***SW&D Photography Thread***

[kindofyoung]

I feel humbled by your pictures guys. The ones posted by KoY are absolutely extraordinary.

Here's one from a recent trip to Chiang Mai

You're too kind

Sort of related to this thread, how hard and costly is it to learn developing, scanning and printing film?
Would really like to get into analog photography but developing film seriously costs a fortune here.

 

[soender]

More fun than hard, I'd say. And fairly easy to jump from digital, if you already pay attention to how shadows and light behaves in you pictures.
Not that costly, if you start with 35 mm BW film. I order my film and chemicals, from fotoimpex and macodirect in germany and have them send to Denmark.

 

[goatandtricycle]

Lar

Cool stuff - how do you find working in large format?

Large format is amazing. I wish I could afford a digital full frame back.
I may go to a digital hassleblad due to costs.
I'm not anti digital but how some people here can claim digital compacts are better than medium format or large format worries me.

 

[LonerMatt]

You're too kind

Sort of related to this thread, how hard and costly is it to learn developing, scanning and printing film?
Would really like to get into analog photography but developing film seriously costs a fortune here.

For black and white?

Developing = cheap (Jobo tanks, for example don't even require a dark room)
Scanning = expensive because you have to buy a scanner
Printing = Not that expensive but depending on what you want quite hard

For colour
Developing = a bit more expensive, much harder (water needs to be at a specific temperature or the colours don't come out)
Scanning = see above
Printing = incredibly finicky, very, very, very few photographers have a colour darkroom (Missy Prince is the only one I can think of)

Thought if you're at University I'd bet they have these services and equipment in some form somewhere. At the very least a scanner that would do the job.

Lar
Large format is amazing. I wish I could afford a digital full frame back.
I may go to a digital hassleblad due to costs.
I'm not anti digital but how some people here can claim digital compacts are better than medium format or large format worries me.

I've never read anyone going digital hassleblad 'due to costs'!! The thing is still, what, $15k+???

...and horses for courses. I love film but I'm getting a bit sick of how many frames I miss, I think I'd get a few more with digital. Though maybe I'm wrong. I should maybe buy an external light meter.

 

[goatandtricycle]



For black and white?

Developing = cheap (Jobo tanks, for example don't even require a dark room)
Scanning = expensive because you have to buy a scanner
Printing = Not that expensive but depending on what you want quite hard

For colour
Developing = a bit more expensive, much harder (water needs to be at a specific temperature or the colours don't come out)
Scanning = see above
Printing = incredibly finicky, very, very, very few photographers have a colour darkroom (Missy Prince is the only one I can think of)

Thought if you're at University I'd bet they have these services and equipment in some form somewhere. At the very least a scanner that would do the job.

I've never read anyone going digital hassleblad 'due to costs'!! The thing is still, what, $15k+???

...and horses for courses. I love film but I'm getting a bit sick of how many frames I miss, I think I'd get a few more with digital. Though maybe I'm wrong. I should maybe buy an external light meter.

Yeah they are expensive, but shooting 5x4 and scanning is very expensive.
I like to print large. As you may see my work isn't about passing moments more about moments experienced. So missing shots doesn't really worry me.

 

[Geoffrey Firmin]

Depending where you are there should be ample community based resources and the facilities to learn in. Black and White photography has never gone away. I used to push B&W film in the camera and then extend the developing time to get a specific look.

As for Scaners i picked up a Cannon flat bed for $100 Oz recently.

Edit by pushing film you put a 200 ISO B&W film in but shoot at 400 ISO

 

[globobock]

So film is really interesting to shoot with, and I think I've worked out why.

When I shoot a digital camera, I see an image straight away - no anticipation, no surprise, no tension - it's right there. So that means that I'm always completely aware of what I've shot and what I haven't.

In some ways that sounds like a good thing, but for me shooting with film, and leaving it months before getting it developed, I find that suddenly there are all these shots I forgot about, ones that worked, ones that didn't, it's kind of like reliving an entire few months and seeing those memories again, fresh, bizarre. I find it a very invigorating experience and both really interesting and really helpful. I'm a bit less attached to pictures (I haven't been looking at the LCD thinking 'yeah this one will be good') and I'm more carefree, I actually enjoy shooting more because the results are necessarily delayed.

