my life, as far as i know.

more sheet film development. this time i have some shots i had in brand new holders. the new holders (fidelity elite) are great, by the way. my resulting negs still have problems. the first one is this great shot of this big red barn up in la honda. i’m sure it’s been photographed a million times. i was quite disappointed to see not only a black dust-like mark on the negative, but white dots elsewhere. maybe the emulsion flaked off? i have no idea what’s going on– and now there are two different symptoms. it’s at least practice handling sheet film. and shooting with a field camera. and everything else.. it’s just all cool. but these things.. argh!!!

looks like i’m getting dust on my sheet film some how. if it were dust in the holder, it would show up as clear on the negative. but it isn’t — it’s black. but i can’t see any dust/hair on the negative when i shine light on it. i don’t understand. it’s too bad, the birdhouse print came out great otherwise. i’m not sure if i’d show this print or not.

yesterday i accidentally developed a sheet i hadn’t exposed. i’m glad i did, turns out the holder it in was leaking a bit. it prompted me to order some new film holders. hey, i’m crazed enough to do LF, i might as well buy some new holders. it’s amazing how much they cost and how much prices for them vary.

guess i have to check out my negs again and think about where it could have happened. i don’t mind, actually. thinkinga bout my processes is how i figured out how to minimize dust when i’m printing.

unfortunately, my apartment is pretty dusty.

i noticed ksp rents LF lenses; if i can find a suitable location i may rent one and use my model guinea-pig for some test shots. 5.6/210 and 5.6/300 look interesting. i’ve been wanting to try some LF model work.

i’ve realized that working on LF is awesome for the format by itself.. but now i think the control you get is even better. i do need to get out more (and shoot) to practice on focus plane control.

this morning was oversized pickup truck race day on montague expressway.

i was over at my mom’s house this morning when i tried my first two-axis focus control shot. this is a birdhouse on the edge of her deck.. it came out so well i shot some sheet film and a color polaroid of it. i’m really liking LF.

their album, the reason still totally rocks my world. i haven’t listened to anything else of theirs. this one just stuck.

so i stand and look around
distracted by the sounds
of everyone and everything I see
and i search through every face
without a single trace, of the person
the person that I need

do you know, that everytime you’re near
everybody else seems far away
so can you come and make them disappear
make them disappear and we can stay

when my first print from a 4×5 came out of the fixer, my jaw dropped. oh man, this is good stuff. now i’m super interested in doing portraits in 4×5. the lens i have isn’t right for it.

my back hurts from doing darkroom work. in closer quarters, i managed to get some stop bath on my tshirt and the floor is all wet.. i’m sure there will be brown and white-crystally spots tomorrow.

LF is totally worth it. i’m sad i can’t do larger than 16×20 now. hamish may have larger trays i can use. but i’d definitely have to move out of the bathroom. four trays in there and two enlargers is way cramped. just imagine 20×24 trays.

but.. ya.. portraits in LF. i need to do it. i need to see it.

i was setting up things and i was wondering where the heck i’d put the new enlarger. i was in the bath–no, darkroom– when i looked down. i could see the floor. i thought about it. i sized up the baseboard and then went back into the darkroom. ya, i think it would fit. so i maneuvered the enlarger and its heavy board onto a towel on the floor so i could scooch it around. sure enough, it fit. granted, there’s not much space around it to walk to the shower/toilet. you know, you have to have priorities.

working with 4×5 is fun so far. tonight was actually the first time i’ve reused developer — i’ve always used working solution as one-shot. i got some film developed.

the other good news is, the adapter i need for the 4×5 lens on the omega.. i found a used on at kshphoto. i got it home and it works like a champ. it’s in mind condition. so now i have everything i need to try out this omega.

i just remembered what it is i miss sometimes. when someone stops by spontaneously to go do something. or just hang out. or to just be around so we can do our own things.

i think almost all of my friends live in san francisco (where people generally live in but done leave from) or in another state.

not bad or good, really. just.. is.

things change. i get sensitive about things when i notice something’s changed. one of life’s rhythms.

