Showing posts with label Kodak HC 110 Dilution B. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Kodak HC 110 Dilution B. Show all posts

Monday, January 08, 2024

On The B(l)each

Morning folks, and a very Happy New Year to you - jings, one wonders where things are going though, eh!

Anyway, those of you of a certain age will possibly remember the cold war film 'On The Beach' in which, despite mankind's last desperate hopes, the entire population of the world is annihilated by nuclear war. 
It was grim, but honest (for the time) film making, as well as being a staple of my younger watching days, but I wonder why it is no longer shown on TV? 
Oh wait a minute, that's right, everybody dies
Much like Graham Briggs' 'When The Wind Blows', I think the truth is just too much for people to bear; maybe it's because there's no living kittens and puppies or celebs with nuclear-white teeth in either of them . . 
Ho hum, or maybe it's just because the latter has music by Roger Waters . . .


Hasselblad 40mm CF/FLE Distagon,Hasselblad 500C/M,Bergger Panchro 400,Kodak HC 110 Dilution B,© Phil Rogers Dundee,Ilford MGRC,Black And White Printing,Analog Photography,Analogue Photography,


On the other hand, who can forget Sir Cliff Richard's stonking, post-holocaust toe-tapper 'On The Beach' - a rip-snortin' song of love, fun and dancing! 
Oh yes, none of that pesky eyeball-melting stuff there, oh no.

Who could even forget young Sheephouse's accident with a bottle of Sun-In. A WHOLE bottle too.
Well, those were the metal days and I probably out-bleached the Crüe by a year or so!


Hasselblad 40mm CF/FLE Distagon,Hasselblad 500C/M,Bergger Panchro 400,Kodak HC 110 Dilution B,©,Ilford MGRC,Black And White Printing,Analog Photography,Analogue Photography,


Anyway, this wouldn't be FB with some discourse on the Art and Craft of Photography, so here goes.

The late Barry Thornton published two books as far as I know - 'Elements' and 'Edge Of Darkness' - the former is relatively findeable - I've seen it quite a number of times in s/h bookshops and charity places, to the extent that I now have two copies! 
The latter though is more of a rockinghorse jobbie - never seen any other copy than mine in any shops. Last time I looked online it was a small fortune
It's a good read, though be careful with his home-brew, two-bath developer (good though it is) is all I can say . . you have been warned.
Anyway, here's an interesting snippet from the latter; it has been given a précis by me, because I couldn't be arsed typing it out in full

Basically he takes a selenium-toned print and immerses it in a semi-weak Potassium Ferrycyanide solution. 
He uses Potasium Bromide (as a restrainer/anti-fog) too, but I had none, so it was chuck some Pot Ferry in a dish, let it dissolve, then chuck a washed selenium-toned print in for a couple of minutes, watch it change colour, whip it out, thoroughly wash, refix and then do your hypo-clear and main wash. 

It gives the prints almost a goldy-chocolate colour which I find quite appealing. 
He calls it Drag Bleaching for some reason - I've never found that term used by anyone else (as far as I can remember).
I've tried it before, but it was never as dramatic as this - I think that is partly down to using a stronger solution of PF. Can you afford to wait around for the recommended 4 or 5 minutes bleaching time when you have 10 prints to deal with? Hmmm? Eh? Sweety??

The reason I did it is another matter - it is a bit complex. 
Basically the paper I am using is Ilford MG - not 'fresh' though, it is probably at least 10 years old (you could buy a box of 9.5 x 12" for £24.99, I know because that's what the price sticker says!) and was a gift from a friend having a clear-out - I have to say it has been wonderful using it, because it has allowed me to print without a thought to the burgeoning cost per print.
It has also taught me, that Graded paper lasts better than MG - as seems to be the way with ancient MG paper it loses speed and contrast at a rate of knots, so I am having to print at roughly Grade 4 (albeit a bit either side depending on the negative). 
A box of Grade 2 Ilfospeed from the same era is absolutely fine.
With the MG, I am still getting a bit of sparkle in the print, but obviously printing at a harder Grade does have its impact on shadow areas. 
As such, the prints were a bit iffy so I thought, why not.

Anyway, post-Christmas I was desperate to get out and photograph, however two things came together at once:

One - shite weather (grey, dreich, shite, whichever term you fancy).

Two - I ran out of light! Twilight was coming on at about 3PM with the cloud cover.

Allied to this I decided I needed to get out and do something, so chose to use Berggrrrrrs Panchro 400 Super-Curl . . . not really ideal. 
But the object of the exercise wasn't to create jaw-dropping photographic snippets from the table of the Gods - no, it was to use my brain and listen to a shutter in the open. 
Which is exactly what happened.

I think I've nailed the best way to develop BrGGGrrrrrr for me too - rate it at EI200 and overdevelop in Kodak HC110 - Dilution B. It helps it along in the shadows, which generally with this film, no matter how properly you've metered them, are often erring on the side of ghostly. 
I would also emphasise again, despite having a 'anti-curl layer' this is the curliest film I have ever encountered - when chopped it forms 3 tight spirals of four frames a piece, which, when sleeved and weighted, do not ever really straighten. 
It's a shame as it has quite a nice look to it.

Anyway, here's the results:


Hasselblad 40mm CF/FLE Distagon,Hasselblad 500C/M,Bergger Panchro 400,Kodak HC 110 Dilution B,© Phil Rogers Dundee,Ilford MGRC,Black And White Printing,Analog Photography,Analogue Photography,
Lovely Eh!


Hasselblad 40mm CF/FLE Distagon,Hasselblad 500C/M,Bergger Panchro 400,Kodak HC 110 Dilution B,© Phil Rogers Dundee,Ilford MGRC,Black And White Printing,Analog Photography,Analogue Photography,
Bike Shed With Mouse


Hasselblad 40mm CF/FLE Distagon,Hasselblad 500C/M,Bergger Panchro 400,Kodak HC 110 Dilution B,© Phil Rogers Dundee,Ilford MGRC,Black And White Printing,Analog Photography,Analogue Photography,
Lonely Planet's 'Good Guano' Award.


Hasselblad 40mm CF/FLE Distagon,Hasselblad 500C/M,Bergger Panchro 400,Kodak HC 110 Dilution B,© Phil Rogers Dundee,Ilford MGRC,Black And White Printing,Analog Photography,Analogue Photography,
Toning Wise, The Best One


Hasselblad 40mm CF/FLE Distagon,Hasselblad 500C/M,Bergger Panchro 400,Kodak HC 110 Dilution B,© Phil Rogers Dundee,Ilford MGRC,Black And White Printing,Analog Photography,Analogue Photography,
Always Liked These Trees


And that's it really - camera was the 500 C/M with the 40mm CF FLE Distagon - it's  great lens - maybe not as epic as the 38mm Biogon, but certainly easier to use and compose with.

As I said, they'll not win any awards, but as an exercise, they're fine; at the end of the day I often think that half of the photographic process is being able to get out somewhere and have some concentration time, which I think is always FUN, and goodness knows we need some of that these days.

So without further ado I shall bid you adieu! 
And remember, the aliens are the ones wearing suits.
H xx

Thursday, August 10, 2023

New Glass, Old Eyes

Morning folks - well, indeed, it is something like that. 

On a whim I recently went mad and bought another rangefinder camera to take away on holidays - I feel the M2 is just too darn valuable these days (shame and all that, but true). 
I could easily have taken any number of my old manual Nikons, however I wanted something smaller and lighter - a place which the M2 fills nicely. 
I could also have taken the (now infamous) car-boot-sale-soaking-wet-non-stopping-down-Pentax K1000, which I have bought back to life (it's a Hong Kong one by the way) - £10 for a chunk of timeless metal and glass - marvellous. However, I've really enjoyed using a rangefinder this year, so I started looking around. Actually, a proper Barnack would probably have done the trick, but I fancied a change. 
There's no pleasing some people is there!


