Hello from Rochester NY

[Anthony]

I'm Anthony. It's nice to be here. I joined your group because the British - Europeans in general (and Canadians of course) - are measured and polite, and I'm hoping this forum mirrors that. I'm sure it does. I previously joined 2 American forums like this, but cancelled the memberships after less than one day in each. It seems Americans often want nothing but to argue on these forums regarding the most insignificant matters and not only argue, but voice a disturbingly truculent tone. I cannot tolerate that juvenile nonsense. And the Brits know how to speak English. Amazing how effective that is when communicating is the objective. So thank you for having me.

I photograph in black and white all formats, but I suppose 5x7 is my primary . . . maybe. I also use a RB67 when it's so cold here that I need to work a little quicker. I minimize the medium format work because enlarging is such a nuisance - for me. I use Foma 400 film and Clayton F76 developer at N, N minus, N plus - etc. Arista EDU Ultra is the same thing, Arista premium film developer is too, but the dilutions need to be adjusted; same with Clayton P20 print developer and Arista premium - pretty much the same. Tough to import to Europe though . . . Using Foma fibre based VC paper, but thinking of switching to Multigrade.

Using view cameras today means you have to know how to fix them and get parts - another reason your forum seems like a good idea. View cameras should be simple I think, then I have confidence in using them. Replacing a screw or a knob shouldn't be an odyssey, eh? Having said that, the efficiency of Japanese design and manufacturing always astounded me, still does. (The Germans can certainly do it - my 5x7 is a Plaubel, the best view camera ever made I think . . .) I'm only an expert in my own opinion.

Favorite photographer overall - I must say Imogen Cunningham, maybe more for her attitude. Her work I find marvelous. She happened to pioneer all the "breakthroughs" in photography before anyone else. But the best thing about it was, she couldn't have cared less who knew. Pretense in photography I find hard to stomach. I think she did too. I love Ansel Adams's work, but when he wrote or said things like "equivalent" and "assignments from within," I feel like screaming.

Went to RIT for an MFA. I detested it, and have many horror stories - but met a great photographer there - Judy - who taught me a lot. I still drive past that desolate brick outpost and shudder. How long have I been doing this? I'm afraid to say. I will say I loved the SEI photometer; the greatest meter ever conceived. I use a Minolta spot meter now - accurate, but the design seems incomprehensible. It has great weight and balance - some day I may fling it over the treetops . . .

Thanks again everyone. Sorry if this is too long.

 

[mpirie]

Thanks Anthony and welcome!

That has got to be one of the most entertaining introductions I've seen

It looks like you may have found your spiritual home here!

Mike

 

[Alan Klein]

Welcome, Anthony. I'm an American too from NYC and now central New Jersey. I should spend more time here for its calmness and lack of controversy. I often don't find that either like you on American photo web sites. Too many personal attacks and squabbling about minutiae there. I just took up large format photography this year - 4x5. A Chamonix 45H-1. I had been shooting medium format before (Mamiya RB67) and 35mm. I'm really trying to learn LF as there are a lot of new things to deal with I never had to worry about before.

Those are nice flowers. How do you scan and process? I use outside developers but scan at home with an Epson V850 using Epsonscan.

 

[Anthony]

Hi Alan (and thanks Mike!) --

Hope you like NJ Alan - I'm originally from the Morristown area, came here and stayed. I guess it was worth the RIT tuition to meet my wife. NJ is beautiful I think. The traffic is just a trifle . . . high spirited.

I've taught large format work (big deal right?). I find that photographers have trouble for 2 primary reasons. One is if they overcomplicate using movements. Best rule of thumb is not to use any movements unless they're absolutely necessary. Converging lines are usually fine, so are unavoidable out of focus backgrounds - just like with your RB67. Even today I follow that idea - just my opinion. "Only weak pictures need perfection; good ones can stand considerable flaws" Vestal.

The second difficulty is developing the film, if you're ever interested in doing that. The easiest, fastest, and most economical way is to develop in trays. Picker's "Zone VI Workshop" book describes the best method. You can find it pretty cheap on Amazon, used. Beware of anything else he writes. Beyond absolute technical advice, much of it is far too rigid. One thing about me, I don't have any opinions . . .

The photograph is a straight contact print on #2 paper. I think I placed the white flowers on VIII and IX and let the background go white. In the final print I printed the white petals a touch lighter. Plaubel camera, Majestic Tripod, in my living room. I don't write down all the C/ft2 values, etc; just note any development deviation from N. I scanned it on my office copier.

Lots of great places to work in NJ. The Delaware Water Gap is a wonderful subject. I loved it in the winter when the river has ice on it. Sometimes in the summer, just after dawn, there's swirling mist over the river. Lovely. The Great Swamp is interesting too - that's on the edge of Morris and Somerset counties.

