Documente Academic
Documente Profesional
Documente Cultură
33.01 -( Starting points for using Konica and Kodak Infrared films )-
33.02 -( Intro to Gross Specimen and General Photography - tutorial )-
33.03 -( UK Company that makes microscope (and other?) adapers )-
33.04 -( Improvised Contrast Control filters from Rosco materials )-
33.05 -( Reducing overexposed IR film and others too )-
33.06 -( Tips for photographing the sun )-
33.07 -( Stage Photography Recommendations )-
33.08 -( Photographing Soccer Recommendations )-
33.09 -( Sprint Photographic Chemicals )-
33.10 -( Artcraft Chemicals - Photo Chemicals Supplier )-
33.11 -( A few non-US magazine recommendations )-
Select FAQ-34 to obtain content listed below
42.01 -< How to make a 620 camera take 120 film >-
42.02 -< Slide Labeling and Archiving Software for Stock Photos >-
42.03 -< Where do pros buy albums and frames >-
42.04 -< Star Tracking Platform instructions >-
42.05 -< Processing Forte B&W films in Kodak developers >-
42.06 -< Determining lens focal length simply >-
42.07 -< Where can one get royalty-free background music? >-
42.08 -< Robot camera company address >-
42.09 -< Split Grade Printing by Max Ferguson >-
42.10 -< Guide Number when flashes are combined >-
42.11 -< Some places that process Super-8 motion picture film >-
42.12 -< Bulkfilm loading without a loader >-
42.13 -< How do flashbulbs work? >-
42.14 -< Tripod Tips >-
42.15 -< Some chit chat on camera lenses used for UV photography >-
Select FAQ-43 to obtain content listed below
================================================================================
Note 15.01 -< Make Slides from Negatives using Kodak SO-279 >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SLIDES FROM NEGATIVES USING SO-279, Vericolor Slide Film a negative working
copy film designed without orange mask for making slides from color negatives.
I have a lot of color negatives I'd like to turn into slides, so naturally my
> If you already own a color enlarger then it may be possible to convert it to
> serve as a light source for a copying set-up. Once I bought a color head for a
> 35mm Durst enlarger from Helix in Chicago for about $ 25 or 40 (don't recall
> exact price... they were "dumping" them due to overstock) and this has served
> the purpose of adjusting the color quality of the copies very well.
> This is possibly cheaper and more flexible than buying a set of CC filters.
Jay
email : keskar@cn.ecn.purdue.edu
.................................. reply ...................................
...actually if you have the enlarger you already have the appropriate lens. The
one that is fitted to the enlarger! It will generally do quite well. You should
be able to project the image into the Elan (remove the lens you have on it now)
and see a pretty bright image on your viewfinder screen. Depending on enlarger
you may be able to the enlarger so it is aimed horizontally instead of
vertically (if possible reverse head orientation on post and use baseboard to
kind of hold enlarger steady) and then mounting camera on tripod position at
right distance for about 1:1 magnification.
If the lens can not be moved far enough from negative and lens has a Leica
thread, (most enlargers do) get a short Leica extension tube and attach lens to
it to get extra extension.
The Elan can probably be set to give you automatic exposure time control based
on a "stopped down" metering mode. You simply need to work out what effective
exposure index you would key into the camera for the speed of the Vericolor
Slide film you will be using. This typically is about ISO 6 or so. Pretty slow!
>How do I proceed to make dulicates? - how do I make sure that the slide/neg is
>exactly in the centre & is perfectly parallel to the film plane??
Keeping good notes is essential. After processing and having film returned
uncut so frame identification is simplified I'd go looking for a slide that has
good density. Once this is accomplished then I'd go looking for proper color as
well. If this does not exist then I'd take the best slide in terms of density
and then make another test at that "exposure" level but change the filters in
such a manner as to correct the color balance of the resulting slide.
If the slides are too red, the add red to the basic filter pack, if too blue
add blue (or cyan and magenta together), if too magenta add magenta. This is
like color printing except that you end up with transparent prints!
Fantastic!!
Your reply was very useful & it works!!!
Thanks a lot! I could have never guessed that I don't need any more equipment!
Thank you again..
Jay
================================================================================
Note 15.02 -< What is Angle of View of any Lens on any Camera? >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I'd like to know whether there exists a formula (or second best, a conversion
table) for calculating the angle of view given a focal length, and vice versa
(e.g. given a 300mm lens, 8.1 degrees is correct....I think)
The angle of view for any given film dimension is equal to 2 times the angle
whose tangent is equal to the film dimension in question divided by 2 times the
focal length.
-1 / film dimension\ 43
let's see < of view = < tan |---------------| -------- = .071
\ 2 f / 2 x 300
BTW, 35 mm format dimensions are 24mm x 36mm and the diagonal is 43mm (or 44).
================================================================================
Note 15.03 -< Color Crossover, Color Conversion and Temperature >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
THIS IS A DISCUSSION FROM PHOTO-L ON THE TOPIC OF COLOR CROSSOVER and COLOR
TEMPERATURE AND COLOR CONVERSION FILTERS TO MATCH FILM TO LIGHT SOURCES
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Is there anyone out there that can explain to me better than an average
textbook the meaning of "color crossover" as a result of reciprocity
failure of color film. I know that there is a color cast, and that the
color in the highlights somehow becomes the color of the shadows, and I
know that contrast is affected, but I really am not 100% clear on the whole
thing.
From: gburges@CCU.UMANITOBA.CA
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Basically, all color films are designed such that there are three emulsion
layers sensitive to three complimentary light colors (red, green & blue;
or cyan, yellow & magenta). One notable exception is Fuji Reala, which has
four emulsions, but don't worry about Reala for the moment. Ideally, the
three emulsion layers should all be insensitive to light outside their
prescribed color range, but nothing's perfect. The erroneous exposure
resulting from this imperfection is called color crossover. In other words,
the red layer reacts to some blue and/or green light, the green layer reacts
to red and/or blue, and so on. Really bad color crossover is a color printer's
worst nightmare. You'll wind up making test print after test print, adjusting
color in all directions and never get an entirely satisfactory
print. Of course, in extreme long exposure resulting in crossover, maybe
the weird color is what you want for an artistic effect.
Steve Wall
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
>Is there anyone out there that can explain to me better than an average
>textbook the meaning of "color crossover" as a result of reciprocity
>failure of color film.
This is what I understand cross-over means when talking about color systems.
Shadows Highlights
*+*.+*+. CASE 1
*+.
^ *+. Desired Outcome. No color casts.
| *+.
D *+.
E *+. Response of the three color layers
N *+. is superimposed on each other
S *+.
I *+. *, +, . = color layers
T *+.
Y *+.
*+.
*+.*+.*+.
Log Exposure --->
*+*.+ +. CASE 2
* +.
* +. One layer is slower than the rest
* +. but has the same contrast as the others
* +.
* +. A color cast will be shown everywhere
* +. With negative color films this can be
* +. compensated for at the printing stage.
* +. (curves for neg materials are reversed)
* +. With transparency materials this can be
* +. compensated for at the taking stage and
* +. partially at the viewing stage
* *+.*+.*+.
Cause of something like this could be shooting under incorrect lighting, using
a filter on the camera, age, maybe processing, maybe reciprocity effect.
*+.*+. +. +. CASE 3
* +.
* +. One layer has different contrast than the rest
* +. causing its its curve to "cross over" in
* +. the midtone regions. Actually, cross-over does
* +. not need to happen in midtones... it could
*+. happen anywhere. In this case it is evidenced
*+. by a color cast showing in the shadows and a
*+. complementary color cast on the highlights
+.*
+. *
+. *
+. +. +.*+.*+.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
I left a message a while back regarding filters needed while shooting outdoor f
ilm under tungsten lights (100 Watt). Why would i need to use a 82b aND 80a fil
ter, and not just a 82b?
Wayne
From: RSIU42G%SAUPM00.BitNet@pucc.PRINCETON.EDU
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Hi Wayne, re: your question on color conversion this prompted me to look into
Kodak's B-3 book on Filters for Scientific and Technical uses.
What I found is that the 100 watt lamp burns at about 2900 K and you want
to convert this to 5500 K. If each of these is assigned it's appropriate Mired
value, then you want to go from about 345 to 182 or a total shift of - 163
mireds. A Mired is simply the K value divided into 1,000,000, but this is
another story...
The 80A filter has a "power"of - 131 mireds which is not good enough. You need
some more blue ( which is what the " - " sign implies ) to the extent of
another - 32 mireds. This is supplied by the 82B.
You could use other filters for similar results. A 80B plus a 80D is close at
168 mireds. Two 80C filters are also very close at 162 mireds.
Another way to say all this would be that the 80A gets you from 3200 to 5500 K
but you first need to get from 2900 to 3200 and this is done with the 82B.
There is no single filter listed by Kodak that provides 2900 to 5500 correction
in one step.
BTW, the price for doing this is almost 3 stops. It is much more efficient to
use indoor balanced film outdoors than the other way around.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
brucer
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Subj: filters
What book did you use as a reference? Is it possible to get the title, author
and ISBN number off you?
I am presuming that if I just used one of the filters and a outdoor film the
shots would have been yellow, right?
Wayne
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Wayne,
The Kodak book I used is their Publication B-3, Kodak Filters for Scientific
and Technical Uses, Kodak Cat 152 8108. It has a ISBN # of 0-87985-282-8.
You may be able to obtain a copy from Kodak by calling their Hot Line @
1-800-242-2424. The copy I have has a price of $ 11.95 printed on it but the
book is a few years old.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Subj: filters
Are 3200K and 3500K standard light temperatures used in studio situations? Why
not use 5500K bulbs, wouldn't that give a light source that is more white? I
can see that a slightly yellow (ie. using only one of the 80A and 82B filter
sets for 100 Watt tungsten bulbs) could enhance skin tones, but could you not
get a similar effect by diffusing a white light. This would reduce the
bleaching effect of the whiter light source.
And now for something completely different (Where did I hear that before?)
Have you ever shot sky (blue) with Ektar 25? I have been finding that the
higher from the horizon you aim, the deeper the blue is. Also polarization does
not seem as drastic as with other films such as Kodacolor gold 100 or
Ectachrome 100. My skies are comming out baby blue with a polarizer and a very
pale blue without. Any comments?
Wayne
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Wayne,
Yes, with only one of the two filters the pictures would turn out on the
yellow side. The 80A does most of the correcting. The 82B is a very pale blue.
The problem with not making tungsten bulbs so they operate at daylight color
temperatures is that the filaments would not last. Manufacturers do make 5500 K
balanced photofloods by incorporating a pale blue filter on the coating of the
bulb. This allows you to use these floods while also having daylight present in
the scene. Using filters on the camera would preclude mixing the two light
sources.
... also, the standards for color temperature of photofloods are 3200 and 3400
degrees Kelvin. also, BTW, if you use color negative film typically color
conversion filters are not needed, only for transparency films that can not be
corrected at the printing stage. But you probably already knew this...
andy
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Wayne (and anyone else out there who is interested...just covering my tracks.:-)
Why? you ask..simple, because daylight film is balanced for 5500 kelvins,
and 100 watt bulbs emit a color temp of about 2900 K. NOw, photo lights
intended for tungsten type L film (the one most used with hot lights) emit
at about 3200 K which is what the 80A filter is designed to convert to daylight
balance....hence, you need a bit more blue for the 100 watt bulb to
compensate for the extra 300 degree shift, and an 82B in combination
with an 80A does the trick.
brian
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Daylight filtered photo bulbs are not very accurate or consistent, and they
have a short working life...I used them for a while and was constantly
disappointed with the color results.
In that way, you will affect the color balance of your film.
You really notice the benifits of color metering and filtration when shooting
under overcast skies or at mid-day when there is lots of blue bias
in the environment. SHots that would normally be kind of cold and washed out
become full of color and life when tweaked with some 81 series and magenta fil
filters in combo..
brian
================================================================================
Note 15.04 -< 5 vs. 7 sprocket format stereo cameras >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> What is meant when you talk about 5 sprocket or 7 sprocket film in reference
> to stereo photography?
So the 5 sprocket format means stereo images that are 23.75mm wide (e.g. those
taken with the Stereo Realist: format 24 x 23 mm (the extra .75mm is needed
as a separation between the pictures).
================================================================================
Note 15.05 -< Several observations about Kodak B&W IR film >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. It does not have an antihalation backing. This allows light + IR piping into
cassette and also promotes halation in the vicinity of overexposed areas.
I think the reason the Kodak suggests total darkness is that they can obviously
not predict what any given person will interpret as "subdued" so they just say
"total" and are thus covered. Exposure, even fogging exposure, being time as
well as intensity dependent, would also indicate that one would want to keep
the exposure to even "subdued" light as short as possible.
3. Use with a red filter sort of negates some of the reasons that you'd want to
use this film as it will record red along with the IR record.
4. Use with 87, 87C or other truly IR filter limits you to static subjects or
use of a rangefinder or twin lens reflex camera or use of an auxiliary finder
if used on a SLR camera .... unless...
5. you place the 87C or such filter between the mirror of your SLR and the film
plane. This can be easily accomplished by cutting a piece of filter that is
about 23.5mm x 45mm in size and placing it between the film plane guide rails
that the film travel over. There is plenty of room for the thin gelatin filter
to sit there held in place by equally thin pieces of Scotch translucent tape at
each end.
5. Some light meters can be calibrated to read IR in such a manner that their
indications will yield closer to correct exposure than simple guesses.
7. IR film does not need extreme care in handling but it should be similar to
what you would give color film that is about to or which contains irreplaceable
images. Extra care is warranted but the film is not going to fall apart on you
as long as you take reasonable care with it.
8. Because IR film is quite transparent to IR (as well as visible) you may find
an overall regular pattern of spots all over your film. If you do check your
camera's pressure plate. It probably also has a similar set of "dimples" on its
surface. The IR is collected by these and focused back onto the IR film
producing a reproduction of the dimpled pattern onto the film.
9. If you use IR film in dark situations you can place an IR filter over your
flash and take flash pictures with the flash becoming unobtrusive. Probably you
will not want to use an IR filter over your lens at the same time if doing
"candid" flash photography. Skin tones will, however, be reproduced rather a
lighter tone than on regular film because of the high IR reflectance of skin,
any skin. Thus persons with rather dark complexion will appear as light in tone
as those of lighter complexion.
10. If you do not want to buy a large IR filter to use over your flash, you can
improvise by using a sheet of developed but unexposed color film such a
Ektachrome or Fujichrome. Even though the film appears absolutely black it
transmits IR quite freely.
andy
================================================================================
Note 15.06 -< Precision Pinhole Parts for Pinhole Photographers >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Do you need precision pinholes and plans for your pinhole camera? Read on.
I now have precision pinholes in brass which have been laser diffraction tested
for size and uniformity. Prices are $5.00 for one, $7.50 for two or $10.00 for
three. Matched sets (+/- 1/4 f-stop) are available for panoramic pinhole
cameras. Prices include plans for three pinhole cameras including a panoramic
one. The panoramic camera can use three or more pinholes. Add $2.00 for each
additional pinhole over three.
Large quantities available for photography classes. Send email requesting info
on the quantity you need. Pinholes come with data stating hole size so you can
make preliminary f-stop approximation and all instructions. Send orders to:
================================================================================
Note 15.07 -< Reversal Processing of Black and White paper >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
If you use the paper as a material in the camera then you may wish to consider
using Panalure for "normal" looking results in terms of tonal reproduction.
This is becasue normal B&W papers are not sensitive to red and thus anything
colored red in a scene will turn out very dark or black.
You can also make B&W prints directly from slides this way. Place a slide in
the enlarger and project it onto B&W paper. Again, to maintain more natural
looking tones use Panalure.
Water 800 mL
Potassium Dichromate 9.5 g
Sodium Bisulfate 66 g
Water to make 1 L
Clear CB-1:
Sodium Sulfite 90 g
Water to make 1 L
Second Developer can be Dektol again. Or if you want a sepia toned print,
skip the light exposure and use Sulfide Redeveloper T-19 (Sodium Sulfide
20 g with water to make 1 L).
================================================================================
Note 15.08 -< Making POLAROID Color Transfer Prints >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Substrates: Hot press watercolor paper, Cold press watercolor paper, Rice paper
Other (wood, leather, cotton, silk)
1. Prep the watercolor paper or surface you'll make the transfer onto. Soak
paper's in distilled water that's warm to the touch. Some folks use a bit of
photo flo in the water and other's use sodium bicarbonate to raise the pH. Wet
materials work better than dry one's. I've had good luck with soaking rice
paper's in room temp. distilled water, blotting it between layers of paper
towels and then putting it on a small piece of wood, a stage if you will, that
those nasty 'Roid chemicals can touch etc. For some odd reason the wood which
is about 1/4" thick and 5x7" is just right for the transfers and handy to pick
up and hold under a light, move around etc. while you're making a transfer.
2. Make an image on the Polaroid film. This can either be done with a 4 X 5 or
8 X 10 Polaroid back or by taking a 35mm slide and making a Polaroid print by
using a Vivitar Slide Printer.
3. Pull the Polaroid through the rollers to pop the chemical pod and coat the
negative. Approximate processing times are 10-15 seconds. Then peel the
Polaroid "print" or receiver sheet from the negative. I'm going with 10 sec.
times for images that have large amounts of red in them, longer times for
cooler images.
4. Gently put the negative in contact with the wet paper you've prepped. Roll
the top of the neg. with something akin to an ink roller for good contact. Some
folks use a press, their hands or a brick for this. Turn the paper & negative
over and gently rub the back of the paper with your fingers as if pressing out
an air bubble. Fastest transfer time would be around 90 seconds and the longest
times run around 30-40 minutes. The Average transfer time's recommended by
Polaroid are 2-5 minutes. Two minutes is working just great for me.
5. Very slowly and gently peel the negative off of the paper. Use the tab to
pull with and keep the neg. almost parallel to the paper. If you're losing
blacks or shadows that's image lifting and you're pulling too fast.
6. Step back and admire the darn thing! At this point you could send it to a
printer for separations, let it dry and use if for a display print or add other
elements to the image with pastels, colored pencils, dye's, chalk, oils etc., I
mean hey... it's a piece of paper right ?
I've had great luck using rice papers. My local source sells a *very wide*
variety and ships everywhere. You might give 'em a call and ask for a catalog.
" Dan Smith Inc. " Orders: 800/426.6740 Cust. Service: 800/426.7923
They might have an Oriental Paper Sampler, just ask. These folks have large
sheets of rice paper with leaf's, butterflie's in them. The range of papers is
amazing, they even carry papyrus. When you're on the phone with them ask if
they know of thier counterpart in your neck of the woods. Reason being that you
should find a table with paper thats been "damaged" in transit and sold at a
good discount. A goofed up corner on a 30x42" sheet really doesn't matter all
that much for 'Roid transfers if you're cutting it up anyway.
I've found a great paper that's about $7 for a sheet thats around 1 sq. foot in
size. So when working with a new image I use a cheaper paper, thinner and cut
from a larger sheet to make my proofs on. The thin paper dries out in 30 min.,
one time when I was in a hurry I was nuking the transfers and they looked just
fine.
Polaroid also makes a slide copier that projects a 35mm frame onto an 8 X 10
sheet of Polaroid film (the Polaprinter). It's a rather large desktop unit. Of
course you'll also need the desktop processor for the 8 X 10's. The list price
for the Polaprinter is $1,629.90 (street price under $1K) and the Vivitar one
lists for $160.00 but is available from your local dealer at a more reasonable
price. ($115-125.00) Or from DAK for about $60.00 The image transfer process
has become so popular that Polaroid is now selling a starter kit which consists
of a tray, rubber roller and a pack of film. It lists for $39.34
Talking to the rep. on the hotline I was told that to keep an image archival
you need to either re-photograph it or get color separations made. Because
there are so many variables in different stages that everyone uses it's almost
impossible for them to even start advanced ageing research.i.e. Boston tap
water is the best, NYC water is the best ... ink rollers are best, bricks are
best, long vs. short times.
Have a blast!
Don
Don Smith Photography dsp@polari.online.com>
............................................................................
From _Test_ Polaroid's magazine for professionals. "
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Brian
Here are ten good tips for making Polaroid transfer prints.
1. Select a receptor sheet that will help you get the type of results you want.
The tooth of the paper has a big role in the image quality.
3. As a rule, the sooner you peel the film, the better the colors.
10 seconds is the optimum development time. Pulling any sooner than that
the dyes might not have had enough time to begin migration. Pulling later
than that, the migration of dyes will alter the color balance of the image.
After about ten seconds, the negative has almost all of the cyan dye, about
half of the magenta dye, and very little of the yellow dye. This explains
why most transfers have a cyan bias. To correct, use between 10cc and 20cc
red filtration.
Water ph has an effect on transfers. Images do not adhere as well with water
of low ph. For best results, water ph should be sesven or higher. When in
doubt, use distilled water for consistent results.
Make sure that you soak the receptor sheet well. After soaking, make sure
to squeegee as much excess water as possible.
Don't wait too long before placing the negative on the receptor sheet. The
dyes will dry out and affect transfer and adhesion.
After rolling the sandwiched negative and receptor sheet, wait between 90sec
and two minutes before peeling the negative away.
troyb
================================================================================
Note 15.09 -<Sample Model Release>-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
... sample model release FYI and consideration:
ADULT RELEASE
Name: Date:
Address
phone:
Signature:
Some releases, like the one in question, most of the ASMP releases and
many others are very wordy. They may frighten simple folk like you or
me. The release shown below is from a very good book on the business
of photography. It is good but with an emphasis on simple. The book
is "Big Bucks," by Cliff Hollenbeck. Cliff is a travel/location/and
advertising photographer located in Seattle Washington. He is well
known in the business and is an ASMP member. He has been included in 3
"day in the life" books. His Release...
PHOTO RELEASE
_______________________________________
Signed
_______________________________________
_______________________________________
Address
_______________________________________
City State
_______________________________________
Zip Code Date
__________________________________________
Signed
(Parent/Guardian)
__________________________________________
Minor's Name Age
__________________________________________
Address
__________________________________________
City State
__________________________________________
Zip Code Date
...............................................................................
and another one:
I hereby release, discharge and agree to save harmless the photographer, his
representatives, assigns, employees or any persons, corporations, acting under
his permission or authority, or any persons, corporations, for whom he might be
acting, including any firm publishing and/or distributing the finished product,
in whole or in part, from and against any liability as a result of any
distortion, or alteration, optical illusion, or use in composite form, either
intentionally or otherwise, that may occur or be produced in the taking,
processing or reproduction of the finished product, its publication or
distribution of the same.
dated____________________
printed name________________________
signature___________________________
address_____________________________
witness_____________________________
parent or guardian____________________________
address_______________________________________
================================================================================
Note 16.02 -< Pinout Layout for Kodak Projector's remote control >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I seem to recall that from time to time somebody asks for the pinout layout of
Kodak Carousel and Ektagraphic, etc. projectors. I happened to be looking in
some old files and noticed I had a copy of a couple of pamphlets by Kodak that
give this information. The Forward/Reverse functions are quite easy to deal with
___________ .___________________________.
| | | |
| | | .---|<---*
| | | | |
| forward | | v |
| O O .---*==||===== |
v | || ^ |
=====-----------O-----------* || | | focus
^ | || ---|---
| O O | ||
| | | | || .--------.
| reverse | | | || v |
|_________| | ---*==||===== |
| ^ |
|________________|________|
This was described in two pamphlets that may or may no longer be available from
Kodak's 800 number. They are Pamphlet Number S-80-4, Kodak AV Equipment Memo
and 70-7, Kodak Slide Projector Wiring and Operation. If these are no longer
available from Kodak you can drop in at my office in bldg. 7B-2244 and ask for
a copy.
andy
================================================================================
Note 16.03 -< PINHOLE Photography Book List ^-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I would recommend the following books and article on Pinhole Photography:
"The Visionary Pinhole" by Lauren SMITH, Salt Lake City, 1985, Gibbs
M. Smith, Inc., Peregrine Smith Books.
"Pinhole Journal"
The small "KodaK camera with 126mm film was actually made (I think)
by Time-Filed Co, Newark, Delaware 19711 and called the PinZip 126
and used Kodak Instamatic Cartridge, Kodacolor II, Kodachrome 64,
and Verichrome Pan. It cost $11.95 in 1987 and was available then
through the Pinhole Resource. Again, I don't know the current status
of the camera, or Pinhole Resource. If it is still around, that is
probably the best source of information on the subject.
++++++++++++++++++++++++
CUMMINGSR@RFERL.ORG
RFE/RL Inc
Munich,Germany
================================================================================
Note 16.04 -< Reciprocity Failure - Folk and Real Description -
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: andpph@ritvax.isc.rit.edu
Organization: Rochester Institute of Technology
The reciprocity law states something to the effect that for a given light level
you achieve the same exposure by using a short exposure time and a large
aperture or a long exposure time and a correspondingly small aperture. While
this law does not fail, the photographic emulsions do in terms of giving the
same density for the same exposure if the exposure time varies widely.
If you have a second bucket of the same volume as the first and you pour its
At the other end, if you try to transfer the water quickly you are bound to
splash a considerable amount and this will again fail to bring the level to the
desired condition. You need to add an additional amount of water (or exposure
or light) again.
Obviously, over a certain range of transfer times one can quite accurately
transfer the contents of one bucket to the other with no major problem. I guess
it would depend somewhat on the size of the leak and the design of the bucket.
There must be an analogy to film I suppose.
Getting back to the bucket analogy I suppose that to visualize this effect you
would have a series of different volume buckets to fill in the same time and
finally you would be looking at the percent-full value in each bucket to
determine overall contrast.
Anyway, this is only partially worked out and comments, additions, criticisms,
etc. would be appreciated.
Andy
............................................................................
..
| a question for all you photo pros out there... could anyone please
| explain to me what reciprocity failure is exactly, and how it affects
| exposure times? i've just started working with pinhole cameras, and
| long night exposures, and am wondering how and when it would affect my
| pictures.
The following is paraprased from "Colours of the Stars" David Malin and
Paul Murdin, Cambridge University Press, 1984 ISBN 0 521 25714 X. A
book I cannot recommend too highly.
The photographic effect on an emulsion does not just depend upon the
number of photons received, but also upon their rate of arrival. This
effect is however not usually seen until exposures get quite long.
The effective drop in film speed can be very large, ten times for exposures
of the order of a minute, twice for exposures around a second.
The above description covers the failure of the reciprocity law for
long exposures, there is a similar failure, with a different mechanism,
for very fast exposures. Again, the effective film speed drops.
Francis Vaughan
================================================================================
Note 16.05 -< Toners - home made stuff -
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
TONERS
-water.........100 cm3
-Potassium ferricianide.......2 g.
stop the bath when the image is a little overtoned, then wash in a pretty
acid water (with HCl), then fresh water. Go to a traditional fixer for
5 minutes and give a final wash with water.
================================================================================
Note 16.06 -< Thermography = Infrared Photography of Hot Objects -
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
INFRARED PHOTOGRAPHY OF HEAT LOSS better known as THERMOGRAPHY
>Re: John's inquiry about film available which could be used to photograph a
>building, and the resulting image could possibly indicate areas of heat loss.
John, unfortunately this can not be done with film. While heat-loss is certainly
an infrared effect the temperatures are much cooler than those to which
photographic materials can be sensitized. The most sensitive IR films only
respond to temperatures just below visual red hot. Something like an iron set
to its highest setting.
An indicator of the trouble one would have if, in fact, you could sensitize
film to ambient temperatures is the fact that your own body is hotter than most
buildings. This means that you would be exposing the film by the mere action of
handling the casette while loading the camera.
If you have a thremocouple that responds quickly you then move the image of a
scene over the thermocouple using rotating mirrors. You "scan" the image in
fact by having one mirror move the image from side to side and the other move
the image downwards. They are synchronized so that the sideways mirror spins
maybe 50 times faster than the downwards mirror. This gives you 50 vertical
lines of resolution for each picture. Horizontal resolution will depend on how
fast the thermocouple can respond to temperature changes.
The scanning action of the mirrors is also synchronized to the electron gun
deflectors and the electron beam scans the CRT screen from side to side and
downwards at the same timeas the mirrors move the image past the temperature
sensing thermocouple. A thermal picture is thus displayed on the screen. These
days this can be done at 30 pps and pseudo color can be added by electronic
manipulation of the grey levels. In fact, colors can be assigned to grey levels
such that small ranges in temperature are keyed a particular color on the
screen making quantitative analysis of a scene quite easy.
Unfortunately the least expensive camera that can do this costs about $ 20,000.
One US manufacturer is Inframetrics. Hughes and Eastman Kodak are others.
Barnes Engineering in England and AG "something" in Sweden (I think) are others.
It is interesting to note that the lenses in these cameras are opaque to the
light that we see. They look like polished black glass. Some of the newer
cameras do not require liquid nitrogen and produce their own reference
temperature somehow. There may be some cameras around that do not use rotating
mirrors but rotating mirrors were the basis on which the industry developed.
Well, I hope this is a start anyway. I may have oversimplified some things but
believe this roughly describes the process of imaging by thermal infrared.
Andy
================================================================================
Note 16.07 -< Reverse Text Slides on Vericolor Slide Film -
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: RSPEIRS@130.187.198.34 (RON SPEIRS)
Subject: Re: White on Blue from Black on White
Organization: Evans & Sutherland Computer Corp.
I need to make some white on blue slides from black on white originals.
How do I go about doing this using Kodak 5072 film?
The following is taken from Kodak Publication E-24,
"KODAK VERICOLOR Slide and Print Films":
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
You can use KODAK VERICOLOR Slide Film to produce reverse-text slides with
white or near white letters on a dark or colored background. To make a
reverse-text slide, photograph dark letters on a white background with color
compensating filters over the lens. For backgrounds of various colors, use
the filters and exposures given in the tables below.
Use a 3200 K light source. To determine the shutter speed and lens aperture
for exposure, use an incident light meter set at the exposure index indicated
below. When you add the filters in front of the camera lens, increase the
exposure as shown in the tables. Make an exposure series of at least +-1
stop in 1/2 stop increments. Keep the exposure time between 1 and 8 seconds.
Note: Reverse-text slides exposed with KODAK WRATTEN Gelatin filters usually
have more saturated colors than slides made with KODAK Color Compensating
Filters.
Use an exposure index of 2 with a filter pack of CP60R + CP50Y over the light
source. Place the color compensating filters over the lens.
Magenta 75G 1
Blue 50R + 50Y 1.5
Cyan 70R + 05Y 0
Dark Green 50M 1
Yellow-Orange 90B + 40C 2
Dark red Remove the CP filter 0
pack from the light
source. Add 90C +
20G in front of the lens.
Use an exposure index of 8 with no filters over the light source. Place the
KODAK WRATTEN Gelatin Filter over the lens.
Red-brown None 0
Purple 12 (deep yellow) 2
Dark blue 12 + 106 (amber) 2
Cyan 29 (deep red tricolor) 4
Dark green 34A (violet) 4
Red 38A (blue) 4
Orange 44 (light blue-green) 4
Dark yellow 47 (blue tricolor) 4
Magenta 61(deep green tricolor) 5
*You can increase exposure by extending the exposure time, as long as it does
not exceed 8 seconds.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
When I use this film in this manner, I use the settings for Compensating
filters from the first table, and dial them into my color head which I
use as the light source. Ron
..............................................................................
Vericolor Slide film is a negative working color material without the orange
mask. Since it is negative it will reproduce any color as its complement.
Therefore to produce white letters in your finished slides you make your
original art have black ones. To make the background blue you could either
prepare your original art on yellow stock or on white stock but then expose
Another approach is to use regular reversal film and after having made lith
copies (negatives) of your lettering (which is now clear white letters on a jet
black background) you copy them with the reversal film. You then make a second
exposure to a "white" or clear slide through a blue filter to add the
background color that you want..
Another option is to "flash" the whole roll to blue light after having
exposed all the line copy. This will result in no frame lines showing in your
finished film however.
andy, andpph@rit.edu
================================================================================
Note 16.08 -< Flange to Film Distances for Photo Hackers -
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FLANGE TO FILM DISTANCES and ADAPTERS
It helps to know what the flange to film distances are in order to make the
adapter the right thickness. I saved a list of lens flange to film distances
for various camera bodies (pre AF) and have listed some below in case you might
find this info useful.
* also Alpa 2000 Si, Argus, Chinon, Contax D and S, Cosina, Edixa, Fujica, GAF,
Ikarex TM, Mamiya?sekor, Petri, Pentacon, Ricoh, Spiraflex, Vivitar, and
Yashica SLRs with M42 Universal mount. (Maybe these should be 45.46 mm?)
Leicaflex 47.0 mm
Jenaflex 44.4 mm
Canon EOS/EF 44.0 mm
Now here is another listing from Hiroshi "Gitchang" Okuno in Japan whose page
OLYMPUS-Pen F 28.95mm
Alpa 37.80mm
Konica AR 40.70mm
MIRANDA 41.50mm
Canon R/FL/FD 42.00mm
Minolta MD 43.50mm
PETRI 43.50mm
Canon EF 44.00mm
MINOLTA &A 44.50mm
Rolleiflex SL35 (Q.B.M) 44.60mm Q = Quick
EXAKTA 44.70mm
PENTAX K 45.46mm
M42 45.46mm
CONTAX (YASHICA/KYOCERA) 45.50mm
Nikon F 46.50mm
Contarex 46.00mm
OLYMPUS OM 46.00mm
LEICA R 47.00mm
Mamiya 645 63.30mm
PENTAX 645 70.87mm
EXACTA 66 (Pentacon-6) 74.10mm
Hasselblad 74.90mm
Pentax 67 84.95mm 74.10mm
Mamiya RZ67 105.00mm
Rolleiflex SL66 102.80mm
Mamiya RB67 112.00mm
Happy hacking and glueing and shooting! I made adapters to fit Canon to Leica
(although Canon makes one of these) and Nikon to Canon and Minolta to Canon
and they're great. I've also adapted Fuji and Miranda lenses to Canon.
andy
================================================================================
Note 16.09 -< EV or Exposure Values Explained -
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
EV or EXPOSURE VALUES
Can you tell me, what the EV means and how to calculate it? Thanks
This was more common in the 1950's (40's? 60's too?) when cameras
were equipped with an EV scale that coupled the shutter speed lever
with the aperture. You may still find the feature on equipment oriented
================================================================================
Note 16.10 -< How to process with Rodinal -
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
RODINAL
>Hi phorum pholks! Do any of you use Rodinol? I have just bought by
>first jar of it and used it once at 1:50 to develop some T-Max 120. I
>am now shooting Agfa 50asa 120.
I use Rodinal on a regular basis but have found that my negatives tend to be of
lower contrast than I like them when I have followed Agfa's recommendations.
These are some times that were developed and used in the Industrial Photography
area many years ago. Your own individual conditions may dictate modifications to
these suggested times and dilutions and effective speeds. Development is at 68
degrees with agitation every minute.
Light Subject
TRI-X Intensity Contrast ISO Dilution Time
PLUS-X
Panatomic-X (no longer available)(so this should tell you a bit about the time
that these tables were compiled!)
ISO 32
Dilution: 1:100
High Contrast: 18 min
Normal Contrast: 16 min
Low Contrast: 14 min
7 ml Rodinal
495 ml water
1.3 grams hydroquinone (one level capful from plastic 35mm
film can.)
Hydroquinone, the zippy ingredient in common M-Q developers, will
boost your contrast. It's pretty cheap and can be had in one pound
quantities. Ask your friendly photo store to get it for you---they
probably don't stock it.
Do one roll in a two reel tank. For two rolls, double quantities and
use a four reel tank. Agitate 1st minute then 10 sec/min.
This time is for Texas tap water and my cold light enlarger with
"normal" contrast paper. May or may not be appropriate for someone
else but the hydroquinone principle will still be valid.
Joe Walsh
Department of Photography
Amarillo (TX) College
<JWWALSH@PCAD-ML.ACTX.EDU>
================================================================================
I enjoy developping and enlarging my films myself, and so decided to look for
the developping times in different developpers. Here my results: All at 20C.
Shaking every minute for 10 Sec.
For Pushing Neopan 1600 resp. TMZ see the Information for the fims which you
get buying them. Two Films which give very good results in Perceptol(conz.) are
================================================================================
Note 16.12 -< Making Polycontrast Filters with CC filtration -
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
CC EQUIVALENTS OF POLYCONTRAST FILTERS
There are settings for single filters but the advantage of the above is that
the exposure time stays constant i.e exposure for 0-3.5 is rhe same
4-5 is double.
So you should make your initial testsat,say grade 3 and set the filters
accordingly. Then if you need to come down you can use the same exposure time
if you need to go up just double it
Durst Values
------------
G1 66Y 15M
G2 39Y 33M
G3 20Y 60M
G4 10Y 100M
G5 0Y 178M
* William O`Brien
* E-MAIL OBRIEN@UK.AC.UCCA
================================================================================
Note 16.13 -< How to use Direct Positive Film -
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
DIRECT POSITIVE FILM
The Kodak Catalog Number for the Direct Positive Developing Outfit
for Tech Pan and T-Max films is Cat No 812 1188
>If you have a favorite recipe and instructions on how to process T-Max films to
>achieve superior B&W transparencies I would very much appreciate it if you
>could share this with me and the network assuming that this subject has not
>been worked to death in the last few months that I've been away from here.
There are several B&W films which can be processed to yield positives
Besides the now discontinued Panatomic-X, two other thin-film emulsion films
should work as well: Ilford Pan F and Agfapan 25.
Kodak Technical Pan and T-Max 100 will also work with the appropriate
developer. Following are recipes for 4 developers and other solutions.
The first two, Kodak D-67 and Z-7 were for use with the old Panatomic-X
film, and should be used for the Ilford Pan F and Agfapan. The next two are
formulated to provide good results with Tech Pan and T-Max respectively.
FIRST DEVELOPER
Kodak D67 Z-7 Tech Pan T-Max
BLEACH
CLEAR BATH
Sodium Sulfite 90 g 34 g 90 g 50 g
Water to make 1 L 1 L 1 L 1 L
SECOND DEVELOPER
FD-70a Same as D-19 Dektol 1:2
First Dev
without
Thiocyanate
Processing Schedule
___________________________________________________________________
Agitation in the solutions should be 5 seconds of every 30 seconds.
After the bleach step, re-exposure to light renders the remaining silver
developable. The use of stainless steel or clear plastic processing reels
makes it possible to re-expose the film while on the reel. Optimum re-exposure
is about 800 foot-candle seconds, but the amount of re-exposure is not
critical. Both sides of the reel should be exposed for 30-60 seconds to a 60
or 75 watt bulb at 12 to 18 inches. The reel should be rotated constantly
during re-exposure. A 30 to 40 second exposure to a 40 watt fluorescent tube
at 2 to 4 inches can also be used. No variation in density will be apparent
until these exposure values are changed to about 1/10 or 10 times the
given amounts.
As can be seen from the formulas, the steps following the first developer
are not too critical; although the clear bath should not exceed 2 minutes.
Also, room light is OK after the bleach step. Typically you would expose
Ilford Pan F or Agfapan 25 at about twice their ISO speeds. My source for
T-Max 100 indicates that it can be used at its negative rated speed of ISO 100.
The Tech Pan should be rated at ISO 40. My sources also indicate that
D-67 can be made by adding 3 mL of Sodium Thiocyanate 51% to D-19 developer.
If anyone decides to try these formulas, be sure to shoot a test roll first
and bracket to find optimum exposure. Since you will get a positive, follow
the exposure rules as for color slide film: More exposure = lighter, less
dense image; less exposure = darker, denser image.
There are several filters to choose from. 87 is but one of a series. Others are
88A, 87C, 89B, and 70 are others. They differ in the cut-off wavelength. The
Kodak High Speed Infrared film is itself only sensitive to about 900 nm. ISO
ratings are not necessarily useful becasue the subject one may be photographing
may have a different ratio of IR to visible reflectance than a "normal"
subject.
>This filter allows only infrared light thru. However, you cannot see through
>this filter, so you must check all your readings, etc, then place the filter
>over the lens and snap the picture.
>A flash is probably not going to do you much good in this case, time exposures
>would probably do better.
>Be sure you have the owners manual for the camera lens as well, since the
>focusing for infrared film is different. This is usually explained in the
>owners manual.
yep
>P.S. Konica has a very nice infrared film that I've had quite good luck
>with.
While it is infrared it's sensitivity extends only out to 750 nm or so. I would
like to suggest that at the inexpensive end simple IR image converters such as
used for some surveilance work and for darkroom inspection in photo labs or
more sophisticated IR imaging video cameras at the more expensive end may also
be suitable for archeological applications.
andy
================================================================================
Note 17.02 -< Stereo Photography Discussion >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
STEREO MATERIAL
------------------------------
Larry Glazer
------------------------------
Hi All!
>
> > I also suspect the average laser printer can't print small enough dots
>
> I can think of two possible solutions:
> Print at whatever resolution the printer will allow and then reduce
> it in a photocopier.
This might help, but you will start getting problems with the photocopier
toner grain size (often pretty corse). The new HPO laserjet 4 claims
600 dpi + dot size control + superfine toner which should make a pretty
clear print but I haven't seen one yet.
>
> Try using it directly on a screen. (Assuming the screen has the
> right resolution, can always output to a smaller screen if not)
If the above physical constraints work with the lenticular screens, the
programming to interleave n images is pretty trival if all the images
are the same resolution (and the same file format :-)
Lets have suggestions for resolutions and file formats required and
I'll see what I can do. (subject to work and holiday celebrations of
course :-) (happy turkeyday to all those americans out there!)
Yours...
-- ___
( > /) (voice) +61 9 362 6680
__/_/> ____ ____ o // _ __ (home) cjcross@DIALix.oz.au
/ / (__/ / <_/ / <_<_//__</_/ (_ @ Beautiful Perth, Western Australia
<_/ /> (work) jcross@ecel.uwa.oz.au
================================================================================
Note 17.03 -< Compensation for Enlarger Magnification in "C" >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ENLARGER EXPOSURE CALCULATION, CLARIFICATION AND "C" CODE
If I still haven't made this clear enough, maybe we need to talk. Anyway
I am happy to help out in any way I can.
Sincerely,
Chuck Luciano
chuck@csn.org
Part 1:
I try to buy as much film of the same emulsion number as I can afford. With
VPS I buy bulk and roll my own.
I tend to buy paper in largish quantitys. I recently got a deal on 600 feet
of 11 inch paper in rolls (6). Again all the same emulsion number.
Now I could go into a lot of detail about the methods above, but, I was
asked to clarify how I calculate exposure on my enlarger.
So now I've shot a roll of film and I put it in my contact printer. I put the
head a height that covers all of the negatives and focus (important!). I set
the aperature to f9.5 (this seems to be average for the times I use), and make
a contact sheet. Based on all I did to get the exposure right, I get most of
my shots within 1/2 stop. If there are some shots that are too light or dark
I may make another contact sheet or two a stop under or over. Maybe even
2 stops under or over if I really blew shots I care about.
Now as I'm chosing shots I want to print. I can look at the contact sheet
knowing the aperature that was used for the sheet. Of course I'll judge the
shot on the contact sheet that was closest. I may decide to make a small
compensation from the aperature used to make the sheet.
And here is the rub! Once I arrive on an exposure in the form of an aperature.
I can set the enlarger head to the magnification I want, read the exposure time
off the column for that magnification and BINGO! I get a print that matches
the exposure in the contact sheet. No screwing around. _DONE_ !
There are a couple of boundary conditions that I can also handle using this
method.
I don't like to use my enlarger lens either all the way open or all the
way closed. All the way open can bring out distortions in the lens. All the
way closed can bring out diffraction characteristics in the lens. My lens goes
from f4 to f22. I try to use it between f5.6 and f16.
The solution is simple. I consider the exposure time that I read from the
column to be a starting place. In my note taking I refer to this time as "C".
If I have a print that prints well using "C" and f9.5 at magnification 10
where C is 9.53 seconds, that I'd like to print at 27X, where C is 69.32
seconds, I'll cut the time in half and open the lens up a stop, thus avoiding
the need to compensate for reciprocity. When I record the exposure used I
simply record C/2 at f6.7.
Part 2:
I obtained formulas that take the negative to subject distance and convert
it to a magnification. I then put a negative in the enlarger and measured
the neg to paper distance and the magnification. By using the formula I found
that my 50mm (nominal) enlarger lens is actually 53.something millimeters.
Once I had the exact focal length, I wrote a computer program to print
magnifications, neg to paper distance, and a time value. The time value at the
height where I made the test print matched the time I actually used at that
height. The program printed out the data in 1/6 inch increments. I printed it
out on a printer that prints 6 lines per inch. I now have a direct reading
scale attached to the column of the enlarger.
Now when I print a negative I always set the time to the scale on the column.
Sometimes (like when doing B&W) I can't get the lens opening to match the time,
no problem! When this happens I simply use the time on the column *2, or *4, or
/2, or /4 or whatever. When I make notes on the exposures used to print a
picture I record the time as "c" or "C * 2" or whatever. "C" is the "Column"
time.
Now why do I bring this up now? Because of the f-stops discussion. When I
record f-stops I do so in 1/4 stop increments. Here are the numbers I use:
Note that all of these numbers do not conform to the same decimal accuracy,
they are simply accurate enough to distinguish them from one another.
chuck@csn.org
Part 3:
/*
Print a time scale for enlarger column. Note that this program works
for enlargers with a head that moves vertically. If your column is
angled, a change is needed.
The mag function takes three arguments. The first is a focal length
the second is a constant multiplier.
The reason for the 5.23cm focal length is that the 50mm stamped on the
lens is a nominal dimension. The reason for the constant multiplier is
that the formula used actually ignores the distance between the front
and read nodal points of the lens.
#include <math.h>
#include <stdio.h>
float mag(f,o,d)
mm = (d - d1m)/d1m/o;
/* printf("%f,%f\n",f,d,d1m,mm); */
return mm;
}
/*
float hts[] = {
24.5,40.8,60.6,80.1,105.2,110.0,135.2,160.3,187.8,0.0
};
float meas[] = {
7.90,19.9,33.4,46.7,64.0,67.1,84.4,101.4,119.4
};
*/
main()
{
int i;
float f = 5.23; /* Focal length in cm */
float o = 0.99; /* Magnfication multiplier */
float ref_ht = 69.1; /* Reference height */
float ref_time = 12.0; /* Reference time */
From: chuck@DRUHI.ATT.COM
>When building a pinhole camera, what is the optimum size for the pinhole?
>I thought I read once that it was about 1/200th of the focal length.
There was an article in the "Pinhole Journal" by a fellow named Connors who did
picture quality tests with various pinhole diameters. Connors found that the
best resolution resulted when the diameter of the pinhole in inches was =
SQRT(.000054 * "focal length" in inches). As I recall, he did his tests with
the subject at fairly ordinary distances. As an example, for a "focal length"
of 6", you have a diameter of SQRT(.000054*6) = .018 inches. If you like your
formulae with bigger constants, you could also say diameter in inches =
.007*SQRT("focal length" in inches).
The bigger the film format, the better the angular image resolution.
Here's a table for the 3 focal lengths I use on my 4x5 with B&W Polaroid film:
I like the 6 inch focal length best - I leave it on an old shutter on a lens
board. Many others like the shorter focal lengths. As the astronomer said, an
old felt hat is often the best shutter. Don't worry too much about the focal
length; just get the pinhole _approximately_ the correct focal distance from
the film. +/- 25% would't be noticeable, I'm sure.
There are many methods of making pinholes; here's mine: I sandwich a piece of
.001 inch thick brass shim stock between two 1/16 inch thick pieces of sheet
aluminum and drill through with the drill size from the above table using a
high speed drill motor body such as a Dremel tool or a Moto tool or a Sears'
Lil' Crafty or whatever. The aluminum backing pieces (the "bread" of the
sandwich) keep the burrs to a minimum. After the brass is drilled, I take off
the remaining burrs with 600 grit abrasive paper. Then I ink in the inside
diameter of the hole with a black "Magic Marker" type of thing - whatever's
black and sticks to brass and isn't clumpy so as to leave junk in the hole.
Just be sure to inspect your pinhole with a magnifier when it's done to make
sure you have a good round hole - irregularities decrease image sharpness
considerably. Irregularities can be dirt particles inside the hole so I keep
my pinholes in dust-free environs. You blacken the interior of the pinhole to
cut out reflections off the short cylinder which is the hole's inside diameter.
f/no is always just focal length divided by pinhole diameter, the equivalent of
a lens' diameter of aperture. So the f/no of the 6" focal length pinhole is
I really shouldn't be calling this length the "focal length" of the pinhole as
focal length is a property of a lens, not a pinhole. Pinholes are afocal,
that's their charm, but they do have a distance from the film or image plane at
which they give their best resolution. Maybe I should call this "optimum
length" instead of "focal length".
============================================================================
================================================================================
Note 17.05 -< Processing Infrared Film - How To >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
INFRARED FILM PROCESSING
The information for processing IR film is taken from the Kodak Data Sheet for
its HS Infrared film: This assumes you use a small tank and 135 roll film:
Developer 65F 68F 70F 72F 75F 68F is the recommended temperature
--------------------------------
Film Speeds - these numbers are guides only - use them as starting points:
Film Speed in ASA rating - assumes development in D-76
================================================================================
Note 17.06 -< How to use Tech Pan in Medium Format >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
TECH PAN
-Anthony
================================================================================
Note 17.07 -< How to determine intermediate f stops >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
INTERMEDIATE F STOPS
For example, if you want to stop down 1/2 stop from f/8, take the sqrt(2)
which equals 1.414 and raise it to the power .5 which is decimal equivalent
of 1/2 stop.
next
(8)(1.19) = 9.51
From: TAB62@ISUVAX.IASTATE.EDU
================================================================================
Note 17.08 -< Making a home-made light slave trigger for flashes >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SIMPLE LIGHT SLAVE SCHEMATIC
> I'm looking for a simple schematic for a slave flash control. I can't see
> spending $20 for a Vivitar when I'm just going to use the insides anyway.
I made something like this and it works ok. If there is a commercially made
device that only costs $5 I would suggest thay you buy an already assembled
and tested synchronizer. :-)
Most small silicon solar cells should work. Most small audio transformers with
a resistance of about 8 and 400 ohms should work. The SCR could be something
equivalent but it should be able to handle 200 or preferably 400 volts between
its A and C leads. Since a SCR is used the flash needs to connected to it the
right way, meaning the SCR's output is polarized and it needs to match the input
to the flash. If the flash does not fire with the connections wired one way try
reversing them.
================================================================================
Note 17.09 -< FTP file for material in Rec.Photo >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
to use this facility you need to learn how to FTP - file transfer
protocol. With this capability you can transfer files from a
host repository. The one above contains photo information files
as well as picture files.
================================================================================
Note 18.02 -< How to Dispose of Darkroom Chemicals Safely >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
DISPOSING OF DARKROOM CHEMICALS SAFELY
****************************************************************************
Disposing Of Common Darkroom Chemicals
All film and paper developers Mix developer with acid stop bath, acid
fixing agent, or vinegar until relatively
neutral pH is reached and gradually pour in
drain with wash water. Use pH indicating
paper to determine level of acidity.*
Acid fixer (with or without Mix with developer or borax until relatively
hardener), bleaches, and neutral pH is reached and gradually pour in
bleach fixes. (Some fixers drain with wash water; or arrange with a
are alkaline and essentially commercial lab to accept exhausted fixer;
Sulfamic acid tray cleaners Mix with developer or borax until relatively
neutral pH is reached and gradually pour
into drain with wash water.
================================================================================
Note 18.03 -< Depth of Field in C >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The following two files (one called DOF.H, the other called DOF.C) will
calculate the depth of field with various f-stops, focal lengths, and
distances to subjects. Built in help. Here's how it works:
4 $ dof == "$user:[abc1324.subdir]dof.exe"
(this is the path to your DOF.EXE file, must be
defined in this fashion, note the $ in the quotes)
5 DOF
(help is given)
-Eric
------------------------------------------------------------
#ifndef __DOF__
#define __DOF__ 1
double doffront (
x = C * f * s * (s - l);
y = (l * l) + C * f * (s - l);
return (x / y);
}
double dofrear (
double f,
double s,
double l)
{
double x, y;
x = C * f * s * (s - l);
y = (l * l) - C * f * (s - l);
if (y <= 0)
return (0);
else
return (x / y);
}
#endif
------------------------------------------------------------
#include <stdio.h>
#include <stdlib.h>
#include "dof.h"
if (argc < 4)
{
printf ("Usage:\n");
printf ("\t%s f d l[...]\n", argv[0]);
printf ("\nWhere\n\tf = f-number (ie, 2.8, 4, 8, etc)\n");
printf ("\td = distance to subject in meters\n");
printf ("\tl = focal length of lens in millimeters (ie 28, 50, 200)\n");
printf ("\tOptionally, a series of lengths may be given\n");
return (1);
}
================================================================================
Note 18.04 -< Basic Stereo and Parallax Concepts >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PARALLAX PRINCIPLES IN STEREO PHOTOGRAPHY
John Berkowitz
L x
R A B
This is a plan or top view; we are looking down on the top of the
viewer's head and at the upper ends of the rods. It may help if you
draw lines between each pair of real points and also a line between
x and L as well as x and B.
>From the point of view of R, objects A and B have a common left edge.
>From the point of view of L they do not if L can detect angle ALB.
The detection of angle ALB is the crux of the matter, the heart of
the stereo effect.
This is probably a good place to mention that there isn't only one
kind of acuity associated with the human visual system. Normally when
we speak of acuity we are speaking of the ability to, say, separate
closely-spaced fine black lines on a white background. In this sense
of acuity, the best eyes can resolve about half a minute of arc and not-
so-good eyes, two minutes of arc. Usually one assumes the figure is one
minute of arc. In stereo or vernier acuity (vernier acuity is the
acuity associated with lining up split lines such as on a vernier scale)
the figure is much smaller. Stereo or vernier acuity is assumed to
be around six seconds of arc though there is at least one recorded
instance of a person having three-second stereo acuity.
You can see from the diagram that if the distance RA becomes greater,
the distance AB must become much greater for the angle ALB to remain
detectable. Assuming angle ALB is 6 seconds of arc, what is the
relationship of AB to RA?
IF RAL and RBL are small angles measured in radians, we can say,
approximately:
solving:
Since AB<<<RA, we can ignore the AB in the term (RA+AB) and solve getting:
2.9E-5 = [(LR)(AB)]/(RA)^2
AB = 2.9E-5 [(RA)^2]/LR
QED
------------------------------
and to follow up on John's posting Stephen Spicer writes:
------------------------------
From: s.spicer@trl.oz.au (Stephen Spicer)
[Stuff deleted]
>Therefore:
>
>AB = 2.9E-5 [(RA)^2]/LR
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
If the approximation above regarding RAL and RBL is not made then:
LR
AB = -------------------- - RA (Where LR = 0.065m normally)
LR/RA - tan(2.9E-5)
In this relationship, AB goes to infinity when the bottom line goes to zero.
LR/RA - tan(2.9E-5) = 0
RA = LR / tan(2.9E-5)
RA = 2236 meters
----------------
The only reason for working this through without the assumptions was that
John Bercovitz's posting got me thinking about all this.
Now I'll just put that final equation for AB into my spreadsheet and plot
me a handing graph to show the neighbours.....
Steve Spicer
Melbourne, Australia
(I hope my algebra is OK, I just don't have time to double check this
before posting!)
================================================================================
Note 18.05 -< More Advanced Stereo Concepts and Stereo FTP site >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
MORE ON STEREO PARALLAX
also, at end, instructions on FTP info on stereo stuff
by John Berkowitz
R A B
The first thing binoculars do is to magnify the angle ALB. This makes
the eyes sensitive to a smaller angle. So the new angle which can be
detected is ALB/M where M is the magnification of the binoculars.
The second thing binoculars do is to increase the distance LR. For small
angles, doubling LR doubles ALB.
So let's say that LR is doubled and M = 7. How far away can you now
see what separation? I suppose we need a new variable, S, which will
be the separation of the binoculars' objectives divided by the separation
of the eyes (65 mm). In the present case, then, S = 2. Taking these
effects into account, our modified formula becomes:
AB = 2.9E-5 [(RA)^2]/(LR*M*S)
The next questions are "What is the effect of the increased separation
of the points of view when using binoculars?" and "What is the effect of
increased angular magnification when using binoculars?".
If you care to look at the sketches, you get to the photo-3d ftp
directory as follows:
% ftp csg.lbl.gov
account <default>: anonymous
.., send ident as password... <put username here, won't echo>
<at this point you are logged in>
cd pub/listserv/photo-3d
<to get to our directory>
dir
<this shows list of what's there>
binary
<need this to transfer binary file>
get <filename> will transfer file to your home directory..
quit
================================================================================
Note 18.06 -< Photometry and Light Meters Primer >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
B = (k*E)(1/pi)
Bfl = k*E
Ev = Av + Tv = Sv + Bv
and therefore:
Bfl = 2^Bv
Ev (Sv = 0) = Bv
From the preceeding two equations you can see that if you set the
meter dial to an ASA speed of approximately 3.1 (same as Sv = 0), when
you read a scene luminance level the Ev reading will be Bv from which you
can calculate Bfl. If you don't have an ASA setting of 3.1 on your dial, just
use ASA 100 and subtract 5 from the Ev reading to get Bv.
(Sv@ASA100=5)
Image Illumination
If you know the object luminance (photometric brightness), the
f-number of the lens, and the image magnification, you can calculate the
image illumination. The image magnification is the quotient of any linear
dimension in the image divided by the corresponding linear dimension on
the object. It is, in the usual photographic case, a number less than one.
The f-number is the f-number for the lens when focussed at infinity - this
is what's written on the lens. The formula that relates these quantities is
given below:
References:
G.E. Miniature Lamp Catalog
Gilway Technical Lamp Catalog
Acknowledgements
================================================================================
Note 18.07 -< More on Polaroid Transfer Process >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Questions and Answers: Polaroid Transfer Process
It's the color dye that makes the transfer work. B&W doesn't transfer.
Use the "9" films such as 59, 669, ... for making transfers.
For 3x4, it's type 668/669 or the new Polacolor 100. Polacolor 100
has more vivid colors than the other two. For 4x5, it's type 58/59
sheet film, or 558/559 4x5 pack film.
The 64T also works, but it's a Tungsten film. For 8x10, the film to
use is type 809. It costs about $10 a sheet.
Some say the longer you wait before peeling the film apart,
the more likely the emulsion will lift off. Of course, lift off
could also be a desired effect.
If the film develops longer than 10 seconds, colors in the transfer will
be less saturated. Not necessarily bad. Some have gotten good images
after a deliberate wait of 30 sec.
When making the transfer, press the film snugly against the transfer
sheet. You will find that repeated pressing with the palm
of you hand can work fine. Transfer for about 1 1/2 minutes before
peeling the film sheet away.
*******************
********************
Give a couple of rolls with a rubber roller (the type used for
printing wood cuts) and then burnish with a wad of dry paper towel
(you could use and soft ball of stuff).
Peel apart very gently and slowly, and PRESTO! a transfer print.
********************
One trick I picked up from the Polaroid reps is to roll the roller 2-3
times, then turn the whole assembly over and rub the back of the paper
with your hands in a circular motion. The heat from your hands
supposedly helps the transferring process.
********************
Experiment !
Tips ?
**********************************
================================================================================
Note 18.08 -< Tailflash Synchronizer Circuits >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tailflash synchronizers permit firing an electronic flash at the
end rather than at the beginning of an exposure as is usually the
case. Their purpose is to make a sharp picture due to electronic
flash exposure next to a blurred one caused by a relatively long
tungsten exposure. Tailflash synchronizers make the blur appear
in the correct position with respect to the sharp image.
-9 volt ----------------------------------------------------.
.__________. |
.--------------------------. .____| 180 ohms |__*_____> to shutter
| 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 | | |__________|
| | *------------------------> to flash
| IC 4049 | | .-------------.
| | '----| Cathode |
| 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 | .----|-------------|-----> to flash
'--|--|--|--|--|--|--|--|--' '----| Anode |
| | | | | | | | | C106D SCR |
| | *--|--*--|--*--|-------------| Gate |
| | | | | |_____________|
| | | | |____________________________*____> to shutter
| | | | .__________. |
+9 volt ___*__*_____*_____*___________________| 10 Kohms |___|
|__________|
Note: On IC 4049 pins 9-16 are not connected to anything. Use a 16 pin IC
socket rather than soldering to IC leads directly.
Note: SCR output is polarized and if flash does not work one way try reversing
connections. SCR must be able to deal with 250 volts or so.
Other suitable SCR's are: CR3CM, 54003LS3 and BRY55 (nice, compact unit)
Note: * signifies connection
............. .............
+9 volt ----| 6.8 Kohm |----*----| 6.8 Kohm |-------------------> to shutter
|___________| | |___________|
| ..............
| | Anode|------------------> to flash
| | Cathode|--------------*---> to flash
._____________________| |C106D SCR | |
| | Gate|----. |
| ............. |____________| | |
*----| 1N4148 | |----. .________| |
| |_________|_| | ........ | |
| ............. | | | | ............. |
:____| 470 Kohm |____*__| .1uF |___*__| 6.8 Kohm |___*
|___________| | | |___________| |
|______| |
-9 volt ------------------------------------------------------*----> to shutter
Note: SCR output is polarized and if flash does not work one way try reversing
connections. SCR must be able to deal with 250 volts or so.
Other suitable SCR's are: CR3CM, 54003LS3 and BRY55 (nice, compact unit)
Note: * signifies connection
Note: Shutter speeds shorter than 1/15 second may not work.
Note: Connect to flash with female PC cord, to camera with male PC cord.
================================================================================
Note 18.09 -< Some aerial photography Tips >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
AERIAL PHOTOGRAPHY TIPS
Here are some tips from a photographer who posted them on rec.photo...
lee
--
Lee McFearin. #include <std/disclaim.h>
mcfearin@convex.com
================================================================================
Note 18.10 -< Where to get film for SUBMINIATURE cameras >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
If you happen to need film for tiny cameras (such as the Minolta 16) that
use 16mm or Minox 9mm film here are two suppliers that may be of interest
to you.
1) MicroTec Industries
P.O. Box 9424
San Diego,CA 92109
(619) 272-8820
They do processing of color and B&W Minolta 16 and minox films. Also they have
Minolta 16 bulk rolls (100ft) for $50. Their 18exp B&W is $5, color $6.
They also have lots of minox accesories, have then send you a catalog.
They do processing of Minolta films and sell them. B&W 100 ASA for $3.50
with discounts on larger quanties.
The nice thing aobut the film canisters is that you don't have to destroy them
to get the film out. They just pop open. Once you have several on hand you
could get a bulk roll and probably be set for life as far as film goes.
...............................................................................
<I am looking for a source for Minox subminature film.
We are the American distributor for Minox and you can call us at (201) 808-9010
X 15 and we can direct you to the closest dealer. Or you can call our Minox lab
at (516) 437-5750 and they can help you. Or you can simply order it from any
local camera store. virtually any store in your area has an account with us for
Minox or one of our other lines.
The result of this is that it appears that one thickness of E6 film is roughly
the equivalent of an 87 filter but with a broader spectral response and with
some 1% transmission valleys at 500 and 600 nm. Its transmission starts to drop
from 1% at 700 nm to about 95% at 800 nm. Two thicknesses of D max E6 are
basically visually opaque with transmission dropping rapidly starting at 720 nm
and dropping quite rapidly to 90% or so at 850 nm.
Maybe they might be closer to what a 88 is. Basically the 2 sheets of E6 simply
do not have as steep of a cutoff as the Wratten filters do nor as good a
maximum transmittance. But they are serviceable!!! especially for placing over
a flashgun where expensive Wratten filters tend to fry and buckle!
Picture-taking wise, the two thicknesses of E6 film did not seem to degrade
image sharpness significantly when used with 4x5 format. I have not tested 35mm.
They would obviously not matter much when used over a flash for inconspicuous
flash photography at parties, etc.! (camera lens with or without additional
filter over it).
If you would like a copy of the spectral transmission curves for the 1 and 2
sheets of E6 film, and that of an 87 filter, just send me some e-mail along
with your RIT postal address. If you do not hear from me in a few weeks (!)
jog my memory.
Andy
There are many ingenious ways of trying to recover a film leader that for some
reason needs to be accessed after it has already been wound into the casette.
This is the start of such a list compiled from various sources.
..............................................................................
I just read a new film leader extraction tip that doesn't require the
special tool, which you might want to try. Take a disposable 4 frame (or
so) negative strip. Turn your partly used roll inside it's container a few
times in the rewind direction. Each time the leader passes the entry slot
you should be able to feel or hear a click. From this click you should be
able to figure out where the leader is. Turn the film until the leader is
on the opposite side of the roll from the entry slot. Now insert one end
of your negative strip into the entry slot about halfway (or as far as it'll
go, whichever comes first). Rewind the film until the leader clicks again.
Now insert the other end of the negative strip as far as it'll go (but leave
something out to hold onto). Turn the film in the "wind" direction
(ie, opposite of rewind) a little bit. Now pull slowly and steadily in the
negative strip, and hopefully the trapped leader will come out with it.
I haven't tried this myself yet so take it FWIW, but it sounds like it
might work. I think I'll try this out myself tonight.
You might try this trick. Get some double stick tape or if you are in a
crunch use single stick tape and fold it over onto itself so that the
sticky side is facing out. Get a scrap lenght of film and place the tape
on the emulsion side of the scrap film. Turn the film cassette a few
turns so that it windes around the center spool tightly. Then insert the
scrap film with the double stick tape into the cassette. Turn the film
cassette the other direction so that the film in the cassette expands to
the outside surfaces of the cassette, this will put the leader into
contact with the double stick tape. Then pull the scrap film and leader
out. I have used this method and it works and it's cheap. The trick is
finding double or single stick tape when you need it. Something you can't
very well do in the middle of the woods. However if you make yourself one
of this things before hand it might come in handy when you need it.
================================================================================
Note 19.03 -< Some Basic Infrared Photography Information >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PRIMER ON INFRARED PHOTOGRAPHY
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Here is the long awaited summary of the responses I recieved about my post
on getting started with infrared photography. I received about 20-30
replies via mail and news which was about 60K before pruning and 30K after
pruning of headers and quoting. Most people seemed to have similar things
to say so I'm fairly confident about the accuracy of what is said here.
Firstly, thanks go out to most of the following people who I have grepped
from my IR mailbox. Think a couple of lucky people have snuck in because I
saved questions from them :) And if you are really confused, someone sent
me a digest of previous articles/replies on the subject of IR photography
so I may have got your name from there.
==========================================
Getting started with Infra-Red Photography
==========================================
First you need a camera. IR film is available in 35mm rolls and up. The
film is apparently fairly grainy so if you are using 35mm, enlargements
over about 10x8" won't be feasible.
Next you need a light sensitive bag. IR film is sensitive to the visible
light spectrum as well as the IR spectrum. The plastic canister that holds
the roll of film is IR proof, but the film canister itself is only 'mostly'
IR proof. Loading the film in a cool dark room is best. Loading the film
in a light proof/IR proof bag is also good, but if all else fails, a number
You need a filter for your camera. The film is sensitive to visible light
and IR, so to increase the effect of the IR light int the photo, you must
filter out the visible light a bit (or totally). The filters you require
are any of the following types. A Wratten #25A seemed to be the most
commonly mentioned. It is a very dark red colour and lets through some
visible light. A #29 filter (Far Red) was also mentioned. When using
either of these filters, the focus point moves about half way from the
normal focus to the IR focus on your camera (usually a red dot or line to
the side of the normal focusing position). The other type of filter is a
#87 filter or #87C filter gel. These filters are opaque which as you would
imagine makes focusing a little bit difficult. For all IR photography it
seems the best idea is to turn off your autofocus, set up the shot and then
place the filter on the camera for your shot.
You need some IR film. General consensus was only buy film from places
that keep it refridgerated. Keep it cool until you use it. Use it quickly
and keep it cool afterwards. Process it within 1-2 days of exposure.
Different films have different characteristics. The Konica and the Kodak
being the most commonly mentioned. IR film will fog if you get it hot, so
don't leave your camera in the car in the middle of summer unless you want
a whole bunch of photos that look like photos of pea soup fog.
This was a response to someone's comment that using the times suggested for
Kodak film, gave him a blank negative on the Konica film. The Konica film
is less likely to fog, less fussy when being loaded, but also less
sensitive to IR light.
Where to get the above items? People suggested that professional photo
shops were about the only place that will stock most of those items. If
you go to photo shops that specialise in architechural photography you
should be able to find all of those sort of items.
Set up the shot as per normal. Focus the shot using normal light
conditions. Put your filter on and adjust the focus to the appropriate
point. Half way to the red mark for the #25 filter or all the way to the
red mark for the #87 filter.
aaron@binah.cc.brandeis.edu
If you are using Kodak film, the red 25A filter, and TTL metering, shoot at
ASA 200 and bracket about +/- 1 stop.
aazrak@sales.stern.nyu.edu
I use ASA 200 or ASA 100
For the slide IR, the use of a dark yellow filter is essential. It cuts out the
blue tones (without it, all the slides get a really cold/bluish look. But it
has to be *dark* yellow... I use two filters (a Y2 (no brand) and a Cokin 001
(which is also a Y2 filter, ie strength 2)) now on the film I'm currently
shooting, and hope to get some interesting results from that.
But as a ground rule, bracket loads until you get the 'feel' of the film, use a
strength 4 yellow on the slide IR (I use Ektachrome from Kodak) shooting it as
a 100ASA film and dark red (Hoya have an excellent one there) for the b/w IR (I
think they recommend a 50ASA-ish exposure).
mas@mipl8.Jpl.Nasa.Gov
I find it best to set my meter for an ISO of 200 (even though Kodak suggests
ISO 50) and bracket +1, +2, -1, and -2 stops.
aaron@binah.cc.brandeis.edu
You also need to bracket your exposures. +/- 1 stop around the ISO 200
exposure (if you use TTL metering and a 25A filter) should suffice to start.
Your run of the mill 1 hour processing lab may not be able to do IR film in
a hurry. If you are using the colour IR film it is even harder. It was
suggested that a University lab where they use the film for research might
be a good place to try for that. For the B&W film you can process it
yourself using the following method, or a few phone calls to processing
labs should find you someone who can do it.
cdfk@hplb.hpl.hp.com
IR film is EXTREMELY sensitive - you have to be ultra-carfeul when
putting into the film tank - and its worth processing as soon as possible
to avoid unexpected fogging. Use IP11 for 11.5 mins. I've forgotten what
they said to rate the film at... damn it was improtant... sorry.
jimc@large.isc-br.com
It is processed in your favorite B&W soup, so far as I know (I've only
ever done one roll myself, and I followed the directions on the sheet
and processed it in class using D-76).
monson@ECE.ORST.EDU
IR Ektachrome is a false-color transparency film that uses the old
hogan@rcf.usc.edu
The handiest book I've found for photography is 3 inches by 6 inches
and will answer most of your questions. It even has addresses for
infrared processing. The title is: The Ultimate Photo Data Guide by
Richard Platt. I bought it at a Crown discount bookstore.
================================================================================
Note 19.04 -< Checklists for Wedding Photography >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
THREE WEDDING CHECKLISTS FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO MAY
SOMEDAY BE CALLED UPON TO PHOTOGRAPH ONE
Make sure you discuss with bride and groom any special situations,
guests, customs, etc. that they particularly want to be photographed. A
wedding is a unique event in their lives and you will be providing a
very important service. Presumably you will also be paid well for the
role you will play during that day. Make sure to dress and conduct
yourself in a professional, dignified and unobtrusive manner. Also, you
will find that you may have to take on the role of master of ceremonies
especially during the reception if you expect every scheduled event to
happen like clockwork and not all at the last minute and hurried. With
time everyone will become more disheveled and casual. If by then you
have not yet taken the "formal" shots you will be hurting! There are
many labs that will print your negatives for a reasonable price so that
your profit on a wedding can be substantial. Labs often advertise in
magazines such as The Rangefinder (a magazine mostly dedicated to
wedding photography) or the Professional Photographer, the official
journal of the Professional Photographers of America.
HOUSE:
Bride getting ready Bride with immediate family
Bride alone formals Bride's parents (together and alone)
Bride with attendants AV, bounce vignette of bride/attendants
Bride with parents Bride leaving house
CHURCH:
Groom pre-ceremony sequence Recessional coverage
Groom with ushers Receiving line (candids)
Groom with his parents Rice throwing
Processional coverage Car sequence (including signs on car)
Ceremony pix Picture of the church
Church double exposures
RECEPTION COVERAGE
THIS IS LIST NUMBER TWO (with spaces to add your own items?) ............
1 -____________________________________
-Bride at mirror with lipstick
-Bride at mirror - maid with headpiece
-Bride and mother at mirror
-Bride with invitation
-Bride coming down stairs
-Bride with attendants (informal)
-Bride with attendants arranged
-_____________________________________
10 -Bride with attendants and garter
-Bride with parents arranged
-Bride being kissed by parents
-Bride with family
-Bride with maid or mother with gifts
-Bride putting veil over face
-Leaving house - Group - arranged
-Bride and father leaving
-Getting in car - home in background
-_____________________________________
20 -Bride in car - demure expression
-Bride and Father in car smiling
-Cars arriving at the church
-Bride getting out of car
-Bride, attendants, father entering church
-Bride being given bouquet
-Pinning corsage on mother
-Pinning boutonniere on father
-Groom, Best man, and cleryman
-_____________________________________
-_____________________________________
30 -Best man adjusting Groom's boutonniere
-Processional lineup
-Procession
-_____________________________________
-Bride and Father arriving at the altar
-Father kissing Bride
40 -Groom kissing Bride
-Bride and Groom at altar
-_____________________________________
-Ceremony - side view
-Ceremony - Back of church (without flash)
-Church interior during ceremony
-Bride placing bouquet on altar
-Bride and groom receiving congrats
-Bride and Groom kissing at altar
-Bride and groom coming down aisle
50 -Groom kissing Bride at back of Church
-Bride and Groom congratulated by family
_I_N_F_O_R_M_A_T_I_O_N____S_H_E_E_T_
NAME : __________________________________________________________
STREET : ________________________________________________________
TELEPHONE : _____________________________________________________
(Date):__________________ (Coverage)___________________________
TIME OF DRESSING:_________________________________________________
CEREMONY AT:______________________________________________________
TIME OF CEREMONY:_________________________________________________
________________ : _______________________________________________
________________ : _______________________________________________
_N_A_M_E_S_
___________________ ________________________
___________________ ________________________
Formal portraits
- bride and groom together in a studio. It's also popular to shoot
romatic poses in casual clothing at a scenic, outdoor location.
Wedding party
- combination of bride/groom, brides maid, best men, flower
girl, ring bearer, etc.
Ceremony
- father walking daughter on isle
- shot of entire stage
- shot of entire stage with various filters (star, soft, etc)
- exchange rings
- new couple liting candle
- signing marriage license
- kiss
- bride + groom walking down the isle
Reception
- head table
- cake cutting, feeding
- throwing garter
- throwing bouquet
- first dance
Miscellaneous
- bride arriving
- bride/groom leaving
- over threshold
- bride in make up room
WARNINGS:
MAKE SURE TO MEET WITH THE MINISTER, PRIEST OR RABBI AND DISCUSS WHAT IS ALLOWED
Weddings can be shot on 35mm although standard is 2 1/4. Standard wedding film
is Kodak VPS. Best to stick with one film. A second camera body is a definite
asset. Triopods are useful for some of the available light shots made during
the ceremony if this is allowed. Catholic weddings tend to be the most liberal
in terms of allowing access to good vantage points for photography. Even so it
may be wise to redo certain shots after the wedding.
Some motor winders are very noisy and you may consider removing it during the
ceremony. A motor winder is a good source of AA batteries if your flash dies.
Slow (f:3.5) zoom lenses can be hard to focus in relatively dark reception
halls. f1.4 is easier to focus. You may consider using fixed focal length
lenses for this reason. Autofocus camera may also be useful to ensure sharp
photographs if used carefully.
================================================================================
Note 19.05 -< Standardized Mounting of Stereo Slides >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Proper Mounting of Stereo Slides
The ANSI Standard PH3.11-1953 "Dimensions for Stereo Still Pictures on 35mm
Film 5 Perforation Format" gives the following dimensions (in inches):
(My copy of the standard is hard to read on these last two figures - anyone
want to volunteer to confirm these?) I quoted inches above as that is what
the standard uses.
As far as mounting gauges go, I personally don't like them. I have the Reel
3D gauge, it is well made with clear, thin lines, but I don't use it. We
obtain our mounts in Australia from a number of sources. Manufacturing
tolerances in the production of the mounts often results in the aperture
spacing being different from the two "near point" marks on the gauge. This
can result, under worst case conditions, in mounting a photo with images in
front of the window, even though the mounting gauge says it is OK.
The best thing to do IMHO (and I do mean in my humble opinion, as there are
many ways to mount) is to throw all gauges away. The next step is to cut a
mount in half through each aperture horizontally as you view through it.
This is your new 100% accurate gauge for the particular brand of mount you
are using. The distance between respective aperture edges is the near point
minimum distance when mounting IN THAT BRAND AND MODEL of mount. So now you
can position your cut-up mount anywhere on a stereo pair that you are
mounting to make sure that the near point is set to this distance:
| | | | | |
| | | | | |
| | | | | |
| -------- --------- |
|______________________________________|
What about the far-point distance? This gauge cannot measure it. But I say
"so what". You have taken the photo already, mounted it with the near
points as close together as the gauge will allow, so what are you going to
do if the far point is beyond infinity (ie: more than 63.4mm). You can't
move the chips any closer together, so why measure the far-point?
If you have a photo with TO MUCH DEPTH in it you could: satisfy the near
point distance OR satisfy the far point distance, but not both UNLESS you
re-engineer the mount by reducing the aperture centers (ie: move the window
forward). One ad-hoc way to do that is to reduce the aperture width by
placing strips of tape down the outside of each aperture (see also
Ferwarda, "The World of 3D", Chapter 25-3, "Double Depth Method")
These days, I don't even use the mounting gauge described above, I use the
edge of the mount I am mounting in to tell if stuff is in front of the
window.
================================================================================
Note 19.06 -< Wedding Photography - More Tips >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Here are my recommendations for what to cover and how to shoot a wedding.
Donald Farra <Don_Farra@radar-email.jpl.nasa.gov>
First place yourself in the Bride and Groom's situation, talk to them a least
a month before the wedding, find out from them what they expect to be
photographed. Ask the Bride what photographs she has seen from other weddings
that she would like to have taken at her wedding. Ask her what photographs
she did not like and why, add these to your "don't take list". Like wise ask
the Groom also. Talk to the families too. Since the mothers will want
certain family shots both separate and with the other family.
Make sure you are paid in advance at least two weeks before the wedding.
Create a contract with them stating what services (time in hours) and
photographs you will take and when you will give them the final product. It
should state the what if any breaks you will take where and when and if food
will be provided for you. The contract should state what money will be
The list of photographs to be taken from the families and wedding party will
form the core of your photograph list.
You should be able to break down the list into three time zones, before,
during, and after.
The photo gear should be checked out and new batteries installed before the
wedding day. Part of the check out is running a roll of film through each
camera with and without a flash to verify the exposure system. Spare
batteries are a must. Also go to the church or wedding location at or around
the time the wedding will occur to spot any problem areas and take mental
notes for good outdoor or indoor shots.
The first one should be the shots taken before the wedding ceremony.
These include the rehearsal and the dinner, family get togethers at the
bride's home just before leaving for the church. Bride and Groom arriving at
the church. The best man straighten out the Groom's tie. Groom with his
mother and father in the dressing room. Groom with the best man and then with
friends. Bride with her mother straighten out her dress and attaching her
veil. Bride with her father and mother. Bride with the ring bearer with her
looking at the ring, maybe with some window light coming in from the side.
Bride with the Flower girl and ring bearer. Bride with the maid of honor and
then the with the Bride's party. Photographs of the Bride and Groom before
the wedding ceremony at the alter, then with their families. It is important
to get the alter shots before the ceremony. If the bride doesn't want the
groom to see her before the wedding then shot each of the group shots
separately.
This is the most important set of photographs to be taken so have at least one
backup camera. Hopefully you will be able to use a flash and be allowed to
move around during the ceremony. Take the standard shots that you always see
in wedding albums, photographs of the wedding party, groom, and bride walking
down the walk-way, father giving the bride away etc. Make sure they look up at
you when you take the shot, eye contact is good to have in the photo. Also if
you can shot the couple from behind the alter to show their faces during the
various phases of the wedding. Finally don't miss the first kiss as man and
wife.
This section is broken up into two parts, the formal shots of the wedding
party before the reception and the other part is the reception itself. You
will have to work fast on the first part so as not hold up the reception. At
this point you will want to take all the formal group shots typically outdoors
at a romantic location. Included in this set are the Groom and Bride by
themselves, both close ups and distance shots to pick up on the location
effects (mood). The other shots are with the families. Shots Grandparents of
both families in the background next comes the parents then the bride and
Then you are done and you can drop dead of exhaustion and try to remember that
phone number for the trucking school you saw on TV the night before.
================================================================================
Note 19.07 -< Using "flash" exposure to lower print contrast >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
CONTRAST IS EXCESSIVE - HOW TO FIX IT WITH FLASH EXPOSURE
OK, so you really blew it this time and made a once in a lifetime shot that is
WAY to contrasty. Even with a filter factor of 00 the print is dead. Fear not
my fellows, all is not lost:
Dilute your regular paper developer by adding twice the water you normally use
(I use Ilford mixed 1:10 normally, here I use it 1:20). Over expose your print
by one stop, that is twice the amount of light or time. See what happens! A
reduced contrast print after several long minutes in the bath.
Just another $0.02 worth - with extra high contrast negs, you can also
pre-flash the paper (if you have a timer with tenth-of-second capability). You
just put the paper in the easel with no negative in the carrier, and give it a
short (.x sec) exposure of white light, at a moderate f-stop. You need to test
this first, making a test strip or two to see what the threshold for each paper
is, and how much light gives you how much fogging, but the intentional fogging
you get does bring down the highlights when you re-expose the paper for the
actual print. Tricky, and very much a seat-of-the-pants operation, but it's
useful (IMHO).
In enlarging the procedure would be to preflash with just the bare carrier in
place (no neg in carrier) with a particular ND value under the lens for the
same time that you will for the final print. Then remove the ND filter, place
the neg in the enlarger and proceed conventionally.
To get less of a preflash use a higher ND value, for more a lower. .3 change in
ND is the equivalent of one stop of aperture or time (of course the actual
response being subject to RLF or reciprocity law failure).
It might be interesting to preflash with one contrast filter but expose with
another. I wonder what exactly would happen to the characteristic curve if one
did this...
2. Obtain a defusing screen paper such as Seal ColorMount Dry Mount Paper,
(or other material about equal density).
3. Use the diffusion screen as a "filter" under your enlarging lens, much
like a polycontrast filter, keep your negative in the enlarger, use the
same exposure time with the defusing screen as you have established for a
correct exposure for this print. After this exposure remove the defusing
screen and make your normal exposure without the screen, (there should be
two full exposures, one with the screen, one without).
You may need to make more then one exposure with the defusing screen or
less then a full exposure depending on what you want from your final print,
you can determine that with a test strip. The real beauty of this method is
the ability to totally control the "Flash" exposure without removing your
negative from the enlarger so you do not experience alignment problems.
With the correct density of a defusing screen, you will not see any image
being projected on your paper, just a faint even light.
from: ???
================================================================================
Note 19.08 -< Reloading One-Use Cameras >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
How to reuse kodak disposable cameras without
having to spool out your film in a darkroom.
First you need to remove the outer cardboard box from the camera. There's a
little diagram on the plastic body itself telling you how to open up the camera
body. Only open the camera body if you are completely finished with your roll
of film. When you open the camera, you will discover on the right hand side,
a normal 35mm film cassette. Take it out and have it developed as you normally
would. On the left hand side there is a spool. Take this out and look at it.