I think it's something worth trying if you haven't before, there are some romantic reasons people give (it's magic!), but honestly for me it's worth the extra cost and effort purely because there's a freedom while shooting, and then a joyful discovery when things do get developed.

Since my time is so limited These days, what with having a fulltime Job, two Kids and such, even with my (old) digital camera (5Dc) I experience the exact same Thing - I fill up my CF Card and download it a couple of months later

But then, I love my old Manual lenses and the art of slow photography.

 

[goatandtricycle]

Since my time is so limited These days, what with having a fulltime Job, two Kids and such, even with my (old) digital camera (5Dc) I experience the exact same Thing - I fill up my CF Card and download it a couple of months later

But then, I love my old Manual lenses and the art of slow photography.

The practise of slow photography ;o)

 

[globobock]



The practise of slow photography ;o)

I consider the practice as an art

FWIW, the lake of Zurich.

 

[basil rathbone]

I'd also like to start getting into film a bit more seriously. I've dabbled a bit in the past. Just messing around with consumer film and getting it developed at Costco and whatnot. I have dozens of cameras that I once got for free. Three decent SLRs that definitely work with some normal primes and a few rangefinders which may not work 100%. Pretty much everything I have is 35mm. Love colour too much to work in b/w at this point. I'm obsessed with colour right now.

Can anyone point me to a book or guide or something to get me started? I prefer to learn from one single source to begin, instead of running around google and reading all the differing opinions, getting all confused and paralysed. Too much scattered information is overwhelming. I'm looking for a cheat sheet, I guess.

Watched a video of Eggleston working. He looks at a scene, studies it for a second and then quickly raises the camera to his eye and "bang" that's it. One of his rules is that he only takes one single frame of any particular scene. He said he used to take a whole pile and then get frustrated after printing and trying to decide which angle is the "best". I struggle with the same thing constantly. I take 20 frames of one scene and then don't even look at them because it's too exhausting to whittle them down. Then, no matter what my choice is, I always second-guess it, because I have another one in my brain. Like over-researching which headphones to buy. I feel like film will force me to dial that biz back a bit. So, any specific recommendations would be A+, thanks.

Yeah they are expensive, but shooting 5x4 and scanning is very expensive.
I like to print large. As you may see my work isn't about passing moments more about moments experienced. So missing shots doesn't really worry me.

What's the difference?

 

[globobock]



I'd also like to start getting into film a bit more seriously. I've dabbled a bit in the past. Just messing around with consumer film and getting it developed at Costco and whatnot. I have dozens of cameras that I once got for free. Three decent SLRs that definitely work with some normal primes and a few rangefinders which may not work 100%. Pretty much everything I have is 35mm. Love colour too much to work in b/w at this point. I'm obsessed with colour right now. 

Can anyone point me to a book or guide or something to get me started? I prefer to learn from one single source to begin, instead of running around google and reading all the differing opinions, getting all confused and paralysed. Too much scattered information is overwhelming. I'm looking for a cheat sheet, I guess. 

Watched a video of Eggleston working. He looks at a scene, studies it for a second and then quickly raises the camera to his eye and "bang" that's it. One of his rules is that he only takes one single frame of any particular scene.

What's the difference? 

The former is about snapping events, while the later is more about soaking in the moment, would be my guess.

 

[globobock]

Ah, I miss spring already.

 

[Naka]



I'd also like to start getting into film a bit more seriously. I've dabbled a bit in the past. Just messing around with consumer film and getting it developed at Costco and whatnot. I have dozens of cameras that I once got for free. Three decent SLRs that definitely work with some normal primes and a few rangefinders which may not work 100%. Pretty much everything I have is 35mm. Love colour too much to work in b/w at this point. I'm obsessed with colour right now. 

Can anyone point me to a book or guide or something to get me started? I prefer to learn from one single source to begin, instead of running around google and reading all the differing opinions, getting all confused and paralysed. Too much scattered information is overwhelming. I'm looking for a cheat sheet, I guess. 