© Phil Rogers Dundee,Canon L2, Nippon Kogaku Tokyo, Nikon LTM 3.5 cm f3.5, Ilford HP5+,Kodak HC 110 Dilution B, Ilford MGRC, Rangefinder
Underpass

Anyway, after much research, I got a Canon L2. 

It is from the mid-1950's and loosely modelled on a Barnack, but looking a bit more modern; it was also only produced for a very short period of time as the lever-wind version of the VT. 
It's a nice camera, simple to use and very very compact. 
Looks a hell of a lot like the desirable Canon P too.
 
It has a yellow rangefinder patch (they last better than the silver ones by all accounts) and a tri-lens system that lets you swap between 35mm, 50mm and 'RF' which is basically a magnifying bit.

On first couple of goes I found it to be pretty intuitive and fast to use - obviously it isn't an M2, but then it is a tenth of the cost, with nearly . .70-80% of the build and feel.

I had to marry it with something - and again, looking around the Canon 28mm f3.5 I usually use, is now vanishingly rare and getting stupidly expensive, for all that it is a little gem of a lens.
I fancied something 35mm, but couldn't find anything Voigtlander-y. 
I did consider a Russian Jupiter 12 and might well go that route in the future, but for the moment narrowed my choices down to a 35mm Elmar . . . erm . . . . gosh, they've gone up in value . . . same with the 35mm Summaron - crazy prices. 
So after more hunting,  I lucked out and found a Nippon Kogaku Tokyo 3.5cm, f3.5. It was reasonably priced and (barring no caps at all) is in fantastic condition . . . considering.
You're probably not daft enough to not realise that NKT (does that work or have I insulted you?) were none other than Nikon in an early incarnation. 


© Phil Rogers Dundee,Canon L2, Nippon Kogaku Tokyo, Nikon LTM 3.5 cm f3.5, Ilford HP5+,Kodak HC 110 Dilution B, Ilford MGRC, Rangefinder
Canon L2, NKT 3.5cm, f3.5


It's an interesting lens. 
Looks a bit out of place though, doesn't it. 
It is identical in optical layout to a 35mm Elmar, but it has Nikon's coating which crosses the ground between contrasty and just that hint of oldy-worldy soft greys.
 
In its initial iteration it was a f3.5 to f16 lens, then it changed to a f22, but still kept the same formulation. Apparently the change occurred around the time they had to stop engraving the lenses with "Made In Occupied Japan"
Mine is engraved just plain old "Japan" however it is an f16, so must be just on the cusp. 
That dates it to around 1952/3. 
Oh and I forgot to mention that it is a Leica Thread Mount too. 
Pretty rare by all accounts, which, to my mind makes it all the more a bargain. 

Anyway, that's enuff o' me guff,  . . what's that? 
Pictures? 
You want PICTURES?
You got it. 
Film was HP5 at EI 200, developed in Dilution B HC 110. I rather like that combo too.


© Phil Rogers Dundee,Canon L2, Nippon Kogaku Tokyo, Nikon LTM 3.5 cm f3.5, Ilford HP5+,Kodak HC 110 Dilution B, Ilford MGRC, Rangefinder
Dundee On A Sunny Day


© Phil Rogers Dundee,Canon L2, Nippon Kogaku Tokyo, Nikon LTM 3.5 cm f3.5, Ilford HP5+,Kodak HC 110 Dilution B, Ilford MGRC, Rangefinder
My Old Photo-Test.
This was at f4

© Phil Rogers Dundee,Canon L2, Nippon Kogaku Tokyo, Nikon LTM 3.5 cm f3.5, Ilford HP5+,Kodak HC 110 Dilution B, Ilford MGRC, Rangefinder
A Patient Subject


© Phil Rogers Dundee,Canon L2, Nippon Kogaku Tokyo, Nikon LTM 3.5 cm f3.5, Ilford HP5+,Kodak HC 110 Dilution B, Ilford MGRC, Rangefinder
Underpass
(With New, Improved, Bromide Drag)


© Phil Rogers Dundee,Canon L2, Nippon Kogaku Tokyo, Nikon LTM 3.5 cm f3.5, Ilford HP5+,Kodak HC 110 Dilution B, Ilford MGRC, Rangefinder
Same again.
(Left The Darkroom And Forgot About It!)

© Phil Rogers Dundee,Canon L2, Nippon Kogaku Tokyo, Nikon LTM 3.5 cm f3.5, Ilford HP5+,Kodak HC 110 Dilution B, Ilford MGRC, Rangefinder
Fouled Embryo Poster

It is a very sharp lens for its time and does it have a certain look to it? 
I'll leave that to you.
I guess that's what I was wanting though - something characterful.

Its only downside in use is that the aperture is not click-stop and easily FUBAR'd, and the f-scale on the lens is impossibly small to see. 
Allied to that . . you try finding a lens hood or even a lens cap.
Forget about an original NKT rear one. 
For the front, a standard Leitz 36mm will work, though I opted to go for a nicely anon-e-mouse Schneider domed job.
As for filters . . there is a screw-in bit, for ****21.5mm**** filters! 
Yes, you try and find some . . . . and unlike the Nikon Bayonet mount ones, I don't think it will take Kodak Series retaining rings.
Of course it might take Kodak Retina-sized filters . . . but that is a risk, which I shall leave until I have researched it further..
Failing that, I reckon Leitz A36 clamp-on filters would work - the NKT is the same diameter as a 50mm Elmar (old style). 
Watch this space.

The camera? 
Yeah, nice to use, though the 35mm frame (no brightlines or parallax compensation) is a touch on the narrow side, so you must always account for more border. 
I actually ended up buying a finder too - the much disparaged Helios. I have no idea why this has become a hate object over the years . . maybe because most people are trying to use it on a mirrorless camera for which it was not designed. 
Anyway, that's about the long and the short of it. 

These older rangefinders can still be had for somewhat of a bargain price - probably because people are scared of film! 
As for the lenses, well a L39 anything keeps heading skywards.
This being said, the old 50mm Elmar is still a comparative bargain. 
Regular readers might remember that I use one every now and then. It's from 1934 and marked in meters so will have probably witnessed the rise of Hitler's Germany and some momentous events. 
It takes a lovely photograph. 
The NKT comes from a time when the Korean War was in full swing. 
I think it takes a lovely photograph too.

I can direct you to some very interesting articles on NKT early adopters (David Douglas Duncan and Margaret Bourke-White) and very early post-WW II Japanese manufacturing: 

https://mikeeckman.com/2020/06/kepplers-vault-65-assignment-korea/

https://mikeeckman.com/?s=Rotoloni+report

Mike's articles are as fascinating as they are well-written and well-researched. 

Highly recommended as is the rest of his site.

And that. as they say, is that.

Hope you enjoyed it.

Remember, if they tell you that bed is free, don't believe them. Have you never seen Soylent Green?

TTFN

H xx



Sunday, May 28, 2023

Clash Of The Titans

Morning folks - hope you are well, I am, and I'm not sure about Herman but I think he might be too.

Long term FB readers (Hellooooo! Coooey!!) will know that over the years I have had regular commenters, who I've always been nice and polite to. 
None of this keyboard angst around here, oh no . . .
One of these is Bruce from The Online Darkroom - an erstwhile, well-written, intelligent and informative blog about all things photography. 
We've communicated now for nigh on 11 years . . but weirdly, despite living close to each other (at one time less than a couple of miles) we have never met. 
Until now . . . well, not now, but a few weeks back.