You will notice that one end appears to have been melted. Put the spool down
on a tabletop with this melted end facing up. Next, take a large paper clip,
unfold one end and heat it up with a candle or a cigarette lighter until it
glows. Press the hot paper clip gently into the melted end of the spool so tha
t it forms a slot that you can fit a screwdriver in it to turn it. Once the
spool has cooled off and hardened, you are ready to reuse your camera.
Take a roll of film, same ASA and length as the roll of film that came out of
the camera (but use whatever brand you want...i use XP2) and put it in the
camera where the previous roll was. Feed the end of the leader into the spool.
Be sure that the leader is secure into the spool. Now, you will notice that
there is a sprocket on the focal plane of the camera. turn this to the right
until it stops completely. The shutter is now cocked. Put the film cassette
and spool in their respective places in the camera and close its back, but
don't put the cardboard box on it yet. On the top of the camera, near the
================================================================================
Note 19.09 -< What is DENSITY? >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
================================================================================
Note 19.10 -< Discontinued Film Sizes @ Film for Classics >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
If you are looking for film to fit obsolete cameras or need
discontinued film sizes the follwing comany may be able to help.
Richard T. Haviland, Film for Classics, P.O. Box 486, Honeoye Falls, NY 14472
(716) 624-4945
FILM:
Format Format
(Kodak) Type Price (Kodak) Type Price
101 B&W 12.00 103 B&W 13.50
116 B&W 11.00 118 B&W 12.00
616 B&W 10.00 127 B&W 5.00
127 Color 7.50 620 B&W 6.50
Notes: B&W films are ISO 21 Ortho copy film except for 127,
which is ISO 100 panchromatic Efke. 127 and 620 color film is
Kodacolor Gold 200. 828 color is 400 ASA professional film.
Note 20.01 -< Flash Sync Speed Question and Answer >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
reply on a question on sync speed
by Andrew Davidhazy andpph@ritvax.isc.rit.edu
Rochester Institute of Technology
>Sorry for the stupid question, but can someone explain exactly what
>"flash sync speed" is? Everyone's talking about it and I'm in the dark...
With Focal Plane shutter equipped cameras (typical of SLR cameras) the shortest
exposure time with which an electronic flash can be practically used is that
with which the distance between the leading and trailing curtains of the
shutter is equal to, or greater than, the full film gate dimension of the
camera measured in the direction in which the curtains move.
The problem arises because the electronic flash is a very short duration light
source.
At exposure times shorter than the X-sync speed the distance between the
curtains is less than the width of the image gate and thus one could only make
a partial frame exposure (limited by the distance between the curtain edges)
when an electronic flash is used as the light source. There was (is) only one
camera/flash combo that overcame this limitation and it's the Olympus OM-4T
with a special (F-280?) electronic flash that transforms itself into a very
high frequency stroboscope when used in the FP mode.
Since the exposure time with an FP shutter is equal to the distance between the
curtain divided by the speed at which they move past the film it is obvious
that given a particular distance between curtains (such as 36mm) one can
achieve shorter exposure times with curtains that move at a fast rate.
Actually the "flash sync speed" refers to the shortest exposure time that a
short duration electronic flash can be used without loosing part of the frame.
This exposure time includes not only the time it takes the curtains to move
from one side of the gate to the other but also an appropriate time for the
flash itself to burn plus possibly a bit of "manufacturing tolerance".
================================================================================
Note 20.02 -< Kodak Lenses - characteristics and applications >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Here is a less than exhaustive, yet not too shabby explanation of some of the
lenses found on Kodak cameras through the years. Information from a 1953 Kodak
Data Book called "Kodak Lenses" and from a small book published in 1959 called
"Photographic Lens Manual and Directory."
Kodak Ektar lenses simply referred to Kodak's finest lenses. They never
referred to any particular lens formula (tessar type, gaussian type, etc.), so
it is easy to find Ektar lenses that differ in design and construction. There
were Ektar lenses made for still photography, for enlarging, for cine work and
for projection. All Kodak Ektar lenses for still photography focused as a
unit. They were supplied integral to cameras, separately in shutters and in
barrels (lens tubes without shutters)
Kodak also sold Ektars, Commercial Ektars, and Wide Field Ektars in various
focal lengths mounted in various shutters for use on large format view cameras.
These lenses were especially designed for use on amateur cameras like the Kodak
Tourist II and Kodak Flash Bantam. They employ simple front element focusing
and usually consist of 4 elements. These lenses approached Ektar quality at
generally used apertures and lens-to-subject distances. They included a 48mm
f4.5 (Bantam) and a 101mm f4.5 (Tourist II).
Kodak Anastons were also front cell focusing anastigmats usually having 3
elements. They were even more "amateur" than the Anastars. Anastars included
lower priced lens for:
Cheap lenses mounted on Duaflex and Tourist cameras. Typically these were f8
lenses. The Kodars were focusing lenses and the Kodet were fixed focus.
================================================================================
Note 20.03 -< Masking to change contrast esp. for Ilfochrome use >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Masking 101
by Barry Sherman of Amdahl Corpration
Put very simply, a contrast reduction mask is a b/w negative which is produced
from an original and is sandwiched with the original to alter contrast. Being
a negative it will be dark where the original is light and light where the
original is dark, thus lowering contrast.
Masking can get quite sophisticated, however. You can take a negative
contrast reduction mask, contact print it onto another sheet of film, getting
a positive, and use this as a contrast-increasing mask. You can use either
type of mask with b/w and color negatives as well as with color transparencies.
I have done contrast masking with color negatives and, while I haven't done
it, have the idea stored away for use with difficult b/w negatives. Why
mask with b/w negs when we have different contrast grades available? With
a little care it should be possible to produce masks which are clear except
for certain areas, where they'll affect contrast. Localized contrast control.
To date I've been able to do so using variale contrast papers and buring
different areas with different colors of light. But it's an example of
a potential use in b/w printing.
You can vary the overall density of the contrast reduction mask so that it
reaches down to the mid-tones or even to the shadows, thereby varying
where contrast will be altered.
In addition, you may at times make a mask which is used in making the final
mask. Several generations can be involved. More on this later.
Masking equipment
-----------------
* Light box and loupe. After producing the original you lay them on a
light box and use a loupe to line them up, taping them together when they're
right. Mylar tape, available in better photo shops works well for this.
This can just about drive a person crazy.
Quite expensive. A typical setup costs about $1000 purchased new. I got
mine for $400 from a Shutterbug ad. It is without doubt the most useful
darkroom accessory that I've ever had. You can take the color analyzer,
Jobo, print washer, compensating developing timer, you name it. I can
improvise around these losses. Just leave me my Condit Pin Registration
setup.
Materials
--------
* Film. Kodak Pan Masking Film is the standard. Comes in 4x5 and larger
sheets. How to use with 35mm or medium format? Cut a hole in a sheet of
junk 4x5 film and use mylar tape to attach the smaller original in the hole.
Kodak Pan Masking film is somewhat slower than Tmax 100 (mentioned for
comparison) I'd guestimate its speed at around 25 or so. While it's
reputed to be a low contrast material, testing has shown it to be about
the same as Tmax 100, except that it's developed for a short time in
dilute developer, thereby lowering contrast.
Pan Masking Film is usually a special order item and is not cheap. I buy
mine from B & H or Adorama for about $75 per 50 sheet box.
Because of the expense I've been trying Tmax 100. It requires different
handling to produce the unsharp masks, but I think that it works just
fine. Only problem is the amount of effort required to remove the purple
stain, which is pretty tedious. Why Tmax 100? Because I have it lieing
around so it's handy.
Roll film can be used for masking 35mm or medium format. Tmax 100 is
certainly an option here. FP4, both in sheets and rolls, is popular as well.
Kodak LPD4. This is a litho type positive film. Dunno how it works but
developed in any standard developer it yields a high contrast *positive*
I believe that they do mail order. The smallest size of LPD4 available is
8x10 in 100 sheet boxes. I paid $100 for mine and figure that what with the
400 sheets of 4x5 that it'll be cut up into, it's dirt cheap and that's
enough for most of the rst of my life.
Both Kodalith and LPD4 can be used with a red safelight. Nice convenience.
I use one of the little "painted light bulbs" for this.
* Devlopers.
For developing contrast reduction masks using Pan Masking film or Tmax 100
I use HC110 diluted 1:11 from stock.
* Bleach
* Diffusion material.
This is used either above the original or between the original and the
masking film when exposing the mask and increases the unsharpness of the
mask. I use some stuff called Duralene, which I believe to be used for
drafting purposes. It's like a sheet of plastic frosted on both sides. I get
mine at a local art store. I've tried tablets of "frosted acetate" but
found them abominable. One side was glossy and they attracted dust like
nothing I've ever seen. The Duralene doesn't. Duralene cost around $1.50
per 8x10 sheet but I've been using the same 4x5 piece for several months
now.
Making a mask
-------------
Layers from top to bottom, top being closest to the light source:
diffusion material
transparency, emulsion up
masking film, emulsion up
or
transparency, emulsion up
diffusion material
msking film, emulsion up
I use the former sandwich when using Pan Masking Film with its inherent
unsharpness and the latter when using Tmax 100. I'm not completely
satisfied with the degree of unsharpness that I'm getting with the latter
sandwich and may try putting a layer of diffusion material between the
transparency and the light source or may try putting the masking film
smulsion down.
Exposure is easy. Just experiment. With time you'll develop the ability
to guess exposure based on the appearance of the transparency. Don't forget
that these contrast reduction masks are developed to a low contrast. This
means that variations in exposure don't have a huge effect on density.
Bob Pace teaches a technique based on equating development time and exposure:
less development means more exposure and vice versa. I haven't found this
to be necessary. He also adjusts exposure based on the average density
of the original. I find that three exposure times suffice: one for a
thinner mask, one for an average mask and one for a heavy mask. The
thinner mask will have density only in the highlight areas. The average
one will have a little density in the mid-tone areas. A heavy mask will
have density going down to the lowest of the mid-tone areas.
Development can be more complicated. The basic term used is "gamma" where
gamma is defined as:
The calculated gamma will typically fall between 0.0 and .6 or so. The
rule of thumb taught to me by Charley Cramer is that:
Or you can just accept that Ilfochrome high contrast material has an
average exposure scale of ~1.75 when developed in P3 chemistry. Somewhat
higher if developed in P30P.
1) Learn to judge the gamma required in the mask and to develop accordingly.
This is Charley's usual technique. He does stunning prints.
I've gone one step further. Having determined the density range of the
slide, I look at the step tablet print and decide which step represents
how I'd like the highlights to look and which step represents
how I'd like the shadows to look. Then I use the difference in
density between these steps in the original step tablet as the exposure
scale of the paper in calculating gamma. This has significantly
increased the number of masks that are right on the first try.
I just use 4x5 film trays and agitate constantly. Stop bath and fix as
normal. I give a quick rinse (often just dropping the mask in the Jobo
water bath for a minute or two), dip in distilled water with wetting
agent added and dry in a closet with an electrical space heater running.
I've tried blow drying masks but they seemed to shrink somehow as they
Very simple. Just register the mask with the original and print. The
mask goes on top of the original, closest to the light source. Expect
exposure times to go up significantly. Probably around 1-2 f-stops.
Additional masking
------------------
Ilfochrome has a fairly pronounced toe to its characteristic curve. I.e. not
a lot of contrast. And transparency films have the same. So highlight
contrast, or lack thereof, can be a problem even without masking. This can be
exacerbated when a mask is introduced which decreases contrast in the
highlightss. Also, sometimes a sense of "sparkle" is lost when specular
highlights are increased in density by a contrast reduction mask. One answer
to either of these problems is to make a "highlight protection mask".
The highlight protection mask is made using Kodalith film. It's made sharp.
I.e. Emulsion to emulsion with the original in the contact printer. It's
exposed so that only the brightest highlights in the original show any density
in the highlight protection mask. Sometimes ferricyanide bleach is used
to remove unwanted density from it.
This mask is then laid on top of the original when exposing the contrast
reduction mask. I.e. it goes between the original and the light source. It
"increases density" in the highlights so that they result in less density in
the contrast reduction mask and print brighter in the final print.
I know one person (Charley Cramer) who has gone so far as to make a pre-
highlight-protection mask which was used when exposing the highlight
protection mask. The effect was to darken a small area in a highlight in the
final print. I haven't gotten quite this far into it yet.
After exposing the print with the contrast reduction mask, the negative carrier
is removed from the negative stage and the highlight bump mask is laid on top
of the original and an additional burn or "bump" exposure is made to brighten
the highlights. Obviously this type of technique can only be used if one
has a full pin registration setup. (You'll have to pry mine from my cold,
dead fingers - to take a page from the NRA. :-)
Once the registration equipment is available and some experience has been
gained there are lots of other possibilities. Contrast increasing masks.
Area masks - evenly toned masks which "dodge" an entire area of the print.
Kodalith area masks which are all black or all clear and allow printing
different parts of the print completely separately from the others. Lots
of new worlds to explore!
I was wondering if there's a FAQ list that would cover some of the basics of
3d photography...... What kind of equipment is most frequently used for 3d
photography? I've heard a lot about beam splitters and Realists and stuff,
but I don't know where to buy them; none of the camera stores around here have
any 3d equipment.
Answer:
There IS an ftp site and it has a couple of files which may interest you.
One is the FAQ list and the other is the 3D products and services list.
To get there:
% ftp csg.lbl.gov
account <default>: anonymous
.., send ident as password... <put username here, won't echo>
<at this point you are logged in>
cd pub/listserv/photo-3d
<to get to our directory>
dir
<this shows list of what's there>
binary
<need this to transfer binary file>
get <filename> will transfer file to your home directory..
quit
================================================================================
1) Use a high contrast black & white film (e.g. lith film, microfilm or
Tech Pan) and develop in C-41 or E-6 color developer to which you
have added a color coupler solution. You would have to experiment to
establish the right amount (I would start with 10ml of the coupler
solution given below for 500ml of color developer). After development
you have to bleach, wash, fix and wash again before drying. This method
would give you a negative.
2) Use a black & white high contrast image and change it to a color image.
Your image has to be well fixed and washed. This method involves the
following steps, which are all done in light:
Either of the two methods will work. The second converts the silver
image into a dye image. If you start with a negative you will get a
negative, if you start with a positive you will end up also with a
positive. If the cyan forming coupler does not give you the right blue
image, you could add a combination of cyan and magenta coupler solution
in a ratio of 3 to 2 to your color developer, rather than the cyan
coupler alone. You could also stop the process after the color
development and use the combination silver-dye image directly. In that
case you would simply have to wash after the development step.
PAGE 2
Caution: All the chemicals used in the suggested processes may be toxic and/or
staining.
Bleach:
Potassium Ferricyanide 30.0g
Potassium bromide 20.0g
Water 1000.0ml
Short Stop:
Sodium Bisulfite 10.0g
Water 1000.0ml
================================================================================
Note 20.06 -< Variable Contrast Filter Settings and Color Heads >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
dichroic filter settings for illford multigrade papers
Grade Filtration
------------------
0 80Y
1/2 55Y
1 30Y
1 1/2 15Y
2 0
2 1/2 25M
3 40M
3 1/2 65M
4 100M
4 1/2 150M
5 200M
================================================================================
Note 20.07 -< Tech Pan Exposure/Processing Info >-
For pictorial applications, use an exposure index of 25 and process the film
in Kodak TEchnidol Liquid Developer. To prepare a working solution empty the
contents of one bottle of dev. concentrate in a suitable 1-qt. container. Then
add water at 68-77F degrees(20-25C) to make one quart of dev. solution. This
dilution of developer(for 4x5 sheets) is one-half the working strength used
for roll film. Presoak film for 2-1/2 min in water of 68 degrees. Dev. for
8min. BE SURE the dev. is at 68 degrees. Rinse in Kodak stop bath SB-1a, SB-5
for 15 to 30 sec. or running water for 30 sec. Fix for 2 to 4 min. and wash
for 5 to 15min save water by using kodak hypo clearing agent.
EXPOSURE INDEX: 25 for trial exposures. This is based upon the formula EI=.81E
where E is the 1/25 second exposure in lux seconds required for a density of
.1 above Base plus Fog.
PS: You can contact Kodak at 800-242-2424 and ask for publication P-255 or
write them at Customer Technical Services, Eastman Kodak 343 State Street,
Rochester, New York 14650.
================================================================================
Note 20.08 -< Sound Synchronizers - Cheap and Simple >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
For high speed photography the problem generally centers around triggering the
camera or flash at the right time and how to do it. For this photographers
rely on various synchronizers. Below are two schemes designed to trip an
electronic flash by detecting sound waves. The very simplest sound sensitive
synchronizer one could make might be the one described below:
To Flash
.....................................
_______:
-_-----------------------_- |: <- thin strip of aluminum foil
|: taped to tightly stretched
|: rubber membrane with 2-sided
|: tape.
|:
TIN COFFEE CAN |:--. <- tip of wire _almost_
both ends removed |: | touching aluminum foil
| |
rubber membrane from balloon or such -> | |
covering one end of coffee can | |
_-_______________________-_ | |
------ | <- wire insulated to here
=========================================
To Flash
point open and of can towards source of loud sound ... if you set everything up
VERY carefully flash will go off when aluminum foil comes in contact with tip
of wire located VERY near, but NOT touching, it.
Here is another simple sound sync which is much more sensitive but is also a
bit more expensive. It consists of one electronic part plus a common, hopefully
already available, casette tape recorder. The idea is to simply couple a SCR to
the EARPHONE jack of the casette tape recorder and hook up the flash sync
contacts to the SCR.
First, get a SCR that can handle 250 or 400 volts between Anode and Cathode such as
C106D. Radio Shack has them or similar, I believe.
Use a plug that fits into the earphone jack and connect the CATHODE and GATE
leads to the two, normally open, connections on the plug. Then, connect the
CATHODE and ANODE leads on the SCR to the flash sync contacts. Make sure plug
is now UNPLUGGED from the EARPHONE jack.
Now, put a tape in Tape Recorder and activate the Tape Recorder so it is now in
If it does NOT do fire the flash it is possible the connections between the
flash and the SCR are hooked up "backwards". Try moving sync cord connections
to opposite SCR leads. Now the synchronizer may or may not work.!!!!
The IDEA here is that the VOLTS generated by the recorder when recording and
which would drive the earphone can be used to turn on a SCR which in turn
triggers the flash upon sensing a sound. CHEAP, quick, dirty and unfortunately
somewhat unreliable. But so what did you want for nothing?
================================================================================
Note 20.09 -< Convenient Pulfrich Effect 3D Viewing >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Pulfrich 3D effect and Switchable Glasses
The Pulfrich effect allows you to get a 3D effect from normal television
sometimes, by wearing glasses with one dark lens and one clear lens (such as
sunglasses with one of the lenses missing). If the dark lens is the left one,
then anything on the screen that's moving right-to-left in relation to the
background scenery will appear to be in front of it. Likewise, if the dark lens
is the right one, then objects moving left-to-right will appear closer than the
background. Ice skating is a good type of program to watch in order to be
guaranteed of some good side-to-side motion shots, and Mike Watters has pointed
out that the introduction to the "Star Trek: The Next Generation" has a good
shot in which the Enterprise moves left-to-right in front of a background of
stars.
But how do you switch the dark/clear side of your glasses in a hurry, when a
motion-shot comes on the screen that's in the wrong orientation for your
glasses? After months of detailed and painstaking research, I've discovered a
good answer. The company whose address appears below sells something called
"flip-up glasses". They're cheap plastic sunglasses whose lenses flip up
_individually_. They're certainly not intended for use as Pulfrich glasses,
but I have a pair, and they work great for that purpose. You can instantly
flip one dark lens up and the other one down when necessary, without even
taking the glasses off. They cost $1.95 per pair (plus postage).
The rest of their free mail-order catalog is quite wonderful! They sell cheap
novelties and other weird things that apparently didn't sell very well in
stores. For instance, there's an inflatable buffalo, a plastic monkey that
blows smoke rings, and a glow-in-the-dark water gun shaped like a squid. Other
3D-related items include various cheapo holograms of eyeballs (some mounted in
glasses), and a vinyl card (presumably lenticular) which shows a portrait of
Jesus when you look at it one way and a picture of the Shroud of Turin when you
look at it another way. Truly a smorgasbord of essential items. Here's the
address...
Archie McPhee
Box 30852
Seattle, WA 98103
U.S.A.
order desk and info line: (206) 782-2344
================================================================================
Note 20.10 -< What is EV (Exposure Value)? >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>Can someone tell me what the relationship is between LUX and EV and ASA?
>For example can I determine LUX from F number, Speed and ASA and vice versa?
2^EV = BS/K
where
EV = exposure value.
B = Field luminance.
S = ISO/ANSI film speed
K = exposure constant (reflected light); the luminance units
which B must be expressed in must be identified for any
given K value to be meaningful since B and K change
proportionally.
If B is in candelas/meter^2 K=12.5
footlamberts K= 3.65
candelas/ft^2 K= 1.30
And:
2^EV = A^2/T
where
A = f-number of aperture
T = shutter time in seconds
>Since you normally measure EV or LUX, and then, using ISO or ASA compute the
>F number and shutter speed, can you do the conversion in the other direction
>using any light meter and find the amount of light falling on a scene?.
Actually, you really normally measure light level, and then, using ISO or ASA
================================================================================
Note 20.11 -< Info on Film and Video Resources on the Internet >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Guide to Film and Video Resources on the Internet
The guide is now available but since it is 72K we chose not to post it
on the listservs and news groups. While we will be happy to send a copy
(absolutely free) through e-mail to anyone interested, we wanted to
warn everyone that it is a very big file and that people are better off
accessing it in the following ways:
anonymous FTP:
host: una.hh.lib.umich.edu
path: /inetdirsstacks
Gopher:
via U. Minnesota list of gophers
menu: North America/USA/Michigan
_Film and Video Resources on the Internet_ was created during the fall
semester, 1993 at the School of Information and Library Studies. It is
the final project for the course ILS 606 Internet: Resource Discovery
and Organization. This guide and numerous other subject -oriented
Internet resource guides are available from the Clearinghouse for
Subject-Oriented Internet Resource Guides using the methods described
above.
*******************************************************************
%dfield
Lay out the "DISTANCE SCALE" using the numbers from the Focus in Feet
display.
Lay out the 135 mm lens "DEPTH of FIELD SCALE" using the numbers
from the 135 mm "f scale" display.
Draw a horizontal line with an arrow at the right end (FOCUS ARROW).
Draw a vertical line through the horizontal "FOCUS ARROW LINE".
On the vertical line print f11 "0.407" inches above and below
the "FOCUS ARROW LINE".
Repeat the above for the rest of the numbers in the "f scale"
display.
USAGE: Align the vertical line of the "DEPTH of FIELD SCALE" with the
"DISTANCE SCALE". Set the "FOCUS ARROW" at the focus distance
on the "DISTANCE SCALE" (say 17 feet). Now for a given lens
opening (say f11) read off the distance both before and after
the focus distance (14.7ft & 20.2ft). Everything between these
distances will be in focus (based on the "circle of confusion"
built into the code based on your answer to "enter Y for 35 mm
N for roll or sheet film Y/N?").
Lay out the 90 mm lens "DEPTH of FIELD SCALE" using the numbers
from the 90 mm's "f scale" display as was done for the 135 mm lens.
By running a series of different lens lengths less than in this case 135 mm,
you can construct a "DEPTH of FIELD SCALE" like the ones found on many
zoom lenses.
*******************************************************************/
#include <stdio.h>
main(){
float F, H, u, c, dn, df, Hu, F_scale, H_scale;
char type_c;
#define MAX_u 1000
float u_range[MAX_u];
float v_delta;
float v_ratio;
#define max_f 8
f_range[0] = 3.5;
f_range[1] = 4.0;
f_range[2] = 5.6;
f_range[3] = 8.0;
f_range[4] = 11.0;
f_range[5] = 16.0;
f_range[6] = 22.0;
f_range[7] = 32.0;
while(TRUE){
printf("\n enter focal length in mm's ");
scanf("%f", &F);
if(F < 0.0) exit(0);
printf(" enter Y for 35 mm N for roll or sheet film Y/N? ");
scanf("%s", &type_c);
printf(" enter focal length in mm's for depth of field f ratio scale ");
scanf("%f", &F_scale);
if(F > F_scale) {
printf("\n f ration length can't be less than focal length \n");
continue;
}
F *= 0.03937;
F_scale *= 0.03937;
if(type_c == 'Y' || type_c == 'y')
c = 0.001; /*for 35 mm*/
else {
if(type_c != 'N' && type_c != 'n'){
printf("\n ***ERROR*** enter Y or N!!! ");
continue;
}
c = 0.0019685; /*roll or sheet film*/
}
H_scale = F_scale/F;
================================================================================
Note 21.02 -< Polaroid batteries and accessories >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Are you looking for batteries to power up your old Polaroid camera? Do you need
accessories? Then the FREE catalog of the following outfit may interest you.
Graphic Center
P.O. Box 818
Ventura, CA 93002
1-800-336-6096
They carry batteries and various accessories. They also convert Polaroid 110A/B
to use standard pack film. They also carry refurbished plastic and metal pack
film cameras, electronic flashes designed to fit 100-450 seies cameras, EE-100,
Reporter, and others. Interesting accessories include PC-flash adapter cords,
cold clips, filters, cable releases, closeup kits, portrait kits, and filters.
As for batteries, the No. 532, are $7 each., the 4v No.531 batteries are $7.75.
================================================================================
Note 21.03 -< Infrared Ektachrome Processing in E-6 chemicals >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ektachrome Infrared processing in E-6
The simplest information on E-6 processing of film intended for E-4 was in
Darkroom & Creative Camera Techniques magazine, Nov/Dec 1989, page 2. They
had previously tried processing E-4 film in E-6 chemistry, but at 70F. This
took a lot of time and the results were questionable. They then recommended
using a prehardener and neutralizer before the first developer (such as is
used in E-4), and then doing the E-6 process as usual at 85F. There hasn't
been any follow-up comment about this since last year in the magazine. The
formulas below should work adequately.
E-4 Prehardener
Water 800 mL
Sodium Sulfate 140 g
Formaldehyde 38% 30 mL
E-4 Neutralizer
Water 800 mL
Hydroxylamine Sulfate 18 g
Potassium Bromide 20 g
Sodium Acetate 7 g
Glacial Acetic Acid 7 mL
Sodium Sulfate 50 g
Water to make 1 L
Schedule at 85F:
Prehardener 3 min
Neutralizer 1 min
First Developer and remaining steps per standard E-6
directions for a processing temperature of 85F.
The E-6 kit recommended in the article was the Kodak E-6 Hobby Pak Kit.
Obviously, these aren't official E-4 formulas, but they should work OK. The
biggest problem with E-4 film is that the emulsion isn't prehardened, and it
gets too soft at normal E-6 temperature (100F). There possibly could be some
color shift, but I would guess if you are wanting to do Ektachrome Infrared
how would you know a color shift if you saw it??? :)
Ron Speirs, Evans & Sutherland Computer Corp., Salt Lake City, UT
================================================================================
Note 21.04 -< New f# when using bellows extension >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
How to adjust for bellows extension factor/stops
It's actually pretty easy to do the arithmetic for this computation in your
head. The effective f-stop is simply the marked f-stop times the ratio of
lens-to-film distance (bellows extension) to focal length.
For example, say I have my handy Schneider 210 mounted up, and I'm taking a
picture of something at a magnification of 1:1, and I need to set the lens to
f/22 to get everything adequately sharp. The lens-film distance according to
the tape will be 420mm, focal length is 210mm, f-stop is 22. My effective
f-stop will be 22 x 420 / 210 = 44. Call it f/45 and dial that into the meter.
That's all there is to it.
If 1/6 stop is the largest error you find tolerable, that means that the
lens-film distance/focal length ratio must be 7/6 or less. Plugging that into
the formula for focal length (fl), lens-film distance (d_lf) and lens-object
distance (d_lo),
d_lo = 7*fl
which means if you are more than 7 focal lengths away from your subject, your
underexposure due to ignoring bellows extension will be less than 1/6 stop. If
you're willing to go to 1/3 stop error, 4 focal lengths is the threshold. In
general, if you are willing to set your error threshold at "err" f-stops, the
nearest you can get to your subject without compensating for bellows extension
is (1+err)/err focal lengths. In the case of my 210mm (aka 8 1/4") lens, if
I'm making life difficult for myself by using color transparency film, and I
think I can meter things accurately enough that 1/3 stop accuracy is crucial
(don't I wish!) I can see that if I'm closer than about 3 feet I need to get
out that tape measure.
Fortunately, since I mostly shoot b&w, and more often than not I'm doing
landscapes, I can see from the formula that I don't have to worry much about
the fact that I lost my tape measure a few months ago :-)
Bill
================================================================================
Note 21.05 -< Data on Wratten Filters by the Numbers >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This is a listing of Wratten Filters by number, their color and
applications. It was compiled from the CRC Handbook where more
filters and additional charactristics are also listed.
Wratten
filter
number color use
colorless
UV(0) none absorbs UV
0 clear thickness compensation
1 absorbs UV < 360nm
1A pale pnk skylight filter
1B lt. pink (skylight) cuts blue cast in shade and distance, absorbs UV
yellows
2A pale yel UV 405 nm
2B pl yel absorbs UV 390 nm
2E pl yel absorbs UV
greens
52 lt grn
53 middle green
54 very dark green
narrow band
70 dk red IR photography 676 nm
72B dk or-yel 605 nm
73 dk yel-grn 575 nm
74 dk grn mercury green 539 nm
75 dk blu-grn 488 nm
76 dk vio (compound filter) 449 nm
Hg line filters
77 transmits 546 nm mercury line. glass plus gelatin 580 nm
77A transmits 546 nm mercury line. glass plus gelatin 582 nm
photometrics
78 bluish photometric filter (visual)
78AA bluish photometric filter (visual)
78A bluish photometric filter (visual)
78B bluish photometric filter (visual)
78C bluish photometric filter (visual)
86 amber photometric filter (visual)
86A amber photometric filter (visual)
86B amber photometric filter (visual)
86C amber photometric filter (visual)
light balancing
80A blue color correction for daylight film (5500) under 3200K (studio) lamps
80B blue color correction for daylight film (5500) under 3400K (photo) lamps
80C blue color cor. for daylight film (5500) under 3800K (clear flash) lamps
81 amber warming -100K
81A amber color correction for Type B tungsten film under 3400K (photo) lamps
warming -200K
81B amber to remove blue cast in shaded daylight
warming -300K
81C amber to remove blue cast in cloudy/rainy weather; Kodachrome Type A with
flash; warming -400K
81D amber Kodachrome Type A with flash; warming -500K
81EF amber Ektachrome Type B with flash; warming -650K
82 blue cooling +100K
82A blue color correction for Type A tungsten film under 3200K (studio) lamps
cooling +200K
82B blue color correction for Type B tungsten film under 2900K (100w incand.)
cooling +300K
miscellaneous
79 photographic sensitometry
87 for infrared photography; IR 770nm ->
87C absorbs visual, transmits IR 830nm ->
88A for infrared photography; IR 740nm ->
89B for infrared photography; IR 700nm ->
90 monochrome viewing (narrow-band for viewing scene brightness);
about 570->590 nm; 10% luminous transmittance
96 neutral filter for controlling luminance; 9% luminous transmittance
97 dichroic absorption
102 correction filter for Barrier-layer cell
106 correction filter for S-4 type photocell
FL-day purple converts daylight fluorescent light for daylight film
FL-W purple converts white fluorescent light for daylight film
K2 yellow improves contrast in B&W; absorbs UV and part of violet
G orange greatly improves contrast in B&W; absorbs UV and part
of blue-green
25A red strongest B&W contrast; absorbs UV and part of yellow;
"night filter"
also used as a color separation filter with #47 blue and
#58 green
X0 yel-grn natural rendition of skin and lips of female models B&W?
X1 green Absorbs more red than X0, good for green trees B&W?
================================================================================
Note 21.06 -< CHEAP IR Filters - experimental quality >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
...............................................................................
NOTE: ADDENDUM ABOUT PLACING FILTERS IN FRONT OF FLASH HEADS --
>The RIT faq said that I could make an infrared flash from my Sb-24 flash
>by taping 2 strips of unexposed/developed E-6 film. supposedly, the two
>strips only allow IR to pass, blocking all visible light, so you can shoot
>in the dark. however, they didnt warn me that the flash could burn out because
>of the heat from the flash head. anyone know how i can overcome this problem.
>i am thinking of making a box and placing the strips further away, but the
>flash head gets really hot.
Anything that prevents energy from the flash to exit as freely as possible will
have a tendency to raise the temperature of the lighing fixture. Thus placing
filters, whether dense E6 material (cheap) or Kodak Wratten IR filter gels
(expensive), will cause the temperature within the head to rise. This is
especially true of the filter material itself and many photographers who tape
IR filters over their flashes for surreptitious IR photography find that their
filters become crinckled and are no longer suitable for use in front of a lens
after even a single close-up blast from a flash head.
The problem has to do with keeping energy IN. That is bound to raise the
temperature. A prudent move would be not to flash the tube too often and thus
Well, this may not be of help in your situation, but years ago when I was
experimenting with slippin' about in the dark taking flash pictures, I was
using the workhorse Vivitar 283. The 283, as you may recall, has a clip-on
plastic filter holder for Vivitar's line of accessory tele fresnels, WA
diffusers and colored filters. I bought a second one of those, and
light-tightly black-taped in the precisely correct Wratten gel (which I'd
special-ordered, anal technogeek that I was and I fear often still am). Worked
just fine.
So, if all you have is that silly Nikon flash :-), you might see if the Vivitar
piece will slip on it, or just make something similar from cardboard. A neck
to slip over the front of the flash-head, a part which widens like a
rectangular lens-shade, and a place for filters about 1-1.5 inches away from
the front of the flash. No smoke.
>I've heard of a couple of SB-24 flash front covers being melted/warped when
>a filter was inserted _behind_ the front panel. That flash must run really
>hot. ... don't tape it on, because the flash will overheat. when i did this,
>i heard a popping sound, and a burning rubber smell. i don't know which sb-24
>you have, but there is no space to insert something "behind the front panel"
>I tried the same thing on a vivitar 2600D (put the strip further away) and it
>still heated up. So this is not only the sb-24's problem.
When I used a wratten 87 gel on my Honeywell 810 [about GN160@EI100] I put the
accessory polycarbonate lens on first, and then the gel. This unit may have
better air circulation than an SB24 or similar unit, as it did not fry.
*However* after one roll, the gel was "embossed" with the waffled pattern of
the flash lens due to heat. Perhaps you should just ask your local pro lab to
proc a blank sheet of 4x5 E6 for you and then mount it at a distance from the
flash lens.
The way I did is to buy a Vivitar 283 filter adapter. I found out that the hood
can be fit into the head of an SB24 if you just open (but cut a small line) the
adapter four corners a bit in its back. Now I get a filter adapter for sb24 and
I also can use the Vivitar's wide angle, zoom, and color filter for the sb24. I
use those filter a lot and never have any problem like melting the flash head.
The Vivitar 283 filter adapter leave a lot of space between the sb24 flash head
and the filter. Hope this help.
Larry, kleungm@cs.concordia.ca (MA k.l.)
================================================================================
Note 21.07 -< UV and IR Technique Basics >-
by Andrew Davidhazy
Imaging and Photographic Technology
Rochester Institute of Technology
A large part of the spectrum and its relationship to the world around us is
invisible because we are limited to seeing electromagnetic wavelengths which
extend only from those characteristic of violet-blues to those of the deep
reds. Photographic materials can extend our vision, especially when aided by
special light sources and various filters. The proper use of film, lights,
filters, exposure techniques and specific applications of the four basic
methods of photographing the invisible spectrum are discussed below.
An analogy for the reason to apply these techniques is the lengths to which we
go to render a blue sky dark on a B&W print to contrast it against the white
clouds. This, of course, is accomplished by placing a yellow or red
(complementary colors to blue and cyan, the color of the sky) filter over the
camera lens. The filter does not allow the sky color wavelengths to pass on to
the film and thus the sky is rendered clear on the negative and dark on the
print. The point is that we can distinguish between two subjects of similar
tone, the sky and the clouds in this instance, but different color by filtering
out one of the colors with a filter of complementary color placed over the
camera lens. This principle applies also to the invisible areas of the spectrum
but we need films which can "see" in these areas in order for our own eyes to
see the differences if they exist.
Since UV and IR wavelengths are invisible to our eyes and thus can not be
assigned a "color" as such, B&W film is the most appropriate to use for both of
the above applications. Almost any B&W film can be used for reflected UV
photography although the slower emulsions seem to deliver somewhat better
negatives. To record the IR wavelengths Kodak High Speed Infrared film should
be used. It is also about the only IR emulsion readily available! Since the
film has no antihalation backing allowing light and IR to pipe into the
cassette it should be loaded into the camera in total darkness or under subdued
fluorescent illumination. Fluorescent tubes usually are very weak in IR output
diminishing the chance for fogging the film by IR rays passing into the
cassette.
When attempting either UV or IR photography the subject must be lit with lights
which emit the wavelengths by which we wish to photograph.Electronic flash is a
good source of both UV and IR wavelengths. Some flashes have a UV absorbing
filter incorporated in the flash head and this may need to be removed (if
possible) for best results. However, even if not removed, there is usually
enough UV that "leaks" through so that at close range they still serve as
useful UV sources. Then, placing a UV transmitting filter (Wratten 18A) or IR
transmitting filter (Wratten 87 or 87C)over the camera lens will effectively
In order to continue to use a 35mm SLR camera for reflected IR photography even
when you use the visually opaque 87 filter for photography it is possible to
install the filter behind the camera's mirror mechanism and composition of the
IR picture becomes almost as easy as if you were using "light" for your
pictures. In some cameras with behind the mirror metering systems the filter
may need to be positioned just in front of the film between the film plane
guide rails. Metering off the film may be impossible.
The focal length of a given lens "changes" with wavelength and for this reason
its focus should be adjusted slightly when attempting to use it for other than
light wavelengths. The lens must be moved somewhat further from the film than
visual focus demands when photographing by IR and generally also when
photographing by UV. The reason for this is that most camera lenses are
achromatic in color correction (unless otherwise stated to be simple, very
unlikely, or apochromatic in correction) and thus curve the chromatic focal
plane about two visible (except in some cases with lenses intended specifically
for UV photography) wavelengths thus bringing both IR and UV to a focus further
from the film plane than visible wavelengths. Under normal conditions the use
of small apertures will in most cases diminish or eliminate the need to make
this focus adjustment. When using a fluorescing screen in UV photography the UV
rays are properly focused when the image on the screen is sharp.
I've already mentioned the term "fluorescence", and most of us are aware of the
term but may not be quite sure of what process is at work. When some subjects
are illuminated by certain wavelengths they reflect back not only the same
wavelenghts that they are illuminated by but they may transform some of these
incident wavelengths into usually longer ones. In a sense they change the color
of the light falling on them. When a subject behaves like this it is said to
FLUORESCE. Some subjects change short, ultraviolet energy into longer, visible,
wavelengths or colors. Others may change visible rays into yet longer, infrared
wavelengths. The former effect is, of course, visible while the latter is not.
This is the realm of FLUORESCENCE photography and to apply it you need to start
with a source that contains the wavelengths which the subject will transform
into longer wavelenghts. Usually over this source is placed an EXCITER filter
the function of which is to allow only those wavelenghts through which will
cause fluorescence. In UV work this is most commonly the Wratten 18A filter and
in the visible region of the spectrum the Corning filter #9788 can be used. To
The sample is illuminated by "white" light and an 18A filter is placed over the
camera lens, tightly fitted. If the subject does not fluoresce then you can
place the filter over the light but you need to work in a dark room.
This technique is useful for the photographic enhancement of rashes and other
skin disorders and also for detecting alterations in documents, etc.
Suggested light source: Electronic Flash (best if flash does not have UV
absorbing coating)
Filter on camera : 18A
Appropriate Film : Most any B&W film, especially slower emulsions
Lens : Should be able to transmit UV. Most camera
lenses are suitable for long wave UV associated
with use of 18A filter over lens.
In its most common practice the sample must be irradiated with UV rays and due
to fluorescence it will "GLOW" in the visible region of the spectrum. The
sample will appear in various colors as a result of the effect the sample has
on the incident energy. Because samples also reflect some UV as well as
fluorescing, the unwanted UV is removed with a "barrier" filter opaque to UV.
The filter which limits the incident energy to a desired spectral region is
known as the "exciter" filter. This technique is particularly useful for the
identification of minerals and for "fingerprinting" documents such as stamps
and currency. It is also used in forensic work with fluorescing powders in
fingerprint visualization.
The sample can be illuminated by "white" light and an 87 or 87C 9or similar)
filter is placed over the camera lens, tightly fitted. In a darkened room the
filter may be placed over the light source. Sometimes a filter is not required.
For example, a flatiron may be used as a source of IR radiation and if
operating in a dark room no filters are needed.
Some photographers use a #25 filter over the lens of SLR cameras in particular
so that they can focus on the image in the groundglass. Alternatively, the
visually opaque IR filter may be inserted behind the camera's mirror.
This technique is useful for the recording of subcutaneous (below skin) veins,
for the detection of alterations or forgeries of documents, for
surveilance,etc.
This technique is particularly useful for the study of inks, hardwoods and
forgery detection in forensic photography.
Note: when IR reflected light photography is done with COLOR INFRARED film,
then "white" light plus IR must fall on the sample, thus a Wratten #12 is used
over the camera lens to remove from the incident radiation the blue light to
which the three layers of the IR COLOR film are all sensitive.
================================================================================
Note 21.08 -< Solarization Tip >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
There was an interesting suggestion posted on the Internet that I thought
might be of help if you are trying your hand at solarization (Sabattier).
<UZUMECKIS@MC.BITNET> writes:
> My students just finished using dektol and Ilford Multigrade rc with
> a #5 filter and a #5 filter in the white light source. They all seemed
> to get pretty good results.
Richard Hosker
rph0470@tntech.edu
================================================================================
It's pretty easy. Right above the negative eject symbol is a number,
most often '1' but it depends on the last type of film inserted in the
Create-A-Print. Using the diamond key with the arrows (triangles) on
it, move the cursor on top of that number and rotate the zoom control
(one on the right) til the number gets to '40' .. turn it either right
or left until it gets to '40'. Then hit the button with the yellow
circle on it and the machine is now set for B&W film. You may need to
turn that up or down while you are using the machine, using 41 or
whatever (I think XP2 is 49) until you get the right color correction
on the screen. It will not be perfect at first, but make your own
color corrections. Good luck,
================================================================================
Note 21.10 -< Decoding De DX Code >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
DX codes decoded
>1) Does any one have a clear view of the DX coding? What means what and how it
>is used. Especially interested in the meanings of each of the squares.
This info was transcribed from the June 1983 issue of "Modern Photography",
page 8, by Markus Wandel <mwandel@bnr-rsc.UUCP> and he posted on rec.photo.
================================================================================
Note 21.11 -< IR Ektachrome Processing in cool E6 chemicals >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
How to process Ektachrome Infrared in E6 chemicals
time(min.)
first developer 10
-wash 2
reversal bath 2
color developer 8
conditioner 2
bleach 10
fixer 10
-wash 6
stabilizer 2-3
I have developed the two rolls that i was able to find like this.
The results were fantastic, if only in an artistic sense.
* please note that at the bottom of this contribution there is word of warning
about the "simplicity" of this program esp. when used in exteme situations.
Note that the answer is given in TRUE degrees, which must be converted to
magnetic according to your local variation. In North America, magnetic heading
= true - variation (around 20 deg.)
I thought it might also be useful to know the angle at which it rises and sets,
which can be quite steep. For example, if you wanted to get a picture of the
sun rising over a steeple, at that height it may have moved quite a few degrees
North or South of the rise point. So that's another thing to consider. Please
verify the answers this thing gives before making plans for a complicated photo
I take no responsiblity for it's accuracy, useful- ness, or lack of same. It
doesn't predict the time. You can find that in the newspaper or the evening
news.
If you want to know how it works, it's based on the fact that the sun is far
enough away that it appears to rise for everyone from the same direction. In
other words, on one of the equinoxes the sun is directly over the equator. If
you were standing at the equator that day, it would appear to rise due East.
But if you were in Alaska that day it also appears to rise due East, it just
doesn't get anywhere near as high (the rise angle is different). On the other
hand, on June 22 it rises 23.5 degrees North of due East. Again, it doen't
matter whether the observer is at the equator, the arctic circle, or the
Southernmost part of Australia. This makes things fairly simple.
The rise/set angle is easy to find, because it's the same as the maximum angle
that the sun will be at noon. Said another way, the angular height of the sun
at noon is the same as the angle it makes with the horizon near sunrise/set
looking due East or West.
Where 23.5 is the angle (in degrees) of the Ecliptic plane to the
Earth's equator, and d is the degrees of movement of the Earth in
it's yearly revolution around the sun. Conveniently, this is almost
exactly the same as the number of days (360 degrees ~= 365 days).
Day zero is considered Mar. 22. For better accuracy, days are con-
verted to degrees by the factor 360/365.25. Since most computers
use angles in radians, degrees are converted to radians by div-
iding by 57.3. (if your computer uses degrees, delete the first
part of line 40 and use the second half. The resulting sun angle
I round to the nearest degree.
This is the angle of the sun with respect to the equator, from a viewpoint
external to the Earth. This number is subtracted from the nominal heading of
90 degrees (East) for the rise heading, and added to the heading of 270 deg-
rees (West) for the set heading. The rise/set angle is simply the difference
Dave
It's a pity that I've got plenty of things to do until sunday --- before
I'll vanish in the Auvergne (France, Massif Central) 'til the end of
September --- or I'd take a look in our library. I believe there was a
relative short programm doing simple sunrise/sunset calculations in one of
the three (four ?!?) last copies of Sky & Telescope magazine.
*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_
_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*
================================================================================
Note 22.02 -< Simple Sound Switch to trigger Flash >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+9v This device will trigger a flash upon
o---. ^ + 10uf sensing a sound. Input should be a small
| | .-|(--. speaker or large ceramic microphone. The
| | | | 386 amp is set to 200x gain. The 3011 is
^ | 6| |1 8| an optocoupled switch. Could use 3010.
| .--*--*-----*-.
I \10Kohm | | .----------.6
N / 3| |5 10uf + 1| *-----> to flash
P \<-------* LM386 *---*---)|------* 3011 | (by PC)
U / | | | | *-----> to flash
T \ | | Z 10 ohm |__*_______|4
/ |__*___*___*__| | 2|
v | 2| 4| 7| === .1 uf |
| | | | | |
o___|___________|___|___|______|______________|________> -9v
================================================================================
Note 22.03 -< Make Black Borders or Lines around your images >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> Does anyone have any good tricks for burning in black borders around a B&W
> print? Do you need a special easel or process for doing this?
To make black borders to the edge of the paper make yourself an opaque mask the
size of the desired image area. Actually tranparent red masks work even better.
When you make the enlargement make it a bit bigger than the mask you've cut.
After the paper is exposed to the image place and fix the mask onto the paper
in the correct position and with no negative in the enlarger use the enlarger
as a light source to burn in the edges. When you do this you would be working
without the easel.Or with it if you can afford a thin white border on the final
print. This white border would, of course, be covered by the mat.
If you want a thin, black line to go around your image area the concept is the
same but the mask this time cut so it is a little smaller than the easel's
opening, goes over the image area after your image was exposed. Then you remove
the negative from the enlarger and burn in the line between the mask and the
easel edges. If the mask is a little larger than the print area then you make a
thin white line. Combinations of masks and sizes let you get quite creative
with borders and/or lines. Andy
From: andpph@ritvax.isc.rit.edu
Organization: Rochester Institute of Technology
================================================================================
Note 22.04 -< Sound Synchronizer for ECM application >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Here is a schematic for a Sound Synchronizer designed for use with an ECM
(electret condenser microphone).
+6v +6v
^ ^ + 10uf
_ | | .-|(--. *----> flash (hot)
| | | | | | | a
|--| |-/ 6| |1 8| _|_
|_| .--*--*-----*-. \ / TIC106D
| 20Kohm | | __V__
| 3| |5 100uf + g /|
+-2V -->*----||--* LM386 *---*---)|--------/ | c
+ | .01uf | | | *----> flash (GND)
|O ECM | | Z 100 ohm |
- | mic. |__*___*___*__| | |
| 2| 4| 7 === .047uf |
| | | | |
|___________|___|__________|_______________|________> 0 v
|
--- GND
For the ECM to work, you'll need about +2v at the point shown in the
schematic, this can obtained by trimming the +6v down with the 20k lin. pot.
But this might vary with the type of ECM used. Observe polarity of the ECM.
This circuit is fairly sensitive, but I'm working on some improvements...
__________
/ \
Small Red (forward / \
and chassis ground)----/--> o o <--\---- Small Black (focus)
| o <------|--- Yellow (common -- not ground)
Small White (reverse)-|--> o o <--|--- Brown (focus lock)
| |
| |
Large Red -----|--> o o <--|--- Blue (to lamp)
(to power switch) | |
| ............. |
| : O O : |
| :...........: |
|________/________|
/
/__ Not used with projectors having
permanently attached power cords
Andy
================================================================================
Note 22.06 -< Foot-candles - how to measure them? >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>My mother in law grows orchids and for some reason needs to measure the amount
>of light falling on them in foot-candles. All the light meters she has are
>graduated in ASA or somesuch. How can she measure in foot-candles with them?
The illuminance at the surface of the earth due to the sun at zenith on a clear
day is about 10,000 footcandles. These same conditions are associated with the
"sunny sixteen" exposure rule of 1/ASA seconds at f/16. You can use this as the
basis to compute other values of illuminance.
For example:
================================================================================
Note 22.07 -< Film Acceleration >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: slq2w@cc.usu.edu
Subject: Color Acceleration
Organization: Utah State University
Step 1: presoak the film in water (75 degrees farenhite) for two minutes.
This will yield more even development. Agitation will release air
bubbles that may adhere to the film surface upon immersion.
Step 2: Develop in either Acufine, T-Max, or Perfection XR-2 developer. Refer
to the chart for times and tempatures. Agitate normally, as you woul
in developing black-and-white film (per your normal procedure).
Step 3: Rinse in water for one minute, with agitation. This will replace the
acid stop bath.
Step 4: Fix the film in non-hardening fixer for five minutes. Color-film
fixer, Rapid fixer without the hardening agent, or a fixer made from
Sodium Thiosulfate crystals, will work well.
Step 5: Wash the film for ten minutes, with intermittent agitation. From this
point on, you may expose the film to room light.
Step 6: Bleach for ten minutes. I recomend using E-6, C-41, or E-4 bleach
solution. Refer to chart for homemade version.
Step 7: Wash your film for atleast ten minutes. Do not use Photo Flo solution
or other wetting agents
Step 8a: Bring your film to any profesionale lab to have it processed normally
in C-41 chemistry. (Don't have the lab push process your film.) You
can bring the film to the lab in the processing tank, wet, or you can
dry the film for easier transport.
Step 8b: If you choose to dry the film, rinse your film in deionized water,
CHART
-----
FILM EI DEVELOPER TIME TEMP
Ektachrome 100 400 Acufine 12min. 75deg.
Ektachrome 200 400 Acufine 9min. 75deg.
Ektachrome 200 800 Acufine 12min. 75deg.
Ektachrome 200 1600 Acufine 16min. 75deg.
Ektachrome 160 320 Acufine 9min. 75deg.
Ektachrome 400 800 Acufine 9min. 75deg.
Ektachrome 400 1600 Acufine 12min. 75deg.
Ektachrome 400 3200 Acufine 16min. 75deg.
Fujichrome 400 800 Acufine 10min. 75deg.
Fujichrome 400 1600 Acufine 13min. 75deg.
Fujichrome 400 3200 T-Max 14min. 75deg.
Ektachrome 400 3200 XR-2 12min. 86deg.
================================================================================
Note 22.08 -< IR Film Data Sheet >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Kodak High Speed Infared Film 2481
(Estar Base)
EXPOSURE
FILTERS: For most applications, a filter must be used over the lens
(or light source) to absorb the blue light to which the film is
sensitive. For general photography, a KODAK WRATTEN Filter No. 25
is recommended for this purpose. If only infared is to be recorded,
use a KODAK WRATTEN Filter No. 87, 87C, 88A or 89B or its
equivalent. Under very low light conditions and when infared
rendition is not important, the film can be exposed without a
filter.
PHOTOLAMP EXPOSURE TABLE: For use with a KODAK WRATTEN Filter No.
25 over the camera lens. Use two 500-watt reflector-type photolamps
or two No. 2 photolamps in 12-inch reflectors giving comparable
light output. Place one lamp on each side of the camera at an angle
of 45 degrees to the camera-subject axis.
ELECTRONIC FLASH GUIDE NUMBERS: Use with a KODAK WRATTEN Filter No.
87 over the camera lens:
Output of Unit 350 500 700 1000 1400 2000 2800 4000 5600 8000
(BCPS or ECPS)
PROCESSING PROCEDURE
1. Develop:
65F 68F 70F 72F 75F 65F 68F 70F 72F 75F
18.5C 20C 21C 22C 24C 18.5C 20C 21C 22C 24C
2. Rinse:
At 65 to 75 F (18.5 to 24 C) with agitation.
Kodak Indicator Stop Bath - 30 seconds.
OR
Kodak Stop Bath SB-5 - 30 seconds.
3. Fix:
At 65 to 75 F (18.5 to 24 C). Agitate films frequently during
4. Wash:
For 20 to 30 minutes in running water at 65 to 75 F (18.5 to 24
C). To minimize drying marks, treat in Kodak Photo-Flo Solution
after washing, or wipe surfaces carefully with a Kodak Photo
Chamois or a soft wet viscose sponge. To save time and conserve
water, use Kodak Hypo Clearing Agent.
5. Dry:
in a dust free place.
STORAGE:
NOTICE!
This film will be replaced if defective in manufacture, labeling or
packaging. Except for such replacement, the sale or any subsequent
handling of this film is without warranty or liability even though
defect, damage or loss is caused by negligence or other fault.
================================================================================
Note 22.09 -< Circular Polarizers - better than square ones? >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: bbowen@megatest.com (Bruce Bowen)
Subject: Circular polarization, what and why.
Organization: Megatest Corporation
What:
CIRCULAR POLARIZATION:
For example, if you take a clothesline, tied at one end, and wiggle it
up and down, you get a linearly polarized standing wave, if you rotate
it around in a circle like a jump rope you have a circularly polarized
standing wave.
Why:
I've never done this, but it should work. Take two circular polarizing
filters. Have their fronts facing inward toward each other. As you
rotate one with respect to the other you will see the normal linear
polarizing effect of it going light and dark every 90 degrees (so, what
else is new). Now take the far filter and turn it arround so that the
front of the near filter is facing the back of the far filter. Now as
you rotate around, nothing will happen (or it may still go through
the light and dark cycles, but not as intensly.)
Revision History
----------------
Initially Released: March 10, 1994 wpc, tt
Lenses updated March 17, 1994 ds, tt
=========================================================================
INTRODUCTION: Photography with GRAPHIC and GRAFLEX cameras
The 'Speed Graphic' and their brethren, the 'Crown Graphic' and
'Century Graphic' are remarkable cameras capable of the highest
quality of work. The 'Speed Graphic' has not been manufactured
since 1973 and most photographers today are unable to make a
direct comparison*. In many ways, the 'Speed Graphic' was America's
first and last great camera.
The 'Speed Graphic' camera has two shutters - focal plane and in-lens;
three viewfinders - optical, wire frame and ground glass;
interchangeable lenses; a rise and fall front; lateral shifts; a
coupled rangefinder; and a double extension bellows adaptable to lenses
from 90mm to over 300mm.
The older Graflex SLR with its patented focal plane shutter and
reflex focusing had been so successful as a press camera that
the Graflex company set out to design a camera specifically for
the emerging "press" photographer. The result was the original
'Speed Graphic' of 1912.
The Speed Graphic was the still camera of World War II, and
took many famous images striking today for their technical
and artistic beauty. On the home front, Arthur Fellig, aka.
Weegee, prowled the streets of New York with his Speed Graphic.
He writes in his 1945 monograph "Naked City" :
"The only camera I use is a 4x5 Speed Graphic with a Kodak Ektar
lens in a Supermatic Shutter. All-American made. The film I use
is Kodak Super-Panchro Press B. I always use a flashbulb for
my pictures which are mostly taken at night...
The "Graflok" back, with a metal focusing hood and removable ground
glass was introduced in 1949. This back, the standard for 4x5"
view cameras today accepts sheet film holders, roll film adaptors,
the now obsolete film pack, cut film magazines (the Grafmatic) and
the Polaroid back.
The company name changed several times over the years as it was
absorbed and then released by the Kodak empire, finally becoming
a division of the Singer Corporation and then dissolved in 1973.
The award winning Graflex plant in suburban Pittsford, New York
is still standing and is home to the MOSCOM Corporation.
Years Manufacturer
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
188?-1904 Folmer & Schwing Manufacturing Co., NY, NY
1905-1927 Folmer & Schwing Div., Eastman Kodak Co. Rochester, NY
1928-1946 Folmer Graflex Corp., Rochester, NY
1946-1955 Graflex Inc., Rochester, NY
1956-1968 Graflex Inc., Div. General Precision Equipment, Rochester, NY
1968-1973 Graflex Inc., Div. SINGER CORPORATION
1973 Tooling bought by Toyo Co.
=========================================================================
Since we are talking about 30-50 year old equipment, you can't buy one
at your local K-Mart. The best way to find a Speed Graphic is to
purchase a copy of Shutterbug Magazine and peruse the ads, or visit
your local camera flea market.
Recent prices vary widely from $300 and up for a beat Speed Graphic to
$150 for a Crown Graphic in great shape with Kodak 127mm f4.7 lens,
filters, 11 normal 4x5 film holders; 1 4x5 film pack adaptor, flash,
bulbs, and case.
The Toyo 45a Field Camera ($1550) and Horseman 45FA Camera ($2700)
are perhaps the closest current production cameras and could be
compared to the Super Graphic. The Toyo weighs in at 6+ pounds,
while the Horseman (at 3.75 pounds) is set up to be handheld.
There are other 4x5 Field Cameras, but they are more of the classic
wood box tradition, and are generally not constructed so as to be
suitable for hand-holding.
=========================================================================
Lenses for a 4x5" are specialized. You can group view camera lenses
into 4 broad categories:
The major American view camera lens manufacturers are Kodak, Wollensak
(OEM supplier for Graflex), and Ilex. Bausch and Lomb was a
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Most Graflex Optars are made by Wollensak, but later (post 1965) Optars
are manufactured by Rodenstock.
The Polaroid 110,110A and 110B roll-film cameras can often be found
very inexpensively. They are fitted either with a Rodenstock Ysarex
127/4.5 or Wollensak Rapter 127/4.5.
In discussing the various post WWII coated lenses mention should also be
given to German suppliers. Due to manufacturing, supply, and legal
problems, there were relatively few post-war Zeiss Tessars made.
Non Tessar type - usually 3/5 type - post war lenses of superb quality
include the Voigtlander Heliars and Apo-Lanthars, the Schneider Xenotar
and the Zeiss Planar. However, they are extremely expensive for a lens
with a 50-degree image circle.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Focal Length (mm) 90 100 127 135 150 180 203 210
Focal Length (inches) 3.5 4 5 5.25 6 7 8 8.25
Symmars (coated, post-WWII) come in 100, 135, 150, 180 and 210, all
in Syncho Compurs. Even though these are "convertible", they are poor
when used that way. Later 'Symmar S's from the 70s, more expensive,
have even better coating and wider circle of illumination, but are much
more expensive. However the Symmars are still excellent lenses.
Sharper at wide apertures than the 90mm Angulon, etc. The 135mm WF Ektar
was reccomended for General Purpose use on 4x5 monorail view cameras..
Notes : Dagor/Angulon
The Dagor and the Schneider Angulon are true symmetricals (f6.8) but
can cover over 70 degrees at f22 and 80 degrees at f45. They are of
six-element, two-group construction. With so few air-glass interfaces
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
These lenses are much more expensive than any lens in either the General
Purpose or Symmetrical category sections. This is especially ture for the
Biogons which are magnificent but totally out of sight in terms of $.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
4a. Telephoto
Generally this type of lens does not really allow for movements on
a 4x5. But this issue of what lenses for what purposes on a 4x5 is a
much broader issue not really appropriate to go into furhter in this FAQ
Rodenstock Imagon
----------------------------------------------------------------------
When checking out an older shutter note that there are separate springs
for slow(<1/30), medium and high speeds (over 1/250). Check all speeds
and exercise the shutter. If you desire to use a flash, be sure to
check for flash synchronization. 'X' mode is for electronic flashes,
while 'M' mode is for flash bulbs, there may be other synchronization
Lens Storage
------------
=========================================================================
=========================================================================
=========================================================================
The 'Speed Graphic' not really a view camera, you can't tie it up
into a pretzel. Depending on the sort of Photography one is interested
in, this may or may not be limiting. The rigidity of the Graphics make
them very useful for high-speed, wide-aperture shooting (the sort of
shot where extreme depth of field is not important). If you are
interested in a 4x5" to pursue photography suitable for 35mm or 2-1/4"
equipment, the motions are an extra, not an essential. There are other
large format photographers who disagree, their personal vision requires
the use of considerable amounts of perspective control.
=========================================================================
Features: Focusing Back
The pop-open focusing back can usually be removed from the holder by
two clips on the side. This exposes the ground glass retaining clips.
The preferable set-up is to have a fresnel lens as with out it the
image when viewed will get darker as you one views from the center out
to the corners.
If you have a fresnel lens (circular grid on the glass), and the
corners are darker than the center, then you may have adjusted the
camera in such a way that the lens is not covering the area of the
film plane. Many of the standard 'Graflex' lens cover the area of
a 4"x5" sheet, but not much more. Wide angle and wide field lenses
should be clearly marked with WA or WF, indicating they have a greater
coverage area than the diameter of the lens.
Also remember to switch from preview to shutter mode, and stop down the
lens as necessary before pulling the dark slide.
=========================================================================
Features: Infinity Stops
The infinity stops are small tabs which fold over and are located
within the rails, held in place by two extremely small screws. By
folding over the tabs, the lens can pass by the Infinity Stop, which
allows one to use multiple infinity stops, one for each different focal
length lens.
With the rails adjusted to the rear of the bed, and the lens focused on
infinity, you may set the infinity stops for each particular lens.
=========================================================================
Features: Focusing Scales
=========================================================================
Features: Viewfinders
=========================================================================
In a real Speed Graphic the focal plane shutter is the only part that
might be trouble, but is reliable and there are shops dedicated to
fixing them.
An advantage of having a focal plane shutter is that you can also use
barrel lenses (w/o a shutter). A 15" (380mm) Graflex Optar Telephoto,
in a barrel mount is much less expensive (~$90) than the equivalent in
a shutter, which seem to go for $250-300. Also, many vintage (1920-30's)
soft focus portrait lenses are only available in barrel.
I checked mine out. 1/1000 sec is dead on. Your average modern SLR
it is probably no more accurate.
=========================================================================
--------------------------------------------------------------------
ADJUSTING THE KALART RANGEFINDER
1st remove the cover over the RF, exposing the innards.
In the event the RF is out of adjustment re-set it as follows:
the infinity adjustment is made by turning the eccentric screw attacked
to the rear of the right runner of the camera track. (this is where the
long lever from the RF on the inside of the bed contacts the focusing
track). You can use a dime to turn this screw. (the screw becomes
visible when the track is raked very far forwards).
3. Adjusting 15ft.
Focus the camera to approx. 4ft. to adjust loosen the two screws which
hold the indexed slider on the front of the rangefinder and slide
the indicator to adjust. retighten screws.
TOP
---------
| \ |
| \ |
| o \ | <- 1/2 silvered mirror, screw to adjust align
| | coincidence
: o | <- screw to loosen rear scale
Rear scale pointer # to 1 <- front scale numbers
: loosen2
: # <- front scale slider
| o <- screw to loosen front slider
| #
| o <- screw to loosen front slider
| \- #
| \| | <- prism
---------
=========================================================================
Features: Kalart Top Mounted Range Finder [1955 and later]
The cams are tricky to locate and are set up for specific lenses (a
caveat if your camera has a mismatched cam).
=========================================================================
Features: Graflok Back [1949 and later]
=========================================================================
Accessories: Grafmatic Film Holders (4x5 model: Cat. 1268)
Back Type: Standard
The Grafmatic holder (not to be confused with the Graphic Pack Film
holders), will hold size sheets of film in one container. The sheets
are held in individual steel widgets referred to as 'septums'. As of
early 1994, the going prices were advertised as high as $80-$120, but
many individuals report sale prices less than that for holders in good
condition.
They aren't difficult to use, but there are some subtleties in the
loading.
Once you put a negative up front, and pull the slide it will be set
to take the photo 'cause when you put the slide back it, it will be
behind the front one, and then it drops to the back. Thus, if you
prepare the Grafmatic for use, and then decide to re-frame or whatever,
the unexposed negative is still up front. Leave the holder in the
camera and cycle through the septums, back to the one you were on except
don't pull the darkslide on it. That way it's back on top, but not exposed.
=========================================================================
Accessories: Graphic Film Pack Adapter (Cat. 1234)
Back Type: Graflok
=========================================================================
Accessories: Roll Film Backs
Back Type: Graflok (usually)
There were 3 negative sizes, RH-8 (2.25" sq), RH-10 (2.25x2.75") and
RH-8 (2.25x3.25") and holders were made for 2.25x3.25,3.25x4.25 and
4x5" cameras with either Graflock or Graflex backs. Early film
holders, with the knob wind do not hold modern film flat, it bowes
approx. 3/32" towards the film - blowing focus at shallow f/stops.
It seems that lever wind units have the rollers and the knob wind
version do not.
=========================================================================
Accessories: Polaroid Back
Back Type: Standard
An advantage of the 545(i) sheet film holders are that they allow you
to choose any film for any shot, and not be stuck with the same film for
a full pack (8 or 10 shots). Useful if you're shooting 100 then 400,
and want to use the same speed test Polaroid. Ditto for color vs. B&W.
=========================================================================
Accessories: Miscellaneous
Cat.
2747 Graflex 7 in Reflector (large lamp socket for #11 or #22 bulbs)
2749 Graflex 5 in Reflector (small lamp socket -to large lamp socket
right angle converter, for #B5 bulbs)
2712 Graflex Side Lighting Unit (large lamp socket)
2773 Graflex Synchronizer Battery Case (3 D-Cells)
Filter Kits:
Series VI filter kit (filter holder, Y, G, R, sky, lens shade, in
leather case).
=========================================================================
Parts:
=========================================================================
Books:
``The Pacemaker Graphics (Speed Graphic and Crown Graphic "45" "34" "23")
Instruction and Reference Manual''
42 pages, GRAFLEX, Inc., Rochester, NY 10/47
Graflex Factory Repair manual, ~60 pages, details body repair (not
lenses).
=========================================================================
Useful accessories:
Recommendations:
================================================================================
Note 23.02 -< Physical Development Process >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT PROCESS
Treat a negative in this bath for 20-30 minutes, rinse and immadiately proceed
to develop in a developer made up as described below:
For use add 1 part stock silver solution to 4 parts of water and add reducing
agent as described below.
To make up this stock silver solution dissolve the sodium sulphite in 300cc of
water, then dissolve the silver nitrate in 100cc of water and then add it to
the sulphite solution stirring until the white curdy precipitate dissolves.
Dilute the whole to 950cc with water and then add the thiosulfate and stir
until a completely clear solution is obtained. Add water to bring volume to 1
litre. Filter through cotton and store in a brown bottle. Solution is fairly
stable and keeps well.
At the time of use of the developer, for each litre of diluted solution add
17 grams of Amidol (Metol), or for each 15 oz. of diluted solution add 12 gr of
Amidol, and stir until dissolved. The Amidol should not be added to the
solution more than 10 minutes before development is to commence.
With tray development 35 min. to 1 hour development time has been recommended
at 68 degrees. Metal containers for the developer should not be used. Glass or
plastic is much preferred.
This special silver bearing developer can be used for physical devlopment
after fixation if that is what is being attempted. Greatly increased exposures
are required over those needed with ordinary chemical development. Fixation
should be carried out in the dark, with rather neutral or alkaline hypo. Use of
acid fixers destroys the latent image by bleaching the weak silver image and use
of physical development may not be successful to "rescue" a negative fixed by
mistake before development.
================================================================================
Note 23.03 -< Electronic Flash Circuit - fundamental >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
... so you want to build your own flash equipment...
It is probably cheaper to buy ready made than trying to build from scratch.
Also safer. If you want to get a general idea how basic electronic flashes
are put together (as well as some fundamental info on operating parameters)
I suggest you try to get a copy of Harold "Doc" Edgerton's book: Electronic
Flash, Strobe. Softcover copy is available from the MIT Press in Cambridge,
MA. for about $15
If you insist on building a basic unit and can handle the safety aspects of
such circuits ... here's a VERY basic circuit:
10-20 ohm
.---^V^V----+------------+----------------------.
| | | |
+ 450 v | 300uf > 2 MegOhm .-.
__|__ | 450V < .047 uf .------|-| Xenon
___ ===== .-----+--||--------. # | | Flashtube
/ | \ | | > | # | |
| | | < 2 MegOhm # # |_|
| | | | | | |
\-----------+------|---+-+------------+-+-------'
| | Step-Up (Trigger)
| | Transformer
V V
camera sync contacts
The potential "power" in a circuit like this is given in Joules (watt.sec) by:
*
* * * * *
\/\/\/\/\/\/ Andrew Davidhazy, RIT, High Speed Photography Lab.
| | IN%"andpph@ritvax.isc.rit.edu" fax 716-475-5804
_________/ \_____________________________________________________
================================================================================
Note 23.04 -< DX demystified and controlled >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> Is there another way to fool my automatic camera's DX code sensing system?
________________________
| |
| |_
|________________________| |
|12 |11 |10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | |
|___|___|___|___|___|____|_|
| 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
|___|___|___|___|___|____|
|________________________|
25 - - - X -
32 - - - - X
40 - - - X X
50 X - - X -
64 X - - - X
80 X - - X X
100 - X - X -
125 - X - - X
160 - X - X X
200 X X - X -
250 X X - - X
320 X X - X X
400 - - X X -
500 - - X - X
640 - - X X X
800 X - X X -
1000 X - X - X
1250 X - X X X
1600 - X X X -
2000 - X X - X
2500 - X X X X
3200 X X X X -
4000 X X X - X
5000 X X X X X
(non-std) - - -
12 X - -
20 - X -
24 X X -
36 - - X
48 X - X
60 - X X
72 X X X
+- 1/2 - -
+- 1 X -
+2, -1 - X
+3, -1 X X
________________________________________________________________
There is another way to approach the task: I recently rolled some bulk
Vericolor 400 and Ilford XP-1 for a friend with a Point & Shoot camera.
There were 27 short rolls of each film and I didn't feel like putting
foil tape on each cassette. Since each of these films is ISO 400 and
my friend wasn't going to shoot anything else in the near future, I
decided to recode the CAMERA. Examining the cavity where the cassette
goes, I found contacts for areas 1, 2, 3 and 4 only. Of course, area
1 is always conductive, leaving only three areas for ISO setting.
Looking at the ISO table, we see that this camera is not able to
differentiate between the ISO's between multiples of 25; (ISO 80, 64
and 50 will all set to 50, ISO 160, 125 and 100 will all set to 100,
etc). This is probably just fine for negative film, but may not be
accurate enough for slide film (ISO 64 would be set to 50).
Anyway, I put conductive copper tape (sticky side up) between areas
1 and 4, insulating areas 2 and 3, and then covering over that with
insulating tape. I told my friend that as long as he was shooting my
bulk loaded cassettes, everything would be OK. If he wanted to shoot
something else, then remove the tapes. The first couple of rolls look
OK, so I guess this approach works. Those of you with non-override
cameras might consider this approach.
Ron Speirs, Evans & Sutherland Computer Corp., Salt Lake City, UT
================================================================================
Note 23.05 -< Photo Discussion Groups on the Internet >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
this note, 23.05, updated 08-15-95
================================================================================
Note 23.06 -< Sprayable/Brushable Emulsion Source >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> I want to put a picture on ceramic-ware. Is there an emulsion that can
be sprayed or brushed onto this material?
Andy
A little while back we had some discussion about liquid light and I
mentioned a new book in the UK and promised to find details.
Book details: Silver Gelatin, Martin Reed & Sarah Jones, pub Working Books
(Working Books Ltd, Freepost TK 1827, Richmond Surrey, TW9 1BR Tel 0181 332
0746, Fax 0181 332 9300 - you'll need to add the UK code from abroad of
course.)
================================================================================
Note 23.07 -< Guide Numbers - what are they? >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> What does the guide number on a flash mean? If it says 50/ISO 100 or
> something, what does that tell me?
The flash guide number is a "device" that allows you to compute an appropriate
f# for a particular subject distance given a particular film speed. It works
like this:
guide number
required f# = -------------------
distance from flash
to subject
The guide number is given also assuming certain subject characteristics. This
usually means an "average" subject with photography taking place in a small
room with light colored walls. It generally also assumes you will be lighting
your subject from the "front", ie: not side lighting or backlighting.
80
f#? = -------- f# = 8
10 feet
If you had film that was twice as fast you would expect a one stop decrease in
aperture. (See below how GNs for other than the film speed given by the flash
maker are determined) So, with same flash as above but using 200 speed film:
110
f#? = -------- f# = 11
10 feet
If you move twice as close with your flash again using 100 speed film:
80
f#? = ------- f# = 16
5 feet
> If I were to set up two Nikon SB-25 flash units to work in synch (on camera),
> what effect would that have on effective guide number ? It seems to me
> (intuition only) that you would have double the effective output power....
This is quite right. As long as the two flash units are near each other you
have effectively doubled the amount of light falling on your subject
consequently you gain a full stop by simply using two units side-by-side.
So, as far as guide number is concerned you would take the initial guide number
with one unit and multiply it by 1.414 (the square root of 2) and you end up
with the new guide number.
To gain two stops you would need four units. For three eight units, etc.
The new guide number will be the guide number of a single flash mutiplied by
the square root of the number of available identical flashes.
> Is there a formula to determine what the guide number would be with any film
> assuming that I know what it is with some other film speed?
\ /----------------
\ / New Film Speed
Unknown GN is equal to Known GN muliplied by \ / ---------------
where Known GN is asociated with Base (or Given) Film Speed and Unknown GN is
GN with film speed for which it is desired to find the GN.
for example: assume you are given a flash with a GN of 80 with 200 speed film.
what is the GN with 400 speed film? and with 50 speed film?
>I know the meaning of the "Guide Number" (translated from French ;-)) of a
>flash which is the distance of efficiency of a flash with a 100ISO film at
>f-1 (correct me if I'm wrong). But I if I use a 200 ISO film and if I'm at
>f-5.6 how far can my flash be efficient ???
Actually any flash has a particular guide number at full power or at a given
power level setting if it has such capability. This guide number is also a
function of, and varies with, the speed of the film that you will be using.
What the guide number allows you to do is to determine what f stop you should
be using to expose the film and this will depend on subject distance. Dividing
the distance from the flash to the subject will indicate the f number you
should be setting on your lens.
In your mail you are incorrect in assuming that something about f:1. Guide
number is a function of the power of the flash and the film. For example, if
your flash has a guide number of 24 (in meters) with 100 speed film, and your
subject is at 3 meters from the camera then you would set your f number to f:8
and if the subject distance is 10 meters than at f:2.4 (f:2 would be safer) and
if at 1 meter then the f number would be about f:22.
If you used 200 speed film with the same flash then the guide number would be
33 and all the above f numbers would be one f number away from the above ones
.... effectively requiring only 1/2 the light that was needed before because you
have film that is twice as fast.
If you wanted to find out the farthest distance that your subject can be with
any given flash then simply divide the guide number by your largest available
aperture (f:2 or f:1.4 or such) and the number you get is the distance the
subject can theoretically be at. With 200 speed film the distance will be 1.4
times farther than with 100 speed film because light falls off inverseley with
the distance squared. So, if you increase distance 1.4 times then 1.4 x 1.4
equals 2 and this means that at that new distance the light is 1/2 as strong as
it was at the previous location.
Note 24.01 -< Harris Shutter - making and using it! >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
HARRIS SHUTTER FOR COLOR MOTION EFFECTS
A Harris Shutter introduces color in areas of a subject that move during the
exposure while those that remain stationary are reproduced with proper color.
Unusual images can be produced especially of waterfalls, ocean surf, and
The Harris Shutter is more commonly associated with the "drop" version of the
shutter described below. Hopefully with Kodak's indulgence, I will exerpt some
notes from the aforementioned book.
There are two ways to accomplish the desired effect through RGB filters.
Number One is with the camera on a tripod and by sequential axposure through
each of the three filters, Wratten 25, 61 and 38A. These should be available
from photo dealers and they are commonly available in 75mm squares for about
$10 each. Glass equivalents are made by companies like Tiffen, Hoya, etc but
these tend to cost more. Possibly cellophane filters by Roscoe may also be
suitable.
Basically you place the camera which must have the capability of multiple
exposing the film (without the film moving beteen exposure) on a very firm
tripod. Then meter the scene and expose sequentially through each filter giving
one stop more exposure through each than that which was recommended by the
meter.
The reason that more exposure is required is that these filters remove some
of the RGB light that each layer would normally be exposed to if the exposure
were without filter. Bracketing is recommended.
Number Two is to make a guillotine type affair that falls in front of the lens
possibly in a slot of some kind that is attached to the lens. The affair looks
sort of like this:
-----------
| |
| |
| opaque |
| |
| | To make action pictures:
||---------||
|| ||
|| red ||
|| ||
||---------||
|| ||
|| green || This mask falls in front of lens while
|| || the shutter of the camera is held open
||_________||
|| || typically the "shutter" is built into a long
for exposure Harris suggested that you use the aperture that would be required
for an exposure time of 1/30 second. Also, bracket!
You could attemt to determine the proper ND filter to use behind each color
filter by metering through each filter, identifying the one that needs the
least compensation and then add ND value as you meter through the other two
until the readings for these are the same as the reading through your
"benchmark" filter.
If you do this I don't foresee a problem other than an esoteric one having to
do with realizing that the spectral sensitivity pattern of the meter's cell vs.
the spectral characteristics of the color film will influence the process.
Actually a bit of fiddling with exposure will produce variations that may be
more interesting than "dead-on" exposure.
I think that at one time someone manufactured a Harris shutter but if it was
available commercially it was so long ago that I have forgotten who sold it.
On the other hand, this might be a nice sideline for some enterprising person
to undertake. Some light plywood, a lens adapter system and the filters ...
I can see it now... retiring to exotic places, palm trees on island beaches,
hmmmm... :-)
================================================================================
Note 24.02 -< Electronic Visualization of Color Negatives >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
VIDEO PREVISUALIZATION OF COLOR NEGATIVES
Use of a bluish filter helps to allow the white balance of the camera
to reach proper color balance condition. These images can, of course,
be videotaped. Color printing is another, more time consuming but
possibly more rewarding, matter.
Andy
@RIT
================================================================================
Note 24.03 -< Film Codes Demystified >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> ..... often people refer to film by the code name. Does somebody have a
> list of those codes with the normal names next to it? I know TMX is Tmax 100
> by Kodak but what is Fuji RVP VRP PDP or whatever cryptic code they have?
A quick list of the most popular ones starting with Kodak products:
B&W-
Color
================================================================================
Note 24.04 -< Obsolete Film Processing >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> I recently purchased an old Kodak #2 folding Autographic Brownie containing
> a partly-exposed roll of Kodacolor-X. I'd like to get the roll developed and
> printed. Unfortunately, it is Process C-22, a process obsolete for many
> years. Is there a lab that will still process this film?
One lab that touts itself as the _ULTIMATE_ special process lab and one which
is equipped to process C-22 films, as well as E-4 (for Ektachrome Infrared!),
E-3, E-2, K-11, K-12, EFKE, ORWO,as well as various others is Rocky Mountain
Film Lab. They are at 560 Geneva Street, Aurora, CO, 80010 phone: 303 364-6444.
The price to process, print and return ship Kodacolor-X is (was) $25 a roll
and the in-house time is from 3-4 months they say. They suggest you send your
film, cheque and name/address in a padded mailer.
On envelope also write Dept: __________ <----- place the film type here.
I have no connection with this lab. They have processed my films. Good job.
================================================================================
Note 24.05 -< Canon A1 control contacts described >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> Does anyone have precise details on the contacts on the base of the Canon
> A1, in particular, how do you trigger the shutter with them.
Let me label the contacts 1-4 like this, with 1 being the indented one:
================================================================================
Note 24.06 -< Copyright - basic information >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
COPYRIGHT - a simply informal primer
by Erica Wissolik, Library of Congress
I'll try to answer a few of the questions re: copyrights. There are several
books out there that explain the basics of the law but the axiom is - Once its
created, its copyrighted. So, Yes, you can declare your work copyrighted just
by saying so. Registering a copyright is for litigation purposes only.
****Each of these 5 parts can be further subdivided. eg. an owner can license
someone to reproduce a work for him/her but limit the license time, quantity or
manner of reproduction.
3) Does one have to file formal paperwork for something that one wishes to
declare copyrighted? Or register in some way with a federal bureau?
No, you do not have to file formal paperwork in order to register your
copyright. As stated above, once you have created your work, it is
automatically yours and you can legally place the copyright symbols (there are
several ways to do this) next to your name on the work. However, formally
registering your work is an extra measure of protection in a court of law. It
OK - moving on... while you do not have to formally register your copyright,
you do have to DEPOSIT the work in the Library of Congress. The Copyright Act
imposes the requirement on the owner to deposit 2 copies of all works in its
collection (easy way to get stuff without paying for it - oops, I didn't say
that). This deposit requirement is NOT a precondition to copyright protection.
They are 2 separate conditions. Within 3 months of declaring copyright notice,
you must make the deposit. This mandatory deposit provision applies only when
the work is published - that is placed on sale or distributed. If the deposit
is not made - things get expensive. The Registrar of Copyrights comes after you
and demands the deposit. The first demand doesn't cost you anything. If you
ignore it and he comes after you a 2nd time, there is a $250 fine plus the
retail cost of copies. Ignore that, the 3rd time and any repeated negligence
carries a $2500 fine!
***Note - If you do formally register your copyright with the LC, the deposits
filed with the registration will fulfill all deposit requirements.
The only "federal bureau" concerned with copyrights is the Library of Congress.
At this point, I could go into a long explanation of the Berne Convention, the
agreement between several countries that allows your works to be protected
outside of the US, but I'll spare you all that unless someone asks.
BTW If you want more, everything that anyone could possibly want to know about
copyrights and the law is available on LC MARVEL (LC's Machine Assisted
Realization of the Virtual Electronic Library). I'm not sure how much the
outside world knows about MARVEL yet but if you want to contact the design
team, they're at - lcmarvel@seq1.loc.gov
Its the greatest resource. You will find all of the Copyright info conveniently
located on the menu under "Copyright". Follow the menu and you eventually come
to the sections that are "photograph" specific. Also on the menu is the option
to search current copyright files. You can find out who holds what copyrights
on everything - Beatles songs, photos, artwork, the scripts for Beverly Hills
90210, etc. However, the online searches are limited to the last 20 years (I
can't remember the exact date). The rest of the files exist only on 3x5 index
cards in file cabinets 2 floors above me.
You will also be able to find a copy of The Berne Convention, mentioned above.
It will be listed in MARVEL under government info resources/international govt
info/treaties & internatl covenants, between the UN Charter and a treaty on
hazardous waste. Hopefully this will all be clear once you are able, if you
choose to do so, access MARVEL. I'm not a computer wiz. Working here I can
access this stuff with a mouse and icons but the MARVEL is currently available
to you on Internet and uses the Gopher software from the Univ. of Minnesota.