Watched a video of Eggleston working. He looks at a scene, studies it for a second and then quickly raises the camera to his eye and "bang" that's it. One of his rules is that he only takes one single frame of any particular scene. He said he used to take a whole pile and then get frustrated after printing and trying to decide which angle is the "best". I struggle with the same thing constantly. I take 20 frames of one scene and then don't even look at them because it's too exhausting to whittle them down. Then, no matter what my choice is, I always second-guess it, because I have another one in my brain. Like over-researching which headphones to buy. I feel like film will force me to dial that biz back a bit. So, any specific recommendations would be A+, thanks. 

Like technical stuff, or trying to find "aesthetically pleasing" guidelines? The rest is pretty personal and you sort of have to feel it out imo. I only take one shot per scene but that's also because I'm a student and can't afford to blow through rolls of film.

Have a look at Cambridge in Colour if you haven't already, that's where I started reading. Take my opinion with a pinch of salt though because I read **** all and just wing it most of the time.

 

[Guy Burgess]



For colour
Developing = a bit more expensive, much harder (water needs to be at a specific temperature or the colours don't come out)
Scanning = see above
Printing = incredibly finicky, very, very, very few photographers have a colour darkroom (Missy Prince is the only one I can think of)

Have you ever printed colour? I haven't done it in 10 years unfortunately but in retrospect it was by far the most enjoyable aspect of my degree for me. It is very finicky (doing everything in complete darkness, having to adjust for 4 colour filters and exposure time when test printing and burning in etc is hard) but it wasn't too hard to get good quality prints once you'd practiced a bit - obviously I was not a master printer or anything ha. We had a processor you fed your exposed paper into and about 30 seconds/1 minute later it came out as a print. We did have technicians to look after all of this though. If I was rich and had the space I'd get back into it straight away as it is so satisfying.

 

[LonerMatt]

I'd also like to start getting into film a bit more seriously. I've dabbled a bit in the past. Just messing around with consumer film and getting it developed at Costco and whatnot. I have dozens of cameras that I once got for free. Three decent SLRs that definitely work with some normal primes and a few rangefinders which may not work 100%. Pretty much everything I have is 35mm. Love colour too much to work in b/w at this point. I'm obsessed with colour right now.

Can anyone point me to a book or guide or something to get me started? I prefer to learn from one single source to begin, instead of running around google and reading all the differing opinions, getting all confused and paralysed. Too much scattered information is overwhelming. I'm looking for a cheat sheet, I guess.

Watched a video of Eggleston working. He looks at a scene, studies it for a second and then quickly raises the camera to his eye and "bang" that's it. One of his rules is that he only takes one single frame of any particular scene. He said he used to take a whole pile and then get frustrated after printing and trying to decide which angle is the "best". I struggle with the same thing constantly. I take 20 frames of one scene and then don't even look at them because it's too exhausting to whittle them down. Then, no matter what my choice is, I always second-guess it, because I have another one in my brain. Like over-researching which headphones to buy. I feel like film will force me to dial that biz back a bit. So, any specific recommendations would be A+, thanks.

Perhaps I'm a bit dense - but what sort of information are you looking for exactly? Like Naka asked - just technical stuff (in which case sunny 16 has been almost consistently perfect for me) or more aesthetic stuff? Or more having some degree of confidence to shoot once and move on?

Have you ever printed colour? I haven't done it in 10 years unfortunately but in retrospect it was by far the most enjoyable aspect of my degree for me. It is very finicky (doing everything in complete darkness, having to adjust for 4 colour filters and exposure time when test printing and burning in etc is hard) but it wasn't too hard to get good quality prints once you'd practiced a bit - obviously I was not a master printer or anything ha. We had a processor you fed your exposed paper into and about 30 seconds/1 minute later it came out as a print. We did have technicians to look after all of this though. If I was rich and had the space I'd get back into it straight away as it is so satisfying.

I haven't, but I'd like to very much. In Melbourne there were, like, 4 or 5 community darkrooms, but I left before I got round to having a friend show me how to use it. Here there are 0 .

Actually someone pointed out that I might be wrong about the printing. Which is fair enough because I was just going via what I've read and interviews with people. His point was that colour printing, once the levels of cyan, magenta, yellow and key have been worked out it's easy to replicate prints (also because there's only one paper, he said). Which makes me wonder if I'm very wrong indeed.