minor victory tonight: figured out the mechanical problem on the omega mast. now the platform goes all the way down and all the way. i also spend some time cleaning it. it’s looking really good now. still working on logistics of where and how. also need a lens board for the 150mm rodagon. i have a lead on that as well.

the last thing i heard on the radio during my evening commute yesterday:

“we’re here. we’re married. get used to it.”

at the end of last week i got a lead on a free enlarger. not just any enlarger.. a nearly-sixty-inch-tall great shape omega enlarger with a dichroic head, stand, 3 lenses, multiple negative carriers. its best feature: it can handle 4×5 negatives. the even better part? it was free as long as i put it to good use. i have some loose ends to tie up, like getting a lens board and figuring out how to lower the stand.

i need about a week of time home to get caught up in all my chores and cleaning.

and figure out how to get the enlarger setup in my darkroom (i’m about done with referring to it as a bathroom at this point).

good thing Film Is Dead. how else could so much perfectly good equipment go for cheap or free?

i spent the weekend down in los angeles for a weekend of eating and hanging out. ended up seeing the great photography exhibit at the getty museum, had a really good filet mignon at the hotel, and bought soap by the pound at lush, which ryan says is a canadian company.

i have a lot to catch up on tonight and the next few days.. more later..

today i brought my shen-hao to work to show a coworker. i framed up and took this shot to demonstrate focus control. i should have spent a little more time to do additional front swing. now i’m curious about very specific areas of the frame being in focus. maybe tonight.

lately i’ve been becoming more active in large format photography discussion boards and websites. one of my favorites is lfpinfo.

but this morning i came upon the author’s personal website to find that he is an amazing photographer who has been in amazing parts of the world. he writes,

“For the past twenty years, I have been priviledged to travel, trek, and climb in some of the most remote and beautiful corners of the earth. Laying down in a colorful meadow dense with wildflowers or clinging precariously to a vertical icy mountain face, listening to the silence of desert sand dunes or to the calls of a bustling floating market might seem like very different experiences, however, I feel that they share the same life-affirming benefits. In a society where too many artificial sensory input are available, these simple experiences can make us feel more connected to the world. They give us a sense of beauty, chaotic order, and liveliness which enrich our souls.

Through my photography, I have tried to convey these feelings of wonder and passion to the viewers. I seek to give a sense of place and time by letting the viewer see through the images as much as I saw myself, and experience the same emotions, although he is just presented with a partial representation. To do so, I carefully select and interpret visually the subjects so that their essence is revealed, often going to a great deal of effort just to create a single image. It is my wish that these images will inspire the viewers the desire to discover for themselves the locations depicted. I like to emphasize the beauty, as I feel that esthetic appreciation will eventually lead to awareness and respect for the natural and cultural diversity of our planet.”

this guy has an engineering degree and a phd, and is a published author of computer science books. and otherwise, he is a world traveler, moderator of one of the best LF websites around, and has had images published in time magazine, us news, and the national geographic society.

truly an ambitious and successful photographer. seeing his work is truly inspirational to me. it makes me want to more clearly define my work and my style.. to hopefully focus my art a bit more.

seeing my coworker’s blogpic with his new fun 12-24 lens, reminded me of an image i made a long time ago. i took it at the place i worked at the time because i thought the room would give a weird and unfamiliar feel to the image. i should still have the negative in my binders. i always smiled when people asked, “where the hell are you in that picture?”

today i renewed my pledge to KQED, the bay area’s best public radio station and npr affiliate. this morning i was listening to npr news and i could name the announcers by recognizing their voices. that inspired me to renew today.

here are my favorite programs i listen to:

what’s not to love?

i received a lens wrench from the excellent skgrimes. a little overpriced, but the quality is there and they have a decent website. i don’t mind supporting good people. i’m torn on the issue of cablerelease-up or cablerelease-down. guess i can have it either way now. i feel liberated, now that i can move lenses and shutters around as needed. and the pining for toys never fades.

also: i feel extra sexy using a powerbook. it’s like crack, baby!

i’m finally an official mac user. replaced my old laptop with a 12″ powerbook.