That's all,
Erica Wissolik
Congressional Research Service
Library of Congress
ewissolik@crs.loc.gov
================================================================================
Note 24.07 -< Bellows Sources >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Need replacement bellows? Here is a suggestion:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
I recall that right here in Rochester there also is a manufacturer of
custom bellows. I looked them up in phone book and here is the scoop:
Turner Bellows
526 Child Street
Rochester, NY 14606
ph 235-4456
fx 235-4593
andy, andpph@rit.edu
================================================================================
Note 24.08 -< Cross Processing Benchmark >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> I have been experimenting with cross processed C-41 & E6 films and chemistry.
> I have found the results of my 1st three attempts a bit dissapointing.
================================================================================
Note 24.09 -< Postcard Printer Pointer >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Making Photographs into Postcards
One of the major U.S. postcard printers is Lawson Mardon Post Card,
and they deal with professional photographers. In fact they will use
photographers as "reps," where you get a commission from any postcard
orders you sell to clients.
I've used them twice and the quality (of color from transparencies)
was excellent both times. The cost is good, too: 500 4 x 6 cards
at a cost to you of $225, or at a cost to your client of $320.
jay
jmallin@mcimail.com
================================================================================
Note 24.10 -< Hyperfocal Distances for short 35mm lenses >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> If anyone has a chart showing the hyperfocal distances for the commonly
> used 35mm prime lenses (e.g. below). Perhaps it could be posted to the
> net as I am sure it would be of general interest.
> Lenses include 20mm, 24mm, 28mm, 35mm, 50mm, 85mm, 100mm, 135mm, 200mm etc
I reprint a chart from Outdoor Photographer, Mar. 1993 found in the Tech
Tips column of George Lepp (he reprinted it from the Gallery 412
newsletter). The chart is set for a 0.001 'inch circle of confusion' - in
other words it is for sharp foregrounds. There are many possible charts of
hyperfocal distances so I only take responsibility for typos, not the
information given. These values are in feet.
28mm 13 10 7 5 4
35mm 20 15 10 8 5
50mm 42 30 21 15 10
For those who are unsure what the hyperfocal distance is, it is the point
at which to set your lens to ensure 'optimal' focus from the closest
possible point to infinity. The hyperfocal distance is twice the closest
optimal focal point ie. in the chart under the 28mm lens the closest point
================================================================================
Note 24.11 -< Photo Manufacturers and Distributors list >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Photographic Company Listings as compiled by:
Adrian Chew :) 99chew@grog.lab.cc.wmich.edu
--------------------------------------------------
Acme-Lite/Promark
1731 Carmen Dr.
Elk Grove Village, IL 60007 (708) 593-7400
Agfa Corporation
100 Challenger Rd.
Ridgefield Park, NJ 07660 (201) 440-2500
Ambico, Inc.
2950 Lake Emma Rd.
Lake Mary, FL 32746 (407) 333-8900
Argraph Corp.
111 Asia Place
Carlstadt, NJ 07072 (201) 939-7722
B & H Photo-Video
119 W. 17th Street
New York, NY 10011 (800) 221-5743
Brightscreen
1905 Beech Cove Dr.
Cleveland, TN 37312 (800) 235-2451
Chimera
1812 Valtec Lane
Boulder, CO 80301 (800) 424-4075
Dimco-Gray Co.
8200 S. Suburban Rd.
Centerville, OH 45459 (513) 433-7600
Dyna-Lite Inc.
311-319 Long Ave.
Hillside, NJ 07205 (908) 687-8880
Fiberbilt Cases
601 W. 26th St.
New York, NY 10001 (212) 675-5820
Globuscope Cameras
44 W. 24th St.
New York, NY 10010 (212) 243-1008
Helix
310 S. Racine
Chicago, IL 60607 (312) 421-6000
Hervic Corporation
16516 Arminta
P.O.B. 7800
Van Nuys, CA 91409 (818) 781-1692
Ilford Photo
70 W. Century Rd.
Paramus, NJ 07653 (201) 265-6000
Kaiser Corp.
3555 N. Prospect St.
Colorado Springs, CO 80907 (719) 636-3864
Kalt Corp.
P.O.B. 511
Santa Monica, CA 90406 (213) 305-1166
Light Impressions
439 Monroe Ave.
Rochester, NY 14603 (716) 271-8960
Lumedyne, Inc.
6010 Wall St.
Port Richey, FL 34668 (813) 847-5394
Nikon Inc.
1300 Walt Whitman Rd.
Melville, NY 11747 (516) 547-4355
Omega
P.O.B. 2078
191 Shaeffer Ave.
Westminster, MD 21158 (410) 857-6353
Pentax Corp.
35 Inverness Dr. East
Englewood, CO 80112 (800) 877-0155
Polaroid Corp.
575 Technology Square
Cambridge, MA 02139 (617) 577-2000
Ricoh Corp.
180 Passaic Ave.
Fairfield, NJ 07004 (201) 808-3563
Saunders Group
21 Jet View Dr.
Rochester, NY 14624 (716) 328-7800
Sinar Bron
17 Progress St.
Edison, NJ 08820 (908) 754-5800
Tamrac
9240 Jordan Ave.
Chatsworth, CA 91311 (818) 407-9500
Tenba, Inc.
503 Broadway
New York, NY 10012 (212) 966-1013
Tokina-Hoya-Kenko
1512 Kona Dr.
Compton, CA 90220 (310) 537-9380
Vivitar Corp.
1280 Rancho Conejo Blvd.
Newbury Park, CA 91320 (805) 498-7008
Vue-All, Inc.
P.O. Drawer 1690
Ocala, FL 34478-1690 (904) 732-3188
Yashica Inc.
100 Randolph Rd.
Somerset, NJ 08875 (908) 560-0060
Note 25.01 -< Daguerreotype Info from 1858 available on-line >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
as seen on PHOTOHST mailing list:
A second text that I have prepared will be one of the October releases.
--
Greg Walker gwalker@netcom.com
Digital Daguerreian Archive Project --
Electronic texts from the dawn of photography.
================================================================================
Note 25.02 -< List of Photo/Imaging Books, Magazines, etc. >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This is a partial list of magazines, newsletters, and books relating to
photo/imaging being compiled by Jerry Courvoisier of Southern Illinois
University's Photographic Production Technology Department. He is also
trying to keep the list current and asks that if you know of additional
publications you please email the info to him at GA4216@siucvmb.siu.edu
Books
Mark Beach
Graphically Speaking
North Light Books 1992
Breslow, Norman
Basic Digital Photography
Focal Press 1991
Newsletters
Magazines
Studio Photography
Div. Of PTN Publishing
445 Broad Hollow Rd
Suite 21
Melville, NY 11747
Publish
Integrated Media Inc.
501 Second St.
San Francisco, CA 94107
PC Magazine
Ziff-Davis Publishing Company
Computer Artist
P.O. Box 2649
Tulsa, OK 74101-9632
Photographic Processing
900 Haddon Ave. Suite 326
Collingswood, NJ 08108-2101
Advanced Imaging
445 Broad Hollow Road
Melville, NY 11747-4722
Photo Marketing
Photo Marketing Association International
3000 Picture Place
Jackson, MI 49201
Minilab Developments
2627 Grimsley Street
Greensboro, NC 27403
Wired
P.O. Box 191826
San Francisco, CA 94119
New Media
Hypermedia Comm. Inc.
901 Mariners Island Blvd.
Suite 365
San Mateo, CA
Mac World
P.O. Box 51666
Boulder, CO 80312-1666
Mac Week
525 Brannan St.
Suite 309
San Francisco, CA 94107
Communication Arts
410 Sherman Ave.
Palo Alto, CA 94306
News Photographer
1446 Conneaut Ave.
Bowling Green, OH 43402
419-372-8308
Industrial Photography
PTN Publishing Co.
Div. Of PTN Publishing
445 Broad Hollow Rd
Melville, NY 11747
Presentations Magazine
Lakewood Publications Inc.
50 S. Ninth St.
Minneapolis, MN 55402
TV Technology
P.O. Box 1214
Falls Church, VA 22041-9808
Inform
Association for Information and Image Management
1100 Wayne Ave. Suite 1100
Silver Spring, MD 20910
================================================================================
Note 25.03 -< Basic Photo Lesson w/pinhole camera >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
HOW TO MAKE/USE A PINHOLE CAMERA
What follows is offered for public school teachers who may wish to
introduce photography on a basic level in their classrooms. What is
presented is written on a -very basic- level, not to insult anyone's
intelligence, but to be as complete as possible. Further, this is not
intended to be "the last word" on the subject - It's only one approach
among many. For instance, those familiar with graphic arts will
immediately see that Ortho film could be easily substituted as the negative
material.
Yours in teaching,
Carroll Hale
(Chair/Professor - Art) Eastern Kentucky University
ARTHALE@ACS.EKU.EDU
-----------------------------CUT HERE--------------------------------------
PROCEDURE
I. CAMERA CONSTRUCTION
The decision as to whether the student is to construct the camera
or him/herself or use one already made can only be made by the
classroom instructor. If one is to be made, a complete
demonstration and close guidance are practical necessities. Four
cameras may be made from a single sheet of matboard. Some matboard
is left over, but little is wasted. Making a camera should take
about one class period if the parts are precut and -IF- all goes well.
VI. CLEAN-UP
Used chemicals should be dumped in an environmentally approved
fashion. Do not return them to the stock solution bottles as
they will weaken the fresh chemicals. If the used chemicals must
be saved, put them in bottles reserved for the purpose and
clearly marked as such. The trays should be rinsed and drained
and left to dry. Any spills should be sponged up and the area
washed with clear water. Store chemicals and paper in a cool,
dry, dark place.
DARKROOM:
----------------------------END------------------------------------
Date: Fri, 23 Sep 1994 16:00:11 -0400
From: "E. C. HALE" <ARTHALE@ACS.EKU.EDU>
Subject: HOW TO MAKE/USE A PINHOLE CAMERA
================================================================================
Note 25.04 -< Tips for use of PhotoFlo >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> I would like any tips on removing and/or preventing water spots on
> dried negs. Even though I always use photoflow, I have a problem with
> spots from time to time.
1. Check your water source, excess minerals in the water will cause
spots. Try mixing your Photo-Flo with DI, or distilled water and see if
the problem persists.
or...
2. Mix the Photo-Flo a bit weaker than recommended and keep it changed
often. The spots you're seeing may actually be Photo-Flo sludge marks -
a common ailment when the solution is too strong or too old.
or...
or...
4. Even though this is highly unlikely the problem, and I don't mean to
insult anyone's intelligence, but I have known of students who, until
corrected, thought that they should rinse the film off in water !after!
the Photo-Flo, thus spots.
Barry Snidow,
North Lake College
Irving, Texas
================================================================================
Note 25.05 -< Remote Camera Triggering Discussion >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Subj: RE: remote nighttime photography
There are several commercial IR (beam interrupt) and sound detectors available
on the market. A fairly popular one is the Dale Beam. It costs around $500 as
do most of the others.
These devices allow you to set up an invisible beam of IR and when something
interrupts the beam it causes a switch to close thereby tripping a camera
capable of being tripped by the closure of a switch.
To set up the system so that the camera will ONLY fire when the subject is in a
specific location in space an "X" beam set-up must be set up. This can be
arranged by splitting a laser beam (if you don't mind a light spot to possibly
show up on your subject you could use a red, visible, AV laser pointer) with a
beam splitter and using a few mirrors directing each 1/2 beam so that they
recombine on the tripper's sensor but traveling through space in such a manner
that they cross at the desired location.
The sensitivity of the device is adjusted so that when either half of the beam
is broken the sensor's response is still high enough that the switch does not
close. But when both halves are interrupted, bingo, the device trips the
shutter.
BTW... you could also use a device built into several modern cameras called a
"trap" shooting mode. Meaning that when the subject is in focus the camera
trips. I don't know which specific cameras have this feature but I am sure our
colleagues on the list will let us know.
If your camera does not have the capability of being fired by the simple
closure of a switch your problems are magnified manyfold. It is also useful to
have a winder or motor drive on the camera. I think some of the simples cameras
to trip with simple switches are Canon and Olympus cameras since they use a
2 mm (or maybe it is 1.5mm0 or subminiature plug available at most electronic
stores (such as Radio Shack). Nikons use "special" connectors but you can
circumvent this with a bit of ingenuity. I have simply slipped short lengths of
household extension wire, after appropriately expanding the plastic, over the
bottom two of the pins if a three connector Nikon plug or over both is a two
pin type and then a simple connection of the stripped ends should cause the
motor to fire the camera. (I can not accept responsibility for damage to pins
or camera due to installation of "improvised" cables).
We also use this device to make milk splash photographs ala Doc Edgerton. (sort
of as illustrated in my signature file appended below) There are I am sure more
refined designs and designs built on digital rather than analog circuitry but
for us the 556 works well.
If anyone would like to have a copy of the circuit, as well as other circuits
that friends have sent me,I would be happy to mail you a copy if you send me
private mail and include your snail mail.
Andy
o o 0 0 o o
\/\/\/\/\/\/ Andrew Davidhazy, at RIT's Imaging and Photo Tech Dept
| | andpph@rit.edu High Speed Photography Lab
_______/ \_________________________________________________________
Protech, Inc.
703-941-9100
You can also obtain a similar device called the Shutter Beam from:
Woods Electronics
c/o Steve Yankey
619-486-0806
================================================================================
Note 25.06 -< More on Polarizing Filters! >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>I would like to know how a circular polarizing filter works.
================================================================================
Note 25.07 -< Kodak 2481 HS Infrared Film Data Sheet >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Kodak High Speed Infared Film 2481
(Estar Base)
EXPOSURE
FILTERS: For most applications, a filter must be used over the lens
(or light source) to absorb the blue light to which the film is
sensitive. For general photography, a KODAK WRATTEN Filter No. 25
is recommended for this purpose. If only infared is to be recorded,
use a KODAK WRATTEN Filter No. 87, 87C, 88A or 89B or its
equivalent. Under very low light conditions and when infared
rendition is not important, the film can be exposed without a
filter.
PHOTOLAMP EXPOSURE TABLE: For use with a KODAK WRATTEN Filter No.
25 over the camera lens. Use two 500-watt reflector-type photolamps
or two No. 2 photolamps in 12-inch reflectors giving comparable
light output. Place one lamp on each side of the camera at an angle
of 45 degrees to the camera-subject axis.
ELECTRONIC FLASH GUIDE NUMBERS: Use with a KODAK WRATTEN Filter No.
87 over the camera lens:
Output of Unit 350 500 700 1000 1400 2000 2800 4000 5600 8000
(BCPS or ECPS)
PROCESSING PROCEDURE
1. Develop:
65F 68F 70F 72F 75F 65F 68F 70F 72F 75F
18.5C 20C 21C 22C 24C 18.5C 20C 21C 22C 24C
2. Rinse:
At 65 to 75 F (18.5 to 24 C) with agitation.
Kodak Indicator Stop Bath - 30 seconds.
OR
Kodak Stop Bath SB-5 - 30 seconds.
3. Fix:
At 65 to 75 F (18.5 to 24 C). Agitate films frequently during
fixing.
Kodak Rapid Fixer -2 to 4 minutes
OR Kodak Fixer -5 to 10 minutes
OR Kodak Fixing Bath F-5 -5 to 10 minutes
4. Wash:
For 20 to 30 minutes in running water at 65 to 75 F (18.5 to 24
C). To minimize drying marks, treat in Kodak Photo-Flo Solution
after washing, or wipe surfaces carefully with a Kodak Photo
Chamois or a soft wet viscose sponge. To save time and conserve
water, use Kodak Hypo Clearing Agent.
5. Dry:
in a dust free place.
STORAGE:
NOTICE!
This film will be replaced if defective in manufacture, labeling or
packaging. Except for such replacement, the sale or any subsequent
handling of this film is without warranty or liability even though
defect, damage or loss is caused by negligence or other fault.
I use Contemporary Frame Co., Dept O, 346 Scott Swamp Rd, Box 514, Farmington,
CT 06032. For information, call 1-203-677-7787, or to order, call
1-800-243-0386. Their minimum credit card order was $25 the last time I
ordered, which was about a year ago. I don't recall how fast they delivered,
but if they have what you want in stock, I'm sure they will expedite it for a
price. (But then they may cease to be considered 'cheap'.)
The frames I usually get, their style 905 silver ones, cost about $6.61 for a
16x20, and that includes the necessary hardware. Locally, I'd pay $15 or more
for the same thing.
K. Mosley (mosley@artsci.wustl.edu)
.............................................................................
..............................................................................
Light Impressions
439 Monroe Ave.
Rochester NY 14603-0940
1-800-828-6216
FAX 1-800-828-6216
================================================================================
Note 26.02 -< Polarizing and UV filters - Q and A >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This file contains the answers to frequently asked questions about polarizing
and UV/skylight filters. I saw so many questions about these filters on news,
I thought it wouldn't hurt to make it a FAQ.
If anyone has comments on this faq or useful supplements, please E-mail them to
RAGutteling@tudedv.et.TUDelft.nl
or RAG@octopus.et.TUDelft.nl
All the information useful to other news-readers will be added to this FAQ,
mentioning the name of the one who sent it to me. You can also E-mail to the
above address if you still have unanswered questions about filters. Should
there still be questions that are frequently asked, I'll add them to this FAQ.
This file may be copied and distributed freely, as long as you keep in intact.
So let me get the credit for the time I spent on it and do not just copy parts
of it, for chances are that I will get questions that are already answered in
this FAQ.
I will try to keep this FAQ in rec.photo.*, posting the new version when this
one is removed from the list.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
* THINGS THAT HAVE CHANGED SINCE THE ORIGINAL FAQ *
- The answer to Q2 of the polarizing filters has been replaced by the FAQ on
circular polarizers written by TOM DAVIS (davis@bedlam.asd.sgi.com)
- Rev. Dr. PHIL HERRING (revdoc@wumpus.uow.edu.au) pointed out that even if you
use a manual camera, a linear polarizer might disturb your light meter. This
is added to A2 on polarizers
- Polarizing Filters -
A1: In order to answer this question, you'll first have to know something about
light. Light can be regarded as a flow of particles (called photons), or as
an electromagnetic wave. I'll try to stick to the wave theory. So, light
can be regarded as a waveform, oscillating in an arbitrary direction
perpendicular to its direction of motion. There will be waves oscillating
up/down, oscillating left/right and all that's in between those two.
A polaroid filter only allows to pass the component of the oscillation that
is directed in the polarizing direction of the filter.
where theta is the angle between the oscillating direction of the wave and
the polarizing direction of the filter.
The overall effect is blocking out half of the available light, and
'directing' the other half.
(1) If you use a standard linear polarizer with cameras that use auto-focus
and/or auto-exposure, you may have problems.
This filter may also cause trouble with manual cameras, if you're using
TTL light measurement. A little dependent on the camera, your meter
might go crazy.
(It is not said you _will_ get problems, only that you might get them.)
(2) A circular polarizer can be used on all cameras, and will work the same
as a linear polarizer with respect to darkening the sky, eliminating
glare, et cetera -- circular polarizers are just more expensive.
The idea is to use a linear polarizer up front to get rid of some linearly
polarized light you don't want (glare off shiny surfaces, for example, will
have a large linearly polarized component), and then it "stirs up" the
result so you don't have linearly polarized light bouncing around in the
camera.
And of course, since there's another chunk of material in the way (the
quarter-wave plate), there will be slighly more degradation of the image
with a circular than with a linear polarizer.
So if you hold a circular polarizer as if your eye is the camera (with the
side that's normally screwed into the camera nearest your eye), it'll
appear light in the mirror. If you flip it over it should appear almost
black.
O sun
\
\
\ o you
\ /
\ /
\/
--------- reflecting surface
You will be able to block out the unwanted reflections this way, dependent
on the direction of the filter. When you're standing perpendicular to the
sun, the effect will be maximum, slowly decreasing as you move in line
with the reflecting surface and the sun. Then the effect will become zero.
You can also use a polarizer to control the colour of the sky, ranging from
light blue to dark blue/grey. Since the sky is reflected light and hence
polarized, you can deepen the blue by removing light reflected of dust in
the atmosphere(haze). In this way, you are able to let the clouds almost
disappear or make them better visible. This also works best when you are
standing on a line perpendicular to the line sun-earth.
A4: It depends on what you are planning to do. When taking pictures of
reflecting surfaces, it will give you the possibility to remove the
reflections, thus creating a 'better' picture than without the filter. You
can also use the polarizer to create more contrast in your pictures. The
best way to find out what you can do with a polarizer is just try it. Use a
roll of slide film (can't be corrected or ruined during printing) and take
pictures of the things you normally take pictures of, but now use the
following system: Take four or five picctures in a row of the same object,
preferably with just a short period of time between them. The first picture
should be taken without filter, just for reference. Then start with the
filter in an arbitrary position, take a picture, rotate the filter a little
(about 15 to 20 degrees ) and take the next picture, rotate the filter
again etc. until you have four or five pictures. Then move on to another
situation and repeat the above sequence. After developing the film, you
will see quite remarkable differences between the various positions of the
filter. Do try to start with the filter in the same starting position each
time you start on a new series of four or five pictures.
David Jacobson suggested you just look through the viewfinder of your
camera, but that won't give you information on what influence the polarizer
has on the autoexposure or autofocus of your camera (All cameras are equal,
but some are more equal than others - after George Orwell). Also, there are
A5: As said before, a polarizer can influence the colours in your picture by
darkening them, it can block out unwanted reflections and it can disturb
your AF measuring beam or autoexposure (only linear polarizers). Also,
because it will block about at least half the available light, it will slow
your film down 1.5 to 2 stops, so if you are using a separate light meter,
set your ISO dial 1.5 to 2 stops lower to correct for the loss of light.
(You can also try measuring the amount of light through the filter with
your light meter, but this is not a very accurate way of calibrating it).
In this case, just try a few pictures, you'll soon find out what correction
to use in your particular case.
In case of doubt: A little overexposure is not as bad as underexposure, so
if you want to be on the safe side, use the 2 stops correction. Warning:
this is, if you're using normal film. Slides like to be underexposed a
little if you're not sure on the amount of light.
One other comment: the 1.5 to 2 stops is *not* valid for every polarizer.
Most of them will indeed take 1.5 or 2 stops, but it may happen that your
polarizer only takes 1 stop, or takes as much as 3 to 3.5 stops. It is
totally dependent on the brand and kind of equipment you use.
Q6: How can I find out if I really have to buy a circular polarizer?
A6: It depends on the camera you're using if you need a circular polarizer or
not. Most autofocus cameras have a semi-silvered mirror, and this can
cause a significant difference in the amount of light reaching the
photocell when using a linear or circular polarizer. Most of the manual-
only cameras have their photocell in the prism, and they will not see the
difference between linear and circular polarizers. So, in case of doubt,
try a linear filter and -looking through the viewfinder- see if the reading
of the light meter changes when rotating the polarizer. If it changes more
than 1/2 stop, use a circular polarizer. This test has the most validity
if you do it in daylight, looking at a grey wall.
A7: Light which reflects off any surface is polarised to some extent. The
degree of polarisation is related to the angle of incidence of light and
the refractive indices of the two materials. At a certain angle known as
"Brewsters angle", light is 100% polarised. At other angles of incidence
the light is partly polarised.
where
air n=1 45
water n=1.333 53
So enough theory,
All the surfaces a photographer wants to control lie in the 50 degree
range. Say you want to take a picture through a glass window. If you have
no filter on you will see a reflection. If you put on a polarizer and take
your picture looking straight through the window the reflection will still
show up. But if you move around so you are looking through the window at
an angle of 50 degrees, the reflected light will be 100% polarized. You
then rotate the polarizing filter on your camera lens until the reflected
image disappears. This is because the direction of polarization can vary
with respect to the camera depending on the angle of incidence of the
light.
- UV/Skylight Filters -
A1: Both of the filters filter out the UV light that can cause a blueish haze
on your pictures, since normal film is not only sensitive to visible light,
but also to UV.
A skylight filter is also slightly coloured (pink or yellow), to give your
pictures a 'warm' appearance (not so much blue).
A2: As mentioned above, the skylight filter is slightly coloured to give your
pictures a 'warm' appearance.
A4: About half of all the photographers keep an UV filter on their lens perma-
nently, for it prevents your lens against dust, scratches and perhaps
damage due to accidentally dropping the lens. A filter is much cheaper than
a lens, so ruining your filter will not be as bad as ruining the front part
of your lens.
On the other hand, some photograpers (the other half) think it unneccesary
to keep the filter on the lens, since everything between the original
picture and your film, including filters, can cause blurrs or errors in the
image, and that's one of the things we don't want to happen.
It is just a matter of personal preference. I must admit I always have a
filter on my lens, and I take it off only for cleaning.
A5: First of all, it will filter out most of the UV light. A skylight filter
will also colour your pictures a little. Because the UV is filtered out,
you may notice the sky in your pictures is not as deep blue as it used to
be. This is because the UV component is now missing, resulting in another
kind of blue on your pictures. Just try a few pictures with and without
filter and see what you like best.
An UV or Skylight filter doesn't have any effect on the amount of visible
light falling through the lens, so you won't have to correct for it.
Richard.
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Lt. Frank Drebin: Nice party, Hapsburg... I see a lot of familiar |
| facelifts. |
| |
| from: 'Naked Gun 2 1/2: The Smell of Fear'. |
+------------------------+-------------------------------------------+
| Richard Gutteling | E-mail: RAGutteling@tudedv.et.TUDelft.nl |
| Lavendelhof 9 | or : RAG@octopus.et.TUDelft.nl |
by John Peele
Reference Librarian, Pepperdine Univ., School of Law Library
Internet: jpeele@Pepperdine.edu
Although I located math which YOU can use to correlate diffraction with f/stop
and focal length, I question the value of such data since most cameras using
35mm film do not permit the aperture to be closed to such a small diameter
that diffraction becomes a 'real' concern. Also, except that the problem may
become 'real' for large film cameras, such as view cameras, extremely rarely
do I close my lenses to where diffraction may occur. Incidentally, a neutral
density filter can be used to cut down light, while maintaining a 'reasonable'
aperture and/or shutter speed.
Today, I doubt if you can buy a new camera or lens for that camera in which
diffraction becomes a factor. Likewise, the other optical aberrations,
spherical aberration, coma, astigmatism, curvature of field, distortion and
chromatic aberration, have been significantly minimized or eliminated from
most lenses of contemporary design. That is, the majority of lenses today are
designed with the aid of a computer, enabling optical engineers to reduce
aberrations much more effectively than in pre-computer days. Also new glass
compositions permit these engineers to bend light in ways not dreamed of 'in
the old' days.
Diffraction affects how light rays are bent as they pass through the lens and
the aperture controlling stop or iris. Diffraction or bending of light rays
around the edge (interior) of the lens diaphragm, tends beyond a certain point
to limit the improvement in image sharpness that can be produced by making the
aperture smaller. This occurs because normally the quantity of light through
an aperture opening overwhelms the neglible amount of light which is
diffracted. Usually, loss of some image sharpness through the effect of
diffraction is compensated for by greater image detail.
Depth of Field is the distance from the nearest point of sharp focus to the
farthest point of sharp focus, and depends on (1) the focal length of the
lens, (2) the lens stop, (3) the distance from the lens to the point focused
on; or camera to subject distance, and (4) the size of the 'circle of
confusion' [See below]. 'Hyperfocal distance' is the nearest distance in
Image size depends on the film format. Design criteria for 'c of c' vary
according to film format and, of course, the crispness of the lens. Although
an acceptable limit of the 'c of c' is stated in one source as "1/1000 of the
focal length" of the lens, other sources report up to 1/2000 of the focal
length. These numbers seem to convert to approximately 1/200 to 1/500 of an
inch. The eye is understood to see an image with each dot as a point; and the
image is seen as sharp when the 'c of c' is smaller than 1/100th of an inch.
Because the 'c of c' becomes larger than design criteria and will overlap
adjacent circles for image portions out of focus, critical focus should be a
primary concern when seeking well saturated imagery. Consider that diluted
black becomes grey, as does contaminated white. Thus, an out-of-focus image
of a black line on a white background, for example, will be recorded with less
edge separation than a comparable sharply focused image.
If your 'slides' are continuously over-exposed, expose the film at 1/3 to 1/2
stop less than metered. I expose my ASA 64 film at ASA 80, but have learned
to expose certain ASA 25 film at ASA 25. Because of the compensations made in
prints from machine printed negative films, such compensations do not always
provide me 'better' prints.
Well I really didn't want to reinvent the wheel if someone else had already
cranked the numbers through, but...
Just for fun lets look at the resolution of a 1/4" branch of an oak tree at
100 meters. I like pictures of naked trees in winter, especially when you can
see superfine detail. Let's use Rayleigh's criteria to determine the limiting
resolution of a circular aperture and determine the minimum aperture required
to resolve the branch. According to Rayleigh's criteria the limiting angle of
resolution of a circular aperture is
theta=1.22*lambda/D
For the discussion,let lambda=555 nanometers which is about the peak spectral
response of the human eye, and theta is 6.35*10**-5 radians. Solving for D
gives a required diameter of 11 mm! Let's assume we are shooting with a 4x5
with a 150mm lens. The f-stop corresponding to the 11mm diameter aperture is
about f-14. Surprising result. Maybe 1/4" is too fine to try to resolve, so
let's see how fine we can resolve at f-32 at the same distance. The required
diameter for f-32 on a 150mm lens is 4.688mm. This implies a value for theta
of 1.444*10**-4 radians. At 100 meters, the smallest thing to be resolved
would be 14mm or a little over 1/2". We haven't looked at any effects due to
optical defects, but only the limiting effect on resolution of size of a
circular aperture.
================================================================================
Note 26.04 -< Guide for Forte Films used in Kodak Developers >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Processing instructions for FORTE films in Kodak developers
all times at 68 degrees F, all times in minutes
120 films
================================================================================
Note 26.05 -< Making Duplicate Slides with Enlarger >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> How do I make duplicates of my slides?
Kodak makes a wonderful dup film in sheet sizes, numbered 6121. It is used in
the enlarger with tungsten illumination, and the image is projected on the
easel, just like paper. Of course, since the image is normally down in the
range of 1:1, learning to focus and size is critical. Using shorter focal
lengths than normal is typical, as is sizing with the focus knob and focusing
by moving the enlarger up and down. If you have an omega autofocus, you will
learn to appreciate it, if you don't already.
Also, if you put the original in the carrier emulsion side up instead of down
as usual, the resulting dupe will read right through the back side. Color
balance is handled with whatever filtering system you use for making prints.
While this may seem like more trouble, it offers a lot of flexibility. You
can make 4x5 dupes from 35mm, 35mm dupes from 4x5, 11x14 dupes if you need
them. You can combine images, etc., too, but I suppose the Mac has made history
out of that. I expect that was how Pete Turner, among others, might have
accomplished some of his images. I loved to do this; I did a poster for the
opera _Faust_ once, combining an old man and a young man into the same person.
It was creepy. Fun.
Here in Seattle, we have a specialty lab (Duck Island Ltd.) that makes dupes to
precise sizes, strips them together so they can be scanned just once. It
results in huge overall savings for the client. I suppose the Mac will make
history out of that, too.
Larry Bullis
Shoreline Community College
From: Larry Bullis <lbullis@ctc.ctc.edu>
================================================================================
Note 26.06 -< Duplicating Slides - Procedures and Films >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> I want to make duplicates of my slides. How would I go about doing this, what
equipment is required and what films to use?
Here is a summary on direct slide dups, plus better detail on the film issues:
1) Slide Dupe Attachment. A tube w/built-in lens which mounts on the camera
body, and has a slide holder on the end followed by a diffuser. Aim at light
source of choice. If flash, I guess you'd have to run tests for exposure.
3) Enlarger. Put slide in the enlarger and the camera body, sans lens, on the
platen. Image slide onto the film plane.
Focusing for this method is achieved by one of three methods: 1) a nice finder
(e.g., right angle, magnifying, etc.); 2) a custom jig which would allow rapid
and dependable switching between the camera body and a white focusing block at
the same height as the film plane; or 3) a custom jig which holds a camera body
w/standard finder and incorporates a mirror to allow you to see into the finder
(this seems easier than the other jig).
4) Duping Device. I once saw a unit which had a mount for a camera over a
small box having a slide holder, a diffuser, a filtration unit, and both a
flash and a focusing lamp in the box. It was nice, but more expensive I'm
sure. No idea who made it. (Anyone know of such devices?)
Ok, those are the better methods. (Reshooting a projected slide is also
possible, but not recommended -- it'll trash the image quality.) Seems that
option 2 -- extension -- is the cheapest do-it-yourself if you have a camera.
1) Ektachrome Slide Dupe Film 5071, for originals on E-6, optimized for 1 sec
of 3200k tungsten exposure. Come in 35mm magazines. Also available as 7071
-- same film, different formats.
There was also a special dupe film for Kodachrome originals -- Ektachrome Slide
Dupe Film, Type K, 8071 -- but I am told that this is being discontinued.
c
From: Chris Dobbs <dobbs@pcd.Kodak.COM>
.............................................................................
Another possible set up is one my wife used while working at the photolab at
Brown University, before they sprung for an expensive duper:
use your enlarger's color head, dismounted and upside down (condenser/diffuser
pointing up). a diffuse light source is best, so any color correct diffusion
material can be used if the head doesn't have a diffusion source to begin with.
make a mask that fits the head with an opening large enough illuminate the
original (this prevents any possible flare from the surrounding area). mount
your camera, with the necessary extention to achieve a 1:1 ratio, above the head
on a copy stand or whatever, level the set up, and you're off and duping with a
color correctable light source.
Yes - you can contact print, but in my experience the dupe image is not as
sharp as with an optical path, and to get reasonable sharpness you must
contact emulsion to emulsion so the dupe is a mirror image. One thing
further, the original must be emulsion side up in the enlarger for the dupe
to be correct. Mirror image dupes can give focusing problems when
projected, especially when mixed with other slides.
If I were doing this, I would live with the wrong-reading image and note
the fact on the mount. In fact, a lot of dupes made in the past were
made wrong reading. I don't think there was a convention to supply them
that way, but there was always a question when working with dupes whether
they were coming or going. Often, dupes are encountered that are of
unknown generations -- and they look like it. Just how many times has it
been flopped?
> Do you know what film (brand and model) is low contrast enough to do
> slide to negative dupes. I want to take negative pictures of my slides.
The catalog I am using is a couple years old. If anybody has better data,
maybe you'd send it up?
It used to be that Interneg films were very tricky, requiring testing and
plotting results -- which most people just weren't prepared to do. It was
possible to do very fine work through internegs, but in fact most of it looked
like garbage because the color crossover was so serious. I hope the materials
that are available now are better -- or at least more forgiving.
The contrast curve is shaped so that the contrast increases as the density.
So you control the contrast by placing the exposure on the curve.
I have not had to use this stuff now for the past almost 20 years. I have not
missed it at all. I made good internegatives, but it was somewhat lacking in
fun as a daily activity.
RE: Small copying unit that holds camera atop a light source ....
Larry
From: Larry Bullis <lbullis@ctc.ctc.edu>
..............................................................................
One system I have had excellent results from is with a Nikon N90 (or any Nikon
that has TTL capability) and a 105mm macro lens that will focus 1:1 such as the
AF unit. Hook a Nikon Slide Copying Adapter (Es-1) on to the end of the 105mm
lens and adjust focus. Use a TTL capable strobe (Nikon SB24 or 24, Sunpak with
NE adapters, etc.) from about 18". Using So366 Slide Dup film I got outstanding
results after the smallest amount of trial and error.
Buy the film in 100 foot rolls for consistent results. Follow Kodak's
filtration advice and make a ring-around for exposure and filtration for a
typical slide. I've used CP filters in front of the light path with good
results however Kodak will probably recommend the more expensive CC filters.
Once you zero in, duplication is easy as long as you are copying from the same
film. If you have Kodachromes and Exktachromes to copy you may need to make the
ring-around of each type.
From: edwardk9@umcc.umich.edu
..............................................................................
Re; Determining exposure with Slide Dupe Attachment used with flash....
PB-4 is a bellows. PS-4 is a nice slide holder with milk glass diffuser,
attaches to PB-4. The "4" stuff is old and discontinued (it's mid 70's era)
and the current item in Nikon line is PB-6.
> 4) Duping Device. I once saw a unit which had a mount for a camera over
> a small box having a slide holder, a diffuser, a filtration unit, and
> both a flash and a focusing lamp in the box. It was nice, but more expensive
> I'm sure. No idea who made it. (Anyone know of such devices?)
It gets even more complicated. For $1000 plus you get a light source, slide
holder, mount to hold camera and macro lens, and the unit *blends* x% light
coming through your slide and y% additional light to "flash" (i.e. fog) your
film to reduce the contrast. These rigs facilitate making dupes on *normal*
slide film. I've seen these, but never used. (Bowens Illumitran, ed.)
This is the one I like. It was very easy to use. One test run and I was
You'll need some "color printing filters"; I bought a set of Unicolor brand.
You can also use gel filters, but they are expensive. Put color printing
filter between flash and diffuser glass, not between slide and lens.
The current film is Kodak Commercial Internegative Film (5325 in 35mm 100
foot rolls; not available in 36 exp). Kodak tells me it is an improvement
over Vericolor Internegative Film (still avail??).
The current film still has the very laborious balancing procedure. Requires a
densitometer. And a test exposure through a step wedge (available from Kodak).
One new wrinkle: Kodak will take your densitometer readings, run them through a
computer program and tell you the recommended exposure (no charge). They also
sell the program.
I took the film, ignored the warnings and procedure, did a couple of tests and
was able to get nice results. A pro in Canada tells me he used Fuji's
internegative film (ITN) with good results ignoring the balancing process. The
resulting prints were sharp and no noticable added grain. Colors were quite
printable. But, I suspect I was lucky and after reading up on all this, stopped
using the film. Read the Kodak publicationbelow if you are going to try to use
the film -- crossed curves apparently can really mess things up, even though I
haven't seen it personally.
Klaus
From: kbagschi@astro.uni-bonn.de (Klaus Bagschik)
..........................................................................
Re: TTL metering every slide and achieving proper exposure when using TTL
flash control using a duplicator.
I use Fujichrome CDU/CR56 duplicating film balanced for tungsten light with a
Durst Chromapro. I buy the film in blocks of five 100ft rolls all the same
batch so that once I,ve adjusted for the new filtration I can keep the trans
pretty close to the new filtration settings. The Fuji duping film is extremely
red sensitive so I generally give Kodachrome originals between ten and fifteen
more units of cyan filtration than Ektachromes. I dupe a wide range of
materials, and have found that emulsions vary tremendously over the years of
their production. You just develop an eye for variations in emulsion
filtration over time. I might add that the Fuji duping film is rated as the
longest lived duping film when being projected regularly.
Ted Bundy
Arizona State Museum
asm@ccit.arizona.edu
================================================================================
Note 26.07 -< 18% Gray Card Reference Articles >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>Information on the 18% Gray Card
Found several articles in my files on the gray card that might be of interest.
All by William Hyzer.
"More Reflections on the 18% Gray Card." Photomethods, p. 14. Aug. 1991.
================================================================================
Note 26.08 -< Cross-processing - what goes on? >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> I need help in finding information on cross processing film. For
> instance, when a slide film is processed through C41 what exactly is
> happening in the process? Also what happens when a negative color film
> is processed through E6? I am doing a term paper for school and unable
> to find adequate information on this topic. Can someone please help?
When the color developer starts to reduce (un-oxidize) the exposed silver
halide particles (to form metallic silver), development by-products in the
vicinity of the developing silver halide particles combine with the dye
coupler molecules to form a visible dye. Depending on what layer of the
film or paper this is taking place, magenta, yellow or cyan dye would be
produced. After this step, the silver has done its job and is no longer
needed in the film or paper. The bleach re-oxidizes it to silver halide,
and the fixer removes it.
Now to answer your questions. When a color slide film is processed in C-41,
a color negative image results because you are "jumping" into the process
without going through the FIRST developer or REVERSAL. This color negative
image will be high contrast, very color-saturated, and without the orange
mask familiar in color negative films. I have fiddled around with such
images, usually sandwiching them with the orange mask of color negative film
and made prints. The prints are wierd, but are fun to play with for
surrealistic results. Color slide film wasn't designed to be used in this
way, so the results are highly unpredictable. (BTW, if you want to do this,
underexpose the film by 1 or 2 stops).
When a color negative film is processed in E-6, a positive image WILL result,
but I don't think the results would be very pleasing because color negative
films have that built-in orange mask.
I hope this answers your questions. Did I go too deep, or not deep enough?
Are you doing your own processing? Commercial photofinishers get very
confused when you ask them to cross-process film.
If you need more information, send me your snail-mail address and I can send
you some more articles.
Ron Speirs, Evans & Sutherland Computer Corp., Salt Lake City, Utah
rspeirs@velara.sim.es.com or rspeirs@es.com
================================================================================
Note 26.09 -< Commercial Silver Recovery Units FYI >-
For those in need of reducing the amount of silver exhausted fixer for disposal
and recovery there is a beautufull electrical silver recovery unit for
*smaller* labs. It is Marketed by Byers Industries in Portland Oregon. The
recovered silver is in the range of 95+% pure silver and may be marketed for
further purification at a higher *rate of return* than the iron or zinc
exchange method. Their address is: Byers Industries, Inc., 6955 SW Sandburg
Sreet., Portland, OR 97223-8092 ph (503)639-0620 or (800)547-9670 and their
fax is (503)620-4798
According to the last brochure I received (1992) the make units to recover the
following Capacities (in Troy oz) 25, 50, 60, 120, 180, and 360. The recovery
is 98% flake silver. Unit prices as of my brochure range from $390 to $2500
> NEED INFO ABOUT PHOTOGRAPHERS? Check out this database! Look for some
of your favorite instructors on this list to see where they have
exhibited and where some of their work is collected.
For the past two years, one component of the NEH and Pew supported
collaboration between George Eastman House and Harry Ransom Humanities
Research Center/U Texas has been documentation of photographic
exhibits and photographers.
There are currently 19,928 photographers who have 1 or more exhibits listed.
There are 43,131 exhibition occurrences (averaging 2.16/photographer).
Exhibitions, of course, vary from solo to large group shows (see "Family of
Man" - hint; search 1955, or Steichen). Current average is 20 photographers/
20 photograpehrs/exhibit.
In a smaller number of cases, the exhibit records link to GEH or HRC catalog
records (and vice versa). For example, both GEH and HRC loaned photos to
"Art of Fixing a Shadow" (you'll find it - complete with travel venues -
under 1989, or under any of the 4 curators).
1. The 2100 exhibitions listed to date are only the tip of proverbial
iceberg. You may expect this to easily reach 3000 within the next year.
My favorite anecdote from work to date is the letter received from Barry
Goldwater whom we wrote after running across his name in several 1930s
'Salons'. As if just waiting for someone to ask, he has handy a listing
of all 135 exhibits in which he particiapted before going off to 'war' after
which he returned and got busy doing 'other things' than photography. We don't
yet have 135 (lifetime) exhibits for STIEGLITZ!
Andrew Eskind
Project Director
George Eastman House
716-271-3361 ex 353
716-271-3970 (fax)
andy@hrhrc.cc.utexas.edu
================================================================================
Note 27.02 -< California Museum of Photography on Internet >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>Does anybody have any information on how one accesses the California Museum
>of Photography (Riverside) exhibitions "posted" on the Internet exhibit?
================================================================================
Note 27.03 -< Dealing with VERY contrasty negatives >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>I'm printing some glass negs done in the Himalayan range in 1931. The
>contrast range of the negs exceeds that of the paper.
================================================================================
Note 27.04 -< Contrast Control with the Sterry Process >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Sterry Process
a process for tone control
The Sterry process was developed by John Sterry in 1904 (LeClerc 1904). He
found that a weekly ammoniated dichromate solution would reduce formation
of silver proportionately more in the highlight area than in the shadow
area of the print. He exposed photographic paper for the highlight detail
of the negative, regardless of the amount of overexposure that occurred in
the shadow area. He then immersed the print in the bichromate solution,
rinsed it and processed it normally. The resulting print exhibited "...a
very great softening of gradation." The Sterry process was later
recognized as one of true proportional contrast reduction, as contrasted
with an overall reduction in density (Sowerly 1956).
When a negative with a given range of densities is placed between the light
source and the paper in an enlarger, the thinnest part of the negative
allows the greatest amount of light to reach the paper. This produces the
maximum density in the print, which in fact, is the shadow detail of the
original scene.
The case is similar with the densest portion of the negative when printed.
This results in the minimum density on the print, which is the highlight
detail of the original scene. Adams states that for the negative, one
should expose for shadow detail and develop for the highlights; whereas for
the print, one should expose for the highlights and develop for the shadows
(Adams 1968).
The effect of the Sterry process will also vary depending on the type of
printing paper used. Maximum effect has been obtained experimentally by
the author using bromide enlarging papers such as Agfa Brovira and Oriental
Seagull. A small effect has been obtained using Ilford Ilfobrome.
Resin-coated papers were least affected by the solution. Note, however,
that resin- coated papers retain less of the bichromate solution in the
emulsion than do the traditional fiber papers. It may be possible to
obtain a greater effect with a shorter rinse, or with no rinse at all.
Bibliography
1. Adams, Ansel. The Print. Morgan & Morgan, 1968.
2. Carroll BH, Higgins GC, James TH. Introduction to Photographic
Theory: The Silver Halide Process. John Wiley & Sons, New York, 1980.
3. Focal Encyclopedia of photography, Volume III. Focal Press,
New York, 1965.
4. Horder A, ed. The Manual of Photography, 6th edition.
Chillon Book Company, New York, 1971.
6. Sowerly A. Dictionary of Photography, 18th edition.
Philosophical Society, New York, 1956.
7. Todd H and Zakia, Richard. Photographic Sensitivity. Morgan
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
+ Jim Henderson, RBP +
+ 804 Center Street +
+ Oregon City, OR 97045-1951 +
+ email: henderso@ohsu.edu +
+ voice: (503) 655-6817 +
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
================================================================================
Note 27.05 -< PSA (Photo Society of America) address >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Here it is :
================================================================================
Note 27.06 -< Comprehensive Copyright Info Source >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I found this to be useful, so I thought I'd pass along the info to the list.
The FAQ even includes a section on international copyright.
send usenet/news.answers/law/Copyright-FAQ/part1
send usenet/news.answers/law/Copyright-FAQ/part2
send usenet/news.answers/law/Copyright-FAQ/part3
send usenet/news.answers/law/Copyright-FAQ/part4
send usenet/news.answers/law/Copyright-FAQ/part5
send usenet/news.answers/law/Copyright-FAQ/part6
quit
================================================================================
Note 27.07 -< Photokina address in US >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>Does anyone know where to obtain info about Photokina without having to
>contact the Photokina "organization in Germany?>
================================================================================
Note 27.08 -< Basic Astrophotography Pointers and Info >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> I'm interested in a general overview of what is required to photograph through
> a telescope. I have the camera, a buddy of mine has the telescope. Is there an
> easy and cheap way to do this or does it require a major investment in
> equipment and money. Right now it's just something I'd like to try and see
> what happens. (i suppose you could say it's just a "shot in the dark" <grin>)
How cheap and easy astrophotography is depends on what objects in the sky you
want to photograph. It also depends on what type of telescope and mount you
intend to use. First the mount that the telescope is on should be a mount that
has a clock drive attached so that it moves as the earth rotates. Now if you
are happy doing shot of the moon and some planetary work all you will need is
a telescope adapter and T-ring for your kind of camera. Now if you think you
want to photograph deep sky objects you also need equipment to guide the
telescope during the exposure to keep the stars in the field from trailing.
Deep sky work is by far the most difficult for a first time effort. The
exposures can range from 10 to 90 minuets in length and need to be guided the
whole time. A trip to your local libaray should find you some books on the
subject. Look in the area where you find books on astronomy. There a few
written on the subject.
If you are photographing terrestrial subjects during the day, all you need is
relatively inexpensive camera to telescope adapter which can be purchased from
most of the telescope suppliers found in "Sky & Telescope" magazine.
Longer exposures requires equipment which allows you to make fine adjustments
to the tracking to compensate for errors in alignment and motor speed. Longer
exposures may also require the use of a "cold" camera or hypersensitized film
in order to overcome reciprocity failure. An even more expensive option
involves CCD cameras and computer interfaces.
The film of choice for serious astrophotographers is Kodak 2415 tech pan B&W
which has extended sensitivity in the red region of the spectrum. If you are
going to take relatively short exposures then almost any high speed B&W or
color film can provide satisfactory images.
I should mention that the moon is the easiest celestial object to photograph.
Even with relatively slow optics and ISO 200 or faster film, you should be able
to use shutter speeds which are fast enough to keep motion blur to a minimum. I
recommend a spot metering mode for the moon if your camera has this capability.
I hope you find the information helpful. Sky & Telescope magazine sells a
number of books on the subject you may (or may not) find interesting.
================================================================================
Note 27.09 -< Image Usage Rights - A primer >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Image Usage Rights - a short primer
>We are trying to find out how others in our market area, and other markets,
>are handling usage rights, multiple usage rights, and violation of usage rights
>in light of the new copyright laws. Are people spelling out the limitations in
>a shooting agreement? Are studios and photographers specifying certain values
>for image use at a trade show, national ad, catalog usage, one time usage,
>multiple usage etc. How are others setting and enforcing limits?
Educating your client about how your pricing is structured, and having
legitimate justification as to why, is the best way to arrive at an agreeable
price. It helps balance the power struggle, making them feel more
comfortable with you, building trust, and ultimately building a long term
relationship with them. Recently, I had a client who informed me that he had
never heard of usage rights prior to meeting me and that he simply bought all
the images from the photographer after the shoot was completed. This is
alarming. The negotiating process took over a month, of albeit firm words on
my behalf, before we settled on an agreeable price. Whether the client calls
me back or not, I have set a standard of my business practices and have
prepared the way for the next person.
Find out for yourself how much it costs your client to run an ad in that
space. i.e. Full page, half page, color, black & white. Will it be used on
an outdoor billboard?
These questions are IMPERATIVE in how one prices the job. If the client is
willing to spend $12,000 per year on an outdoor billboard, on an interstate
highway running through the heart of town and your image is appearing on it,
you should charge say 10-12% of that since, your image IS the billboard (for
one-year, exclusive usage). If they're willing to pay that much for that
type of ad space, they MUST be expecting handsome revenues in return for it.
Your image is what sells their product therefore you should keep control of
what rights are released and be properly compensated for your vision. If the
client asks for a "buyout" you should charge a substantially higher price.
In fact, discourage them from doing that since it probably won't be in their
best interest anyway. Ads change from year to year and the prospect of
losing ALL your rights to re-sell the image in the future is not attractive.
Heron and MacTavish's book provides great insight about this topic.
I dealt with a client recently who balked at the prices I presented and
threatened to have another photographer shoot images like mine, to get the
price he was looking for. Unless he owned the rights to that image, he
shouldn't even have thought of doing that. The term for this is copyright
infringement. It's against the law, and photographers should be weary of
A.D.'s or Clients who ask to have something shot, "that looks like this
photo." Sometimes we have to explain specific copyright laws to keep things
on track.
STUDENTS TAKE NOTES! Image usage rights are one of THE most important
aspects to your business' survival. Knowing how and what to ask your clients
is the key to quoting prices for your images or for a job estimate. If you
don't enforce these pricing concepts, nobody will do it for you. If we as a
photographic community don't enforce them, nobody else will. Educate your
fellow photographers even though they are your competition in the market
place. It's the only way that we can keep a standard of living for
ourselves.
In terms of pricing; "lowballing" just to get a job simply brings prices down
for everybody else. Say a client goes back to his office very satisfied with
the low price he got on this year's photography. When it comes time for him
to create the budget for next year's advertising photography he's going to
say to himself, "I don't need anywhere near as much as I thought to get this
photography done since, Cheap Photo, Inc. gave me such a great deal." So,
down comes his budgetary axe. Down went the possibility to make more money
next time, not just for you, but for all the photographers he deals with on
other projects. Forget about that new piece of equipment you really needed.
Rate stagnation causes virtually zero business GROWTH. This becomes
self-destructive and industry wide destructive.
When a client asks you "what's your Day-Rate," don't quote a figure unless
you know the answer to how the image(s) will be used. Say that you'll call
them back in a day or so to discuss the job. It's perfectly acceptable that
you need time to think about it. Tell them why so that they feel more
comfortable.
Don Werthmann
erthmoment@aol.com
Santa Fe, New Mexico
================================================================================
Note 27.10 -< Photo Artisans Guild info >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> what is the APGA and where are they located?
================================================================================
Note 27.11 -< Reversal Processing of Ilford Films >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The basic reversal process starts with development of the negative image. At
this point the used silver halide is not fixed out as in normal film
processing, but completely bleached away, using an acid bleach (see warning).
This leaves the remaining silver halide ready to be light-fogged and then
re-developed to form the final positive image.
Between the various stages of the process, washes are used to prevent
contamination of each new processing solution by the previous one. There is
only one critical stage in reversal processing; the first development. The
first negative image must "use up" just the right proportion of the emulsion,
so as to leave behind the correct amount of silver halide to give the desired
positive image at the end of the processing sequence.
RECOMMENDED FILMS
These are two methods available to make transparencies from black and white
films. These are Kodak's T-Max 100 Direct Positive Film Developing Outfit and a
user prepared procedure. Each has its own unique quality, but work on the same
principals.
When using this kit, we would recommend the following exposure modifications
coupled with the corresponding development times. The times are given for first
development and are a GUIDE ONLY. Modification may be needed depending on the
output required.
A. Developer - Use either ILFORD Bromophen 1+1 with water or ILFORD Universal
Paper Developer diluted 1+15 with water. To one liter of the working strength
developer add Sodium Thiosulphate crystals (hypo) in the following proportion:
PAN F 8g
FP4/FP4 Plus 12g
******************************************************************************
* WARNING!! Concentrated Sulfuric Acid is DANGEROUS and HIGHLY CORROSIVE!! *
* ALWAYS pour the acid into the water, and NEVER the water into the acid! *
* KEEP OUT OF THE REACH OF CHILDREN!!! CAUSES severe burns. May be fatal *
* if swallowed. DO NOT get into eyes or onto skin or clothing. Keep out of *
* the reach of children. In case of contact: *
* EXTERNAL: IMMEDIATELY flush with tap water, then water containing sodium *
* bicarbonate. INTERNAL: DO NOT give an emetic. Give whites of eggs beaten *
* with tap water, milk of magnesia or milk. GET MEDICAL ATTENTION AT ONCE! *
******************************************************************************
this file was made available to this FAQ throught the courtesy of Ilford Corp.
================================================================================
Note 27.12 -< Bellows - basic instruction in making one >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>Does anyone know how to make bellows? Is there a published set of plans?
I've never seen a published set of plans but I've made plenty of bellows in my
time. I'm currently using a 2x3 Century Graflex that I restored including a new
bellows. I used to do camera repair full-time some years back and I was fond of
restoring some of the grand old cameras.
Go to your local Tandy leather store and pick up a nice thin skiver. A skiver
(sp?) is a split sheep skin -- it's thin and pliable. Next get some black shoe
dye -- the liquid type, and a good quality contact cement. The last ingrediant
you'll need is a sheer fabric -- I go to the fabric store and buy some of the
synthetic stuff they use to back window curtins.
Use a pencil to draw the folds of the bellows onto the outside of the leather.
Use an existing bellows as a model. (Leave some excess leather to trim later.
Coat the inside of the leather with the contact cement and adhere the fabric to
the leather. This will provide the stiffness needed so that the bellows will
hold its shape. When the cement is dry -- use the shoe dye to throughly dye the
inside of the leather/fabric black. When the dye is dry you can start folding.
Use large paper clips to hold the corners together as you fold and crease.
Eventually the bellows will want to take its own shape.
Use the contact cement to seam the bellows together and finally dye the outside
whatever color you like -- I like red. With good care you'll have a bellows
that will last a lifetime.
Joe Angert
St. Louis Community College
Jcangert@aol.com
================================================================================
Note 27.13 -< Kodak's Ultra Fast and Ultra Grainy Recording Film >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> I'd enjoy hearing any tips you'd like to share about Kodak's Recording Film.
> I've used it off and on for two or three years. The film's beautiful grain
> structure is unlike any other. When it's gone, it'll be a great, if
> little appreciated, loss.
I've never understood why the only grain that seems to be sought is "fine"
grain. Grain is, after all, a part of this medium, and in itself,
potentially a factor in the aesthetic vocabulary.
Recording film is IMHO the absolute film of choice for night photography.
Used with pyrocatechin compensating developer, it is possible to maintain
superb shadow content and at the same time, contain the light sources.
Since the film has no anti halation backing, there is halation but the
light sources remain distinct. It is the only film/developer combination
that I have really found adequate for night clubs, stage performances
without additional lighting, street dances, you name it -- any condition
which is basically a very low ambient light with extreme hot contrasts in
the million to one plus range.
Typically, I rate the film at 800 ISO (the data recommended for the film,
IMHO, explains why no one uses it -- everybody tried it once, found it ugly
and hated it, and never tried it again!). I usually take an incident
reading in a generalized area lit by whatever ambient light is there,
deliberately excluding the highlight areas (which is where everyone else
seems to want to meter). In a typical Seattle street scene, this would
give me about 1/15 - 1/30 at f/2.8 - 4. This means, if it is a band on
stage playing under changing lights, I would pretty much ignore the changes
and go for the shadow illumination for my exposure. This certainly
simplifies the decisions I have to make.
Solution A:
Solution B:
Pyrocatechin tans the emulsion, and toughens it. The film will turn into a
corkscrew when it dries. Reverse rolling it for a day or so takes care of
that.
This will produce a fair amount of fog (BROWN FOG, BROWN IMAGE). To
minimize this, I develop at 65 degrees fahrenheit, using a stainless steel
tank with one fewer reel than the tank is designed for. I agitate constantly
for 10 minutes. The theory here is that the fog will develop at the same
rate regardless, so by accellerating the highlight development through
constant agitation, my image to fog ratio is improved. Be sure, though,
that the air is removed, because oxygenating the solution will destroy any
gains you may obtain using this method.
Printing these images works best on graded papers, because they are so
brown that they act as a graduated low contrast filter on MG emulsions.
That is, the shadows may appear normal or even contrasty; the highlights
become progressively flatter the brighter they ought to be. This can
sometimes be used to advantage in extreme situations, but normally just
looks a bit strange.
I used this method for many years as a regular part of my work as a travel
photographer for _Sunset_ magazine here on the West coast. More of my
night images seemed to get into print than just about anyone else's.
This regime is great for night, but produces rather uninteresting images
under normal conditions.
Probably ought to end this here. But, I also have worked out information
for this film with MCM100, a true paraphenylinediamine fine-grain
developer. The grain is not fine, but it's verrrry Beauuuutiful! Well
worth the ISO 400 required. Much nicer than tri-x. Twenty minutes ought
to do it, but I don't have my notes handy. Write if interested. Have to
check my files. Now that I have got it down, the film goes out of print.
If it were possible to raise a hue and cry and save this film from
perdition, I'd sure like to do it. ALL of my favorite films seem to be
destined for doom.... I loved Royal X pan, Super XX.
Note 28.1 -< Lost Film Leader Retriever - Making Improvised One >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Making a film retriever to use when you need to retrieve film
Basically the concept is that you cut the sprocket hole areas in such a manner
that you generate a "sharkskin"-like edke to the film. The idea is that these
"barbs" slide easily into the casette but which engage in the sprocket holes
of the film inside the casette when pulled out. Below is a basic illustration:
_____________________________________________________________________________
| __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| |__| |_ | |__| |__| |__| |__| |__| |__| |__| |__| |__|
|
|
|
|
| this is a piece of regular scrap film!
|
|
|
|
| __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| |__| |_ | |__| |__| |__| |__| |__| |__| |__| |__| |__|
|_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
/ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __
| | \. | | | \. | | | \. | | | \. | | | \. | | | |
| |_____\|__| |_____\|__| |_____\|__| |_____\|__| |_____\|__| |__|
|
| ^
| |
| bend "barbs" _down_ towards emulsion side
| insert notice then they will slide into casette
| <--- this end into casette easily but on way back will catch sprocket
| first holes
| |
| V
| _________ _________ _________ _________ ______ __ __
| | ./| | | ./| | | ./| | | ./| | | ./| | | |
| |__ / |_ | |__ / |__| |__ / |__| |__ / |__| |__ / |__| |__|
\_____________________________________________________________________________
You can usually just use one piece of this sharksin film and stick it as much
as will go into the casette. Then wind the core until you feel resistance.
Then pull it out and the film may come out with it.
Or, use two pieces of film, one plain with no sharskin pattern cut into it and
the other which is modified as shown above. Insert a length of plain film as
far as it will go into the casette ( usually it will only make one turn inside
the casetten and get stopped by the felt. Then insert the modified film "under"
the plain one and proceed as above. The function of the _plain_ piece is to
smooth out the inside of the casette so the leader will not have a chance to
andy, andpph@rit.edu
...............................................................................
> Does anyone have a convenient method for retrieving the tail end of film
> after it has been wound into the canister?
Sure! You'll need a scrap of film about 6" long (any unwanted 35mm film will do)
and a 3" (or so) strip of double-sided cellophane tape.
First, trim the corners of the film scrap so it'll slide into the cassette more
easily. You don't need to trim much - just round or clip the tip of each corner:
/---------------
| O O O O O O O
|
|
|
| O O O O O O O
\---------------
Next, turn the film over so the emulsion side is up, and apply the tape
along the lower edge starting from the right end. Remove the backing from
the tape so its other glue surface is exposed:
-------------\
O O O O O O |
| view from emulsion side --
TTTTTTTTTTTT| place double-stick tape in
TTTTTTTTTTTT| area marked "TTT"
O O O O O O |
-------------/
Now turn the film base-side-up and insert the taped end gently into
the cassette with the tape facing inward. Stop when you have a couple of
inches of film inserted. Rotate the projecting end of the cassette spool
clockwise several turns, as if to wind the film into the cassette, then
counter-clockwise until it jams, then clockwise again until you feel
resistance. Now *gently* pull the film out of the cassette; the leader
should be stuck to the tape and should come out. If not, just repeat
this procedure until it does.
I've had much better results from this type of homemade retriever than
from any of the commercial devices, and have never had any trouble with
scratching or bent light traps. The price is right, too! Hope this helps!
from:
............................................................................
================================================================================
Note 28.2 -< Using Camera Meter to determine Foot Candles >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>Can somebody tell me how I can measure footcandles using my camera's light
>meter?
Get an 18% grey card. Set your film speed to ISO 125. Set your shutter speed
to 1/125 second. Make a meter reading using standard care to avoid glare and
casting shadows.
If you were out in broad daylight and no clouds (sunny 16 conditions) you would
be under 6400 foot candles if the camera suggested an aperture of f:16. If the
camera suggests f:11, you are under 3200 foot candles, etc. as follows:
f:32 25,600
f:22 12,800
f:16 6400
f:11 3200
f: 8 1600
F:5.6 800
f: 4 400
F:2.8 200
f: 2 100
f:1.4 50
If you change your shutter speed to 1 second then at f:16 you'd find 50 foot
candles and the progression would go like this:
f:32 200
f:22 100
f:16 50
f:11 25
f: 8 12
f:5.6 6.25
F: 4 3.12
f:2.8 1.55
F: 2 .80
f:1.4 .40
All of this is based on the fact that we "know" that the sunny 16 condition is
set up for approximately 6400 foot candles and that then the following
relationship holds true for correct exposure assuming no RLF.
25 x 16 x 16
for example you see you'd get 6400 if ----------------
125 x 1/125
================================================================================
Note 28.3 -< Reloading Unreloadable Cassettes with Bulk Film >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>When reloading bulk film currently I'm using these cassettes that make me
>real nervous. I've noticed that the caps appear to be always in danger of
>popping or falling off ... yikes! Is there someone that would recommend one
>cassette over the other for those that roll their own film.?
I either use ones I've saved myself or ask for them at a local photofinisher.
When I unload them I pull the film out of the cassette (most photofinishers do
the same) and cut the film away from the cassette leaving a "stub" about 3/4
inches long protruding from the cassette.
To reload the cassette I slip a piece new film under the stub and into the
cassette and affix the two with this 3M translucent tape. This piece only joins
the backs of the two pieces of film but runs the width of the film. The basis
on which I do this is that the shear strength of the tape "connection" is very
great.
Since I reload the kind of film into the cassettes that they held in the first
place the DX code on the cassettes works properly. The film is also secure from
accidental falls on hard floors, etc.
================================================================================
Note 28.4 -< Circular vs. Linear Polarizers - more scoop >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>What is the difference between linear vs circular polarizing filters?
Linear polarizers can be made to "interfere" and thus remove linearly polarized
light such as that caused by glare off non metallic surfaces. At the same time
the linear polarizer imparts "linear" polarization to the light rays that pass
through it.
If you place a second linear polarizer behind the first one you can arrange
Circular polarizers can do the same but the light that leaves them is not
polarized. This is because it consists of two "devices" sandwiched together.
The first, located closest to the subject or source of glare, is a plain linear
polarizer. Behind it, closer to the camera lens, is an optical retarder whose
function is to make the exiting light circularly polarized basically meaning
that the exiting light rays are not polarized.
If you place a linear polarizer behind a circular polarizer you will find you
can not diminish the intensity of the light rays by turning one with respect to
the other (which you can do with two linear polarizers "in series").
OTOH if you place the linear one in front of the circular one then the familiar
"variable density" effect will be exhibited.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>What is the difference between linear vs circular polarizing filters?
This may be more than you wanted to know, but here it is anyhow:
Most of the things you take pictures of are emitting (or reflecting,
or scattering) _unpolarized_ light towards the camera. But some things
give polarized light. Reflections from water, glass, and many other
surfaces are partially polarized. Skylight is polarized, with varying
strengths depending on angle from the Sun.
Linear polarizers are used to eliminate the parts of the light that
are polarized in some direction. So you can, for example, eliminate
Circular polarizers are more expensive than linear ones because they
have to include both the linear polarizer and the quarter-wave plate.
William Tyler
wtyler@mv.us.adobe.com
================================================================================
Note 28.5 -< Depth of Field - a formula approach >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>Does any one have a formula for depth of field based on Focal length of lens,
>film format and f-stop? I was out shooting this weekend in a stand of pines
>and the combination of deep shade and overcast sky made it impossible to see
>much on the ground glass when the lens was stopped down. With the above info
>I could make a spread sheet and carry a print while shooting.
Nearest point=UxFsquared/[(Uxcxf)+Fsquared]
Farthest point=UxFsquared/[(Uxcxf)-Fsquared]
I haven't used this method myself but it comes from a great little pocket
handbook called "The Professional Guide to Photo Data" by Richard Platt
(Mitchell Beazley 1991)
================================================================================
Note 28.6 -< pointer on better photographs of nudes >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tips on Making Better Nudes
Frank Wallis
================================================================================
Note 28.7 -< Exposure Correction in Enlarging >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>i would like to know if there is any formula for darkroom enlargement. for
>instance, 8x10 b&w printing required f8 and 15sec. what would it be for 11x14?
Yes there is. The correction you need to make assuming you already know what
the correct time is at a given sized enlargement is as follows:
Take the new dimension and divide it by the old dimension and then square that
number. This gives you factor by which the exposure needs to be changed.
You can then either change the exposure time or the aperture to match the
desired factor. However, keep in mind that papers are susceptible to
failing to follow the reciprocity law and you may need to fine tune any changes
you make in exposure time to allow for this.
For example:
Andy Davidhazy
andpph@rit.edu
================================================================================
Note 28.8 -< Pinholes, f#s and proper exposure Determination >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>I am making a pinhole camera and I have calculated my f#'s to be these with
>various distances between my pinhole and the film ... making a zoom pinhole.
>Pinhole dia. (mm) Film-hole dist (mm) f/
>0.15 10 67
>0.15 15 100
>0.15 20 133
>0.15 30 200
>0.4 60 150
>0.4 80 200
It is not clear what you mean by the reciprocal rule. If you simply want to
find out what the exposure time would be at a "new" (pinhole) f# given the
exposure time at f:16 then you do this.
new f# divided by old f# squared multiplied by old exposure time = new time
for example:
32 16 1/250 1/60
64 16 1/250 16/250 or 1/15
128 16 1/250 64/250 or 1/4
256 16 1/250 256/250 or 1
now this is likely to lead to underexposure due to the fact that Polaroid
materials exhibit significant failure in responding appropriately to the
Reciprocity Law. This states that "exposure" remains constant if an increase
in exposure time is matched by a corresponding decrease in aperture. Well,
photographic materials do not produce the same _density_ as one changes the
components that make up exposure.
So, for materials that exhibit long exposure time "reciprocity failure" one
must add _extra_ exposure to achieve a particular density. This can be done
most effectively by increasing the aperture (impractical in your case) or
increasing the time. The factor by which the time component needs to be
increased given a particular starting time varies from emulsion to emulsion.
Actually for Polaroid Type 55 film it seems that the adjustment with either
aperture or time given a starting exposure time of 10 seconds is +1/3 stop or
+3 seconds. At a 1 second starting time the film exhibits no reciprocity
failure according to a Polaroid Data sheet I am reading.
================================================================================
Note 28.9 -< Optimum Pinhole Diameter - Further Suggestions >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I have done some research into correct size of pinhole for a given image
plane distance.
f = L / d
Now for the details... The above formula is based on the summation
of formulas for the angular resolution for geometric and diffractive
considerations. This is bound to be on the conservative side. In
practise, the image should have better resolution than this, but
don't count on it.
phi = d / L
phi = 1.22 w / d
phi = 1.22 w / d + d / L
Regards,
Stephen J Hardy,
Canberra, Australia
hardy@sweng.stortek.com
================================================================================
Note 28.10 -< Painting with Light basics >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> I do not have a problem determining the exposure for night time pictures,
> but I am a little confused on how to determine the exposure time or rather
> flash output when playing around with adding light bursts to different
> parts of a night time scene. This is an activity that I am doing wiht my
> high school students for a fun photoclub activity. I can't even remember
> what I have done in the past, but I know that the results were not
> consistent. Does anybody have any suggestions?
1) Use the guide number of the flash and divide it by the f-stop you are
exposing the night shot by and that will give you the distance in feet
(as long as the guide number rating is for feet also). If you then want
to make it brighter or dimmer you can either move closer or further or
use power ratio.
2) Simply take a flash meter reading and change the distance until you
get the f-stop to match the f-stop used for the night exposure. Shutter
speed will not play a part as long as you are slower than the synch speed.
I assume in night photography that will always be the case.
David Litschel
Brooks Institute
litsch@rain.org
================================================================================
Note 28.11 -< IR _BLOCKING_ filters - what/where/why? >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>I'm doing a camera project and I need some help with an IR filter.
>>I need a filter that blocks IR and passes visible light. Ideally,
>>it would fit on a C-mount camera lens (often used on closed circuit
>>TV cameras). Hoya makes a material called CM-500, which is billed
>>as a Cyan color compensating filter, that would work fine. But,
>>I can't find anyone who sells this stuff. Apparently it is not part
>>of their normal photographic filter line. Does anyone know of such
>>an IR filter, or of a supplier for the Hoya CM-500 material?
>Otherwise you could try making a "liquid filter" with a solution of Copper
>Sulfate (the liquid will have a cyanish-greenish look to it).
>Or, you could contact Corning Corporation or Pittsburgh Glass (I think) and see
>what they have available as either rough stock or polished material. This is
>the expensive solution.
I am not disputing any of the above just adding to it. I think what you may
need is what is known as a HOT MIRROR, or infrared cuttoff filter. Heat
absorbing glass removes some infrared by absorbtion but the transition from
visible to IR is gradual not a sharp cut so you will still get some near IR
transmitted. A hot mirror is an interference type filter which reflects the
IR (in the region 700 to 1000 nm) but transmits the visible to about 650nm
with a fairly sharp transition. My 1978 Kodak Filters Catalog lists the type
301A filter which is of this type. The Oriel Optics Catalog also lists
filters of this type as do other suppliers of laboratory optical components.
In the Kodak carousel slide projector there is such an
interference type filter with a sharp transition which appears to cut off at
about 700nm. I expect that cold mirrors would only be available
As for the hoya material check the IR transmission curves first as all dyed
filters I have come across transmitt freely in the near IR, even ND filters.
================================================================================
Note 28.12 -< Underwater Dome Ports - a mathematical approach >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mathematical Characterization of Underwater Dome Ports
You can get more insight into dome optics by doing a little quantitative
analysis. Most books on optics contain at least one chapter on thick
lenses. In particular, chapter 5 in "Fundamentals of Optics" by Jenkins
and White has some general formulas which are directly applicable to
a concentric spherical dome lens. In the following, I assume a left to
right arrangement of water/dome/air with respective indices of refraction
n/np/npp. The dome's external surface (on the left) has radius r1, the
internal surface has radius r2, and the thickness of the dome is d=r1-r2.
For an object to the left of the dome, the following 15 lines of Fortran
code will compute the position and size of the image.
(These equations assume paraxial rays, i.e. rays making small angles with the
dome axis). If you substitute some reasonable values for the indices of
refraction and dome radii, you will find:
- the dome focal lengths are both negative, indicating a diverging lens
- the image distance "ppp" is negative, indicating that the image is to
the LEFT of the dome, and therefore the image is VIRTUAL
- the virtual image is always upright and always smaller the the object
The secondary focal plane, where objects at infinity have their images
(apparently) focussed is 6.53 inches to the left of the dome's external
vertex. An object 6 inches from the dome is imaged at 2.3 inches from
the dome with a magnification ratio of 0.44. And so on.
If the primary principal plane of the camera lens is positioned at the center
of curvature of the dome, which I think is approximately the case by design,
then the distance of the virtual image from "the lens" is (for this example)
6.53+r1=9.53 inches. "Twice the diameter" is 4*r1=12 inches, which is in the
ballpark. The rule of thumb obviously depends on camera placement and lens
construction.
By playing around with the various input variables you will also discover
that:
- increasing the index of refraction of the water (e.g. going from less saline
to more saline) brings the secondary focal plane closer to the dome. You expec
t
this, since horizontal rays striking the front surface of the dome follow
shallower entry paths into the dome, and end up diverging more at the dome/air
interface
- increasing the index of refraction of the dome also brings the secondary
focal plane closer to the dome, because of the enhanced bending at the
dome's rear surface
Les Wilk
From: leslie.wilk@HYDRO.ON.CA (Leslie Wilk)
... as seen on the Underwater Photography Mail list
================================================================================
Note 28.13 -< Catadioptric Lenses - brief description >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>Has anyone ever used a reflecting lens. I dont know exactly what they are
>called but they resemble a Newtonian telescope. They have no refracting
>elements in them and consist of a parabolic reflector with a flat mirror that
>bounces the image through a hole in the parabolic reflector into the camera
>body. I have heard that they only have one aperture setting and are single
>focal length. Also I have heard that they provide some interesting effects
>(aberrations) outside the focused depth of field.
These lenses are called catadioptric. They are not Newtonian (which
deflects the converging cone of light at right angles) and they DO have at
least one refractive element which also acts as a window to prevent dust
getting into the optics.
The secondary mirror deflects the light back through a relatively small
hole in the centre of the primary, and hence to the film plane. At the
same time, the secondary acts to increase the effective focal length, thus
allowing for a compact, long focal length design.
Aberrations as such are no worse than normal lenses, and in fact the
chromatic aberration can be made much smaller. The worst objection to cat
lenses is the doughnut-shaped out-of-focus highlights, which are basically
the shadow cast by the secondary mirror. This is not an aberration,
strictly speaking, but does annoy most photographers.
Regards,
Stephen James Hardy
Canberra, Australia
hardy@sweng.stortek.com (Steve Hardy)
================================================================================
Note 28.14 -< Tintype Parlor - tintype materials suppliers >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>I've been trying to find resources, instructions, and chemical lists/mixing
>instructions/cookbooks for making tintype prints. The only resources I've
>found are too general to be of any practical use. Any literature that might
>be of use is out of print or unobtainable. Any one have any instructions for
>this type of photographic work? And if any step-by-step directions exist,
>where would one find the chemicals?
I don't know whether this is precisely what you're looking for, but you may
still find this of use. There is a commercial product called Tintype Parlor
sold by a photographic store in Los Angeles. This information that I'm
providing is from their September 1993 catalog, so this information may not
be accurate.
Freestyle
5124 Sunset Blvd.
Tintype Parlor
You can make authentic looking tintypes just like the
old masters. The kit comes complete with 5-4x5 tin
plates, coating emulsion, developer, and fixer.
183-2016 $ 24.95
================================================================================
Note 28.15 -< Adhering Liquid Light to Glass >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
USE OF SUBBING SOLUTION WITH LIQUID LIGHT
Obtain some powdered gelatin such as Knox brand from the grocery
store. Sprinkle 1 level teaspoon of gelatin onto the surface of 1
pint (500 cc's) of cool water. Allow it to stand 15 minutes, then
dissolve the gelatin by heating on the stove.
Before use, add 10 drops of the enclosed chrome alum hardener per
ounce (30 cc's) of the warm gelatin solution. Pour this solution,
still warm, over the clean glass surface, drain thoroughly and
allow it to dry at least 4 hours or overnight. Then coat with
Liquid Light emulsion.
================================================================================
Note 28.16 -< Pro School Photographers Association info >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>I am looking for a contact for what used to be called the Professional School
>Photographers of America. Can you help ?
andy, andpph@rit.edu
================================================================================
Note 28.17 -< ISO, DIN and ASA speed relationships >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>I am a little confused by all the different film speed ratings I have seen.
>Does anyone know of any mathematical relationships between ASA, ISO, DIN
>and any others that you may have seen??
ASA and DIN speeds are determined the same way .... except that DIN is a
logarithmic expression while ASA is an arithmentic one. The ISO speed of
a material is actually "ASA/DIN" (not divided by but ASA and DIN) but
we in the US tend to use only the arithmetic portion of the pair.
Because the ASA speed number starts off with .8 rather than 1 an adjustment of
1 in the DIN side needs to be introduced to make the two match in the exposure
(given in mcs) required to deliver .1 above B+F.
and ......................................................................
ASA and ISO use the same system; each one-stop increase in the film speed
corresponds to a doubling of the speed rating. Hence, an ISO 200 film is
The DIN system was developed in Germany, and has largely been usperseded
by ISO. In the DIN system, each one-stop increase in speed adds 3 to the
speed rating. An ISO 100 film has a DIN rating of 21 degrees; an ISO 200
film has a DIN rating of 24 degrees; and so on.
There's also a Soviet/Eastern European system known as GOST, but I'm not
familiar with its details. (Perhaps someone who owns a Kiev can help
fill this in?)
try:
================================================================================
Note 29.2 -< 3D Processing and Finishing Laboratories >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>Where does one send film exposed in a Nishika or Nimslo camera for
>processing?
To have film developed and printed into 3D lenticular prints there are at
least two labs that will do it. They also do "custom" work and may be
================================================================================
Note 29.3 -< Star Trail Control with Exposure Time >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>I photographed the Orion stars last week and one of the pics had star trails
>rather than star spot. What is the maximum time allowable to prevent the stars
>from trailing? I used a 200mm lens pointing it about 30 degrees from zenith.
This is an interesting question since while the angular speed of the stars is
the same, roughly 15 degrees per hour, their effective speed on the film varies
with elevation. I do not have the answer but am going to try figuring it out.
Suppose the camera is aimed low to the horizon then the lens will record an
angle in the sky equal to its angle of coverage. For a 50 mm lens horizontally
this is about 40 degrees, a 100 20 degrees and a 200 10 degrees. The stars
appear to move at 15 degrees per hour or 15/60 or .25 degrees per minute or
.25/60 or .0042 degrees per second. So, using a 50mm lens, a star's image will
move across the frame in 40 degrees /.0042 degrees per second = 9600 seconds
So how many star images are there in 40 mm? at 100 stars per mm there would be
roughly 4,000 so in one second you'd have to "cover" about 1/2 stars worth.
If your criterion says that you have to restrict motion to a "blob" one star
tall by four or five stars long then you'd have to have a maximum exposure
time of 8 seconds. Exposure times longer than about 10 seconds will already
show significant trailing. Ultimately it really depends on how much blur you
can allow. If you can only allow motion equivalent to one star's image diameter
on the film your exposure time requirements will be much more stringent than if
you can allow the star's image to move two, three or more diameters before you
consider it a trail instead of a spot.
Now if you raise the angle of the camera towards the poles then the effective
speed of the images will be less ... or another way to say it is that you will
cover more "degrees" of the sky with the same lens. Essentially with the camera
pointed at the pole star you will cover 360 degrees around the pole star (with
any lens!) and there will be very little motion at all in this region and much
longer exposures can be tolerated.
Anyway, this means that you can probably use longer and longer times as the
elevation of the stars approaches the pole stars. If your stars are within 30
degrees of the pole star you can probably roughly double or maybe even
quadruple the time you'd use at 90 degrees to the pole star.
I'm going to assume a linear relationship between image velocity and focal
Tilting the camera towards the pole star may allow a time let's say 4 times as
long so for a 50mm lens that would be 24 seconds, a 100mm lens 12 seconds and
for a 200mm lens it would be about 6 seconds.
Please note that I am placing this here more as a point of discussion rather
than as an absolute and correct answer to the question posed by Magnus above.
============================================================================
From: ben@lonestar.jpl.utsa.edu (Ben A. Fairbank)
Subject: Re: Star Trails
Organization: University of Texas at San Antonio
An earlier poster, message deleted inadvertantly, asked about the exposure time
necessary to avoid star "trails" when making star photographs. He or she
mentioned that he/she was shooting about 30 degrees from the zenith.
The answer depends on a number of factors; rather than posting an answer that
might be wrong for the case you are interested in, let me explain one way to
figure your own answer, at least as a starting point. You can use the answer
you calculate as an approximation and make test shots starting there. First,
the distance from the zenith (straight up) of your picture is not relevant
unless you also give your latitude and the direction you are shooting. Even
then the calculation is nontrivial. The really important figure is how far
from the north celestial pole you are shooting.
Let us calculate for the worst case -- that for stars on the celestial equator
(worst because they will always move the fastest, regardless of how far they
are from the zenith). Start from the final product -- the prints you will
make. How big will they be? Eleven by fourteen? OK, now, since all star
pictures made with a camera that does not follow the stars will be tracks, not
points, what is the longest track that is acceptable to you in your 11 x 14
prints? One millimeter, you say. Okay, now slate that to your negative. Let
us assume, again for simplicity, that you are using a 35 mm camera and printing
the full frame. That means you will be enlarging about ten times so that the
longest star track that is acceptable on the negative is 0.1 mm. It is now
necessary to translate that into an angular measurement -- a measurement of how
far across the sky, in degrees or minutes of angle, the star moves during your
exposure. You specified a 200 mm lens, so we can calculate the tangent
(remember from your trig that the tangent is the opposite side divided by the
adjacent side of the triangle as "seen" by the angle of interest) of the angle
as being (0.1/200), which is 0.0005. (Purists: I know that this involves a
slight simplification, but it agrees with the true value to seven significant
figures...) Now find the arctangent of 0.0005, which is 0.0286 degrees, or 1.7
minutes of angle. The problem now is to find how long it takes for the
celestial sphere to rotate 1.7 minutes of angle. The earth rotates 360 degrees
in 24 hours or 15 degrees per hour or 1 degree in 4 minutes or 1 degree in 240
seconds, or sixty minutes of ANGLE in 240 seconds of time or 1 minute of ANGLE
in 4 seconds of time (all equivalent rates). Thus it would take about 7
seconds for the sphere to rotate 1.7 minutes of angle.
================================================================================
From: ben@lonestar.jpl.utsa.edu (Ben A. Fairbank)
Subject: Re: Star Tracks (again)
Organization: University of Texas at San Antonio
The star images will always be lines if the camera does not follow the stars,
so the question will always be "How long a line can you tolerate in the
finished print?" If you know how long a line you can tolerate, then figuring
the exposure time is straightforward. The following five variables are
involved:
T = maximum exposure Time which will guarantee that the tracks will
be no longer than L.
The formula is
If, as is often the case, you do not know the value of D, then just ignore the
division by Cos D. This will have the effect of giving the exposure time
appropriate for stars on the equator, which are the fastest-moving of all
stars. Any off-equator stars will move more slowly and so will make tracks
even shorter than your maximum acceptable length.