They always say, try never to meet someone you've only ever 'met' via the internet don't they - I was a bit trepidacious! 
F'rinstance, was it going to be like: 

King Kong vs. Godzilla? 

Alien vs. Predator? 

Ali vs. Frazier? 

Possibly even:

Heidecke vs. Victor??

Was he a:

Nutter?

Conman?

Murderer?

White Slaver?

Down-To-Earth Nice Bloke?

Friends and neighbours held a sweepstake. 
This could be a ding-dong meeting of minds; a grudge match; a decider; the ultimate battle; a terrible mistake; a . . . oh I know, I'll shut up.
Fortunately he was the latter . . . 


© Phil Rogers Dundee,Ilford Delta 400,Hasselblad 40mm CF/FLE Distagon,Hasselblad 500 C/M,Kodak HC 110 Dilution B,Ilford MGRC Pearl,Agfa Neutol NE,
Ancient Gate


. . . And what it did turn out to be was a lovely trip around local countryside with a friend
Truth be told, I had a wonderful time and we talked and laughed and I got to see Bruce in action. 
It was an interesting juxtaposition actually; I had my big Gitzo with Arca ballhead, and then the 500 C/M and a 40mm Distagon in possibly the world's largest shoulder bag. 
Bruce had his Nikon F90X, an AF lens and a small, road-worn Domke bag.

Whilst I planted myself firmly on the planet and took varying readings, he wandered around observing, moving in quickly and getting what he wanted. 
I don't think he knew I was watching, but I was - it was fascinating actually. 

And so the day was whiled away and I don't know about him, but I felt such a sense of ease and good natured bonhomie that I can't wait for the next one. 
And there will be, he just needs an eye problem to resolve itself.

So without much more guff, and without further ado, here are the photographs. 
They're not stunners, but it's hard sometimes to take in new places and photograph them in a satisfactory manner. 
Maybe next time, though the wild garlic will be gone by then.


© Phil Rogers Dundee,Ilford Delta 400,Hasselblad 40mm CF/FLE Distagon,Hasselblad 500 C/M,Kodak HC 110 Dilution B,Ilford MGRC Pearl,Agfa Neutol NE,
Ancient Wall


© Phil Rogers Dundee,Ilford Delta 400,Hasselblad 40mm CF/FLE Distagon,Hasselblad 500 C/M,Kodak HC 110 Dilution B,Ilford MGRC Pearl,Agfa Neutol NE,
Ancient Caravan


© Phil Rogers Dundee,Ilford Delta 400,Hasselblad 40mm CF/FLE Distagon,Hasselblad 500 C/M,Kodak HC 110 Dilution B,Ilford MGRC Pearl,Agfa Neutol NE,
Ancient Dusty Room


© Phil Rogers Dundee,Ilford Delta 400,Hasselblad 40mm CF/FLE Distagon,Hasselblad 500 C/M,Kodak HC 110 Dilution B,Ilford MGRC Pearl,Agfa Neutol NE,
Ancient Dreams 1


© Phil Rogers Dundee,Ilford Delta 400,Hasselblad 40mm CF/FLE Distagon,Hasselblad 500 C/M,Kodak HC 110 Dilution B,Ilford MGRC Pearl,Agfa Neutol NE,
Ancient Dreams 2


© Phil Rogers Dundee,Ilford Delta 400,Hasselblad 40mm CF/FLE Distagon,Hasselblad 500 C/M,Kodak HC 110 Dilution B,Ilford MGRC Pearl,Agfa Neutol NE,
Ancient Dreams 3
(Actually the camera was level)

© Phil Rogers Dundee,Ilford Delta 400,Hasselblad 40mm CF/FLE Distagon,Hasselblad 500 C/M,Kodak HC 110 Dilution B,Ilford MGRC Pearl,Agfa Neutol NE,
Ancient Gate


Film was fresh Delta 400 at EI 200 in HC110 Dilution B, gentle agitation for 30 seconds, then 2 twirls (with the Paterson twirler) every minute to 7 minutes and then let it stand to 10 minutes - gives really lovely results. 

The older I get the more I believe that agitation technique is a key part of developing film. 
I've written about it before, and according to a bunch of pundits, agitation has no effect, but from my point of view, were I to really shake it up with Fomadon R09, I'd end up with pretty dense negatives, so I keep it calm - it's like trying to keep a raging bulldog in its place . . both palms up towards it, calm down lad, calm down . . . 
I also use the Paterson paddle/twirler exclusively these days. 
Imagine you were twisting a spinning top, but very slowly, once to the right, then back to the left. 
That's one 'twirl'. 
My universal technique, is 30 gentle seconds of that, then 2 twirls on every minute.  
I'll also do a semi-stand job - maybe not agitate on the last couple of minutes, and then let the film stand for a couple of minutes over . . my theory being, that because developer exhausts itself on highlights quicker, it will; but then it will continue working on the shadow areas. 
I'd rather have more shadow detail that I can print down when printing.
Hey ho . . it works for me.

Also, I've found that Ralph Gibson's PRINT "Bromide Drag" technique works for a denser negative. 
You basically develop the print to a certain point. 
You'll find your highlights might still be really blank. 
Flip the paper over, turn you safelights out and go and have a breather . . . anywhere between 3 and 7 minutes. 
You come back, slip in, the highlights have emerged. 
You also risk slight fog with this, however in the case of of the print of the wonky frame and outside vegetation (Ancient Dreams 3) I rather like the effect. 
The negative of that was impenetrable - it's denser than a busload of denseness, but 68 seconds on f11 and left to twiddle its thumbs in developer for around 5 extra minutes (over and above normal 'completion time') brought the vegetation out. 
I've only started on this recently, but it probably deserves more research. 
It is though 'a thing' or should I say 'was'? 
Who prints these days?

Anyway, enough. I rather like the prints - to me they're almost a dream sequence.
Weird dream maybe, but a sequence nontheless.
Actually, they're a happy memory too - Thank You Bruce!

Oh and before I forget, the paper was quite old Ilford MGRC Pearl, developed in Adox/Agfa Neutol NE. They're all selenium toned.

And that's it folks - as always, thanks for reading, you've made an old man very happy, or should that be, you've made a happy man very old . . . .



Sunday, March 05, 2023

Grotography

Morning folks - it's a great term isn't it . . makes you feel, all, oooh tramps-vesty, if you know what I mean.


Hasselblad SWC/M,© Phil Rogers Dundee,Ilford Delta 400,Agfa Neutol NE, Ilford MGRC,Analogue Photography,Black And White Printing,Black And White Film,Kodak HC 110 Dilution B,
Bayview Morning


The phrase was coined by long-time FB pal and regular communicator Bruce from The Online Darkroom and by it, he means photographs  . . . of lots of grot. 
I am pretty sure he has lots, though he says it was the same old crap everyone else photographed . . . . 
He was snapping Dundee when I'd left College, given up on my dreams and was trying to be musical. He'll probably deny it but I'll bet he's recorded a lot of the terrible injustices and architectural tragedies wreaked here and if you want grot, I am pretty sure he's the man what's got a lot (sorry couldn't resist that). 
Actually, it is surprising that as a subject, there could possibly be more pictures (in private archives, snaps, prints, slides) of this City in its down phase than most cities in Britain, simply because it was everywhere.
These two articles remind me of what it was like coming here in 1980 from a rural background. A baptism of fire methinks:

Also, aside from your melange of general photographers, head of photography at Duncan Of Jordanstone (Joe McKenzie) actively encouraged his students to go and photograph what was happening, and they did!
There's another Neil I know who recorded the city in the 80's and (in hindsight) it is incredibly valuable stuff. So like I say if you take all that, plus the activities of DC Thompson photographers and gathered the whole lot together it would be substantial.
It is even more important now given how the place is rising from the metaphorical ashes.

Anyway, my recent adventure into Grot occured one morning when I was trying to find a community surgery and was having a scope out of its location before my appointment. 
I chanced upon a scheme pub (which I knew existed) called The Bayview, and it sadly looked partly great and well-cared for and partly past its best. 
Whilst there I was accosted by the owner's brother who was wondering what I was doing photographing it, but was actually really nice and helpful when I told him that way back when I first came here my student flat was not too far away and I knew (and [very occasionally] drank in) some of the other pubs (The Jimmy Shand and the Charleston Bar) but had never actually been to this one.



Hasselblad SWC/M,© Phil Rogers Dundee,Ilford Delta 400,Agfa Neutol NE, Ilford MGRC,Analogue Photography,Black And White Printing,Black And White Film,Kodak HC 110 Dilution B,



And there it is in all its sad glory - I feel gutted for places like this. 
Times are truly difficult in Britain's hospitality trade, REALLY hard, and the bloke told me that whilst the upper bar was fine and still in use (and I could photograph it if I liked) the lower bar was no longer in use. 
He used a fruitier term which I'll not recount.
It's a bloody shame though, because it, and in fact most scheme pubs, have that air of post-WW II concrete brutalism, which I dearly love. 
It is actually quite Soviet (!) but that is doing them a total injustice. 
I would call it Space Age Optimism
There's an air about them. 
You can't put your finger on it, but it is the sum of all of Britain's post war hopes for a more equal society; everyone working together for the greater good; settled times and lessons learned; happiness and, if you wanted it, you could have a few pints in your local housing estate (scheme) pub with all your mates. 
Not much to ask really is it? yet sadly, for The Bayview and probably most of Britain, the scheme pub is on its last legs. 
I find that really really sad.
Home drinking; lockdown and now cost of living are all driving nails into these coffins and when they're gone, they will never come back - simple as that.
They're barely viable from an economic point of view and if they go, so does that style of architecture.

But back to The Bayview. 
It is a wonderfully optimistic name isn't it, and that's because from the upper lounge windows you get a great view of Invergowrie Bay. A view so beautiful that if it were anywhere else in the UK it would have visitors . . however because the viewpoint is mostly occupied by a hospital and council housing, nobody comes for pleasure. 
Deal with it. 
That's Dundee to a tee though - you'd be hard pressed to find many cities around the world set in such scenic beauty, with so many catastrophic and foolish planning decisions.

Anyway, when I saw it I wanted to photograph it immediately. I only had the F3/28mm Nikkor on me and took a couple of snaps, but I wanted to do it justice, so went back a couple of days later with the SWC/M and a monopod. 
It was a brutally cold morning - so much so that I couldn't feel my fingers at all and the tears leapt from my eyes in shock when I got off the bus. 
But the shadows were great and the early sun was slowly reviving the earth and cutting through the light haze. 
I had Delta 400 rated at EI200 and I set to work quickly and must have got through all 12 frames in about 20 minutes flat. 
I think I was in a bit of a state of shock because of the cold actually - I felt light-headed and a bit breathless. 
Always a one to believe that preparedness is the best way to be in photography, I thanked the fact that I have used the SW so much that it is almost second nature. 
Not that there's a whole lot to do, but you really must remember to focus, because nothing is going to tell you that you got it wrong, until you develop the negatives!
Oh and take the lens cap off you twat . . . been there, designed and printed the t-shirt too.


Hasselblad SWC/M,© Phil Rogers Dundee,Ilford Delta 400,Agfa Neutol NE, Ilford MGRC,Analogue Photography,Black And White Printing,Black And White Film,Kodak HC 110 Dilution B,



Hasselblad SWC/M,© Phil Rogers Dundee,Ilford Delta 400,Agfa Neutol NE, Ilford MGRC,Analogue Photography,Black And White Printing,Black And White Film,Kodak HC 110 Dilution B,



Hasselblad SWC/M,© Phil Rogers Dundee,Ilford Delta 400,Agfa Neutol NE, Ilford MGRC,Analogue Photography,Black And White Printing,Black And White Film,Kodak HC 110 Dilution B,



Hasselblad SWC/M,© Phil Rogers Dundee,Ilford Delta 400,Agfa Neutol NE, Ilford MGRC,Analogue Photography,Black And White Printing,Black And White Film,Kodak HC 110 Dilution B,



Hasselblad SWC/M,© Phil Rogers Dundee,Ilford Delta 400,Agfa Neutol NE, Ilford MGRC,Analogue Photography,Black And White Printing,Black And White Film,Kodak HC 110 Dilution B,



Hasselblad SWC/M,© Phil Rogers Dundee,Ilford Delta 400,Agfa Neutol NE, Ilford MGRC,Analogue Photography,Black And White Printing,Black And White Film,Kodak HC 110 Dilution B,



The Delta 400 was developed in HC110 Dilution B and those are straight scans off of the prints.
Given the extreme contrast range, I think it has dealt with it beautifully; it is a very versatile developer.
And yes, the eagle-eyed will note that at some point a homeless person has set up home here, though it is empty now (thank goodness) as there's barely any shelter and it's a pretty cold spot.

And that's it really - I think it works as a sequence and I like the fact that nature and detritus are reclaiming part of the site. There was a treasure trove of old Mangers Cider tins and so on right up the side of the building - Grotography In Extremis . . .

I'm also delighted with how the SW has dealt with such extreme lighting conditions - deep shade and point-source sunshine - it hasn't failed me in the last print.
Oh and the prints are all on gifted Ilford MGRC Pearl (thanks Alan!) developed in Agfa Neurol NE and then selenium toned.

So, until the next time, go and make a landlord happy, it'll mean more than you think.
TTFN, keep taking the pills.
H xx


Tuesday, October 11, 2022

Deep Woods And Soggy Pants

Morning folks - well, decorating and DIY were put aside for a brief four days of holidays in the Borders (of Scotland). It's an area we know well and love very much.
The feel is very different to the West side of the South Of Scotland, which is quite wild with less obvious history. 
The East Borders are easily distinguishable by the mark the Romans made in trying to conquer Scotia, that is, lots of forts, earthworks and a series of roads which span millenia. 
The main of these is Dere Street, which stretches from York all the way to Edinburgh and was a proper Shanks' Motorway for hundreds of years. 
It is now partly called "The Pilgrim's Way."

You can get a fantastic idea of the post-Roman period in history by reading Rosemary Sutcliffe's (ostensibly for 'children') trilogy: "The Eagle Of The Ninth", "The Silver Branch" and "The Lantern Bearers". 
They're largely dismissed these days as being historically inaccurate and a bit twee, however, as a lifelong reader I can honestly say, of any of the billion books I have ever read, these throw you full-on into the dung and stench of the early, post-AD period; you can feel the pain, terror and sheer excitement of battle; the smell of woodsmoke and cooking fires; the wear of daily travail; the clank of armour coming over a distant moor - you get my drift - they're Time Machines.
A remarkable achievement by a lady who was wheelchair bound for all her life and could only wander afar in her imagination. 

Highly recommended.

Anyway, back to the main monkey-business - you wanna banana Choppers? 
Yooz got it.


