Post your thoughts on the various relics and the images they've produced here - preferably referring to the poster or the post number so that others know what you are on about!

Eg "I love post no2 -gray1720's image of the mouldering buildings sends shivers down my spine"
(retires, lightly massaging ego)

Good luck, and have fun!

Adrian

 

Went out and shot 12 images on my ancient Mamiya C33 - you'll have to wait to see them though, cos I can't develop myself (But I work over the road from a dev who does!)

 

That's OK, not expecting there to be a mad rush of images for just that reason!

I've got some Tri-X in my Baldessa... will I get the chance to take some today, or will it just be too disgusting out there? Hmm...

Adrian

 

Looking out the window this morning I'm glad I took the old camera out yesterday.

 

I hope someone else is getting some decent light, because I'm not! Grr...

Adrian

 

I really like your second shot in the first post, Stephen, with all the framing being down by the crowd. Nice to see that some people are getting out there!

Adrian

 

Thanks, it was the effect I was hoping for. I like movement in street shots. Wish I'd angled it a bit more so there was less pavement. Will try some more shots over the weekend.

 

Adrian, if you don't already know it, f295.org is a great source of info on pinhole and alt process stuff. You'll find plenty of advice relating to paper negs over there. Well worth a look.

 

Oh dear, more life gone! Thanks Zou, will definitely take a look.

How are you getting on relic-wise?

Adrian

 

Not much new - little thing called work getting in the way. Hopefully Tuesday/Wednesday will be more fruitful.

 

Top marks, Atavar, for using a time-worn veteran like that. Funny - 1/250th top speed and f4.5 lens must have been top of the range when it was new.

If you feel brave, you can patch the inside of the bellows with umbrella fabric and PVA glue, though you need to use a couple of layers as it's so thin.

Folder owners of the world unfold!

Adrian

 

Cheers, I'm going to try with electrical tape just as a stop-gap measure. The bellows look to be light tight, its the body where the door latch has pulled off from the body which has created the rivet hole.

The biggest pleasure i found using this was the wire frame viewfinder. It was refreshing having the whole world visible outside, as well as inside, the frame. Really different, but it allowed the camera to be to the eye and to look for unfolding pictures at the same time. Think i'll try some HP5, next.

 

I'd never thought of that, Atavar - must have a go myself! I often take too long, and get all sorts of gubbins wandering across my frame.

Taxor - magic, it's like Fox Talbot is still with us! I'd love some details on things like exposure time - and was the spider real?

Adrian

 

Hi Adrian, the spider was not real - as if!! As for exposure, well I went for a dump and had a bloomin' good read of my Gary Larson collection in the interim, so I'm reckoning around 30~40 mins!

 

That's a great pic Taxor.

 

Hmm, I'm just wondering what bodily functions I can use to set exposure times by (and whether the missus will disagree with me)...

On a more serious note - is the long exposure time to try to capture some detail through the leaf, or was it just that your paper was very very old? I've tried paper at about ISO 6, and not needed more than a few seconds.

Adrian

 

Hi Adrian, I never use fresh paper for making 'lumen-prints' so it may well require less exposure. I have found that a long exposure does help fine details print through.

 

Oh b****r... another thing I have to try!

Roger - I've seen that photo before, but I still can't get over the camera and the photo still being together after almost 130 years! And the elder gent could have known Fox Talbot, who had been dead less than a decade... Mindboggling!

Adrian

 

Certainly possible as Fox Talbot died in 1877 at which date the elder elder man was a young assistant master at Sherborne school, which is only about 45 miles from Lacock Abbey. However I would not have expected much interaction between the two as the age difference is rather extreme.

Incidental I have just checked some dates and the young man was probably 8 years old when the image was made, not 7 as I said in the post (it depends on the exact month the picture was made, which I do not know).


Roger

 

Just to add a point to my previous comment - there is an AP connection in linking this camera to the photo.

I was given the camera about 55 years ago by my Grandmother when she was clearing out her basement prior to moving into a flat, and I had assumed that it was dated between 1900 and 1910, however when AP published its 125 anniversary edition it used an identical camera to illustrate what photographers were using in 1884. Once I had the date I was able to match it to the picture, now in the possession of one of my cousins, and verify that they were in fact a pair.

Roger