Examples:
DISCLAIMER -- This equation was derived from simple geometric and astronomical
princples, but since I am not an astronomer (except an amateur one), it may
still be wrong. See article by James V. Bradley entitled "Overconfidence in
Ignorant Experts."
Ben Fairbank.
================================================================================
and from Michael Gudzinowicz:
For small angles, the tangent and sine are very nearly proportional to the
angle, so one may substitute the rate of change of the tangent of the
angle swept by the earth's rotation, giving rate tan/sec = (sin
A)*(0.0000727)/sec.
With the pole star in the frame for long exposures, it is apparent that
trails form arcs with the star at the approximate center. The arc angle
increases at the rate of 15 deg per hour... a 90 deg arc requires a 6 hr
exposure (use films with high reciprocity failure to prevent sky fog).
That number, 7.3 x 10^-5, is from 15 arcsec per second of time (earth's
rotation) and 206265 arcsec in one radian, if anyone cares.
If my math is correct, a star trail of 0.1 mm length (which will look like a
dot) requires a maximum of 10.2 seconds on a 135mm lense and 27.5 seconds on
a 50 mm lens.
Of course, the film speed, the **seeing** and the f/stop will determine
how bright each dot will be (how many stars, or how faint a star, will be
recorded).
================================================================================
Note 29.4 -< Problem with Glass Carriers and Rings on Prints >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>Sometimes when printing negatives with a glass carrier I notice faint rings
>of density spread all over my prints. I have noticed this also in my Leitz
>Focomat enlarger where the condenser comes in contact with the film. Why?
To overcome this problem in your enlarger use anti-newton glass in the carrier
or add an anti-newton glass spacer below the Focomat's condenser. There is a
likelihood that the pattern etched into the anti-newton glass may show up as a
faint texture in your prints however.
For small film sizes you might simply use anti-newton glass from a slide mount.
For larger sizes Condit Mfg. Company sells anti-newton glass in various sizes.
They not only sell anti-newton glass but also pin-registartion equipment useful
for special-effects work. They are at: Condit Mfg. Co. Inc., 29 Philo Curtis
Rd., Sandy Hook, CT 06482, (203) 426-4119 (Warren L. Condit is the President)
================================================================================
Note 29.5 -< Black Light >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>Pardon my ignorance but I am a self taught/teaching novice. What is a black
>light? What is it used for in general? With exposure of approx1/4sec, what
>aperture was used? I'm interested in learning and experimenting.
Black light is the colloquial term for Ultraviolet rays (as opposed to
"light" rays which we can see). UV is energy of shorter wavelength than
reds, greens or blues. UV is invisible but some sources such as used in
concert admission validation stations are almost visible. They are called
"long wave" UV sources. There is also short wave UV which is dangerous to
your health and is responsible for the tanning effect of sunlight.
The term "black light"is often associated with illuminating a subject with
"black" (invisible or nearly so) light and viewing its transformation by
certain substances to longer wavelength rays which are relatively easily
visible. This effect is called fluorescence. Fluorescence can appear as
light of various colors depending on the "transformation" quality of the
material illuminated by the UV. It is best perceived when there is very
little light present.
Since under these conditions the eye's pupils are wide open and the
retina's effective "speed" is increased to a maximum, even small levels of
fluorescence (which is typically the case) are easily seen ... but are
relatively difficult to photograph. Thus typically there is a need for
large lens apertures and fast films. Apertures of maybe f:2, film speeds
in the 400 ISO range and exposure times in the 1 to 1/8 second range using
fluorescent tubes emitting mostly long wave UV "light". Since the power of
these tubes is hardly standardized it is really difficult to give
definitive exposure guidelines.
If you are interested in further reading on this subject you could check
out the articles available from the following address: ritphoto@rit.edu
================================================================================
Note 29.6 -< Minox Cameras Dated and Described >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Minox Subminiature Camera Models List (1.1)
The models:
Original "Riga": stainless-steel case. Original lens; not as sharp near the
edges of the frame as later lenses. This is the only stainless-steel bodied
model; it's the heaviest, and the least-likely to be dinged. Highly-prized
collector's item; tends to go for >$2,000. Made in Riga, Latvia.
Minox III: new lens design, essentially the same as all later Minoxes (except
the EC), called the "complan". Still completely manual with no meter; this
and later models are all fine shooters.
Minox IIIs: just like the III, with a flash synch (PC connector).
Minox B: First Minox bigger than all the previous. This one is a bit longer,
and adds a selenium cell light meter. You still set the shutter speed by
hand.
Minox C: still longer than the B; this one is the biggest Minox submini; where
a IIIs is about 3-1/4" including PC flash connector, the C is about 4-1/2"
long. This is the first Minox submini with Auto-Exposure; it has a CdS cell
light meter, which can control the shutter speed (which can also be manually
set). You _can't_ tell what speed the meter is gonna use. This is the first
Minox submini to require a battery.
Later models of C, as well as the LX, have a modified complan lens, changed
to focus on a flat plane rather than a curved one. So, they have a flat
pressure plate. The best prints are made if you use an enlarger with a flat
or curved film holder to match the flat or curved pressure plate in your
camera.
Minox LX: current manufacture; shorter than the C (but larger than the
originals); auto-exposure, as well as manual. The first Minox whose shutter
speed goes up to 1/2000.
Somewhere in these last few models (I'm not sure where) the Minox factory moved
from Wetzlar to Giesen, Germany.
-Bennett
bet@mordor.com
================================================================================
Note 29.7 -< Filter Primer >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FILTERS: The Basics
Peter Bryenton, (C) February 1995 (except for personal use).
A blue filter (one that looks blue when you hold it up to your
eye) takes part of the incoming light energy away by changing it
into heat on its way through. The bits it removes are the colours
we see as greens and reds. When our eye-brain systems see red
and green light mixed together we get the impression of yellow
light.
(All the colours you see on your TV set are really coming to
your eye from just three sets of tiny dots of light which are red,
green and blue. Check this out with a magnifying glass).
What making the right choice of filters can do for you is to give
you more control over different areas of the same image at the
taking stage. Used effectively, filters are a powerful tool in your
box of photographic spanners (wrenches). Maybe you want to try
this for yourself now and start thinking about why a red
safelight is essential for multigrade printing work but a yellow
one will do just fine for graded papers.
So, next time you eat a Big Mac, why not think about trying a
little creative filtering for your monochrome work? Lemons (the
fruit your bartender cuts up) and deep blue filters can be fun.
J. David Sapir
University of Virginia
Talk for Brown University 6 March 1995 copyright by J. David Sapir 1995
Photography can be called a language only if you say that any form of human
communication is a language - dance, music, painting, drawing or sculpture.
consider also the photo of: William Henry Jackson outside of his 'dark tent'
and William Henry Jackson's two assistants (a man and a mule).
The old distinction made by Susanne Langer in her 1940 Philosophy in a New
Key, is a good place to start. She talked of two types of symbolism (using
symbol in the broad sense, the way Peirce would use sign). Discursive and
Presentational. Quintessentially language is discursive: it is lineal, it is
atomistic and it is paraphrasable. That is: words are strung out, one after
the next. You don't get the idea until the sentence, or paragraph - chapter,
book is gone through. A sentence can be broken down into words and each word
carries meaning and can be put into a lexicon. And the sense of what is
communicated in language can be communicated by using different words, or a
different order to the words - here is the cat -> the cat is here -> voici le
chat. Now each point can be disputed, or greatly modified given particular
instances. For example poetry defies paraphrase - although you can explain it
- or try to explain it, a lot is lost, even beyond the disruption of what
Roman Jakobson called the 'poetic function,' the musicality of verbal sounds.
'If music be the food of love, play on, give me excess of it ... ' Try to
paraphrase that.
I am not exactly sure when he wrote this paragraph, but I am sure it was after
the invention and broad distribution of the Kodak which was introduced in the
1880's.
Let us worry the idea of indexicality - and in our discussion we will want to
ask two separate questions: First: when is it important, in fact essential, to
take into account the indexicality of a photograph, and when not. Secondly,
why are art critics and art photographers disinclined to consider the
indexicality of a photograph. Or, if they consider it, they consider as
something of no great moment.
The importance of indexicality. We learned from James Frazer that there are
two types of magic: The magic of contagion; which is the magic of things that
are once together, are always together - you work on someone's finger nails or
hair clippings and you work on that person. And the magic of sympathy - things
that are similar to each other are the same. Thus, you burn in effigy the
image of someone you wish to harm. Images - pictures - participate in the
magic of sympathy. Photographs participate in both.
There are lots of stories about people who believe that a part of themselves
is taken away when they are photographed. These are said to be "primitive"
people. But not just socalled "primitives," back country hayseeds. John
Thomson experienced difficulties making his memorable photographs during his
travels in China in the 1870's. And that great primitive Honore/ de Balzac
thought as much. 'He had a theory .. that each time the shutter clicked a
layer was peeled off the personality of the sitter.' Nadar said of the theory:
'He had nothing to fear; his abdominal contours allowed plenty of latitude for
shedding ghosts.' [There is only a single known daguerreotype of Balzac, owned
at one time by Nadar and used by Rodin for his great sculpture of Balzac.]
Franz Boas gave this example to show the universality of "primitive thought:"
I take your photograph - today it would be very simple to take a polaroid -
Your image emerges, I take it, spit on it, crumple it up, toss to the floor
and stamp on it, all the while saying 'horrible picture, horrible picture.'
What is your reaction?
The double magic of a photograph - its indexicality coupled with its imaging -
presses upon us mainly in one specific variety of photograph: Photographs of
people and this would come up most particularly in family pictures and beyond
them to photographs of, what I like to call 'people in the world' ...
documentary photographs, photojournalism, street photographs, papparazzi
pictures. Throughout all, the photograph, at an important level, remains
attached to its referent. The referent is omnipresent.
We learn from Kant that an aesthetic entails a 'pleasure without concept,' and
thus is detached from any moral judgements and practical reason. This, of
course, gives us our 'art for art sake' and to the expressiveness of the
individual artist. From this angle, if a subject of a photograph maintains an
indexical claim to his or her image, then the artist photographer loses total
claim to the creative process.
But the top of the list and the most talked about is the manipulation of
photographic material by way of computer processing. The possibilities are
limitless and I shall not go into them for I am sure you are familiar with
what can be done. I will, however, mention the vocabulary that goes with
computer imaging: A photograph is taken - it is than digitized by scanning -
this is called 'image capturing,' the next step is 'image processing' here you
work upon the image within an application such as Photoshop. The final step
is image storing, either by filing to disk or by sending the image to a 'list
device' (lst) - a printer. Throughout any discussion of computer photography
the major focus is on the 'processing.' The original act of taking a
photograph is merely the procurement of an image to be processed. This is a
far cry from Edward Weston's belief that you should 'pre-visualize' the final
print in the ground glass of your camera. Or from Cartier-Bresson, who
considered the act of seeing and of taking the photograph as the essential
element, the realization of geometry in emotion at an instant in time. The
final photograph was of lesser moment. For Cartier-Bresson, an intense
engagement with the world was more important than what might come from it.
Our discussion brings up four variables which may be very briefly summarized
as follows:
What is interesting is when the two types of commentary cross paths as they
Commentator 1. will tell you immediately that we are talking about Florence
Thompson and her daughters Norma, Katherine & Rubby. What has become of them?
How did Lange approach the family when she came to take the picture? Where did
the photograph fit into the FSA project, what was the relationship of Lange to
the other photographers and they all to Roy Stryker and what was the
relationship of the FSA to ideology of the New Deal? How was the photograph
used then and how is it used now. And what prompted the creation of this
unique documentary archive and how did it end up in the library of Congress?
If commentator 1. looks at the set of six photographs Lange took he/she notes
that in one Florence Thompson has the start of a smile and in two others
there is a fourth child, an adolescent lounging in a rocker. The adolescent
has a far away look in her eyes. Is she dreaming about Clark Gable? By pulling
the one photograph out and forgetting the others can we infer that there is
some propaganda angle at play? These are just the beginning of the questions
to ask and explore!
Commentator 2. may perhaps dismiss the photograph as a 'shop worn' cliche (as
one critic I read referred to Brassai's Paris at Night photographs). But if
pressed Commentator 2. will talk of the emotion in the face, the iconography
of the madonna, and strong formal arrangement with the mother's arm bringing
our eye to her face. The children are present but bury their faces against
their mother. We know they are there, but we are not distracted from the
mother. If commentator 2. exams the set of six he/she will see the
progression of Lange's eye, step by step as she approaches her final pose -
the contact sheet as a page from a poetic sketch book, is the phrase. Beyond
the "migrant mother" photograph commentator 2. will want to place it in
Lange's other work at the time and compare it to what preceded the FSA time
and what came later.
How can I end? Can I imagine that these two conflicting commentators exist
simultaneously in the spirit of an any active and accomplished photographer of
people? They must, and perhaps the presence of commentator 1. explains why
photographers like Dorothea Lange resisted calling themselves artists.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
I concluded my talk by showing two sets of photographs. The first set stemmed
from the latter part of the discussion and consisted of a sample of
photographs I took during my field work in Africa. I'll post a set of them on
the WWW within a month. Regardless of their intrinsic merit they represent a
photographer's frame of mind.
Secondly, going back to the opening question of photography and language and
the kinds of communication each represents I ran photographs against a text.
Short excerpts from Lewis Carroll's Alice book were read while thrown up on
the screen were a set of Charles Dodgeson's child pictures. Do looking at the
pictures effect how we hear and understand the words was my query? Do they
make us think differently about Alice and her creator? Try it for yourself to
see. It is a lot of fun.
"The question is," said Alice, "whether you -can- make words mean so many
"The question is," said Humpty Dumpty, "which is to be master - that's all."
================================================================================
Note 29.9 -< Hundreds of Film/Developer Processing Instructions >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: FAQ: B&W Film/Developer combinations
From: revdoc@wumpus.cc.uow.edu.au (Phil Herring)
(Last update: December 1994; some times for Tri-X added; times for
Ilford Delta films added. The list now contains 296 film/developer
combinations.)
This list has been compiled from data sheets that I've accumulated over the
years, and shows the recommended processing times for a wide range of films
in a wide range of developers. For each, the recommended ASA rating is
listed; some are intended for push-processing. The recommended agitation
routine is also shown, along with an indication of the resulting negative
contrast, and the source of the information.
Old and/or obsolete films have been included. Beware: some of their
replacements have similar names but may have quite different processing
requirements.
Note that these times should be treated as starting points only. Processing
variables will mean that you will never be able to replicate the conditions
used by the manufacturers to produce their figures; besides, only you can
decide how you want your negatives to look.
All times are for 20 degrees C; that's 68 degrees F for those of you still
living in the dark ages. (Except for the time for Kodak TMZ from Kodak; the
figures shown are for 21 degrees C/70 degrees F.) 35mm format in a daylight
tank is assumed.
Disclaimer: I'm not responsible for any of this information. Errors are
probably typos.
Agitation
---------
Contrast
--------
C Condenser enlarger
D Diffusion enlarger
H1 CI = 2.50
H2 CI = 2.25-2.55
H3 CI = 2.40-2.70
H4 CI = 1.20-2.10
H5 CI = 1.10-2.10
H6 CI = 0.80-0.95
Official Sources
----------------
Note 30.1 -< Making Masks to Make Money w/ Trading Cards >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>Anyway my idea is this, Print out the text and symbols for whatever masks
>I'd like to create using standard White Paper and a Laserjet printer. Then
>using a Copy stand and Kodalith Film make a mask which I can then sandwich
>with a negative and print as usual. Seems like a GREAT way to make Trading
>Cards for Little League teams and such. So am I completely DAFT or is this
>a feaseable idea? What speed is Kodalith available in? How difficult to
>process is it?
You can start your exposure tests at ISO 8 under tungsten lights, with the
film processed in Kodalith developer, and ISO 25 processed in D-11.
Sheet film processing can be done in trays, and can be done under a red
safelight (Kodak 1a), so you can see a little of what you are doing.
Agitation should be continuous and development time is 2.75 minutes for
Kodalith developer and 2.5 minutes for D-11. Make your trial exposure
readings from an 18-percent gray card.
If you are shooting the 35mm film, you can load the film on reels and then
agitate continuously in the tank for the same times.
Consider creating your computer artwork at the largest size your printer
can produce (so a trading card would fill as much of a letter size page as
possible, for example), include black boxes where the photo will go (to
create a transparent "window" on the Kodalith film), and then shoot to the
size you need on sheet film, or to the appropriate size for enlarging from
35mm film. The result will be a higher resolution from your laser printer
than you would get if you created your artwork at actual size.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
NORMAN LENBURG, Photo/Imaging Instructor
Madison Area Technical College
3550 Anderson St., Madison, WI 53704 USA trans-121
608-246-6521 (office), 608-246-6880 (fax)
...............................................................................
>Anyway my idea is this, Print out the text and symbols for whatever masks
>I'dlike to create using standard White Paper and a Laserjet printer. Then
>using a Copy stand and Kodalith Film make a mask which I can then sandwich
>with a negative and print as usual. Seems like a GREAT way to make Trading
>Cards for Little League teams and such. What speed is Kodalith available in?
>How difficult to process is it?
That is probably exactly how the masks you bought were made although I'd
think that the type was typeset and the graphics were reduced from some
significant sized original. The masks generally are used as contact masks
placed on your print during enlarging instead of masks to be used in the
enlarger. Whether a laserjet generated original is acceptable in terms of
edge quality is something you and your customers will have to decide.
================================================================================
Note 30.2 -< More Wedding Photography Tips >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>I will be shooting my first wedding soon. I was wondering if someone could
>point me to a site on the web or anywhere for some pointers, FAQ's, advice?
Put together a photo wish list with the bride and groom. For example
formal poses of the bride with the parents and family members and other
single, couple, and group shoots. Have the bride gather some example
photographs she wants out of bridal magazines.
Notice the light levels during your dry runs and decide which film speed
is better suited for the location. Also determine what lenses are needed
or better suited per location. You might want to try out some soft
lighting effect filters while you have the chance. And no matter what
keep notes on locations and exposures and flash settings, this is very
important.
On the wedding day be sure to bring at least two cameras (one as a back
up to the other) with fresh batteries and have some spare ones in the
camera bag. During the wedding try to use both cameras for the important
shots in the event one camera is having unforseen problems. Bring
enough film to take 720 pictures. While most weddings will only use
about 240 to 360 exposures you should always bring enough to cover the
wedding twice over. It is better to have to much film than not enough.
At the wedding don't be afraid of running out of film and don't forget to
take more than one frame per pose, try about three per pose as a starting
point. This in case some is blinking their eyes during the exposure.
If you are shooting 35mm I recommend ten rolls of VPS or NPS (160 ASA)
and ten rolls of PMC or NHG (400 ASA). You should try out a roll of each
and decide which gives you the colors you like. You might want to try
derating the film to a lower ASA for better shadow detail and a whiter
dress. Pass the samples by the couple for their input. This will also
allow you to check your camera equipment, walking the shutter and f/stop
combinations to make sure everything is working.
Don't forget the wedding group shot of the entire wedding party guests
and all, the best time for this shot is at the best mans toast. Have
everybody turn and face the camera and raise their glasses to the bride
and groom. You should be on a high location allowing you to shot
downwards at the party.
I recommend that you recommend to the wedding couple the use of Kodaks
wedding cameras, to be placed on the tables at the reception. This will
help cover the wedding reception events.
At the wedding remember to shoot the behind the scenes events like the
best man and groom straighten out the grooms tux or ties. Or the Mother
of the bride with the bride helping the bride with her dress or brushing
her hair. Another good shot is the bride with her father just before
they start the walk, maybe him giving her advice or kind words before
giving her away.
Good luck,
Don
From: Don Farra <Donald.D.Farra@jpl.nasa.gov>
================================================================================
Note 30.3 -< Photo Archives of an old Photo Discussion list >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
================================================================================
Note 30.4 -< 8mm and 16mm film source and brief movie primer >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>Does anyone know where to get 8mm and 16mm film cameras and film? Also
info on use of such camera would be appreciated.
I recommend you call Chambless Cine Equipment in Atlanta, 706 636 5210,
and get their catalog. The value of this catalog is that it's an
extensive description of most cameras, lenses, and accessories
available on both the used and new market for 8 and 16mm moviemaking.
You can buy directly from them--they're reliable, but their prices are
naturally high since they market to professionals. Equipment can be
picked up at camera shows --there's one in Fort Washington at the Expo
Center on June 4, for example. Local camera dealers also have this
stuff from time to time; try Fotorama, 1831 Chestnut in Phila. or
PhotoCine on 18th St. These dealers and fleamarketeers don't know much
about cine equipment so you have to do some homework to get what you
need. The upside is that prices can be quite low since these guys are
anxious to get rid of this stuff; the market for movie equip is thin.
You can get good old cameras (early 1950s; I'd avoid prewar stuff),
often with several good old lenses, for a couple hundred dollars and in
my experience these simpler cameras are better for learning how to film
than the later, overly automated ones. This includes nonreflex Bolex
cameras, Bell and Howell 70 series (the 70DR is still in production
but can be got used at a flea market for $150 or so) and the Kodak
Cine Special II and K-100, my personal favorites. >so how do you
determine exposures when doing movies?
BTW ... normal filming speed for silent movies is 16 frames per second
(since the 1950s texts say 18 frames per second) and 24 frames per
second for sound movies. The higher speed for sound is principally to
improve sound fidelity, just as faster speeds on a tape recorder sound
better. This is why old silent movies look jerky--they are projected on
sound projectors too fast. Anyhow, most cameras permit a variety of
speeds from about 8 frames per second sometimes up to 64. Filming
faster than the norm (more than 16 for silent films) produces "slow
motion" effects when projected at normal speed, and filming slower
produces the effect of watches and clocks speeding up, etc.
.... the item above was composed by JJMcF@aol.com and posted on rec.photo
================================================================================
Note 30.5 -< Pinhole Cameras and Supplies Source >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I have a 4x5 pinhole camera that I recently purchased from the Pinhole
Resource. I'm almost positive that they make several 8x10 cameras as
well. Their design would allow you to use standard 8x10 film holders
and 8x10 polaroid holders, ( if you really like to spend money! ) which
makes it rather convenient for field use. Their address is:
Pinhole Resource
Star Route 15, Box 1355
San Lorenzo, NM 88041
(505) 536-9942
For supplies for Pinhole Photography please contact Minute Aperture Imaging.
================================================================================
Note 30.6 -< What shutter speed to STOP motion? >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
There was a question related to determination of the shutter speed
required to make a sharp picture of a race car what would be the
exposure time required to achieve a sharp photograph? Consider this:
Hence:
Shutter Time = (Max Allow. Blur)/((Speed in m/s)X(Magnif.)X(1000 mm/m))
******************************************************************************
If Car's Direction and Optical Axis are Co-Linear:
(Assumption that the Car is far from the Camera)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Answers:
90 degrees with 50% of viewfinder => 1/11520 sec or less for shutter time
Co-Linear=> 1/520 sec or less for shutter time
>I'm looking for general rules of thumb for shutter speeds to stop motion ...
The other posts contain definitive answers, so I'll offer a "rule of thumb"
and its derivation.
Simply determine the time it takes the subject to cross the frame, and divide
by 1200 to determine the shutter speed for small (5X-8X) prints. If you can't
determine the time (too fast), use the fastest speed possible and pan.
Let's assume that a 0.030 mm blur of the circle of confusion is acceptable for
an 8X enlargement (borderline). The velocity (v) of the image to moving on the
film in mm/sec is equal is the time to cross the frame divided by 36 mm.
For larger prints, use a smaller blur value, such as 0.015 which gives (time
across frame) / 2400 for the shutter speed. For subjects with "moving parts",
such as a person walking, consider relative motion of the "parts" (legs & arms)
which might be 2X fater than the "average" speed.
With objects moving toward or away from you, you'll have to estimate the rate
of change of magnification, or a rate to fill the frame. For a small object
relative to frame size whose rate of change of size is small, shutter speed may
not be that important. If the photo is taken during the period when an object
goes from 1/2 to frame filling size, the time to do so may be considered 1/4 of
the frame travel time above (note, the distance at the object's edge traverses
is 1/4 the frame size as it goes from 1/2 frame to full frame size. In this
case, the time to go from 1/2 to full frame would be divided by 300 rather
than 1200, though 1200 could still be used to be "safe".
The same simple approach can be used to estimate deliberate blur of a moving
object. If you want it blurred for 1/8 the distance across the print (or
negative), exposed at 1/8 the speed which it takes the object to cross the
frame. To blur the background over 1/8 of the frame, use the same speed but
pan.
-- Mike -- ab366@osfn.rhilinet.gov
================================================================================
from: andpph@rit.edu (Andrew Davidhazy)
It does no good (sort of) to achieve a sharp image if the image is so small
that one can not see it! ... which is the inevitable result of trying to
photograph a fast moving subject with a slow shutter speed and using as a
controlling factor the magnification of the image by either moving back from a
subject or using a shorter focal length lens.
Don't get me wrong, either approach will work but in terms of resolvable detail
it turns out it does not matter at all what the magnification was ... blur is
simply a factor of exposure time (sure motion angle also enters into it but
that is a longer story) and subject velocity.
andy, andpph@rit.edu
================================================================================
Note 30.7 -< Filter to make color scene look as B&W sees it! >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>There is a filter used to show the contrast or lack of same in a scene and to
>give the viewer a look in almost black and white tones to see if the potential
>photo would give a reasonable bxw pix. What is the number of this filter?
"This filter, No. 90, of a pure yellow color, transmits a narrow region of the
In other words, it suggests where tones are likely to merge, which is useful
information since colors may appear quite different, though the tone reproduced
on film might be the same. Gels may be acquired at dealers and mounted in the
aspect ratio of the format between plastic sheets to prevent damage.
The total transmission is 12% (8X) which gives it a very deep yellow/brown/
sepia look. An insignificant amount of blue and green light to 550 nm are
transmitted (a "peak" of 1% at 340 nm); at 575 transmission rises to 35%,
drops to < 1% at 650 cutting red, and rises in the near IR.
===============================================================================
Note 30.8 -< Polarizers for Infrared Photography - Q&A >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>A while ago, I read in an older German book [printed in 1979] that a normal
>polarizing filter has no effect on IR-film (black&white), since true
>IR-waves are not affected by the common polarizers; apparently it looses
>its polaring-effect in the longer wavelengths. The book suggested to use
>IR-polarizing-filters....
What is actually the case is that the material used in "regular", light,
polarizers transmits IR so obviously these will not polarize IR.
>I spoke to a specialist from B+W filters; filters like these are no longer
>in production, the only current type that polarizes IR works only between
>1000 and 1200nm, and are 100% black to the naked eye. Estimate price for
>this filter in the size 100x100mm is above 700 US$....;-( Does anyone know
more about this kind of polarizing filters? Brand, type, sizes, and price?
Polaroid does in fact sell Polarizing material that is effective in the near
IR. Still not cheap but available. You can order direct from Polaroid by
calling 1-800-225-2770 and they also will send out product spec sheets on
request. I was able to find out that material which works between .8 and 2.2
microns is called HR4 and the product number for a 2x2 inch piece is 605211 and
cost is $ 116 each, for a 3" square the number is 605212 and price is $182 ...
they also have larger sizes and may have near-ir polarizing filters as well.
^^^
andy, andpph@rit.edu
............................................................................
Besides B+W, the Goettinger Farbfilter GmbH also produces IR-polarizers, but,
like B+W, only above 800nm (same type I guess as the polarizer Andrew
Davidhazy mentioned). Price?, oh well....10 to 20 DM....but not per filter,
_per cm2!_ ....for 10x10cm that would be ehh....up to 1500 US$....
But I also spoke to Ian Gobey from the Polaroid Filters (European) headquarter
in the UK. At first he told me that they had only one IR-polarizing filter,
for use between 800 and 2000nm. But after mentioning the 'HN 7'-type, he could
remember that there was a type not listed in the regular productcharts. He
contacted Polaroid USA, and confirmed that this HN-7 type (working between 700
and 900nm) was still available, but on special request order only. It was
definately not on stock, not in the US nor in Europe. Delivery could take 4 to
6 weeks. Estimate price was 70US$ for a sheet of 12"x12", 0.015 thick
(propably mm, but I am not sure about this).
Found not only the right filter, but for a very reasonable price also!....:-))
The only thing that puzzles me right now, is, whether typical 'broadband'
IR-polarizers also exist. Since the Ektachrome, used with a orange filter, is
sensitive to the range between 500 and 900nm, the Polaroid HN 7 filter would
have no effect on the visible range. Perfect solution would be a IR-polarizer
that has a continuous working range between 500 and 900nm....
==============================================================================
Note: 30.9 -< What makes a macro photograph? >-
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>Subject: Is close focus = macro? If not, could some one tell me what is the
>>difference.
>Close focusing doesn't necessary mean macro. When using the same lens say
>50mm. you will get higher magnification as you get closer to the subject.
>You can get closer by several method(the easiest is the closeup attachments).
>As you use stronger attachments, you get closer and the image gets larger.
>The other and better way to get higher magnification is to use a telephoto
>lens say 200-300mm. By this way, you get much higher magnification without
>the need to get closer to the subject. This is spicially true for
>photographing living beings such as butterflies that get scared and fly away
>if you get very close to them.
A second point referring to the above post is that while it is true that for a
given object distance a longer focal length lens will produce a bigger image
size most telephoto lenses do not allow you to focus as close as a shorter lens
does so you may not get the close-up magnification that you get with a shorter
lens. For nature photography (and in fact most other applications as well) it
is good advice to use the nongets focal length possible to achieve a given
magnification because this means a longer working distance and less likelihood
of the camera or lens interfering with the photography.
andy, andpph@rit.edu
.............................................................................
>>For nature photography (and in fact most other applications as well) it
>>is good advice to use the longest focal length possible to achieve a given
>>magnification because this means a longer working distance and less chance
>>of the camera or lens interfering with the photography.
>i am curious about this last advice, as I don't have much experience with
>macro work. I would tend to think that at close-up focusing, depth of
>field is so shallow that one might want to use the shortest focal length
>that gives a comfortable working distance from the subject, (which will
>vary with subject, eg flower/butterfly/grizzly bear nostril), or a focal
>length that gives the desired perspective.
(Note the qualifier above. DOF does depend on focal length when the subject
distance gets close to the hyperfocal distance. See the Lens Tutorial - (also
available for ritphoto@rit.edu with Subj: faq-lenses$txt)
...............................................................................
There's a crucial issue being left out of this discussion. A lens by one
of the reputable mfrs sold as a micro or macro lens will not only focus
close, but IS DESIGNED OPTICALLY TO DO A GOOD JOB AT CLOSE DISTANCES.
Optimum lens design for shooting in the 1:2 or 1:1 range, not to mention
closer, is quite different from optimum lens design for "normal" (10 ft to
congreve@aol.com
==========================================================================
Note 30.10 -< Making B&W slides from B&W negatives >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
How to make b/w slides from negatives.
Some time ago, I enquired about methods to obtain black and white slides from
black and white negatives. I received many answers, and in particular I had
long email discussions with Ron Speirs. He taugth me a very simple and
effective procedure, that I followed with very rewarding results. In this post
I will present that procedure, together with some additional suggestions.
Let me remark that black and white slides can be truly beautiful. Their tonal
range greatly exceeds that of b/w prints, and often exceeds that of color
slides. You can see the most brilliant highlights side to side to detail in the
deepest shadows, without sacrificing the overall contrast.
Also, making b/w slides from negatives takes far less time than making final
prints. I once used to spend hours printing, and there were still many, many
negatives that I would have liked to see, but had no time to print. Now I can
quickly make slides from all the interesting negatives, and I can print only
the ones that I feel deserve it. I can do my snapshooting in b/w now!
The method.
The method is rather simple. With a slide duplicator, shoot duplicates of the
negatives on Kodak 5302 Fine Grain Positive Release Film, then develop in Kodak
D-11.
The film.
Kodak 5302 film is sold in 100 ft rolls, so that you need a bulk loader to load
it in film cassettes. It is very inexpensive: a 100 ft roll is about $12. Other
films that can be developed to a moderately high contrast would do as well: for
example, Technical Pan. I stick to 5302 because it is so inexpensive, it
tolerates process variations fairly well, and because I don't want to begin
again testing exposure and development times for a different film.
The duplicator.
The type of the duplicator is important. The duplicators are normally designed
for slides, not for negative strips. The above 1:1 duplicator can be used with
negative strips; but I don't know whether the same applies to other brands or
to zoom duplicators.
With the above duplicator, all you need to do is to get one of those glassless
slide mounts with hinged cover, such that the hinge runs parallel to the long
side of the slide. Then, file the mount so that you can slip in it a whole
negative strip without the mount scratching it. The mount should still be able
to grip the film strip so that it won't move. Once this is done, it is very
simple to position the slide mount on the negative strip and copy one frame at
a time.
Kodak 5302 is not very light-sensitive: depending on the blue content of the
light, it is between 1.2 ASA and 0.3 ASA. In fact, the film is blue sensitive,
and can be handled under a red safelight (see the instructions packaged with
the film).
I have found that the best way of exposing it consists in shining the light
from a slide projector on the white piece of diffusing plastic of the
duplicator. This is the most intense light source that I have available in my
darkroom. I keep the duplicator about 15 cm from the projector lens. One must
be careful that the light from the projector illuminates uniformly the piece of
white diffusing plastic.
I set the ASA dial of my camera to 50 ASA, and when I read an exposure time
between 1/15 and 1/8, I set the shutter speed to 2 seconds. This is a starting
point (but works fairly well). As usual, you can change this to obtain
particular effects: longer time for a darker slide, shorter for a lighter
slide. The film does not seem to suffer much from reciprocity failure for these
times. I did not find mirror lock-up to have much effect on the sharpness of
the duplicate.
I found that Dektol and HC-110 do not provide enough contrast for my negatives:
the slides have a grayish look, and the maximum density is not high enough.
Dektol can be a useful developer for negatives that have a higher contrast than
mines, though.
==========================================================================
> Later this month I will be going to Boston and Northern New England for the
> first time. I'm from Arizona and this part of the country will be new and
> different for me. I could use some suggestions on what to see and photograph
> to get a feeling for the culture and environment of the area.
I live outside of Boston and have never been to Arizona, and have only seen
photos. Depending on what you are interested in, NE has a very wide variety of
scenery. Boston itself is very attractive, with buildings dating back over 200
years, so the architecture would probably be very different from what you are
used to. Cape Cod National Seashore is one of my favorite places. There are
sand dunes, but probably very different from what you are used to seeing in the
SouthWest. For Historical Interest, Plimouth Plantations and Old Sturbridge
Village are interesting for their perspective on life in Colonial America, and
the architecture and town layout. North of Boston are the towns of Gloucester,
Rockport, Magnolia, and Manchester. These offer very different scenery, as the
coast there is very rocky (Rockport is very appropriately named) which is quite
different from the Cape Cod coast line 2 hours away. These towns are on Cape
Ann ("The Other Cape"). Rockport has a red fishing shack on a pier jutting out
into the harbor, which has the reputation of being one of the most photographed
and painted buildings, at least in New England. It is usually referred to as
"Motif No 1".
Further north into Maine the coastline is also very rocky, with long rocky
inlets from the ocean. The mountains in New Hampshire are much older than the
Rockies, so they are considerably more worn down, and not as striking, but
beautiful in their own right.
There are towns throughout the area, which may not necessarily have anything
particularly distinctive, aside from having town centers which have not changed
much in 200 years. For some of them, perhaps spring, when all the flowers are
in bloom, and fall, when the leaves are turning, are the prettiest times to see
them, but they might be worth a visit depending on your time frame.
From: Bill Leigh, wleigh@xionics.com
CHICAGO ........................................................................
> I will be travelling to Chicago. I will only be there for three days but I
> hope to do some sight-seeing and hopefully get some shooting in. I will be
> quite limited to the downtown area and would appreciate it if anyone has any
> suggestions of good places to visit (and any areas I should avoid)
Chicago is a nice place to visit, and you know the rest. It is full of
interesting things to photograph. I particularly like Michigan Ave. w/ the
colorful people and street musicians. Perhaps for a donation, they will let you
photogaph them. The tall buildings are awesome, as is the view from the John
Hancock and Sears Towers which you can get about a fifty mile view on a clear
day. Night is also spectatular. I like photographing the skyline and it's
reflection in Lake Michigan from the Adler Planetarium. It 's a small peninsula
that juts out in the lake. It makes a great view just after sunset. Be sure to
pick up a map of downtown. The Chicago River has many drawbridges with various
vessels afloat. Also, Chicago is known for it's modern architecture. As a
Always the Art Institute and the Museum of Contemporary Photo south on Michigan
From: Kim Mosley <mosley@artsci.wustl.edu>
In addition to the USS Alabama, in downtown Mobile you have historic Fort Conde
which is a partial restoration of the orginal city hundreds of years ago. There
is also Fort Gaines located on Dauphin Island about 25 miles south of the city.
Fort Morgan is located opposite Gulf Shores in the next county. Both Forts
Morgan and Gaines protected the mouth of the Bay from invasion during the Civil
War. Very little has been done to Fort Morgan. It is pretty much in ruins as I
recall, but picturesque. Fort Gaines has been restored and is a thriving
tourist attraction. There is a Ferry that links both Dauphin Island and Fort
Morgan. The trip last about 30 minutes. The alternative is about a 1 1/2 hour
drive by car. Since I am here, will be glad to answer any additional questions
you or anyone else may have.
From: maf00217@ns1.maf.mobile.al.us ("Robert A Vogtner")
more:
The boat's there, but if I may jump in with an alternative suggestion: don't
miss the gardens if you're in the area -- Bellingrath (spelling?) Gradens are
world class. They are grand southern gardens -- plantation style opulence. If
you have to choose, forget the boat.
From: Joe Angert, St. Louis Community College, <0007372155@mcimail.com>
LAS VEGAS......................................................................
> Will be heading to Las Vegas in August. Can anyone tell me some good sites to
> photograph (Outside of Vegas)? Will have a rental car so that will not be a
> problem. Let say about a fifty to hundred mile range of Las Vegas.
You may want to consider visiting Hoover Dam and Lake Mead south of Las Vegas.
Raft trips down the Colorado River below the dam are available (much more
sedate than the ones through the Grand Canyon!).
Local Las Vegas attractions (*besides* casinos) include Red Rock Canyon
Conservation Area about 45 minutes west of town along the Spring Mountains, Mt.
Charleston (also in the Spring Mt. range) (ele. ~12,000 feet) northwest of town
about an hour and Valley of Fire State Park northeast of Las Vegas about an
hour by freeway. Two photo-l members who have visited Las Vegas have really
enjoyed their trip out to this park, noted for its firey red rock formations.
From: jonker@hgl.signaal.nl (Erik Jonker)
Yes try "Valley of Fire" state park N.E. of Las Veges, great for late afternoon
shots with sun low in the sky.
From: ImagesInt@aol.com
Hoover Dam would be a start... :-) Near Boulder City. I'd take a helo ride
Be prepared for the heat (100-120) when you come out in august.. :) after
living here almost 6 yrs im still not used to it. PS: if you're tight on time
(can't go to red rock and valley of fire) i would say skip red rock and head
out to valley of fire its much nicer IMHO. sunsets/rises at valley of fire are
beautiful, at red rock you have to wait for the sunsets.
From: Casey Lewis, lewis@nevada.edu, University of Nevada, Las Vegas
==========================================================================
Note 30.12 -< Favorite Textbooks of PhotoForum readers >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Focal Encyclopedia of Photography by Stroebel & Zakia - Focal Press
should be a required reference and considered for the upcoming gift-giving
season. :)
From: eugene@sequoia.lle.rochester.edu (Eugene Kowaluk)
Photography From Theory to Practice from Star Publishing is a good basic text.
From: "Leary, Mike" <mike_leary@msmail-gw.wvmccd.cc.ca.us>
I have twice used as a text Mark Jacobs and Ken Kokrda's *Photography in
Focus*. In many ways it is an ordinary textbook, but it does contain some
rather well-presented chapters on photograms, pinhole cameras, "visual aspects
of photography," special processes and techniques, and the history of
photography. It was the chapter on the history of photography that initially
attracted me to the book: although it's short, it does give the students some
readymade "notes" which I am able to amplify with lectures and slides.
There are a couple of books which are my favorites, (though I have a vested
interest-I have workbooks available for each.) One is Henry Horenstein's
classic, Black and White Photography and the other is David Curl's
Photocommunication. If you are a teacher, please email me if you would like
sample copies of either (and/or the workbooks which accompany them.)
From: Kim Mosley <mosley@artsci.wustl.edu>
==========================================================================
Note 30.13 -< The Argyrotype Process >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
ARGYROTYPE
Mike Ware
(version of 12 August 1994)
CAUTION The solution is toxic and will stain skin and fabrics: wash away
spillages with plenty of cold water.
Papers
The purity of the paper is critical: of the UK papers tested so far,
Whatman Watercolour, Saunders Somerset and Atlantis Silversafe Photostore
are recommended, but the best is Ruscombe Mill's handmade Buxton paper. The
wetting agent, Tween 20, is included in the sensitizer formulation to
assist uptake of the sensitizer by the cellulose fibres, which minimises
"bleeding" of the colloidal metal image during processing, but it may cause
uneven penetration of some papers that contain a mixture of fibres.
Discovering the best paper is a matter for personal experiment.
Coating
A 10"x8" coat requires about 1.6 cc, depending on the paper, if a glass rod
spreader is used. Brush coating will consume more.
Allow a few minutes for the sensitizer to soak in, until the paper surface
appears non-reflective, then dry for about 10 minutes in a stream of warm
(40 C) air. Alternatively, simply allow to dry at room temperature and
humidity for about an hour. The sensitized paper should be used within a
few hours, unless a desiccated box is used for longer term storage: 'shelf
life' in a dry environment is at least a week.
Colour
The colour of the print-out image may be shifted to a more neutral tone if
the sensitized paper is humidified before exposure by leaving it above
water (100% RH) for 30 minutes at room temperature. This is a very
economical method of colour control!
CAUTION: Humidified sensitized paper can damage negatives during contact
printing unless a protective layer of very thin polyester film is
interposed between the two.
Wet Processing
This is extremely simple and non-critical, requiring only one inexpensive
solution, 2% Sodium Thiosulphate: dissolve about 20 g of the crystals in 1
litre of water. This bath has a capacity of about ten 10"x8" prints and
should be replaced when necessary.
1) Develop and clear in running water at room temperature for 5 mins.
2) Immerse in the 2% Sodium Thiosulphate clearing bath for about 3 mins.
3) Wash the print in water for 20 mins and air dry at room temperature.
NOTES:-
1) The yellow unexposed sensitizer should disappear completely within
this time. If there is any "bleeding" of colloidal silver metal, indicated
by a red-brown stain running off the image and loss of image density, then
this problem results from the paper fibres failing to trap the tiny silver
particles; it is especially likely if insufficient Tween is used. The
effects of "bleeding" may be minimised by processing the print face down,
to avoid staining adjacent areas. If a particularly long tonal range is
desired with very delicate high value gradations, the exposed print should
be left in a humid atmosphere (100% RH) for ten minutes before wet
processing; several steps of highlight detail will build up.
2) The image should intensify in the fixer, improving the shadow
gradation, and the colour will rapidly transform from red to brown. (As the
bath 'ages' its action in this respect increases). Overlong treatment in
this bath and exposure to air will result in loss of image density
especially in the highlights; it may be used to 'reduce' an overexposed
print, or a standard, non-acid fixer may be used. If, on the other hand,
very delicate highlight detail is desired, a little ammonia may be added to
Permanence
Like any colloidal silver image, an Argyrotype is inevitably rather
susceptible to attack, especially by acids and sulphur-containing
substances. However the residual iron and silver in the unexposed areas
should be very low and image stability and lightfastness are good.
If improved permanence is desired, then try selenium toning (Kodak selenium
toner, diluted 50 to 100 times for a minute or so). Toning with gold,
platinum or palladium should also be possible, and the image should also
respond readily to sulphide toners, but I have not yet tested all these
options.
Disclaimer
This information may be copied and circulated freely (preferably with
acknowledgement!), but the author cannot accept liability for any injury,
damage or loss resulting from its use.
Reference
'The Argyrotype Process' by Mike Ware, British Journal of Photography,
No.6824, 13 June 1991, pp. 17-19.
Note 31.1 -< Porter's Camera Store and Catalogue info >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I order from Porter's frequently and have always been satisfied
with their service. They sell cameras, lenses, developing & printing
supplies, tripods, cases, etc. and all kinds of interesting gadgets.
Porter's Camera Store, Inc., Box 628, Cedar Falls, Iowa 50613-0628
Warehouse Outlet Store: 323 Viking Road, Cedar Falls, Iowa
Porters advertises a free catalog (it's over 100 pages) that you can
receive by calling 1-800-553-2001.
================================================================================
Note 31.2 -< Light/Dark and Sound Sync w/delay & intervalometer >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Schematic of Light/Dark and Sound activated synchronizer
with adjustable delay (analog) and Intervalometer setting
(c) A.Davidhazy * non-commercial use and distribution ok!
._______._.__________.____.___._________._______.____________.
| | | | | | | | |
| | | % | | | | | |
| | +-> % 1M | | | | | |
| | | _|____|___|__ # 22K # 10K or so |
================================================================================
Note 31.3 -< Kodak B&W Sheet Film notch codes >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Code Notches and ISO speeds for KODAK Black and White sheet films.
All on Estar Thick Base unless otherwise specified.
Daylight Tungsten
ISO ISO
__________ __ _____
Commercial 6127, 4127 \/ |__| 20/14 8/10
(not on Esatr Thick base)
______ _ ___ _ ____
Contrast Process Pan 4155 \/ \/ \/ \/ 100/21 80/20
____________ _ ___
Ektapan 4162 \/ |___| 100/22 100/22
_______________ ___
_________ _ _ _____
Tri-X Pan Professional 4164 \/ \/ \/ 320/26 320/26
____________ _ _____
Super-XX Pan 4142 \/ \/ 200/24 200/24
__ _ ____ _ __
Tri-X Ortho 4163 \/ \/ \__/ \__/ 320/26 200/24
_______ . _ ____
T-Max 400 Professional 5053 \/ \/ |___| 400/27 400/27
(not on Estar Thick base)
__ ____ _ _ __
Professional Copy 4125 \/ \/ \__/ \__/ 25/15 12/12
__ __________ __ __
Pan Masking Film 4570 \/ \/ \/
(not on Estar Thick base)
_ _ _ ____ ___
Matrix Film 4150 \/ \/ \__/ \__/
____ _ _ ______
Separation Negative 4131, Type 1 \/ \__/ \__/
(not on Estar Thick base)
_______ __ _____
Separation Negative 4133, Type 2 \__/ \__/
(not on Estar Thick base)
____ ___ ___ ___ ___
High Speed Infrared 4143 \/ \/ \/ |___|
andy, andpph@rit.edu
================================================================================
Note 31.4 -< US Photography Related Magazines List >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
US Photographic Magazines & Newsletters - list compiled by Lance W. Bledsoe
lwb@AvalonCorp.com, 30 Jun 1995 (...plus some more as seen on the "net")
AMERICAN PHOTO
1633 Broadway
New York, New York 10029
APERTURE MAGAZINE
20 East 23rd Street
New York, New York 10010
ASMP BULLETIN
419 Park Avenue South
New York, New York 10016
COMMERCIAL IMAGE
PTN Publishing Co.
445 Broad Hollow Road
Melville, NY 11747
(516)845-2700
GREETINGS MAGAZINE
309 Fifth Avenue,
New York, New York 10016
Profiles Image Bank photographers and their work. Also covered are such
topics as news, electronic imaging, and fine art photography.
LOUPE
49 East 21st Street
New York, New York 10010
NEWS PHOTOGRAPHER
3200 Croasdaile Drive
Suite 306,
Durham, North Carolina 27705
OUTDOOR PHOTOGRAPHER
Suite 800
16000 Ventura Boulevard
Encino, California 91436
PETERSEN'S PHOTOGRAPHIC
8490 Sunset Boulevard
Los Angeles, California 90069
PHOTO/DESIGN
49 East 21st Street
New York, New York 10010
The monthly trade magazine of photography which takes it name from the
area of New York City in which it is located.
PHOTOSTOCKNOTES
PhotoSource International
Dept. H
Pine Lake Farm
Osceola, WI 54020-5602
(715) 248-3800
Internet: w.hopkins@genie.geis.com
SHOTS
P.O. Box 38149
Dallas, TX 75238
Shots is one place you can see your work in print, as well as the
work of others. No ads, just images and a bit of writing. Membership is
$20.00 per year and a best bet if you love to see photographs.
-- Steven Lunetta, a063@amug.org
POPULAR PHOTOGRAPHY
1633 Broadway
New York, New York 10029
THE RANGEFINDER
1312 Lincoln Boulevard
Santa Monica, California 90406
(310) 451-8506
SHUTTERBUG
Box 1209
Titusville, Florida 32781
A new monthly photo magazine has just premiered (in the USA anyway).
It is called _Shutterbug's Outdoor & Nature Photography_. Using the
same size and format of _Shutterbug_ magazine, it concentrates on the
same outdoor themes as Outdoor Photographer (though not as erudite in
tone) and the review style is similar to Shutterbug. Premier issue
covers tripod selection, new color films, backpacks, trip planning,
filter usage, etc. -- John McCormack, John_McCormack@nbs.gov
TAKING STOCK
(was: STOCK PHOTO LETTER)
by Jim Pickerell
110 Frederick Avenue
Rockville, Maryland 20850
VIEW CAMERA
2774 Harkness St.
Sacramento, CA 95818
(916) 441-2557
75511.2576@CompuServe.com
ZONE VI NEWSLETTER
Published by Zone VI Studios/Fred Picker
Newfane, VT 05345-0219
Exposure
3721 A Webster
San Francisco, CA 94123
DoubleTake
P.O. Box 1918 mostly documentary, but it has very well
Marion, OH 43305-1918 written articles and beautiful photographs
================================================================================
Note 31.5 -< X-Ray machines at airports >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Some logic surrounding X-ray inspections of films
_MODERN_ airport x-ray machines use such low radiation doses, that you would
have to pass something through them 1000 (one thousand) times to equal the
(average) annual "natural" radiation background. "Natural" in this case
includes the radiation found in houses due to the decay of radioactive isotopes
found in the building-material.
Assuming (for simplicity) a year had 10,000 hours (actually its less than
8,800) this would mean that one pass through a _MODERN_ x-ray machine (stressed
here for the last time ... I _know_ that there are old ones with higher doses
out there) would correspond to a ten hour normal storage for a film (at
sea-level).
**************************************************************************
Klaus Bagschik, Radioastronomisches Institut der Universit"at,
Auf dem H"ugel 71, D-53121 Bonn, Germany
e-mail: kbagschi@astro.uni-bonn.de
Tel.: +49-228-73-5658 -3643 Fax: +49-228-73-3672
**************************************************************************
================================================================================
Note 31.6 -< Testing Shutters the SIMPLE way >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>does anyone know of a simple way to test the times a shutter delivers?
Naturally I don't have the thing here with me and can't tell you what
resistors etc. I used, but the response of the system extends to measure flash
duration - 1/10,000 or better.
If you have an old 33-1/3 record player, put a small **wheat-grain** light
bulb on the center and another anyplace on the rim. Wire them up to a
battery. Place on the floor in any dark room. Place camera on a tripod,
looking down, over the center. Turn on player. Expose test roll at different
shutter speeds. develop and print. Measure the ***angle*** of the arc.
Convert to fraction of a second. (What shutter speed makes a complete
circle?)
> An investment in a new timer may allow you to do both (tho' not at the
> same time) I will inquire (enquire ?) of the make and model and post to
> the list later.
I believe it's the MetroLux II timer you're talking about (because I just
got one). I tried doing a shutter test with just my enlarger light, but it
wasn't bright enough for the sensor to register. I don't really plan on
doing much shutter testing (if any), but it did come along with the rest of
the package (note that the cost of the Calumet meter is something less than
1/4 of the timer cost).
andy, andpph@rit.edu
.........................................................................
Depending on what is meant by "simple" there are two systems that are usually
referred to when one considers testing exposure times "ala cheap". The first
is the turntable system which is useful for speeds up to about 1/60 second or
so. It has the disadvantages mentioned in several earlier posts. For shorter
exposure times one needs a standard with a shorter time base. Television sets
can be used as shutter testing devices but only for the shorter exposure times
starting with about 1/30 second although with a bit of "logic" one can probably
make a fairly good estimate of even 1/15 of a second as long as shutter is not
off by more than 25% or so.
The best type TV to use is a B&W one. It should be tuned to a "clear" channel
where you don't get noise just a plain screen. The TV sets lay down 15,750
lines on the screen (NTSC standard) in one second. It does it in 1/60 second
"fields" or screenfulls each consisting of 262.5 lines. They are laid down
going from top to bottom.
Basically the idea is that if you make an exposure at 1/1000 second you would
count about 16 lines in a vertical direction. If you use a leaf shutter the
exposed "band" made up of however number of lines the set was able to scan onto
the TV faceplate will be horizontal and if you use a FP shutter then the band
You can also roughly estimate the width of the FP shutter slit and appreciate
the fact that its width increases as the shutter moves from one side of the
gate to the other.
BTW ... for the turntable test a variation is to use photo paper placed on the
turntable and have the light project through the lens onto the whirling paper.
You can retrieve an article about this by sending e-mail to: ritphoto@rit.edu
placing in the Subject: line this: article_shutter_testing$txt and SEND in
body.
Hmmm, ... this probably isn't quite what you had in mind, but maybe you
can adapt it for your needs.
Some years ago I wanted to determine the delay I needed to take
pictures of soap bubbles in "mid-pop" --- the contraption being rather
fragile I didn't dare to take it out of the house (I had built it at
home). The only thing that came to my mind as a useful "time standard"
was the turntable of my record player ...
What I did was to tape a bright marker onto the turntable which I set
at 45 rpm and have the contraption release two flashes while taking a
picture of the table; being able to measure the angular separation of
the two marker images to one degree I achieved an accuracy of roughly
1/270 sec --- which won't be enough for you ...
What _YOU_ could do would be to buy a synchronous motor that
rotates at the line-frequency --- 60 cps in the US ((or an integer
part thereof ?!? ... depends on motor)), attach a black cardboard
disk firmly to the motors axle and punch a small hole into the disk
close to its circumference (for best results). Now put a (very ?!?)
bright light underneath the disk and turn the motor on; the disk
-- and with it the brightly lit hole -- now rotates 60 times a second.
If you take a picture of the disk and are able to measure the angular
extent of the streak caused by the hole to only five degrees, you can
obtain an accuracy of 1/4320 sec ... this would mean 25% uncertainty
at 1/1000 sec shutter speed ...
DRAWBACKS: -only usable for speeds faster than 1/60 sec.
(if slower use turntable (if if still exists))
-no good for focal plane shutters !!
-need to wait for developed film
(( If the motor only turns with 30 rps or 20 rps the other figures
are reduced accordingly ))
Side view:
/\
camera ||
||
stray-light shield
================= | ===========
----------------|------------ --- <-- Disk
| \
--------- \______Hole
^ ^ ^ | MOTOR | ^ ^ ^
| | | --------- | | |
(LIGHT) (LIGHT)
Klaus
**************************************************************************
Klaus Bagschik, Radioastronomisches Institut der Universit"at,
Auf dem H"ugel 71, D-53121 Bonn, Germany
e-mail: kbagschi@astro.uni-bonn.de
Tel.: +49-228-73-5658 -3643 Fax: +49-228-73-3672
**************************************************************************
If you can find one, such a device can be easily constructed from an old record
turntable. Assuming you can trust the rotation speed of the turntable, then all
you need to do is paint an old LP with black and white index markings. The bad
news is that such a device requires you to expose a roll of film to actually do
the test. Expose with flash.
================================================================================
Note 31.7 -< Copying Artwork with Tungsten Lights discussion >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>Which chrome film would you recomend for the most accurate representation for
>the purpose of photographing an artists portfolio. I will be photographing with
>lights and due to the bulbs I know I will have to use tungsten slide film. The
>plans are to use a camera fixed to a location with a zoom so I can switch art
>sizes without having to move the camera/lights back and fourth. On both sides
>of the camera it is planned to place two diffused light sources (unbrella &
>pannel) at 45 deg. to the art. The art will be hanging on a wall with a matt
>black background. Any helpful hints?
Ektachrome EPT. The copy setup you are using may give you problems with your
fixed camera/lights. Ideally use electronic flash for copies of artworks as
this will give you the most neutral rendition. Use polarising filters on the
flash units (tungsten lights will melt them) and on the camera. Cross polarise
the light to the point where, with the modelling lights turned on, you see a
shiny object placed on the surface of the artwork (e.g. a coin) turn black
when you rotate the camera's polar filter. Umbrellas will increase the
posibility of reflection. Reflections will kill the colour in the original and
you will be amazed at the colour saturation of copies done with polarised
light. Transparency film gives the best possible colour range and saturation
too.
Your setup should work fine with a tungsten balanced film. I have been using
Kodak's 64T and been quite happy with the results. I prefer it to the faster
stuff, due to its finer grain and better reciprocity characteristics. For
similar reasons, I would avoid using a conversion filter with daylight film,
unless you can get fairly short exposures (1/8 or less) at about F/8 (for flat
art).
Be sure to take your reading from a grey card, bracket, and make notes. If you
have time, you can shoot a test roll of a few subjects and base a full run on
how it turns out. Depending on the materials of the portfolio, you might
consider a polarizer. Examine the subjects through it while rotating it to see
if it has any effect.
I like Ektachrome 50 Professional (Tungsten) film although if you can live with
the inconvenience of getting Kodachrome processed Kodackrome 40 is a very good
film IMHO too. If _all fails_ and you can not get Tungsten film you can come
fairly close to appropriate color reporduction if you use Daylight film and
place a Tungsten to Daylight conversion filter over the lens. This costs you
about two stops of speed. The filter is a 80A if your bulbs have a color
temperature of 3200 degrees K or an 80B if they are of 3400K quality. The
former are generally simply high wattage household lamps while the latter
are specially made photo lamps with generally a rather short operating life.
The black matt background is a good idea. It will help keep flare down and
contrast up. Use of a polarizer on camera was suggested earlier and typically
needed to control surface reflections somewhat. Also suggested earlier, use of
polarizers on both lights and camera is the only way to extinguish most
reflections (if you really want to do that). Using polarizers will call for
longer times or larger apertures than if you did not use one. Use of of
polarizers over both lights and camera lens makes the problem even worse.
Although since you are using a tripod you should have no real problem dealing
with this.
Andy, andpph@rit.edu
For any significant amount of work of this sort, you might consider
investing in a sturdy copystand and a set of consistent tungsten lights. For
the stand, you'll need one which will permit centering of the camera over
the largest piece you anticipate copying. Watch out for bright metal parts
such as the column which will reflect light onto the subject.
I'm using using an old Polaroid MP-4 with the 35 mm adapter as my copy stand
for such projects. For illumination, I use the quartz modelling lights on a
pair of small Speedotron Brownline heads nounted on light stands and
positioned so that all parts of the original subject receive equal
illumination. The positioning is generally the most time consuming part of
the shoot, and once the lights are set, they're left in place 'til the
client is satisfied. I use a handheld incident light meter in the center of
the subject and at each of the corners. I've come to trust the meter I have
(Minolta Auto IVF) as being right on for transparencies so I generally don't
bracket unless trying a new film.
I shim the copystand so that the board is level, then adjust the camera so
that the film plane is level and parallel to the copy board.
I always add polarizing sheets in front of the light sources to enhance the
color saturation. If glare remains a problem I add a polarizer to the lens
as well, meter TTL off a gray card and bracket.
I try to avoid glass over the original subject because of glare and because
glass itself has a slight greenish tint to it. However, when the shot must
be made thru glass, I add a piece of black mat board to the set up. I keep
on hand a piece about 18" x 20" with hole in the center just large enough
for the barrel of the taking lens to slip through. I put the lens barrel
thru the hole then add the lens shade to hold it in place. The mat board
eliminates reflections from the camera, chrome fittings on the cable
release, my hand, and the ceiling.
For this type of work, I'm using tungsten balanced Ektachrome 64 (both 35 mm
& 4x5) which allows long exposures (i.e. >1 sec) without the need to correct
for reciprocity and which treats the colors of the original properly. Also,
coninuous lighting rather than flash permits easier adjustment & shows
before the exposure is made any relflection problems that need to be corrected.
================================================================================
Note 31.8 -< What is a TLR in reference to a camera? >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>I use a 35 mm camera but am interested in understanding cameras with different
>design features. I have seen references to "TLR" cameras with implications
>that they are different than, say , "TTL" cameras. Would anyone be willing to
>provide an explanation of the difference.
The abbreviation TLR stands for "Twin Lens Reflex". This camera has two
lenses, one for viewing, which is reflected upward onto the groundglass
A "TLR" means Twin Lens Reflex. The design consists basically of two cameras
stacked on top of each other with the top one used for viewing and composition
and focusing through a fixed aperture lens. The viewing lens and the taking
lens are matched in focal length and focusing mechanism so as you focus the
image projected on the groundglass of the top one you automatically bring the
bottom into focus as well. Since bottom lens is equipped with a leaf shutter
the camera syncs with electronic flash at all speeds.
TLR's were (are?) by far the preferred machine for wedding photographs and many
photographers owe their livelihood to one of these cameras.
TLR's come (came?) in most varieties of film formats but the most common is the
2 1/4 film delivering square format pictures. There is a bit of a parallax
problem considering the slight separation between viewing and taking lens but
this can be adjusted for or sort of predicted with cropping marks in the
viewfinder or moving masks in the viewfinder that adjust as the lens board is
racked out.
The most famous example of the TLR is the Rolleiflex and a prolific user of
this camera was Fritz Henle who published several "Guide to Rollei Photography"
books. The most famous 4x5 TLRs are by far the ones made by Peter Gowland right
here in the USA! (I think ... and if so one of the very few remaining
professional camera manufacturing operations in the US with Hulcher and Globus
being a couple more). BTW, Peter Gowland is a prolific "cheesecake" or pin-up
girl photographer. (I don't think it is PC to say this but he has made a good
living at glamour and "boudoir" photography for many years).
Another workhorse is the Mamiya C- series like the C-3, C-33, C-330 etc. This
one system became famous partly because it allowed for interchangeability of
lenses. You had actually to "interchange" two lenses at a time but the camera
survived many years until it was just recently discontinued. The Rolleiflex was
discontinued some years back but a top-notch model of the camera has been
recently reintroduced.
There was at least one 35mm model made many moons ago ... the Bolsey 35mm TLR.
well, the story of the TLR is much too large to be told in a single post and
you may have noticed some of my comments left the door wide open for follow-ups
and additional commentary or criticism.
How about this: TTL => Through The Lens metering. This metering concept
illustrates that the camera's metering is based on the same light that
the film will see. TLR => Twin Lens Reflex, as opposed to SLR. This means
that the camera has two lenses, one for viewing the image, and the other
in which the film actually sits behind. I suppose that TLR camera can
utilize metering through the upper lens, while the actual picture taking
is based on the lower lens. This eliminates any potential vibrational
noise that may be generated from flipping of a mirror commonly used in
SLR cameras.
If I am wrong about any of the above, then I must be human. Take care.
Brae, <brae@phys.ufl.edu>
...........................................................................
TLR stands for Twin Lens Reflex. You probably have seen them. It's a
medium format camera that utilized a lower lens for the shutter, while the
upper lens is for the viewfinder.
Steve, srobert@gulf.net
.........................................................................
I own a TLR and Love it, it's quiet and Takes Gorgeous Shots. Problems
with it are that you are viewing thru a lens OTHER than the Taking lens
Forget to take the cap off the Taking lens and you get Blank Photo's.
Also Parrallax Problems come up when doing Closeups.
Used TLR's abound and are IMO a PERFECT way to try Medium Format since
they are readily available and fairly inexpensive. You can go from the
Bottom of the Barrel Russian Lubitel which I've seen advertised in
Shutterbug for as little as $25 to Rolleiflex's for $500 or more.
The only TLR I know of that has Changeable Lenses is the Mamiya C-330
I suggest a good Rolleicord or Minolta Autocord or a Yashicamat 124g
Tho My TLR is a LOW end Yashica "D" that I paid $60 for and which takes
pix as crisp as my Mamiya 645
From: midgard@nycmetro.com
================================================================================
Note 31.9 -< Another note on 2nd curtain sync >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>what is the effect of using a 2nd curtain sync flash? I think i understand
>how it works mechanicaly, but I don't know what kink of effect it is used
>for or when it is used.
Under this condition, if the flash goes off immediately upon the
shutter opening, the moving subject's blurred image will recorded
subsequent to the flash going off and thus will appear to precede the
sharp image (relative to the apparent subject motion) in the final
print or transparency. This happens with conventional X sync or 1st
curtain sync.
The blured image can be used to suggest motion. In the above instance,
however, the subject will appear to be moving backwards since our
society's artistic convention is that for an illustration to suggest
that the subject is moving in a given direction it must have the blur
behind it, showing up in that side of it from which it is _coming_ and
NOT on that side towards which it is _going_.
So, the conventional sync scheme shows the blur in the "wrong" side of
a moving subject. Here is where TAILFLASH sync (or 2nd curtain sync in
case of FP shutters) comes in. If one first records the blur due to
ambient light with a relatively long exposure time, and just previous
to the shutter closing one pops a short duration flash, the sharp
image will appear at the end of the blur and on a print the blur will
appear to "trail" the moving subject, just like artists have convinced
us this effect shgould look like.
In certain instances one can make the action proceed backwards and use
conventional X sync to show believable subject motion "forwards" but
with human motion or destructive events this is most often not
possible. At least not convincingly so.
>I am interested in the effects of slow-synch flash (blur) but have not
>been able to achieve this with my EOs-1 or Elan. Is there a special switch
>or do I just set the shutter speed for the lowest possible to get a blur?
>Appreciate any advice...
I am not sure your cameras have "2nd curtain sync" but even so intersting
Now, if you only have conventional sync on your camera make the action proceed
backwards (in order for it too look like it is going forwards!). If you have
second curtain sync (more appropriately referred to as "tailflash" sync) just
make everything move normally.
The reason for the overexposure of the moving subject is that since the subject
does not remain on the same piece of film throughout the exposure, it becomes
its own shutter and if you did not compensate the blur associated with it would
be significantly underexposed and you'd think the effect was not working
properly. The overexposure needed by the moving subject also is the reason that
you want the action to proceed against a dark bacground because it is
motionless and thus will, in fact, be overexposed (but since it was dark to
begin with that should not bring its density up enough to matter). Getting the
right combination of flash/ambient exposure is not exactly predictable and
tests are recommended.
andy, andpph@rit.edu
================================================================================
Note 31.10 -< Photo Related URLS - HUGE list >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
HUGE list of photography related URLS on a worldwide basis. This list
is from my Netscape bookmark file. It includes many references I have
got from other people and lists around the WWW. If you have a list you
are welcome to take what you want from here. I have edited out most of
the non-photo stuff and converted it to plain text. There will be
mistakes in this; also some sites will have disappeared since I
visited them. There are also a few (not many) I haven't yet got round
to trying. I'd be happy to receive any additions and corrections to
this list.
MAGAZINES etc
http://info.cern.ch/hypertext/DataSources/bySubject/Literature/Overview.ht
ml
Art sources
http://www.rsl.ox.ac.uk/bardhtml/ - BARD (Boolean Access to Remote Databases)
http://www.catalog.com/bhunter/welcome.htm - Brent's Internet Jumpstation
http://www.netcenter.com/ - The Interactive Yellow Pages(Tm)
http://www.openmarket.com/info/internet-index/current.html - Internet Index
http://www.hw.ac.uk:8080/libWWW/irn/irn.html - internet rewources guide
- Herriot Watt Univ
http://www.kingston.ac.uk/directory/directory - Kingston Univ list of
interesting sites
http://www.tribal.com - Tribal Voice- listing of Web sites
http://www.eff.org/pub/Net_info/Guidebooks/Everybodys_Guide/Updates/-
Internet guide updates
http://www.yahoo.com - Yahoo - A Guide to WWW sites
http://www.goshen.edu/~floyd/index.html - Some Internet Search Tools
http://www.interpath.net/home/search.html - WWW Launch Pad
http://www.albany.net/~wcross/all1srch.html - All searches front end
http://cuiwww.unige.ch/meta-index.html - Meta-Index
HISTORICAL
MUSEUMS
ASSOCIATIONS
BUSINESSES
MISCELLANEOUS </H3>
.............................................................................
and here is another one....
Below is a partial list of World Wide Web photo and photo-related sites.
If there are any you would like to include, please e-mail the WWW address
and I'll post it at a later date.
--
http://166.90.202.17/ (Chris Gulker, professional photographer)
http://bookweb.cwis.uci.edu:8042/Jazz/jazz/html (Jazz Photography of Ray Avery)
http://bookweb.cwis.uci.edu:8042/AdamsHome.html (Ansel Adams)
http://cmp1.ucr.edu (California Museum of Photography, University of California)
http://cris.com/~Mppa/ (Michigan Press Photographers Association)
http://gertrude.art.uiuc.edu/ludgate/the/place/place2.html (Joseph Squier,
instructor, University of Illinois)
http://holly.colostate.edu/~shane/photo.html (Shane Iseminger)
http://iia.org/~deckerj (John Decker, documentary photo projects)
http://infosphere.com/aspen/Hiser/DavidHiser.html (David Hiser)
http://sunsite.unc.edu/nppa (National Press Photographers Association)
http://usa.net/~davef (inspirational photographs for sale)
http://www.aztec.co.za/slpn/slpn_hp.html (SouthLight PictureNet, PJ in Africa)
http://www.designlink.com (Designlink, San Francisco. Design, Graphics,
Photo, Portfolios Online)
http://www.fullerton.edu/viscom/vishome.html (VisCom, Cal State University)
http://www.ios.com/~badger/ (Canon EOS FAQ)
http://www.kodak.com (Eastman Kodak Company)
http://www.mindspring.com/~atlphoto/schwarz.html (Michael Schwarz, PJournalist)
http://www.mtn.org/~ddb (San Francisco, photography)
http://www.onramp.net/~hbarker (Korean War project)
http://www.scotboarders.co.uk/photon/photon.html (Photon, a WWW photo mag, UK)
http://www.slip.net/~chuckg (Chuck Gathard)
http://www-swiss.ai.mit.edu/philg/photo/me.html (Phillip Greenspan's favorites)
http://www.teleport.com/~bbrace/bbrace.html (Brad Brace)
http://www.trincoll.edu/tj/trincolljournal.html
Note 32.01 -< Manufacturers and Distributors of Rotating Panoramic Cameras >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
================================================================================
Note 32.02 -< Several observations on rotating panoramic cameras >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>Last week some one posted a message regarding a friends camera that makes
>10" x 4' negs. Sounds great! B&H advertises a similar camera called a
>"Spin-shot" I think it uses 35mm film and it rotates on its tripod mount
>to include a full 360 degree pan on each exposure. I think the negs it
>makes are the width of 4 reg frames. Has anyone ever used or seen this
>type of camera or a similar one from another manufacturer? Any comments
>or shared experiences would be appreciated.
I have two SpinShots ... bought them just before the price climbed to $2 per
degree. The camera is interesting but has many major limitations. At least mine
do. Fixed aperture for one ... so adjusting for lighting conditions is done by
using different film speeds (pretty novel, eh?)(I guess you also could use
fastest film plus ND filters). The camera is made of plastic and the plastic
latch on both of mine broke and cameras are now held together by tape or rubber
band. The film speed through the camera does change as the take up spool
diameter increases causing slight blurring at the ends of the film. Often this
is not really noticeable except under high magnification.
MUCH better is the Globuscope. A 35mm rotating panoramic camera also Made in
USA (as far as I know) and it is an all metal camera (except where metal would
not normally be used ... like lens!) and the camera's rotation rate can be
changed, it has a high quality lens, and various adjustments. The price tag is
in the $2,500 area however.
At the larger format end there is the Hulcherama. A camera made in Hampton, VA
by the Charles Hulcher Company. It is an excellent camera in my opinion. It is
set up for Mamiya 645 lenses but can be custom made to accept others (at higher
price). It can be readily ordered with provision to accept 35, 45 and 80mm
lenses. It takes 120 or 220 film. It has a pinch-drive system so film speed is
uniform. The rotation rate can be varied over a large range and the slit-size
is also adjustable giving you a large variety of exposure times. The price for
the camera body alone is in the $5,000 range.
There is the Alpa Rotocamera. A GREAT camera set up for a 100mm lens I think
and I also believe it has the capability for rising/falling lens. The camera is
a marvel of mechanical engineering and also made in Europe. It's price is high.
Beyond these there are the various Roundshot cameras made in Switzerland I
hmmmm ... did I leave anything out? If so just give me another "kick" ;-)
oh, yes .... if you want to read about "strip" cameras and home-made panoramic
and peripheral cameras you can find several articles at the ritphoto@rit.edu
mailserver site.
Just send e-mail to this address and say ARTICLES$txt in the subject line to
get a table-of-contents and brief synopsis of the articles available for the
asking along with instructions on how to retrieve them. These are only text
files so you'll have to imagine the pictures. The part of the site you will be
accessing is devoted to the PhotoForum mailing list (which is shared by/with
our school's program files) and if you make an error in requesting anything you
will be sent by default a file that tells you all the "stuff" available at the
site.
If you actually go looking in this place I hope you find something of use to
you! BTW ... some of this stuff is also available by anonymous FTP at
vmsftp.rit.edu under pub/ritphoto/photoforum
>I don't believe their strip enlarger is that new; if I recall correctly,
>they had this enlarger on the PhotoKina in Cologne (Germany) in '92 or '90.
>But I think Seitz itself was the only company at that time that could do
>those prints on a economic basis....and the number of labs in Europe having
>one right now is also quite limited I guess....similar to the camera itself.
very true ... OTOH Phil Foss of Eastman Kodak had made one in the early 80's
and mine was operating in the mid 70's I believe. The Itek enlarger was
designed for enlarging 70mm or 5" film that was exposed in aerial strip cameras
based on a design by Sonne of Chicago Aerial Industries who made the camera for
General Goddard I believe. Sonne and del Veccio who was a pioneer in
photofinish camera development in the mid 1930's cooperated in amking the
aerial version of the photofinish camera. This is pretty much the same as
making pictures of a wallpaper or the houses along a street (which I did over a
mile long stretch of a local avenue a couple of years ago... but which the
Globus brothers did almost 10 years ago by holding their camera still allowing
the handle to rotate)
>BTW, Seitz makes also pseudo (or 'inverse'?) panorama camera's, where the
>objects turns around instead of the camera. This is usefull for an 360
>degree image of a teacup for example. Another variant is a camera that runs
>parallel to the object, to make a distortionfree image of a wallpaper for
>example.
Indeed in the late 1800's at the British Museum strip cameras (or variations
thereof) were already used to make what some people call "rollout" photographs
of rotating vases and urns, etc. These pictures being possibly better referred
to as "peripheral" photographs. There was a company in England that made the
Also, Omega Timing (also Swiss?) has developed the technique of photofinish
photography to an "art" having not only film cameras, but also sheet film and
Polaroid cameras.
BTW, please note that this is not to diminish or otherwise dismiss Seitz's
contributions to the field but their products can probably more accurately be
called refinements to a very high order of precision of techniques that are
almost as old as photography itself. Maybe a better way to take these snippets
of info is as a brief review of the history of strip cameras! ;-)
And before I forget, there are many "amateurs" (lovers of the craft) who have
developed exquisite cameras and made wonderful photographs with them. I will
try to compile a listing of these individuals as best I know them but until the
project gets going I wanted to mention just this one:
Others whose name popped into my head: Phil Foss, Jim Lipari, Charles Hulcher,
and E.O. Goldbeck. And among the swing-lens panoramic camera makers and
photographers: Tom Yanul, who works in Chicago and makes his own VERY large
format cameras that are maybe 20 inches tall by 6 feet long and cover 130 to
150 degrees or so.
================================================================================
Note 32.03 -< Comments on panoramic photography requirements >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The answer is no (but with caveats). As long as the subjects you are
photographing are very far away like when doing scenics it does not matter
much that the camera rotate about an axis other than the rear nodal point.
Once the subjects start to be closer than "infinity" then this factor needs
to be taken into account. The problem is that while you will be properly
correcting for subjects that are closer than infinity, those objects at
infinity now will be reproduced in distorted fashion. What is happening is
that the image velocity is no longer uniform for near and far objects.
If the camera rotates about the proper point there is no relative motion
between the image and the film ... they both move equally fast. If the
camera rotates about an axis closer to the film plane or even possibly
behind the film plane the consequence is that images of nearby objects will
" The use of moving film can be extended by modification of the drive speed to
systems with rotation about other axes, in which the image is not stationary.
As in the periphery camera such a drive can be correct for only one particular
magnification; linear distrotion and possibly unsharpness resulting at other
image scales. The correct film drive speed (Vf) to match the image movement is
given by the formula:
Vf = 2piR [d-(d-v)(1+m)]
Note that when d = v (ie the lens rear nodal point is on the axis of rotation)
Vf = 2piRv
..............................................................................
From: Kevin Mackenzie <kmacke00@uoguelph.ca>
Subject: Re: Panoramic Cameras
Thanks very much for your reply; It does indeed answer my question. I am
thinking about mounting an old rangefinder upside down on a wooden disk. This
disk could then rotate on a bearing above another disk with an elastic band
around it to act as a tire. The film rewind knob could ride on this tire. Now
by having the circumference of the disk and tire sized appropriately, the
correct length of film could be drawn past a slit at the film plane. I assume
that if I do not correct for the off axis-nis of the film plane then distortion
would be greatest very close to the camera and much less as distance increases.
I can tolerate this and any of my slighty overweight (and wide) friends could
be positioned slightly closer to the camera than the thin folk :-)
================================================================================
Note 32.04 -< Pointers on drying Fiber Based papers >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Your print drying method is important because it affects the final surface.
The simplest but slowest technique is air-drying. You must first remove
surplus water from back and front print surfaces with a rubber squeegee.
Leave prints on absorbent material such as cheesecloth or photographic
blotting paper, face up for RC paper, face down (to reduce curl) for hardener
treated fibre prints. Pet them on a line with plastic clothes pects at top
and bottom - fibre prints in pairs back to back, RC prints singly. Drying may
take several hours at room temperature.
For fast drying of fibre prints, have a flat-bed or rotary glazer, which uses
canvas to press the paper against a heated (usually polished chrome) metal
surface. Placing the back of the print towards the heat gives a final picture
surface similar to air drying. However, to get a glazed finish with glossy
fibre paper, you squeegee it face down on to the chrome sheet, so the gelatin
supercoat sets with a matching mirror-like finish when dry. Unless this is
done, glossy fibre papers will dry semi-matt. You can at any time remove the
glaze by thoroughly resoaking the fibre print and then drying it faced the
other way. (Avoid hot-glazing other fibre paper surfaces, and RC prints of
any kind. The former take on ugly patches of semi-glass, the latter will melt
at 90C or over and adher firmly to the metal and canvas.)
Manufacturers of premium fine-art fibre papers recommend air drying unless you
are glazing glossy. The fact is, anything touching the emulsion during drying
is a potential source of damage. There is always a risk, when using a glazer
for other fibre paper surfaces, that the canvas will either mark the final
emulsion finish, or chemicals previously absorbed from drying insufficiently
washed prints will transfer into your print. However, this is still the best
drying method for thin-base prints, which tend to curl badly if air-dried
instead.
..............................................................................
================================================================================
Note 32.05 -< Dividing 1 gal E-6 for small batch processing >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Note: ALWAYS add colour developer A BEFORE B, and ALWAYS to a dilution with
water. NEVER add the A to the B or there will be a precipitate that will not re
dissolve. When purchasing the 1 Gallon Kit I also used to purchase an extra
bottle of first developer as well as an additional colour developer to extend
the number of rolls I could process from the kit (the bleach being the most
expensive part).
Take note that after the carefully added aliquot (gotta love that word eh?) of
the E-6 chemistry to the 200 ml of water at room temperature .....
The first two rolls will be developed for 7 minutes at 100 deg F and the
second two rolls should have the time extended to 7.5 minutes.
================================================================================
Note 32.06 -< High Speed Photography Sample Exam - Questions and Answers >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This is a sample exam associated with a high speed photography course in the
Imaging and Photographic Technology program in the School of Photographic Arts
and Sciences at RIT. It is given in the early parts of the course (when some
of the topics have not yet been covered) so that students will get a general
idea of what the style of the final exam will be. In some cases a variation on
these same questions is included in the final, in others the questions are not
included in the final. Following the distribution of these questions the
instructor briefly goes through the answers to each question but does not
dwell on the theory that has not yet been covered since this willbe eventually
covered in the course. Listed below first are the questions by themselves and
below them are the questions followed by the answers.
5 What is the effect on the duration of the flash given the same conditions
as in the previous question?
7 What kind of synchronizer would you use to photograph the splash produced
by a falling drop of milk and why?
10 What steps would you take in order to make measurements based on a streak
camera, or any other camera for that matter, independent of magnification.
15 Assuming that two photographs of the same moving subject are made one with
a 100 mm lens and the second with a 50mm lens. The prints show the subject
the same size. One photograph, made with a 100mm lens, exhibits motion blur.
Describe the appearance of the second photograph concerning the same effect.
19 The slope of the edge of a shock wave is a function of the speed of sound
in the gaseous medium in which a missile moves and the...
Since the amount of Blur one gets is determined by taking the Subject Speed or
Velocity and multiplying by the Exposure Time this can be rearranged so that
Exposure Time required is equal to Blur Allowed divided by Subject Speed.
so, required ET = .4 inches divided by 120 inches per second or 1/300 second
A TV set delivers 15,750 lines of information on the screen per second. That is
there is 1/15,750 second between lines. Theoretically one should only "see"
15.75 lines of the screen if one makes a picture at 1/1000 second. This is more
or less so but due to afterglow of the phosphors in a practical situation it is
a bit off. Anyway, the lines are laid down from top to bottom. If photographed
with a leaf shutter one sees a horizontal "band" 16 or so lines wide. If
photographed with a Focal Plane shutter lined up to travel horizontally with
respect to the scanning direction will show a diagonal "band" still 16 lines
wide at each end.
5 What is the effect on the duration of the flash given the same conditions
as in the previous question?
7 What kind of synchronizer would you use to photograph the splash produced
by a falling drop of milk and why?
If the "dark" sync trips an SLR some measure of dealy is introduced by the
camera itself since they have an inherent delay before releasing the shutter
curtains and since the flash does not fire until the first curtain has actually
travelled across the frame even more delay is potentially available. The actual
pattern of the splash can then be adjusted by raising or lowering the impact
surface.
The beginning. By the time you hear it, the beginning of an event is over.
10 What steps would you take in order to make measurements based on a streak
camera, or any other camera for that matter, independent of magnification.
Include a scale or subject of known size in the picture and then make
measurements within the picture based on the reproduced size of this scale.
If the subject is 1x1 foot and it appears to be twice as long as tall then the
Subject would be 1x2 feet. Subtracting out the first foot (the size of the
subejct itself) gives an indication that the subject moved 1 foot during the
exposure time or in 1/100 second.
For every unit of film that moved through the camera one unit of image moved at
right angles to the direction of motion of the film. Therefore the veolcities
of the film and image were the same. So, 35,000mm second was the image speed.
a standard
The ET of a focal plane shutter is equal to the width of the slit divided by
the rate at which the slit moves.
15 Assuming that two photographs of the same moving subject are made one with
a 100 mm lens and the second with a 50mm lens. The prints show the subject
the same size. One photograph, made with a 100mm lens, exhibits motion blur.
Describe the appearance of the second photograph concerning the same effect.
The two pictures will essentially be identical in terms of motion blur but
since the one made with the 50 mm lens will have to be blown up twice as much
as the one made with the 100 mm lens it will appear "grainier".
