My Vintage Cameras: July 2013

Saturday, July 27, 2013

Saturday's On-Line: Popularity of Alternative Processes

With all of the digital around, and the constant drive it seems to "kill" film photography and silver printing, I find it interesting that older photographic processes are in vogue. Check out my local StudioQ and the Wet Plate Collodion Process:

http://studioq.com/

These older methods (e.g. Cyanotype, van Dyke, Daguerrotypes, Tintypes, Gum Bichromate +many more.....) are called Alternative Photography. The classification "alternative processes" speaks to previously standard methods of photography from the 19th Century, that have generally been replaced by silver emulsion film photography.

Whereas caffenol film developing, plastic cameras, and pinholes are classified as Experimental Photography. These are methods and processes (with the exception of Pinholes) that did not exist in the 19th Century.

Film and Silver Printing are holding their own, and should at the least be classed in the future with Alternative Processes (i.e. an alternative to digital).

I am a part-time practitioner of Cyanotype and van Dyke, although not as much lately. But we are in the process of building a UV light source, and then you'll see more beginning this winter. This is the standard for my Vintage Family Photo Project.

Below: One of our Wedding Photos that I re-printed as an alternative process using Liquid Emulsion.

Saturday, July 20, 2013

Saturday's On-Line: Changes

Making note of some recent changes.......................

Carl Zeiss Changes Names:

http://gizmodo.com/a-lot-of-cameras-are-going-to-change-in-the-tiniest-way-614681952

A Hasselblad original bites the dust:
http://petapixel.com/2013/04/29/hasselblad-kills-off-the-503cw-officially-ending-the-v-system-line/#more-107758

End of Kodak Acetate Films-But will we miss them?
http://petapixel.com/2013/06/12/kodak-axes-acetate-film-base-production/#more-114190

Below, A Saguaro undergoing a bit of change:

Tri-X Pan Film. Old Kodak, but I'm not sure it is an Acetate Film?

From Saguaro National Park, and our winter road trip.

Wednesday, July 10, 2013

New Logo?

I was asked to design a Logo for my Blog. Hadn't really thought about such things. So here is what I have come up with as a first attenpt:

Monday, July 8, 2013

Pinhole Print Comparison

This is a scanned print form Pinhole Day. I was looking through a window from the dark Library to a very bright outdoors.

I decided to go into the Darkroom because getting a decent print with the degree of exposure difference, required quite a bit of experimentation and eventual Burning (15 second exposure a f/8 plus 45 seconds burning in the window scene). The printing is still a work in progress; I'd probably crop the left side of the image.

I looked up how to fix this negative (shown below) in Photoshop and decided that I'd rather not bother.........It was going to take a lot of time to learn to burn in Photoshop, and I already knew what to do in the darkroom.

As new feature I will be posting comparisons of Prints and the Scanned Negatives, under Print Comparisons. Most of the B&W images I have been posting are scanned negatives with slight contrast adjustments or dust removal. If it needed a lot of work I didn't bother to post it. Now I'll be spending the summer printing some of those images and will re-post for comparison.

Saturday, July 6, 2013

Saturday's On-lIne: Celebrating Signs!

I am a Sign Aficionado! There is a world of interesting signs out there and I have posted some here along the way.

Found an interesting article Celebrating Vintage Signs at "Do You Remember":

http://www.doyouremember.com/news/the-lady-who-loves-signs

And if you've been to our website you know that we have a section devoted to signs at Signs of the Times.

And below our Celebration of Vintage Signs!

From Steamboat Springs two years ago: