A Wander And A Da(u)nder

It's a wander and a DONDER, but for some reason that good ole' Englische Language, makes it look like it should sound like DAN DARE (Pilot Of The Future . . . and I'll bet that takes you back!) or even Down Under . . . sport.

Prejudice Births Malcontents
Dundee Lane, June 2019

Anyway, there I was with a thumb-twiddle a goin' on, on a Saturday in June and a desperation to get out with the SW. So I loaded up a roll of HP5+, chucked it all in a bag and off I went.

In actuality, this was a road trip for a random/spur of the moment Ebay purchase . . . an Optech Super Pro strap. Y'see I'd found a really old Optech strap with Mamiya post fittings just chucked away at the back of Duncan Of Jordanstone - it's amazing what these elite students chuck at the end of every term - I'd be into a skip like a rat up a drain pipe if Ali would let me, but she's the voice of reason as in . . ."It's their property, so technically robbery . . " 

The last point is true. 

My friend Monsieur Black wishes nothing more than to be chucked into a Council Skip when he dies as he then becomes the property of the Council and as such has to be disposed of properly.

He's normally an erudite and hyper-factual chap, so I am sure he's read up on it . . . if it is wrong, don't blame me.

Anyway, a Super-Pro came up on Ebay for much cheapness, and I jumped. 

And the skinny?

Very good actually, well-made, stretchy and comfy, pretty darn secure too . . it's just a little hot around the neck, but that's fine really. If you are lugging anything really heavy like a MF camera, it is definitely worthy of consideration.

There was another reason for this trip - my good missus was offski, so I had a whole Saturday on me tod . . . also, I'd bought a DSLR and wanted to try that out, but also wanted to see what similar scenes and a similar focal length on the wide side of the zoom would look like in colour.

So I did the whole walk twice.

Nothing wrong in that, good exercise and all that.

You'll notice how I casually skirted over the DSLR bit . . .why? Because I've got more reading than a comic convention coming up on it soon in a fresh and thrusting XTRA new FB post . . so get over it.

It was a Nikon D300S btw.

Notice was.

OK, it's not a proper print.
Nikon Zoom at about 18mm

Ditto.

Anyway, enough of this easy-peasy goin' stuff, you want the raw meat and potatoes of a good old Belly Buster of a meat and potatoes feast don't you?
What?
You've gone all salad on me?
No, not now, not when I need you most . . . here, have another couple of dumplings. There's steamed suet Jam Rolly Polly for pud, with good thick custard and if we're feeling peckish later we might phone out for a White Pudding Supper.


                            Film # 66/58

#66/58, HP5+ EI 200, 1/6/19

1./ 1/60, f11, ZVI Wall

2./ 1/30, f11, ZVI Wall

3./ 1/15 F16 ZIII Tricool

4./ 1/30 f16 ZIII Tricool

5./ 1/2 f11 Guess Zone - MAX Close Focus

6./ 1 second, f16, Guess Zone, 22"-4' (on focus scale) Rest on Window

7./ 1/8, f16, ZIII

8./ 1 second, f22, Guess Zone - Rest On Window

9./ 1/15, f22, Z?, Guess

10./ 1/15, f16, ZIII, Me

11./ 1/60, f16, ZVI, Concrete

12./ 1/8, f8, ZIII, Wall

Well, given everything was so dense last time, I thought I'd go a bit less, so it was PHD NEW, at 21℃ and usual agitation to 17 mins and stand to 19 mins. It seems to have done the job.

Overall I was quite pleased with how everything turned out, there's a few over-exposed ones - I have to admit these days I tend to be crossing a fine line of over-exposure, and letting the film's latitude and the ability of Pyrocat to deal with extreme highlights, win the day. 

There's nothing worse than an underexposed negative to deal with, so I quite often go the other way.

You jest with us surely Sheepy?

Well no actually, have a decko at this:

There's Always Something Interesting Going On.

This is denser than a bus-load of NF supporters on a day trip - seriously, the negative is utterly dense, and yet look, I got a print from it.

Over-developed, thick, sturdy, rigorous, use whatever you want to describe it, but most people would call it 'un-printable' - look at its place as frame 6 on the contact print - that's 2 up in the middle. 

Yeah . . DENSE!

The print is on Ilford's Galerie - Grade 2 if you care for such things - OK the exposure was a vast 76 seconds at f8 (lens was my 100mm Vivitar) - developer was Polymax (and yes, I did have to add a couple of squirts of neat developer to get that bit at the top right coming through, but it worked).

There's a lot of complex reflections going on, but I feel it balanced quite well apart from the extra print density at the top and edges.

On the whole though, I like it.

I bigged up the contrast with some Selenium toning too.

How Cool? Tricool!

Again a bog standard print on Grade 2 Galerie - what I love about this paper is that it balances everything beautifully to give a harmonious print. The aluminium Tricool strip, was reflecting light back at me. I burned the upper reach of the frame in a bit just because, and then the edges too to set the eye in the frame.

Exposure was 36sec at f16 - my notes on the back of the print read "Fist shaped burn to edges and top". 

ALWAYS MAKE NOTES ON THE BACK OF A PRINT. 

A 2B pencil works best.

It keeps you right.

Same session so Polymax again and Selenium toning.

How lucky I am with the SW  - the lens is like nothing else I own - there's crisp detail and also a pictorial edge to it . . and zero distortion - compare that to the Nikon Zoom pics above . . well, exactly (more bananas than Sainsburys!)

I suppose that's why they're not exactly cheap.

Who Is This Owl And Why Does It Hate Me?

Well, some art genius decided to abandon their very large painting, which says to me . . why bother in the first place?

Anyway, I didn't mind really - it helped me make a print I was happy with - again on Galerie - Grade 2.

The painting btw was still there, 4 weeks later:

Why Am I Abandoned?
Leica M2/35mm f3.5 Summaron, Ilford FP4, Pyrocat HD.

And on to my leading print.

Prejudice Births Malcontents
Dundee Lane, June 2019

I like this - it looks like something from Warsaw circa 1980. 

I also love the way the SW has rendered everything. 

Sure there's a bit of camera shake, but it was 1/8th of a second at f8!

Personally, had it been me making it, I'd have said:

"Prejudice Breeds Malcontentment" 

but there y'go.

Printing again was on Galerie Grade 2, exposure was 32secs at f16 and I gave it an extra 8 for the lopsided "L" bit of the wall and the light. 

Again toned in Selenium and that's it - no fancy pants stuff, just a simple print.

Goodness, is that the time?

Most of the other frames on the film aren't worth bothering with - still, I was happy to get four prints I was pleased with, so that is something. 

More detritus for the skip of eternity.

And that's it - hope you enjoyed it. 

Better get your rubber trousers on for next time, it's a lot of reading.

Keep taking the tablets, especially the big green ones with raspberry polka dots on - they're yummy.