luminous ramblings...

9:21am: Dorothy

10:17am: La Pedrera
Been quiet far too long so here are some photos I took in Barcelona the other week :)

12:49pm: Havana
This is my most viewed image on Flickr... with over 1000 views.

Why??

11:32pm: pictures of people
...taken when in other countries.

I think these are my best



( and more )

11:57am: Bad Lomo
... well, it seems the film advance on my lomo is really rather rubbish... so rather than waste another film entirely, i had a cunning plan and took the (already half exposed) film out of my lomo, wound it onto a 120 reel (with backing paper, o'course) and stuck it in my yashica. It may not work... the lomo and associated trails may have totally buggered it... but there's only 1 way to find out ;)

Also, as mentioned in my other LJ, I recently accquired an 8mm projector and camera from the early 60s (pre-super8), which actually seem to work! I need to get a rubber belt for the projector (on it's way), but the camera seems tip top, even with a working light meter! I've also been reading up on developing you own film reels, which would be pretty cool to say the least. So yeah! Woo! :)

(Back to studying)

1:11am: Darkroom antics & christmas presents!
sooooo... I got a 'proper' IR filter (850nm) and some Kodak HIE to play with for xmas this year! Eee! Gives me a reason to start using my Nikon a bit more :)

I spent a good few hours in the darkroom today doing some prints from the first roll I've put through my wonderful and beloved Brownie Autographic folding camera and they came out ok. I can see it's going to be a tricksy one to get teh hang of but entirely worth it. For starters, I'm not entirely sure what the focal distance is, but I'd hazard a guess at 5m or there abouts... but it'd be nice to know for sure :) I took all the pics on the roll at the smallest aperture (which I *think* is 32... a few tests suggest that it is not 64 [massive overexposure results unless you use paper]) and yet there are still blurry bits in the foreground... I have been spoiled by pinholes ;)

Right. On with the print! Firstly, here's the mega-constrast print I mentioned in my last entry. I like it and I hope you do too... but I am an utter fiend for contrast and realise not everyone feels the same ;)



...and here are the brownie shots. I love the fact that the image goes right the way up to the edges of the film, in some cases the writing on the edge indicating frame number & film type can be seen... ee!! The first is a double exposure, and I reckon they all need a spot of d&b, which i do need practice in but I'm not sure if i'm feeling patient enough for that just now. All printed on Grade 5 paper...

1:43pm: Weekend Darkroom action - MAXIMUM CONTRAST
...alas I have no scans, but should get them done when I'm back for xmas.

The xmas cards are now done (50... so feel priveledged if ye get one!!) so that's a weight off my mind.

I had a look at the 120 3200 film I developed in the flat the other week, and I think it did get a bit fogged by light leaking into the room. Damn. Scott has now fixed the door so it closes over the cable tho :)

The lomo film... is interesting. There are some parts where pictures all run into each other - I think basically the film advance is a little tempremental to say the least, but that's cool. I got about 6 pic on the roll, and the last one is very cool - double exposure, the second image being the view through a coffee-shop window, overlayed onto what looks like part of a botanical garden.

I liked it best out of all the pics and so decided to use it for my MAXIMUM CONTRAST experiment... principally, making a huge neg on lith paper and contact printing onto graded paper (5.1, glossy). It's wonderful... whitest whites and blackest blacks... all very abstract and wonderful :)

5:28pm: heehee
i bought some red LED fairy lights for the darkroom today

:)

7:42pm: Today's Adventure
There was LIGHT today so Gary and I wandered along Kelvin Way and took a few pics :) I only did 1 or 2 digital shots, but I used up the roll of 3200 in my Yashica (I was experimenting with pushing it to 6400, with the possibly future plan of using it for gig photography) and took some shots with my Chaika (loaded with expired slide film) and 2 using the Brownie (100iso film - i contemplate using 50 but decided against it. Silly plan really as slow film is much better when i don't have a trustworthy shutter!!)

anyway, here are some pics that Gary took of me and my cameras...