Hasselblad 40mm CF/FLE Distagon,Hasselblad 500 C/M,Hasselblad SWC/M,Ilford FP4,Kodak HC 110 Dilution B,Ilford MGRC,© Phil Rogers Dundee,



I've often found on country holidays that the easiest way to get anything satisfactory, photographically, is NOT to go for The Grand View
Fuggedaboudit. 
No point. 

Everybody's doin' it, doin' it, doin' it.
Pickin' their nose and chewin' it, chewin' it, chewin' it

(Sorry, you obviously didn't go to the same school as I did where the aforementioned ditty was much popular in about 1969.)

To me Grand Views leave me as cold as anything.
They're just foul interpretations of the immense beauty of nature. Granted it is hard to stuff all that wonder into a small lens and thence onto a sensor or film, but tbh, they've been done sooooooo many times, is there really any other point to them other than to prove you were there?

I think the Grand View really dilutes the power of Landscape Photography.
You have to feel a place before it can talk back to you.
My solution?
Immerse yourself in what is literally just outside the door of your cottage, caravan, hotel, tent, whatever.
Check the Ordnance Survey map of your locality. 
Bing Maps Aerial Views are pretty good too, but to my mind an OS can make sense of features you haven't got a scooby about.
See something interesting? (in the case of my recent holiday, an Iron Age Earthwork on a promontory on a very minor river) find it and photograph it and its environs.
It is far more satisfying to be able to say to yourself:

"I doubt anyone has ever taken a picture here before!"

Honest - try it and see.

So there I was, after an afternoon of really heavy, thundery showers, desperate to get the tripod and camera out and get out for a small photograph.
We had an earlyish tea, I donned suitable outdoor gear, and out I went. 
Full sundown was around 8 PM and I was out about 6.30.

I think I have described the gloaming before - it is a wonderful Scots word for that time when the world is just nestling down into darkness. 
It, to me, also encompasses the brief period before sunset when things start to quieten a lot. 
Birds set themselves down; small mists lift themselves free of grassland; rivers take on a loud rushing which is totally different to normal daytime. 
You can feel the peace coming on.
It is my most favourite time of the day to take photographs. 
Light changes quickly; aside from everything getting darker, you need to take into account that pretty much every frame will be different. 
You also need to work quickly and methodically
No farting about. 
Know Your Onions (as my Dad used to say).


Hasselblad 40mm CF/FLE Distagon,Hasselblad 500 C/M,Hasselblad SWC/M,Ilford FP4,Kodak HC 110 Dilution B,Ilford MGRC,© Phil Rogers Dundee,

Jane's Wood 1

As you can see from the above, despite the sun star, the light was falling fast - what you can still see of the sun was just cresting the woods on the other side of the gorge and literally I had minutes before the whole place settled itself into deep gloom.
I am happy with the print - it is hard to capture soft light like that without being underexposed or printing too heavily - you need a measure of low contrast just to keep things down a bit.
Film was FP4 developed in HC 110 on Dilution B. I printed it in Ilford MGRC. 
My camera was the Hasselblad 500 C/M and the lens was the newish and totally wonderful 40mm Distagon. 
Compared to the Biogon on the SW, it captures the same amount of detail (which is vast - easily the equivalent of 5x4 if not more so) but is slightly contrastier and doesn't have the same 'air' that the Biogon has.
I put this down to the coating and also that it is more than 10 years younger, and of course a different design. 
I love it though and for landscape it is far easier to compose with than the Biogon.


Hasselblad 40mm CF/FLE Distagon,Hasselblad 500 C/M,Hasselblad SWC/M,Ilford FP4,Kodak HC 110 Dilution B,Ilford MGRC,© Phil Rogers Dundee,
Jane's Wood 2


The small, overgrown path down to the gorge passed an iron age fort (as mentioned above - it was sited in a marvellous and easy to defend position) and entered a wood called 'Jane's Wood'
It was planted in memory of a young woman, Jane Thornton, who died in 1984. 
It is all small Oaks, though obviously they're growing, and the place has an air of total peace
Jane and I would be of similar ages, and I wondered to myself how she died. I also, felt entirely humbled by the fact that someone would plant a whole Oak Wood in her remembrance. 

What a beautiful tribute to a life cut short, and weirdly, it was almost as if her spirit imbued the place with a certain something
Of course that could just be donkey shite on my behalf, but I actually truly think I stumbled upon that spirit of place I always look for.

As she had been raised on one of the nearby farms, I assume she must have loved the place too. 
The route down, was, as they'd say "A Well Ken't Road" as, at the bottom, there are the remains of a truly ancient bridge - I'd put it back to 17th or even 16th Century. It's tumbled and gone though.

I got to the bottom of the gorge and managed to finish off the rest of the film in difficult circumstances. I've not included them here because they don't have the same soft, gloamy feel.

I was pretty much soaked to the skin and deeply sweating too (it was quite a climb down through slippery wet vegetation) but being next to a river at dusk is just about my favourite thing in the whole world and I got the feel of this small, yet quick river, deep into me.

Certainly near where we were staying there was plenty of camera fodder, but in being careful and using maps and intuition to explore before setting out, I got lucky and chanced upon a feeling and an unexpected place I shall never forget.
God bless Jane, and thank you.

The above print, was another difficult one and I had to print on Grade 4.5, as, even though I'd compensated for reciprocity in my exposure, the light was outrunning that factor if you get my drift.
Again FP 4 in Dilution B and printed on Ilford MGRC.

And tha-tha-that's it folks - be good and watch out for those tripod ruts.
H xx



















Wednesday, June 15, 2022

It's The Flattest Squarest Tube

Beware Humans!

We are about to encounter some disruptive reading ahead.

We can only approach if you have one of the following:

Time

Eyeballs

Interest

You might encounter several of the following emotions:

Anger

Disinterest

Joy

Sadness

Melancholia

All objections will of course be logged, but ultimately ignored as we are going this way anyway.

All set?

Za_0g*)! will take your names and hand out refreshments.

Our E.T.A. is 46.21zp (A8933347821bp time).

P.S. Our Editor [Mister K.R.Zong-k-kl] is currently on holiday and we haven't had time to do the washing up.



'Allo
'Allo
'Allo Tosh, Gotta Toshiba?
'Allo Tosh, Gotta Toshiba?
That's An FST
That's An FST
(Right)
Flattest Squarest Tube
It's The Flattest Squarest Tube
They Ain't 'Alf Built Well
They Ain't 'Alf Built Well
'Course Every Toshiba Component
Is Stronger To Last Longer.
Know What I Mean?
That's Good
Weeeey!
That's Good
Weeeeeey!
'Allo Tosh, Gotta Toshiba?
'Allo Tosh, Gotta Toshiba?

From another galaxy, though in reality only 37 years ago, here we have the brain-burrowing genius of great advertising. Even if you didn't want to buy one, you (well, certainly me) couldn't escape the fact that Toshiba was lodged in your brain for a considerable amount of time. 
Although there is some dubiety as to who sang it (some say Alexie Sayle [because of his great single "Hello John Got A New Motor" on which the ad was based] some say the late Ian Dury) personally I'll go with Dury - it actually sounds like him, albeit tarted up - Alexie was far too manic.

As for me (in a weirdly prescient move which pre-dated the advert by a few years) when I arrived in Dundee and got my College grant (yes, FREE Education - who could conceive of such a thing) I blew a small chunk of it on a Toshiba Ghetto Blaster (I think it was an RT-8155S). 
It was a fantastic machine, sounding great and taking an auxilliary input from my Akai 4000DS Reel-To-Reel (weird eh! but the majority of music I had, had been captured [or added] to reels of 7" tape - I wasn't going to lug my record collection to college, and I didn't have a cassette deck at home). 
The TOSH proved to be an all-round good egg of a buy for quite a number of years.

But what the hell has this got to do with photography you ask?
Aha, he said, fiendishly twirling his moustache, well, I could have entitled this "Ultimate Pano" or "Kamera Korner BARGINS" but didn't, simply because people would be rushing around and going crazy, creating alarms and looking for more ways to scalp us enthusiasts.
Y'see, at exactly the same time Toshiba (sic) were creating brain-burning ads and large lumps of plastic and metal that were ultimately bound for landfill, camera manufacturers were, I believe, reaching their peak.
It is easy to say that the peak had already been reached in the mid-70's and was tailing off, but I'll throw in the fact that, arguably, photography, and the ease of making good images (of which digital is the bastard child) really came into its own with supreme Japanese manufacturing techniques; universal camera automation and, above all, the sheer affordability that came in the 1980's.
My Olympus OM10, bought new with a 50mm f1.8 lens in 1980, cost me £105 (with a case!) - I took thousands of photographs with it - honestly, I did.
And more incredibly, apart from a lazy iris on the lens, it still works really well - the shutter blind auto-exposure system (sort of a checky effect) is still accurate; OK the foam has gone a tad, but a couple of new Silver Oxides and it is up and working, snappily, the way it should. 
That is astonishing VFM.
A 40 year old, reliable companion that helped educate my eye. 
It was an affordable investment to me at the time - one could say that it brought a whole new slant to life which is still with me.
And that affordability was the genius of economies of scale.

At the time, being a student, money was a BIG thing, as in you didn't really have any. You could though withdraw £15 in cash, old money, on a Friday, get really steamed on Friday and Saturday and still have ackers for the following week. 
So you can see from that even with the OM's £100 price mark (a not insignificant investment) the sheer reliability and simplicity and above all else relative affordability (for what was really a luxury item) made it a 'must have'.
If you were serious about trying this new-fangled thang on a student's budget, it was either the OM or a Pentax K1000 - they were both priced the same - but to me the OM felt futuristic whereas the K1000 felt decidedly old and clunky. So I bought it and fell in love with shutters.

From the start, I also knew that when the bug bit seriously, I had to get better cameras. 
I became totally enamoured by the square (courtesy of DOJCA's vast collection of student loan Mamiya 330s) so would consequently glue my nose against Jessop's windows staring at the lovely Zenza-Bronica SQs they had on display - they were gourgeous
Of course they weren't Hasselblads (as far as I was aware - though I hadn't even seen one in the flesh!) but they were their equal in my eyes. 
If only I could have got one, I could have lurched off into the blue yonder to take landscape photographs that would move people . . . sigh.
And then reality bit.
Who gave a damn about pictures of hills and weather and trees (well I did - it made up a chunk of my degree show); landscape was dreadfully unfashionable, and as is often the way of dreams and hope, my ambition was throttled by hard reality and the need to find employment.
No back up, no money and my aspirations of becoming a landscape photographer/"fine-art" printer died in the cocoon.

And then . . . . in a planetary orbit somewhere down the line . . . .

A piece of luck, magic and puntsmanship happened. 
I borrowed money from my son's Uni repayment fund and I found myself with a Hasselblad 500 C/M.
Made in 1985, it had belonged to a retiring professional who had bought it as back-up, and had had it regularly checked over by Hasselblad - the wonderful, tactile body cost me £335; my first lens (the 60mm Distagon) cost £439. 
The body (from pretty much the same era as my old Toshiba - still wearing a dayglo tracksuit with shoulder pads) hasn't gone to landfill, and in fact (based upon today's prices) would currently have been able to buy three versions of its secondhand self in old money; in other words sublime engineering doesn't seem to go out of fashion, it just seems to accrue more value.
When I received it, I knew I held something special, but more importantly, the ghost of that young landscape photographer in me was moved to eventually come alive again and I give thanks for that.


Hasselblad 500 C/M,Hasselblad 40mm CF/FLE Distagon,Ilford HP5+,Kodak HC 110 Dilution B,© Phil Rogers Dundee,
Homeless Encampment - Dundee 2022


However this is rambling off-piste on a grand scale - so I'll find the track again, let you have a breather and a wee, and we'll get cracking on.

I have a friend who collects antiquities and he always says (when asked [by me] about the cost of something he has bought):

"Well, they're not making them anymore . . . " 

To which I would add, with the way prices on pretty much any old film camera are looking these days, have we hit a sort of ceiling or are things going to continue rising in cost exponentially, given:

"they're not making them anymore . . . "

It's a thorny issue.
For instance, who would have thought the lowly (yet lovely) Olympus Trip 35, would be snapped up by newbies for the equivalent price of my old OM10 (or even more). 
It's a fine camera, but hardly the dog's wobblers.

And so it goes on - as someone who uses a 500 regularly, can I truly justify (on average) £120+ on a useful Bay 60 coloured filter? Or £350+ for a replacement waist level finder?
 
Has avarice and the ability to finance and then horde, turned what used to be a thoroughly enjoyable, egalitarian hobby into something that is starting to look like the art and investment world?
During WW II, they had a word for it: PROFITEERING.
 
I mean, c'mon, £1000+ for a Leica M2 body
£2500 for a M6?
Both great cameras, but that great?
Is marque valued over ergonomics?

Which begs the question, is it really time to act on all those Minolta Dynax' or Canon EOS, or Nikon prosumers?
Are the likes of the Canon Sureshot et al, tomorrow's Trips?

Maybe.
Knock yerself out  - snap 'em up now - they're decent, well made cameras; (currently) supremely cheap enough that if the electronics fail, you can nab another and carry on - you could probably buy nearly a hundred (or more!) of these old things for the current cost of a 500 C/M and 80mm Planar.
Much to my chagrin, a few years back I contributed to this madness by selling a Nikon AF600 (which I'd bought for a fiver) at a massively over-inflated price . . . it's a plastic auto-Nikon with a decent fixed focal length lens, but hardly LEGENDARY - an attribute you will find on the net . . . 

Given the recent selling price of an Andy Warhol screen print (not even the original photograph, that was by Eugene Kornman) when the world is awash with art, are we looking at certain of the great photographic manufacturing names entering into the realms of Raphael or Picasso, or even Rolex and Omega,  Fabergé and Tiffany etc etc.
It is a chilling (yet stupid) thought, because where does it stop?
All it needs f'rinstance for some net-twat to proclaim that the old giveaway red panoramic cameras are brilliant and the next thing you know everybody wants one, and, ahem:

"they're not making them anymore . . . "

In reality though, yer plastic fantastic is not the main monkey business.
It's the big jobs.
Though a Leica is a fine machine, does it handle any better than, say, a Canonet to justify the price difference? 
A Hasselblad is also a fine machine, but in reality (though you buy one because it is a system camera) does it handle any better than a Bronica SQ, or even a Rolleicord?
An X-Pan now goes for as much as a secondhand car . . . . yet, the red panoramics or indeed any 35mm compact with a panoramic setting will produce nearly the same format (though not the same square millimeterage - 1584 sq/mm if you need to know). 
In fact the above-mentioned Nikon AF600 had panoramic mode AND a fine lens . . . see what I mean,

I have a feeling the market is being dictated by wheelers and dealers who don't use film cameras on a regular basis, nor really know that much about what they are selling save the name (and all important net-reputation) - a case in point is the 40mm M-mount Minolta Rokkor lens originally made for the Leica CL. A startlingly sharp lens, yet (because it isn't German or even Canadian and an old bit of info that it won't focus as accurately on a M . . . though apparently it does) widely ignored by a chunk of the Leicaphile community. 
If it is an ideal focal length and incredibly sharp, who wouldn't buy one to go with their M? 
Oh wait a minute, it isn't one of The Pantheon. It's too cheap. Jap-Crap. Move on, move on.
The same goes for Canon L39 lenses - easily the equal of their Leitz equivalents, probably better in regard to age related issues, and yet . . . . 
I could slap a new/old Zuiko on my OM10 and go out taking photographs - I'd come back with results that were pretty damn good - those Zuiko wides were always lovely. 
I could buy a Nikkormat (still incredibly cheap for such a reliable machine) and take advantage of all those great pre-Ai lenses and arguably take as good (or better) photographs as I do with my M2.
At the sizes I enlarge negatives to, why not ditch the Hasselblad - a Rolleicord would probably do me fine.

What I am saying is:

Just because a camera has a legendary name, it doesn't mean it is imbued with magic.

It just means that the people who were fortunate enough to be able to make a living or a name from photography, chose the legendary brands because of availability/reliability/reputation, AND THEN, created magic.

It's like guitarists who buy their heroes guitars so they can sound like them.
It ain't going to happen. Not ever, not at all.
Guitar magic comes from the soul, your fingers and your heart. 
Add in physicality, stance, grip; the million minutiae that go to make a person AND THEN, that person's ability to put something of their self into the machine they are using.
It is as individualistic as your fingerprints.
Yet a whole decades-old industry has been built upon the premise of:

Certain instruments, if used correctly, might just make you:

a. AS GOOD AS

b. SOUND LIKE

c. BE

 your favourite player.

There are great parallels with photography.

The salient point is though, with guitars there are still cheaper instruments being made. And the thing about them is, they allow proto-musicians to find their own voice

When film cameras were cheap and plentiful, yep, they allowed the photographer to train their eyes and hone their craft - find their own voice within the world of traditional photography as it were. 
But that went with digital and the rise of the phone.

Jings, it must be really hard if, say, you are in your late teens, mad to take photos, want to try film, buy a Lomo, enjoy it but get frustrated, want to try something better and discover you have to mortgage your kidneys to get something that my generation took for granted.
Maybe though, at this moment in time (2022 for all you time travellers) it is time to kiss those kidneys goodbye, because, as I said:

"they're not making them anymore . . "

The film camera as style icon/fashion accessory/hero machine/investment piece . . . it is coming, if, indeed, it isn't here already.

Investors have already moved in and enthusiasts are being driven out.

There are parallels with the tech/housing crisis in the States (go on - look it up!) - what a strange world. Tom Joad must be spinning in his grave.

Please note:

We have now passed through the main turbulence and are about to enter an area of space known as "DEEP SADNESS".

Many come out of the other side in reflective mood but with mayonnaise stains on their ties.

Those sandwiches Za_0g*)! is handing out are a bit rank aren't they.

Photography has always been regarded as a bit of a "retired dentists'" hobby, as in you have enough money to fund something that has never been (and is now more than ever not) cheap
Vanishingly so these days, wouldn't you say?
There they were at dentists conventions (sic) wielding M6's, not because it necessarily meant anything, but because, like all good dental machinery, an M6 (et al) was a finely put together machine that (deservedly so) was to be admired.
Even Her Madge, Elizabeth II had a M6 ff's sake . . . 

However, at current prices, a Leica M6 is a thing that few film enthusiasts will ever be able to admire (let alone fondle.) 
They're now only touchable by 'serious' buyers. 
And as such, are you, the enthused enthusiast, being forced into an investment/speculate situation simply because of the movements in the market.

To draw parallels with the guitar trade, I certainly know now, that back in 1989/90 when I was offered a 1962 Fender Stratocaster for about £1200 (but turned it down because I didn't have the money and didn't like Strats [!!]; or even way back, mid-1970's [when hair and 'rock' were the thing so why on earth would anyone want a 'country orientated' early/mid-60's Fender Telecaster for about £150 - and believe me, Wardour Street and Charing Cross Road were awash with these things]) I wish I'd had the gumption (and the cash) to take a punt.

Hindsight is a rare thing:

Ten or Fifteen years back there were thousands of secondhand M6's around. They averaged around £700.
Now, as with all things Leica and film-based (though curiously NOT the old, L39s [in my opinion, the proper spirit of the Leica]) the market is as dry as a desert, unless of course you have a King's Ransom to spare
Weirdly this dearth doesn't apply to certain useful accessories, which says something.
As for the cameras and the likes of the close-range Summicron, or indeed the 35mm Summi, they appear to have all gone into collections, to have new hand-stitched Italian leather suits placed on them; to be oggled by one's friends; dusted and cleaned with balsams and balms on high days and holidays . . . 
A world far removed from their original intent as an intuitive, small, precise, window on the world.

The hunka-hunka chunk of Swedish engineering that is my 500, designed for professional use (imagine, some of those 1980's 500s that people are paying well over £1000 for, could have possibly been seeing hundreds of rolls of film a week through them in a big studio - they were after all a professional tool) is now a thing lusted over and I believe, being increasingly bought for its aesthetics and investment value rather than its original purpose as a maker of supreme quality images.

A sad old world where yet again, money is valued over art. Where, controversially, talent is possibly being held back by market forces.
A case in point, I met a lad a year or so back - totally enthused - photographing around the back of the Art College. We were both masked and careful. 
We chatted. 
He clearly had talent and an enthusiasm that was infectious - he named names from the Pantheon Of Greats and I mentioned a few he'd not heard of; he really wanted to use film on a regular basis.
He was using a cheap Digi-Canon, because he said he was unable to afford a decent film camera (and indeed all the extra stuff required to remain film-based.) 
I felt a little (shall we say) circumspect with a SWC/M on a carbon fibre Gitzo with Arca ballhead . . . .
I hope he finally managed to afford to get something, because you could tell, with the right tools this bloke would have flown. 
You don't get to talk with that much vim, without being in love with the thing.

I could go on, but I won't, I do however feel that we're entering a new age in camera use. 

Please could all passengers hand their litter to Za_0g*)!

Entertainment will commence in 3 minutes.

It was going to be a Space Cowboy adventure with James T.Kirk (Clone 4) riding into town and sorting out bandits, but unfortunately our Prime account has been increased to 4.2 Zongs per solar year and seeing as we are a budget operation we are no longer able to subscribe.

Za_0g*)! however has found an old Betamax machine and we have rigged it to show a Third Generation copy of Mork And Mindy.
Oh boy, I am looking forward to this!
Nano Nano!

A lot of these cameras are old (well, certainly ageing) yet serviceable machines, but the way things are going, in reality, and in an alternate universe, would you take your 1930's Frazer Nash out to Tescos, or your '60's Lamborghini to your local supermarket car park?

Are we getting to the point whereby (because of the likes of the red dot spotting camera snatchers - they do exist btw, ask Za_0g*)! ) you don't take your pride and joy out, simply because it is too valuable or precious?

In an era when the agricultural, reliable, metal and glass breeze-block that is the Mamiya RB67 is on the highway to £1000+ (!) and it's sibling the RZ has now gone stratospheric (though curiously nobody gives a shit about the Bronica GS1), do we have to rethink how we approach our hobby?

It is really hard to see further down the line - the future is far muddier than it was even 5 years ago. 
Will film become something manufactured in ever decreasing circles? 
I mean why, these days, would anyone bother using Kodak unless they are either vastly rich or mad? Sorry American cousins, no idea what it is like with you, but it is double the price of everything else over here and thus (to me eyes) they've totally written themselves out of the UK film-buying market.