 

[Alan Klein]

I don't have a darkroom. I haven't printed anything yet; just putting my 4x5's on Flickr for now. My shooting so far has been in central NJ - here's Manasquan reservoir, Monmouth Battlefield and environs by Freehold. They're Velvia 50 and Tmax 100 and 400. I'm now going to shoot some Provia 100 for the first time. I shot Ektachrome 100 but didn't care for it much.

Flickr Search

www.flickr.com

 

[Alan Clark]

Hello Anthony, and a warm welcome to the forum. Like you I use all formats up to 5x7, though I am always trying to cut down. This week I have decided to do less photography with 35mm.....Like you I also use Foma 400. Some people don't like this film, but I use it a lot, and think it has real character. You mention Clayton F76 film developer. I have never used this and know nothing about it. I use ID11 diluted 1+2. You will find a good few people here are of the Pyrocat HD persuasion, bless 'em.....Nobody here is dogmatic about what they believe to be best.

Alan

 

[David M]

Welcome Anthony. Thank you for your kind comments. We do have quarrelsome idiots over here but somehow they don't seem interested in Large Format and are wreaking havoc elsewhere. The UK is dealing with two catastrophes instead of one. You write well and most certainly not too long
Keep up the good work.

 

[Ian Grant]

Welcome. I spent a day and a bit in Rochester a few years ago, the hotel was appalling almost a doss house, looked graet online

At GEH an old lady in the shop told me the AA DVD was International One world, it locked the country settins on my computers DVD player, she wasn't to know. GEH was a wonderful place, I asked someone walking if I was going the right way, he said I work there in the music department, he was a student at the Conservatoir. He said you must be European as Americans don't walk anywhere he was Italian.

I went to a gallery/workshop facility palce there as well, the guy working there was more intent on trying to flirt with a young male student who probably wasn't interested . . . . . . . .

Somewhere I still have the arts literature I picked up in the city which was excellent, what I think is often forgotten is how differently Photography is percieved as an art in the US compared to here in the UK. The difference is huge Photography is far more accepted as an art form in theUS.

Ian

 

[Alan Klein]

Welcome. I spent a day and a bit in Rochester a few years ago, the hotel was appalling almost a doss house, looked graet online
...

Somewhere I still have the arts literature I picked up in the city which was excellent, what I think is often forgotten is how differently Photography is percieved as an art in the US compared to here in the UK. The difference is huge Photography is far more accepted as an art form in theUS.

Ian

As an American, that's what I keep telling my wife - my photography is an art form. I still can't get permission to hang more photos though.

 

[Ian Grant]

Alan, many years ago I was asked to give a talk at Litchfield Camera Club, a big club with the late (Lord) Patrick Ltichfield the Queen's cousin was Chairmain at the time, more Honorary than actual.

It was quite daunting I've given a lot of talks but this was the largest. As I described how I worked (always project based) I had a heckler, I was describing how I was showing my work in art galleries he kept insisting Galleries didn't show photography.. The heckeler got worse but I cut him off. At the end it was open for questions and I asked if I could go first rather unusual. I asked the Heckeler if he'd heard of The Photographers Gallery in London, The Side In Newcastle, Untitled in Sheffield and various others and he said no. I said there you go and showed up his ignorance.

Later a member told me the heckler owned the local camera shop. At that point I'd had been part of a group exhibition in a major gallery, had two solo exhibitions and curated 12 for other photograpgers.

Ian

 

[Alan Klein]

Thanks for the story. Maybe I can hang my photos in one of those galleries. I'd settle for his shop.

 

[Anthony]

Hi guys - with the Internet down, and the election impacts my other life somewhat.

It's nice that the US accepts photography as "art" but there's also a downside. Lots of sheer rubbish being promoted as important when it really belongs in the trash. But as long a people buy film I guess it's okay. . . it doesn't harm anyone.

I was trained in art - painting, drawing, printmaking, etc. There's a lot of techniques involved in "art." Just prepping a canvas for painting is very much akin to vacuuming film holders and loading them. And the technique of painting - gesso, vine charcoal, glazing, keep the light tones heavy, the darker tones thin, avoid "mud," proper oil, using pigment rich colors, cleaning a brush thoroughly - man, that's a lot of technique to know just for the "form"; before you even get to the content. (We'd study Rembrandt for hours to see how he'd glaze the dark tones). So it's never bothered me that people don't call photography "art." (Then again, I don't live in the UK.) Believe me, when I started photographing, the very idea of photography as "art" was considered heresy.

So I don't really care I guess. I like to think Imogen wouldn't have cared either. She may have said, "I don't know, that's a question for a museum director . . . "

And beautiful expressive photography defies categorization anyway. Look at the child-labor photographs of Louis Hine, or those shattering NYC street photographs by Weegee. I doubt either of those guys intended that work to be "art." It's irrelevant really. And conversely, many "photo-artists" make commonplace, monotonous records of what's out there, and call it "art." That doesn't change how dull they are.

I was going to give opinions about photographers like F___ P_____ and G_____ T____ . . . but I won't.

Hey all you Brits, come over here to Rochester. I'll take you all to some great spots.