All his other photos are wonderful too :)

1:52am: this week i have been mostly...
...playing with paper in my new darkroom :)

( Here are some of the results: )

1:09pm: First Darkroom session in new flat...
:)

I've been meaning to test things out for a while but have only really now had the spare time to actually set aside an hour or 2 during daylight hours.

So what did I do? I developed 2 test sheets i'd taken in my recently acquired kodak brownie (folding, autographic... with some doubt over the lens)... and 1 of the 2 is sharp as anything, clear as an azure sky... oh yes. I also did a few tests in my latest pinhole camera (a diptych beast, in theory), and it seems to work ok :) I found that 30sec outside and not in direct sunlight was pretty good. I'm not 100% sure it's very light-tight, as my other test sheet had been sitting in the camera for a week or so and was pretty dark. But yeah :) I did a crappy self-portrait test, which was interesting but not very godd.... but then i had a cunning plan... and SABATIER'd one of the pinhole negs :) It came out pretty cool and i'm def gonna have to try that again more properly.

I want to aquire a better pinhole tin tho... (anyone got a rectangular metal biscuit tin going spare??) as the one i have is quite hard to work with - really only possible as i can squish my hands quite small.

But yeah :)

I cleaned up and have my wee strips washing in the bathroom sink at the moment. I've strung up a (pink) ribbon) in the bathroom between the window and the shower so i can hang them up to dry once the washing is complete.

I do need another light tho - i only had my wee ikea ghost dude, and he wasn't quite enough. I shall have to try and maybe buy a cheap lamp and some red film and fabricate something myself.

Anyway. That was good :) I'll develop some film next time perhaps...

10:57am: i want

Yashica half-frame. Sexy as!!

TODAY i'm going to break out the chemicals. I'm really rather excited.

12:42pm: today's plan
... is to go to kelvingrove park, the botanics, and other pretty places in the west end with my nikon F60 and a roll of Kodak Ektachrome 200 which expired in March 1979.

It's 200iso, so with some creaking of the brain, I have decided to overexpose by 1 stop* (i.e. pretend it's 100iso) and then get it x-proccessed at 400... (this is assuming i can find somewhere willing to do such a thing - i have a shortlist of places to try)

Then this evening, the chaike and a flash-gun is coming with me to a party somewhere not far from the flat. Will prob just put some bw film in there..

yey :)

Wish i have my colour 120 stuff but i left that in the freezer at home :(

--

edit: haha, well it would be my plan had i not left my nikon switched on for god-knows-how long. Guess i'll have to slot in a visit to Jessops before any of my adventuring... d'oh


*my camera is such that i can't re-set the iso read off the cartridge :(

11:26pm: Most recent darkroomings
Soo... on wednesday this week I had another 12hr-odd darkroom session and produced the following:

( Chaika 3 )

( Yashica mat124G )

( Nikon F60 )

If you have any thoughts of any of these, please share! I only learn through people pointing out what i could do better next time...

10:55pm: Fun on Flickr
I've spnt far too long today faffing aroudn on Flickr. I have, however, found this guy, and i'm speechless. Home-made glass plates and salt printing.... i may just have found a new hero. Check it out, they really are fantastic

2:06am: Flickr
I have just spent a good few hours on Flickr sorting out photos and tags and all sorts of things...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/queen_of_scum/tags/ - click on any of these words to bring up corresponding photos

http://www.flickr.com/photos/queen_of_scum/sets/1156542/ - over 1000 photos from my travels now in one place, and vaguely organised! Should be ordered by upload date (which roughtly equals date taken...) and is almost uptodate (lots of Russia pics still missing mind you)

...i've also noticed Flickr has capability to link images with their geographical location... but i reckon that can be saved for a time of more urgent procrastination ;)

4:06pm: aaaaaggg
...one of the boxes of paper is direct positive!! Meh!

