot with it ...

my scanner and/or screen had a hard time with the colors. spent over an hour in photoshop trying to get it to look like the print. please respect that and calibrate your screen to the same profile before viewing.

while i didn't buy any pack film until i learned i soon wouldn't be able to, i now see why people rave about its color rendition. the scan does not do it justice.

on the note of my scanner not being able to fit 4x5 or properly capture fp-100c, i've been thinking about the balance between creating sharable/digital copies versus the beauty of analog. my original plan was analog prints only and i've gotten all caught up in how to digitize. it's nice to have lots of people see your work, but i'm going to spend a little more time on creating exactly what i want -- even if that means only i and a few other see it. in that vein, i found a photo club with a 4x5 b&w enlarger and 120/35mm enlarger with a color head. stopping by on their guest night is on my list. i also found a 35mm projector in my parents' basement and -- having recently read about nan goldin's The Ballad of Sexual Dependency starting as a projection and audio show that fluctuated between exhibitions -- i ordered some of the ultra-saturated fujichrome velvia 50 slide film with the idea that it will primarily be something to share with the projector (as i hear it does not scan well).

 

[sigmond]

i have been struggling to adjust to the current Nikon DSLR i have access to (its not mine). its supposed to be much better than the d40 i bought not long after it came out nearly 10 years ago though thus far almost every photo i've taken has been inferior to what i got from my beloved d40. here are a few pics i took at the sand sculpting contest that convenes each year not far from where i live. [look a lot better full size and uncropped]