Assuming one is not allowed to start making a picture before one is done making
the previous one the ultimate limiting factor in terms of recording frequency
Note that the fan blade turns 180 degrees between picture #1 and picture #5
That means that 5 - 1 pictures, or 4 pictures were required to record these
180 degrees. Picture #1 is simply the reference mark. Therefore the fan
turned 180 degrees in 4/1000 or 1/250 second. That is 180 x 250 or 45000
degrees per second which is 7500 RPM
Since sound travles at about 1000 feet per second, 1 foot stands for 1/1000
second.
19 The slope of the edge of a shock wave is a function of the speed of sound
in the gaseous medium in which a missile moves and the...
velocity of the missile itself. Thus the angle of the shock wave (which can
be relatively easily recorded with a shadowgraph system) can be used to make
a good estimate of the speed of a missile.
================================================================================
Note 32.07 -< The Royal Photographic Society - Info >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>I would like to take up the Licentiateship of Royal Photography Society,
>But I do not have the Address . If you could get it to me I'd appreciate it.
Ms Carol Agar
The Royal Photographic Society
The Octagon
Milsom Street
Bath BA1 1DN
UK
There is also an information booklet available from the above, giving full
details of the requirements for the Licentiateship and for all the
categories of each RPS Distinction.
================================================================================
Note 32.08 -< More panoramic photography material ... >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>I am thinking about trying to make a simplified ciircuit camera. For those
>who do not know a circuit camera is one where the lens rotates and "paints"
>an image across the film as it rotates. These were used a lot in the past
>to take panoramic pictures. I know of only one currently made.
There is a very active group of amateurs and professionals that use, rebuild
and build "cirkut" type and swing-lens panoramic cameras. It is the
International Panoramic Photographers Association.
I myself am one of those amateur builders and experimenters. My cameras are all
35mm. I have made them based on rewinding the film to move the film past a slit
and have also made some based on advancing the film with the sprocket drive and
providing power to the sprocket either through motors or by direct coupling
with a gear or friction drive arrangement. I have also published several
articles on the application of "strip" cameras from use in the panoramic mode
as well as the peripheral, photofinish and aerial/terrestrial scanning modes.
>I am interested in the physics of how the images is made by the rotating
>lens and how the exposure time can be calculated. How do you relate
>the speed of rotation of the lens to an actual shutter speed?
Roughly speaking the camera is typically rotated about a point located near the
For example: Assume you will make a panoramic camera of this kind using a 24mm
lens as the camera lens. A full 360 degree shot with it will require
now say you want to cover the 360 degrees in 10 seconds, then
if you then know that the stationary shutter slit in the camera is 1mm in width
Exposure Time = slit width / film rate 1mm / 15mm/sec = 1/15th second
As I said this is one way to do it. There are others but they all lead to the
same place.
There are two unusual home-built panoramic cameras that to the best of my
knowledge are of a unique design. One was built by Phil Foss of Kodak and the
other by myself. They both operate by placing their image on film rotating at
the film plane instead of moving in linear fashion. While Phil's typically is
designed to cover a full 360 degree circle, mine can place a 360 degree pan on
less than a 360 degree tyrn of the film. This allows the shaping of the
resultant panoramic images to be made into conical shaped products such as flat
sunhats, umbrella decorations, skirts, or lampshades.
The history of the evolution and development of the camera was presented at a
meeting of the SPIE, the International Society for Optical Engineering. If you
would like a reprint of the paper just send me your postal, snail mail, address
and I will ship one out to you until supplies last. After that it's copies!
(You can get the text copy of this paper from the ARTICLES available from
ritphoto@rit.edu)
BTW, there are several members of the IPPA who have made exquisite panoramic
cameras on their own. Steve Morton from Australia is one. Jim Lipari is
another. Among the earliest makers of continuous enlargers at the amateur level
are the machines built by Foss and myself. But of course we were preceeded by
the designs that Itek Corporation used to make a continuous enlarger for the US
Air Force in the mid to late 1950's.
BTW, BTW... these cameras are close cousins to peripheral cameras used to
document ancient vases with designs surrounding their periphery. These were
made by the British Museum in the late 1800's. They are also related to
photofinish cameras althogh these were not introduced into use at tracks until
the mid 1930's. DeVeccio (sp) and Western Electric disputed the ownership of
the original idea. But of course the Cirkut camera had them "beat" since it
came about in the late 1800's and was commercially available from Kodak from
BTW, BTW, BTW you can expect to see a relationship between these cameras and
something called, in electronic imaging terminology, Linear Arrays. A CCD array
consisting of only one row of pixels. Also related to the word "scanning" that
we have all become so familiar with. Scanning in photo terms was never very
popular but everyone seems to appreciate the word in its "electronic" context.
Interesting! To appreciate what these cameras do next time you are near a
"moving light wand" type copier make yourself a copy of your hand both while
you keep it satitonary and also while you move it along with, against or
sideways as the copy is being made. Scanningly educational activity, this!
regards,
Andy, andpph@rit.edu
================================================================================
Note 32.09 -< How to determine the aperture and f# of a lens? >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>Is there any simple way to figure out the *true* aperture of a lens? I know
>that focal length/diameter of front element is an approximation, but how good
>an approximation.
Size of the front element has nothing to do with the aperture (well it does
have some relation to aperture, but no direct relationship). Filter threads are
often standardized by manufacturers to simplify things like filters, lens caps
and probably other manufactured parts used in the construction of the lens.
The aperture is the focal length divided by the diameter of the physical
aperature (as seen from the back so it may be affected by the optics to be
something different from the physical aperture, particularly in something with
a telephoto design). One way of determining the actual aperture is to place a
pinhole at the film plane with a very bright light shining through the pinhole.
With the lens focused at infinity, a card held in front of the lens will
produce a spot on the card the size of the aperture as seen by the film. You
can then sort of measure this spot and calculate the actual aperture from the
focal length and your measurement. If you do try this, be very careful because
the bright light can easily melt or burn something in the back of your camera.
I know how to deal with the second one (focus on the moon. poof!
You're at infinity focus). The first one, I would approach by doing
some painstaking macro work. Take your lens at infinity focus (ha!)
and maximum aperture (again, ha!) with a +4 diopter lens on it. Take a
picture on slide film of something with a known, accurate length (a
good millimeter reference would be nice). Measure the image on the
film to determine magnification ratio. From that, you can calculate
the "true" focal length of the lens to some amount of precision.
Whew. Too much math for me in one day. :-) I'm done.
ECLDCO@ritvax.isc.rit.edu
.............................................................................
ECLDCO,
In other words, I think we are saying the same thing when I say that
_if two lenses are truly f:2.8_ then the aperture of a 135mm lens is
48.2mm and the aperture of a 133mm lens is then 47.5mm.
OTOH, if the effective apertures are the same 48.2mm, then a 135mm lens
will have a f# of 2.8 while another one, which may have a focal length
of only 133mm would have an f# of 2.76
Whether one can accurately measure spot sizes to within 2/10mm accuracy
is something else again. In fact, the procedure of projecting light
backwards through the optical systemdoes depend on accuarcy on the size
of the pinhole at the image plane. Once it gets too large the edges of
the spot start to get too fuzzy to accurately determine the diamter of
the spot.
He did mention (I believe) that you would have the lens focused on
infinity. By definition therefore any lenses that are not focused on
infinity first need to be adjusted for that condition. When a complex
zoom or tele lens "over-focuses" as you state it is obviously not
focused at infinity.
The best method for determining focal length is through use of a nodal
slide. As for determining the focal length of a lens by focusing on
a nearby object using the +4 diopter lens as the basis for the
calculation that depends also on assumptions that it is indeed a +4 and
not a +4.1 diopter lens or some such variant. In fact, it may be easier
to do this with a +1 lens whose focal legth you can more easily measure
by focusing it on a distant object and measuring from the center of the
glass to the image plane.
cheerio,
andy, andpph@rit.edu
...............................................................................
With multi-element telephoto designs this rule of thumb (focal length divided
by diamter of fron element)will tend to give a lower (ie faster) f-number than
the true value, because the front element is enlarged to minimise vignetting.
The figure you really want is the diameter of the entrance pupil which can be
estimated by holding the lens up to the light, with the front element towards
you, and measuring the size of the aperture in the lens as it appears from the
front. This doesn't work well for very short focal- length lenses - see David
Jacobsons lens tutorial for more information, and Rudolf Kingslake "Lens Design
Fundamentals" for lots of details.
Only ray-tracing or very careful experimentation can determine the true f-ratio
at different points in the image. For interest, here's some measurements off a
couple of lenses I have here:
Christopher
=======================================================
Christopher Hicks http://www.eng.cam.ac.uk/~cmh
cmh@eng.cam.ac.uk Voice: (+44) 1223 3 32767
=======================================================
............................................................................
The fact that this book was written in 1946 is rather clear!
Warren Pearce - PEARCEWW@RMII.COM - Colorado Springs
================================================================================
Note 32.10 -< Pointers for including the moon in a photograph >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> I need some suggestions in photographing a rising full moon.
<While about 1/125 of a second at f11 is a common suggestion since the moon
is an object in bright sunlight ...> This advice works for a full moon high in
the sky. But when the moon is near the horizon, it may be much dimmer,
depending on the atmospheric conditions in the area. The "Loony 11" rule
(1/(film speed) at f/11) will give the _least_ exposure likely to give a good
full moon. Bracket from there toward longer exposures. For an orange moon on
the horizon, I'd go several stops toward more exposure.
Be careful not to let your exposure time go beyond a second or so if you want
any detail of the moons surface. The moon traverses its own diameter in the sky
every 3 minutes or so. Motion blur will be significant with longer exposures.
Then again, if there's enough stuff in the atmosphere to make the moon orange,
you probably won't see any surface detail anyway. Exposures above 15 seconds or
It takes a longer lens than you'd imagine to make the moon look as large as
you'd expect in the frame. To fill the frame on a 35mm camera, you'd need about
a 2500 mm lens. (Note: There's a popular misconception that a 1000mm lens is
about right to fill the frame with the full moon. It's wrong.) One popular (and
maybe overdone) technique to deal with this (as most of us don't have 2500mm
lenses) is to do a double exposure. Expose the full moon in one part of the
frame with a 300 or 400 mm lens. Then expose some other picture with a shorter
lens on the same frame. It will help if the area occupied by the moon in the
second scene is black sky. This "oversized" moon effect helps compensate for
the tendency for the moon to look too small in normal photographs.
And finally, it's difficult to catch a rising full moon on the horizon and
compose it in a scene. The trick is to predict where it will break the horizon.
Even if you can do that, cloud cover often obstructs the moon until it's a few
degrees up. One pretty good approximate way to predict the point of moonrise is
to note that the full moon will rise almost exactly opposite the point of
sunset. As the sun goes down and shadows get long, the shadows will point to
the approximate point where the moon will rise a few minutes later. The time of
moonrise is about 50 minutes later than the time it rose the night before. Or
you can look in your newspaper. The time of moonrise is often given on the
weather page. Good luck,
================================================================================
Note 32.11 -< Sun and Moon rise/set locator program retrievable from Net >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
If you would like to know where (Compas Setting) and when (Time) the sun
or moon will rise or set ftp to:
ftp.funet.fi/pub/astro/prog/win
and download the files
alw113a.exe and alw113b.exe
The planetarium program will tell you the compas location next to Azi:
The rise and set dates and times are under Calendar
33.01 -< Starting points for using Konica and Kodak Infrared films >-
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> I've just bought a Hoya R72 filter, I wonder if someone has worked with this
> filter apparently it cuts the spectrum at 720 nm. 1.- How do you expose Kodak
> HIE and Konica IR with this filter ? 2.- If I use it with IR Ektachrome can
> I obtain something ?? or I will only waste my film.
I can't help you with HIE, other than to say I'd try some test exposures
centered around EI 200, but I can help with the Konica. This film only goes a
little past 750 nm (nanometers, the wavelength of the light). This is
sufficient to record the infrared fluorescence of chlorophyll, which gives the
effect of white foliage in B&W infrared photos.
Regarding, EIR, remember that it is a film which records blue and green as
blue, records yellow-red as greens, and IR as red. If you use your IR, all your
slides will be reds! Far better to use a #12 yellow (minus blue), or failing
that, even a # 8 yellow. This way you'll get all three dye layers to add to the
image. I saw a few slides once shot through a Cokin (I believe) sepia filter
that were wild! Remember that the preconcieved rules went out the window when
you loaded this stuff! My few experiences with it were that I got good
exposures depending on Kodak's exposure recommendations, and using my SRT-101's
meter set to Kodak's recommended EI.
I don't know about the Konica since its response is pretty low beyond about
750 nm. I have used the Kodak HIE and I would suggest the following supposing
the Hoya R72 filter is very similar in spectral transmission characteristis to
the Wratten 88A. The following is from a Kodak data sheet:
Film Speeds - these numbers are guides only - use them as starting points:
Film Speed in ASA rating - assumes development in D-76
andy, andpph@rit.edu
================================================================================
Note 33.02 -< Introduction to Gross Specimen Photography - Tutorial >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ed Uthman, MD (uthman@riter.computize.com)
Diplomate, American Board of Pathology
At its birth about 1824, photography as practiced by its first devotee, Joseph
Nicephore Niepce, was a messy, all- consuming pursuit that made use of such
substances as bitumen of Judaea, lavender oil, and pewter. Today, chemical,
mechanical, and electronic technology has made photography a neat, transparent,
facile technique which we may easily apply to another messy, all-consuming
pursuit: gross anatomic pathology. Despite the amount of automation available
in photography, it is important to grasp a few general principles, so that we
may use to our advantage a few powerful controls we have over the photographic
environment.
The main considerations in gross photography are exposure, focus, image size,
composition, color balance, and film selection.
I. EXPOSURE
This is essentially the problem of balancing the amount of light coming through
the lens with the sensitivity of the film. We seek the ideal exposure and
eschew the underexposure (slide too dark) or overexposure (slide too light).
The determinants of exposure are:
B. APERTURE, the setting of the iris diaphragm in the lens, determining how
much light is allowed through the lens into the camera. Aperture measured as
"f/ stops" (f/2.8, f/4, f/16, etc). The f/ ratio is calculated by dividing the
focal length of the lens (see below) by the diameter of the iris diaphragm
opening through which light passes. Therefore, the greater the diameter, the
more light is let in, and the smaller is the f/ ratio. Each f/ stop is 1.4 (the
square root of 2) times the preceding f/ stop. Each "stop" multiplies the
amount of light by 2X. As an example, f/1 lets in twice as much light as f/1.4
and four times as much as f/2. The "speed" of the lens is its f/ ratio at its
widest aperture setting. An f/1.2 lens is considered very "fast," while an
f/5.6 lens is "slow." Generally, fast lenses are more expensive than slow ones
and in fact do not have as good corner-to-corner resolution as slower lenses.
Because we generally have plenty of light at our disposal in gross photography,
we opt for excellent resolution over lens speed. Most lenses for our purposes
are f/2.8 to f/4 at their widest aperture settings. We typically choose to
"stop down" our diaphragms in most cases, because almost all lenses have
1/1000 sec - 1/60 sec: These are OK for hand held camera in existing light.
1/60 sec : Always use this with electronic flash, since just about all flashes
are specifically synchronized for this speed. Using a slower speed (e.g., 1/30
sec) will also work, but a faster speed (e.g., 1/125 sec) will ruin the picture
by failing to expose part of the frame. Note: Some of the more modern and/or
expensive cameras allow flash synching at 1/125 second or faster speeds, but
make sure this is true of your camera before trying it.
1/30 sec - 1/2 sec : We tend to use this range for tripod or copy-stand work,
including gross photography. This range is generally not acceptable for
hand-held cameras, because most people cannot hold the camera still enough for
this length of time. By using these slower speeds for gross photography, we
allow ourselves the luxury of smaller apertures (giving us good depth of field
and maximum resolution from the lens) and slower films (giving us maximum film
resolution and best color rendition).
For example, each of the following exposure parameter set- ups give the same
exposure. Which would you choose for a gross photograph taken on your copy
stand, assuming you have a camera with an f/4 lens?
I would choose set-up 'B.' Set-up 'A' involves shooting at maximum lens
aperture, at which lens resolution is not the best. Set-up 'C' lets us stop
down the aperture for good lens resolution but requires us to use faster film
with poorer resolution than the ASA 50. Therefore, 'B' looks like the best
compromise.
Even though a good copy stand will keep the camera motionless and allow long
exposure times, there is a theoretical problem, called "reciprocity failure,"
which may interfere with color balance in very long exposures. But this is
never a problem as long as you don't allow the exposure time to exceed 1/2
second, and you'd probably not notice it even if you shot a 2-second exposure
(which may occasionally be necessary when using bellows at maximum extension;
see below).
Program mode has been a boon for photography in general, because it allows you
to concentrate on composition and not have to worry about fiddling with
aperture rings and shutter speed knobs. There is, however, a price to pay,
especially in technical photography. The main problem is that automatic
exposure systems (except in high-end cameras) are standardized for snapshot
type photography, where there is no striking difference between background and
subject illumination. Also, an automatic exposure system will attempt to make
the subject have a "neutral" brightness. In technical photography, we do not
necessarily want this; we want brain to look light and spleen to look dark,
just like these respective subjects appear to us in real-time. Therefore, I do
not use the camera's automatic exposure system for routine specimen
photography.
Another hint: When forced with shooting pictures on a set-up you are unfamiliar
with, you may have no idea what settings to use. A good solution is to meter on
the palm of your hand (believe it or not, it makes no difference what color you
are; the palm of everyone's hand looks about the same to a light meter) and
note what settings the camera's light meter indicates. Simply switch over to
manual and enter these settings. Then you can shoot away and always get at
least acceptable results.
II. FOCUS
There are two things to consider here, methods of focusing and depth of focus.
2. Manual focus. In this method you simply view the subject through the
viewfinder and turn a focusing ring until the subject sharpens. If you have a
choice, I recommend a viewfinder with a split-field focusing prism to help with
critical focusing, but others prefer a focusing grid, which, as far as I know,
is only available on high-end cameras, like the Nikon F series.
B. Depth of field
It is easy to focus on a flat object, such as a slice of brain, but things get
stickier when photographing objects with depth, such as a windowed pediatric
heart specimen. Shooting these subjects requires a knowledge of the concept of
depth of field. It turns out that the zone of depth at which the camera is in
focus is greater at smaller apertures (larger f/ numbers) than at larger
apertures. Therefore focusing is very critical when the lens is "wide open" but
much less so when "stopped down." Let's say you are shooting an opened colon to
demonstrate, en face, a large villous adenoma. If you focused on the "top" of
the tumor (the part nearest the camera) and shot the picture with the lens
aperture at f/2, the tip of the adenoma would be in focus, but the sides would
be slightly out of focus, and the surrounding colonic mucosa would be totally
out of focus and probably not recognizable. However, if you stop down to f/16,
the entire specimen would be in focus. Since this results in decreasing the
exposure by six stops, you would have to compensate by increasing the exposure
time by a factor of two to the sixth power, or 64. For good depth of field and
optimal lens resolution, I use f/8 routinely and reserve f/16 and f/22 for
subjects like the windowed heart. Most cameras have a "depth-of-field preview
button" that lets you stop down the lens to its preset aperture, so you can
view how much depth-of-field you'll end up with in the resulting picture
(normally the aperture diaphragm stays wide open until the instant the picture
is taken, so you have a nice, bright viewfinder in which to compose the shot).
The size of the image in the camera depends on 1) the size of the subject (of
course), 2) the distance of the subject from the camera, and 3) the focal
length of the lens. The focal length is the distance from the lens to the image
when the lens is focused on infinity. The effects of lens focal length are as
follows:
Lenses are classified in groups based on their focal lengths and other
properties:
50 - 58 MM ("NORMAL" LENSES). These are used for most routine work, including
gross photography. It is rarely necessary to use anything other than a normal
lens for our purposes except when shooting close-ups so extreme that the bulk
of the lens shadows the subject, so that it cannot be illuminated sufficiently.
In this case you need:
200 - 2000 MM (LONG TELEPHOTO LENSES). These are usually not used in medical
photography but are indispensable in sports, nature, and journalistic
photography.
MACRO LENSES. Operationally, the only thing special about these is that they
have an extra long focusing extension to allow you to focus on very close
objects. They are generally available in the "normal" focal length and the
medium telephoto ranges. For instance, Nikon makes two excellent macros, a 55
mm and a 105 mm. Since they are aimed at the technical market, macro lenses
tend to have excellent optics, are very durable, and are several times more
expensive than normal lenses of corresponding focal lengths. Most macros in the
normal lens category allow you to focus down to objects close enough to give
you a "3:1" or "2:1" ratio; that is, the image size is one- third or one-half,
respectively, the size of the subject. Most macro lenses can be used with an
inexpensive extension ring, which allows focusing down to 1:1 or "life size,"
i.e., the image size is the same as the subject size (Sigma makes a very nice,
not-too-expensive macro lens that focuses down to 1:1 without an extension
ring). This allows you to take some breathtaking shots of otherwise
unimpressive subjects, such as pituitary adenomas. You can even make a corpus
luteum look spectacular.
BELLOWS. This is not a lens at all but simply a shade that extends the lens
very far away from the body of the camera. This allows you to take true
photomacrographs, producing an image size up to three times that of the
subject. For instance, when shooting a 105 mm lens on a bellows at full
extension, the Lincoln Memorial on the reverse side of a U.S. penny fills a
35mm frame. Multiply this magnification by the amount you get when projecting a
slide in a lecture hall and you get some idea of how Brobdingnagian a world you
can present to an awed audience. The only problem with the bellows is that
light intensity fall-off (as per the inverse square law) at maximum extension
requires you increase the exposure accordingly. Also you have to be extremely
careful about camera motion, which is magnified correspondingly.
IV. COMPOSITION
If you consider yourself more of a technical type than an artiste, you are
probably intimidated by this aspect of photography. Although Ernst Haases and
Edward Steichens are probably born and not made, much technique of composition
can be easily learned by the average eye. In gross photography, first step is
good specimen preparation. This is what separates the excellent from the
mediocre; the inspired pathologist from the drudge; art from mere visual
documentation. After you get comfortable with the camera, you should spend
almost all your time preparing the specimen, with the actual photography being
a brief anticlimax. Here are some tips I find useful:
B. Use props to position the specimen when necessary. A slice of liver needs no
props, but a gallbladder looks better when you shove a few wads of paper under
the periphery to make it look like the saccular structure that it is. Modeling
clay is also a good material from which to devise custom props.
D. Keep the background clean. This is a real pain, but to do otherwise really
compromises the photograph. It is much easier to keep things clean when dealing
with a fixed specimen than a fresh, bloody one. On a related note, try to keep
the camera clean. Layers of dried gore accumulating on the body of a tough
Nikon F3 probably won't hurt the camera, but it tends to gross out certain
people, particularly OSHA inspectors.
F. Try to get rid of as much blood as possible. Otherwise, the specimen ends up
being just varying shades of red and pink.
G. Watch out for distracting highlights. Fresh specimens usually have very
shiny surfaces that produce glare. There are several things you can do to cut
the glare on a fresh specimen:
1. Formalin dip for just a few minutes; this preserves color but dulls the
surface; in overnight-fixed specimens which have lost their color, soak in 70%
EtOH to partially recover color.
3. Consider changing the lighting situation of your set- up. Nice copy stands
are usually set up with four big floodlights. You may consider turning off the
two on the front of the stand and leave the two on the rear on. Remember to
adjust your exposure to accomodate the loss of these lights.
2. Wet black velvet - less expensive ($12/yard); reusable for a long time if
you're careful; keep fresh, bloody tissue off! Give each resident his/her own
V. COLOR BALANCE
Although the neurological visual processing system behind our eyes compensates
for this variability, the film in a camera cannot. The solution is to make film
where sensitivity to the colors of the spectrum is specifically balanced for
the color distribution of the light source. When shooting in daylight or with
an electronic flash, we need to use "daylight" film. Alternatively, when using
incandescent lights (such as the floods on the copy stand), we need to use
"tungsten" film. This is not some theoretical consideration. If you try to use
daylight film with the floodlights you will get an unacceptably orange picture;
conversely, shooting tungsten film with a flash will produce a picture that
looks like it was painted by Picasso during his "blue" period.
You will select film based on your need for good resolution, your budget, the
necessity of rapid processing turnaround time, and the format in which your
photographic work is to be presented.
A. Color transparency film. These yield the 2" x 2" mounted transparencies
known affectionately as "kodachromes" (in the way that facial tissue is known
as "kleenex"). The actual frame size of the transparency is 24 x 36 mm.
D. Black-and-white film. Not to go into this at any length, but you should use
this for originals to be used for publication. Black-and-whites made from color
negatives or transparencies are generally second-rate. Also you can experiment
with color contrast filters, which can really improve results.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
IMPORTANT
COPYRIGHT NOTICE
DISCLAIMER
You can't assume that the IR mark and the f/8 mark are at the same place for
all lenses. I have several lenses in which the IR mark is not near the f/8
mark. The position of the IR mark is going to depend on the design of the
lens, the type of glass used, and so on.
The best way to do what you want is to calculate where the DOF marks should go,
using the formula for hyperfocal distance.
h = f^2 / Nc
I develop in bath A for for 4 mins and bath B for 4 mins (FP4+ sheet). Minimal
agitation in bath B. Experiment, I use Cold Cathode. If you don't see any
postings about Tmax post me.
Loads of references to this in Ansel Adams 'The Negative'. Old Photobooks and
of course that marvellous book that should be on eveyones shelf The Darkroom
Cookbook by Steve Anchel.
Essentially you take two pictures and slice them up into narrow vertical
strips. Then you discard every other strip of each of the pictures. Then
you place the stips of one in between the strips of the other, in order.
Then you overlay a lenticular screen of the correct design such that at a
given distance your left eye "sees" only one set of strips and the other
sees the other set of strips. If the pictures are a stereo pair you see an
image exhibiting depth.
Instead of a lenticular screen you can also use a "barrier strip", made up
of alternating dark and clear strips. The frequency of these is related to
the frequency of the picture strips, the distance from the barrier strips
The placement of the image strips behind a lenticular (or barrier) strip
can also be done optically as was done by Nishika Labs for Nimslo-format
prints made up of 4 (!) separate images per scene, and as is still done by
Image-Tech for the three-view stereo images. Kodak also markets a system
called Depth Imaging which uses a significantly more coarse lenticular
screen than Image Tech or Nishika do (did) but where the individual images
behind each strip are computer manipulated for enhanced separation and/or
depth resolution.
>I am going to photograph some lasers, and I was wondering if any one has done
>this before and how long should I leave the shutter open in darkness. Also I
>was thinking of dropping dryice smoke stuff over the laser's beam so that it
>shows up on film, or should I use smoke of some sort?
Depends-- you might just consider that you are going to "blow-out" the laser
line, give it 1-2 sec. at an aperture which will give you the DOF you need. I
have done it this way. But, if the truth comes out, I also pulled a Paranoid to
check the exposure.
I have used a Rosco smoke machine, cuz I have one sitting in the closet, but
when that was inconvenient, I have used Diffuse-It Cloud Spray. It should be
available at any reasonably well stocked pro camera supply. Calumet P/N is
DT5000. Costs less than $10 and much easier to use than dry ice. Also consider
other aerosol sprays. I have tried hairspray, flour, water in a mister, etc.
OBTW, you might want to consider exposing the laser(s) separately from the
subject. Old tabletop guy's trick.
Since the beam itself is invisible you need something in the air to make it
show up. If there are enough particles in the air sometimes a long exposure is
enough. Depending on the air cleanliness.
I often have to photograph in laser labs to show the people and the work they
are doing and want the laser in the image as well. I set up the flash units to
light the scene however I want but try to hit a fstop around f8 ( I use ISO
100 film). I set the camera to the bulb setting and in total darkness expose
by firing the camera and flash and holding for an exposure time of 10 - 12
seconds on average.The flash exposes the scene and the time exposure allows
the laser to image as well as that glow they often give off. Season to taste
with longer and shorter exposures. Often the beam is visible in the photos.
This diffusion spray and cigarette smoke may not make you popular. If this
laser is on a large bench setup these materials may deposit a film on mirrors
and photodiodes that can be tedious/difficult to clean. Try this:
Set up the camera and set it to bulb. Paint the beam with the dry ice fog as
even as you can for as long as it takes or my favourite way - use a white card
or the card researchers use to detect beams and paint the beam with it. Lock
the camera on time exposure and hold a white card angled slightly to the lens
in the beam so the laser images as a bright dot. Now just move it along the
beam. In total darkness the exposure is however long it takes to paint the
beam. It looks like a rod of light or if a pulse laser it can even be a beam
of dots it you time it right. You can paint all sections of the beam and have
someone else help you at the same time. Usually with ISO 100 at f8 and Polaroid
Best look and make sure to leave no residue or film on the laser equipment!
==============================================================================
33.03 -< UK Company that makes microscope (and other?) adapers >-
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>I am looking for a pentax k-mount microscope adapter that with a 31mm barrel.
>Does anyone know of any vendors that might have such an animal.
Ian R Broomhead
SRB Film Service
286 Leagreave Road
Luton
Beds LU3 1RB
England
==============================================================================
33.04 -< Improvised Contrast Control filters from Rosco materials >-
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>Our Besseler 23C-II's take the large filters, and we do not want to use
>filters below the lens; however, we only use 3,4, and 5 filters and can't
>afford to buy whole sets just to get them. Does anyone have a source for
>filter material, perhaps sheets we can cut down?
In the Jan 1993 issue of ViewCamera, Joseph Englander suggested the following
Rosco filters to form a useful variable contrast series for larger formats.
The filters probably will not give equal or 2x exposure times for an average
zone 5 density. For consistency, the filter factors should be worked out by
determining minimum times to dmax for each filter and each paper. Most of the
filters sold specifically for variable contrast papers have neutral density
Rosco: 36 Bush Ave., Port Chester, NY or 1135 N. Highland Ave., Hollywood, CA.
==============================================================================
33.05 -< Reducing overexposed IR film and others too >-
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>re: reducing what appears overexposed IR films ...don't if you don't have to!
This is very good advice, especially the first sentence! However, if you need
to reduce (more), I would not keep the film on the reel. Two reasons: 1>
Reduction is a gradual processs, but it speeds up exponentially. You need to
be able to see what it is doing and be able to stop it fast!! 2> It may be
that not all the negs on the roll need reduction, and this kind of shotgun
approach (reducing film on a reel) could reduce negs which don't need it, and
once that is done, IT'S DONE!
Here is what has worked for me: Develop, fix, wash, and dry your infra red
film as normal. Go ahead and cut & sleeve it if you like. Note that infra red
film often appears very overexposed compared to standard pan film, but will
print o.k. Try to make a small enlargement before you do any reducing. If it
still is too dense, use this formula:
STOCK SOLUTION A,
Potassium ferricyanide, anhydrous 2 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon
Water to make 16 ounces
Stock SOLUTION B
Normal dilution of non-hardening fixer 2 quarts
Store each solution seperately. They keep for months, but should be used right
after mixing. FOR USE: Mix 30 milliliters of solution A with 120 milliliters
of solution B and add water to make 1 liter of working solution.
Pour the solution in a white tray under a good light source. Drop in the negs
to reduce and agitate for 30 seconds. Pull out the neg and rinse with water,
hold it up to a light and check the density. Go in the solution again if it
needs it, but check it as much as possible to avoid over reducing, which is
uncorrectable. Fix it, wash it, and dry it as usual.
A Kodak Wratten Neutral Density filter ND4. Use 1/500 second at F11-F16 with
100 ASA film. An ND4 filter is not the same as 4x. ND4 is 10 to the power of
4, ie. 10000 times intensity reduction. This is the cheapest way to get a good
optical image.
Alternatively at sunset when the sun is touching the horizon, 1/1000 at f22
with no filter works well. The atmosphere does the filtering.
Safety Note: The filter goes between the sun and the lens not between the lens
and the camera. The filter lets through levels of UV and IR which can damage
your eyes. That said, I've been using mine for 15 years. Just focus and frame
without wasting time. If you spend lots of time looking through it then you may
sustain eye damage. A No 14 welders filter is a safe visual filter. These cost
$2. You can safely focus and view through one of these then switch to the ND
filter. The welders filter is unsuitable for photographic use.
note: the size of the image of the sun's disc at the film plane is roughly
equal to 1/100 of the focal length of the lens used on the camera. A 500 mm
lens will make an image that is about 1/5th the short dimension of the film
or enlargment. (24mm divided by 5mm = about 1/5) this was added here by andy,
andpph@rit.edu
==============================================================================
33.07 -< Stage Photography Recommendations >-
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>I'm going to be shooting a stage production in the near future on 400 speed
>film. I would be pleased to get any suggestions or hints y'all might have.
I assume you're talking about shooting color negative film, since you mention
ISO 400 and are concerned about color rendition? (If you were shooting slide
film, selection would be easy since there are only two choice: Kodak Ektachrome
320T -- nice image quality but slowish -- or Scotch 640T -- grainier, more
muted colors, but a stop faster.)
For print films -- especially with the fairly slow lenses you plan to use -- I
wouldn't even bother with 400-speed films; I'd go straight to Fuji Super G 800.
This film has very nice grain and color rendition. Still more important is that
it has moderate contrast -- this is important in stage photography, since the
lighting is usually quite contrasty. (For example, although I like Kodak's Gold
1000 and Ektapress 1600 films, they're both contrastier than the Fuji film and
can get hard to manage under theater lights.)
Your biggest problem with color rendition is going to be that stage lights are
tungsten, but all 35mm color neg films are daylight balanced. That means your
pictures will have an inherent yellow-orange cast. The lab that prints the
negatives can correct this for you, but may have trouble knowing how much
You'll probably be sorry that your fastest lens maxes out at f/3.5. If you
happened to buy a 50mm normal lens with your camera -- an f/1.8 or f/1.4 or
something -- take it along, too; it doesn't take up much space in the bag, and
can really save your bacon if you want a nice overall shot of a dimly lighted
scene. (Since I photograph a lot of ballet productions, I've had to invest in a
lot of fast lenses so I can get action-stopping shutter speeds: the ones I use
most often are an 85mm f/1.4, a 100mm f/2, a 200mm f/2.8, and for smaller
theaters a 50mm f/1.4 or 50mm f/0.95 -- yes, the latter is a fairly exotic
item! If you keep doing a lot of stage stuff you may want to invest in at least
a fast medium tele such as an 85~100mm f/2 or so; this also makes a nice
portrait lens.)
Hope some of these ideas help. Good luck and have fun!
==============================================================================
33.08 -< Photographing Soccer Recommendations >-
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>I am having a hard time shooting Soccer games. Where would be the best place
>on the field to get players in action and what lens would be best?
In my opinion the best place generally is at either end of the field, somewhere
There is generally lots of action in the area just in front of the goal and you
should be able to "reach out" for close to frame filling shots of the players
with something like a 135 or 200mm lens. Hold camera horizontal when players
are far and turn it vertical when closer-up. While a zoom may be useful single
focal length lenses have been used for many years before the zooms arrived.
andy, andpph@rit.edu
==============================================================================
33.09 -< Sprint Photographic Chemicals >-
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>I have been in camera stores in Ohio, upstate New York, and in southern New
>England and have never seen the stuff. Where can I get Sprint to try it?
We have been using Sprint as our basic b&w chemistry for a number of years and
are very happy with it. We buy it directly from Sprint:
******************************************************************
Professor Steven P. Mosch, Photography Department Chair
Savannah College of Art & Design, 101 Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd.
Savannah, GA 31402-3146 Phone: 912-238-2469 Fax: 912-238-2436
e-mail: SMosch@aol.com
******************************************************************
..............................................................................
==============================================================================
33.10 -< Artcraft Chemicals - Photo Chemicals Supplier >-
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Photographers Fromulary is good, but Artcraft Chemicals will sell you the same
materials for lower (30-40%) prices. He does not have Tech Pan kits, but
carries the chemistry to make up Tech Pan developers. ARTCRAFT CHEMICAL P.O.
BOX 583 * SCHENECTADY, NY 12301 * 800-682-1730 * or 518-355-8700. Ask for a
catalogue and tell Mike Lacobson Maxim sent you <GG>.
Maxim
From: InstyOmaha@aol.com
==============================================================================
33.11 -< A few non-US magazine recommendations >-
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Here are some non-US photography related magazines recommended by a couple of
PhotoForum subscribers, Peter Marshall and James McArdle:
.............................................................................
Inscape: William Bishop, 22a Gladwell Rd, London N8 9AA, England. Outside
Europe #15 (international Postal Order or UK cheque) for 5 issues
History of Photography: Taylor & Francis Ltd, 4 John St, London WC1N 2ET, UK
Peter petermarshall@cix.compulink.co.uk
.............................................................................
and from J. McArdle:
BEELDING Netherlands ; Maanblad voor kunsten P.O. Box 13097, 2501 EB Den Haag.
10 copies p.a., Hfl 50
even if you can't read the writing you can read the photographs!
Another Australian mag is "Black and White" about which I have mixed feelings -
while its very beautifully produced, it is actually published by a company that
specialises in fashion magazines and its emphasis is on rather strenuous nudes
in the neo-national-socialist vein. Lots of oil and fashionably correct
bodies. But in between there is some excellent photography and, while the
pretense of being a 'serious' art photography magazines sometimes becomes a
bit transparent, most photographers I know seem to respond to at least some of
the images as being groundbreaking stuff. Address: Studio Magazines, Level 3,
100-111 William St., East Sydney 2011, tel.(02)360 1422, fax(02) 360 9742.
Issued monthly. $A90.00 subs.
Note 34.01 -< Accounting for extension tubes and exposure factors >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>I just bought a set of extension tubes for my medium format camera. The short
>tube requires an exposure adjustment of 2X, the longer one 3X. In terms of
>exposure stops ie: full f-stops OR shutter speeds, can someone explain to me
>how to adjust the exposure for each tube and when the tubes are used together.
If you are using a plain extension tube (absolutely no lens elements in it) the
amount of exposure adjustment is dependent upon BOTH the length of the
extension tube AND the focal length of the lens being used with it!!! In other
words, using a 25mm extension tube with a 50mm lens is a different exposure
adjustment than using the same 25mm tube with a 200mm lens.
You can use this table for your calculation of exposure adjustment.
If you're into the real math, you can calculate the Exposure Factor (not the
same thing as exposure increase in the above table... Exposure Factor 4 =
exposure increase of 2 f/stops, for example).
EF = (Magnifaction+1)^2
--Wilt
From: WiltW@aol.com
...............................................................................
One of the easiest and most versatile ways to make exposure compensations for
longer than normal lens-to-film distances, or "bellows extension", as it is
often called, is to use a variation of the inverse square law.
To do this, you will have to measure a standard distance from a point on the
lens to the back of the camera. This "standard distance" MUST be equal to the
focal length of the lens you will be using with the tubes. For example, you
mentioned MF, so I'll assume an 80 mm lens. Measure from the back of the
camera to a distance of 80 mm, and note that point on the lens. This is your
normal lens to film distance, or "old extension, as they sometimes say. Now
put on the longest tube you have, and measure that distance again. Let's say
it's 140 mm now. Note: the longest tube will give you the difference between
the two numbers. You actually use whatever will do the job.
The formula is: the new lens extension squared divided by the old lens
extension squared, or 140 squared divided by 80 squared, or 19600 divided by
6400, or 3.06. "3" is certainly close enough. That translates to a one and
one half increase in exposure. So if the meter says shoot at f/11, it's one
stop, or twice the exposure, to f/8, and if you want twice more, or four times
altogether, it would be f/5.6. You want a point in between 5.6 and 8 to equal
a three times increase.
This will become second nature in no time. The nice thing about it is that it
works for 35mm cameras and normal lenses, or wide angle or telephoto lenses, or
4 by 5 cameras with the bellows racked out 3 miles, or what ever else you may
be working with. You can make extension tubes of old paper towel tubes, and it
will work flawlessly. It works for my Robertson Meteorite copy camera, which
takes up to a 15 by 18 inch negative. And it works exactly the same for every
conceivable situation.
Summary: take the new focal length of the lens, or the new extension, square
Math, yes, but if you want to do some serious closeup work without in camera
meters, it's a necessity, especially for slides.
There are probably many ways to arrive at the answer you are looking for. I
would approach it from the point of view that a factor of 2 is one stop. I also
know that the log of 2 is .3 From here, if I need an exposure increase
associated with a factor of 2x I find the log of this factor and divide it by
.3 to find the increase in terms of stops.
now I if I place both tubes on the camera and use the two "factors" together,
their "power" is multiplied. This is because if I need a factor of two and add
a stop, and then I need (for some reason) another factor of 2 on top of that
I'd open up another stop. The total would be two stops or a factor of 4. Thus
factors get multipled. In the case you mention, 2 x 3 = 6 and thus to continue:
I have had considerable success with modified POTA developer. Formula follows:
Using these premixed solutions, I can then mix the developer at normal
processing temperature and immediately use it. Processing time is about 15
minutes at 20 C (68 F), with 30 seconds initial agitation and 2 seconds shake
every 30 sec. (as advised for Technidol liquid). This produces a useable EI
of 25 or 32.
Tech Pan is a bit fussy, but it is a truly beautiful pictorial film, especially
if you enlarge to billboard size. The limiting factor with this film is your
optics and technique, and not the film. Best of luck!
Try using TMax developer at various dilutions. My notes on this are at home so
I can't be too specific, but I suggest you try dilutions of 1:14 to 1:19,
development in the 6-10 minute range, and rate the film at 16-25. My impression
of my experiments with TMax was that there was good control of contrast, good
consistency over several rolls developed over a number of weeks, and
development was very even. I was able to use my normal agitation method rather
than lowering films into the tank as Kodak recommends for Technidol.
There is a good article in the March/April 1992 issue of "Darkroom and Creative
Camera Techniques" on processing Tech Pan. Among other things it suggests using
Kodak Flexicolor developer, 10 minutes at 20 degrees C. Rate the film at 50.
There is also a formula for a stop bath for this procedure. I've done it a few
times with satisfactory results, although you may want to rate the film at 20
rather than 50.
I have been using C-41 Flexicolor developer with Tech Pan for normal contrast
My procedure:
As with conventional films, and at least as important, make sure there is a bit
of air space between the top of the solution and the lid. This ensures that
there is adequate turbulence during agitation.
I use No.2 paper and a cold light/diffusion enlarger head. I have read that
the grain of Tech Pan is so fine that it is not subject to the Callier effect,
so this development time may work for condenser enlargers, too. As you
probably know, Tech Pan is sensitive stuff, so your results will likely vary
from mine.
. ****************************************************************
. * Nathan Prichard * Kentucky Historical Society *
. * Internet/e-mail: * Box H *
. * npric1@ukcc.uky.edu * Frankfort, KY 40602 *
. * * U.S.A *
. ****************************************************************
...............................................................................
Use Kodalk OR Borax 0.8 gm. (May be 1 gm. Kodalk gives slightly higher
contrast, Borax yields good developer activity)
Phenidone 1.4 gm.
Use at 68 deg F, 15 minutes, use a liquid level about twice the height of the
film reel or reels for best results. Suggests 32 to 64 ASA rating. Good film
for detail, been around a long time (since 1977 as SO-115) and suprisingly
few photographers have heard of it. I really enjoy the clear base and the
fact it lies flat, as well as its minimum grain.
************************************
Jim Thyer jrt@mfs1.ballarat.edu.au
Physics, School of Info Technology & Math. Sciences
University of Ballarat
Ballarat Vic 3353 Australia.
After returning to base, treat the negatives in fresh sodium sulfite solution
and continue processing as indicated by Polaroid
If you're really into carrying a lot of stuff around and making your shoot even
more difficult, you might consider as an alternative the clearing tank marketed
by Graphic Designs (Shutterbug advertiser) which is a one gallon plastic bucket
and lid along with a plastic sheet film holder that doesn't really adjust to
the Type 55 neg size. The idea is to cart along the sodium sulfite solution &
pop your negs into the holder immersed in the solution as you are shooting. Of
course, you'll need a way to clean the stuff off your hands and anything else
it hits since it dries to a nasty white dust.
Or, if your 545 holder isn't too cantakerous, you can re-insert the covering
after exposure and remove the entire sheet without processing. Then reload the
exposed sheets into the holder later for processing. This is a method suggested
by Adams.
With the pack film equivalent, I exposed outdoors for some winter scenery
shots, then left the tripod outdoors, brought the film inside before pulling &
kept the sheet under my arm to bring it up to temp during the processing time.
If you are going to process in the field, you should pay attention to the
temperature. Polaroid is good but demanding stuff. It's really sensitive to the
thermometer.
--david "rayfield@tardis.svsu.edu"
...............................................................................
Mix the sodium sulfide solution to clear the negatives. Pour into the
Tupperware container. As you make pictures, inspect the positive. Put the
keepers in the sodium sulfide solution. When you finish for the day, pull out
the negatives, they shouldn't stick together in the solution and it's
impossible to "overfix" the things and wash them.
... I've always prefered to cart around a container of water rather than the
sodium sulphite solution. I then clear in sodium sulphite when I get home a few
hours later. I think the Polaroid literature says you can leave the negs in
ordinary water for up to 72 hours before proper clearing.
I have encountered many of these same problems as you gents are describing.
Shooting type 55 in the field can be quite tricky. I have found what works
best for me and am glad to share it with you. First I learned the visual
relationship of what a good negative means a good positive will look like. I
usually find that the positive is 3/4 to 1 full stop lighter than a properly
exposed negative. When shooting in the field, I shoot off one exposure as a
test and judge it mainly from the positive. I trash the negative. When
assured that my exposure is correct, I shoot my final and carefully remove it
from the holder WITHOUT ROLLING THE DEVELOPER!! If you press the release
button you can remove the film with out developing. I have been told by my
friendly polaroid rep that the latent image will not degrade in quality for
over 2 months at least. I have made exposures and not developed them until
returning to my studio over a month later. This saves me all the hassle of
protecting and clearing negs while on the move.
If anyone else has found anything better, please let me know.
HeyChris@aol.com
================================================================================
Note 34.04 -< Pinhole Resources and the Hole Thing >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Try The Pinhole Resource, Star Route 15, Box 1355, San Lorenzo, NM 88041
505-536-9942. They have a catolog and a magazine dealing with Pinhole
Photography. Quite an interesting Magazine. Good Luck
================================================================================
Note 34.05 -< Multiple Exposure Capability - what good is it? >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> I just got a camera with multiple exposures capability. When do you
> need to use this function and how ? Do you need a special filter so that
> your second/third exposure does not superimpose on top of the first ?
Well, if you don't want additional exposures imposing on the previous exposure,
just don't use the multi-exp feature at all.
'Course there's other handy uses of ME such as running a few distance checks on
your TTL auto flash ranges in a church or auditorium. If you use ME you can do
a bunch of tests and only waste a single frame of film.
Another use is to compile a long exposure from several pieces, allowing the
shutter to close if people walk by, lights glare, etc. If you want to paint
with light by flash, you can let the shutter close between exposures to avoid
background or stray light building up while waiting for flash recycling.
...............................................................................
There are bunches and bunches of ways to use multiple exposures. One that I've
been doing a lot in the lab I work in (an astronomy lab, not a photo lab) is to
take pictures of equipment. I set the camera up on a tripod, meter, and stop
down by a stop or so. The first exposure I do with the equipment case on. The
second exposure is with the case off the equipment. This results in a ghostly
case showing both the outside of the equipment, as well as the inside. Very
nice for documenting something you've just spent the last two weeks slaving
over with a soldering iron. ;)
Another use I've had for multiple exposures in the lab is in tracing laser
paths. The first shot is metered on the room with the room lights on, and taken
as such. For the second shot I kill the room lights and open the shutter. I
then go around the room and "paint" out the laser beams with a white index
card. Part of what our lab does is to manufacture diffraction gratings, so
after a beam diffracts off of one of our gratings we wind up with hundreds of
beams. They make for some very pretty, as well as useful pictures.
Tom
From: tom@peggysue.as.utexas.edu (Tom Benedict)
Organization: McDonald Observatory, University of Texas
............................................................................
Indeed, there are such filters. They shut one half of the lens. You can get
very funny results, for example when you set the camera on a tripod and focus
it on a bench. First you take the one half of the picture with a person sitting
on the bench on this side. Then you turn the filter round and take the other
half (2nd exposure) with the same person now sitting on the other side of the
bench, in different clothes or so. (some irrelevant material deleted)
But you can also use ME without filter. For example, you can photograph a
painting in red light, then -slightly move the camera- in blue light and then
in green light. You must underexpose each shot here. The results are quite
nice.
Marc
From: Marc Werner <Marc.Werner@post.rwth-aachen.de>
Organization: RWTH Aachen
..............................................................................
Actually such a mask is probably better referred to as a matte, and the device
when made into an accessory, a matte-box. In matte-box photography positive and
negative masks are used to block and expose various areas of a scene
sequentially. A camera capable of multiple exposures is very necessary for
technical perfection of this technique. Sometimes even the slight vibration
introduced into the camera body as the shutter and mirror do their thing is
enough to slightly move the film between shots. In such cases a pin registered
camera may be called for.
================================================================================
Note 34.06 -< How are higher flash sync speeds achieved >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>Would someone explain to me how the newer cameras sync faster than the
>customary 1/60 (horizontal) and 1/125 (vertical fp shutter.) please? Do they
>slow down the flash pulse so that it cover the entire "swipe" of the fast fp
>shutter, or a number of strobe pulses along the full swipe of the fp shutter
>or what?
None of the above, if you mean the faster X-synch speeds. The shutters blades
simply move a whole lot faster. This means the film gate is wholey open for
exposure at shutter speeds higher than previous designs allowed.
Curtain shutters traveling across the long dimension had, in past decades,
Faster FP sync speed are accomplished two ways as far as I can determine. The
first is that modern shutter "curtains" travel significantly faster than the
older designs and this allows cameras to raise the standard X sync speed by a
factor of approximately two or possibly four.
No FP camera, however, can sync with all flashes up to their highest shutter
speeds because at these speeds the full frame is not exposed all at once but is
exposed sequentially through the moving shutter "slit" created by the curtains.
Cameras that DO allow sync up to the top speeds must be used with special
flashes that flatten out the output of the flash by going into a "stroboscopic"
mode flashing at a rate of maybe 10K to 20K flashes per second for the time it
takes the leading curtain to go across plus the exposure time chosen. This
system is used in such cameras as the Olympus OM-4T. I did some testing of
this system when it first came out many years ago.
Newer flashes MAY employ a different scheme. I believe you can retreive a text
file with how this test was performed from an "archive" of articles available
at a site here at RIT. To check out what is available send a message to:
ritphoto@rit.edu stating in the Subject: line _and_ message body: articles$txt
================================================================================
Note 34.07 -< Front projection for professional backgrounds >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>I have seen photographs where people are shown posed in front of a background
>of mountains, hills or other picturesque scenes. How is this done?
Hot lights or flashes lighting up the scene from angles other than the optical
axis do not affect the retroreflected light from the screen and mostly affect
only the lower and non directionally reflective surfaces of "standard" subjects
such as people, etc.
The photographers must make sure that the alignment between projector and
camera lens is properly set. There also is concern about the focal length of
the projector vs. the lens used in the camera.
Andy, andpph@rit.edu
..............................................................................
Just to add another comment from 30 yrs of experience with these systems. Cost
is high for the screen material, from $1500 upwards for one mounted on fiber
glass which is probably all that has kept them from being in universal use.
The systems were used for commercial work years before Henry Olds (Scene
Machine) made them popular for high school seniors and proms. The financial
advantage is in year around "seasonal assignments" in the air conditioned
comfort of a studio. The better systems use 2-1/4 slides so quality can be
quite high. While some claim to see a "line" around the subject, I'll assure
you that any such lines are the result of poor lens alignment at the beam
splitter or not enough distance from the projecting lens to the beam splitter.
The most effective use is not front projection alone but in "sets", for
example, a subject seated in front of a window (frame prop) using the screen
image in back of the set for the view ...or a subject touching a real tree
branch (cut and hanging on a light stand) with the projected image filling the
background. There can be far more to the creative work than selecting a slide.
Email if you are in need of specific info or a sample print for a project.
J.M.Conway, timemark@aol.com
================================================================================
Note 34.08 -< Desensitizing film for development by inspection >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> I was reading darkroom cookbook column in "Camera and darkroom" and saw that
> in one of the back issues there was an article on development by inspection. I
> thought this technique had been thrown out years ago!! Does anyone have any
> information regarding formulas for emulsion desensitisers and safelights etc.
I used to use Kodak Desensitizer. It's a purple dye. About a gram of powder
(that's all you used to get for over $20, and this was 20 years ago, or so)
makes a quart of reusable solution.
You soak the film in it, then you can inspect it under a green safelight
several times throughout development. I used to push high-speed recording to
over 16,000 ASA (I mean ISO). I would shoot rock concerts (they had low light
in those days) at 1/30 sec. (or faster if needed), then push the film 'til I
saw the proper image while inspecting. Sometimes I would resort to sticking it
in warm Dektol. Obviously, sometimes it would fog, but the "flash" actually
helped reduce the high contrast. Ah, the good old days.
David E. Le Vine
..............................................................................
================================================================================
Note 34.09 -< How much light does it take to expose film properly? >-
The number 25 is a constant that "guarantees" that you will end up with
properly exposed negatives of average scenes. Sometimes slight departures from
this particular value are used depending on whether you like your negatives to
be thinner or denser than those given by using 25.
If you work this out to its logical conclusion you will find that the Sunny-16
rule assumes that there are about 6,400 foot-candles of illumination on a
standard scene for it to reproduce properly on average films at an aperture of
f:16 and an exposure time equal to the reciprocal of the ASA speed of the
material.
andy, andpph@rit.edu
================================================================================
Note 34.10 -< What is a diopter? >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> Can anybody explain to me what the diopter is? Thanks.
================================================================================
Note 34.11 -< Daylight balanced fluorescent tubes and correction filters >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>Does anyone have information on the color balance of various fluorescent tubes
>which fit standard shop light fixtures available in hardware stores? Is there
>a site on the net where this info is available. I'd like to use them as fill
>occasionally for both still and video shoots.
Dirk M. Schuneman, owner First Photo Lab, Orlando, FL, USA, Photo 1st@aol.com
...............................................................................
Faster FP sync speed are accomplished two was as far as I can determine. The
first is that modern shutter "curtains" travel significantly faster than the
older designs and this allows cameras to raise the standard X sync speed by a
factor of approximately two or possibly four.
No FP camera, however, can sync with all flashes up to their highest shutter
speeds because at these speeds the full frame is not exposed all at once but is
exposed sequentially through the moving shutter "slit" created by the curtains.
Cameras that DO allow sync up to the top speeds must be used with special
flashes that flatten out the output of the flash by going into a "stroboscopic"
mode flashing at a rate of maybe 10K to 20K flashes per second for the time it
takes the leading curtain to go across plus the exposure time chosen. This
system is used in such cameras as the Olympus OM-4T. I did some testing of
this system when it first came out many years ago.
Newer flashes MAY employ a different scheme. I believe you can retreive a text
file with how this test was performed from an "archive" of articles available
at a site here at RIT. To check out what is available send a message to:
ritphoto@rit.edu stating in the Subject: line _and_ message body: articles$txt
andy, andpph@rit.edu
================================================================================
Note 34.13 -< How to adjust the tension on a Graflex Focal Plane shutter >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
How to tension the Graflex Focal Plane shutter
This How To is for those who recognize that the rewards of learning how to "do
INTRO
By now the old and venerable spring in your RB auto Graflex or Series D has
lost its luster and doesn't pull the curtain fast enough. As a result, all
speeds are slow. Fortunately the fix is not too difficult for those with a
little patience and mechanical aptitude:
PROCEDURE
1. First make sure that the curtain is not rubbing anywhere and the curtain
selector is free to move (they often get bumped and then stick). It should
move very freely with no sticky spots.
2. Apply just a drop of lightweight oil into the two oil holes. These are the
little holes in the end of a round, flat, keyed metal piece on the left hand
side of the camera. Don't ever use or spray WD-40 or any spray lube or it'll
get in and mess up the works. Just use one of those little needle oilers like
the one sold in Radio Shack. Check to see if this improves things dramatically
- probably not ;-)
3. Look at the tensioning escutcheon (that's the plate that surrounds and
holds the tensioner) You'll see the tension knob, the release button and a hex
shaped cap. You should also see screws at the perimeter of the plate-don't
undo these yet. Release tension with the release button now. Then just take
off the hex cap (counterclockwise) to reveal the screw slot.
4. Find the right screwdriver to fit the screw slot before proceeding. Notice
that as you tension the shutter, the screw slot rotates. This slot is at the
end of the tensioning shaft and has to be tightened in order to increase the
spring tension. Don't try to force the screw since it's locked in place
relative to a gear under the plate.
5. Loosen, but don't remove, the screws holding the plate down. On the Series
D there are four screws. The idea here is to lift up the plate enough so that
the gear disengages from the shaft so that you can retension it. Put a thin
screwdriver in to hold the slot BEFORE you lift up the plate so that the
tension doesn't release suddenly.
6. You may have to unscrew the perimeter screws a little more to disengage the
gear. Once accomplished, now is the time to guess how much more tension to
apply by turning the slot so that it gets tighter. I'm impatient so I give it
a good whirl thereby throwing caution to the wind. This can result in too much
tension which could overly stress the now ancient shutter curtain material, so
you probably should try moderate tensioning first. If the spring has lost its
temper, it will feel "dead" when you turn the screw - this is not the case and
the spring has some life left in it.
7. While still holding the tensioning slot push the plate back down to engage
the gear. Re-tighten the perimeter screws. Put the hex cap back on after
applying one drop of oil.
8. Test the shutter. I usually test with Polaroid having found the speed to
9. You may have to go back and do this again. Be patient, don't poke or pull
on the curtain in frustration, and don't curse me 'cause it's really easy and
self evident once you dive in.
FINAL COMMENTS
I love these old boxes and with care they ought to be useful tools for the
serious photographer. I am still learning the ins and outs so I don't claim to
be an expert by any means but I have found this procedure to be workable
several times now with no failures yet.
PS - I've been asking around about how to convert some of these to Graflok
backs, a challenge that I have not attempted yet but will tell you about my
experiences and write a "how to" if there is any interest.
================================================================================
Note 34.14 -< How does a teleconverter change Depth of Field? >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>If you use a 2x converter with a primary lens at, say, f/22, will you get the
>same DOF (Depth of Field) as the primary lens on its own at f/11?
2. Image magnification and lens focal length can be compared one to one. In
other words if you double the lens focal length the magnification will also
double.
4. F/stop values are relative to focal length. Increase the focal length
without altering the size of the aperature and the relative f/stop value will
change (increase/decrease?) (f/22 goes to f/45 with a 2x increase in focal
length).
5. DOF changes due to f/stop do not conform to a fixed scale -- it's a log
scale. At smaller aperatures the change is greater. In other words the percent
increase in DOF produced by the change from f/22 to f/32 is greater than the
percent increase produced by the change from f/5.6 to f/8. To rough it out with
mid range aperatures considered, the change in DOF due to a full f/stop change
is between a factor of 1.3 to 1.6.
Now then. You've got a 100mm lens (35mm camera -- circle of confusion .00125
inches) set at f/22 and focused on a subject 5 feet away. The DOF is 13.8
inches. Switch to a 200mm lens at f/22 and do not move and the DOF decreases to
25% of the previous case -- 3.5 inches. (Obviously you're cropping the image
more tightly -- you have less information as magnification has doubled). Now
Do the math.
Where N = near limit DOF, F = far limit DOF, H = hyperfocal distance, D = film
to subject distance, and L = focal length: N = HD/H+(D-L) and F = HD/H-(D-L).
It seems to me that if you make a photograph at the same effective f# then the
DOF in the photograph made with the teleconverter will be DOF of 50mm lens
divided by converter strength squared. Thus a 50mm lens operating at f:8 might
have a DOF of 16 feet and when you insert a 2x converter making it a 100mm and
open up to f4 (effectively making it a f:8 100mm lens) then the lens will
exhibit a DOF of 16/4 or 4 feet.
If you stop the 50mm lens down to f:16 then since DOF is directly proportional
to f# the DOF will be twice as large at f:16 as at f:8. If you switch to a 100
mm lens and use it at f:16 then DOF will be 1/4 that of a 50mm lens used at
f:16. Ultimately this means that if you use the 50mm lens at an effective
aperture of f:8 and the 50mm plus 2x converter at f:16, then the lens with the
2x converter will exhibit a DOF which is 1/2 that of the 50mm lens. If you
adjust the size of the image made by the 100mm lens to match the size of the
image made by the 50mm lens then the DOF of the two images will be the same.
So, as long as you do not change the f# setting on your 50mm lens but insert a
2x converter behind it, the new DOF will be 1/converter strength of the old
DOF. If you enlarge the 50mm neg to match the image size produced with the 50
+ 2x converter the DOF will be the same.
-anonymous -
================================================================================
Note 34.15 -< Title slides with BLUE backgrounds - how to make them? >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>I want to do slides with blue background and text on white. Note: I don't
>want to use a computer.
- diazo need UV light and ammoniac process (problem with vapors) it is very
inexpensive and most applicable for BIG production.
- Polablue is very expensive (and need a processor)
- Slide film + C41 process is a good way for small production.
Now I use computer !
Is there any need to state that you can get a green background and white
letters, red or magenta background and white letters, etc., etc., etc. Use your
imagination and your filters.
By printing out type on white paper from a word processor by laser or ink jet
printers you have to copy this on the above film with yellow filters. Simply
the black type goes white and the white background made blue. By using tungsten
lamps 3200k and a filter kodak wratten gelatin filters number 15 and 106 (amber)
and exposure at 6 ASA off a 18% grey card (my exposure is f8 for 2 sec this is
a slow tungsten film and must be exposed as such) copy your materials then you
pop down the street and put the film through the 1 hour C41 and 'hey presto'
reverse text slides. When you buy the film the instructions are in the box and
you may change the background colors by filters, they list 9 in total. I make
lots of these slides and people just give me books or their printout from the
work and I copy them with the above setup.
Note 35.01 -< Where to get phjoto jigsaw puzzles made >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>Where can I have my photographs made into jigsaw puzzles?
Photo jigsaw puzzles can be obtained at Fox Photo and CPI Photo stores.
Check out the Fox Photo/CPI Photo home page at http://www.cpiphoto.com or
e-mail back to me for further information.
I find that there is a vast number of photo enthusiasts (and others) who would
like a one of a kind custom jigsaw puzzle but do not know where to get one. I
have decided (with my family) to go on the net and provide a very unique, one
of a kind, service. Our site (under construction) "Jigsaws to Order" will
convert any photo, drawing, in fact anything printed on paper, to a superb
quality, fully interlocking jigsaw puzzle. The original would be returned as
pieces of the actual jigsaw puzzle.
Marcia Joslin
P.S. We are a long time member of PMA.
Joslin Photo Puzzle Co., P.O. Box 914, Southampton, Pa 18966-0914 USA
E-Mail joslin@voicenet.com , Voice (215) 357-8346, Fax (215) 357-0307
================================================================================
Note 35.02 -< What to do with a camera that took a dip in the sea? >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>I have a Canon EOS 100QD which I had an accident with. That is, I got it soaked
>with salt water!! and it is not responding in any way. Is there anything that
>I should do immediately to try to salvage it?
Alas you probably have an expensive paperweight on your hands considering the
likely amount of time that has passed since it happened and now when I read
your post. The problem is that sea water is a conductive electrolyte zapping
out and corroding out the electronics with all the spurious connections it
makes. The only-hope-first-aid when something like this happens is
_immediately_ turn it off and get the batteries out of it, and rinse it in
multiple changes of distilled water with a bit of soak time in the latter
rinses. The next step is to dry it out. One school of thought is to do a final
rinse in isopropyl alcohol which mixes with and greatly dilutes the water left,
but evaporates much more readily. Others claim that alcohol will attack and
dissolve plastics. I doubt it. Either way you have to dry it out--a hair dryer
on a moderate setting gets it started. Then keep it in a warm dry place for a
few days--maybe a cardboard box with a light bulb. During this time spin the
prayer wheels to the photo- graphy gods. Finally when you are sure it is dry,
put in new batteries and turn it on. Good luck.
================================================================================
Note 35.03 -< Russion Horizon(t) rotating lens panoramic cameras >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>What are the differences between 1970 and 1990 Russion Horizon(t) pnaoramic
>cameras?
================================================================================
Note 35.04 -< How to expose, process and use Kodak Pro Copy film 4125 >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>I'm finally getting to a project for which I bought a box of #4125 film some
>time ago. 'Course, the first thing I did was take out the data sheet to read.
>The next thing I did was lose it. So any info on this product (e.i. rating,
>lighting sources, developers, processing times) would be greatly appreciated.
here's some info on your film .... ISO = 12 with tungsten light source
Contrast is controlled by both exposure and development. The mid/dark tones are
controlled by development whilst the high lights are controlled by the
exposure. The data file is a little vague on developing basically saying it's a
matter of some experimentation and taking into account the original. ie if the
original has faded you might want to increase the exposure half a stop or so.
However here's the basic info:
I think the problem with Kodak is it's vast size makes it inefficient, although
I've found the UK technical support very good on the phone and fax. I agree
with Robert Chebby putting technical info on the Net would be ideal, exactly
what it should be used for!
Exposure:
Tungsten: 2 500 watt reflector or 3200 K lamps, 36 in from center of copy
f/22 8sec no filter
Pulsed-Xenon: 2 1500 watt lamps, 36 in from copy center
f/ 32 8sec no filter
Dev 68F (20C) with agitation
tray (continuous agitation), tank (agitate at 1 min intervals)
Tungsten: HC110 Dilution E 4 min 5 min
DK-50 (1:1) 3 to 3.5min 3.5min
Pulsed X: same
I use the HC110 at 5.5 min. agitating every other half min as well as every min
the voice of Kodak (the 800 number) is generally very helpful if you don't mind
wandering through the automated answering machine and waiting for a live voice.
I can send you a fax of the data sheet if you'd like.
http://www.kodak.com
You can expose up to about 10 seconds before reciprocity failure cuts in. Since
the film is orthochromatic you may process in red safelight conditions and
develop *by inspection*
Ken, SINCLAIR@ABRSLE.AGR.CA
................................................................................
Info on Kodak Pro Copy 4125: ASA 12 with tungsten or quartz-iodine lighting
These are good starting points for exposure & developing times. With this
film, added exposure increases contrast, and reduced exposure reduces contrast.
Use this for adjusting your results. (Film is designed this way.) If you have
a densitometer available adjust exposure to produce a highlight aim density
of 1.52.
Dave Van Verst, Morton Professional Photo Lab, Morton, IL 61550 PROLAB@aol.com
================================================================================
Note 35.05 -< Photo Contest Tips >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tips for Winning Photo Contests
Excerpted with permission from "Contests, Grants and Awards for Photographers"
edited by Richard S. McWherter, Walkwood Publishing Company
Copyright (c) 1995. All rights reserved.
(See information at the end of this article.)
1.) Edit your work before submitting it for juried contests. Be brutal. Don't
include the same subject in more than one picture unless it is part of a work
in series and will be judged that way. As a photographer, you are always
editing. Deciding what not to include in your viewfinder is just as important
(some would say more important), than deciding what to include. Use the same
knowledge and instinct that you use in making photographs when you are editing
your work.
2.) Submit only your best work. There are several ways that can help you decide
which is your best work. In most cases, you already know, but you may lack
confidence about your work. In those cases, seeking the opinion of others may
be helpful. Try to find people you respect and will be honest with you.
Ideally, it might be someone in photography or the arts. Be careful, sometimes
the picture that is the most popular among your friends and family may not be
so unique to judges or people who work with images.
On the other hand, you may be over confident about your work, especially if you
attach emotions regarding your memory about where you were and how you made the
photo. In this case, it's sometimes a good idea to put the work out of sight
for a while and then return to it later with a more objective eye.
Other suggestions that might be helpful would be to learn as much as you can
about composition and design. One hint is to view your picture through a
mirror, or even upside down. If you have an understanding of composition, then
you know that a good composition is usually good no matter how you look at it.
If it still looks like a good photo backwards or upside down, then it probably
is. If not, move on.
4.) Proper Exposure. Proper exposure in the classical sense is an image that
has details in both the highlights (white or light areas) and shadow (black or
dark areas), with a generous range of shades in between. However, this area is
more open to interpretation in contemporary work. In fact, some photographers
over or under expose to achieve certain effects. An example might be an image
where the highlights go off the film scale and can give an image added
emphasis, particularly if it is an environmental portrait in a harsh locale. In
this case the contrast exceeds the limitations of the film, but it might be the
best interpretation for that photographer. However, for most work, films that
are properly exposed and have a normal contrast range are the best bet. If
you're unsure about the proper exposure, take comfort knowing that even many
professionals bracket their exposures to make sure they're covered.
5.) Always ask for details directly from the contest organizer regarding the
type of contest, the scope (national, regional, etc.), the eligibility
requirements, the subject or theme of the contest (if any), the entry fee and
the awards. A stamped, self addressed reply envelope works best to request
entry details or forms. The book "Contests, Grants and Awards for
Photographers" (see below) is a good starting point as a source for contest
listings. One item to look for is the ratio between the amount of the entry fee
and the prizes awarded.
6.) Other items that should be of interest to you are the rights and ownership
of winning entries. I would never enter a contest that takes away all of the
photographer's rights, regardless of the prize. Most reasonable people would
consider this exploiting photographers. And I am very particular about what
organizations request in rights. In most cases it is reasonable that
organizations request rights to use your images to promote the contest itself.
However, it becomes a little less clear if companies use your pictures to
promote their products without further compensation to you. In all cases, those
rights should be limited, particularly by the time frame that the rights are
granted.
7.) Colour or black and white? This one is more difficult, since colour is such
a strong part of our culture. Some contests have separate categories to address
this problem. In a lot of cases colour work gets more of the glory. However,
one way to stand out in a sea of excellent colour images is with a very
powerful black and white photograph. Sometimes we see so much colour daily,
that when a dramatic black and white comes along it can stop us in our tracks.
My personal approach is I use colour work for landscapes; where colour is part
of the experience of remembering or creating a time and place. In comparison, I
use black and white images for portraiture. Black and white images are great
equalizers, the camera doesn't care how nice your clothes are or what colour
your skin is. What counts in a black and white portrait is the expression of
both the subject and the photographer. The mood and the essence of the person
become paramount and black and white can remove the distracting emotions that
overwhelming colours can create.
9.) Often contests ask for you to submit slides of your work, even if the
original is a print. In these cases, you must copy your work with 35mm slide
film and submit the copy slide. Colour slide film with a low ISO speed usually
works the best. Ektachrome, Fujichrome or equivalent are fine. Kodachrome may
give you a slightly better slide, but it is usually more expensive to buy and
process and can take awhile longer at the lab. The Ektachrome films are fine,
especially since there's a chance the slides might not be returned or could be
damaged in shipping.
Use daylight balanced film for flash or tungsten film for photofloods. Use a
tripod and a cable release and lock the mirror for the sharpest image. A copy
stand is highly recommended. Bracketing your exposures is helpful, but don't
over do it. A written record of your copy exposures will go a long way when you
need to repeat the process. Remember, this is the only example the judges will
have of your work, so it must be the highest quality copy possible and
faithfully represent your work.
10.) The heart has its reasons, which reason can not know. This last tip is
probably the most important. Basically it means that you must make photographs
that you are passionate about. These are the photographs that win most
contests. You should not try to reason which pictures will win a contest (or
have won) and then try to photograph those kinds of pictures. However, if you
continue to make photographs that are important or pleasing to you, you will
become better at it.
Never make photographs because you think you'll make money winning contests.
It's not about money. It's about making photographs because nothing else
matters unless you do. If someone else appreciates your work, then that's just
icing on the cake.
As a final note, let me remind you that persistence is the key to survival. If
you enter contests regularly, you must get use to rejection notices like a duck
is use to water. I enjoy the recognition that contests have brought me, but I
have never let a critic or a rejection slip stop me from what I know is right
for me. Don't let it stop you! Good Luck!
================================================================================
Note 35.06 -< Restoring faded photos by copying >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>A client has asked me to "restore" some old photos. They're extremely faded,
>and have a yellowish cast to them. Seems to me I remember that copying with
>a yellow filter does a lot to bring out some contrast & detail. Any help on
>this project from you experts out there will, as always, be deeply
>appreciated.>
If they're very faded just copying them won't work very well. You need to
increase the density in the actual photos. There a very clear step-by-step
description on photo restoration (not just copying) using a silver nitrate
formula in the Time-Life book, Caring for Photographs. Not cheap though.
Kodak has a pamphlet out about this, probably available free if you call
1-800-242-2424. The production of a clean, new duplicate of the photo can be
done with ordinary short-toed panchromatic sheet film and commonly available
filters. Typically, the image's black "density" has been converted, by means
of a combination of leftover fixer in the film and atmospheric sulfur compounds
into silver sulfide. The density is still THERE, only it's in the form of
yellowish silver sulfide.
Using a sheet film like T-Max 100 or Plus-X (or rollfilm if necessary),
photograph the faded print through light and dark green, and blue filters, over
a range of exposures. A correct mix of filter and exposure will yield, in many
cases, a negative which will make an excellent new copy print, with most if not
all of the fading corrected. What you have done is to limit the light
It works; I've done it. If the original image has other problems, then
electronic restoration may well be necessary, but for simple fading, it is
often just as easy to make a negative and copy print this way.
================================================================================
Note 35.07 -< Poop sheet on processing outdated Agfa Superpan Press >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> ...I recently picked up 5 bricks of some outdated B & W film at a photo flea
> market - Agfa Superpan, ASA 200... anyone have handling/processing pointers?
Agfa Superpan was imported "gray market" during one of Agfa's many changes of
distributors. The time frame was 1981 I woiuld guess. I contacted Agfa at
the time and received a reply from the Gevaert graphic arts group in New York
City, supplying development info and advising me that this was an unauthorized
import. By the time I got the response, I was convinced that the film was the
best that I had ever seen with finer grain than Plus-X, and more latitude. I
even ran some tests and found it made nice negatives when developed in Diafine
with an EI of 500 or 640! Wrote back to the guys at Gevaert and asked WHY they
weren't importing the best film they made!
Reading from the data sheet that they sent me (Still have it! Still waiting
for more!) ypu can use the following at 20C (68 deg. F):
With some benzotriazole, that Superpan might be useable, as since it was still
in a brick, it might have been kept cold. I'm not kidding, it's great!
================================================================================
Note 35.08 -< T-mounts, what are they? >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>What is T mount and T* mount? Is Contax/Yashica mount the same as a T mount?
Needless to say, such lenses are not automatic; that is, they did not allow
you to focus at the largest f/stop and - when the shutter release was
depressed - 'automatically' stop down to the selected f/stop and then open up
again to the largest f/stop. Instead, they are pre-set: you set the lens at
the f/stop you wanted with one diaphram ring, turned the lens wide open with a
second diaphram ring, focused, then - just before you hit the shutter release
- stopped the lens down to the desired f/stop by turning that second diaphram
ring until it came to rest against where the first diaphram ring was set. Slow
and cumbersome and easy to overexpose because you forgot to stop the lens down
again to the taking f/stop. But the system worked and rather inexpensively at
that.
================================================================================
Note 35.09 -< Photography - the 8th art - article by Robert Fournier >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PHOTOGRAPHY: THE 8th ART (as seen on the PhotoHst mailing list)
Copyright: Robert Fournier, 1995
"The arts equally have distinct departments, and unless photography has its own
possibilities of expression, separate from those of the other arts, it is
merely a process, not an art; but granted that it is an art, reliance should
be placed unreservedly upon those possibilities, that they may be made to yield
the fullest results" (Alfred Stieglitz, 1901 - from Alfred Stieglitz:
photographs & writings, National Gallery of Art, Callaway Editions 1983)
The second approach is founded on the acceptance of all elements needed for
realization of an image, just as they are and disposes in their actual
environment. Qualified as "straight photography", the subject has major
importance for the practitioners of this approach. Images so produced are, in
other words, recreations of real events. Many of these photographers, preferring
objectivity to interpretation of the event they are witnessing, abstain from
interpreting during printing as well. Other allow a certain subjectivity with
minor manipulations. But in either case, these photographers show a profound
respect for the truth and reality of the subjects they are photographing. This
second approach differs from the former pattern in that there is the necessity
of a relationship with actual reality. The idea, then, is suggested by the
environment in active evolution. I would describe this new pattern as:
REALITY - IDEA - IMAGINATION - ARTWORK.
The actual study of photography, as any other visual art, is usually studying
the artwork. According to the preceding pattern, the fundamental difference of
photography is in the relation between the idea and the reality and not in the
artwork. Difference happening here are mainly technical and proper to the
photographic material. It is not because an artist is using material belonging to
"The idea of photography" comes from the concept of equivalence first stated by
Stieglitz in the twenties. It was then adopted by many photographers,
particularly by Minor White. This concept is based on the fact that we are
impressionable and we react to visual events. At this moment, an emotional
equivalent is defined, this is where the idea of equivalence occurs. It
represents impressions felt and lived. Whether the approach is documentary or
pictorial, objective or interpretative, the motive of expressive photography
rests in this equivalence, establishing the relation needed between the artist
and his subject. Equivalence does not have any style, nor does it belong to any
specific art form; it is an impression, a pure emotion.
So far "the idea of photography" rests in the relation of the artist with
actual and living reality. Images produced by him result from his intimacy with
life and reality. It is a noticeable fact that many of these photographers
devote a real passion and a profound respect to their subject matter, often
beyond the appection they devote to the work they produce from it. This
particular relation with the subject resides in the capacity to look
differently through the viewer of the camera. Produced images show the relation
between the artist's imagination and his environment in actual evolution,
whether he decides to interpret it or not.
The photographer must feel reality and the subject within himself, and it is
the equivalence that permits him to do so. Otherwise the subject has only an
interpretative value. The profound bond and the sensation of belonging that
come with the spontaneity of discovery is not there.
From its relationship with reality, photographic images relieve very often,
from historical document. The spontaneity of the medium and his impressive
capacity of reproduction may make the viewer forget that a photograph is also a
representation of the reality perceived by an artist. Reality is both, inner
and outer to the human being.
Another particularity, coming from the camera, is the integrity of the image
that it reproduces. Any artist from another discipline, that lets himself being
stimulated by the actual environment and attempt to interpret it, as poets and
painters for example, can not profit from this particularly. Because of the
slowness of execution of their medium compared to the spontaneity of the
camera, the events in progress will change. Also, human being see what they
want to see. What is perceived from reality is slanted by numerous
psychological factors from the subconscious. The camera, on the other hand,
record everything, including what one doesn't see, with an absolute
objectivity. Symbolic analyses of repetitive elements found in the work of a
photographer reveal new dimensions of the subconscious that could remain
unnoticed through other media.
Concern for care of truth and respect of reality gives to "the idea of
photography", its own possibilities of expression, separate from that of other
art. This way of thinking is noticeable in the work of photographers, such as
================================================================================
Note 35.10 -< Developing stacks of prints simultaneously >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>Does anyone have experience in developing groups of prints together. Obviously
>stacking prints in the developer slows development, but by how much? Does the
>extended development time outweigh the benefits of developing them all
>together? Is the job of rotating the stack a real pain? I can imagine it being
>difficult to get a nice steady rotation and even development if they start
>sticking together.
A number of years back we used to routinely soup 8x10's this way in the
Air Force, and I have done it a number of times since. At times I could
handle 12 to 15 with no noticeable difference with any done separately.
A few points:
1. The test strip or print MUST be fully developed. Don't pull it when
it looks right and run the rest. Dev at least 2 minutes in trays
that are at least the next print size larger, i.e., 11x14 for 8x10's.
2. Expose for about 5 to 10% LESS for the stacked prints. Seems weird,
but that's the way it works.
3. Take ALL of the prints off of the easel and stack them to the side in
exactly the same way, EXCEPT the last one, which you will turn around.
4. Then fan the prints out, like you would if you were going to make up
a bunch of tests out of separate stacks. This will make them much
easier to grab.
5. If you're right handed and work from left to right, you will need a
dry area to the left of the dev tray where you can lay the stacked
prints face down.
How:
6. Pick up the top print with your left hand and lay it in the dev tray
EMULSION DOWN. Note: Do NOT get developer on your left hand yet.
Push it "gently" down with your RIGHT HAND so it's completely
submerged in the soup, jiggling your hand from side to side a little
as you do it. At the same time, with your dry *left* hand, pick up
another one and lay it in the tray, again face down. Continue until
they are all in the tray.
7. Put your left hand in the tray, getting it wet with developer,
and GENTLY pick up the stack just enough to turn them over (this
keeps most of the soup between the prints so they won't tend to
Note: If you don't squeeze the whole stack of prints when they are in
a solution, there will be enough fluid between them to prevent their
sticking together. Lay them in the fixer loose, and you should be able
to just sort of fan them out a couple times to help circulate fixer.
Also go through them a couple times like you did in the developer.
Sounds complicated, but I tried to cover a couple detail points, like not
grabbing dry prints with wet hands, or putting the stop bath hand in the
developer tray. For practice, try a stack of dry prints in dry trays
until you get the routine down better. If you do it like I explained,
prints sticking together shouldn't be a problem, and you'll soon be able
to do one a second into the developer, and keep that pace from that point
on.
Have fun. Just be sure of the exposures. Having 10 prints all too light
or too dark is very aggravating.
I have tried to use AA's factorial method, but have found that it is very
difficult to compute for each print or batch. Visual inspection seems to
work better. Most important is keeping the developer a constant temp. (I
use an immersible aquarium heater in a water bath set to 68, or whatever).
Make sure you have plenty of liquid in the tray for the session.
Back to back prints will stick together, but that actually helps you in this
case. The emulsion sides repel one another. When development is complete
quickly move each stack of two to the stop bath. seperate each stack so the
stop can get between each stack briefly. Move these groups of two into the
fix and go through the pile a couple of times. Separate each group of two so
the fixer can go between the two and replace any stop trapped between them.
This all may sound complicated, but once you get the feel for it, it
really does save a great deal of time.
I would say you could easily stack half a dozen prints. It helps to use trays
which are larger than you might normally use for single prints of the same
size, and with generous amounts of chemistry in each tray.
I used to put the exposed, dry prints in the developer tray one at a time,
quickly adding the additional prints one at a time. You will work out a rhythm
for this which permits you to "know" how much time there was between prints.
Once the prints are wet, they are less likely to stick together than when they
first go into the tray (which is why I don't put the whole stack in as a
group).
You may see some unevenness in the initial development, but full developing
time will take care of it.
The bottom print is brought to the top of the stack, and turned face down.
Proceed through the stack until you reach the print on the bottom which is face
down. Now move that print to the top of the stack, face up. This permits you to
keep track of where you are in the stack.
When the first print has received full development, you can begin transferring
prints to the short stop, using the time interval between prints which matches
the insertion time.
================================================================================
Note 35.11 -< Quick and easy "X" sync flash test for field use >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> How can you easily and cheply tell if your electronic flash fires at the
> correct "X" synchronization?
Set your shutter speed to the highest that your camera will synch. (1/125
or 1/250 or whatever). Now point the camera without a lens towards the flash
and fire.
Quickly look at the card. The full rectangle of the film gate should be
glowing on the card. If it is a narrow rectangle then you are not synching
properly. This is a wonderful field trick and it really works.
================================================================================
Note 35.12 -< How to compensate for exposure using extension tubes >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>I just bought a set of extension tubes for my medium format camera. The short
>tube requires an exposure adjustment of 2X, the longer one 3X. In terms of
>exposure steps ie full f-stops OR shutter speeds, can someone explain to me how
>to adjust the exposure for each tube and when the tubes are used together. The
>camera has no internal meter, so everything has to be measured with a hand
>held meter.
~NORM
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
NORMAN LENBURG, Photo/Imaging Instructor, Madison Area Technical College, 3550
Anderson St., Madison, WI 53704 USA (608) 246-6521 (voice) 608-246-6880 (fax)
...............................................................................