(just testing out all the many many boxes of paper acquired yesterday - only one seems duff, but it's hard to tell as i'm not sure whether i'm developing some of them properly!!)

2:32pm: money money money..
...contract prints of money are possibly the BEST THING EVER

watch this space for scans :)

11:12pm: product of curiosity
this morning, when taking the dog out for a walk, my mum took a path she'd never taken before...

...this evening we now have an enormous amount of incredible darkroom equipment all purchased for the sum of £120!

Photographic paper - Kodak (normal and bromide), Ilford GRADED (inc some grade 5), Ilford Ilfobrom (got a little over-excited about this... it's a 10m roll of double weight velvet-strippled *dies*)
3 darkroom lamps
2 enlargers (a durst m601 and a gnome)
measuring cylinders (4x600ml, 1x1200ml, 1x300ml)
wetting agent
dry chemicals (fix and dev)
2 35mm contact printers
2 timers
enough developing tanks to do 13 films all at once...
crazy paper-storing boxes
a micro *and* a major focus finder
an easel
12 rolls of ilford hps (exp 1978-1981)
4 rolls kodacolor (same)
6 rolls ektachrome (same)
steel washing sink (huge beast of a thing with all sorts of tubes)
4 rolls of film for bulk loading

not bad, eh? ;)

1:07pm: eee :)
just been in the darkroom quickly firing off a few cdontact sheets for some bw films t shot when i was away... and they're bloody good if i do say so myself :)

Also got around to doing a contact sheet for an ir film i did months ago - lots of people frowning at me! *rolls eyes*

watch this space - will scan them soon! :)

9:28pm: fun in russia...
I've just spent the equivalent of 2quid on 2 lovely soviet cameras - a lomo smena sybol, and a split-frame chaika 3! woo! the chaika is very grubby, but given that it was virtually free and it has the film advance on the bottom, i'll forgive it nearly anything xxx





...i think it may be best if i don't reveal how many cameras i now own...

I plan to clean my darling chaika this eve and whack a cheap film in it and see how she goes...

11:07am: nagasaki

2:08pm: insense

4:18pm: Oh for my Brownie, i would give the world...
...why oh why oh WHY did i decide not to bring my beloved Brownie Reflex with me on this trip??? I'm in Cambodia as i type this, and I've been through Thailand and India, and i just *know* my Brownie would have taken the most lovely pictures *sigh*

Ho hum. I'm half-tempted to start prowling the numerous flea markets in search of a new one, but then there's be the problem of getting film.

I've only been thwarted once when looking for film - in Thailand, on Koh Chang, I decided I'd quite like some Velvia, what with all the crazy bright sunshine and lush green surroundings... could i find any? Could i hell... no-where had slide film of any description, let alone velvia! So I thought I'd get some BW... only C-41 to be found! Noo!

...I have managed to get some BW now tho - it is a few months out of date, but given the incredible scarcity of the stuff, i'll take my chances! I'm planning on using it at Ankor Wat, just to be uber-pretentious ;)

So yes. Thus far, I have used up the end of a roll of BW, and almost used a roll of colour... but I've also got 3 CDs worth of digital pics too ;)

Today I have been feeling very photo-minded, it's been excellent. I got up really early and was out of the guesthouse by half 6 to take advantage of the lovely light AND the fact that i could move without drowning a small family with my sweat. Caught lots of light and had an excellent coffee.

I've been getting a bit better at sly (and not so sly) photography of people too, which is good, as endless landscape and nature shots hardly convey the real image of a country.

Anyway, here are a few of my favourite shots so far - please tell me what you think of them! I've only put the small versions of the images, which maybe isn't best, so if you'd like to see them properly, they're all on my Flickr account (www.flickr.com/photos/queen_of_scum)

( india, thailand, and cambodia - in no particular order )

12:32pm: calcutta
(lots more in my flickr account if you're at all interested in seeing some pictures of India)