Photography Journal

 Digital 4 by 5 Results ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ I will first start by stating that I am disappointed in my digital prints. I got them printed at London Drugs, as I did not have time to come in when our technician was in. I forgot to check the box that says leave the images "as is" and not edit them further.  If you did not know, London Drugs edits all the photos you send in, unless you specify not to.  These are nothing like the photo I had in Photoshop, and the contrast is high, and the blacks are too much.  I did not pick them up until Monday after a work meeting, and did not have time to re-send them. And to be honest, it was a little pricey. I am much happier with my enlarged photos, as you can see in the other 4 by 5 results post .  A great learning opportunity, but always ensure you are getting what you want, especially when you send for digital printing! I think the...

   4 by 5 Results ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ I took 8 pictures when my friends and I went to take photos with the 4 by 5 toyo field camera at the school studio. I knew I would not have enough time to develop them all, so I placed them in a dark bag to process later. I did, however, develop one that day to ensure that there was an image on it. When I developed this one, I left the dark bag open a bit so the rest of my negatives had  little bit of exposure on each one.  Luckily, we got that new SP 445 developing tank and I used that to develop the other 7 negatives. A silly (and should not have happened) mistake, but the effect is ok on most of the images! --------------------------------------- The look I was going for: Dark and dramatic ------------------------------------ And, so, the results: **These are only pictures taken of the pictures - scanned images will be uploaded once they are done** Dexter P...

 4 by 5 Film Development ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ How to develop 4 by5 film We were shown how to develop 4 by 5 film using trays and chemicals.. the similar to the way you would enlarge a photo in the darkroom, except in complete darkness.  I came across a YouTube video on developing large format prints using 3 different methods. One is using the SP-445 developing tank. I wanted to buy one, but these run a cost of about $129 per tank, with a long delivery time.  A week after I looked into this, one showed up in our class! So I think I will try this method instead of developing 4 by 5 film the old fashioned way, in complete darkness and chemicals in trays.  I looked more closely at the SP 445 developing tank, and came across this instruction sheet from Spearman Press. It is a beneficial guideline to using the tank.  Here are some key checklist items to look at prior to developing: Make sure the 'O...

  Portraiture: Shadows ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- After doing some research, I am going to do creative portraitures, which will include shadows.  Richard Avedon  inspires and encourages this through it's contemporary and creative framed shots and movement.  His creative portraiture is unique and when I reviewed his work, I got inspired to do something creative, and from a unique perspective.  The black and white of the photos emphasizes aspects of this life we do not always see. We see in colour daily, but to see in black and white is one of the most powerful and beautiful aspects of this world. Film helps to bring out the inner beauty of the people and world around us that we do not always see.   Natalia Semanova, Mouthpiece and Headphones by Tom Binns, New York, April 30, 1998 The image of Natalia above shows such creative and inspiring messaging. It is...

Depth of Field ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ I practiced a lot with the depth of field. With my first attempts, I was never close enough to my subject for the low aperture of 3.5, as you can easily see in the boot image below. Image: Boots in the Snow Left: high f stop, f/11, smaller opening, clearer background, deeper depth if field Right: low f stop f/3.5, wider opening, more bokeh/blurred background, shallower depth of field I would love to hear your thoughts and feedback on these images! 

0 Exposure, 18% Grey ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This is my still life image, representing my '0' Exposure, 18% grey image.  I repeated this process with a different camera, but still had focus issues. The image shown is my first attempt, from the first camera I was using.  F/16, 1/15 shutter Adjusting contrast The first image is my favourite, but I did not write down the setting I used and got distracted! Thus the second image trying to reconstruct the contrast, but with straight borders! My Experience: I am unsure what I am doing wrong with my images, but they appear to be quite unfocused/grainy. With changing my camera, and a few settings, I thought this would help. Maybe I am used to digital photography, where the images are very clear, and that is why I am so "picky" so to say. The images are an ok quality, but not one I would hold mysel...

 Developing Film .................................................................................................................................................................... Processing 35mm is a unique and fun process, requiring much patience!  Step 1: Enter a completely dark room, with the developing tank. In this, you put the film, while in the dark. Once the film is in the developer tank and sealed, it can be taken into a lit room. Step 2:   Pour water into the developing container for 1 minute. Step 3:   Developer==> at a 1:1water ratio, approximately 68 degrees celsius, and in accordance with the chart for time. Agitate for 30 seconds, then for 5 seconds at 30 second intervals. Step 4:   Stop==> Pour in and agitate for continuously for 30 seconds. Step 5:  F ix==> 3 minutes. Pour in, agitate for 30 seconds, then every 30 seconds for 5 seconds Step 6:  Hypo==>2 minutes. Pour in, agitate for first 30 seconds continuously Step 7:...

  On to 35mm Film Cameras! .................................................................................................................................................................... We got our cameras and portable dark rooms. We learned: 1. How to operate the cameras. 2. General information about shutter speed, ISO, and aperture (see exposure triangle below). 3. How to navigate various combinations. 4. 18% grey point. This is new to me! When you get the "green light" in your film camera viewfinder, based on the camera settings, this spot is always going to come out as 18% grey. Which I found pretty cool! Film cameras are so much different than Digital cameras. As a Digital Photographer, I am learning the basics on a whole new level. Although I know what aperture and f/stops are, I always find the following exposure diagram, obtained from PetaPixel , helpful to understand how ISO, aperture, shutter speed, all work together to produce the images we want to obtain thro...