There are probably manu ways to arrive at the answer you are looking for. I
would approach it from the point of view that a factor of 2 is one stop. I also
know that the log of 2 is .3 From here, if I need an exposure increase
associated with a factor of 2x I find the log of this factor and divide it by
.3 to find the increase in terms of stops.
now I if I place both tubes on the camera and use the two "factors" together,
their "power" is multiplied. This is because if I need a factor of two and add
a stop, and then I need (for some reason) another factor of 2 on top of that
I'd open up another stop. The total would be two stops or a factor of 4. Thus
factors get multipled. In the case you mention, 2 x 3 = 6 and thus to continue:
One of the easiest and most versatile ways to make exposure compensations for
longer than normal lens-to-film distances, or "bellows extension", as it is
often called, is to use a variation of the inverse square law.
To do this, you will have to measure a standard distance from a point on the
lens to the back of the camera. This "standard distance" MUST be equal to the
focal length of the lens you will be using with the tubes. For example, you
mentioned MF, so I'll assume an 80 mm lens. Measure from the back of the
camera to a distance of 80 mm, and note that point on the lens. This is your
normal lens to film distance, or "old extension, as they sometimes say. Now
put on the longest tube you have, and measure that distance again. Let's say
it's 140 mm now. Note: the longest tube will give you the difference between
the two numbers. You actually use whatever will do the job.
The formula is: the new lens extension squared divided by the old lens
extension squared, or 140 squared divided by 80 squared, or 19600 divided by
6400, or 3.06. "3" is certainly close enough. That translates to a one and
one half increase in exposure. So if the meter says shoot at f/11, it's one
stop, or twice the exposure, to f/8, and if you want twice more, or four times
altogether, it would be f/5.6. You want a point in between 5.6 and 8 to equal
a three times increase.
This will become second nature in no time. The nice thing about it is that it
works for 35mm cameras and normal lenses, or wide angle or telephoto lenses, or
4 by 5 cameras with the bellows racked out 3 miles, or what ever else you may
be working with. You can make extension tubes of old paper towel tubes, and it
will work flawlessly. It works for my Robertson Meteorite copy camera, which
takes up to a 15 by 18 inch negative. And it works exactly the same for every
concievable situation.
Summary: take the new focal length of the lens, or the new extension, square
it, (or multiply it by itself if your calculator doesn't have an x squared
key), and divide that by the old focal length, or *actual* focal length,
squared. That is your exposure factor. Increase exposure that much, and you
can't miss. Works every time, unless you really go overboard and start getting
into reciprocity failure.
Math, yes, but if you want to do some serious closeup work without in camera
meters, it's a necessity, especially for slides.
Oh, gosh, the information you're getting is well intentioned but unforunately
NOT wholly correct! Or in some cases unnecessarily complex. If you are using a
plain extension tube (absolutely no lens elements in it) the amount of exposure
adjustment is dependent upon BOTH the length of the extension tube AND the
focal length of the lens being used with it!!! In other words, using a 25mm
extension tube with a 50mm lens is a different exposure adjustment than using
the same 25mm tube with a 200mm lens.
You can use this table for your calculation of exposure adjustment.
If you're into the real math, you can calculate the Exposure Factor (not the
same thing as exposure increase in the above table...Exposure Factor 4 =
exposure increase of 2 f/stops, for example).
EF = (Magnifaction+1)^2
--Wilt, WiltW@aol.com
.............................................................................
EXT=RR x FL
= 1 x 50 = 50 mm of extension
EF=(1+RR)(1+RR) = (1+1)(1+1) = 2 x 2 = 4
EF= (1+ 1/P.RR)(1+ 1/P.RR) (when the lens is mounted in normal position)
I understand that most or all of the above facts are well known by you, but I
believe that, perhaps, the clear explanations given by Nikon could be of help
for other people . Good shooting!
Note 36.01 -< How do Filters and Variable Contrast papers work? >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> When using variable contrast paper do the filters on the enlarger only
> increase the contrast or do some of them decrease it as well. At what point
> do you choose to change the contrast of the negative. Do you first roughly
> establish the f-stop and time needed to expose the paper and then try and
> change the contrast to your liking?
Variable Contrast papers have two (or more) emulsions. A high contrast
emulsion that is sensitive to blue light and a low contrast emulsion that is
sensitive to green light. When exposed to white light, both emulsions get
the same exposure, resulting in an image equivalent to approximately grade 2
paper. The multigrade filter set has yellow and magenta filters. The lower
grades are yellow and when used block the blue light in the white source.
This causes the green sensitive (low contrast) emulsion to get greater
exposure and lowers the contrast of the print. When the magenta filters are
used the green light is blocked for the opposite effect. The intensity of
the filter determines how much is blocked and therefore you can get grades
from 0 to 5 from multigrade paper. Parenthetically, results may differ from
one enlarger to the next depending on the ratio of blue & green in the
"white" light source.
I print my contact sheets on multigrade paper without a filter and then based
on my examination of the negative and the contact sheet decide what filter to
use as a starting point. Once I have a test print I decide if the grade is
proper. If you are not sure, start with #2 and get the best print you can
get. Then decide if you need more or less contrast. As your printing skills
improve you can get into more esoteric stuff like burning in with a different
grade filter than the rest of the print.
================================================================================
Note 36.02 -< Partial Stop Push/Pull Small Batch processing times >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>What would be the times to achieve partial stop push/pull results when
>processing E-6 films?
I have not (as yet) had to try for a 1/3 stop change. I would imagine that you
sould try some experimentation to come within 1/3 stop variation in film
speed/exposure using a control strip and densitometer to evaluate degree of
success.
Ken, SINCLAIR@ABRSLE.AGR.CA
..............................................................................
Watch for colour shifts in any variance from normal process times. Pushing
has a tendency to add yellow. We use Kodak's 1gal. E6 kits, mixing 5 kits
at a time. They've shown to be the most stable for shelf life, giving us a
good month before any shifts start happening. Trust that this gets you on
your way.
================================================================================
Note 36.03 -< Memorable Photographs and Photographers - partial list >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
M E M O R A B L E I M A G E S
I realize the list is almost endless, but if you could identify 10 specific
images that you think high school photography students should recognize
(whether art, advertising or photojournalism), what would they be?"
..............................................................................
Eisenstaedt, VJ Day
A Weston pepper
and something by Cartier-Bresson
Eddie Adams' shot (no pun) of the execution of the Viet Cong officer
Roy, <royzart@connix.com>
...............................................................................
Ansel Adams...Moonrise
Eisenstaedt...Sailor kissing a nurse(Don't know the real title)
Robert Capa...D-day
W. Eugene Smith...Spanish Village
Haas...Tulips
and the photograph of the death camp survivers.
Ed Lukacs, eml@gate.net
............................................................................
Some of the photographers you should include (several at least of who should
be represented by at least 2 or 3 pictures):
Then there are a few US (or adopted US) photographers you might care to
include, such as:
Robert Frank
Edward Weston
Lewis Hine
Paul Strand
Alfred Steiglitz
Diane Arbus
Walker Evans
Lee Friedlander
Gary Winogrand
Gene Smith
Peter, petermarshall@cix.compulink.co.uk
..........................................................................
I could go on and on Wyn Bullock, Robert Adams, Cindy Sherman, Helmut Newton,
Joel peter Witkin, not forgetting "Old Ansell"
K. G. Zaboroskie, kgz@aol.com
............................................................................
A Daguerreotype
A Brady Print
An Edward Muybridge...take your pick
"The Steerage", Alfred Stieglitz...or one of his O'Keeffes
"Migrant Mother", Dorothea Lange
Margret Bourke-White
"The American Way of Life"
Man Ray
I frankly think that some of the pictures listed by Graeme Webb are not
"iconic" enough to be on the list of ten which the original request seemed to
imply--some are a little too obscure and simply have not been reproduced
enough to warrant instant recognition by high school students. Some of the
other suggestions by other folks also were not specific enough. "Anything"
by Robert Frank or John Heartfield wouldn't quite fill the bill. I believe
the most frequently reproduced Robert Frank image would have to be the cover
picture from "The Americans." Also, "East 100th Street" by Bruce Davidson
isn't specific, as that's a whole exhibition and book, not just a single
image. As important as Friedlander and Winogrand are, I can't think of an
individual image by either of them that I would expect someone at the high
school level to recognize instantly. I would suggest that the single most
memorable and most frequently reproduced photograph of all time would have to
be the Lincoln portrait translated into an engraving for the five-dollar
bill! Talk about the "currency" of a photograph!
For a contest... Could they, for example tell if "Satiric Dancer" was Kertesz
or Brassai? How about "La Mome Bijoux"? Distinguish between Walker Evans or
Dorothea Lange? (Not surprised there's little ad or fashion stuff represented
-- it's DESIGNED to be disposable)
(How about Paul Fusco's couple peering over a car door, then?
Or Hiro's jeweled hoof?)
The suggestions on this topic have been conservative and expected. I couldn't
help thinking over and over about the target audience (today's teenagers) and
what would be memorable images for them. This is somewhat off target but in
response to my musing I come up with items like:
This raises questions about comparing still images with moving images. I
suspect the memorable "images" that are burned into the pysche's of today's
teenagers are movie and TV clips.
Assasination of Oswald.
Planting American flag on moon.
The Challenger explosion.
As I continued to scan the messages on this topic I noticed that someone called
to the group's attention the lack of images from the commercial advertising
industry. This suggestion was made with the implication that such images were
I agree they are generally less worthy, but they may not be less important. I
submit that a collection of all the memorable images offerred by this group,
when placed on a scale that measures only weight and not value, would fail to
shift the balance against just one image drawn from commercial advertising. I
give you: The Energizer Bunny.
================================================================================
Note 36.04 -< Photographing a total solar eclipse >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>There will be a full eclipse of the sun in Thailand on Oct 24. I want to take
>eclipse photographs but I'm not prepared. As I know the aperture must be kept
>constant and the shutter speed changed while taking picture. Before totality
>a ND 400 filter is required. What material can I use as ND filter ?
You can still make a test for the uneclipsed pictures by simply photographing
the full disc of the sun this week. Your statement about using f11 (probably
with 100 speed film) and a ND 4.0 filter is reasonable IMO and you'll probably
be using a shutter speed of something like 1/500 second.
Note that the ND filter is 4.0 and not 400 - 4.0 means that 1/10,000 of the
light falling on the filter makes it through BUT BEWARE OF THE Infrared that
gets through in much larger and invisible quantities ... if you get a
photographic quality gelatin ND filter DO NOT use this filter to look at the
sun with ... use itONLY in front of camera lens and then looking at image on
camera viewfinder is generally safe. When totality happens the filter is
removed from the lens.
Negative film is more forgiving in terms of exposure but you can't beat the
brilliance of a transparency in terms separating the fiery red prominences
from the corona and reproducing the pearly white outer corona which is visible
and should be evident in the pictures receiving fuller exposures.
>For instance Before full eclips, using f11 meter light by camera meter and
>speed is 1/125. I must do a compensate using 1/125, 1/60, 1/30 , 1/250, 1/500
>and 1/1000, is this right?
I don't think that bracketing during the partial stages does anything other
than waste good film. If you wanted to assemble a "series" or make a flipbook
or such I would spend the film on making many exposures rather than bracketing
wildly. Making a test beforehand (as suggested above) would still be a good
thing to do to reduce the need for bracketing.
>When eclips is full, take off ND filter, use f11 and take photo with all
>shutter speed, is this right? Any more suggestion would be appreciate,
Well, I think that exposures in the 1/250 - 1/1000 second area are really too
short during totality. You will probably want to bracket from 1/60 second to
about a second or so. Due to the small size of the sun it will be impractical
to make a light meter reading either during partial or total stages. Exposure
times beyond 1 second may exhibit significant blur due to rotation of earth. I
would suggest you open up a stop or two if you are trying to get an extended
picture of the corona.
You may have difficulty getting a ND 4.0 filter in your location. There are
Mylar filters that will probably be sold in your area to view the partial
stages. If I recall correctly these can be also used for photography. BTW ...
use a good tripod and tape the lens barrel so that you don't change the
position of the lens from infinity focus.
finally ... here is a wish that you have a nice clear sky!
andy, andpph@rit.edu
================================================================================
Note 36.05 -< Photo Mailer Supplier >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>Does anyone have a good supplier for heavy cardstock mailers for photos? I
>need some in 5x7 and 8x10 sizes for mailing photos to customers safely. I'm
>tired of stuffing cardboard in manila envelopes.
I get mine from Calumet Carton Co., 16920 State St., P.O. Box 405, South
Holland, IL 60473. Phone: 708-333-6521. Ask for their catalog. You can
order by phone, they ship UPS, and you have 'em in a couple of days.
They're great! Hope this helps.
This is the only factory approved and authorized processing lab in the U.S.
Any dealer can order film from us and supply you with it or you can buy it
from the lab. They also sell processing mailers.
I am going to have to make some assumptions, since you have not given complete
information. The 4x5 as a proof size indicates that the origination format was
6x4.5 cm, the smallest of the medium formats. Had the pictures been 3.5 x 5 or
4x6, that would indicate 35mm format. The original posting went on to say that
the photographer in question was part time, however that doesn't mean a full
time photographer is always better. Professionalism - and lack thereof - know
no bounds.
There are also indirect, or overhead expenses that are part of any business
operation, whether or not the proprietor or client recognizes them. These
include phone, business liability and equipment insurance, office supplies,
equipment repair and maintenance, and advertising. I assume the photographer
under discussion here works from his house and has no office rent expense. He
may or may not be in a pro association. Assuming he does 15-30 wedding jobs
per year, his overhead is probably running at about 70% so his total costs on
the job are $245, say $250.
So we know he made between $50 and $200 on this job. Consider the time to do
it: 2 hours for booking the job and planning the shoot, 3 hours for charging
batteries and preparing equipment, 7 hours on location for photographing the
event, and an additional 8 hours for working with the lab, filing negs,
assembling the proof book, and meeting with client; total time estimate is 20
hours. Realize that no bridal album design is in this job; such would add
another 10 hours of work. So, he grossed between $2.50 and $10 per hour.
>We went through a lot of hassle with this guy. He even threatened to not give
>us our pictures because he claims he ran into one of our friends who told him
>the pictures stank.
Not a pleasant experience for a photographer, but still, no excuse. How did
this friend get to see the pictures before you - the client? If he had held
them back, you'd have the basis for a lawsuit, probably in Small Claims Court.
>He was very unorganized. I had to sort through the proofs for 4 hours when
>we decided which ones we wanted because he had no ordering system. We still
>don't have our pictures after 2 months.
Wedding labs take a few weeks to turn orders around. They do more with the
pictures than do consumer labs. The more sizes there are in an order, the
longer the time takes. It is not unusual to have a 4-8 week photographer
turnaround for enlargements and 10-16 week production time for albums. Much of
the time is due to the fact that the studio doensn't drop all other work to do
your thing. However, I do not condone the lack of organization and sloppiness
of this one in question.
>Maybe I'm wrong and this is just how it works. It just doesn't make sense
>that someone would go through all the hassle for a lousy 50 bucks.
Chances are, he earned more that 50, but not a whole lot more (see above
calculations). What would your job attitude be if your pay were set equal to
that level?
>PS: This wasn't a professional studio, just someone who does photography "on
>the side."
I very strongly agree that the studio as described, based on statements and
actions, was very unprofessional in its conduct. Unfortunately, the original
poster said nothing about how the pictures looked and how the photographer
behaved at the wedding - both are VERY IMPORTANT considerations. Whether the
phtographer is full or part time has nothing to do with the problems discussed.
Two failings occured in this account. (1) The photographer has succumbed to
serious price competition and has let the low per/hour take affect his
attitude. IMHO, it is wrong to accept a job and have a nasty attitude; better
off raising prices and being courteous to clients and their guests. (2) This
The retail price charged varies from market to market and from photographer to
photographer. In general, you should ensure that you mark up your work a
*minimum* of 200%, with 300% to 400% or more being realistic. If you are
selling your wedding packages at 1/2 of what "most professionals in town
charge", then you are probably undervaluing your work.
Contact your local Better Business Bureau or Chamber of Commerce and find out
what the average wedding package costs in your area. You will find
photographers who charge three or four times the average, but you should try to
price your services so that your average sale is *at least* at the average.
I look at "low end shooters" kind of like a chef who pees in his stew.
Eventually, no one else wants to eat out of the pot, but what is he left with?
A boiling kettle of piss.
Remember that as soon as you charge people to photograph their wedding (or
their baby, or their family, or their highschool kid) you *are* one of the
professionals in town. You are also in business, whether you like it or not,
and have an obligation to conform to your state or provinces tax regulations.
You also have an obligation to conform your work to contemporary professional
practices.
Don't try to build a business "on the cheap". If you don't already have one,
invest in a good, professional-quality, rollfilm camera. It doesn't have to be
a Hasselblad with six lenses, an old Rollei or Mamiya C330 will work just as
well. It is impossible or *very* expensive to have negative retouching done
on 35mm originals. On the other hand, most professional color labs have
retouching services available for a nominal charge. My lab charges $6US per
negative to correct for zits, eyebags, glasses glare, etc. _on the negative_.
As for your specific questions, most wedding albums are produced using auto
prints. Each print should be finished, however, with a spray lacquer,
especially if the album, like Art Leather and Renaisance, has open pages. The
lacquer protects the prints against finger prints, water spills, etc.
Custom printing services are typically reserved for special cases like
competition prints, "premium" portrait services, or to fix a screw up. Again,
it varies from photographer to photographer. People like Monte Zuker retouch
each negative, before the customer ever sees a paper proof, but Monte offers a
*very* high-end premium service at a premium price. Most of us don't have
that luxury.
With practice, as you learn the craft, you will learn to use things like
vignetters and diffusion filters that give you the appearance (edge burning,
montages, etc.) of a "custom" print directly from a negative. It is *always*
preferable to create special effects in the camera. This ensures that no
matter who prints that negative, or when that negative is printed, the effect
*you* desired is always rendered.
For portraits, I include the retouching with any display sized print 8x10 or
larger, but charge $10 extra per negative for smaller prints. I simply don't
have enough profit margin on the small prints to eat the retouching charge.
I learned about my profit margin, by the way, the hard way from a highschool
girl with a bad complexion who ordered 16 5x7 prints, all from different
negatives. Her order grossed around $400US, but my lab charges were almost
$300, with almost $100 *just in negative retouching*. This was an isolated
case, but I changed my policy almost immediately afterwards. Fool me once,
shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me.
Of course, if the smaller prints are made from the same negative as a display
print, the retouching is included at no charge. The nice thing about negative
retouching is that once it is done, *all* prints made from that negative are
corrected.
-fred
From: fcollins@gonix.com (Fred Collins)
Organization: The Light Fantastic Fine Photography
Unsharp masking for black an white negatives "is a method of reducing overall
contrast (or density range) of a negative so that it can be printed on a
higher contrast paper. Because the mask is unsharp, the DETAILS RETAIN LOTS
OF CONTRAST! That's the really neat part that I have never found another way
to achieve besides dodging and burning (let me add that I am just beginning
to try out the technique).
density range - the difference in units of density between the thinnest part
of a negative and the thickest part
The technique involves measuring the density range of the negative you want to
print, deciding what the optimum range should be, to print on the paper that
you are interested in, and then the creation of a mask. The mask is created
by exposing B&W film while it is in "contact" with the negative that you are
interested in printing. The reason "contact" is in quotes is because in order
to make the mask unsharp, a clear piece of plastic of predetermined thickness
is inserted between the negative and the masking material. Once the exposure
is made, the mask is developed according to -plan- (i.e. the planned density
range for the mask) and then it is available to use during printing. To print
the "corrected" negative / mask combination, the sandwich is placed into the
enlarger, and exposed.
The results are that since the mask is "unsharp", the details retain the gamma
(local contrast) of the original negative, but the large areas take on the
contrast of the sandwich of mask and negative. The degree of unsharpness will
also cause some interesting "edge effects" between light and dark areas,
actually making them appear sharper.
CHEMISTRY: SET UP 7 TRAYS. The first two are for developer, the third for
water, fifth is a rinse sixth hypo clear and ths seventh for washing.
Glass **********
original ++++++++ (emulsion up)
Diffusion material $$$$$$$$ (emulsion up)
Masking Film &&&&&&&& (emulsion up)
PROCESSING: Process two sheets (exposed the same) one in each of the trays of
developer. This gives you two differant contrasts. Fix and wash as you would
normal BxW film.
Do not use heat to dry film as this could cause slight skrinkage ,making it
difficult to register the film. Keep your wet time to a minium by using hypo
clear. This will keep your grain to a minimum.
REGISTER THE MASK: I use a loupe, light table, silver tape and a little
patience. Diagram:
Glass ++++++++
mask &&&&&&& (emulsion up)
original ######### (emulsion down)
Glass ++++++++
================================================================================
Note 36.09 -< Reversal Procesing of B&W Infrared Film for Speed and Slides>-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>For the IR-freaks: In the German magazine Foto & Labor 4/95 (July/August)
>there was an article about _reversal processing_ of Kodak High Speed IR film
>resulting in a slide film with 1600 ASA! YES, _SIXTEEN HUNDRED_ ASA, without
>any losses in the IR and highlights characteristics! The author of the article
>used a selfmade equivalent of the Kodak reversal process D-67.
Since other persons have convinced me to send them a summary of the article,
it is only fair that I send it in this list also:
Since most of you probably can't read German, the original article (copy or
back issue) would not help you much. You might first try to run the origina
lD-67 Kodak reversal process 'by the book'. If that fails, you can use the
following translation, but be warned: I have no technical/chemical
German/English dictionary, so there might be errors in it! You might want to
Bleach R-9
Second Developer - any vigorous developer like Dektol, Neutol, Eukobrom Fixer
any ordinary Film fixer
first developer 12
stop 3
bleach 3
rinse 3
clear 5
rinse and 2nd exposure 3-5 (continuous agitation under water, while exposing
film to intense light is recommended)
second developer 4
stop 1
fix 3
final wash 10
================================================================================
Note 36.10 -< Pellicle mirrors in fast motor drive cameras - disadvantages? >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This was essentially one of the major reasons that the first SLR camera to
sport a pellicle mirror failed in the marketplace. The Canon Pellix. This and
the fact that photo purists panned the presence of a mirror between the lens
and the film plane as a cause of less then optimum sharpness photographs.
The current situation is a bit different. Today many cameras have inherently
long time delay between activation and actual picture making ... or as Norman
Goldberg (I believe ... or maybe it was Bennet Sherman) called it they suffer
from extreme "time parallax". So having a fast-acting camera around is handy.
Maybe a camera system could be designed that would give you a top framing rate
of let's say 5 fps with the mirror flopping but which could be set to mirror
lock-up position and in which case the camera then might be capable of 15
frames per second ... at the expense of through-the-lens viewing and focusing.
You'd track your subject through a separate optical finder much like a
rangefinder camera does. Something has to give.
andy, andpph@rit.edu
================================================================================
Note 36.11 -< Setting up a basic B&W darkroom with color possibility >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>Is there such a thing as a simple darkroom? I'm in college (still living at
>home and i want to set up a simple darkroom. How can i go about doing this?
>Please be as specific as possible and remember i'm still new to all this.
>I now that there will be chemicals, enlargers etc, but what are the bare bone
>essentials to develop 35mm film and make 3x5 and 4x7 prints?
You can put together a simple darkroom very frugally. First you need a dark
room! Bathrooms will do, but I prefer cellars, as you can print during daytime.
Find a cheap 35mm enlarger such a s a BOGEN. You can find these at yard sales
for as little as 20 dollars. You will need an enlarging lens and negative
holder, but these should come with the enlarger. For Black & white you need a
red or yellow-orange safety light. Try the red fireball types which screw into
a regular light socket
It helps to get a timer to make your exposures accurate, get a nice old
fashioned Gray-Lab which is built like a tank and can be used to time film
also. You will need trays to process paper. Get liquid chemicals as they are
simpler & safer to mix. You can get trays pretty cheap from the photo store or
yard sales.
That's it! If you want to spend money, spend it on a good enlarging lens.
A simple darkroom can be set up anywhere that light can be excluded. If you
limit yourself to 35mm then the enlarger is much less expensive. Often you can
find the equipment in the want ads when someone who set up a darkroom has
either moved on to bigger and better or lost interest. Although running water
in the darkroom is helpful, it is not absolutely necessary. A tray can be used
to keep prints in to be carried to the running water. For film processing, a
changing bag is all the darkroom necessary, the rest can be done at the
kitchen sink. Kodak has a pamphlet about setting up a darkroom. I think it is
a freebee. try http://www.kodak.com
Ok...here is a pretty bare bones list. I would recommend you check your
library to see if there aren't some books on the topic to give you some better
ideas about the process and what is needed.
For film:
For the prints: (In addition to what you need for the film)
Safelight
Easel (or something to hold the paper on the enlarger stand - tape?)
Enlarger (lens, negative holder) {Approximately $200}
Trays (Pretty much any non-metal tray should work)
Print tongs (about $3 for bamboo tongs)
Printing Paper
Chemicals: Paper developer
Bottles for Chemistry
Most any room will work at night with just a dark cloth over the windows for
printing, but you need total darkness for loading the film into the developing
tank.
I agree, but don't compromise too much here or you will be dissapointed. I
believe that Omega makes a beginners enlarger that sells new for around $200
that should be OK. Used would certainly be the way to go though. Just make
sure it is sturdy, and has good optics.
Just use your watch or a kitchen timer and Trays aren't that expensive, but
most anything non-metal should work here.
As for liquid vs. dry chemicals ) I think that there is a lot of personal
preference in this. Powders are not hard to mix. Liquids might be safer to mix
due to less dust.
Just wash your prints in the sink. Open the drain a bit at the bottom to let
the fixer drain, and keep a stream of fresh water flowing.
Speaking of reasonable used enlargers, try to get the Omega A2 35mm or the
great little F 30 made by Durst. The Durst is excellent because the film
carrier and lens housing can be tilted to 90 degrees for making huge
enlargements. Invest in a good lens -- like a Nikkor for it -- and you have a
lifetime+ system at very little cost.
The Omega A2 came with a fine compact Wollensak lens that still gives me
service for my personal B&W work. The Omega is a condenser type that produces
very good contrast while the Durst is more diffuse in effect, but for that it
minimizes negative imperfections. Both enlargers are rugged. The Omega is
very precise. The Durst is convenient and versatile. Both take B&W and color
filters. Both are compact and easy to store.
I've seen Time-O-Lite timers at yard sales. These are indestructible and
electrically time exposures with absolute consistency. No digital timer can
compare with them for hands-on response. Even if they've been neglected on
the outside, the action inside is almost indestructable. They're industrial
grade instruments and are still being made, I think. They're built like
tanks.
As for easels, my favorites turned out to be metal Sped-e-zels for the basic
size prints: 3-1/2 x 5, 4 x 5, 4 x 6, 5 x 7, 8 x 10. They're reasonable and
are still available. Low cost adjustable easels, like the Bogen, are great
for fancier compositions.
If you use Kodak RC papers, fixing and drying are very fast. A simple rack
(used for dishes) will do the drying job up to 5 x 7.
Safelights are still very low in cost. Kodak made splendid little plastic
dome units that used C 7 clear lamps. One is all I ever needed. It easily lit
an 8' x 10' room.
A 12" paper trimmer will also be helpful. I've seen these at yard sales from
time to time. Avoid any trimmer that has plastic in its construction.
Re: a print washer, I have used the old Rubbermaid, or similar, dish washing
tray for years with great success. But one thing, drill about a half dozen 1/4
inch holes along the bottom of one "end" (NOT the bottom itself) so the fixer
can drain, too. Fixer, I believe, is heavier than water.
Can't use the tray for draining crankcase oil anymore with the holes, but you
can't have a fire on a boat. Wait...... Oh! Now I remember,,,,,,, "You can't
have your kayak and heat it, too".
I simply cannot resist commenting. I remember from my begiinner days years ago
that far less than this was actually necessary. Developing Tank (approximately
$25 new) but Film can be processed in a tray and a pyrex baking dish is what I
used from Mom's kitchen
To pop the top off of the film canisters I have used screwdrivers and even
teeth for this. Even an old nail will do
Use Clothes pins instead of film clips they will work here, they do
beautifully! Thermometer is as necessary as breathing and it should be fairly
accurate. It does not need to be a laboratory type.
Timer ... your watch should work. (The inventors of Kodachrome film used violin
music for a timer.
Safelight ... Total darkness works. Is anyone old enough to remember VELITE
paper processed in subdued room light?
Easel... The easel I use to this day is two 1X2 pieces of wood nailed together
to form a right angle and stapeled to a piece of matt board to which the
correct paper dimensions have been drawn. I have bought many easels through the
years, but none I likes as wll as my homemade easel.
Enlarger ... use piece of glass for contact frame?!?
Print tongs ... B/W photochemistry will not bother most people. I have used
fingers all my 54 years of life.
Use these things and, in your simple darkroom you can be like me: a simple
darkroom worker! :-)
Charles Knight, wi5s@mail.startext.net
..............................................................................
There are a lot of books that are very cheap (under $10) that will not only give
you a guide to developing/printing, but also give you everything you need to s
The Kodak Guide to B&W printing is a good example. Its a thin booklet, very inf
ormative, and about $8.00
...........................................................................
>one more thing: How is B&W different from color in the processing and
>darkroom area? I know that B&W is easier (i think) than color but what is the
>real differance?
Many books have been written on this. First, temperature control is a whole lot
more critical, there are four things to deal with, the exposure and then the
individual exposure of each of the three emulsion layers. Then there is the
processing. It is all more difficult. With color, to have consistent and
repeatable results and yet not expend an amount of time that only a dedicated
hobbyist would spend, some form of automated processing, though not absolutely
essential, is so desirable as to be almost so. Yes, it's harder, but it is also
much more rewarding. As far as processing color slides is concerned, it is only
a little more difficult, but the temperatire control will need to be within
about a half a defree F. I know the books call for closer, but 1/2 degree will
bget you starteed with good results. In fact, even one degree is okay for the
first few rolls, but you won't be happy with that in the long run. By the way,
temp control to that degree is ONLY impotant in the developer. In the other
steps the process essentially goes to completion and can vary by much more than
the books say. Of course, when you get colder, you have to leave it in a bit
longer, but then I am not writing a book. When you are a beginner, you will be
surprised how far you can deviate from the spec sheet and get good results.
After you have done a few rolls, your standards naturally grow higher and what
once satisfied, no longer does. Color is incredibly rewarding, though. I
remember once that I had a friend who worked for Kodak many years ago. He
"stole" some used developers and I processed several rolls of Kodachrome in a
small tank. The results were surprisingly good for the poor equipment I had. I
would not want to repeat the experience, but then I am glad I did it that one
time. It makes all other color processes look like Sunday school!
The Royal Photographic Societies membership in the UK has anguished with its
self for the last two years on the subject of digital imaging, which is quite
interesting, as it has nothing to do with imagery as such, only the way that
the image is produce . There are of course ethical issues such as the owners
copyright of a photographic image, although this area will need re-evaluating
shortly as the accessibility of imaging technology increases and the old
barriers of non-silver/silver and digital ima es is broken down. I now believe
that the RPS membership are at rest now after this torturous (and at times
extremely boring) process, and now we learn that the society itself is girding
its loins for the Information super highway. We have been told that the society
will have Web pages shortly, which the rest of the 40 million people in the
world who are on line will have access to. This is exiting isn't it, because if
You had a Web page, 40 million people could access your photographs as well.
There are photographers ot a million miles away from this copy of Inscape that
are doing this already with some success.
The following is a short section from one of the Emails I received recently
from a multimedia teacher in Atlanta on this subject:
All business organisations are striving for greater efficiency and control of
their bottom line, and the photographic trade is no exception. Although new
conventional photo emulsion technologies are still developed we are starting to
see films and pape s that are basically the same, and a flattening of the large
manufactures ranges. Small manufactures strive to fill the gaps with the more
esoteric products and although competition is difficult some are doing well.
Unfortunately some products are just disappearing without trace, or
reappearing, packed with the environmentally unfriendly bits taken out of them.
Green solutions to problems of photographic chemical waste are being sought
(more so in the USA then the UK) and in an effort to become green r, profitable
and more efficient some photographic studios are taking advantage of imaging
technology in a big way. This will have repercussions on the amateur and
semi-pro areas as the larger manufactures invest more in the development of
this type of technology, and less in conventional silver based products.
Electronic image manipulation and production is hear to stay, and should not be
feared. It opens up possibilities that have not been conceivable before with
conventional silver technologies, and I would suggest that the independent
photographer should t least learn something about these processes, even if
they don't have access to the hardware that is required. The quality of a hard
copy digital image is not bad at the moment and is getting better all the time
(I have seen digital 10x8's that are vi ually comparable with 35mm, and in some
instances better). There is no doubt that eventually silver based photography
will disappear as we know it, and we will have to develop a new 'mind set' to
handle the new creative potential that is at our finger ips. This technology
can be used in a myriad of ways and is not just confined to the surrealistic or
Sci-Fi type image.
Advances are rapid and it is quite exiting wondering what is going to happen
next. There may be a divergence between the digital and the traditional
photographer with the former becoming a sort of hybrid photographer involved
more in multimedia and aud o-visual style installations, creating a new type of
art more suited to the large flat television and video screen than the gallery
wall.
In the final analysis it matters little what process is used to create the
image, what is important is that we use the tools that can express that vision
effectively. British Contemporary photography badly needs a jump start and one
way of doing this might be to open our minds to the changes that are happening
around us, and to have some fun while we are doing it.
This Article was originaly published in the UK Photo arts Magazine INSCAPE in
1995
1) When using a scanner, use it at values close to the final product. Since
images are going to be viewed on a monitor, scan at 72dpi. Same with colour,
if it has a 8-bit setting and you want a 8-bit result (256 colours), use
that rather than 24-bit (16 million colours).
2) Resize before reducing colours, as you can produce smoother results since
colours dither better.
3) Use as few colours as possible when working with GIFs, it makes them
smaller, this makes them faster. Using fewer colours makes the image
smaller, so pick a 16 colour logo over a 256 colour one, it could be 2-4
times smaller. Remember you want to share your images with people around the
world, not only at the same site as you. "Normal" images should be 20K or
less. That's things like logos, signatures, your cat, etc. "Artworks" can be
about 50-70K with only a few pieces per page.
5) Keep your pages compatible. I have a serious pet peeve with pages that
have to have a certain browser (Netscape 1.1 or otherwise). Why? Some
Netscape 1.1 pages are broken under Netscape 1.2 beta (which I hate BTW), and
some people cannot use Netscape, they can only use what is given to them by
their access provider (e.g. Pipeline) or a Computer Centre. They might be
using a text-based browser (Try <IMG SRC="file" ALT="text">). If you want to
use Netscape 1.1 features, test to make sure they still work (not as pretty,
but work) with other browsers such as NCSA Mosaic, MacWeb, Lynx, Cello, or
Athena.
7) Don't bother with "Under construction" logos and notices. Changes can
happen along the way, and if you know things are broken, don't make them
available yet. Remember this is a form of self-publication. You would never
print a book with a note saying typos will be corrected in the next edition,
so why do the same thing in a web page? People also can tolerate your pages
changing/growing. Honest.
Good luck to anyone wishing to make web pages. Feel free to contact me with
any web questions if you want.
-Michael
--
Michael C. Taylor, student of Mathematics at Mount Allison University
mctylr@mailserv.mta.ca, or Box M-14 Mt. Allison University, Sackville, NB,
E0A 3C0, Canada
Now, I've only done this with pack film. The Type 669 works spendid. The
Polacolor Pro 100 just desintegrates. These images are very sharp and have this
wonderful "fabric, silk like" quality to them. I especially like the folding of
the image at the edges. To practice, try the left over, reddish original prints
from you normal transfers.
dan - hattdm20@gbvaxa.uwgb.edu
================================================================================
Note 37.04 -< Where to get obsolete or hard-to-find lightbulbs in US >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[for obsolete and hard to find lightbulbs ...]
I found a bulb for a Sickles Duping camera @ Bulbman. This bulb had been
discontinued a number of years ago. But they had found a small manufacturer in
Japan still making it. (interesting fact , this is the same bulb that was used
The best prices for any bulbs can be had at PSC LAMPS, INC
Call them at 1 800-772-5267
Why don't you try Gray Supply Co. 1-800-238-2244. They are located in East
Chicago, Indiana. They list your bulb at $20.13, but the credit card
minimum order is $25.00.
They also have flash tubes for many brands of strobe units. Also, I noticed
they list enlarger bulbs (211, 212, 213) for $2.63 each. They also list hard to
find stuff like medical and microscope bulbs.
================================================================================
Note 37.05 -< Where to have self-promotional postcards printed in US >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>I'd like to have postcards made for self-promotional use. Suggestions?
Modern Postcard
6354 Corte del Abeto, Suite E
Carlsbad, CA 92009
================================================================================
Note 37.06 -< Lens mount diameters / clearances for various cameras >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Clearance diameters for various camera lens mounts. That is what is the
maximum diameter object that will fit inside/in the middle of a particular
lens mount. Contributions are boing sought!
Nikon 44.0 mm
Pentax K 44.75 mm
Jenaflex 48.5 mm
One of the things that can tingle your craw is when someone walks through a
light trap wearing light colored clothing. Looks like the ghost of Jacob
Marley walking in. If you have the room, a light trap constructed so someone
entering is *completely out of the exterior light "before" they are visible
from inside the darkroom* will help solve the problem. A longer, wider,
whatever, light trap with plenty of overlap, or, in cases were absolutely no
light penetration can be tolerated (like in film rooms), a three-passage trap
could accomplish this.
THREE-PASSAGE TRAPS
darkroom
Damaged hollow core doors often make great partitions, conditions permitting.
However, in most school environments, walls should be constructed of 6 by 6
studs covered with 1" marine plywood, with barbed wire stapled over this as a
wall covering.
I have made a few light traps and have found that the width and heighth of
the "tunnel" are as important as the length, and often more under your
control. The lay out of the rooms often determine the length and location of
the light traps. I try to put the outside opening at the darkest corner of
the light room and use a black slatelike tile on the floor. If the ceilings
are high I use painted foam core as baffles from the ceiling to about 6 ft.
above the floor. Placing the baffles ot both ends and the turns. I do not
like curtains as IMHP they are dust gatherers and distributers. A hard
surface is easier for me to wipe down from time to time.
Yellow has the advantage of turning "light leaks" into "Safelight". White walls
in darkrooms have the advantage over black walls of providing "fill light" but
they also reflect harmfull light. YELLOW provides the best properties of both
black and white walls. I still prefer black light traps, but yellow might
work there also.
================================================================================
Note 37.08 -< Pointers for making a view camera from almost scratch >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>Have you made a view camera from scratch? Any pointers much appreciated!
Well, this isn't quite what you woodworking folks are looking for, but back 20
years ago when I was an impoverished student working in a camera store I built
my first view camera.
First I saved enough money to buy a good used lens. I found a used Schneider
Symar 210mm f5.6 for $300.00. (All other factors considered, a photograph can't
be better than the lens allows).
The other item I had to purchase was the camera back -- found a used 4x5
reducing back for $25.00. I was sure that I couldn't successfully manufacture a
back that would properly hold the film and ground glass in the same plane.
I built the body of the camera from scrap Omega D enlarger parts. I built a
double rail support using the rods that typically hold together the lift arms
for the old Omega D condenser heads. I bolted together sections of lift arms as
stationary support. I used wire and turnbuckles to firm it up. Miniature tripod
heads served to mount the film and lens standards and allow movement. Anyway I
was able to put together a usable light weight rail camera for myself and I'm
The bellows was fun. Since my first bellows for that camera I've made quite a
few. Most recently I made a new bellows for a little 2x3 Century Graphic that I
restored and now use regularly. I made the bellows from leather. At a good
leather store you can purchase a skiver or split lamb skin. It's nice and thin
and should in fact need to be stiffened. I stiffen the skiver with sheer nylon
curtin material. Coat the back of the skiver with contact cement and attach the
fabric. Then dye the inside leather and fabric with black shoe dye. When it's
all dry the leather will be stiff enough to hold a fold, but still workable.
Draw the bellows pattern on the outside of the leather with a pencil and start
folding. Use paper clips on the corners as you begin. Eventually the bellows
will start to naturally take shape. Use contact cement to close it up. Red shoe
dye on the outside adds a nice finish and with proper leather care it'll last a
lifetime. HINT: fold a few trial bellows from brown paper grocery bags before
you tackle the real thing.
================================================================================
Note 37.09 -< The Usenet rec.photo groups - how many are there? >-
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>Please, does anybody know good newsgroups dealing with photography and can
>you tell me where to find them?
There are a bunch of photo related newsgroups (on the Usenet or UUnet). Here
is a list of those that I know of:
rec.photo.moderated
rec.photo.marketplace
rec.photo.misc
rec.photo.digital
rec.photo.equipment.misc
rec.photo.equipment.35mm
rec.photo.equipment.large-format
rec.photo.equipment.medium-format
rec.photo.film+labs
rec.photo.technique.misc
rec.photo.technique.nature
rec.photo.technique.people
rec.photo.technique.art
rec.photo.darkroom
================================================================================
Note 37.10 -< Pointers for students seeking assistant's jobs >-
Reading this post got me thinking about my early days as an assistant, and
what would I be like as an assistant to myself now... Hmmm...
What I value most highly is someone who has an intuitive sense toward the
needs of the photographer, someone who, when I turn to ask for the polaroid
back, already has it in their hand. But how do you teach a skill like that?
Or is it an inate talent?
Almost anyone can learn the mechanics of photography - how to use a light
meter, how to prep a camera, how to rough-in a lighting set-up. It takes an
extra quality to take the base knowledge beyond - to where the assistant
knows the photographer's 'eye' well enough to be able to anticipate his/her
next move or request. It almost becomes a sort of intricate dance between
the two...
The only analogy I can think of comes from the modelling profession... There
are hundreds of people who can look good in front of a camera, know all the
right 'moves', etc., but there are very few who have that unlearned 'presence'
that makes a shoot really come together. Those who have experienced that type
of talent are spoiled for anything less, and it becomes a source of great
frustration. So too with assisting, in my experience. Thus endeth the lesson.
I think I'll sit down and shut up now... Regards to one and all!
Steve Grimes
Grimes Photography Inc.
127 Albert Street
London ON N6A 1L9
Canada grimes@serix.com
================================================================================
Note 37.11 -< Bogen adapter for mercury battery using items >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
For anyone with an interest in replacing mercury batteries such as used in the
Gossen Luna Pro meter, Bogen makes available a conversion kit.
It is Bogen part number 4145 and, after installation, it uses Duracell D 367 H
or IEC SR-44 or Varta V 76 PX. I put this kit into two old Luna Pro meters and
they are now BOTH within a half stop of my new Luna Pro digital meter.
Previously they were about a stop and a half low.
I got my initial information from two files available via the Photoforum FAQ's;
(1) FAQ-27 "Reversal Processing of Ilford Negative Films", and (2) FAQ-16 -
"How to Use Direct Positive Film".
I expose Tri-x at ISO 400, FP4 I have less experience with but I'd start with
ISO 125. The above FAQ's discuss other films such as Tech Pan and T-Max.
First Developer: Dissolve approx 1.3 grams Sodium Thiosulphate crystals into 12
ounces water. Mix 1:1 with Ilford Bromophen stock.
Second Developer: Ilford Bromophen 1:1 with water (NO HYPO!). I have also used
HC110 for the second developer with slightly results (grain, color, density).
Presoak
First Developer 7-8 minutes
Rinse
Bleach 2 minutes
Rinse
Clearing 1 minute
Rinse
Re-exposure to white light about 60 seconds each side (40 watt bulb close)
Second Developer 4-5 minutes
Fix as usual
Wash & photo-flo as usual
Varying the first developer will have a slight effect on higlight density-
exposure is much more important. Varying the second developer time will affect
shadow density (blacks) only. I don't know the technical capacity of the bleach
or the clearing bath, but they last a long time...
The above will also work for Ilford FP4 (ISO 125) sheet film, but I haven't got
If you do tray processing you will have to vary the developer times according
to your agitation technique. Rinses are not absolutely necessary- capacities
will be lower if you don't rinse between solutions.
================================================================================
Note 37.13 -< Rodinal: Conversation, Observation and Formulation >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>Would the resident Rodinol gurus mind sharing their secret? Everytime I use it
>with Tmax 400, FP4 or any conventional film I get gobs of grain. Is this
>normal? How to reduce it?
In actual fact, when one makes Rodinal (a close substitute) at home, one adds,
to warm water, Para-Aminophenol, then Potassium Metabisulfite. Next one adds a
50% Potassium Hydroxide solution. Immediately, a precipitate forms. You then
keep adding Potassium Hydroxide until the prtecipitate ALMOST redissolves. If
it disappears entirely, you must add more Metabisulfite to cause a slight
precipitate. When the precipitate is present, the developer has extremely good
keeping powers, but when it is redissolved completely, the developer has a very
short shelf life.
Oh, also. I have used Rodinal from a 5 year old, partially full bottle with no
ill effects. I suspect, though, that Rodinal has been changed at least once,
when the packaging changed from glass to plastic. At that time (10 years ago?)
they dropped all the higher dilution (1:75, etc.) recommendations, in favor of
1:25 and 1:50. I suspect that Agfa found out that they could increase their
profit margin by adding that miracle chemical ingredient, WATER!
================================================================================
Note 37.14 -< Where to convert Nikon lenses to AIS mount? >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I found one person who will convert any Nikon older lens so that it will
mount on an AI, AIS and autofocus Nikon mount camera:
John White
1350 Folkstone Court
Ann Arbor, MI 48105
Phone: 313 662-1734
John machines the base ring on the lens providing the "grooves" necessary to
allow for proper fit with the updated Nikon AI mount. I had a 50 mm 1.4 lens
"converted" and it works fine any F, F2, F4 and even an N90 camera. His
prices are relatively inexpensive less than $50.00. Check with him because
some mounts require extra work. If I recall they are the 4004, 6006. When he
is finished you still have the Nikon "rabbit ears" prong for the old F, F2,
Nikkormat etc. Yes you can mount the converted lens on any PK11A, PK12, PK13
and PN11N extension tubes which it would not fit before(use the stop down
metering on a Nikkormat, Nikon F, F2 (DP-1 finder). Sure saved a few dollars
on a new lens and I'm just a statisfied customer.
Harry seems to have just about any part you might want for older Omegas - also
instruction manuals. But, maybe a little expensive (compared to scrounging at
camera shows and yard sales). Terry has lots of used stuff, and his prices are
not bad (still higher than scrounging)
It is true that a 50mm enlarger lens is pretty short for this enlarger, but if
you do not want to print larger than 11 x 14 (maybe larger, haven' t tried),
getting the 75-105mm condenser set and a 75 or 80mm lens will let you print
both 35mm and medium format. And, for what it is worth, the F. Picker (arrrgh)
advice was always to use a "one size longer" focal length enlarger lens anyway.
Also, somehow the D 2 seems to inspire tinkering - I made a long focal length
extension ('snoot") out of a soup can epoxied to a homemade lens board. Don't
see why you could not make an inverted lensboard with a tuna can, or?? Anyway,
have fun.
================================================================================
Note 37.16 -< More Pinhole camera tips - SPECIAL for TEACHERS! >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
While I was gone my son (10) used the darkroom at home and produced some
exquisite (well, I thought they were!), pinhole photographs using a camera
he invented himself...a plastic 35mm film canister with a needlehole in the
side, instead of the tincan camera we'd made years ago. Using photographic
paper, he made several panoramic images - the paper wraps right round the
inside of the cannister up to the pinhole - including a daisy, a pile of
rocks and his bike, and an underwater picture in our dam (the water doesn't
enter the pinhole because of surface tension).
Perhaps people have already tried this container as a pinhole camera, but
it had never occurred to me. Its perfect - light tight, pocket sized,
requiring only short exposures even on photographic paper. The contacts
were a little larger than 35mm and we tried some enlargments - romantically
hazy, but no grain - from the paper negs.
Just thought I'd pass this on, especially to primary school teachers, and
I'd be interested to hear of any other photographic inventions by children
and ideas for children in the darkroom.
James McArdle, Lecturer in Photography, Dept. Art & Design, School of Arts
Latrobe University Bendigo P.O Box 199 Bendigo, Victoria, Australia 3550
Email j.mcardle@bendigo.latrobe.edu.au
..............................................................................
If anyone out there has any ideas about developing without a darkroom -
remember involving large numbers of kids - I sure would appreciate it! I tried
to arrange field trips to a few places (newspaper, studio) but none do any
developing anymore.
I have had good luck, both teaching kids and for my own use with modified old
Polaroid cameras. I have been using Polaroid 100-200-400 series pack film
cameras - bought at camera shows or yard sales for about $5.00 (sometimes less,
never more). To make them into a pinhole camera you "lobotomize" the camera by
removing the lens and all the electronic shutter junk. Once the front of the
camera is cleaned up you can install the pinhole on a cardboard lensboard. It
helps to know that the focal length of all these cameras is 114mm - using the
pinhole formula or any of the available tables you can determine the
appropriate pinhole. I make the shutter out of a piece of black plastic
electrician's tape.
Now for the best part - you can use one of the Polaroid ASA 3000 films and do
hand-held pinhole photography. For other film types the cameras have a tripod
socket - and most of them have a pretty nice viewfinder. To hold down expenses
I have been using just-out-of-date film (I get it at Ritz for $3.00 a pack).
If you want a negative, you can use the Polaroid positive/negative film. Kids
like it because you get instant results. I like it because I can see if I
screwed up, and make appropriate corrections while I am still out in the field.
And it folds up. And since you can no longer get batteries for older Polaroids
it makes good use of them. Try this, I think you might like the system
38.01 -< Improvised infrared filter and Wratten IR filter transmission data >-
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
As I have posted here previously, my favorite inexpensive IR filter material is
black trash bags. I don't have brand names, but the ones I discovered had a
slight greenish cast to them. It might take several layers to block out all
the light from an intense source.
For some reason known only to chemists, very few organic dyes will absorb
infared light. This includes dyes used for routine dyeing of plastics, such as
trash bags. If the "black" plastic has a colored tint, it was probably made
with a combination of several colored dyes. However, plastic can also be
colored with a pigment or with carbon particles - then there would almost
certainly be some infared absorbtion.
If the "black" plastic has a colored tint, it was probably made with a
combination of several colored dyes. However, plastic can also be colored with
a pigment or with carbon particles - then there would almost certainly be some
The trash bag debacle (discovery) took place over 15 years ago when I tried to
develop infared film in a darkroom that had its windows light proofed with
trash bags. It worked great for regular film, but the infared film was badly
fogged. To prove it was the trash bags, I lit the inside of the darkroom then
photographed it from the outside using infared film. The more carefully
developed photos showed I could look right thru the trash bag covered windows.
However, if you want high quality Infrared filters I think the best choice is
to use one the Kodak Wratten 87 series filters. The 87A or 87B come closest to
meeting the original specifications. Call the Kodak information center at
800-242-2424, extension 12, for dealer information. These filters should be
available at all well-stocked camera stores.
Here is the transmittance of the Kodak Wratten 87 Series filters (from the
publication "Kodak Filters for Scientific and Technical Uses", Publication
B-3).
=============================================================================
38.02 -< Getting rid of green looking lights in night shots >-
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
> I have been trying to take photos at night of cities and some of the lights
> come out looking green. What would be the best way to correct for this? Use
> an FLD filter or using tungsten balanced film? Will an FLD filter reduce
> the light so much (2 stops?) that some of the detail will get lost? Is
> tungsten balanced film better for correcting this problem?
The solution to your problem, I think, depends on how much of the picture area
is taken up by fluorescents. If they dominate the frame--for instance, if
you're focusing on just one or two buildings--then an FLD filter should do the
trick. I assume you're using a tripod, in which case the loss of stops
shouldn't matter; you can just increase exposure time. I imagine you're
already in the 1 sec.-plus range, so you're already experiencing color shifts.
An extension of time shouldn't matter much.
If such lights DON'T take up most of the picture, though, I'm not sure the
green is anything to worry about. I imagine that other lights are showing up
I'm just an amateur, however, so don't take any of the foregoing as the
gospel.
..............................................................................
I'd suspect the green is from mercury vapor lamps. Probably an FLD filter
would whack out that color, since the fluorescent lamps, for which FLDs are
supposed to correct, are after all based on glowing mercury vapor. Problem with
all lighting from glowing gasses is that it isn't a continuous spectrum but a
bundle of distinct spikes of color. Using the FLD may stop some of these, but
it is also going to alter the overall color balance of the scene. Photographing
a cityscape which happens to have some points of glowing-gas light is
fundamentally different from photographing a room that is lit by fluorescents
in the ceiling. In the cityscape you've got a lot of other sources of light and
color independent of the glowing-gas lights, and you want those to be
unaltered, which is probably a physical impossibility. The most productive
route might be to consider how the green stuff could be utilized as part of the
design and flavor of the picture. Sculptor to critic: "Yes, you're right, the
head is too large. I'll call it 'The Woman with the Large Head.'"
I have been photographing night urban landscape for years and the one thing
that is very important is reciprocity [failure]. This is such a problem that
there is a significant difference between the exposure times for different
batches of the same brand and same iso. One thing that i do is plan on only
getting only 90 photos out of 100 sheets of film. i am not real familiar with
Fuji but i believe that it is 400asa. i use exclusively Ilford and with HP5+ i
start my testing at the meter reading and add one stop of time, don't change
your fstop. i generally get the effect i want in a fstop within six test frames
(3 per sheet). As far as tungsten balanced, that depends on the type of lights
that your city uses
I have shot alot of night city scapes in the Western US and Canada with
Kodachrome 64 last summer. While the fluoresent lights did print a little
green, I suspect that it would not be as "green" as the FUJI films as they tend
to be a little more sensitive to the green part of the spectrum, at least in my
experience.
Most of the shots that I have done have been pretty wide, however. If you are
I suspect the green lights are mercury vapour lights. These have a very strong
green spectral line, and I think will come out green on any normal colour film.
Sodium lights, producing largely yellow should come out yellow. If you don't
want these effects I think you probably need to avoid taking pictures
including street lighting. However it may look better on some films than
others.
Personally I preferred the warm tones you get on daylight film to the rather
blue results on tungsten - but either can be acceptable. I think the best
approach to night photography (and most other subjects) is to use negative
film and you can then play with the colour in the darkroom.
If you don't mind using a negative film try Fuji Reala which is handles the
green in fluro's well. (me, I like the color shifts ;-) Also check to make
sure that nearby lighting is not causeing flare on the lens.
Some data on Fujicolor Reala (Taken from the 35mm Film Source book - Marc Levey)
latitude +3 -2 fstops
color Balance: Daylight
color bias: netural
recommended shutter speed 1/400 - 1/10 sec
reciprocity correction 1 sec +1/2 stop
10 sec +1 stop
no filtration needed
Special uses: Fourth added cyan dye layer allows the film to reproduce colors
with a high degree of accuracy. Subjects shot under fluorescent lights, long
the bane of color shooters, are reproduced much more naturally than with just
about any other film.
=============================================================================
38.03 -< Brief Basic Discussion on Film Speeds >-
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
>I am curious as to what the difference between individual film speeds are. For
>example does an ISO (or ASA) 100 need double the amount of light that an ISO
>200 film to produce the same results. And so does say an ISO 800 need an
>exposure time of 1/8th of that for an ISO 100.
yes ... ISO originally (and maybe even now) was a speed rating system that was
simply a combination of ASA and DIN speed numbers such like this ISO 100/21
The ASA system is the "American" one and the DIN system is the "German" one.
Both of these were set up before the Japanese had as much influence in the
field as they do now. There was the GOST system as well but that was the system
used behind the Iron Curtain.
>Also on these films there are words like 21 degrees and 31 degrees, what are
>they?
They are the "logarithmic" form of saying the same thing. In this (DIN) system
a change of 3 units corresponds to a doubling or halving of speed. So, a film
with a speed of 21 requires 2 times the amount of light than a film with a
speed rating of 24 to produce roughly equivalent results.
>Is there any way to check the granularity of a film or do you just guess
>that an ISO 1000 will be worse than an ISO 100?
there are ways to do this but not for the average photographer and what you
suggest is what normally happens "in practice".
>And lastly am I correct in assuming that there is only one way to develop
>a particular colour film. The reason I am asking this is can I get my
>films developed and printed at any old lab (eg Boots in the UK) and then
>if I want decent prints I would have to get them printed properly from
>the negatives (that are hopefully OK) from the lab?
Generally this is true as well. The standard processes are the E-6 and the C-41
process. The formenr for transparencies and the latter for color negatives. If
you have a 1-hr lab do your preliminary developing and printing then you can
evaluate your prints and the ones you really like and want to enlarge could be
enlarged by a custom lab. One might quibble about the quality and/or attention
to detail at 1-hour labs but that is a quality factor not a "process" factor.
A custom lab can also provide "tailor made" alteratons to the standard process
for dealing with unusual situations but this also is a "special service" rather
than a standard process.
andy, andpph@rit.edu
..............................................................................
>For example does an ISO (or ASA) 100 need double the amount of light that an
>ISO 200 film to produce the same results. And so does say an ISO 800 need an
>Also on these films there are words like 21 degrees and 31 degrees, what are
>they?
>Is there any way to check the granularity of a film or do you just guess
>that an ISO 1000 will be worse than an ISO 100?
Yes, generally faster films are "grainier" than slower films. This assumes
that the film/emulsion technology is relatively the same. For films that are
close in "speed", the relationship is not always exact. The reason that 100
speed film is less grainy than 1000 speed film is that most of the speed
difference comes from increasing the size of the silver particles in the film.
In theory, one photon makes one silver particle developable so fewer, but
larger, silver particles results in "faster" film. The wizards at Kodak and
Fuji know all about this but us mortals don't have a clue as to how it is
actually done.
>And lastly am I correct in assuming that there is only one way to develop a
>particular colour film. The reason I am asking this is can I get my films
>developed and printed at any old lab (eg Boots in the UK) and then if I want
>decent prints I would have to get them printed properly from the negatives
>(that are hopefully OK) from the lab?
David, jds@allware.com
=============================================================================
38.04 -< Instructions Making a simple CLOSE-UP stand >-
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Friends, This CLOSE-UP stand is very easy to build. Here are the instructions:
Cut four 5/16" dowels 12" long. Insert them in 5/16" holes drilled into a 3/4" x
9-1/2" x 7" plywood base at the corners, another 3/4" x 9-1/2" x 7" board (for
the camera) with a center bored hole of 2-3/4" including four 5/16 holes
drilled at the corners in perfect register to accommodate the base board
dowels. These boards should be clamped together before drilling the four 5/16"
holes thru them (see below). Don't forget to drill the four 5/16" holes
completely thru both the base and camera support boards.
Then, cut two sets of four 1/2" ID rigid clear plastic tubes to two lengths,
The 4 plastic tubes merely separate firmly the base board from the camera
support board at the exact distance required by your close-up lens system.
By simply drawing oblique lines across one board from opposing corners before
clamping both before drilling, you can easily locate the holes for both the
dowels and center the 2-3/4" lens hole in the camera support board.
To use the stand, merely place the camera, with lens down into the 2-3/4"
center bored hole, align the copy beneath, on the base, then focus.
I suggest the following tools: a table saw, a drill press [I don't recommend a
hand held drill], 2-3/4" hole saw [I had to enlarge hole from a 2-1/2" saw with
a drum rasp], 5/16 high speed steel bit, finishing hand sander. Both the base
and the camera support board should be clamped together for perfect alignment,
then drill the four 5/16 corner holes [7/8" from stock edges]. Finish with
clear polyurethane dull varnish.
If you have any questions, let me know. My unit is sturdy, simple, and takes up
very little space. If you want a true cabinet effect, use hard wood stock, like
oak or walnut instead of the plywood. It isn't necessary to glue the dowels
into the base. With precision-drilled holes they'll hold fast in the base with
a press fit.
Any 35mm camera, including CRFs can be used with this stand. I use a Leica M3
with a +4 or +10 CU lens. A variable CU lens that can be mounted on a prime
50mm is also available under $20, I think. A Nikon F with Nikon's 55mm Macro
lens is ideal. But any 35mm, leveled with thin rubber shims to make up for
camera body protrusions, like lens release button, etc. will give you excellent
results. The camera's own weight keeps it rock steady. It's important that the
four plastic tubes be cut with absolute accuracy. These tubes are standard and
are available from any plastic supply house.
It's a fast, low cost project and a very useful piece of equipment. I find it
invaluable for photographing jewelry, prints, etc. Since it permits entrance of
light from all four sides, contrast can be easily controlled. I found that the
4 dowel/tube supports do not present a shadow problem.
Bob Rosen I I
From: Afterswift@aol.com _________________ Slidedown Camera Support
Subject: Close-up Stand I I
I I
I I---Dowels/Plastic tubes
It looks roughly something I I
like the sketch shown here -> I I
_________________ Baseboard
=============================================================================
I have used the 300 MM F 2.8 lens extensivly for use in bird and nature
photography and offer the following thoughts. Firt consider using
converters. With the 1.4 converter you have a effective 420 MM F 4 lens.
With the 2X converter you will have a 600 MM F 5.6 lens. As you can see you
with the use of converters you effectly have three very useful lens for bird
photography. All three options are very useful for bird photography. The
300 MM F 2.8 due to its speed is an excellant lens to use with converters.
There is little of no loss with the 1.4 X and only slight edge fall off with
the 2 X. I have used the Canon , Nikon, and Tamron lens with their matched
converters. All are excellant if you use matched components. Based on my
experience the most useful combination will be the 300 MM with the 1.4
converter.
Now for you question "< However, with long lenses and far subjects,
you would have to run forwards and backwards quite a distance in
order to get the same effect, wouldn't it?>" The solution is the use of the
converters. Additionly, the big advantage is that you can shoot a series of
shots of the same subject and get different effects which will net you a much
better collection of the subject.
I shoot mostly wildlife and my most used lens is the 300 MM F 2.8 with the
converters. It is short enough to shoot even close subjects from a blind
and when used with the converters, you can shoot the shy subjects. Based on
conversations with some of the best wildlife photographers in the world, most
bird photos are taked with long fixed length lens and converters.
By the way, don't try running or any fast movements when trying to photograph
birds or any wildlife. Try to move very slowly and take you time!!!!!
Nature photography is a game of patience. I often will work a subject for
up to two hours. My record for one subject is 7 hours. The results of that
session resulted in nine published photographs.
=============================================================================
38.06 -< Twin Lens Reflex Pros and Cons plus dealing with Parallax >-
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
I've been reading about the discussion on TLRs and the suggestions on
"parallax correction" and thought that maybe a short course summary might be
in order.
I've been using TLR's (Rolleis) for over 30 years. Their advantages:
Above all, I love being able to see the shot during the exposure. You can often
see blinks or movement that you may miss if viewing through a single lens
reflex, and then know, right there, that you lost the shot. It's also great for
longer exposures. I recently shot a play with some color neg film and shot at
1/5 sec., *handheld*. The negs yield very acceptable 8x10's. The blackout of
SLR's makes longer handheld exposures very difficult, and you can't see the
subject during the actual exposure.
The first is regarding what the 2 lenses of a TLR "sees". For an example,
consider shooting a still life or product display with part of the scene in the
foreground, and part in the background. You set everything up, getting all the
objects positioned exactly like you want them; at the right distance from the
camera, the right position, etc. Then the proofs show that the objects "moved"
from where you had them placed. Why? Because the taking lens saw the scene from
a lower angle than *you* did throught the viewing lens. Andy suggested
composing the scene and then raising the camera, via the tripod, a distance
equal to the distance between the two lenses, or about 1 1/2 inches. This would
correct the difference in vantage points and record the shot as you actually
saw it through the viewing lens.
An easy way to see this effect would be to focus the camera, from about 3 feet,
on a cluttered desk or tabletop. Then lift, NOT TILT, it up and down a little
bit. You will see the objects closer to and farther away from the camera move
up and down with respect to other objects. You are stuck with this effect with
a TLR, and in order to render the subject exactly as seen, the camera must be
"raised" to shoot, exactly as Andy suggested.
Caution! Raising the camera via the tripod will work only if the camera is
positioned in a near vertical fashion. If it's tilted much, as in shooting
something on the floor, raising it will not fully correct the parallax, or
vantage point, problem and may throw the main part of the subject out of focus
if larger apertures are used. To be more precise, the camera should be "moved"
about an inch and a half upward "with respect to itself", not with respect to
the tripod center post.
The second situation would be for more "average" shooting and can be used for
handheld exposures of people, buildings, scenes, etc. In this situation the
exact relation of background and foreground objects often isn't as critical,
and actually raising the camera usually isn't necessary. Instead, before
pressing the shutter release, simply TIP, or TILT, the camera "upwards" so it
On the other end of the scale, shooting a distance scene means tilting the
camera so the subject is an inch and a half higher on the screen before
shooting. If the subject is a house or mountain, and inch and a half isn't
going to mean zilch, so don't even worry about it with distant subjects. This
is probably how the camera is set up in the first place, for framing distant
objects.
So the closer you get to your subject, the more the "parallax" problem comes
into play. Shooting an inch and a half above the subject will always cover it,
no matter if the subject is 3, 5, or 8 feet away. Beyond that it starts getting
negligible.
One other thing. I don't believe anyone has mentioned subjects that will be
printed horizontally. These are the easiest to handle. Frame the subject across
the center of the viewfinder screen (where it tends to be brighter anyway), and
crop the top and bottom of the negative out during printing. No need to worry
at all about horizontal shots.
Regarding a specific question about the Rolleiflex 2.8F... Your Rollei 2.8F
probably has parallax correcting "blades" located just under the ground glass
or focusing screen. If you turn the focusing knob while looking through the
viewing lens, you will see a dark band across the top and bottom of the field
of view, and they will move up and down as you change focus, automatically
adjusting according to the distance you are focused on. There's no need to
concern yourself with the blades built into the camera, unless you use closeup
lenses. Then the best bet is to focus and compose with the closeup lens on the
top, then transfer it to the bottom (assuming you have only one closeup lens),
and then raise the camera via the tripod post for parallax correction AND
vantage point correction.
=============================================================================
38.07 -< Where to obtain bulk photographic chemicals >-
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
If you are in search of reasonably priced photographic chemicals, try Artcraft
Chemicals in Schenectady, New York.
I buy all my toning materials off them, including the ferric ammonium citrate
for iron toning, the materials for sepia toning and the stuff needed for the
hardening bath after toning.
Full address is: ArtCraft Chemicals, Inc, P.O. Box 583, Schenectady, NY 12301
Howard Etkind
=============================================================================
38.08 -< More Wedding Photography Tips for a beginner >-
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
>I am shooting a wedding the last week in May. This is my first wedding and
>I don't really know what to do. Can anyone give me some advice, suggestions,?
1 Sit down with the bride and make a list of the shots she wants.
2 Shoot lots of film.
3 Only show your best shots.
4 Shoot lots of film
5 Shoot lots of film
6 Learn to say NO!
KwZ, Kenneth_W_Zimmerman@email.whirlpool.com
..............................................................................
Well first I would pray that your customer is very understanding!! Then I would
shoot test shots under the identical conditions that you plan to shot (same
film, same equipment, same location, same light setup, if at all possible get
someone to dress in a all white outfit and a all dark outfit and shoot each
shot that you plan. Make sure you have the technical aspects down pat. Then I
would read a good book by one of the masters of wedding photography at least
eight times. Next, I would try to assist a experienced wedding photographer on
four or five weddings before you go it alone. Next I would pray some more.
Seriously, A wedding must go right, you simply cannot go back a shoot it again.
Make sure that you have a plan, discuss it with the bride and groom (and the
pastor if it is taking place in a church as many churches have restrictions).
Plan the shoot you want and gain approval of your plan with the prospective
couple. (might be appropriate to have the mother involved also) Find out what
the expectations of the couple are. If the bride or her mother have a certain
shot in mind "you better get it." If you know when things are going to happen
then you can plan you shots better, but remember it is a rare wedding that
stays on a exact schedule, so be flexible.
Don't show up in a pair of Levi's with holes in them (the best wedding
photographer show in in formal wear). Remember this is a important occasion and
you need to be professional and efficient. Get shot of everyone it is amazing
how many people want to buy a shot of Old Aunt Sally who passed on a few weeks
after the wedding.
One final thought. Unless you are sure that you can do a satisfactory job,
don't do it!!! There is no forgiveness for a bad wedding job. If you have the
technical skills then go for it.
Fabrice, Fabrice Joly, 14, rue Pierre Blanc, 69001 LYON France
..............................................................................
I have been assisting a wedding photog for three years and only now am I
considering shooting them on my own. (I have one booked in May and one in June)
This is a big step! I have witnessed a couple major disasters over the last
three years, and let me tell you being the responsible party is a scary idea.
I plan on shooting medium format Fuji Reala or the Fuji NHG. (Also some black
and white at the client's request) These films give great results. (Kodak VPS
is a nice film as well.) I will rent myself a Norman 200B with a flash head
with diffuser for fill and indoor shots. And probably tote along a light disc
for outdoor fill.
Last word of advice: try to attend a wedding or two before then. Learn what the
typical routine is during the ceremony and reception. This way you'll be in the
right place at the right time.
My first advice on wedding pics if you are non-pro is to advise the couple to
hire a professional if they can. Sometimes this is not possible and you have to
DO THE JOB..
While much can be said and discussed concerning the technical and equipment
aspects of preparing for a wedding shoot, I have the following tips to share
with readers. Many of these were learnt from experience:
If you are using different formats and backs and lenses and filters...... your
assistant can help to arrange all that under your instruction. He can help hold
a reflector to fill in some shadow areas.
A well coordinated job produces better pictures and will not tire out the
photographer and the people you are shooting.
Your assistant can help GUARD your equipment against theft and damage.
Lady assistants are very useful. They seem to have a sharp eye for details -
hair out of place, dress poorly arranged, smudged make up, and a thousand and
one other things that can spoil a photograph. They can talk to the couple to
help relax them when you are concentrating on your shot.
2. Recce out the location that you are shooting in. You may be unfamiliar with
the place. Look for interesting spots to pose the couple. It is terribly
'unprofessional' to wonder what would be the "next best place to pose the
couple" on that important day. Plan the shots ahead with your assistant,
discuss how and where to pose the couple, what lenses and filters to use, what
angle to shoot etc...(to avoid trees growing out of peoples' heads)
4. Make sure your batteries are all fresh and spares are available. Test out
all flash and camera equipment to make sure they are working.
5. Forget about polaroid shots of the couple on that important day. You have no
time to check your lighting and pose. Everything has to move pretty fast on
that day. The couple will have a tight schedule too.
6. Discuss with the couple what preferences they might have, the family members
they want to include in the shots, etc. If these cannot be achieved on the day
of the wedding - many couples are quite happy to pose for you again on another
occassion. Many wedding shots are actually taken on more than one occassion
although they appear to be shot on the same day. The pros do'nt tell you all
that. If a less formal occasion is chosen for another shoot, polaroid will be a
useful tool to assess lighting and composition.
7. Send the film to the best lab money can buy. Minimum reproduction for proof
copies should be 4"x6" or even 5"x7". I prefer to mount them in a nice album so
that other members of the family can view and order extra prints. Occasionally,
I sit down with the couple and plan cropped enlargements.
Dan, dkhong@pacific.net.sg
I've never used Ilfocolor, but I'm using my Gossen Variosix F for Black &
White printing. Maybe it does work for color.
1) put a piece of clear, developed film in the enlarger. Set the meter to a
high speed (I'm using 2000 ASA) and taking the translucent half-dome off, take
a reading from the middle of where the printing paper will come. Let's say this
gives an EV of 7.0
2) Expose some test strips to get the maximum black let's say that this gives
you an exposure time of 60 seconds.
3) Expose some more test strips to determine the exposure time for the
lightest gray (almost white). Let's say that this gives you an exposure time of
2 seconds.
Putting the film that you want to print in the enlarger, you can use your
meter to measure the EV for the darkest shadows, or the brighterst highlights,
and work from there.
If for instance, your meter reads an EV of 5.0 for the darkest shadows, then
you'd have to expose for 240 seconds to have this density printed as almost
black. If you meter is reading an EV of 2.0 for the brightest highlight, you'
have to expose for 64 seconds to print this has almost white.
Philippe
Philippe Vanpeperstraete <PLAN@mailserv.netpoint.be>
=============================================================================
38.10 -< Night photography shooting and exposure tips >-
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
> I am hoping someone can give me some advice on how to take Night scene such
> as buildings and city lights at night. How do you work out expoure times etc.
Assumptions: you have (and are using) a steady tripod; you're using a camera
that allows you to set exposure variables manually (shutter, aperature and film
speed).
Step 1: Decide what in the final composition will be properly exposed. (For
night photography of a building, the contrast difference between the dark sky
and the building will likely exceed the film's latitude; you've got to choose
what will be exposed correctly.)
Step 3: Use a hand-held reflected light meter with 1-degree measurements! Don't
have one you say? Neither do I! Skip this a go to step 4.
Step 4: (Here's where the manual control of exposure settings comes in!)
Because step two will (probably) not register on the meter, start manually
adjusting the exposure settings, counting each full stop as you go. Start with
the aperature (or shutter). When that runs out, use the other control (shutter
or aperature). If *that* runs out, start adjusting the film speed.
Step 5: Add one more step of reciprocity failure. It's when the f-stop
relationship breaks down for very short or very long exposure times.
Step 6: Ignore the purist remarks about having changed lenses and how the
different focal length distorted the reading. It's true, but we're just
starting out in this example! (Just kidding folks! :) ) But seriously, there
*are* many subtle factors that come into play.
Step 7: Set the shutter speed to "bulb" and press the shutter for 2 minutes!
Use a cable release and time the exposure with your watch or good counting
skills (one-mississippi, two-mississippi, etc.).
Step 8: Print the results and let us know what you liked or didn't.
--
Dave Smith, Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA <dasmith@wormhole.cs.mci.com>
Note: if exposure time is long moving objects may exhibit blur. This includes
1. Good advice, until you get to reciprocity failure. Best advice on this is
to ask the film manufacturer - most produce leaflets / data sheets with such
stuff. For good colour work you also need to use CC filters with some slide
films - one more reason why I shoot colour as neg.
Although nothing is certain when you make broad generalizations, I have these
exposures to suggest to use as a guide when shooting the city lights at night.
You will be in the ballpark with these. They are all based on the sunny 16 rule
which states that a normal daylight exposure is always f16 at 1/iso. These
exposures are allowing more light in from the sunny 16 base exposure for your
film.
=============================================================================
38.11 -< E-Mail addresses within the RPS >-
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
The following is from Kate Rouse (IT Officer of the Royal Photographic Society)
so should be correct. The general e-mail address for the Royal Photographic
Society (RPS) is:
rps@rpsbath.demon.co.uk
Also all staff have their own addresses based on their first names, eg.
kate@rpsbath.demon.co.uk
I heard that the University of AZ. has a good program. That's where i'm
planning on attending ... (rest of post edited out for brevity)
From: ejones@primenet.com
..............................................................................
The University of Missouri - Columbia has one of the best photojournalism
programs in th U.S. It's more than being a good "shooter", you learn to write
also.
From: caldwell@MO.NET
..............................................................................
From: CDrisc9308@aol.com
..............................................................................
There are probably many but among the most "visible" I believe the University
of Missouri is right up there. I hope I have it right since it seems to me
that they sponsor the annual Pictures of the Year competition along with
sponsorship by most major camera and film manufacturers.
Also take a look at western KY University. They have had several students
who won the student POY competition in recent years. Its a good program.
Less expensive than Columbia.
Indiana University has a very fine journalism program (or at least it did
back in the early 80's when I was at IU. Good Luck.
From: PScudder@aol.com
..............................................................................
From: Jmbirong@aol.com
=============================================================================
39.02 -< Brief description of Panoramic camera systems >-
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
>I would like to take panoramic scenic pictures for its "wide screen" visual
>impact, and am thinking about getting such a camera. My questions are:
>1) what have been your experience with 120 size panoramic cameras?
>2) which width do you prefer: 6x12, 6x17, 6x??
>3) are cameras with interchangeable lens preferred over fixed focal length
1) Conventional - Fixed lens - fixed film. Use any lens on any camera. Kodak
stretch, 6x12, 6x17, 8îx20î, etc. all work the same. They crop a long and
skinny portion from the image circle of the lens. The maxim angle of view is
determined by the size of the masked area and the angle of view of the lens.
You can get the exact same results by shooting with a regular camera, having
standard prints made, and cutting the prints to the long and skinny format.
2) Segmented Panoram - 360 degree+ field of views are possible. Use any
camera with any lens. A series of prints taken with any camera that are
mounted next to each other or combined (as with Appleís Quick time VR) to
show an extended field of view. I shoot segmented panorams with a 70mm lens
on my Nikon. This camera is mounted on my ìpanorama tripod headî in the
vertical position. I turn the head 15 degrees between shots. I then have 4x6
prints made at the local 1 hour lab. When mounted next to each other the
resulting panoram is over five feet long! An other neat trick is to set the
camera horizontally and turn the camera clockwise. The resulting film strip
show the 360 degree+ field of view in one continuos strip with only the
spaces between the frames missing. Using this method you can get negatives
that are 35mm by 5 and a half feet long.
3) Swing lens - The film is held in a curved plane. The lens is not
interchangable. The image is wiped on the film as the lens is turned. These
cameras typically show a 140 to 150 degree field of view. The commercially
produced 35mm versions produce a negative that is 2.25 inches wide. Most
commercially produced 120mm roll film cameras produce a negative that is five
inches wide. Noblex sells one model that produces a 7 inch long negative.
5) Moving Film Panorams - Fixed camera and lens - moving film. The most
popular use for this type of camera is the old horse race photo finish
camera. The camera is stationary. The film moves through the camera at a
speed that is equal to the movement of the image. These are great for
photographing race cars, bicycle races, foot races, etc., any where that a
traveling object will be moving through a predictable area at a predictable
speed. These photos can be identified by having a streaked background without
any detail what so ever. The format is the width of the film by the length of
the stock. 100 foot long photos are just as easy to take as shorter one
From: IAPPprez@aol.com
You first need to calibrate the camera to determine how fast the film moves
through it using a particular gear and a particular fan or at a particular
voltage if using a powered model.
I suspect you only need to do this with one "average" gear or setting knowing
that you can easily double or halve the film speed by proper changes in the
gearing or voltage ... fan may be less predicatable.
Anyway, after devising a method for holding the camera (it need only be the
motorized back if using a camera with separate back and front components) off
the pivot, load with film (scrap) and operate at chosen (or various) settings.
To determine the rate at which the film moves in the camera you can proceed
various ways. One is to reach in through the slot from the front and with a
marker place a mark onto the passing film and let's say 10 seconds later, place
another, and so on. Eventually you then look at the film and measure the
distance between marks (this will change slightly since the take-up drum
diameter changes as film builds up on it). From this then you can figure out
the amount of film that passes by in 10 seconds and thus also on a per second
basis:
Or, if you have an indicator visible that tells you that the take up drum has
made a revolution, you simply need to time how long it takes the drum to make
one (or more) full turn. Then, estimating the diamter of the take-up drum and
multiplying time 3.14 you get its circumference and thus determine that the
average rate of film motion throught he camera is:
Let's say for the sake of argument that the film moves at 1 inch per second.
Now if you have an exposure slot (measure it!) that is about 1/4 inch wide it
would deliver an exposure time of 1/4 second. This is determined from:
Now eventually you will be taking the camera out to make your photograph.
Assuming that the train will be moving at 10 miles per hour, you'd best
translate this to feet/sec by mutiplying mph times 1.5 (rough conversion).
So, in this case the subject is moving 15 feet per second.
So, if you are using a given lens and the image of a train's feature which in
OK, now what to do. Well, since the train will be traveling at 15 feet per
second, this is 15x12 or 180 inches per second. At the distance you happen to
be at this will therefore will give an _image_ speed of the train which is:
or, in this case: Image Rate = 180"/sec divided by 120 = 1.5 inches/sec
But you know that with the particular gearing or whatever you have, the camera
moves the film at 1" per second which is too slow. You have several options
now.
1. You can find/determine what kind of gearing adjustment you need to make to
make the film move faster ... smaller fan, higher voltage or appropriate
adjustment in gearing. This will also reduce the exposure time since that will
now be 1/4 inch divided by 1.5 inches/sec. or about 1/6th second.
2. You can change the focal length of the camera's lens to one which is 2/3 the
original focal length. This will make the image of the train a bit smaller (in
fact reduce its size to 66% original) Since reduction is greater than before
the image moves slower. To figure out the factor by which you need to multiply
the focal length of the lens you have on the camera to determine the focal
length of the new lens you do this:
New Focal Length = Old Focal Length x Available Film Rate/Given Image Rate
From this you can see that if the film rate you "have" is equal to the image
rate you "have", then the lens focal length you "have" is just the right focal
length. Otherwise you take the focal length you have and "adjust" it as shown
above.
3. You could also simply change the position of the camera and move it father
away (in this case). The new distance should be 1.5 times further away from
the train than the distance that the camera was from the train at the time you
determined the rate of its image motion. Essentially this has the same effect
as changing the focal length and you make the image smaller and thus it moves
slower as well.
New Camera Position=Old Camera Position x Available Film Rate/Given Film Rate
One other item of importance is that you should make sure the train is moving
from right to left in front of the camera as I believe inside the camera the
film moves from left to right. The optics reverses image motion and thus both
the image of the moving train and the film willl be in the same direction.
Now you just load your camera, adjust the aperture for ambient conditions and
hope this helps, make sure to not hesitate if any part of these instructions
is not clear, etc. I look forward to hearing of a complete success story!
Andy, andpph@rit.edu
=============================================================================
39.04 -< Catching romantic moods in Paris >-
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
>I have planed to spend one week vacation in Paris in the second week of June.
>My intention is to take pictures relating the "romantic aspects" of Paris
>life in order to prepare a photo exhibition on my return. Since I don't know
>the town, I really would appreciate any suggestion, expecially on which
>places are more indicated under the "romantic aspect".
In addition to the Seine and where my wife & I like to roam is in this huge
park that runs from the Louve to the Pitite Palace. Its full of couples
hand-in-hand and in the fall its beautiful. During June it will be green and
it should be alive with people and you would probably can get your best
shots close to sun down.
=============================================================================
Allen R. Johnson, Jr. wrote: "I -- and other portrait artists -- make a good
living "enhancing" the positive features of an individual's personality and
features. Judicious use of soft focus filtering, clever use of lighting etc.
effectively render an image that people recognize as that person, but in their
best light. And what's wrong with that? Truthfully, most people don't come to
me to have rendered the bald, graphic unvarnished truth a camera is capable of
depicting -- they do that every day with their point and shoots well enough,
thanks."
=============================================================================
39.06 -< Is digital imaging art? Can it be art? >-
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
A discussion on this topic prepared by
Terence McGovern <TJMaC@msn.com>
Terry McGovern
...............................................................................
I am a member of three Photography lists and Terry's was one of the longest
and well expressed postings with which I COMPLETELY agreed--in spirit and
in substance! Nice going, and thanks for saving me the trouble. Actually
we, including Bob, have discussed this to some extent on the Photoart list.
I will follow up briefly by saying that I, like Bob, at least at this point
am not interested in making art using, in part, digital means. Where Bob
and I may differ perhaps, is my strong belief that digital has as much
potential for "high art" (as some would say) as any medium. My last point,
which has been dealt with to some extent on the other list is--there is no
need to labor over whether "digital" is or isn't photography. It
absolutely doesn't matter. What matters is the strength of the work, not
the medium or our efforts to protect the definitions of "Photography".
Thanks again, and as always also for Bob's sincere and thoughtful comments.
I have long said that photography is one of the most immediately rewarding
forms of art, specially for begginers. And as I taught photography and other
subjects, I realized that the most important thing at the begining of learning
After that, you either drop the learning or start using assorted and advanced
tools and learn to dominate a range of situations and to create new, controlled
ones. You put Make-up on your model or arrange a group of fruits.
Finally, and I think this is very appart, there is Fine Art photography.
Very clever observation. Still, the controversy it's around the tool.
