pinhole, analogue & traditional photography

"Have fun and catch that light beam!" Bert from Holland http://thetoadmen.blogspot.nl http://tinyurl.com/pinholegroup

[thetoadmen]

camera: Natasha 6x17 (wooden pinhole camera)

film: Fuji RVP (expired slide film)

[thetoadmen]

Film Soup is keeping analogue film developing alive in New Zealand. See the Kickstarter Project: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1949778021/film-soup-keeping-film-alive-in-new-zealand

[thetoadmen]

A drive-by shooting ... Two train wagons, each second class. We were both doing 120 kmh (about 80 mph), when I pulled up beside the train on the highway at the way home two weeks ago.  I made the shot while holding the camera in front of the right side window.  I simply pulled the trigger, for I didn’t have the time to focus properly (besides on the road …).  The funny part: often I take this train twice a week, looking at the cars on the highway, like a weird double perspective ;-) (Canon T70, 50 mm 1.8 FD, Ilford FP4+ in Caffenol-C-M for 14 minutes @ 20 degrees Celsius)

[thetoadmen]

Caffenol developer - homemade for the first time

I developed a roll film in homemade Caffenol-C-M for the first time this weekend! I read several times about Caffenol and some some interesting images. So I wanted to try this myself for a long time and finally got to it. This is one of the images, it's a double exposure (can you see the faint horse?). To see the other 13 images, check my blog: http://thetoadmen.blogspot.nl I only had one BW roll film lying around still to be developed, but didn't want to risk to lose these images due to an uncertain experiment with a homemade developer. So I quickly shot an extra roll film of Fomapan 100 with my Woca 120G. The Woca is the predecessor of the Holga and has only one shutter speed, somewhere between 1/60 and 1/100. Not the best camera for testing film, but what the heck. I just wanted to see if I could develop the film at all. I was pleasantly surprised with the results, despite some light leaks. A bit (too?) contrasty maybe, but that might be an effect of the scanner as well. The light leaks didn't help either. However, the results are good enough to make some serious images with my Bronica RF-645 and try again.  I used the Caffenol-C-M recipe and developed for 15 minutes. I used 40 grams of coffee (espresso powerful and dark), 16 grams of pure vitamin-C and 146 grams of soda in 1 liter water (no salt) and developed for 15 minutes @ 20 degrees Celsius. As Soda I used "Natriumcarbonate Decahydrate". This means there is also a lot of water in it (over 50% ??) so I used 2.7 times the needed amount to compensate (see http://caffenol.blogspot.nl/2010/03/caffenol-c-m-recipe.html and http://caffenol.blogspot.nl/2010/03/soda-myth-and-truth_07.html).

Developing method used: 3 minutes prewash, develop 15 minutes (agitate first minute, then 3x every minute), rinse once, 1 minute Maco Ecostop, rinse 4 minutes, 4 minutes Maco Ecofix, rinse 14 minutes + 1 minute water with wetting agent.

Checkout my blog for more info about Caffenol and this test:  http://thetoadmen.blogspot.nl/2014/10/homemade-developer-caffenol-c-m-and.html

[thetoadmen]

I wish you all a happy "Worldwide Pinhole Photography Day" (see: http://pinholeday.org) from TheToadMen

[thetoadmen]

These images are made with the new "old school" Petzval portrait lens. See this Kickstarter Project for more info. It's a "Medium format Petzvar f/3.8 120 mm Petzval fine art portrait lens", fitting for like Hasselblad, Kiev and Praktisix and other PENTACON SIX (P6) mount cameras. Also, different types of adapters are available from different manufacturers. They allow the use of P6 lenses on Mamiya 645, Pentax 645 and Contax 645 medium format cameras, Canon EF, Canon FD,Nikon F, Minolta AF, Minolta MD, Contax/Yashica, Pentax K, M42, and Leica R 35 mm cameras, as well as Lumix and Olympus micro 4/3 (m4/3), 4/3 system. 

There are already 50 backers (including me) and they need only 4 more backers to get the project funded. 

Only 28 hours to go .... I really hope this project makes it. Please check it out with this link.

[thetoadmen]

NASA made a nice film explaining how this famous and iconic image 'Earthrise' from Apolla 8 in 1968 was made. See also this article.

The photograph was taken from lunar orbit on December 24, 1968 with a highly modified Hasselblad 500 EL camera with an electric drive. The camera had a simple sighting ring rather than the standard reflex viewfinder and was loaded with a 70 mm film magazine containing custom Ektachrome film developed by Kodak. The Ektacolor 70 was still in prototype then so they used a special run. The film was coated on extra thin Estar support so more film could be fit into one film back and thus more exposures per unit weight. The Ektachrome film was processed by Kodak and then internegatives were made. The images were printed on 16x20 Ektacolor 70 paper processed in a junior Calumet basket processor. (Source: APUG.org)

See also this article: 

[thetoadmen]

"Perspective"

I made this image with my iPhone 4. It was chosen “photo of the month” by my local photo store.

I photograph with analogue and old cameras and build wooden pinhole cameras myself. So no view finder, build-in light meter or LCD-screen to check histograms: only my mind to see the image.

I’ll see the results after developing and printing the film. Light metering is often done by guesstimation.

Sometimes I use my iPhone to make an instant image to check for composition and lighting with my analogue photography - like we used to with a Polaroid camera in the old days.

http://thetoadmen.blogspot.nl

[thetoadmen]

Pinhole landscape

I made this image with my pinhole camera from a boat on the water. It was cloudy and a little bit of wind rocked the boat softly. The exposure was 40 seconds so I wasn't sure how it would turn out, but is has a nice hint of "Pictorialism". I was pleasantly surprised with the results. 

* camera: old Gevabox converted into a pinhole camera (6x9 cm negative) 

 * film: Konica PRO 400 roll film (expired) 

 * exposure: 40 seconds 

 * developer: C-41 by a professional lab 

 * scanner: Epson 3200 PHOTO & Silverfast software (but no digital rework what so ever though)

http://thetoadmen.blogspot.nl

[thetoadmen]

~ making waves ~

[thetoadmen]

"... a rose is a rose is a rose ..."

[thetoadmen]

Devon-and-Cornwall sheep

[thetoadmen]

~ mushrooms by iPhone ~

I use my iPhone like we used to do with a Polaroid camera: make an instant shot to assess metering & composition. Especially when I'm shooting with my old analogue cameras converted into a pinhole camera (Agfa Clack, Gevabox, homebuild wooden cameras, ...). No view finders and no LCD screens to view histograms with on the spot ;-)

No, all results only to be seen after developing & printing the negatives ... not instantly on a LCD screen but only in my mind - the way I like it!

(BTW: I'll post the pinhole shot also when finished @ my blog: http://thetoadmen.blogspot.nl )

[thetoadmen]

"Tree and leaves"

Bronica SQ-B, 80 mm lens, Fuji NPH400 film

http://thetoadmen.blogspot.nl

[thetoadmen]

"Seagul @ Ameland"

http://thetoadmen.blogspot.nl 

[thetoadmen]

My blog about analog, pinhole and traditional photography.

Also stuff about alt-photo techniques and post-factory photography.

[thetoadmen]

... avoiding the common illusion, that creativity depends on equipment alone ...

Ansel Adams - from his book: The Camera