If, because of current pressures on world commodities and resources, film, chemical and paper prices rise to the extent that for the average Joe, they are unviable, sic:

Eat?

Heat? 

Photography? 

Where does it go from there?
Despite the "Analog Revolution" maybe people will just think:

Fuck it - I never print anything anyway, why not just save money, go totally digital, view it onscreen and be done with it.

And yes, I haven't been living in a cupboard  - I do realise people use film and scan it - that's fine, but to be honest how many of those scans are ever printed? 
Made into a PHOTOGRAPH to be hung or passed around? 
I would estimate approximately 75% of all scanned film ends up as Flickr feeds and goes nowhere else.
Actually, when  you look at it like that, logically, apart from the process of using a film camera (which is always enjoyable) and processing film (which is always a voyage of discovery) scanning seems to be a largely pointless activity. You could get the same end result (images viewed only on screen) using a digital camera.
It's a controversial statement I know, and I am still not sure how I feel about it.

But if cost starts to factor more and more and people realise that they could achieve the same end result just purely digitally and film sales start to retract to the extent that it is no longer a viable medium . . . . where do your investment pieces go then?
It'd be like a gun without bullets.
Or a Lamborghini without petrol.
Beautiful to look at, but effectively as useless as an Instamatic.

I hope I am raising more questions than answers, as it has always been my intent to get people to think about this wonderful hobby. 
If it makes you question things, then good, but it'll do little to the current state of profiteering.

It's funny y'know but Bruce (from the Online Darkroom) and I have a sort of camera watch thing going on (he recently sent me a pic of a guy in St. Andrews carrying a Fuji GW690 f'rinstance). He's beating me though, because apart from a couple of Japanese girls in Dubrovnik and Rome; a bloke with a Trip in Jedburgh and a kid with a Minolta in Edinburgh, I have never spotted another film photographer in the wild in the past 15 years. 

WTF is going on?

For all the "Analog Revolution" is film photography dying on the vine?
Are we already in the raisin stage   - a few old wrinkled fruits left whilst the rest of the crop have dried beyond redemption?
Remember good old film is nothing more than oil, silver, chemicals and energy. 
Will it even exist when $100+ barrels of oil and Vlad's squeeze on minerals/resources/food/energy mean that it is no longer viable to produce?
In economies of scale terms (and I have no idea how Harman/Ilford do it these days, but I love them for their commitment and quality) everything is moving in tighter circles.

Could we (that's you and me!) be the last of the WET photographers?

It is a chilling thought, yet one which demands (in a nice way) that, for the moment, could the investment market please just piss off and leave the use of (and ability to afford) these working machines to people who can still appreciate them and practice their craft whilst there is still film left to use.
I think we're on a Razor's Edge with film. 
If it becomes too expensive, we stop using it. 
If cameras (tools, not toys) become unaffordable then we stop using it.
Simple as that. 
And when it is gone, it is gone.
It'll be as antiquated as glass plates.

Certainly there are still plenty of cameras out there, but remember you are dealing with a finite resource
OK you'll say, you can still buy new cameras. 
OK I'll say, thank you for the Alpa 12 (approximately £10,000 with lens - wonder how many they sell a year?) but feel free to keep the Lomo.
So the non-superstar photography enthusiast is left with what is left - see what I mean?

If you're like me and you have a few (!) cameras, look after them - they're treasures. 
Though even then, I wonder (50 years down the line) who there will be with the specialist skills to look after them. 
The madness of a Leica CLA (after all you can't have your pride and joy going around with soiled underpants) means that all the Leica specialists in the UK seem to be booked up all the time - there appears to be little headroom.
Are new guys and gals being trained?
Who knows.
If I was really young and mechanically-minded I think I know what I'd do . . . 

It would be nice if, in say 50 years time when I am pushing up the daisies, some young buck was OUT THERE with a remnant of my humble collection, taking images, feeling atmospheres and kicking the ball further down the field.
My rictus grin would be enormous, yet sadly I can't see it. 
There are too many people pissing in the pool and making it desperately unpleasant for us swimmers, and not only that, someone has taken the plug out . . . .
Looked at in terms like that, it is GRIM.


Hasselblad 500 C/M,Hasselblad 40mm CF/FLE Distagon,Ilford HP5+,Kodak HC 110 Dilution B,© Phil Rogers Dundee,
Sunshine As Grafitti - Dundee 2022


Don't you think it is a sobering thought (tinged with deep sadness) about what has been lost in the exodus to digital?
(F'rinstance 1506 separate parts, assembled by hand, in a Nikon F2!)
And what is still being lost in over-weighting the market (£3000 for a 500C/M and 80mm? . . . . on Ebay as of today from a well-known dealer . . . c'mon)
You're talking around £15,000 for a new Leica M/A and a 50mm Noctilux - hardly student money - see what I mean about retired dentists?
Where is the affordability in the market?
Is my current viewpoint terribly pessimistic? Maybe, but I would always say I am a pragmatist before anything. 

Looking at it another way, us seasoned old geezers and galzers, raised on Brownies, Instamatics and then proper toys, have probably got on average 25 years left.
Everything we've taken for granted is going to get worse from commodity prices to weather to over-population.
So unless we can get ourselves into the future that was always sold to us back in those days of yore: y'know, personal space ships, holidays on Mars, we're stuck on Planet Earth.
But What about the Neu-Philanthropists? I hear you cry . . . 
Well unless we can afford to buddy-up to Bezos or Musk [sic] and get ourselves cryogenically frozen and aboard the next ship outta here, then there's no hope. 
Remember "SPACE!" is currently being monetised and besides, can you imagine a generation of baby-boomers in space? All those weightless Zimmers and broken bones, and not only that, I can't really imagine nipping into a Jessops for a roll of HP5+ when you're orbiting PA-99-N2 and persuading your team mates that you really need that last supply of Java to make some Caffenol . . .

So if we're stuck here, dealing with two finite resources (cameras and film) then surely the logical thing would be for people to be able to afford both and keep the ball rolling.

Of course all this pontificating on my behalf will change nothing.
I know for certain that I will never pop my clogs with a Rollei 2.8F in my hands, or an Alpa, or an Ebony View, or a Linhof 617, the way things are going even the more modest machines are being priced way beyond the reach of most people.
Some Hasselblads are now nearly 150-200% more expensive than they were even a few years back.
And that's not just Ebay . . . dealers, we really are watching you.

What a fucking shame.

Some serious thinking needs to be done on this. 
Remember it is no longer the 1970's or even the '80's. 

Nothing is a surety any more - when it is gone it really is gone.

So, to all you enthusiasts out there, I salute you and your wallets - hope you can find (or have found) something affordable to fall in love with and more importantly can afford to feed your passion.
Please start talking about this.
I agree profits have to be made by everyone, that is after all the world we've sewn ourselves into, but there's no need for the way things are going.
Over and out.

We are going to be landing in a few minutes.

Please ensure the following are firmly fixed:

Seat Belts

Teeth

Eyeballs

Za_0g*)!is handing out sick bags.

Please ensure you know how to use one correctly.


Message from Herman:

I put the above thinking down to reading too many apocalyptic SF books when I was a youngster - it sets your brain in survival mode, and you have to think everything through down the line - in other words try and figure out all scenarios and the cost is just one of them. 

Regular readers will have spotted, the pics aren't square. That's right, they're 645 from an A16 back. Lens was a (cough cough, looks at shoes, cough) newly acquired 40mm Distagon. I sold some old guitar stuff and afforded it that way - it was a good price, and is a heck of a lens. Not quite the same as a Biogon - more modern looking - but certainly incredibly sharp and (more to the point) easier to compose with.
Over and oot.
H xx