I don't think one excludes the other. I have never done IR photography. I am
affraid the heat of Guaymas will ruin everything. But when I read I could do
it with a digital 4x5 plate (well, I still need the camera) I started to
dream. Yo just "switch" the sensibility for the correct wavelenght and... there!
I could really do some Fine Art with that gadget!
>Go back to my first sentence. Define art. <snip> If there is such a thing as
>"Fine Art Photography" then it is surely only 8X10 B/W and contact printed on
>fine paper with an emulsion of your own design. Anything else, I don't believe.
You took the words right out of my mouth. I see Fine Art as any process
taken to the highest point of dedication, quality control, durability and,
of course, communication. And tools remain tools.
=============================================================================
39.07 -< Comments on Electronic/Digital wedding/portrait proofs >-
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
>What do _you- use for digital/electronic proofing purposes with customers?
I put this system together over a year ago and have talked about it at length
in PhotoPro, on CompuServe, and in rec.photo.*. The reaction from other
professionals is mixed.
I have a friend who inspired me. He uses a FotoVix and spends literally all day
Tuesday digitizing wedding images. Neither he nor his assistant can do anything
else besides sit, press the button, and move the film up.
My solution produces higher quality scans (the scanner can interpolate out to
9600dpi, the FotoVix is limited to 640x480) with much less operator (me)
intervention. After I set up a batch, I go away, play with the Puppy Girl, go
to the lab, call customers, work in the camera room, whatever. I can even watch
TV and save the image during the commercial breaks!
-fred
Fred Collins, The Light Fantastic, Fine Photography, Omaha, NE (402) 571-5337
fcollins@gonix.com * fcollins@delphi.com * 73311.2466@compuserve.com
.............................................................................
FYI..The Tamron Fotovix IIX is the older model that accepts film size up to 6x7
but does not have S Video out. The newer model IIXS does have S Video out
($2000). The IIIDS, I believe is strickly 35mm with RCA, S Video out along with
SCSI for connection to a computer.
No proofs are necessary. Every image is viewed with the Fotovix rather
than traditional paper proofs. If a client EVER had a question about
quality and wanted to see paper proofs, sure we would be glad to order a
(We use) No Epix, nor hi res VCR. We are just getting started with showing
our wedding clients their albums using Montage. I am a Mac user, and would
hate to have two platforms in our studio. I'm not quite sure how the
Montage software will work out with our clients, but I do think that they
will love seeing the completed album, page by page.
Can't answer your question directly, but I have used a 400 dpi flatbed
scanner with a transparency adapter on 35mm transparencies to give pretty
good on-screen results (approximately 600x400 pixels).
Certainly the results with medium format would be better - and it does
pretty well with 8x10 if you have the memory to handle the files.
I've proofed these 35mm scans and got pretty good results on a Epson Stylus
Pro. You can also use black and white negs and make prints on a laser
printer. Be warned that you need more than 24 bit if you want to scan colour
neg and get good results.
=============================================================================
39.08 -< How do focal length doublers/triplers work? >-
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Telextenders, Focal length doublers and Barlow lenses - a brief discussion.
A Barlow lens is a negative lens element placed near the focal plane of a prime
lens with the purpose of changing the path of light rays so they appear to be
coming from a further distance than they normally would appear to come from.
Barlow lenses are typically used for astronomical applications to apparently
increase the focal length of the instrument (telescope).
Unfortunately the apparent (and effective) increase in focal length does not
come without a price. That is, since the diameter of the lens does not change,
just the focal length, the effective f number changes by a factor
corresponding to the strength of the extender. At maximum aperture, then, a f/4
lens becomes a 5.6 with a 1.4x extender, and an f/8 or f/11 with a 2x and 3x
extender respectively.
(prime 100mm f/2) (prime 200mm f/4 - same diameter as 100mm f/2
. . - compared to 100mm plus 2x)
| * |*
| * | * # v 2x Tele-extender (or Barlow)
| * | * #
| * | * #
| * | * | #
| * | + #
| * | | + #
| * | | + #
|-------------------------* |---------------|-----------------+--------------#
^ ^ ^
* is 100mm f/2 FP # is 200mm f/4 FP FP
(plain 100) (100 + Barlow) (plain 200)
Notice how the addition of the 2x telextender made a 200mm lens that was
physically shorter than a simple 200mm lens and only slightly longer than the
original 100mm lens.
Andy, andpph@rit.edu
=============================================================================
39.09 -< Developing film in sheet film tanks >-
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
> ...Lately, I have switched to tank development, but have found the
> development to be uneven and unreliable (at least in my hands). I am
> thinking about investing in either a processing drum or the Kostiner 4x5
> processing tanks. Is either is a worthwhile investment?
Previously and sporadically, there has been some discussion of sheet film
developing methods which you might want to check on. Most of it has centered on
alternatives to traditional tray or hangers/tank processing. As well, I have
been reading up on this preparing for my dabbling with pyro, which seems to be
very sensitive to agitation. Gordon Hutchings' book on the subject suggests
that if your method provides even development with pyro, you should have no
problems with other developers. My previous experiments with various methods
indicate that many of us sheet film users have been living with more uneven
development than we would like.
The top of the heap seems to be the tube type processors (Jobo Expert/3000
drums or Beyond the Zone System (BTZS) style tubes). Although the Jobo tanks
are designed for Jobo and other processing machines, I have had excellent
results using one on a print drum motor base. The drums must be filled while
rotating horizontally. This can be taken care of by a small funnel with about
8" of flexible plastic tubing attached. The possible hindrances: the drums are
expensive ($200+); hand rolling, especially the largest size, is cumbersome, as
The BTZS tubes can be purchased from Darkroom Innovations (about $100 for six)
or made from 1 1/2" PVC pipe for much less. Each capped tube holds one sheet;
after loading, processing can take place in room light. It basically consists
of rolling the tubes back-and-forth. I have not used this method, but it
apparently provides excellent evenness. David Kachel has come up with a
variation (see "Darkroom & Creative Camera Techniques," July/August '95) that
uses just the plain tubes (about as inexpensive as possible), no end caps,
rolled in 11"x14" trays. You can wear gloves to roll the tubes, so chemical
contact with your hands can be minimal. Both methods make development
variations for individual sheets within a batch fairly easy. Hindrances: you
still have to process in the dark and the limit is six (maybe eight) tubes per
run. [I am about to experiment with the Kachel variation, using 1 3/4" or 2"
diameter tubes (9" long) to hold two 4"x5" sheets. This would make batches of
twelve (maybe sixteen?) possible.
Several people use print drums. Some 8"x10" models can hold four individual
sheets of 4"x5". I have used this technique with a Unicolor drum and motor base
and had very good results. Used drums and motor bases may be easily found; hand
rolling is certainly feasible. Hindrances: runs are limited to 4 sheets,
although the cost makes it reasonable to have several drums loaded and run in
quick succession; all sheets get the same processing.
Jobo also makes a series 2500 (1500 currently?) tank and reel system. Each reel
holds six sheets and you can get tanks and extenders to hold as many reels as
you might like, although three reels may be a practical limit. Although the
tanks can be used for inversion agitation, they are really designed for rotary
agitation. I have used this system for several years (on a print drum motor
base). It can provide good results, but I had to fiddle with various agitation
variations (as did some others using Jobo processors) to get rid of a tendency
towards streaking. Jobo apparently recognized the problem, introducing a
modified reel a few years ago; I am not sure if this eliminated the development
streaking. I can only gaurdedly recommend this system. Hand rolling is not much
of a problem. Hindrances: a two reel set with tank will run about $150, not
much less than an Expert drum; again, all sheets receive the same processing;
and there may be some uneven development, depending on your technique.
Over the years I have tried various tanks and hangers for sheet film
(admittedly, not the Kostiner). Only one hanger gave me decent results: a
plastic sheet with little pegs that held the film in place along each side.
Unfortunately, it is no longer being made and only fits in large tanks.
One note--all of the tube/drum systems, except the Jobo 2500, really require
that the film be removed for washing after fixing.
*************************************************
* Nathan Prichard * Kentucky Historical Society *
* npric1@ukcc.uky.edu * Box 1792 *
* Frankfort, KY 40602 U.S.A. *
*************************************************
=============================================================================
39.10 -< Making reticulation and grain happen >-
To get intentionally large grain I have done it by using T-Max 3200 rated at
1600. Then develop in Dektol - 1:14 for 5 1/2 min. at 68 degrees. It's been
awhile since I did this and I can't put my hands on the info ... but this is
it to the best of my memory.
=============================================================================
39.11 -< Who makes 3D prints from Nimslo or Nishika negs? >-
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
There is one lab in the US for processing Nimslo/Nishika exposed film and
making 3D lenticular prints from four-lens cameras such as the Nimslo. They
are the Orasee Corporation, makers lenticular material, who apparently bought
i3-Dx and does this. They have a website at:
http://www.orasee.com/new/film_processing.php3
or try:
Image-Tech Laboratories
5172-G Brook Hollow Parkway
Norcross, GA 30071
404-416-8848
or
There is a lab in the UK that will process and print 3D photographs made with
either 3-lens or 4-lens stereo cameras.
They say they can can print from the NIMSLO, NISHIKA, WIZARD, 3D MAGIC, RITTAI
and most similar cameras of this type. As an example of print costs: 18 prints
derived from the standard 36 exposure roll used to cost US$22.40 plus postage
(in 1998). Payment can be in US in dollars if necessary as they hold a dollar
account.
You can also get a subscription to their 8-page newsletter STEREO NEWS and a
12-page Price List free of charge.
good luck,
=============================================================================
39.12 -< Home made print washer instructions >-
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
My washer is homebuilt. I started with a plastic tray designed originally
for bussing dirty dishes in a restaurant - I think I paid about $3.50 in a
restaurant supply house. It's large enough for 11x14 prints to move about
some, and about 6 inches deep.
I made a rectangular array of 1/2 inch PVC pipe with a nipple and garden
hose fitting at the top - this is mounted on one side of the tray using hose
clamps. I drilled a series of small holes in the pipe ar various angles so
that water would jet out of the pipe in a random pattern. Then, I drilled
another series of holes long the opposite edge of the tray about 1/2 inch
below the top edge.
In use, I place the tray in the laundry basin and connect a short length of
hose between the faucet and the hose fitting on the PVC pipe. I let the
water run for a few minutes to start filling the tray, and then take my
prints out of the hypo-clear (I use rapid fix, followed by a holding bath,
followed by hypoclear, followed by selenium toner 1:32 in hypoclear,
followed by a second brief rinse in hypoclear) and place them in the tray.
I try to place the larger prints at the bottom of the tray and the smaller
ones at the top just for convenience. I wash the prints for 30-45 minutes
with the water flowing fast enough to stream out of the small holes at the
edge of the tray, but no so fast that the water fills beyond the line of
holes and spills over the edge of the tray. The random streams of water
inside the tray keep the prints separated. Periodically -say every 10
minutes or so - I leaf through the prints to make sure than none are
sticking together. Total cost - about $15.
=============================================================================
39.13 -< Making positive B&W slides from B&W negatives >-
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
For those interested, I have even another choice for creating B&W slides. I
teach photography and regularly copy students work to show in the classroom.
Our class size is about 50 students, so showing students "prints" is just not
feasible.
If you need to copy a B&W or Color print and you plan to use a copy stand and
you have access to a darkroom, then using Kodak's Direct Duplicating film is
the EASY way to go. I understand that this film is no longer being produced by
Kodak. But, you can order a 100ft. bulk roll from Freestyle out of California
The film is rated at ASA 0.5, so you can see why you need a copy stand. On my
copy stand (2000 watts), reproducing B&W prints that are 7.5x9.5", my exposure
is 8 seconds @ F8. I then process in DEKTOL 1:1 at 75 degrees for 4:30
minutes. Yes I did say DEKTOL.
I have had excellent results using this process. Cost is low, and the process
is fast. What more could you ask for? OH, quality, well it's pretty good. At
least for the classroom situation.
=============================================================================
39.14 -< What is a good place to have light meters repaired? >-
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
One place to get your old Weston and other light meters repaired:
=============================================================================
39.15 -< 35mm film without perforations >-
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
> I would like to find 35 mm film without perforations. Any available?
We own a RoundShot 35mm camera whose optics extend the image well into the
sprocket area. In order to take advantage of this "extra" image area, we've
been researching the rumor of 35mm films available without perforations. This
is what I have found (from Kodak's information number 800-242-2424, x19):
100' rolls. (Note, most bulk film loaders require a plastic core, NOT the
metal spool):
Renner, Eric: Bibliography on Pinhole Optics in Science and Art from 5th
Century B.C. to 1850 A.D. Available from Pinhole Ressource, Pinhole Journal.
Franke, John M.: "Field-Widened Pinhole Camera", Applied Optics, vol. 18, nº.
17, pp. 2913-2914, septiembre, 1979.
Pinhole Journal (1985-) Star Route 15, Box 1655, San Lorenzo, New Mexico
88057, U.S.A.
Smith, L.: The Visionary Pinhole. Peregrine Smith, Layton, Utah, 1985. Young,
M.: "Pinhole Imagery", American Journal of Physics, vol 40 , no. 5, pp.
715-720, mayo 1972.
=============================================================================
40.01 -< Printing out paper - where to get it >-
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
>I am looking for a source for some old fashioned printing out paper. The
>kind that is used for proof prints.
(413) 274-6901
=============================================================================
40.02 -< Ethics at an accident or crime scene >-
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
>What is proper and ethical behavior when photographing at an accident or crime
>scene?
Being a police officer I can maybe help with some of your questions.
The first thing that you want to do as you arrive at the scene of an incident
is to identify yourself. Then after that these rules should apply.
1-Do not hinder the duties of law enforcement, EMS or fire personnel, by
blocking traffic or personnel from entering the scene. Try to remain out of the
way and until the incident is under control please refrain from tying up
personnel with questions. After the incident is under control and in hand we
are more then willing to allow you to ask questions and take photos as long as
it doesn't hinder our scene. Remember, we at the scene are trying to solve a
crime, aid the injured or conduct an investigation. When we ask that you remain
2-Show courtesy toward victims and suspects. Many may not want their
photographs taken.
3-Refer the law on scene. If the area is a crime scene or under investigation
and the police and fire have control, please ask where you may go. If you are
told to remain out do not enter, you more then likely will be arrested and
charged criminally.
4-A good way to get in with local police and fire personnel is to stop by their
offices when they are not on a call and introduce yourself. Let them know who
you are and that you are not the monger that the press is made out to be.
BJ, <bjphoto@execpc.com>
=============================================================================
40.03 -< A personal brown toner formulation >-
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Brown Toner I use:
Bleach.
potassium bromide 50 g
potassium ferricyanide 50 g
water to 1 litre.
Toner.
Sodium Sulphide 50g
water to 1 litre.
With Multigrade FB, I use the solutions full strength, and re-use them until
they are exhausted. With chloro-bromide papers such as Sterling, I dilute
the bleach 1+9 with water, or even more, and stop bleaching before all the
density has gone from the shadows. Otherwise, the shadows don't go dark
enough when put in the sulphide bath.
Using a two-bath method gives more control over the finished result. I have
tried hypo-alum one-bath toner, which needs to be used at around 50 deg C,
but it just gives me the same tones as the sulphide toner.
=============================================================================
40.04 -< PJ Position Interviewing Advice - applicable elsewhere too! >-
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
> I am applying for a job as a photographer for a local newspaper. I don't
> have a degree in journalism, but I have taken some photo classes. I feel
> qualified for this entry level postition. I get nervous when I am asked
> questions face to face during an interview. I want to be able to get a
> start in the photographic field. Anyone have any helpful hints for me?
1. Focus (excuse the pun) on your strenths pertinent to the job. Describe your
background and experience in full slanting it toward the position you are
5. Never answer with a "yes" or "no;" always add a caveat refocusing on your
abilities. Mix it up with positive statements about yourself that end with a
question back to the interviewer.
6. Learn as much as you can about the organization before the interview so that
you can talk intelligently about it. Interviewers like it when you know
something about their organization.
7. Remember, you are going in for an interview to solve a problem - they need a
photographer. Your job is to convince them that YOU are the person they need to
hire. Learn as much about that job as you can PRIOR to the interview, even if
you have to phone (anonymously or fictiously) to the particular department and
ask "informational interview" type questions (i.e. "Im thinking about getting
into the photography profession and am interested in working in an environment
similar to your organization....What sort of assignments does a photographer at
XYZ Corp. usually get; what sort of relationship exists between the photog and
the editor; " etc. etc.
9. Be prepared to show the interviewer how YOU can solve his/her photographic
problems.
10. "Pray as if it all depends upon God, then work as if it all depends upon
YOU" (Richard Allen Bolles)
I was in your position in your position when I applied to Reuter News Agency in
London, years ago, which was my first ever photographic job interview - so
could not get greener than that. I was succesful & got the job as photographer
& later on, after settled in, I asked the chief photographer, why he gave me
the job.
A few days after the interview, Band Aid happened in London. He rang me and
said Bob Geldof would be in a night club that night & he needed a shot. If I
got it, he would pay me. I turned up about 10pm or so, after travelling an hour
from home, and all Fleet Street were there. For some reason, I can't remember,
no one got him going in. I figured if he went in, he has to come out. It was
3am & I was the last photographer there, when he left. Bob Geldof took pity on
me in the dark on my own so late & I was the only one to get a tired Bob Geldof
& Paula Yates. I then took it back to Reuters, processed & printed it. I got a
call at home from the Chief photographer later that morning when I was asleep
at home, asking if I had seen the papers. He told me I got 3 front covers, I
did cartwheels & was in heaven, & I earned about US$70!!.
He was impressed at my keeness & told me, if I had failed or could not turn up,
he would have waited 6 months before calling again. If I failed that, I was
permanent history. I later became staff, which started my working life as a
photographer & never looked back.
For the interview, I spent my last money on a suit (no joke, a year out of
college having had very little work, does not make you rich!!!), so that I
dressed the same as the position expected & it was noted by the chief
photographer.
Last of all, as you can imagine, I was in knots before the interview, but took
the attitude that it is more stressful trying to work out a "person" I was not,
that decided I can only be myself, & if I get the job - I get the job ! The
point being, he could see my personality, not a person being the perfect yes/no
interviewee. The number one hates are yes/no people & people who give the
impression that they are not really 110% keen or serious.
The pictures you show stand for themselves, it is too late to worry about them.
They will be able to read much more into them than you can at your stage. They
want to see a spark, a core of possibility & potential. If they criticise an
image, treat it as a free "pearl of wisdom". Since then, I have noticed, some
people will criticise an image, more to watch your reaction - are you offended,
or do you treat it as an education. My pictures were average, really average,
but he saw I was willing to learn - thats what made me win.
Cardinal rule one, if you are less than 10 mins early - you are late. If I held
an interview & the person was 30 seconds late or in untidy dress, I would tell
him to forget it. It sounds hard, but you have to remember that the logic is
that the person will try the hardest at the interview. If they get the job &
get relaxed, then being on time & correctly dressed, will also relax. So if
late at the interview, god help you if you employ them!
Last of all, I now work for myself & something funny happens. When work is
slow/dead, you try harder when presenting you portfolio. When I am busy, it is
more an annoyance to go and show it, and in a subtle way try less hard to get
the job. The joke is, I have more success in getting the jobs when busy, than
when slow. The reason being, I think I come across more professional, thats
what I do etc, etc, etc, rather than coming across as a "please, I need the
The moral is, be very keen, but don't over do it to the extent of being a
yes/no person. Sometimes, I will intentionally disagree on a small point, just
to show them I have my own opinions. Be on time (early) & be dressed suitably.
Most of all if it is not a contradiction - treat the job like it's no big deal,
it will relax you & you will come across much better.
I would stress badly on my first Reuter jobs. The chief photographer then told
me,- at the end of the day, it is only a picture, if I don't get the shot - no
ones going to die. That comment made me put the job into perspective & made me
relax, & guess what, the standard of my images rocketed. (That's not to say
that, coming back without the picture or being late, were the two worst crimes
you could do, but he was clever, he knew if I relaxed, I would be better at the
job)
I have had the experience of interviewing many candidates either for jobs or
as applicants for medical school. I always provide information either about
the job, or about the school. I am always amazed at the number of applicants
that sit there like a bump on a log, and never ask a simple question. I have a
very strong tendency, supported by 25 years of experience, to reject those
people. If you ask a question, even the proverbial dumb one, it demonstrates
that you have the capacity to listen (a very important thing), think, and
process information. Also, it removes some of the burdon from the interviewer.
He/she does not need to do all the work of thinking, you are doing some of it
too. So, don't be afraid. Ask away. It does impress the interviewer!
A big step that first photographic interview. Here is my insight into the
interviewing experience. Firstly, my name is Michael. In a former career I
was a manager, hired, fired, gave raises, and occasional praise.
DO!!!!!!!!!!
be on time.
dress nicely, do not overdress.
have your portfolio.
have a copy of your resume (in case their copy is misplaced).
have references ready to give them.
have the name, address, and phone numbers for all previous positions held.
be on time
type all correspondence, use originals.
have questions relating directly to the newspaper.
look at their archives prior to the interview (what they have used is what
they liked, and the interviewer may have photos there <wink wink>).
know about the papers style.
ask why they have an opening (did the boss kill the last photographer?).
ask about the department you will work in.
did I mention to be on time!
RELAX.........
SMILE.........
keep in mind that with your skill, attitude, desire, and willingness to work
for practically nothing because you love photography so much.......that
the paper needs you as much, or more than you need them.
After you have dazzled the interviewer with your brilliance, don't forget to
follow up with a letter (one page--one paragraph) thanking the interviewer for
his/her time, mention how thrilled you are to be considered for the position.
Mail this the day of the interview, do not wait. The point is to once again
bring attention to you, because maybe you weren't brilliant. Maybe they are
considering you and another person...This note just might set you apart from
the other person, and it is courteous.
Just two points to help you relax about the interview. First: You are not
nervous about taking photographs, because you know photography. You will not
be as nervous about the interview IF you know something about the paper, and
have questions about it. Secondly: It is my experience at 38 years of age,
that every moment of our lives is an interview in some fashion. In our life,
jobs, family, friends, lovers, potential loves, we seek to impress others with
The really important part is the moment when they offer you the position. Get
the cash too! Now is the time to discuss pay and benefits. Be sure to cover
the issue of incidental expenses. But really the topic of money in photography
is best left to those already paid for it, and you can find some of them at:
NPPA-L National Press Photogs. Association list. To subscribe send mail to:
LISTSERV@CMUVM.CSV.CMICH.EDU and in body of message write only the following
SUBSCRIBE NPPA-L (your name here). This is a central electronic meeting place
for visual communicators, news photographers, photo editors, systems and
graphics editors, freelancers, page designers, etc. Consider also the PHOTOTUJ
PJ list at Temple U. Sen mail to: LISTSERV@vm.temple.edu and in body of message
write only SUBSCRIBE PHOTOTUJ "your-real-name-here". This is a small PJ
discussion group located at Temple University.
Thanks for reading this mixture of opinion, experience, and standard practice,
and have fun at the interview.
PS if you don't get the job, respond with a letter thanking the interviewer for
considering you, and ask if they have any suggestions as to how you might
improve your chances next time.
=============================================================================
40.05 -< Good Book recommendation - The Art of Photography >-
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
=============================================================================
40.06 -< Putting pizzaz in a photography curriculum >-
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
>I am a photography teacher in New York at the High School Level. I have
>developed a photography curriculum that focuses in on basic black and
>Is there anyone out there who can make some suggesions as to what I can
>add to my curriculum? Any advise or suggestions would be great!
Well, as a Photo Editor of a college newspaper, It's possible that some of your
students (or students like them) will come to me wanting to work for the paper.
Of the 15 or so freshman I managed to recruit this year, only two had ever done
any photojournalistic work. Both of the photo classes I took in High school
focused on the art side of photography, and we did alot of abstract work,
nature, and portrature. Fine Art stuff.
I gained a good basic knowledge of photography that way, but everything I know
If you are concentrating on black & white, why not get some polaroid film in
their for emulsion transfers? It's a good way to introduce color and provide a
unique image. That's only a quick fix, but I would suggest you learn about one
new photographer per semester. Make copy slides of the work from books, and
show the work to your students. Identify what is intriguing about that
photographer's work and build an assignment around it.
I teach photography part-time on the college level. The college has recently
gotten rid of its wonderful darkroom and is going completely digital!! It's a
very costly initial investment, but will save money in the long run; besides,
the kids who go on to a career in photography will have to know digital. I'm
teaching myself digital photography one week and teaching it to the classes the
next week. Try that and you won't be bored - crazy maybe, but not bored!! I
couldn't do it without help and advice from others on the internet. You might
introduce digital photography to your class and show them some of the
possibilities. I guarantee they will be fascinated. Good luck! (I'm not giving
up on chemicals - I intend to continue in my own darkroom in my "spare" time!)
Digital's great, but is this the way things should go? Digital technology is
great for Photojournalism, but I can's seem myself learning the fine art of
printing on a computer. Even as our newspaper has moved to scanning our
negatives I sometimes wish I could just make a finely dodged and burned print
with contrast filters I am familliar with and scan that. I wholeheartedly
support the introduction of Digital Technology into the classroom, cause it
part of the future, but I can't see myself abandoing the darkroom and silver
prints for some time. What happens when these kids, who may want to pursue
photography as a hobby, not necessarily as a profession, look at the price tag
for an outfit to develop, scan, and digitally print their photos?
I'd question the saving money part too. It seems that it's necessary to upgrade
technology every 5 years now. I got into photography by rummaging through the
attic and finding my Mom's 25 year old enlarger, trays, and tanks-I'm still
using them today, and have never felt the need to add more RAM, or buy the next
version of StainlessSteelReel 3.0
Nowadays, it's still brill puting a print in the processor - a 4 mins later a
finished print drops out.
Realistically, very few people will, after leaving school, have the cash and
room to set up a darkroom - but most people will have a computer - and as the
processing power and memory creep up to the critical mass, along with good
output devices, MOST people will be able to create their own prints on their
own desktop (and probalbly in their bosses time!). However, without exposing
students to a real darkroom, they will not appreciate what can be done with
traditional methods - nor will full understand the terms used in programmes
like photoshop - actually using dodge and burn etc. Once you have done
something the original way, you can fully understand the tool on the computer.
When I first started to use D.T.P. I went along to on old letterpress printers,
and have handled real leading, em spaces etc, so when I come accross these
terms I can understand them - it also makes you realise just how easy some
things are when done on the computer.
-----------------------------------------------------------
David Clark, LMPA Professional Portrait & Wedding Photographer
Clark Photographers, 32 High Street, Laurencekirk, Scotland
cphoto@globalnet.co.uk Phone +44 1561 377477 Fax +44 1561 377438
-----------------------------------------------------------
...............................................................................
It's the way things probably will go, at least as far as commercial photography
goes. I agree with you that it would be a shame to abandon the darkroom
completely. However, commercially, it is necessary to move into the future with
digital imaging. In fact, in photojournalism and editorial photography
particularly, if you don't go digital, you'll be left behind. You can't beat
the speed or ease of digital manipulation compared to working in the darkroom.
The price of digital cameras is coming down to the level where the average
person can afford them, so probably will soon be buying digital cameras instead
of regular film cameras. The price of computers is still coming down, and most
homes have one. But, how many homes have a darkroom, or the space for one? I
agree in the long run that a darkroom will be much cheaper to set up and
maintain than a computer set up for digital imaging, but it probably wouldn't
get as much use as the computer would.
There's nothing like the thrill of watching the image on your first print
appear, and having some darkroom experience would certainly benefit anyone
getting serious about photography.
The past couple of years, I've spent very little time in my own darkroom. Part
of that is because of the computer. The other reason is that my darkroom is now
less than half the size of what I had in a previous house. I don't have the
space, nor time, to do colour anymore either. I would hate to have to give up
the darkroom completely after many years, but may eventually, due to time
constraints. I would miss it.
High School was a bit of a blur for me, but I rather enjoyed the fact that we
got to experiment and get the basics of several types of photography. We did
35mm, medium format and 4x5. By the third year of Visual Communications we
could even use the 4x5 without doing any damage. It's not outside of most
bugets to buy a twin lens reflex or two for medium format work, and they make a
good tool for a portrature assignment.
You've probably already seen students who want to go further than your
curriculum, I'd sugest just collecting some tools to help them and loose them
on the world. I liked the idea posted earlier about covering the work of famous
photographers (humble the teenagers, I always say).
Mainly I'd sugest that you cover the basics of photography at the beginning,
but by the end of the course you should be doing as much mentoring as teaching
from the curriculum.
1. Add color. Use a 1-hr photo place for the students to get their stuff
processed. Add color theory, and color harmony, and color psychology.
2. Go digital. If the school has a computer lab, get coupled to that teacher,
see if you can buy a scanner and Adobe Photoshop. Then let the kids have at
it.
For the "kids" I recommend PhotoFinish, which is very simple to use, very
inexpensive (Egghead sells it for $49; I paid $29 by mail), and will do 75% of
what Photoshop will do (and easier).
=============================================================================
40.07 -< Three Most Important Highlights in History of Photography >-
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
> I'm preparing to interview for a temporary teaching position, and one
> question is: "What are the three (3) most important highlights in the history
> of photography."
From: jbartlo@indyunix.iupui.edu
..............................................................................
Nicephore Niepce who died 1833 has started his different researches in 1816
and experimented different supports such as paper, glass, stone, metal covered
with a photosensible material. He obtained rather good results and it was his
merit to have found the first stable image.
In 1829 Niepce associated with Daguerre and only as of then a real development
in chemical photography started. and the so called "daguerreotype" were born.
The celebrity of the above two brought two other "new" inventions. In 1839 W.H.
Fox Talbot informed by the researches of Daguerre, claimed having also made
similar researched far before Daguerre in using paper dipped in a AG salt
solution.
I leave on purpose out all different other stages such as Calotype. Suggest you
look at pictures of Hippolyte Bayard or Baron Humbert de Molard.
The second important step was know doubt the discovery of the so called
"Leica-Format" eg. 24x36 mm. Suggest you are looking at your Library to get
hold of the Leica-book and you have to complete history.
With regards to the third major step in photography...I am afraid here the
meanings will be different, but I would mean the "Colour Photography", which
first was used in Germany (AGFA). Now some will possibly argue what about
Kodak....but if my memory is not making any mistake, it was AGFA who
discovered first the colours film (movie) followed by transparency
photographic films.
You will find in the US Second World War Archives a Color-Film showing a
Military Parade of the German Army in Berlin and I believe this was at
1934/36.
1.- the discovery of the action of light on silver salts, just as Andrew
pointed out
2. Alfred Steigletz- for his many opinions about photography and its place in
the art world.
Probably the rise of rapid high quality 35mm mass color processing at low cost
would be one of the most significant modern contributions to photography. It
has produced a folk record of remarkable value and accuracy.
The invention of motion picture film which made 35mm still photography
possible.
From: Afterswift@aol.com
...........................................................................
I would put the emphasis on images which were mass produced and really
signalled a fundamental shift in how humans look at the world. Here's my
list:
1. The first image showing a candid living human being. It was a man standing
in a street around the 1840's? I think he had one leg propped up on something.
3. The first photograph of the earth rising from the Lunar surface taken from
Apollo 8.
Regarding an earlier post in this thread, I don't think Niepce used "film."
1. The Daguerreotype -- the start. Certainly not the earlist start, but the
point when first critical mass was achieved.
2. The Kodak -- the next level. There were many major advances before this
point (wet plates, dry plates, etc.) but this was the next major escalation.
NOTE: Major events in "Art" photography took place throughout -- but in the big
picture "Art" photography is hardly signifcant.
3. If this is limited to still photography then I'll opt for the development of
photo-mechanical printing.
Since without the technology the image could never have been made there is a
strong argument I believe that technology is the more important fact over
history ... but it will be interesting to see the development of this "thread".
=============================================================================
40.08 -< A couple more labs that process IR Ektachrome (E-4) >-
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
=============================================================================
40.09 -< Hand Coloring - materials and instructions >-
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
> We have been trying to find information on hand coloring black and white
> photographs with oils for a high school project. If you can help us, we
> would appreciate it! Thank you!
The last I heard Marshall's colors were still available, as is their book on
hand coloring with the oils. But if you find them difficult to obtain
(aren't many "traditional" photo stores anymore), there is another line sold
by art stores: Shiva transparent oils. They work very well.
Crash course: to handcolor using oils, you use cotton balls or q-tips and
spread the color over the area, then remove with clean cotton. Enough will
remain for the color you desire. To remove, use lighter fluid or any
petroleum solvent. Some papers require treatment; this is done in the
Marshall system with a "Medium" - for the Shiva, you can spread clear color
over the whole surface and wipe all off that you can.
(Just as a note: my first part-time job as a kid was doing oil coloring for
a portraitist. It's very easy.)
They're very much still in existence. They've moved to the Chicago area,
and are sold by, among other retailers, Freestyle Sales Co. Check out the
Freestyle web site at:
http://www.freestylesalesco.com/
Marshall's makes both oil colors and oil-based pencils, and has also produced
both a book and a video on hand-coloring.
I have done quite a bit of hand coloring over the past few years. Based on
this experience, I suggest the following:
5. Obviously, it's preferable to start in the middle of the print and work
out toward the edges.
7. If you get good at this, you can move up to oil paints. However, my
experience is that pencils are far easier to use than paints, less
expensive,, and are more than adequate for most applications.
9. Important - prints which have been hand-colored with oils need time to
dry. I suggest a minimum of one-week before removing them from the support
backing board - and longer if you use oil paints.
There are at least two other brands of oil materials on the market -
Veronica Cass (the retouching people ) and Pebeo. However, Marshall's is
the brand that has been around since the dinasaurs.
The first print I ever hand colored (and which consider to be one of my
finest pieces) was done dry (no PMS) using cheap colored pencils from the
dime store. The subject was an antique Chinese vase, and the cheap pencils
couldn't produce really intense color. The subtle tonalities are wornderful.
I teach black and white photography to high school students. I generally use
water color paints to colorize photographs. This works quite well.
Use Kodak PhotoArt paper and Marshall Oils or pencils. It's not hard and
it's lots of fun to do! Good luck - Tina
I can recommend two books on handcoloring photographs. The first, and I think
the better one, is by Judy Martin and Annie Colbeck, *Handtinting Photographs:
Materials, Techniques, and Special Effects* (Cincinnati, Ohio: North Light
Books, 1989; 1507 Dana Avenue, Cincinnati, Ohio 45207; $29.95; ISBN
Both books give advice on preparing photographs for coloring, and review the
many ways of doing so: oils, oil pencils, color markers, photographic dyes, and
so on. I've also used watercolors and watercolor pencils, but these are more
difficult to work with as the paper must be kept wet while one is applying the
colors.
Your choice of paper is also important. Kodak has recently offered a new
paper, P-Max Art RC, that is made especially for handcoloring. It's a matte
surface with "tooth." It is, however, available only as a graded paper, with
both grades 2 and 3 as choices. From Kodak's description: Symbol, V; Texture,
suede; Surface, double matt; Base Tint, white; and Base Weight, Heavy. Its
catalogue number is 165 5513; and the publication describing it is G-28. I
imagine that Kodak will be happy to send G-28 to you at no charge:
1-800-242-2424.
Good luck.
John G. Marshall Mfg. Co. The latest address I have for them is PO Box
649, Deerfield, Il 60015
=============================================================================
40.10 -< Making your own bellows - instructions, supplies >-
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
>If anyone on the forum has any information, suggestions, tips, pointers, on
>the making of camera bellows for large format cameras, I'd like to hear them.
I've made many bellows for different size cameras. Here's how to do it.
1. Learn how to fold the bellows -- practice with brown paper bags.
2. The leather choice is important. Get a skiver large enough to do the job. A
skiver is a split lambskin -- it's very thin and flexible.
3. The skiver alone is too flexible and will not hold the bellows shape by
itself. Go to a fabric store and get some sheer synthetic curtin material.
4. Completely coat (thin) the inside of the leather with a leather formulated
contact cement. Adhere the fabric to the leather and give it a day to dry.
5. Use black shoe dye to dye the inside surface of the leather/fabric.
6. The leather should now still be flexible enough to fold but stiff enough to
hold the bellows shape.
7. Draw the out line of the bellows in pencil on the outside of the leather and
begin folding.
8. Use the contact cement to close the seam (should face down in the camera).
9. Use red or black shoe dye to dye the outside of the leather.
Ordinarily I just lurk, but this thread has been going on for several days,
now, and I have not noticed the following information so far:
Leather/Cloth
1372 La Playa Street
San Francisco, CA 94122
The virtue of the camera is not the power it has to transform the photographer
into an artist, but the impulse it gives him to keep on looking.
Brooks Atkinson, Once Around the Sun
The camera is an instrument that teaches people how to see without a camera.
Dorothea Lange, quoted in Los Angeles Times
The camera makes everyone a tourist in other people's reality, and eventually
in one's own.
Susan Sontag, in New York Review of Books
"The only interest I really have in these subjects is what they can do
photographically," he explains. "One of the magical things about photography
is the transformation that takes place when you photograph something.
Something that inherently has very little going for it in terms of the interest
you take in it, can become infinitely more interesting when rendered as a
photograph. It's no longer a building. It's a photograph." [Manuel J.
Rodriguez. "Grant Mudford: Finding His Niche in the Fine Arts World" (43).
Photographer's Forum: Magazine for the Emerging Professional 15.3 (1993):
43-52.]
>From W. Eugene Smith's letter to Life, refusing to allow the magazine to have
possession of his negatives: "Negatives are the notebooks, the jottings, the
false starts, the whims, the poor drafts, and the good draft but never the
completed version of the work. "... The completed version a print should be
sufficient and fair return for a magazine's investment, for it is the means of
fulfilling the magazine's purpose ,,,, The print and a proper one is the only
completed photograph, whether it is specifically shaded for reproduction, or
for a museum wall. "Negatives are private, as is my bedroom ...."
Meaning it's not the film that matters, it's the knowledge that matters.
Something like that. I came up with the quote while driving around with an ex
"lady friend," she at the time was a Mass Com major at Florida Southern
College. Advertising was her area and I came up with the idea for a film ad. As
I said it's not the film but the knowledge that matters. The knowledge of what
films will best suit your needs, Fuji or Kodak, 100, 200 or 400? It can go on
forever....
"Film is cheap" (used to break the "Gee should I take the picture or not?",
dead-lock)
I only found two quotes here at home specific to photo; here they are:
The magic of photography is metaphysical. What you see in the photograph isn't
what you saw at the time. The real skill of photography is organised visual
lying.
--TERENCE DONOVAN
The following are not particularly high-minded quotes. They're simple sayings
for beginning students in Black and White photography. (I know you've already
received the classics like "expose for the shadows . . .")
On framing a subject:
"If you're not sure you've got it all, take one step back!" also:
"Really _LOOK_ at what's in the viewfinder _BEFORE_ you trip the shutter."
On printing:
"One test strip is worth a hundred guesses."
Carroll Hale
Professor-Art Eastern Kentucky University
arthale@acs.eku.edu
............................................................................
"The hardest thing about being a photographer is, you have to take pictures."
Doug Bartlow
Don't remember the exact quote, someone else might be able to correct
me, but my favorite is by a photographer named Friedlander (forgot his
first name). When asked why he photographs, he said "Because I have a
burning desire to see what things look like photographed by me."
Home developing: the most fun you can have on your own in a stuffy, pitch
black closet.
"A photograph is a most important document, and there is nothing more damning
to go down to posterity than a silly, foolish smile caught and fixed forever."
- Mark Twain
=============================================================================
41.02 -< How to make successful slides from prints >-
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
> I have a question for you guys. I am trying to make slide copies of my
> prints and I am having problems. I have a homemade copy stand where I stand
> up and take the shot of my print. I have two flashes at opposite sides of
> the print. I focus in close enough not to show the white border of the
> print. When I look at the results I see an irregular border on 1, 2, or 3
> sides of the shot. It looks awful! I asked the guys at the photo lab and
> they said to put a piece of glass over the print to keep the print flat. So
> I bought a piece of glass and now I am seeing a reflection of me on the
> glass! What can I do? Does anyone have any suggestions? I am getting indebt
> trying to figure out this problem on my own. I want a borderless image
> without any reflections. IS this possible? I am shooting AGFA color slide
> film for B&W prints. Thanks in advance to all of you!!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
So far so good. Try to put the flashes at an angle of about 38 degrees instead
of 45 degrees as most books would tell you.
Another question: do you have negatives from the photo's? Any decent lab can
make perfect slides from negatives for little money.
In this case it is better to use b&w slide film (Agfa makes a very good one).
Anyway, I think it is always better to use b&w film to reproduce b&w
photographs.
You're looking through the lens and thinking that you're cropping off the
borders but you're not taking into account that most viewfinders on 35 mm
cameras are set for showing 90-95% of the actual scene you're taking. You must
get closer. The reason that you are seeing the lines off-square is that you are
not square with the print. You must compose your shot so that the center of the
lens is exactly over the centerpoint of the print. You may be able to put pins
in the corners of your print, run a thread from upper right to lower left, then
another thread for upper left to lower right. Where they meet is the
cernterpoint of that print. Remove thread after positioning the camera. You may
find that this is still an inexact method of positioning unless you find a way
of determining the exact center of the viewscreen. Then, it's a means of
ensuring that the camera is exactly level or you will have a keystone effect
with one set of parallel lines that are supposed to be equal be photographed as
unequal lines. Best thing is to photograph the print as close as you can to
avoid the sides. Hope this helps.
Don Wood (Photos by Don Wood), 404 W. Third St., Madison, IN. 47250
dwood@seidata.com http://www.seidata.com/~dwood/
............................................................................
If your black and white prints have borders, use magnetic strips to hold them
flat. If they don't have borders, use double-sided tape. Your viewfinder will
show less than you get in the actual slide. Allow a little extra room by coming
in closer. I like to use constant light instead of flash because I can see
exactly where there are reflections. The slides you have already taken can be
masked with opaque slide-masking tape to cover the irregular borders. You can
also make nice slides by making direct copies of your negatives on negative
film (a negative of a negative is a positive).
I think what you need to do is try and polarize the light entering your camera.
First buy or borrow a circular polarizing filter for your camera lens. Rotate
it and see if any of the reflections go away in the viewfinder. This may not
work, since the light hitting the print needs to be at a certain angle to be
polarized with a filter.
A better solution is to buy some polarized gels and put them in front of the
light sources, in your case, the flashes. It's tricky to get rid of those
reflections, but I think polarizing the light is the first step.
First - the border problem. Many, actually most, 35mm cameras do not show in
the viewfinder exactly what will appear on the film, creating the problem you
have. This can be solved by 1- put the camera on your copy stand; 2- open the
back of the camera (with no fim in it); 3- set the shutter on Time or hold it
open with a locking cable release (so the shutter stays open); 4-put a piece of
tissue paper or lightly frosted paper over the opening where the film will go
and in between the film rails; 5-focus the image and move the camera up or down
as needed to assure sharp focus with the image NOT showing any borders. Mark
the copy stand to show this camera height which does not show any borders.
Alsao put marks on the baseboard so you can place the print to be copied in the
exact place a print was when you did the above. Then, with film in the camera,
and the camera at the right distance from the print to be copied, you will get
slides that are in focus and which do NOT show a border.
Next, the glass problem. Glass causes reflections and if you can hold the
original down flat without glass do so, saving a whole bunch of troubles. If
youhave to use glass, attach a large (16x20 perhaps) piece of black board with
a hole of the right size to the lens with a filter retaining ring so that the
board is parallel to the baseboard. If the black side of the board faces the
copy print, the reflections will not appear.
A more elegant solution, and not too expensive a way to go is to use a large
flat metal plate marked off in squares and print sizes. These are made just for
this purpose and come with several strips of flexible magnetic material. You
hold down the 4 edges of the prints being copied with the magnetic strips and
you have a flat print to copy with no shadows around the edge. These metal
sheets are available at any good pro camera shop.
You can also solve the reflection problem with a polarizing filter on the lens
and another over each light, but this is quite expensive. It is the best way to
go if you have the dough. Kodak has a good book on copying by the way, also
availavle at a pro camera shop.
I assume you are making colored slides not b&w. I find the easiest way is to
use Kodak's VSF 5072 and copy the color negative. This film uses the C41
process. I use a dichoric light source (an inverted Omega C700 head) and stage
the negative on top of the light source in a negative carrier. The light source
is hooked up to a voltage regulator. I did find that the white light in my
darkroom caused some bounce and flair and so I such off the room lights each
time I made an exposure and that appears to have eliminated the problem.
I bought the film in a 100' rool to get consistent results once I settled in on
filtratiion. I made some test shots and found that I got the best results at
ISO 3 with 25M and 45Y filtration. I used a Nikon 60mm Micro lens at f.8 and
got very satisfactory results. You might make a test using negatives that were
exposed to different sorts of light, i.e., strobe or daylight: the filtration
can satnd a little tweaking depending upon the light source. I have had the
remanents of the 100'roll of film in the freezer since 1992 and defrost it long
enough to wind a couple of rolls as the occasion demands and then put it back
into the freezer. I make some test shots before I make a lot of new slides so
if storage creates any deleterious effects they get masked by new test data.
(In checking my records, however, I found that there has been less that a 3cc
shift in filtration since 1972 and that might be due to the age of the lamp.)
I had a daughter get married recently and to my horror I found that all the
slides had been contamination by bad chemistry (I'm too embaressed to go into
detail). I recovered very well by making slide copies of all the negatives I
could get my hands on that friends and relatives took at the wedding. Good luck
to you.
>I have a question for you guys. I am trying to make slide copies of my
>prints and I am having problems.
I did this a couple of years ago with great results. I used a *real* 50mm macro
lens(but a normal 50mm or good zoom will suffice of you stop down well) and a
copy stand which was really an enlarger with the head taken off and a camera
attachment fitted, though you could use a large tripod with the centre column
reversed and camera pointing down, or fit the camera normally and tape the
print to a wall!).
Then to line everything up I used a small mirror. Put the mirror flat in the
middle of the copy board, then arrange the camera so the image of the front of
the lens is dead centre in the viewfinder. Viola! all is aligned and parallel.
Now follow all of the good advice others have made regarding setting up ther
lights. (I didn't bother with cross-polarising as my copy was flat anyway
without glass, and here in Australia sheets of polarising filter is ruinously
expensive.)
The glass was to flatten the pictures, but if they are flat already then you
can disregard it. If you MUST use a glass, then I would also recommend that you
use lamps instead of flashes, so you can control what the final photo is going
to be. I strongly recommend a polarizer (regardless of the use of a glass).
Yet, the use of lamps will pose another problem: If you use color film then the
pictures may end orange-cast because of the color temperature of the lamps. You
would have to know the color temperature of the light prior and use a
color-correction filter accordingly. In this case, I would recommend you do NOT
use a polarizer, because you might end up with a viewfinder impossibly dark.
Here, you would move the lights to avoid reflections.
If quality is not the top priority, say you are going to explain composition to
a class, then you can scan the pictures, darken the room and shoot from the
computer screen (but this would pose new problems).
Any kind of copy work that I've done requires that the copy lights be at 45
degrees to the copy, of course, one on the left and one on the right. They
should also be of equal intensity. As to glass to hold down your copy, try a
vaccum easel. To keep the expense of the easel to a minimum, you can build
one as described in a Petersen's Photographic publication. I'm sorry I don't
remember the name of the publication, but I've seen them in libraries.
This way you dont need to worry about the borders, which you can correct later,
or about the fact that you want to photograph an 8x10 onto a 35mm format
(8x12), and will have side borders anyway.
The CPP process has three requirements: written exam, image submission, and
referrals.
The WRITTEN EXAM is a standardized written exam, like the SAT college entrance
exam or GRE graduate school admissions exam. All questions are either multiple
choice or true/false; there are no write-in or essay questions. There is a
mandatory section of 100 questions, plus an optional section of 20 questions in
your area of expertise.
The 100 mandatory questions are broken down into about a dozen or so different
segments covering:
The OPTIONAL SECTION of 20 questions allows you to choose one of the following:
wedding/portrait, commercial/industrial/illustrative, or lab specialties.
You need to score at least 70% to pass. It's pass/fail, so it doesn't matter
whether you get 100% or 70%, you're still certified. I got 84%. Seven people
took it that night with me, and five passed.
To study for the test, get the book "Photography, 5th Edition," by London &
Upton, published by Harper Collins. It costs about $50 and covers everything in
the test. I spent about 10 days reading the book and studying my notes.
Instead of the book, you can also purchase the CPP Study Manual from your state
CPP Liason.
You are allowed to take the written exam up to 3 times. There are 3 different
versions of the test, so you would receive a different one each time. Also, if
you take the exam with a group, those sitting next to you will have a different
test from yours. So it won't help to copy!
The IMAGE SUBMISSION part of the process requires you to send in 10 different
photos, from 10 different assignments, either 8x10 or 10x10 (color or b&w) or
slides. This means you can't pick your prettiest bride and send in a bunch of
photos just of her! Self-assignments don't count; these have to be photos you
did for a client. These photos should be "customer quality" and don't have to
be competition prints. Photos should look as good as possible; close-up
The selections you send in should be representative of the services you offer.
So if you do 50% weddings and 50% portraits, send in 5 of each.
I asked a friend who was already a CPP to help me pick out my photos. They all
passed!
The REFERRAL submission asks you to give written business and personal
referrals. For the business part, I got my bank and my lab to fill out the form
saying that I was following good business practices, paid my bills on time,
etc. For the personal referrals, I asked the Alumni Director at my alma mater
to fill out the form, since I donate my time and services to the college. I
also asked another photographer (PPANJ member) to vouch for me.
In addition to the CPP, there's also a new CEI (certified electronic imager)
test if you're into Photoshop and such.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Stanee Rae Murray, CPP PPANJ WebMaster
Stanee Rae Studio http:\\www.cmpsolv.com/ppanj
VOICE: (908)842-5268 <stanee-rae@worldnet.att.net>
------------------------------
=============================================================================
41.04 -< Listing the world's great living photographers (1996) >-
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>Who do you feel are the great LIVING photographers. Please identify their
>style, eg. landscape, portrait, documentary, etc, their country of origin, and
>their favorite format if known.
John Sexton, Landscape, Large format, USA - I think his work is built upon that
of Ansel Adams, but he certainly does stand on his own.
There are quite a few photographers that qualify as being "great." Irving
Penn, Richard Avedon, Galen Rowell, Vern Clevenger, Bruce Birnbaugh, and more.
The list can be quite long. The problem is that we have been bombarded with
the old timers because thay were actually pioneers in the field of photography.
The works of some of the "masters" has been overplayed. Sure, they were the
first to capture the laying of a railroad track but if the work was considered
as an art form, and not an old image, the work would not hold up. I am sure
that you are familiar with many photographers that are working today and that
these people have contributed much to the enjoyment of seekers of fine art.
Some of the difficulty has been the reluctance of some to accept the works of
digitized artists as being true artists. The recent work of Joe Holmes is an
example. He has graduated from printing his own images in Dye Transfer,
Cibachrome, Pigment processes, and now is using all of his energy in producing
great images using his commputer to manipulate his own work. The results are
fantastic. What do you think?
Mary Ellen Mark definitely, 35mm, very emotional graphic work, very beutiful.
I'm a fan of Joel Meyerowitz, who has captured Cape Cod at its most
stunning moments... also Redheads, and Russia. A few years ago the last
was featured in the Photography Gallery at the Cleveland Museum of Art.
I wish that hallway were longer, or that Cape Light had been included.
I'll put in my two cents for Jan Groover, still life photographer who
currently lives somewhere in France.
John S. Lapp, Department of Economics, Box 7507, North Carolina State University
Raleigh, NC 27695-7507, John_Lapp@ncsu.edu
.......................................................................
And I'll add Jim Brandenburg. Excellent wildlife and outdoor photographer. Has
also dabbled in film, when working on similar projects in stills. Some of the
best wolf (artic and minnasota) pictures I've ever seen. Just check out your
NG's.
How about Jim Natchwey/ National Geo /A book on the violence in Northern
Ireland. His bXw work in Eastern Europe is intense. Hey Ron he still
shoots KODACHROME.
There was a very good PBS special about Avedon. I believe it was on about 6
months ago. It gave me much greater respect for the man and his work. They
also interviewed many of his subjects, including the guy with the bees all
over his face and body. They had some video of the session for the bee shot.
Gave me the willies...
I find it easier to like someone's work if I like the person as well. (I know
this is purely subjective, but I'd be interested hear what others think about
this.) I came away from that show liking Avedon as a person and having much
more admiration for his accomplishments.
Michael Kenna
Sally Mann
> I find it easier to like someone's work if I like the person as well.
> (I know this is purely subjective, but I'd be interested hear what
> others think about this.) I came away from that show liking Avedon
> as a person and having much more admiration for his accomplishments.
> Kerik Kouklis
I can agree that liking the artist helps. Many of the photographers I consider
influences are people I admire personaly, not just technically. The effect is
that you also learn the person's work habits, ethics, views and goals, and
that tells you alot about your own feelings toward your art and work.
I'll add some of my own. Apologies for those I've repeated. Rather than go
into, long descriptions, I'll break them down into general classifications.
I'm assuming that we're talking about living *and* active; otherwise, I'd be
obliged to add Ruth Bernhard (is she still an active photographer?)
Landscape:
Joel Meyerowitz
Richard Misrach
Galen Rowell
Robert Adams
Social/Political:
Richard Misrach
Robert Del Tredici
Portraiture:
Richard Misrach
Sally Mann
Bill Owens
Specialized:
Richard Barnes (Architecture)
Lois Greenfield (Dance)
Photomontage/Alternative Techniques:
Jerry Uelsmann
Jan Saudek
During her high school years Mark painted and was into drawing, she got into it
again during college. She stated that she wasn't "passionate or involved enough
in the idea of being a painter." Photography really turn her on, it engaged
her emotions, and intellect.
It was 1962 when Mary embraced photography. This happen during her Graduate
studies at the Annenberg School for Communication at the University of
Pennsylvania. She had studied painting and art history for her bachelor's
degree from the same university.
After she graduated, she worked at drafting for a city planner. She hated it.
She decided to return to school. She looked into the Annenberg scholarship
program. She won a scholarship and chose photography.
She started using her camera for the school yearbook and alumni magazine. In
the Pennsylvania Gazette her photos were published in one issue in 1964 two
stories showing old-timers and school celebrations.
She knew immediately that photography was her calling. Mary felt that she had a
chance to be good at it. The next day she went out on the street to experiment
with the camera that was given to her by her instructor. Using that camera gave
her a feeling that through photography she know she had a way to contact with
people.
When she completed her Fulbright project in 1966 she returned to New York in
1966.
The photographs she captured gave her recognition and gave here an excellent
portfolio, from this she was able to start looking for work as a professional
photographer when she went back to New York. Some of her work from Turkey,
Greece, Germany, Spain was published in her first book Passport in 1974.
Passport cuts across the cultures of Asia, Europe, and America, beginning
images of Turkish immigrants in Istanbul it ended with images of the Woman's
Army Corps training in Alabama.
There were many photos worth looking at but the individual images were very
strong, conveying a range of emotion. During this time Mark's early work were
photograph's of children. In street children. In the image titled "Street Child
Trabozon, Turkey" the little girl had on a wrinkled dress, cheap shoes. She
stands in front of a white wall with her hip out. I guess the little girl
picked that up from watching movies of old movie stars.
She carried a camera with her everywhere, shooting anything that interested
She discovered that there was a lot of opportunity in the world of magazines
and film. She got a chance to use her production stills from the movies on the
covers of magazines. In 1975 she made the cover for The New York's Times
Magazine was from the day of the locust. Thirteen stills from the film was used
in that issue. The Sunday Times Magazine featured "The Day of the Extra" an
article about the same film.
Mark's big break came when Look editor Pat Carbine accepted here suggestion
that she do a story on Federico Fellini making Fellini Saturicon (Photo) While
Mary was in Rome a member of the TV crew told her about this new law in England
that allows clinics to despises heroin to registered addicts. Mark call Mary
Simons at Look to write the story. They were able to sell the editors of Look
on their project. In 1970 Mary photographs were found in an article called
"What the English Are Doing About Heroin" you got a close up look at drug user
shooting up.
You may want to call our Service Department, and speak with Robert, who is
Service Department Manager. He can give you an idea about the cost (which
should be minimal) of a cleaning and a refurb, by the people who made it.
The idea behind refrigeration is that one of the most deleterious conditions
1. Be absolutely sure that when the film is frozen, the air in the
container holding the film is dry. If not, the moisture in the air will
freeze, and when it is later thawed, this frozed moisture will thaw into
water rather than humidity in the air, and potentially damage the film. My
practice is to religiously never open the plastic canisters of film that I
intend to freeze on the basis that the manufacturer will control the
humidity of the air in the canister at the time of packaging.
2. Allow enough time for the film to thaw completely before opening the
canister and loading the film into your camera. The film shoudl come to
room temperature. If not, moisture in the atmosphere will condense onto the
cold film and potentially spoil it.
3. An obscure but important fact - Poloroid did some testing many years ago
which demonstrated that while ffreezing film stops the aging for as long as
the film is frozen, once it thaws it resumes aging, but at a far more rapid
rate. Film which has a year of life left when it is frozen can be kept
frozen for manyyears, but once thawed, it should be used and processed right
away since it may age to expiry within a few months.
Another point - the expiration date does not represent a point when the film
turns into a pumpkin. rather, it is the average point in time when the film
ages past the manufacturer's tolerances for speed, granularity, and (for
color film) color balance. Film past its expiration date is still usable -
and it is a pretty good bargain if economy is important.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Louie J. Powell, LJPowell@ix.netcom.com
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
=============================================================================
41.08 -< Making 3D pictures with ONE camera >-
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
>Do I need a special camera to make three dimensional or stereo photographs?
Step One: how big do you need each picture to be? Usually they are square
(meaning you'll have to chop prints from 35mm or other non-square formats) and
3 to 4 inches a side.
Step Two: If you aren't using two cameras which fire simultaneously (using a
cable release with a T-adaptor, for example) or a stereo camera, then you can
forget about action shots. Choose your subject accordingly (yes, I know I
already used 'accordingly' in my last post... there it is again!)
Step three: Two pictures get taken about two inches apart, roughly the spacing
of the eyes. Theoretically, the cameras (if you are using one camera and
moving it, imagine it as two cameras for a moment) should be pointed the same
direction (or at the same point, though this will make the photo trickier on
Step four: When you get the prints, hold them next to each other in the 3D
viewer-- it will be pretty obvious pretty quickly whether you have the left one
on the left side and the right one on the right side. Now, once you have each
photo on its proper place, you can shift them around a little to "fine-tune"
until the image lines up properly-- this is why you don't need a spirit level
or other precision instruments (except the cameras and YOU) when you take the
photos. There is room to fudge it a little when you get the prints. When the
image looks good, mark the position (on the back) and trim the prints so they
go together and are square. Then glue 'em to cardboard and you're all set!
Split development is a means whereby one may achieve a lower contrast change in
*graded* paper. It is generally done by making up a two stage developing
routine with Kodak Selectol soft in the first tray and Dektol in the second.
Both developers will have a dilution greater than normal. ie., I use a 1:3
rather than 1:2. Other practitioners have their own favourites in choice of
developers and dilutions. It should be noted that your safelight illumination
should be lowered since your developing time will now be longer by at least
50%. My own regimen is to develop in the soft developer (1:3 dil.) for about 1
minute, transfer directly to the second developer (again, about a 1:3 dilution)
for about 3 to 4 minutes.. You should find that you will have a print with a
sublte contrast reduction.
I've written a couple of personal notes on split development, but since there
is more interest I'll go public.
First, to put this in perspective, what has helped me the most is getting
better at knowing what the right contrast should be for the print. Split
development just helps one get there. In brief:
Split development means developing your print in (not always) two developers
using graded papers. The first dev. is a low contrast one--the second, a higher
one. The goal is to raise or lower the contrast of the print so that it will be
Here's how I set up: first tray, Kodak Selectol Soft diluted 1:1 (normal
dilution)--second tray, Kodak Dektol diluted 1:2 (normal dilultion). I believe
these dilutions yield the best tonal separation, which is what I am after. My
development time (3 min.) is a constant, while the different times in each
dev., exposure, other printing controls..are variables. Drain time is included
in the development time.
Example: I once had a print which was too contrasty for my taste developed for
the full 3 minutes in Dektol. After some testing, I ended up liking it at 1 min
45 sec. Soft and 1 min 15 sec. Dektol.
Selectol soft is a slower acting developer than Dektol, so each time you
change the relationship between the two developers (times), you need to run a
new test strip.
Split development contrast control will give better tones than excessive
burning and dodging. You'll still need to do some, but the highlights and
shadows will essentially be in place by using the correct grade of paper and
fine tuning with split development.
There's nothing exotic about it. I set up this way every time I print.
Sometimes a given grade of paper (for me #1, hopefully) developed all the way
in Soft, and for some negs., in Dektol will give me what I need, but usually I
need to "split".
Helpful hints: develop exactly 3 min. (more or less will change tone quality,
density, and contrast, thereby throwing off your other controls.) You'll find
that Selectol Soft gives warmer tones, so more time in it=warmer print. That's
a side affect I live with--usually like in my work. There's more, but this is
essentially how it works.
42.01 -< How to make a 620 camera take 120 film >-
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
> I keep running into cameras that take 620 size film. I believe this is the
same width as 120 film. Is it possible to use 120 film in a 620 camera?
All you have to do to use 120 film in a 620 camera is the following (which I
have done many times):
1. Get a few extra 620 spools. This is the hardest part, trust me. I recommend
going to garage sales and buying up Duaflexes and Brownies.
2. Get a dark bag and a roll of 120.
3. Put the 120 and 2 620 spools in the dark bag.
4. Pass #1... put the tongue of the leader into the slot in one of the 620
spools. Keeping the film fairly tight (but not stretching or cinching) and
making sure the spools are parallel, roll from the 120 spool to the 620.
5. Pass #2... backwards. Put the tongue of the leader into the slot in the
other 620 spool. Roll slowly until you feel the end of the film, which will
separate from the backing paper since it is only taped on at the other end.
Try to keep the film and the paper together and tuck the film in so that you
get a smooth roll. Keep rolling until you get to the other end. Unless you
have done a perfect job (it happens) you will need to gently lift the film,
Have fun!
Peter Conrad <dregs@quack.kfu.com>
.............................................................................
Respooling/despooling 120 film onto 620 spools seems a bit awkward to me. I am
sitting here looking at two empty film spools - one a 620 spool, the other a
120 spool. The mechanical difference is obvious - the 120 drive slots are
slightly more than twice the size of the 620 drive slots.
I know of many Medalists (and other cameras) that were converted by camera
repairmen and competent hobbyists to use the 120 spools.
There are two caveats here: One, make sure the film bay has enough clearance
to hold the full 120 spool, two - if the winding knob is a press fit rather
than a screw together assembly, a bit more engineering may be called for in
re-assembly. Press fits may not go back together smoothly.
In any case, many of the 620/120 conversions can be done quickly, cheaply, and
most important of all, permanently.
Regarding the 620-120 conversions that we have been talking about--You should
be aware that not only are the end pins/drive assemblies different (which is
easy to correct), but also the spool diameters and length are just slightly
different. The old yellow father made the 620 spool just enough smaller so
that in most, if not all, cameras of Kodak design the 120 film spool will not
fit into the film chamber regardless of the end pins. To make the conversion
in these cases involves grinding out the film chamber to accept the larger 120
spool. This task is both difficult to do and usually unsightly.
Kodaks stated purpose for developing the smaller spool was to enable them to
produce smaller cameras. It should be obvious to anyone (due to the extremely
minor dimension changes) that this is nonsense. It is my opinion that this was
just done to protect Kodaks US camera market while still allowing them to sell
film overseas by putting it on different (ie 120) spools.
1. The 120 spool's plastic "wheels" are of a thicker material and a wider
diameter, meaning that you must enlarge the inside of the camera. This can be
difficult and destructive.
3. It's cheap to respool 120 onto 620. It might not be as cheap to modify the
camera itself.
Actually, to tell the truth, I don't use 620 anymore. Pretty much any camera
that I find to be any good is also available in 120. So I get the 120 version.
However, if I found something that was a whole lot cheaper in 620 than in 120
for the same camera, I would change my tune.
=============================================================================
42.02 -< Slide Labeling and Archiving Software for Stock Photos >-
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
>I'd like to begin shooting stock photos and was wondering if there was any
>slide labeling software or archiving software for the Macintosh platform.
Yep, there is one, at least. It's called The Cradoc CaptionWriter from Perfect
Niche Software, Inc., 6962 E First Ave. Suite 103, Scottsdale, AZ 85251, tel:
(602)945-2001, fax: (602)949-1707. I think it works, and it's not expensive.
=============================================================================
42.03 -< Where do pros buy albums and frames >-
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
I am looking for the phone numberor address of The Michael Co. one of many
For wedding albums I use Capri Album Company located in Mount Vernon, NY
Phone # is (800) 666-2093 or Ideal Binder Company in Brooklyn Phone# is (718)
871-4848.
=============================================================================
42.04 -< Star Tracking Platform instructions >-
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Star Tracking Platform instructions
After putting the file below together I decided to just post it to the list
instead of sending only to individuals. Hopefully there is something here that
will be "food for thought" at a variety of levels! Anyway, the file below
includes several observations regarding making photographs of stars and a brief
outline of how to make a "leaf" type star tracker mount (an improvisation for
an equatorial telescope or camera mount)
In order to make photographs of the stars so that they do not show significant
"trailing" due to the rotation of the earth, it is necessary to counterrotate
the camera along an axis parallel to that of Earth and at such a rate that it
just matches that of our planet.
Trailing can become evident with even such short exposure times as a few
seconds and this effect can be used to great advantage when making images of
the starts that actually exploit the Earth's rotation to show how all the stars
appear to rotate around a point very close to the North star (Polaris). One
simply points the camera, attached to a firm tripod, towards the north and
aims up by an angle approximately equal to the latitude of one's location.
This will place the North star roughly in the center of the camera's
viewfinder. By opening the camera's shutter for a few minutes (or hours if the
sky is really dark) one will easily see concentric circles surrounding the
image of Polaris. Measuring the angle that any one segment of a circle includes
and dividing by 15 degrees will indicate the exact time that the camera's
shutter was held open.
It is interesting to note that the density of any given line associated with a
particular star will not increase much beyond a certain point. This is due to
the fact that the exposure time for the star "trail" is not governed by the
time the shutter was open at all but by the rate at which the image of the
star moves across the film.
Anyway, a simple way to make a device that for all intents and purposes
overcomes the Earth's rotation is illustrated below. It essentially consists of
So, make the pages out of good, stiff wood. 3/4 inch plywood is fine.
The distance between the center of rotation of the hinges and the center of the
bolt which will cause the two leaves to separate must be very close to 11.46
inches otherwise the tracking rate will not be as accurately as possible the
required rate.
Onto 6" stove bolt (these have round heads) one attaches a "handle" that one
can turn at the rate of one revolution per minute. A 3" wooden disk, with a 1/4
inch hole drilled into center and held onto or "clamped" between nuts threaded
above and below onto the bolt's shaft works quite well. If the disc is marked
off in 1/12 segments then the time to make each arrive at a fixed reference
mark is 5 seconds. If simply divided into quarters, then the time is 15 seconds
per quarter.
.
./ \ Camera attached to
\ \ ball head and pointed
\ / in any desired direction
.-.
| |
.________|||____________.
|_______________________| Make sure hinge is on your
0___________________===_. left side.
Let me know if these instructions are not clear enough, if there are errors in
it or if you need further assistance!
Andy
>Having built one of these (a "book" type start tracker) a few years ago, there
>are a few adaptations that worked well for me. First, depending on the weight
>of the ball head, camera and lens you decide to use, it may help to use a
>little epoxy when hammering the T-nut into the bottom. Didn't take long
>before mine loosened up.
This problem is avoided if you "hammer" the T nut into the top of the bottom
leaf rather than its bottom. That way the "pulling" action of the tripod threads
locks the bottom of the tracker onto the tripod head. If attached the "wrong"
way you do run the risk of the tracker-plus camera landing on the ground 'cause
all that is holding the T nut in place is friction and the T nut's prongs or
small nails.
>Also, for the turning knob attached to the carriage bolt, it was marked in
>6 degree increments, (ie. divided the circumference into 60 separate
>markings.......one for each second of time). <snip>
nice "touch"!
=============================================================================
42.05 -< Processing Forte B&W films in Kodak developers >-
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Processing instructions for FORTE films in Kodak developers
all times at 68 degrees F, all times in minutes
120 films
=============================================================================
42.06 -< Determining lens focal length simply >-
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
> I need a method to check the actual focal lengths of view cameras. All
> manufactures stamp approximate values for focal lengths on their lenses.
> I need a simple method to determine true focal lengths.
The way to do this is to focus the lens at infinity, mark the position of
your focussing standard on the rail (or bed, or whatever), and then rack
out the focus to 1:1. You have to do this accurately; obviously you focus
on a precise rule or something, and then measure the image on your ground
glass with another rule which is also known to be accurate. Mark the
position of your focussing standard again. The distance between the two
marks is your focal length. This works for all lenses that do not have
floating elements.
With the lens in the middle there are two positions where the source is
focussed on the screen, one enlarged, the other diminished.
where D is the distance between the source and screen, and d is the distance
the lens is moved between the two focussing positions.
This will covet both thick and thin lenses, as you only measure the distance
the lens is moved to obtain another focus. DO NOT REVERSE THE LENS BETWEEN
MEASUREMENTS.
If you use several values of D you should always get the same f.
I am not sure how much precision you need but you can also determine the focal
length of 35mm cameras as well as view cameras as follows:
Place the camera on a table or other support with a piece of paper underneath.
Aim and focus the camera at some distant object and swing it so that the image
is located at one side of the frame. Then, draw a line guided by the bottom of
the camera onto the paper. This marks the orientation of the camera relative to
the paper. Next, turn the camera so the subject is now located on the opposite
side of the frame and draw another line intersecting the first one. Measure the
the number of degrees you had to turn the camera to make the image move across
the frame.
The focal length is equal to 1/2 the distance over which the image moved (eg:
the distance from one side of the frame to the other) divided by the tangent of
1/2 the angle over which the camera was rotated.
The distance over which the image moved may or may not be the full width of the
groundglass in a view camera. All you need do is to measure the actual distance
over which an image moves as you swing the camera. This distance can be
relatively easily measured on a 4x5 camera's groundglass.
With a 35mm camera you can make the image move from one side of the viewfinder
to the other and either assume this to be 36mm (or a bit less since most
cameras include more at the film than is visible in the finder) or use a screen
that has a precisely ruled grid etched in it with a known grid line spacing and
then swing the camera so that a given image moves from a particular grid line
to another one whose distance from the first one is known.
=============================================================================
42.07 -< Where can one get royalty-free background music? >-
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
> Some where out there is a company that sells tapes that have been programed
> for music for slide shows, background etc. I have lost the information and
> name of the company that sells these. If any one out there has any
> information on where i can purchase tapes to be used as backgraund music?
I have several "royality included in purchase price" cds form an artist named
Gary Lamb. His style is ( & I'm not an educated music critic) is somewhere
between "easy listening" & "new age". The music may be used in whatever
multi media presentations you produce, & is also pretty nice for quieter
studio background music.
I just checked out his website & it has 25 -30 second real audio clips from
his cds, so you don't have to rely on me as your music critic.
=============================================================================
42.08 -< Robot camera company address >-
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Someone asked for the address of ROBOT. Here is the teutonic answer:
=============================================================================
42.09 -< Split Grade Printing by Max Ferguson >-
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
I had quite a few people requesting a copy of Max Ferguson's article re: Split
Grade Printing. I phoned Ilford and they don't have any back-copies. Instead
of sending photo-copies to all those who asked I hope you don't mind but I'll
copy it out here.
Multigrade printing isn't just all the grades in one box, but also all the
grades on one sheet. Well-known though this fact is, its full implications
aren't always appreciated. I didn't even know them myself until a happy
accident at a summer school I was teaching in Wales some years ago. On that
occasion, a student showed me a print with clear white highlights, so I told
him to go back into the darkroom and burn-in using a lower contrast grade. He
came back with an interesting result that didn't look as if it had been
burned-in locally, so I asked exactly what he'd done. It turned out he'd done
the same as he had before, then given another overall exposure at lower
contrast. The crucial word here is overall. Rather than burning-in separate
areas, he'd burned-in the entire print. It wasn't quite what I'd meant, but
suddenly I realised that this technique had tremendous potential. I went back
to my own darkroom and perfected what I call "split grade printing".
The basic facts of MULTIGRADE printing upon which this technique relies are
two-fold. Firstly, everything that is needed to print all the grades is
contained in every single sheet of MULTIGRADE paper. Secondly, high contrast
grades effect on shadow areas while low contrast grades have greatest effect on
highlight areas. Conventional wisdom says that you should choose the contrast
grade to best suit the negative, with the option to burn-in at other grades if
required. With split grade printing, you choose not one grade but two, allowing
you to print highlights and shadows differently.
The test strip is the most important part of split grade printing. Learning to
read it is the hardest skill, and not everybody gets it straightaway. Testing
is done in three stages, though with practice and experience you can usually
skip the first one, which is simply an initial exposure test done on a typical
mid-contrast grade (i.e. 2 or 3). This gives a basic time for the next, and
most important stage.
Using two different contrast grades (I usually start with 2 and 4), proceed as
follows. Make a normal low grade test going across the paper in one direction.
Choose the exposure times so that one of the middle strips has approximately
normal density. Now, keeping the same piece of paper in the easel, change to
the high grade and make a series of test exposures going across the sheet in
the perpendicular direction, but keeping the very bottom strip marked off
completely so that it has been exposed only by the softer grade. Develop the
print, then dry it off. The result will be an image with a series of squares
that have been exposed with different combinations of the two grades used.
Choose the square that gives the best rendering of highlight and shadow
detail: that square will correspond to the grade combination that will
probably give the best final result over the whole image. Sometimes the
differences between the squares can be very subtle, so look carefully. To make
absolutely certain that you've chosen the best square, do the final stage of
the test. This involves making a print of the entire negative, giving the lower
grade exposure to the whole area. Mask of half the paper, and give the visible
half the second, high grade exposure. Process and dry, then examine to confirm
that the image does work as hoped. Look at the low grade side to check the
highlight details are correct. Look at the double exposure side to ensure both
that the shadow details are right and that the highlights haven't been
degraded. Assuming all is well, make the finished print using the combination
chosen.
Those are the basics, but there are a few variations and notes that can make
all the difference when putting theory into practice. The first is that
although you can choose any grades you like, it is best to keep them at least
two grades apart. This may sound like a hefty restriction, but it isn't. The
ILFORD below-the-lens MULTIGRADE Filter Kit contains twelve steps, from 00 to
5. If you're treating MULTIGRADE as all the grades in one box, you've got the
equivalent of twelve boxes of paper. But using combinations of contrasts that
are two grades or more apart adds another thirty-six possibilities - three
times as many as in straight single grade printing!
The next important point is that you can't make separate tests of Grade 2 and
Grade 4 and just compare the two prints to choose a happy medium since the
effects of split grade exposures are cumulative. A print that is too soft after
10 seconds at Grade 1, and too hard after 10 seconds at Grade 3, could well
You don't have to test using a basic low grade then adding high contast
exposures: you can do it the other way around if you think it will work
better. Times when this is likely are when the negative is a bit thin or the
subject is lacking in contrast. The same principles apply. Try to ensure that
the exposure steps you use are easy to work with (a foot switch on the exposure
timer makes life much easier).
Split grade printing can be especially useful when making prints for toning.
Highlight details can sometimes bleach out and not return during toning, so it
pays to have plenty of substance in those areas. To help this even more, I make
the prints up to half a stop darker than they would normally be...
... If this all sounds a bit complicated, don't worry. You don't need to
understand how it works, only how it can be used. Get into the darkroom and
take a couple of tricky negatives with you. Rather than burning-in like crazy,
try using split grade printing. You can still burn-in if you need to, but you
shouldn't have to do anything like as much. And remember, any burning-in can be
done under either high or low contrast filtration. Low contrast will emphasise
highlight detail, while high contrast will mostly increase shadow density
without degrading the highlights. Give it a go. You might be surprised how much
time and effort split grade printing can save you.
END OF ARTICLE.
Now, if I can provide some anecdotal evidence. One print I was doing literally
took me all day before I was happy. I was very pleased with the result but
relaying the story to Max he suggested I bring the negative to his darkroom the
next day. He printed it in 10 minutes!!!
KEN TOLD ME ABOUT THE INTEREST THAT SOME OF YOU SHOWED ABOUT SPLIT GRADE
PRINTING, SO I THOUGHT I"D JUST ADD ONE OR TWO THINGS
I've seen a variety of approaches to split grade printing. Some based on Grade
0 for minimum Gamma then an added exposure on Grade 5 for maximum Gamma, tested
on 2 seperate sheets of paper.Oooops!A bit limiting.
My test strip is based on Gene Nocon's pre-flash method whereby Gamma could be
altered to give less toe and shoulder by exposing emulsion to "white light"
before making an exposure from the negative. This trick was employed by
cinematographers and also by Ansell Adams.The neat thing was that D-Max and
Gene test-stripped the white light in one direction and the negative at 90° in
the other direction, giving a checkerboard test strip.The chosen square giving
a combination of exposures, eg; 2 secs pre-flash plus 12 secs negative. Burning
in was made subtler without the obvious "hot spot' that can and does occur.
When demonstrating split grade printing I start with Grade 2 and Grade 4 ( the
old fashioned normal and hard grades ) testing Grade 2 across and Grade 4 up.
Choosing the right square is the hard bit, (experience helps ). This is
followed by a second test, checking out that I've chosen the correct exposure,
the whole image on the low grade followed by half the image on the high grade.
>From this I can then see if the low grade is correct in grade and exposure and
if the high grade is adding the right amount of density. The final exposure is
an adjustment based on the second test. eg: 20 secs grade 1.5 plus 4 seconds
grade 4.
The squares can also guide the amount of "burn and dodge" eg: Add 5 secs Grade
1.5 plus 4 secs Grade 4 in the sky. Subtract 3 secs Grade 1.5 1 sec Grade 4
tree stump lower right corner and so on. Learning to read the test strip is
very important, I can't teach people to see alas.
I now have an Ilford Multigrade head thanks to Ilford U.K's sponsorship but
recommend below lens filters, less chance of moving the head when changing
grades.Colour heads vary, my Leitz Focomat is great, but I've had real problems
when using LPL's. The main hassle in changing filtration can result in moving
the head, shielding the paper while enlarger is on to illuminate filter dials
etc.
Colour heads can give you Grade 2 and a little bit, Grade 1 ish etc. If you use
multiple filtration for Grade selection ( magenta and yellow collectively ) the
speed between grades remains fairly constant. If magenta or yellow are used
individually to increase or decrease Grade, neutral density is varied as
filtration is increased in either direction therefore a variation in paper
speed will follow. I've found that exposure must be increased, usually double
for Grades 4.5 and 5.
It does take time to get this method on board but it will increase the tonal
range of your prints. It is particularly useful for toning as you can bleach
highlights while still hanging on to increased D-Max allowing beautiful split
tones with selenium - bleach - sepia combinations.
Having established a method, let your now enhanced pallette increase your
creativity.
Max Ferguson
=============================================================================
42.10 -< Guide Number when flashes are combined >-
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
>I am using several flashes to light a scene and I need to figure out what the
>guide number is for all of them knowing the guide number for each separately.
The guide number for multiple flashes (at the same location) is computed as
the square root of the sum of the squares of the individual guide numbers.
Thus in your case of GN's of 50, 100, & 120 yield an effective GN of 164.
I don't know where you are geographically, but here are a few places to try:
Super 8 Sound
2805 West Magnolia St.
Burbank, CA 91505 818-848-5522
Cinelab
278 Babcock St.
Boston, MA 02215 617-254-7882
I do not use a bulkfilmloader, after I have had some dust in its lips and
ruined a 100 ft. roll of film. I load the cassettes manually in the darkroom,
which has some advantages: You can use different film types at the same time,
saving the money for one or several bulkfilmloaders. You don´t have fogged
frames at the end of each cassette. The procedure is not very difficult, so
EQUIPMENT
You need:
1. an absolutely dark and very clean dark room,
2. table with RC surface, 170 cm (0 5,6 feet) long for easiest handling or
shorter, winding crank/knob (from an out of use loader or HAMA film leader
retriever),
3. scissors,
4. reloadable cassettes, tape, bulkfilm.
PROCEDURE
A 36 exp. film is about 170 cm (5,6 feet) long. Measure off this length at the
front edge of the darkroom table, mark it with a piece of thick gaffer tape at
the beginning and the end. If your desk is shorter measure of half, 85 cm (2,8
feet). These marks are easy to feel in the dark with your middle fingers, while
unrolling the film, holding it with your thumbs and forefingers.
It is very important to open the cassette always in the same way: Hold it with
the spools *crown* upside, so the cassettes slot must face to you on its right
side. Snab off the upper cap and take the spool out.
Put the spool on the table, its *crown* facing you and wind a 3-4 inch piece of
scotch tape 1.5 times round the middle of the spool from the right side. Than
tape the spool on the table one foot in front of you. The *crown* must face you
and the fixing piece of tape must be at the right side. Now arrange the cap and
the empty cassette (in this order) behind the fixed spool in a vertical line on
the table. Repeat this procedure for as many cassettes as you want to load
(start with 3 or 4), taping the spools on the table in a horizontal line and
arranging the caps and cassettes behind them. See picture (;-) below
______
I IL
I IL
I IL open cassette, its slot facing the tables surface
I IL on the right side
ooo
oo oo cap
ooo
______
II_______
II_______I --- tape, round the spool, its *crown* facing you
__II__
II
Now arrange the scissors, winding crank and bulkfilm (box closed of course) on
the table, where you will easily find them in the dark, WASH your hands
carefully to avoid finger prints on the film and switch the light off. Open the
Wind the spool one or two times counter-clockwise and put it into the cassette,
slipping the film through the slot and snab the cab on. To control the correct
fitting turn the cap round one time. Now measure off the right length of the
film by feeling for the gaffer marks at the edge of the table (see above). Do
not touch the film surface. Put the roll on the edge of the table to cut the
film. This is very easy, if you hold the cassette between your left ring finger
and the ball of the thumb, while you take the edges of the film near the roll
between your left thumb and forefinger.
Open the scissors with your right hand and touch the tip of your left
forefinger with one scissors point below the film. Shut the scissors carefully,
trying to cut the film and not your finger. Now wind the film counter-clockwise
into the cassette with the winding crank attached to the spools crown (NOT
bottom). Do not wind the film leader in, so - AFTER putting the rest of the
bulkfilm back into the plastic bag and box - you can switch the lights on and
trim the leader to its typical shape.
That's it. May be it sounds difficult but after practicing it a couple of times
with some trash film you will reload all your films and spend some big bucks.
Even so at the beginning I would not shoot bulkfilm on weddings.
After loading the cassettes I tape a little label on each, indicating the film
type. After exposure I record date and location on this label. Before
developing these data were transfered to the film by scratching them in the
film leader which is pulled out with the Ilford film leader retriever. (A handy
scratching tool is a common *tile slitter* (?) from a handyman supermarket).
This is a really good aid for archiving the negatives and you can easily assign
a leaking cassette. All the best
=============================================================================
42.13 -< How do flashbulbs work? >-
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
>I have seen flashbulbs at garage sales and such. How do they work?
It used to be that before the flashbulbs magnesium powder was used and this had
=============================================================================
42.14 -< Tripod Tips >-
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
What to consider when you are looking for a tripod (based on "Living With A
Tripod", Popular Photography's Photo Information Handbook '95/'96, page 64).
1.- Size
2.- Materials
3.- Heads
4.- Centerpost
5.- Legs
6.- Feet
7.- Features
1.- Size
Consider not only height, but also how much it measures when collapsed (you'll
have to carry it, anyway) and the footprint as well. Weight is related to size
too. the median is seven pounds. Some tripods can fit in a bag, but the extra
leg sections add trouble at set-up time and can be less stable. If you use
camera at the eye level you'll want a tripod that high, but the longer the
extension (of boyh legs and centerpost) the more it becomes unstable, so look
for one that exceeds your own height.
