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.