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.
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| 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.
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| OK, it's not a proper print. Nikon Zoom at about 18mm |
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| 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:
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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:
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| Why Am I Abandoned? Leica M2/35mm f3.5 Summaron, Ilford FP4, Pyrocat HD. |
And on to my leading print.
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| 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.