2.- Materials
Wood is beautiful, absorbs vibration and is also a poor thermal conductor (good
for the hands in cold weather).
3.- Heads
Basically there are two types: ball and pan heads. Ball heads are the most
flexible, but pan heads, specially with long handles, are best recommended for
critical positioning, since you can position the camera with the horizontal,
vertical and tilt movements individually.
Some heads offer camera quick-release, calibrated dial for rotation, stops at
preset angles and bubble levels.
4.- Centerpost
The centerpost is for fine-tuning the camera height without having to deal with
the legs. The more you extend it, the less stability you have.
There are several variations on posts: Some are geared - you use a crank to
You might like to have a reversing post, so you can lower the camera to ground
level nad in some insances a tilting post can be very useful (such as for
puting the camera against a wall).
Cranks are to be avoided in inexpensibe tripods because they wear fast. Watch
out for open tubes that will allow water and watever inside.
5.- Legs
Take a look at the locks. They should require very litle effort to engage and
they should hold the tripod steady. Avoid knobs that require excesive turning.
There are several types: thumb locks require only one digit to operate and some
are oriented so you must hold the tripod horizontally. Collar locks require a
full grip and should be rubberized. Knob locks press against a small area, so
they might be not too secure. Caliper-style locks, which are also operated with
knobs, offer better locking. There are yoke-level locks which can release all
legs at the same time.
The shape of the legs can tell you things too: U-shaped legs are less strong,
so they must be built of heavier metal. The best legs are extruded -- closed
shapes as seen from one end, such an O or a square. Again, make sure they are
all capped.
6.- Feet
Down to the feet, they can be designed for studio, field, or for both.
Crutch style are adaptable, but can slip due to the small surface area against
a flat floor. Angled feet offer better traction. Ball-In-Socket are great for
even surfaces, adapting for the best surface coverage.
Spikes are exclusive for field work. There are retractable spikes to adapt for
studio or field, but require miltiple turning. Pivoting spikes change easily
from spikes to pad.
7.- Features
Some tripods come with centerbracing. This adds stability by holding the legs
together in relation to the centerpost. There are also locking centerbraces
that will hold the legs steady as you move the tripod around.
Some tripods are designed to reach ground level in the upright position by
extending the legs far away from the center. This may require for special,
short, centerpost.
Some tripods come with handles or allow to adapt a shoulder strap for easy
carrying. Some other come with sealed legs for immersion in water or mud.
There are a lot of other features and accesories for tripods, such as the
ability to extend the centerpost or use it as a monopod and even dollies for
rolling around. These are only the basic guidelines, and I hope they help.
=============================================================================
42.15 -< Some chit chat on camera lenses used for UV photography >-
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
> I have been told that when one photographs through a (true) ultraviolet
> filter, such as the Wratten 18A, one must carefully choose the camera lens
> because the large majority of lenses will fluoresce and negate any results.
If you are getting recognizable images while shooting through an 18A filter
the conclusion is that regardless of whether the lens or coating fluoresces the
images are _valid_ long-range reflected UV records of the subjects.
> Is there any sort of reference, preferably citable, that shows what range
> the lens glass, lens coating and lens cement does fluoresce? and hopefully,
> how much light from a standard source, say from the sun, is in the range that
> causes fluoresence as opposed to uv light that doesn't cause the fluoresence?
You don't need it. Since fluorescence is visible (when it is excited by UV and
"glowing" in the visible!) you can proceed several ways to demonstrate the lens
does not fluoresce (but as I mentioned above even if it does the fact you are
making recognizable pictures makes concern about it pointless). One would be to
take it to a science museum where they have mineral exhibits and place the lens
under one of their UV illuminators. If it fluoresces it will glow like one of
the rocks! Another is to use the 18A filter and make yourself a makeshift UV
sample "box" and use the sun as a source.
If the rock or the lens fluoresces then it will appear to "glow" in the dark
chamber from which "regular" light has been excluded but into which UV enegry
(light) can enter by way of the 18A filter.
Anyway, the point of all this is that you should see an image appear on the
glass coated with fluorescent paint! You have made an "image converter"!! Makes
an invisible UV image visible by causing it to excite fluorescence in the
visible which you can see! truly amazing!
AFAIK it is indeed just the deep-UV that causes problems. My German bible on
IR- and UV-Photography from Guenter Spitzing says this: The shorter the
wavelength, the more materials it will be absorbed by:
> I keep hearing that it is pointless to even try for pictures without a
> $4,500 fused quartz Nikor lens.
Why not take a few reference pictures with this film/lens/light(?) combo, ie a
non-exposed frame, an evenly lit frame-filling object (known to be
43.01 -< Instructions for using a Gossen Luna Pro F light meter >-
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
> Could anyone share with me some brief, abbreviated instructions for using a
> Gossen Luna Pro F
Make sure the battery is good. To test, push in large red button on left and
then push in small green button on right. The needle should go well into the
"batt" zone. Are you using it properly? One idiosyncrasy is that the meter will
give flash readings in all three (reflective, incident, and flash) modes - but
only accurate in flash mode. To measure for a single firing of your flash do
the following: Make sure ASA is set for your film. Make sure exposure
compensation dial is set to zero (small black tab on outer ring edge
- it will line up on a mark just to the right of the green marking "LW/EW".
Make sure battery is good - push in large red button (on/off switch), and then
push in small green button on right. Make sure the meter is set for single
flash (white dot on large red button is to left). If the button is to the right
it is then set for multiple cumulative flash readings. Make sure meter is set
to flash mode (small red button is out - button in puts meter into
incident/reflective mode). Make sure dome is over photocell, aim meter at
flash, and fire flash. The needle will then move. Simply turn round dial to
center the needle on zero. Take your reading from the little red flash sign on
the dial (located between 1 and 2 second mark). You should then have an
accurate reading. Hope this helps. Typically Luna Pro's are reliable, accurate
meters. I have 2 that I constantly use (and trust at weddings). Good luck.
=============================================================================
43.02 -< On Taking Yourself Seriously by David Vestal >-
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
I read the following words-of-wisdom (in my opinion) and have been saving them
for many years in a file cabinet which I emptied today. In light of the present
discussions on the list I thought they might be appropriate to share since I
believe there is a ready application for them in photo courses as well as
professional situations. I am posting this with what I hope would be the
blessing of the author although I have not been able to contact him.
Andy Davidhazy - andpph@rit.edu
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
On Taking Yourself Seriously
By David Vestal - as it appeared in Popular Photography magazine
One of this century's livelier art movements was Dadaism, which began in
Switzerland during World War I. Dada was mainly negative and took an anti-art,
anti-rational stand. Dada works were meant to shock, but most of them were
purely silly. In this it was prophetic (look around).
In its futile way, Dada was an apt response to the world of 1916, as it is to
our own: foolishness in answer to craziness. Sorrow and anger are unavoidable
My favorite act by the Dadaists was when they expelled one of their number for
taking himself seriously. Did they realize that in doing so they were taking
themselves seriously? I like it.
The required insane belief that you are more important then anyone, and that,
as a result, your work is more important than anything, cannot survive
intelligent scrutiny; but it is hardly ever asked to. And it's one of the most
effective sales devices on earth: even when it's mistaken, total conviction is
contagious.
Sometimes it isn't conviction, but simply a bold lie. The more preposterous a
claim is, the harder it is for honest people, who feel ashamed when they lie, to
disbelieve. This may be why absurd and stupid photographs get so much attention
and applause. People just can't believe they're as bad as they look, although
they generally are. It's easier to ignore and dismiss good work for which no
great claims are made; and that's what happens. Art history consists largely of
this.
I'm not against ego except when it runs wild, but I recommend cultivating a
sense of proportion. You may come to see that however much you like your own
work - as I like mine, for instance - it won't save the world. Photographing
makes little difference as the rest of the things people do: we live and die,
and the world goes on. When you realize this, you may not be able to take
yourself seriously enough to make a career of it. I hope so.
This has good and bad sides. Good: It lets you take your pictures seriously
instead of yourself. You look at them critically as well as fondly and reject
the ones that don't work. This helps, because those who think they can do no
wrong have a blind spot that leads them to accept poor work.
Your work may well be as important as anyone else's; but how can anyone tell?
Don't look down on others too readily, but look up to no one. This spares you
the need to imitate and to play at being important, leaving you free to work as
you choose without worrying about people's reactions. If you take your work
seriously enough to keep doing it as well as you can, regardless, that's what
seems to matter.
The bad side is that photographs are made to be seen and felt by others, and
you may sometimes get the depressing feeling that no one will see yours. Then
what good is it? The only answer is that if you work sincerely, it does you
good to do the work. If nothing else pans out, that will have to serve.
I notice that Pissarro's paintings have now been discovered by the museums on
whose walls they've been hanging all along. The museum people just didn't pay
attention until now. They knew about Pissarro, but they didn't know him. Then,
apparently, after many years, someone said, "Wow! Pissarro!" and they latched
I doubt that Pissarro took himself very seriously. He was known for helping
other painters, not for chasing after fame. You see the results.
I'm on some strange mailing lists, so sometimes I get letters written by art
photographers to tell collectors about their latest opuses. These letters are
models of pomposity, written in the third person for grandeur and sprinkled
with magic words calculated to impress and sell. No plain word is used if a
fancy one can be found. They go like this: "Mr. E. Gregious announces that as
of November 31 the price of his historic Blah-Blah Series will go up from $750
to $1,000 per print. "Mr. Gregious is presently preparing a definitive archival
edition, strictly limited to 100,000 sets, after which the negatives will be
retired, of signed, silver-gelatin chlorobromide prints of his celebrated
Yeah-Yeah Series, widely considered by informed connoisseurs to be among his
most significant images. In the words of the noted critic, I.G. Norant, "Int he
ontological paradigm with which they confront the stunned viewer, these Angst-
filled images form the ineffable quintessence of this transcendent artist's
oeuvre".
And so on. I'm not exaggerating much. They do go on like that, and at much
greater length. Sometimes the pictures are fairly good; more often they are
lousy.
Once in a great while the pictures are excellent. I can think of one very good
photographer who sends letters much like this. I don't know how he can stand
writing them.
If you're not a fraud, you have to take yourself awfully seriously to write
such bilge about your work. It's ridiculous and embarrassing, but apparently it
sells.
When good photographers fall into this routine, I groan and wish them luck.
When the usual incompetents do it, I wish them justice, not mercy.
To picture buyers: When faced with the solemn and ludicrous pomposity of art
photographers and their dealers, ignore the pitch but look well at the
pictures. Don't try to impress anyone. Just follow your feelings; that's the
only way to judge pictures. And of your feelings, you are the only judge. No
matter what is said, buy the photographs you like and leave the rest.
To photographers: If you can possibly help it, don't take yourself too
seriously. If you can't help it, I can't help you. Either way, you're stuck, so
take yourself as you are.
I was in the darkroom today and started thinking about my burn/dodge tool and
how cool (at least to me) it is. It is about 18 years old. I made it out of a
section of a coat hanger and duct tape. I have a quarter sized loop on one end
with the duct tape making the loop opaque. The other end is a pencil eraser
sized loop again with duct tape to opaque the loop. This device has remained
unchanged for almost two decades and is still going strong.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I haven't done wet darkroom work for a while, but when I did one of my
favorite burning tricks was two pieces of carboard sandwiched together. The
bottom one was a larger board with a large hole cut in it and the top board
was a bit smaller with a hole the same size or smaller. The boards could then
be slid against each other to control the size and shape of the "aperture"
depending on the size and shape of the area being burned. I found it most
effective for those areas that a nice round hole didn't cover quite right.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Quite a few years ago when I lived at the western edge of Quebec, I had bought
a new house and had designed a custom darkroom from scratch. It had two Dursts
in it, a DA900 and a 138S, storage space, a fridge, stereo, but most
importantly of all ... a counter at the far end that was reserved for things
not photographic ... and what took absolute precedence on that counter was a
commercial cappucino machine, after all, if you are going to lock yourself out
of the world for an extended period of time . . . no one needs to know that you
are spoiling yourself rotten at the same time. Today, I live elsewhere, have a
new darkroom . . . no longer have the cappucino machine . . . but really value
the lock on the door, and the fact that through all these years I've had the
insight to forego a telephone jack anywhere near that I might be doing creative
work.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
I also have a couple of duct tape and hanger dodge tools. Along with
that I use a lot of nylon stockings. Several softeners used under the
enlarger light are made from embroidery hoops with nylons stretched over
them and I use nylons for filtering chemicals and water.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Music. That brings up a subject that I need to ask about. I have recently
put small "boombox" in the darkroom. I usually have it tuned to an FM
station and it is running on batteries. I have an old GraLab 600 timer.
I got it used in '79 and it was pretty old then. Of course, it had an 12
year lay off, but recently it seems that if I have the radio on, I get
power fluctuations in the timer (the power to the enlarger fluctuates). It
has always fluctuated a bit right as the timer was about to kick off, but
since that was predictable, I could adjust for the light fall off in the
last second.
With the radio on (and on batteries, so its not plugged into the power
system), I get a lot of buzzing on the radio during these power fluxes.
If I am playing a CD, the buzzing goes away, and the power fluxes don't
seem to be as bad. The boom box is along the same wall as the timer and
are about 6 feet apart.
I don't want to blame the radio. Recently I started using the GraLab to
time my film development rather than my watch and I wonder if the extra
wear on the aging timer is predicting its pending failure?
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
In terms of homemade dodging tool, I use wire hanger shaped into a square. Use
thread from corner to corner, crossing in the middle, with a bit of duct tape
(is there anything this stuff can't do?) where the threads intersect. This
arrangement ensures I won't accidentally leave the wire part over the
photograph for too long.
Given a choice between burning and dodging, I much prefer burning. Dodging
well is a struggle for me.
To add to this now that I've just been to the darkroom, I thought of a few more
things.
2. Shelf under sink or under enlarger counter -- Again, this is for leg
comfort. Putting one foot up on the shelf for even a short time is good for my
circulation. It's also good for storage space. Those without a shelf could use
a low footstool that can be easily moved out of the way.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
2. A medium ball head mounted between a heavy metal base plate and a 5-inch
magnet from an old blown-out stereo speaker. When you have to save that
building photo where the verticals aren't quite vertical, the magnet holds the
paper easel firmly in place, and the ball head gives you some perspective
correction capability ... just be sure to stop down far enough so that depth of
focus covers the tilted easel.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
If it's grey duct tape, then I have one too! (Well all except the pencil eraser
part, I'll have to try that next!) I guess it's just what you happen to have on
hand at the time. I had thought about cutting a wafer off the bottom end of a
champaign cork and spearing that with a bicycle spoke, but the bottle wasn't
opened at the time (and if I had opened it then I woulda forgot to look for the
bicycle spoke.) The other "tool" that I use all the time is my burn-in card
which is one of those black plastic-coated pieces of cardboard that I saved
from a pack of paper that has a dime-sized hole reamed into it (jaggy edges and
all --- I believe it results in a softer penumbra (at least I think that's the
term) than a sharply cut hole.) Another "tool" that I have, but don't use that
often, is a piece of transparent, gray acrylic which I found in the remnant bin
at my local plastics supply outfit. I use this when I need to dodge, but also
-geoff -- geoffrey.kim@ac.com
=============================================================================
43.04 -< How to make Public Relations photographs at school >-
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
>I have to make some public relations type photographs in the school my child
>goes to. Any tips especially reagrding lighting and what to photograph?
>I thought that I would not try whole class shots as I imagine I will end up
>with a lot of shadow problems ( as I only have flash ). I thought that
>maybe I could get in relatively close ( say 4 - 6 foot ) to the subject (
>kid drawing - playing an instrument etc ) and I could mount the 300EZ
>remotely - maybe 3 - 4 feet left/right and use the other flash/slave set up
>as a fill in fired across the subject from the opposite side as the 300EZ.
>I would set the fill in flash further back and diffuse/soften its effect
>because I do not want a white out and I do not know how powerfull it is ( I
>do not think that it is as powerfull as the 300EZ ) I do not mind spending a
>little money on this but I do not want to buy an elaborate set up as I prefer
>outdoor shots to indoor. All of the classrooms have flourescent lighting - do
>I need any filters.
A good lab can balance out most of the problems with flourescents. Also
depending on the bulbs, they may not be that out of whack.
You actually, have a couple of questions here. The first deals with how to take
indoor shots, and the second is "what to take". I'll address the first, first
:-)
Since you said you have an EOS 50E, and since I am unfamiliar with the Canon
line when expressed in non USA names, I assume its either an A2E or an Elan
IIE, so either should be able to do "fill flash" with their built in flashes,
or the 300EZ.
Here is the catch. If you fill flash under flourescents, the lab won't be able
to balance the shots. The subjects will be hit with two different color lights
and you will get some bizarre colors. Its not bad, but expect it. So you can
use full power flash and overwhelm the flourescents, or accept the natural
light of the scene and let the lab do its thing.
Now for my advice on the lighting. Use either Fuji 800 or Gold Max. Shoot
natural light. In particular focus on classrooms where you can open some
windows and use some daylight to help out and forget the flashes. You may even
need to shoot Fuji 1600. Since this is going out in a brochure, the grain isn't
going to be a problem because the half-tones will hide it. You may need to
shoot slides depending on the printer. If you have to shoot slides and you
don't have any windows to balance the light, then you will probably need a
filter to correct the color. Also slides are going to be slower speed, and with
your lens setup you may be forced into using the flashes. If the printer can
work with prints or the negatives, then you will be in good shape.
Since you are supposed to take candid's, you don't want to be rigging lights as
you will loose the candidness of the shots. You want to capture the essence of
Now for playground and sports, this isn't a problem. You will be pretty much
ignored. But in a classroom setting, your mere presence will disrupt the
natural flow. Work it out with the teacher and let the class know that you will
be taking pictures and to go about their normal business. Then go about your
business while the class goes about theirs. After a bit, they will forget you
are there and you can get your candid shots.
Indoor Shots:
Teacher and Student in a one-to-one at a desk.
A Shot from the back of the classroom, looking up to the teacher working at
the chalk board.
A whole class shot (may not be used, but get it any way)
Two or three students interacting in a group learning situation.
A student looking over a classroom object like a microscope, model of the
brain, etc.
A student working at a computer or students collaborating at a computer.
Depending on the age of the students, some interaction at the lockers.
A long telephoto shot of two students walking down the hall.
A Cafeteria Shot.
Outdoor Shots:
If the school has some statue that identifies it. Our elementary schools
mascot is a tiger and they have a tiger statue in the front of the school.
If your school has one, get some kids playing/studying around it.
Students studying on the grounds
Kids playing on the playground
Kids participating in PE or some other athletic game
A posed shot of some kids and a teacher at the school's sign if they have
one, waving to you.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Unless you are very used to the power output of your flashes I would
keep the fill flash straight on so to prevent cross shadows. Make sure
that you know the range of the press you will be using so that you know
how much fill to give. If you do not have enough fill you will see the
shadows on film but they will go black when printed on the press. You
generally have about a 4 stop range on most presses When I shoot 35mm I
set my fill flash to -1 2/3 stops . In your case using 2 strobes you
will also need to make sure that you get some of the available light or
you will have a black background all around the child.
You could also gell every thing but it will cut the power of everything
by about 2 stops.
=============================================================================
43.05 -< How to compensate for use of "minus" diopter lenses? >-
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
>I'm going backwards and will be shooting with an old Seneca 4x5 with a very
>long belows. Using a Plasmat convertible lens which has a maximum of 350mm
>(or is it 320 mm?)., When using minus dioptar add-ons to increase the focal
>length combination, how do I compute the new f-stops? The bellows gets bigger
>and therefore the f/stops that are marked on the lens are not what they say.
Bellows is calculated from the middle of the front standard to the middle of
the rear standard. The focal length must be converted into the same units as
the bellows. For example 10 mm = 1 cm.
So: 9x9 = 81
6x6 = 36
81 / 36 = 2.25
I would approach this by comparing the NEW (with - diopter on lens) Distance
from lens to film to the OLD (without - diopter) distance from lens to film
and make some reasonable adjustment as follows:
NEW F stop = F stop you set on lens times (NEW distance divided by OLD
distance) squared.
lets' check .... I have a 320 lens and will use it at f11 and I measure 320 mm
from the film plane (with lens focused on infinity) forward to some point
(hopefully) over the lens barrel. Now I place a negative lens on the prime lens
and refocus the camera and find that the new distance to the previous spot is
620mm (I made the numbers easy to work with).
So, f11 times (640/320)^2 is 11 times 2x2 = f22 ... an effective loss of two
stops which makes sense since I have kept the aperture the same but doubled the
lens to film distance.
Another way is to find the new effective focal length assuming the prime lens
is a "simple" lens (assumption can usually be made safely). What I need to do
lets's say I use a -3 diopter lens on a 320mm prime lens ... hmmmmm
ok let's switch to a -1.5 diopter lens ... a - 660mm fl (or about -640!!)
so
if I had a f11 lens before its diameter was 320/11 or about 30mm ....
640 divided by 30 is about 22 so the new aperture is f/22
=============================================================================
43.06 -< Instructions for making one's own print washer >-
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
>We are looking for a new print washer for our darkroom to rinse up to
>11 x 14 prints. Can we make our own?
The key word in your email is rinse. Most photographers and sales people
with whom you discuss your darkroom situation with will assume you mean a
print washer to wash your prints. In my answer I will assume we are talking
about just getting some of the excess fixer out of your prints and not washing
them as a final wash for print longevity. This is what our photo students do
at our high school where I help out as a darkroom tech. The prints they
really like go back for a final wash later. We only use RC paper.
RC paper and fiber based paper can successfully be rinsed in the same design
washer. Look for a washer which will keep the prints in constant motion or at
least have moving water reach both sides of the paper. RC prints will want to
adhere to each other. I would not consider a square sided plexiglass archival
washer for RC prints. The prints will adhere to the side walls and dividers.
The archival washers are great for fiber papers. I am unaware of washer
designed for the washing of RC papers. In my personal darkroom for my
commercial work, I use a 24 inch Richards washer for RC. It makes a nice
whirlpool but it is good for only up to three 8x10's at one time. More than
that and they stick together. You would need a 36 inch model to do 11x14's
and still probably not be able to do more than 3 prints at one time.
For rinsing your prints I think you will have to consider a circular washer
However:
A better idea might be for you to decide to wash/rinse the prints one at a
time after they come out of a water bath holding tray. A single print
washer/rinser need be only a little larger than the print itself. If you are
washing/rinsing a single print, the wash time can be very short. If the flow
of water across both sides of the paper is good, an adequate rinse can be
achieved in one minute for RC and two minutes for fiber paper. Three minutes
is considered a full wash for RC papers by most manufactures, and would be
adequate for most class assignments as well as portfolio and school year
display work.
If you were to build a single print wash/rinse unit, consider the following:
The unit can be rectangular like a tray and would need to have a good flow of
water entering at one end through 10 or 15 jets (1/16 inch drilled holes) in
a PVC 1/2 pipe. The jets can be drilled as to aim a water flow across the
top of the print and also aim a water flow under the print. The water would
exit out several large 3/4 inch holes drilled on the opposite wall. These
exit holes would be placed so the wash water depth will maintain itself at
about 2 inches. If the print sinks to the bottom and wants to adhere itself
to the bottom, install another 1/2 PVC pipe with jets to blast an additional
water flow across the bottom of the unit to lift up the print. A baffle or
dam should be fastened across the exit end about one inch in front of the exit
holes. This bottom edge of the dam will be about 1/2 off the bottom of the
unit. The upper edge of the dam will be higher than the water level. The
dam's purpose would be to force the water to exit the print washing area at
the bottom of this washing area. Fixer is heavier than water.
Before building such a unit out of fiberglass over wood or 1/4 sheet PVC look
at the bussing trays for dirty dishes used by restaurants and maybe your
school's own cafeteria. They are usually made of a tough heavy chemical
resistant plastic and measure about 12 by 18 and are 6 inches deep. They are
cheap. I use several of these trays in my personal darkroom for a variety of
purposes. They are made by Rubber maid and others and can be purchased at
Janitorial/Food Service supply houses. Look in the Yellow Pages.
If you are successful with building a good washing devise, such as the one
above which I dreamed up as I typed, then go on the Internet and sell them. I
don't believe anything like it is on the market. "The Norse North Seas
Washer"
<This same thing can be done (that is, plastic ribs put on the walls) with the
<archival slot print washer to prevent RC paper from sticking on the walls.
<And I do know that you will want to use the recommended Plexiglass glue
(like airplane glue) for the bonding of Plexiglass to Plexiglass. Any other
will fail in time. Pete Wolfmeyer (Milwaukee, Wisconsin) pete@ehlert.com>
Thanks for this excellent suggestion. I have a Zone VI Archival washer ( with
removable plexiglass dividers and I have several 6ft. strips of plexiglass
1/4" bars. Now why didn't I think of that?
=============================================================================
43.07 -< Processing FORTE film in Kodak developers >-
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Processing instructions for FORTE films in Kodak developers
all times at 68 degrees F, all times in minutes
120 films
From: RTesn79923@aol.com
=============================================================================
43.08 -< Determination of actual focal length of view camera lenses >-
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
> I need a method to check the actual focal lengths of view cameras. All
> manufactures stamp approximate. values for focal lengths on their lenses.
> I need a simple method to determine true focal lengths.
The way to do this is to focus the lens at infinity, mark the position of
your focussing standard on the rail (or bed, or whatever), and then rack
out the focus to 1:1. You have to do this accurately; obviously you focus
on a precise rule or something, and then measure the image on your ground
glass with another rule which is also known to be accurate. Mark the
position of your focussing standard again. The distance between the two
marks is your focal length. This works for all lenses that do not have
floating elements.
where D is the distance between the source and screen, and d is the distance
the lens is moved between the two focussing positions.
This will covet both thick and thin lenses, as you only measure the distance
the lens is moved to obtain another focus. DO NOT REVERSE THE LENS BETWEEN
MEASUREMENTS.
If you use several values of D you should always get the same f.
(I cheat with this, I have an optics lab across the passage with optical
benches to use.)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
There are several ways to do this but whether acceptable any one is depends on
your criterion of accuracy. I can think of a couple of ways of doing it
roughly. One is to compare the image size produced by your lens of unknown
focal length to the image size produced by a lens of known focal length (this
could be a simple lens!) Typically you want to be working with objects located
far from the camera lens.
A method that I thought was rather ingenious (but which works only with
non-distorting lenses) goes as follows: Place a groundglass in the focal plane
of the camera (does not have to be a very good one, probably wax paper or
translucent paper will do) and measure the width of the film gate (it should be
close to 36 mm). Now, fixing a piece of paper on a table or other flat surface
place the camera on it and keeping the shutter open aim the camera at some
distant subject. Make sure the lens is set to infinity focus. Adjust the angle
of the camera so as to place its image at one side (let's say the right side)
of the film gate. Draw a line guided by the camera base onto a piece of paper
located under the camera.
Now turn the camera so the subject's image is at the other side of the gate.
Draw another line on the piece of paper under the camera. You should find that
the two lines you drew intersect at some angle. If you bisect this angle and
draw a line equal to the width of the gate (which you measured earlier) so that
it is perpendicular to the bisecting line and touching the intersecting lines
at each side, you will find that the distance from this line to the vertex is
equal to the focal length of the lens in question.
=============================================================================
43.09 -< Are obsolete flashbulbs available anywhere? >-
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
>I have an old camera and an old flashgun. Where can I buy flashbulbs?
You may be able to buy them from Cress Photo, a division of Lite Station USA
Inc. PO Box 4262, Wayne New Jersey 07474-4262 Tel: 973-694-1280 Fax:
973-694-6965 on the web at: http:// www.flashbulbs.com
=============================================================================
43.10 -< Another go at Film Acceleration >-
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
> I have heard of "film acceleration" and the strange and unexpected colors
> one can get but I don't understand how to achieve this.
Shoot EPP at iso 1000 Process in D-76, Stop it (no fix) then wash. The
dry it recan it and have it processed in c-41
The timing for the B&W is the tricky part. This is a technique Nick
knight used a lot a few years ago(early (90's)
=============================================================================
43.11 -< Developing in ascorbic acid - tips and hints >-
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
> RE: ascorbic acid developer. I need some hints, tips as to its formulation
> and use. Specifically I would like to try to get the borax as high as 20-30%
> and the ascorbic acid to 10%. Could the phenidone be safely reduced to 0.1%
> without risk of oxidation? Would the addition of small amounts of some
> chemicals extend their useful life?
=============================================================================
43.12 -< D-25 developer >-
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
> What is D-25 developer? How do you use it and what are its advantages?
Thus, the film had to be rated at about 1/4 of full speed. A disadvantage of
processing in either developer, but especially of D-25, is the tendency
of the dissolved silver to replate itself randomly on the developing
grains, thus "muddying" sharp contrast boundaries and reducing acutance.
Obviously, a better solution to fine grain is to use any of the many finer
grained films now available, but undreamed of in D-25's heyday.
I would suggest that if your goal is unblocked highlights, you try either
Microdol-X or Ilford Microphen at 1:3 dilution, using the time recommended
for the film chosen in the Microdol-X, at 75F. I have used this happily
for years, and highlight blocking has never been a problem. In Microphen,
the film can be exposed at full rated ISO with good shadow detail. The
Microdol-X is inherently about 1/3 to 1/2 stop slower. This appears to
be a very common trait of developers made with Phenidone when compared to
those made with Metol.
Solution A:
Solution B:
Water 1000 ml
Sodium Sulfite (anhyd) 15 gm
Sodium Sulfite (anhyd) 6 gm
This produces a real speed gain over D-76, yet with finer grain and
well-compensated highlights. As I use mainly T-Max100 or PX, I usually
reduce the amount of Sodium Sulfite in Sol. A to 50 grams, reducing greatly
the solvent action of the Sodium Sulfite for a visible increase in
sharpness. It seems to have no serious effect on grain in TMX at all.
You apparently already have the Metol and the Sodium Sulfite. The
Sodium Carbonate Anhydrous is sold as ordinary swimming pool alkali,
at any Home Depot or similar store.
Well, with trani, the question is probably moot, as the colour cast would be
rather objectionable. That is, unless one is going to print from the trani,
and thus has the benefit of being able to attempt to correct for the cast.
I'm really going to have to draw some pictures to illustrate my point here.
Lets assume the film has the following curves when exposed and processed
normally (correct CT light source etc...
^
|
D
e .-------
n .'
s .
i .
t .
y .
| .
| .'
|....---``
+--------------Log-Exposure------->
You'll notice that this is a negative material, but that doesn't really matter.
I've only drawn a single curve because this theoretical film has R, G, and B
emulsions that have exactly the same curve. (Naturally they don't in practice,
but over the normally used part of the curve, they're pretty close)
Now, if we use a light source that has a lower colour temperature, the curve
would look like this (and this is going to be hard to draw, so I'll only
attempt to draw the Red and blue curve (the green would fall somewhere in
between))
^
|
D
e .----.-----
n .' .'
s . .
i . .
t . .
y . .
| . .
| .' .'
|....---``--``
+--------------Log-Exposure------->
Since the CT is low, a given exposure (duration) causes less exposure (and thus
density) in the blue as compares with the red. Or, conversely, a longer
exposure is required to achieve the same BLUE density as compared with RED
density.
(OK, the dyes are really cyan and yellow, so when I say RED density I am
referring to the density of the red-sensitive (cyan) layer)
^
|
D
e .----.-----
n .' .'
s e .
i . .
t . .
y d .
| . e
| c' .'
|..a.---b`c-`d
+--------------Log-Exposure------->
at point (a) neither emulsion layer has received enough exposure to generate a
density greater than b+f
at point (b) the RED density is (say) at it's speed point and we start to get
printable detail here. However the BLUE density is still at b+f
at point (c) the Red curve is well into the toe region, but the BLUE density
has yet to reach the speed point. Note that the difference in density is 1
unit (whatever these units are)
at point (d) the blue curve has finally reached the speed point, so there is
some printable detail in the Blue, but the RED curve is well into the (more)
linear part of the curve. Note that the difference in density is 3 units.
at point (e) both curves are into their linear region and the difference in
density is 4 units.
assuming the "linear" portion of the curve is actually linear, the difference
will remain at 4 units until the RED curve hits the start of the shoulder
region. At that point the difference will slowly diminish until both densities
are again the same well into the shoulder region of the BLUE layer.
So what does this mean for filtration when printing? Well, in the middle area
(where the difference between the curves remains at 4 units, a filter that has
a density of 4 units of blue (-4 yellow) will put the curves together again,
but in the areas near the toe and shoulder (where the difference in density is
less than 4 units) a colour cast will appear.
Even once we've removed the colour cast problem the fact remains that there is
detail in the RED layer in deeper shadows than in the BLUE layer. Thus a line
of red and blue balls under graduated lighting would see the blue balls seem to
get darker and disappear into the gloom well before the red balls. In terms of
texture, this would tend to show texture in shadow in reds, rather than grays.
The above assumed that the linear portion of a film's density curve is actually
linear. Well, it's not. And the more it deviates from linear (except for some
strange shapes based on inverse natural logs) the worse the problems will be,
since it may not be possible to correct more than a small range of densities
completely.
The less the difference between the CT of the light source and the CT the film
is designed for, the less this effect. So, the closer to full correction you
can get, the better. As you get close, the effects of the mismatch become
insignificant and easily corrected in printing.
The longer the "straight line" portion of the curve, and sufficient exposure to
ensure that the LEAST exposed layer of emulsion records shadow detail that you
want to print, go a long way to making acceptable images (as does the
combination of relatively low contrast film and higher contrast paper).
=============================================================================
44.02 -< Removing Dye Layers from Color Film One at a Time >-
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
> Is it possible to remove specific dye layer densities from color transparency
> materials without affecting the others? How about removing all three
> simultaneously?
These are the formulae for selective bleaches for Kodak dyes as shown in the
1975 Almanac of the British Journal of Photography..... Ektacolor materials
.... with testing, others mfgrs and sys will likely work.
------------------------------------------------------------------
water............................... 200 ml
perchloric acid (20%).............. 500 ml
water to 1 litre
------------------------------------------------------------------
water................................. 800 ml
sulphuric acid (conc.)................ 120 ml
water to 1 litre
CAUTION: add acid to water, slowly.... will put hole in clothing unless
washed immediately with an alkaline bath.
------------------------------------------------------------------
Stock Solution A:
Water @ 120F............................. 800 ml
potassium permanganate................... 60 gm
water to 1 litre
Stock Solution B
water................................... 800 ml
sulphuric acid (conc.).................. 100 ml
water to 1 litre
WORKING SOLUTION:
Mix 5 parts of stock A with 1 part of stock B only immediately before using.
It is sensible to make 5 times as much of stock A as of B ..... do not use a
metal cap for stock A or B.
--------------------------------------------------------------
water.................................. 800 ml
sodium bisuphite...................... 50 gm
---------------------------------------------------------------
FROM: ----------------------fwmscanlonryersonpolytechnicaluniversity
torontoontariocanadaM5b2k3
(home)905.939.2089
=============================================================================
44.03 -< What is the actual f stop when f stops are given by lightmeters? >-
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
> Most digital hand held exposure meters give F-stop readings to one
> tenth of a stop. How can I determine what the actual f-stop is? For
> example, if the meter reads f2.8 + 4/10ths, is the f-stop f3.2? Any
> formulas and/or tables would be appreciated.
Hmmmm .... interesting question. Let's see ... I would approach this from the
belief that a 1 stop change is equal to a log exposure change of .3 so a 1/10
stop change is equal to a log exposure change of .03
Now how to translate this into actual apertures ... let's see ...
Suppose I started with f/4 ... let's set up a "table" based on the fact that 1
stop less than f/4 is 5.6 and 1 stop more is f/2.8 and then knowing that a 1
stop change is .3 and 1/10 is .03 then something like this "appears" ....
From this I figure that I can square any aperture and find it's log,
then subtract or add whatever number of tenths of a stop change I will
make multiplied by .03, then find the antilog of this new number and
find its square root and that is the new aperture.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
0.7, 1.0, 1.4, 2.0, 2.8, 4.0, 5.6, 8.0, 11.0, 16.0, 22.0, 32.0, etc...
Using your calculator and the formula from above, you will see that the
intensity of the light passing through the aperture increases by nearly two
times as you move through the series from 0.7 to 32.0. This is why opening up
one stop will require half the time to get an equivalent exposure. This series
is the same series that your light meter will read out.
The difference between f/2.8 and f/4.0 is 1.20. Dividing 1.20 by 10 yields
0.12. This number should be [in your example] multiplied by four to obtain a
product of 0.48, add this number to 2.8 to get a final f-stop of f/3.28 which is
close to f/3.2, but not quite. A more dramatic example would be a reading of
f/11 and four-tenths which translates to f/13, not f/11.4 as suggested by the
meter reading.
To calculate the change in intensity in the above example, divide 3.28 by 2.8 to
get a factor of 1.17. Since the aperture is being reduced, the intensity of the
light is also being reduced. Therefore, the inverse of the factor squared will
tell you the change of intensity.
In this example:
Since your intensity was reduced by 27%, the exposure time would have to be
increased by 27% as well.
The important thing to remember is that when you are changing the f-stop, you
are really changing the intensity of the light hitting the film. You do this by
changing the area of the aperture, in relation to the focal length of the lens.
Seeing the Light: Optics in Nature, Photography, Color, Vision, and Holography;
by David Falk, Dieter Brill, and David Stork.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
I did entertain the idea of 1/10th stop divisions calculated as ten equal
devisions of a full stop increase or decrease. Deductive reasoning leads me to
beleive that the divisions must be logarithmic.
Consider the following: Your spot meter indicates an exposure of some shutter
speed at f/11 and 5/10ths. You set your aperture ring, that we will asum e is
calibrated accurately, to the ratcheted stop between f/11 and f/16. If the stop
meter indicated an arithmetic division of stops, your exposure would be wrong.
To use a long shutter speed for the sake of illustration; let's say that a 10
second shutter speed was necesary [our film does not experience reciprocity
failure either] for an exposure at f/11. Logarithmic calculation yeilds a
shutter speed of 14.14seconds at f/11 and 5/10ths. If your spotmeter was
indicating tenth-stop incremets arithmetically derived, it thinks you are
making an exposure for 15.00 seconds; and so you have just underexposed by 0.86
seconds.
Typically we regulate exposure in 1/2 or 1/3 stop increments; knowing this the
manufactures of the stop meter must set their tenth of a stop scale to be
logarithmic, or the exposures indicated by thier meter would be inconsistent
with the exposure settings the common photographer makes.
=============================================================================
44.04 -< The Arnold Gassan Method for HC-110 >-
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Here it is the Arnold Gassen Method for HC-110. From the still living
Arnold Gassen long may he wave.
HC-110 Make a working stock of 1 part HC-110 to 9 parts water. Dilute the
working stock as follows to get 900 ml of developing solution
Time for T-Grain type films (T-MAX 100 and 400, any similar technology euro
films) ALWAYS 6.5 MINS AT 70 DEGREES (ps: this is an addition to AG's original
method, which was formulated before such films were made the time was
formulated by Tillman Crane through testing and densitometer reading and is
solid)
*Time for Kodak HIE film 5 mins (ps: this suggested by Sharon Fox originally
and I think only anecdotally tested, certainly anecdotally only by me, do your
own tests guys)
Now use the following dilutions to deveop your film according to the desired
result:
Sorry about only the suggested start point for HIE. Test, test test. And the
same rules that always apply, apply here, development effects the highlights,
exposure--shadows. Expose for shadows and use this the appropriate dilution to
cut down or increase highlights. ( Don't everyone write me posts saying DUH!)
=============================================================================
44.05 -< Photos of your "aura" ... Kirlian Photography >-
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
> I remember seeing, some time ago, some photos which showed electrical
> charges emanating from objects, such as hands, leaves, etc. The name was
> something like kerilian photography, but I know that this isn't what
> it is called, because I can't find anything on that subject anyplace.
> Can anyone tell me what it is called, and what the process involves, and
> perhaps recommend some good resources to learn how to do it.
The hocus-pocus follows with interpreting the results. For no good reason,
many assume that these images represent some unknown energy field, such as the
"Aura" assumed (with no real evidence) to exist around living things. My (not
thorough) investigation found no evidence that the pictures were anything but
the expected exposures caused by the applied high voltage discharges
themselves.
For example:
1) Metal objects (usually coins are used) have a field (coins are alive?)
2) Some living samples show no field (seems to depend on water content of
surface).
3) The fact that the fields vary in color, shape and intensity are used to
diagnose disease, etc. It's the old story of setting up a very random or
noisy system and then putting your interpretation on the results (as in
inkblots, faces on Mars, the Virgin Mary in cracks in a ceiling or clouds,
etc., etc.). Naturally these discharges are sensitive to many disturbances,
such as plate spacing, irregularities in the surfaces, impurities on the
plates and subject surfaces, humidity and temperature effects and on and
The strongest evidence for the "Aura", "Bio-Energy", etc. claim was a set of
two photos of a plant leaf. In one, the leaf is whole and shows a discharge
all around the edges. In the other, the end of the leaf has been removed, but
the discharge still shows the original shape - including the missing piece.
This was claimed to be a photo of the "ghost" of the missing piece of leaf, or
its "bio-memory" or "invisible natural field" or some such. This seemed to be
the only unusual result of this whole high voltage photography effort. I don't
remember the details, but several people tried to repeat this experiment and
never got any "ghost effect". I think the probability is very high that it was
a fake. This pair of photos was widely publicized in color and B&W. It was
called the "Missing Leaf Phenomena", If memory serves.
A few years ago I attended a "Holistic Health Fair" were a lot of snake oil
was sold. One man had a Krelian type high voltage apparatus (which he claimed
to have invented himself) and was strapping it on peoples hands. He made
Polaroid's of their discharges and was making a lot of medical diagnostic
claims about the results. There was a long line at his booth. I think he was
getting $20 - $30 a shot. {Booth photographers take note :-) } Since most of
the booths were the usual Tarot readers and Astrologers this man's
pseudo-scientific technical show really stood out. Sparks and everything!
Shades of Frankenstein!
I bought a paperback book on the subject called "The Krelian Aura". The
"missing leaf" was on the cover. I think it is extremely interesting to
experiment with the various "fringe science" effects. There are a lot of
resources on the Web. I hope you give it a try and report back to the group.
Maybe you can duplicate the "missing leaf"!
Resources:
Committee For The Scientific Investigation Of Claims Of The Paranormal
(CISCOP) http://www.ciscop.org
Don Lancaster http://www.tinaja.com
Bill Beatty http://www.eskimo.com/~billb
http:/www.keelynet.com
The last 3 are sites with stuff on electronics and electronics paused-science,
but lots of other stuff. I don't know if they have Krelian stuff. These will
lead to a ton more.
Note: Just saw Andy's message as I was sending this - I think he has the
correct spelling. He's right about high voltage being dangerous (ever get bit
by an auto sparkplug?). You have to use high frequencies, voltages no higher
than necessary and VERY LOW CURRENTS (with protection circuits).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
> Could this be done using a low-power Van de Graaf generator? I remember a
> college level physics class where a prof put his hand on one of these
> machines, and then had his hair stand up on end.
> I have asked this myself but never took the time to actually try it. I think
> you can also use an electrostatic vacuum leak detector. Having your hair stand
No, Kirlian photography does not make use of static discharges. Rather it
makes use of high frequency corona discharge. These signals are typically
generated using a Tesla coil. The "skin effect" exhibited by high frequency
signals keeps the current flow from penetrating into a conductor or in this
case the subject's body. This keeps things reasonably safe, although I would
suspect that one could get an rf burn if not careful. Just remember that rf
signals follow the path of least Impedance NOT the path of least resistance as
DC (Direct Current) does.
I did a quick search on Yahoo using the keyword kirlian and got several hits.
One that looked sort of OK was:
http://www.cebunet.com/kirlian/cameras.htm
I was also able to locate several pieces of information on this process in the
library several years ago.
As was pointed out by someone else, there is a lot of speculation about what
images made by this technique mean. That is a topic in itself.
=============================================================================
44.06 -< How to expose Night Scenes properly, a guide >-
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
> I am hoping someone can give me some advice on how to take Night scene such
> as buildings and city lights at night. How do you work out expoure times etc.
Although nothing is certain when you make broad generalizations, I have these
exposures for you to use as a guide when shooting the city lights at night. You
will be in the ballpark with these. They are all based on the sunny 16 rule
which states that a normal daylight exposure is always f16 at 1/iso. These
exposures are allowing more light in from the sunny 16 base exposure for your
film.
=============================================================================
44.07 -< Removing Scratches from lenses ... regrinding surface? >-
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Longman Optical
c/- Technopark Centre
Dowsing Point
Glenorchy
Tasmania 7010
AUSTRALIA
This company can regrind lenses. If the lens is not too deeply scratched they
can polish the scratch out and re-coat the lens. For seep scratches, they may
not be able to completely polish them out.
I'm not associated with these people, and I have not yet used them. I have had
second-hand reports that they do a very good job.
=============================================================================
44.08 -< Shooting digital or scanning film, which is better? >-
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
> I need help with cameras, for instance, is it better to shoot the photos
> digitally (with a digital camera) or on film and scan the negative (I expect
> they'll be mostly print) with a good scanner? Should I invest in a CD
> recorder for storage? If so, which would be most convenient and useful?
> I know I'll need a new computer and am most familiar which a PC, with no
> knowledge of the Mac. I have heard the Mac is better for graphics. Is this
> still true? Does the Mac offer any benefits over the PC platform? Will I be
> able to use my current peripheral equipment? I'd like to print the scanned
> images as photo quality if possible. I don't think my Epson Stylus Color 400
> is up to that. Any suggestions?
It depends on what you shoot, but unless you're willing to shoot mostly still
lifes and invest in a Very Expensive Indeed digital back for a medium format or
large format camera, it's better to shoot on film and scan it.
If you have 8x10" or even larger prints, you might get by with scanning them in
your HP printer, but to be honest, I'd say "don't". Get a good film scanner
instead. I assume that you shoot 35 mm. In that case, get the "best" (read:
most expensive) of the Polaroid 35 mm film scanners. Or start with having a
professional lab scan them onto Pro PhotoCD (Pro PhotoCD is always better than
"regular" PhotoCD, and you might opt not to have your neg or slide scanned at
the highest resolution -- Level 6 -- in order to save both money and space on
the disk. A Level 6 images is 72 MB in size while a Level 5 image is "only" 18
MB).
For storage, CD is probably the best. For submission, Syquest still rules, with
Zip quickly becoming the norm. If you can afford it, get a recorder that can
write at 4x speed, otherwise you'll end up spending much of your time waiting.
Yamaha makes good 4x recorders but there are also others. I've heard people
For the computer, choosing between Mac and PC is mostly a matter of preference
nowadays. But it might not always be easy to find a PC that's up to the task.
Let's assume that a typical image that you'll work with is 15-20 MB in size.
That's sufficient for printing at 8x10" size in a magazine. Expect Photoshop to
use between 3 and 5 times as much memory, plus another 16 MB. Between 128 and
192 MB of memory is enough. You can use less (64 MB for example, but it will be
much slower.
You can usually use your current peripherals such as disks on a Mac if they're
SCSI-based. Typically they're not. You can also use printers and the like if
they have an Appletalk connector. You can usually also use your current monitor
if you get a Macintosh adaptor.
A good Mac system for photographic use is the Powermac 7600/200 or the
8600/200.
Due to the diversity among the PCs, it's hard to recommend a specific system
(I've actually ended up building my own system), but things to watch out for
are:
- Get a system based on Pentium Pro or, if you think it's worth the money for a
minimal increase in performance, Pentium II. If you do get a standard Pentium
system, make sure that it contains a 200 MMX CPU since Photoshop 4 is
significantly faster with it than with a non-MMX CPU, and that the board has a
"HX" or "TX" chipset. The others can't handle more than 64 MB of memory well.
- SCSI peripherals generally work better than their IDE counterparts, but costs
twice as much. Stay away from SCSI-1. Make sure that you get at least SCSI-II,
preferably with "Ultra" transfer rate. Unfortunately, most Mac's can only use
SCSI-1 without extra accessories.
- Get a GOOD graphics card. You need at least 4 MB of video memory, preferably
8 MB if you plan to use a large monitor. I use a Matrox Millennium card, but
all the cards from Matrox are great performers.
- Get a GOOD monitor. My personal choice is Eizo. Also for the Mac.
- Get a Wacom graphics tablet, regardless of whether you choose a Mac or a PC.
Editing is so much easier with one. Most PC resellers won't know what this is,
though, but many Mac resellers will.
For printers, I recently bought an Epson Stylus Color 800. It's good but not
perfect, provided that you use the special coated glossy paper for photographic
use.
Another thing -- get a CD recorder. It's the best way to store large graphic
files. I also use it for submissions since it's so universally accepted.
=============================================================================
44.09 -< Split Toning advice >-
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
> One process I have always wanted to bring to the class has to do with split
> toning in selenium. I have seen photos resulting from this process but have
> had some difficulty finding information on how it is done. I believe it is
> partially due to the emulsion. That some warm tone papers are more responsive
> and as well that the ph of the fix plays a part as well.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
The most responsive modern (if you can call it that) paper is from Forte --
their Polywarmtone is terrific for split toning. Fixing has nothing to do with
it, at least not so far as I know,
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Successful split toning IMHO has many variables, one of the least predictable
is tonality of the image. In my experience warm tone papers are a must, but the
right kind of developer is another major plus. I also tend to decrease my
development time from 2 mins to 1/12 mins to produce a "better" toned print,
this applies to any toning I plan to undertake post printing. The developer I
have used with some success to split tone is as follows,
=============================================================================
44.10 -< Photographing (shooting) with a steady hand, how? >-
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
> Apart from bean bags, tripods and the odd wall has anyone any hints as
> to how to keep an arm steady for a hand held shot?
Steady hand (actually whole body should be steady) method for 35mm cameras:
1. Hang the camera around your neck. Have it in front of you resting against
your chest.
2. Hold the camera with you right hand using the normal grip.
3. With your left hand grasp the camera strap where it rests against the back
of you neck. You will be able to gauge exactly where to grasp the strap after
you have tried this a few times.
4. Pull down towards your feet with your left hand still grasping the strap.
This will cause the camera (and your right hand) to come up so the camera is
against your face with your eye to the viewfinder.
5. With the left hand, without letting go of the strap, grasp the left side of
the camera in more or less the normal left hand grip. If you have grabbed the
strap in the correct position the camera should be clamped tightly to your
face. If is not, try again, grabbing the strap in a slightly different position
so that the strap is holding the camera tightly to your face.
6. Stand with one foot forward and one back (as you would if firing a rifle).
7. Hold your breath, stand perfectly still and rigid and gently and slowly
squeeze the shutter release. Your finger should be the only part of you that
move
Note that these colours are strictly in order of wavelength. They go from
longest wavelength (lowest energy, lowest frequency) to shortest wavelength
(highest energy, highest wavelength).
And you'll also note that there's a whole host of colours missing from the
colours of the rainbow.
It just so happens that our eyes have detectors (cones) that are sensitive to
three bands of electromagnetic radiation. These bands are called red, green,
and blue. Not really because of that, but as a consequence of that, these
colours are called primary colours.
The bands that the cones are sensitive to overlap quite a lot. Because of that,
light that consists of a single frequency only (monochromatic light) (and light
coming from the parts of a rainbow is an example) can be percieved as having
any one of a number of colours.
Also note that what's called blue in the rainbow is really cyan, and what's
called violet is blue...
But light from objects normally consists of other than monochromatic light (in
fact it RARELY consists of monochromatic light). If we see a combination of red
and green light, our eye cannot tell the difference between that and
monochromatic yellow light, as both trigger the same response in our eyes.
Thus, we can represent any colour in the rainbow using combinations of red,
green, and blue light. But you will notice that none of the necessary
combinations include red and blue. Combinations of red and blue produce colours
that are not present in the rainbow (and are thus not capable of being produced
with monochromatic light).
In a colour wheel, the ends of the rainbow are wrapped around, and magenta
placed between red and blue (because this is what we see when red and blue
light are mixed).
So, the colour wheel consists of the three primary colours (RED, GREEN, and
BLUE) with the three secondaries (CYAN, MAGENTA, and YELLOW) placed between
them.
The way this is set out, Red is opposite CYAN, GREEN is opposite MAGENTA, and
YELLOW is opposite BLUE.
And it then happens that white light which has all the RED removed from it
appears CYAN, and so on around the wheel.
The colour wheel is of incredible importance to anyone who has ever needed to
print colour and correct colour casts! (or understand contrast filters for B&W
paper, or understand colour film (print or transparency), or...)
Also of some interest is that while we *know* that our eyes are sensitive to
red, green, and blue, that is not how we appear to process colour. Most people
see magenta as a reddish blue, and cyan as a greenish blue, but almost nobody
would describe yellow as a reddish green.
=============================================================================
45.02 -< Cameras for school use to replace the K1000 >-
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
> Hi all. I am in the process of replacing what is left of a stable of
> k1000s. I have purchased several Pentax ZXMs but am now starting to
> experience so possible problems with them.
Mark Olson says: I've ordered 3 of the Phoenix P-1's with 28-70 zoom lenses
(K-mount). they're all plastic bodies, but at only $169 w/lens, I'm going to
give these a try. I have a student who bought a Vivitar that is just like it
and is within your budget.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
I purchased the materials several years ago when we were considering a class in
camera repair. I also was aware that Pentax was discontinuing the camera and we
had 60 of them that we were going to need to keep in working order.
When I got the materials, the business was run by Don Marr, 1474 West 6th Ave.,
Eugene, OR 97402. 541 683 5361.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
You might consider buying used Canon AE1s in good condition ($150-200). They
are far superior to anything built today at that price range.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ricoh seems to be history too. I have seen a Phoenix brand camera that
seems to be very similar to the Nikon FM-10 and the Olympus OM-2000 (selling
at $299 w/35-70mm). I believe that all of them are made by Cosina and
understand that they all share a Seiko shutter. The Phoenix sells both with
a 35-70mm or a 50mm f/1.8 K-Mount lens and include a strap and battery (no
case). With either lens, they should sell for under $200 when they again
become available.
It is a pure manual/mechanical camera with a LCD meter alá Nikon FM. Film
transport, shutter speed dial, film speed setting are all traditional
manual. I don't believe that there is a depth-of-field preview, but there
Due to the absence of the Ricoh's and K-1000's this year, I have been told
that there has been a run on the Phoenix. They are presently sold out but
they should have more soon.
I have ordered a few of them to sell at Irvine Camera (my day job), but have
no experience with them yet. I do expect that they will be suitable for
student use.
If your local supplier needs to know how to get in touch with Phoenix,
please have them call me. They may be PMA members and therefore would also
be in the Who's Who directory.
=============================================================================
45.03 -< The Business of Youth Sports / Teams Photography >-
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
> Could anyone please tell me how I would go about getting into the youth
> sports photography field. Who to contact, prices, how it all works, etc.
> Any information would be greatly appreciated and thank you in advance.
If you are in the Raleigh-Durham area of NC, you have to file zillions of
pages of government paperwork, work as an apprentice for 60 years, charge four
times what I do. If your not in my market, its a lot easier :-) :-) :-)
Lets start with how to get business. A lot of it is determined by your market
and if there is need for another photographer. Here in the Triangle there are
more sports teams than you can shake a stick at. I can be as busy as I want to
be. However, when I lived in Key West, FL, there were five photographers
fighting for one 800 kid baseball league.
35mm Camera (or Medium format, but more stuff is geared toward 35mm)
a nice sharp lens. I use either my 50mm or my 35-70 zoom.
A steady tripod with a remote release.
A way to get your flash off camera (bracket, light stand, necessary cables)
A company to process and print your packages
Some good portrait film
and Business.
Lets start with the camera gear. I recommend 35mm because I've only blown up
one photo larger than 8x10 from these deals and it was a 20x30 poster. Even at
20x30 and good film, 35mm is more than enough to handle the job. You will be
shooting both portraits, typically full body, then you will shoot the team
which can require a wide angle. I'll cover shooting in a bit. Put the camera
on a steady tripod and get your flash off camera to avoid red eye.
Next you need to find a company to process and print your packages. I
recommend ProPhoto in Lakeland, FL. (1-800-237-6429). Call them and say, "Hey,
Next, you need to find work. You can contact local parks and recreation
departments, look up local independent sports clubs, swim teams, etc. You ask
them if they have a photographer. Ask if they are happy, or how a bidding
process works, etc.
I've seen leagues where they have photographers for life and you could have
the package prices and give the league a huge "fundraiser", commission,
franchise fee, extortion what ever you want to call it and you still wouldn't
get a contract. I went to a new indoor roller hockey/soccer center that just
opened and the guy was very cordial when I asked, he said "I've been using the
same photographer and I'm very happy, but if that ever changes, I have your
card". No luck there.
You will find leagues where the league doesn't want to get involved with the
photos and its up to each team to have their own photos done. In particular,
the larger the league, the more likely for them to not have a league
photographer.
In most cases you will have to submit a bid. That bid is typically an
introduction letter and a copy of your prices. If you have samples, its good
to include them. I target different price levels ($10, $15, $20, $25 and $30).
I then take the prices from the catalog, and at least triple them to see what
fits into the price ranges. Almost everyone can afford a $10 package (which
costs me $3.10 to print for 2-3.5x5 individuals, a 5x7 team, and a folder,
called a Memory Mate, to hold them and I charge $11.95). You can build as
complex a packages as you want or as simple.
When I word my bid, I don't mention any fees to the league. I will typically
offer a 5x7 team for each team for the coach or league for sponsor plaques. I
also leave the wording in the welcome letter open so that if they expect a
fund raiser, they can call and ask.
The league may not ask for any thing, or they could ask for a fortune. If they
ask for anything more than your prepared to give them, you may want to see if
you can up the prices to accommodate their "Fund raiser". I used to charge
$9.95 for that intro package, but a recent league asked for $2 per package.
Since then my bank has really upped my per check deposited fees, so I've moved
my base price there and no one has flinched or complained.
Any way, once you start this, you also head down the governmental pain in the
behind road. If your state collects sales tax, you will have to get a TaxID so
you can collect sales tax and pay them accordingly. To do this, it may require
an occupational permit from your local municipalities (not needed in all
communities). If you go this far, and you want a business name more than "Your
Name, Photography", you may have to file fictitious name documents and deal
with that paper hassle. I had to do that in Florida, but not NC. Of course,
this also means the end of the dear ole 1040-EZ and 1040-A form, and welcomes
in the "Long Form" because you need to report this income and you want to
Ok, you've got your Lab on board, your all legal with the government, and
you've got your first team/league to shoot. Whats next?
Before you head out for the first shoot, you will need order forms (trying to
fill out the lab's forms in the field is crazy). This will have your packages,
your prices, your sales tax rate, a location for the customer's name, address,
phone number, and relevant team info: team name, coaches name, Jersey number,
position, home town, etc. You want the kids to have the order forms at least a
week before the shoot if at all possible. You will need business cards and
other stuff (stamps to endorse checks, etc.)
You will probably need an assistant to take the orders and money while you
shoot. These shoots are typically fast paced, short shoot window events. You
may only have 15-20 minutes per team to do the job. My wife helps me, so some
extra goodies in her Christmas stocking helps me avoid hired help. In our
team, she handles the customers, I take the photos and I do most of the paper
work.
Okay, its the day of the shoot. Arrive as early as possible to set up. You
will need to scout out a place to shoot. You want a clean background, fitting
in the venue if possible, i.e. for Baseball, you might want the kids standing
at Home Plate. For indoor sports, I want to set up a backdrop, studio lights,
etc. Find a place where you can line the kids up at the order table and they
can come in for the shoot. You do a lot of these as the sun is setting which
is great for color, but horrid for squinting eyes. I try to get the sun far
enough behind the player to give them a nice hair highlight and use my lights
to fill in the shadows. You can visit http://www.photo-miracles.com to see
some samples. These are not necessarily my best shots, but are representative.
You might shoot one team a night, or several teams, or you might have a
picture day (or two) to get all the kids prior to games over a very short
period. You need to be flexible because each league will operate differently.
As you bring the players up, take their photo, note the frame number on their
order form. In my case, my wife writes the frame number on the order form and
if I have to take more than one photo (eyes closed, bad pose, etc.) I yell out
"Edit" to her, and she will note the fact that I shot Billy with frames 8 & 9
so I can note that on the lab order. One photo per kid unless you mess up. Its
important to keep the frames in order. Some packages are only available from
unprocessed 35mm film and if you mess up and have to develop locally to figure
out the frames, you may loose the ability to deliver some of the packages.
Any way, this is cattle line photography, line 'em up, shoot 'em, move 'em
out. How successful you are depends on balancing shooting 12-20 kids in 20
minutes including the team photo. There isn't a lot of time for two or three
frames per kid. Work for a good consistent standard pose or set of poses get
them there, shoot and go on.
If I've got two teams back to back, I will typically shoot the first team's
individuals, followed by their team shots (usually three frames, note on your
If you have two cameras, you can shoot one team on one camera and the other on
a second camera, but you have to be VERY careful to not put the wrong kid on
the wrong camera. In this scenario, you can shoot the two teams as they both
arrive and then do the teams at the end for both. I've done this before and it
works, but you have to focus quite a bit more to keep two cameras and two sets
of orders working at once.
Once your done, double check to make sure all the frames are right and you
have every one. Make sure to shoot every one even if they don't want photos or
if they didn't know about it. The parents may change their mind later and
since you don't print frames with no orders, it doesn't cost you anything to
get their individual. If you don't have it and they want it, you've lost a
sale. If you have their photo and they don't want anything, you've lost a
frame of film.
I ask for payment up front and try to avoid mail ins. This is more important
when you are first starting then after you have an established bank account,
but get the money first. Some photographers are now shooting all the kids,
printing proofs and then getting the order forms and proofs to the parents.
More up front cost, but supposedly it causes higher sales. I don't plan on
doing this any time soon. Put the money in the bank, and mail out the orders
as quick as you can. I tell the parents that there is about a 3 week turn
around (so its best to start this early in the season).
When the photos come back, assemble the packages, stuff in business cards, and
fix up any mistakes (you will make them, I still do). Shoot for 100%
deliverables and good quality. Before you know it, business will be coming to
you. Each team will have a team manager or team mom that you will probably
work with. This manager deals with the running of the team so the coaches can
coach. I typically try to get the packages back to the team manager and let
them deliver to the parents.
Remember the Kenny Rogers song "The Gambler": "Don't count your money while
your sittin' at the table, there will be time enough for counting when the
dealing's done". Go home, do your accounting, deposit the goodies, plan your
next vacation or whatever you need/want to do with the cash.
Of course you meet a lot of people and if they are happy with your work, more
keeps coming.
=============================================================================
45.04 -< Speaking engagement about photography and careers >-
Photographers are not in demand now. They will be less so in the future. It
is competitive and getting worse everyday. 10% of all people that set out
to be photographers make a living and 2% make a good living (above $45,000)
--
Randy Little - R.S.Little Studio
Photography & Digital Imaging - http://www.rslittle.com
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jan
--
faces 'n places http://www.artfaul.com
=============================================================================
45.05 -< Advice for a Figure Study Photo Workshop >-
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
> We are thinking of putting on a figure study workshop for the memebrs of our
> club. Any advice from those of you have organized such events?
Speaking as one who has attended a figure study workshop, I would make several
suggestions:
2. Spend some time in the beginning discussing nude work and various styles of
photography in shooting the nude figure. Engage the participants in
discussion: don't give a lecture. Show various photographer's work and have
students bring work of their own to share and show.
3. Make sure the leader of the workshop is involved but not pushy. There's a
fine line between invading the students' space and being intelligently
involved and ready with an answer and encouragement when needed.
4. Don't make students bring a certain kind of camera. Let them have the
cameras of their choice, although encouraging them to think larger format would
be a plus but 35 mm is fine.
6. If possible, have contact sheets from the previous days' shoot ready each
morning for review. This critique by the leader is invaluable for the
students' growth. If it's just a one day workshop, then concentrate on shooting
strategies instead.
Good luck!
Bib Scheide - portfolio at http://www.scheide.net - bib@patriot.net
=============================================================================
45.06 -< Suggestions for Content of a Portfolio for Transfer Credit >-
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
> What should a portfolio for consideration for admission or transfer credit
> from one shool to another consist of? I have been told by a number of people
> that the portfolio should be a cohesive body of work........and some people
> have told me that it should be a variety of images. Any thoughts?
Good question. At RIT's School of Photographic Arts and Sciences portfolios are
only required if you transfer. Assuming this is waht you are doing, then my
limited experience in seeing what is submitted is that ..... they are all over
the map!!!!
I have also seen slide pages to show off color work although if at all possible
I'd include some color prints as well (if you have done work in this area).
Do not include "travel shots" or family-type photos unless stunning. They tend
to be "downers" to evaluators.
Again, presentation is very important. Clean, spotted prints. Full tonal range.
Good black shadows where needed and clean highlights where appropriate.
=============================================================================
here is another bit of advice about portfolios from and independent source:
The advice *I* received was that *something* should tie the folio together. And
it should be more than a collection of random works.
All of my images were mounted the same way (window mount), with coloured mattes
ranging from beige to brown. Within the folio I had a couple of images forming
a series, another group of images on a different theme, and a few that were
just independant.
I spent a lot of time arranging the folio in an order that made the images (in
my mind at least) fit together with the least amount of dramatic change between
images. I also kept in mind the colours of the mattes that were places next to
each other so that the change in matt colours didn't detract from the images
themselves.
I broke my own rule and included an image that really looked a lot better with
a black matt. I shouldn't have, because it was singled out and criticised, and
then is was taken away by the person assessing the folio (well one of the three
actually) with the remark -- well that looks a lot better now. (Then it was put
back with the comment "but that's what we have to judge")
0) make sure it's your best work. If you can find a fixable fault with
your work (that should be darker, I wish that was more in focus, I
should have cleaned the neg, the mounting is crooked, fingerprint...)
then fix it or remove it.
1) not all images that are good belong in your folio.
2) don't make you're life hard by having a rainbow of matt colours (a
single colour (suggest white or just off-white) is sooo much easier)
3) make sure the focus remains on your work, not how you did it, you
mounted it, whatever...
4) think carefully about how you will arrange the work within your folio
(this may or may not be possible depending on the folio will be
viewed/judged)
5) show other people and listen to what they say.
6) don't break the rules you impose on yourself.
7) make sure your mounting is perfect
8) know the story of each image or series. have something interesting
or intelligent (and relevant) to talk about. Make it obvious that you
not only take great pictures, but that you also know what's going on.
9) be sensitive to the fact that nobody else may share the emotional
attatchment you have to an image. The image may mean everything to you,
but nothing to others.
=============================================================================
45.07 -< Some chit chat on Fundamental Principles in Polarization >-
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: JimThyer <jimth@tpgi.com.au>
Steve Hodges wrote:
> Bob Blakely wrote:
> >
> > For an example experimental verification of the predictions of both the
> > particle nature of light and the Hinesburg Uncertainty Principle using
> > common photographic paraphernalia, Obtain three linear (*not* circular)
> > polarization filters. Set up two filters in a row with space for the third
> > filter between them. Darken room save for a single light source in line with
> > the two filters. Observe a light source viewed through both filters and
> > rotate one so that minimum (nearly no) light is transmitted through both
> > filters. This occurs when the filter polarizations are orthogonal
> > (polarization axis 90 deg different) from each other. (Perfect filters
> > aligned in this manner would pass no light, but there are no perfect
> > filters.) Now take the third filter and without disturbing the alignment of
> > the first two, place it between them. Rotate the third (middle) filter until
> > the light is clearly seen as significantly brighter than with the first two
> > filters alone. This occurs when the polarization axis of the third (middle)
> > filter is 45 degrees offset from the other two filters. Light! Somehow a
> > polarization component of light that did not previously exist has
> > materialized! How?!! I will leave it to any physicists in the group to
> > explain what happened.
>
> This might be complete and utter rubbish, but here goes.
>
> <WAG>
> When light passes through a polarising filter, conventional wisdom tells
> us that the "correctly" polarised light goes straight through, and light
> whose polarisation differs is attenuated in proportion to to some
> function of the difference between its polarisation and the "correct"
> polarisation.
>
> However this process is (in quantum terms) an act of measuring the
> polarisation of the light. Now quantum mechanics tells us that
> measuring things changes them. And at a quantum level it can change
> them quite dramatically.
>
> Thus, it seems likely to me, the polarising filter randomises the
> polarisation of the light, with the resulting "mix" of polarisation
> matching what we would "expect".
>
> Thus (big jump, because I'm off to work) the three polarising filters in
> a row would act to effectively rotate the polarisation of the light.
> </WAG>
>
> Steve
This is perfectly correct. The first polarizer sets the plane of polarization
of the beam after it passes through. A second polarizer will allow a
If the second is set at an angle then the component of the first along the
plane of the second passes through, the perpendicular component is blocked.
Thus some of the beam is allowed to pass through. (with reduced intensity
according to the rule above). The plane of polarization now becomes that of
the second polarizer.
On reaching the third polarizer the same happens again. The component of the
beam parallel to polarizer 3 is passed through, so in effect the plane of
polarization is rotated through 90 deg.
Having retired and moved I can no longer find my basic reference (B. Bleaney &
B. Bleaney, Electricity & Magnetism, Oxford University Press.) If I could we
could do a full mathematical proof..
Jim Thyer
--
*******************************************************
Jim Thyer email: jimth@tpgi.com.au
(Formerly Info Tech & Math Sciences
University of Ballarat {Retired})
6 Beach Close, Pt. Lonsdale, Vic 3225, Australia
Ph: 03 52583213
*******************************************************
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: chandler@yomogi.or.jp (chandler)
I'm a bit lost as well, but I don't think you need to invoke quantum mechanics
to get this effect.
Now between the two boards add another one, with a slot at 45 degrees. This is
Brian Chandler
geo://Sano.Japan.Planet_3 http://www3.yomogi.or.jp/chandler/
=============================================================================
45.08 -< Panoramic Stitching Software - PTStitcher >-
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: Helmut Dersch <der@fh-furtwangen.de>
Subject: [ANNOUNCE] PTStitcher
Announcing PTStitcher, the simple stitching utility. Drop your images onto its
icon, and get a panorama ready to be viewed by all major plug-ins. With
multirow stitching capability, all lens type support, cylindrical and
spherical formats and much mo re.
Output options:
===============
o QTVR movie ready to be viewed with Quicktime plug-in.
o Smoothmove full spherical panorama ready to be viewed
with Infinite Images (iMove) plug-in.
o RealVR full spherical panorama ready to be viewed with
LivePicture's ZoomIt viewer.
o Panoramic images for viewing and printing
o Multilayer Photoshop file containing one image per layer for
editing.
Input options:
==============
o Rectilinear lenses with any focal length
o Fisheye lenses with any focal length
o Panoramic cameras
o Any orientation possible (multirow etc)
o Can read PICT and JPEG images.
PTStitcher v1.0b0 is free, and available for Macintosh (PPC, System > 7.6)
from <http://www.fh-furtwangen.de/~dersch/PTStitcher.sit.hqx>
Enjoy
=============================================================================
45.09 -< Flashbulbs NOT a lost art yet >-
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: William Cress <wcress@ix.netcom.com>
FLASHBULBS - Reminiscent of the 50s and 60s the interest in and use of
flashbulbs has dramatically increased in the 90s. You probably remember the
"pop" of a flashbulb and the "feel good" sense of accomplishment when it
worked. Almost a lost art, flashbulbs are making a comeback and Bill Cress,
president of Cress Photo is discovering that its not just photographers who
are buying and using them again. Its nostalgic, creative, dramatic light and
they are powerful. "The use of flashbulbs requires a basic knowledge of film,
lighting and camera functions" says Cress, " and for many adults the
accomplishment of superb images using bulbs is linked to many happy childhood
memories."
To link the pleasures of flashbulb use to modern times, Cress Photo has
assembled a substantial inventory of every type of bulb ever produced. The
company is able to supply technical information on usage, and customers
requirements on a worldwide basis. A new web site, http:// www.flashbulbs.com
provides specifications and basic information for users starting out. Compact
and more powerful than most electronic strobes, flashbulbs offer ease of use
without a lot of equipment or access to a wall outlet. They are being used for
general photography, photographing trains, underground caves, by divers
underwater, scientific research, by testing companies, for stage and motion
picture effects, model rocketry, high speed filming, laser research, marching
bands, and silk screeners to name a few.
=============================================================================
45.10 -< Fake Ice Cubes for studio prop >-
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
> I have a great idea for a photograph that I have wanted to do for about a
> year. I haven't tried it yet, but I thought you people could probably help.
> The photo will be a glass with a little bit of condensation on it. First,
> whats the best way to get the condensation? Second, how can I make, or where
> can I get a "perfect" ice cube? The perfect cube would be almost square,
> mostly clear, and have smooth curves (like it sat melting for just the right
> amount of time). Because I want to be able to shoot this for around an hour,
> the ice shouldn't melt..
good luck
From: Paul Aparycki <parl@odyssee.net>
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Condensation can be sprayed onto a glass with a small spray bottle like
is used for plants. Calumet has some fairly realistic fake ice cubes.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
You can get fake ice. The one I saw most recently is soaked in water
overnight. This stuff doesn't melt :-) It's also not cold, so it won't create
condensation.
For the condensation you might try a hand operated spray pump thingy (the ones
that window cleaners and the like come in). Spray it on the item you want
condensation on. Experiment... Play...
But I think that lighting is the most important element in an image like this.
Everything is clear. You need to make it look natural, AND have enough
contrast to be recognisable (and look good) AND not have distracting
reflections, backgrounds etc...
Steve
From: Steve Hodges <SHodges@wantree.com.au>
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Go to a theatre props rental house, they have all sorts of "perfect" ice
cubes.
=============================================================================
45.11 -< Polaroid Emulsion Lift-off Prints, short instructions >-
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
> What are the basic steps required to make Polaroid Emulsion Lift-off prints?
Here are my techniques for teaching Polaroid emulsion lift. Good luck!
With the soft underside of your fingertips, gently push back the emulsion from
the corners until it is freed from the backing. I usually lift the floating
emulsion out with a clear piece of acetate. Once it on top of the acetate
(it's pretty slippery and delicate so be careful not to tear it), you can
smooth out the image and flip it over on any substrate you desire--paper,
glass, fabric, wood, tile, etc.
Linda Soberman
From: CASLIN123@aol.com
=============================================================================
45.12 -< Finding the F number instructions >-
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
> how do you determine the f/stop? What about lenses that don't have a focal
> length?
Well, for this you first determine the approximate focal length. With simple
lenses such as in box cameras etdc. it is simply the distance from the lens to
the film polane. Now you need to determine the diameter of the aperture.
Take a pin and make a small hole in a piece of aluminum foil. Place this foil in
the film plane of the camera centering the pinhole. Place a bright flashlight
as close to the pinhole as possible. Assuming you open the shutter at this time
you should see a circle of light projected by the camera lens onto a piece of
white paper placed in front of the lens. Measure the diameter of this circle.
Divide the FL by the diameter of the aperture and that is the f#.
=============================================================================
45.13 -< Guide Numbers with multiple flashes - how? >-
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
> So how does one calculate an aperature using multiple bulbs (on camera). If a
> #5 bulb has a guide number of 450, intuition would say "Hey double it to
> 900" That's wrong.
To add guide numbers, take the square root of the sum of their squares.
> I've been calculating it by using guide numbers backward. i.e. If one has a
> guide number of 450 then the f-number is f45 @ 10feet. With two bulbs of the
> same size, I've doubled the light, the aperature moves one stop to f64 then
> multiply by the distance (10 feet) to get a new guide number of 640. It
> works, but I suspect there is a more.... er... 'mathmatical' solution.
GNt = sqrt(GN1^2 + GN2^2 + ... + GNn^2) where GNt is the total Guide
number, GN1, GN2, ...GNn are the guide numbers.
The easier way for flash units (including bulbs) of the same power is to
multiply the guide number by 1.4 for each doubling in the number of flashes. So
one Metz 45 has a guide number of 45, 2 have a gn of 63, 4 have a gn of 90 and
so on.
The calculation is easier if you have a number of flash units that is not a
power of 2 (actually the easy way here is to multiply by the square root of the
number of units) or where the power is not equal.
These calculations only apply where the flash units are being used to
illuminate the same object. If you have a large object and you need multiple
flash units to cover the whole thing, then you don't add the guide numbers
using any method.
Also note that guide numbers tell you how far to place the flash from the
subject for a given aperture, not how far away to place the camera. The camera
position is independent (ok, so it's got to be on the side that's illuminated
:-)
Steve
p.s. a Metz 45 placed 4 metres away from a subject provides the correct
lighting for an observer on the moon using a lens at f/11 @ 1/60 (I would
recommend a tripod)
p.p.s. Don't do a NASA (especially if you're trying the above from Mars). Make
sure that if you're adding guide numbers (or using them for that matter) that
they're all in metres (or feet) and all for the same ISO film.
=============================================================================
45.14 -< Getting started with Volunteer Photo Teaching >-
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
> I am volunteering to be a mentor to some high school students by exposing
> them (excuse the pun) to photography. I will be supplying the students with
> cameras, film, etc., on my own at first (I hope to build this program enough
> so I can ask for assistance from the community/schools/businesses as far as
> supplies go in the future).
>
> I've tutored adults before, but not young people. If any of you have taught
> young people, would you please give me an idea of where (camera? film?
> exposure? lighting? shape,form,composition?) and how (classroom? field
Something to consider is using disposable cameras - yeah, color, but kids today
think in color. Perhaps you could get a dealer to donate the cameras and
processing.
Then, you might think about turning them loose to photograph each other. Give
them an assignment to pick one friend and tell a true story about that friend in
pictures. Have them assemble the pictures, and when show-and-tell times comes,
have them talk through why they took the pictures they did. What are those
pictures saying about their friend.
The one thing I would avoid at first is heavy theory. There will be time for
that later after the kids understand the magic of creating an image. One
approach to treating those things is to compare their efforts with pictures that
they really like.
After you do individual assignments, then you might do a group shoot using one
kid as a "model". Normally, teens are reluctant to be photographed, but as
they get turned on to photography, that reluctance will disappear. Once that
happens, they really do loose a lot of inhibitions - the challenge for you will
be to be as open minded as they will be!
You might also consider making the final objective of the program to create a
web page of the images - a day in the life, etc. That is something that the
kids really will relate to (more so than magazines) and they will be more likely
to get excited about doing it.
I would like to see the results - I've been thinking about doing something like
that myself and would like to see how your effort turns out.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Louie J. Powell, APSA
Glenville, NY USA
http://www.geocities.com/Paris/Maison/7881/
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I would suggest maybe you get them all Holga's (the new ones that cost 20
bucks. or have them buy them.) I can give you the number of a place here
that sell them.)
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Dont be surprised if they reject your subject completely! You can get close
to teenagers through photography as they are given an opportunity to express
themselves. Give them some freedom of expression within limits of a
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What a fine thing you are doing! But are you going to overload? Cost to
benefit of loading all those cassets? Your time might be better spent
seaking a deal or gift from local photoshops or labs. Even manufacturers
might help if you write and ask, all they can do is say no, or maybe YES!
Also check with the film dealers in Shutterbug who have slightly out of date
film. Heck, even some of the list members might send a roll or two! As to
cameras, don't rule out the possibility that teenagers might have their own
P&S or be able to borrow a basic 35 from parents or other friends and
relatives. If you can teach them to load, compose, focus, expose, load a
nikon reel, devolope, dry, proof, enlarge,and find their own way to and from
a good photo dealer, you will have done MORE than enough! What a fine thing
you are doing. My hat is off ot you!
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Hmmm, the problem with these (cheap plastic cameras) is that they're all fixed f
ocus and often
have a single shutter speed/aperture. This is fine for nasty colour
prints, because the machine can salvage an image off almost anything.
You, however, might not appreciate it if you're printing them :-)
Personally I'd try to beg, borrow or steal some manual SLR cameras with
some kind of needle or stick and ball meter. The down side is that
you're likely to get a mixed bag and the instructions for use will
differ for each one :-(
> Black and white film will allow me to do the processing and proof sheets,
> saving the expense of a lab, and I can load film cassettes at home, saving
> more.
Good idea. It's also easier to pass around proof sheets so everyone can
see them.
> I've tutored adults before, but not young people. If any of you have taught
> young people
Do my kids count? They were only 7 and 10 when they figures out the
manual focus auto exposure camera, and about a month older when they
figures out the manual focus, manual exposure camera.
-1) get them to bring in any photos they have already taken with any
type of camera.
0) show them some photos that YOU have made from the same type of
equipment that they're going to use.
1) basic instructions - how to focus what the image looks like when it's
focussed)
2) how the exposure thing works (start with fixed shutter or aperture
that you select and get them to alter the other until the exposure is
"correct"
3) warning on too slow shutter speeds
3.5) how to take picture (stand still, gently squeeze...)
3.7) (lie) tell them film is valuable, try to make each shot count
They need to shoot off at least one frame after being told 1 to 3.5,
even if it's just a quick picture of a tree outside.
4) take them out on a walk around some familiar area (even the school,
but I would recommend walking along the streets. Take pictures of
things you see. YOU take pictures too.
Don't tell them anything about composition. Get the mechanics right
first. Kids are awfully creative, and you don't want to beat any more
creativity out of them.
Talk about that after they see the results. Why are some shots better
than others? Make composition something that sounds positive rather
than a lecture about rules and regulations.
> My hope is for them to have finished prints for a "show" by the end of their
> time with me. Thank you in advance.
Are you teaching them to print too? Or are you (I assume) going to
print the best of them?
Steve
From: Steve Hodges <shodges@wantree.com.au>
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I began, as you will, very simply...the basics of how to hold a camera for
good, non-blurry shots, how to load film, how to use the flash, how to advance
and rewind the film.
I spent time looking thru magazines for photos that illustrated concepts I was
teaching...good composition, good lighting, portraits, landscapes,
architecture, sports. I allowed the kids to ask me questions in addition to
the questions I asked them. I brought in some of my own work to share.
My kids all shot color and were responsible for their own processing...but
since you will be doing this end for them, you may ask if there aren't one or
two who might be interested in helping out...that's how I started my photo
training and I will never forget it!
Lea
From: LMurphys@aol.com
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>I always did my teaching of the "concept" in a classroom because I could use
>the chalk board and they could sit comfortably ...taking notes if they liked.
I've just discovered a very nice teaching aid for beginning photography.
It's called the Canon Photograpic Workshop, and it's a CD-ROM that covers
all the basics -- light, film, exposure, depth of field, lenses, shutters -
the whole works. I ordered it from Calumet for $19.95, and plan to use it
in my beginning photo class of college students. I think it would work well
with younger kids, as well. The graphics and examples are first-rate.
----
Phil Vinson - Fort Worth, Texas USA
Photographer
Lecturer in Photojournalism, University of Texas at Arlington
Photo Galleries: http://www.flash.net/~pvinson
e-mail: pvinson@flash.net, pvinson@uta.edu
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I'm getting ready to do a similar project and the folks who put it together
use Holga cameras. They cost very little from Freestyle and are an old
standard for teaching. There is a lot to be said for the large negs. You
could order a bunch of white box 120 film also rather cheaply from them.
As far as explaining the basics, I would keep the lesson to two or three,
one-page handouts: judging light/exposure, stopping action, and composition.
Anything more for an enrichment class is too much. The students will mostly
want to photograph each other. I wouldn't show them ANY photographs until
they have spent some time using the camera, then bring in some books and let
them decide which pictures mean something to them.
Check out this terrific web site:
http://dir.yahoo.com/Arts/Visual_Arts/Photography/Toy_Camera_Photography
Freestyle: www.freestylesalesco.com
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May I suggest that for a field trip you take them to a place where there
are statues? Great for how light affects details. Maybe you could divide
up the course into Subject/Interest, Composition, Technique
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