[Leica] IMG: some film portraits

Wed May 9 18:13:46 PDT 2018

I'm with every syllable Ted and Tina just wrote below on never going back to film. Never going back to the darkroom.
But to put my own two cents in the vast majority of stuff I get about film is in the end camera orientated. Neck jewelry orientated. And the gab which backs that up. Academic. 
How many people have given me the film routine (no soul!) and had prints to back it up? Zero.
It's never about the work; always about the cool cameras hanging around ones neck this month.
And the exceptions I'm sure are out there and someday I'll meet or hear about one of them...A person who one day took a look at their archival pigment prints on rag paper they've been hanging shows with and said "this doesn’t cut it anymore! I’m building another darkroom". And them produced archival silver prints and hung them in a show instead.. I'm sure it's happened somewhere in the Milky Way.. I've just not got a name or a ULR for you.
I’m in touch with people doing Daguerreotypes. Salt prints, Wet negs, you name it but the only good print is a darkroom print people have avoided my gaze. Even the hybrid make quality scans from negs you develop yourself and make archival pigment prints approach which is what I'd do if I ever shot another roll with my Rolleiflex or sheet film.  I can't at this point see doing it in 35mm as it would clearly be taking a step down.

-- 

Mark William Rabiner
Photographer

On 5/9/18, 7:57 PM, "LUG on behalf of Tina Manley via LUG" <lug-bounces+mark=rabinergroup.com at leica-users.org on behalf of lug at leica-users.org> wrote:

    I have been there, done that, and I agree.  I will never return to film.

    I admire the results that some of the LUG members are getting with film.
    Nathan's are beautiful.

    But I will never go back.  The Leica SL at high ISOs gives me a beautiful
    digital noise that looks so much like grain, that I don't miss film at all.

    I spent too many hours in the darkroom, trying to meet a deadline, printing
    contact sheets, smelling chemicals, drying film in a dust-free environment,
    keeping everything at the right temperature, filing all of the film, trying
    to label, date, and annotate everything.

    With digital, I put the card in the computer and download the photos.  All
    of the information is there in the EXIF, including the GPS location!!  As
    I'm getting older and can't remember where I shot what, this is very
    helpful.

    I think digital is a miracle.  I thought film was a miracle the first time
    I developed a print, but now I'm older and wiser ;-)

    Tina

    On Wed, May 9, 2018 at 5:15 PM, Ted Grant via LUG <lug at leica-users.org>
    wrote:

    > Hi Nathan,
    > When I finally appeared to get some kind of handle on digital and a couple
    > of digital cameras/lenses it never occurred to me I'd ever ever ever switch
    > back to that medieval film and developer CONCEPT?:-)
    > However I looked at your film photos and for a wild and crazy moment? I
    > fleetingly, loosely & foolishly thought recklessly? I might switch back to
    > film?
    > However! In a mentally flashing moment I recaptured my sensibilities and
    > immediately dismissed the concept! WHY?
    > Well how many LUG CREW SHOOTERS have shot a working assignment of a few
    > weeks and faced the darkroom with 500 hundred rolls of film to soup and
    > make 2 sets of contact sheets?
    > So my friend as beautiful as your film B&W images are? I honestly have to
    > say?
    > FILM?? NEVER!!!! EVER AGAIN!!!!!! :-) :-) :-)
    > CHEERS,
    > Dr. Ted Grant O.C.   :-)
    >
    >
    > -----Original Message-----
    > From: LUG [mailto:lug-bounces+tedgrant=shaw.ca at leica-users.org] On Behalf
    > Of Nathan Wajsman
    > Sent: May-09-18 11:33 AM
    > To: Leica Users Group; Olympus Camera Discussion
    > Subject: [Leica] IMG: some film portraits
    >
    > I have been alone at home for the past week, since coming home from
    > Denmark, as my wife has been visiting her family in Puerto Rico. While it
    > is a bit lonely, it does have certain advantages, such as parking my
    > bicycle inside if I wish, and plenty of time to develop and scan a few
    > rolls of film I have shot recently. Inspired by my friend Lars, I have also
    > been experimenting with stand development—no agitation, very dilute
    > developer (Rodinal 1:100 in my case), just let stand for 1 hour. I also
    > developed in a more conventional manner, using ID11+ for a couple of rolls
    > of Fuji Acros. So far I like these four portraits, which prompted me to
    > start a dedicated portrait gallery within my film area on Smugmug. So, here
    > they are:
    >
    > Lars, kind of environmental portrait:
    > https://www.greatpix.eu/FIlm/Film-portraits/i-chNvG2x/A <
    > https://www.greatpix.eu/FIlm/Film-portraits/i-chNvG2x/A>
    >
    > Lars, during a coffee break while visiting Moesgaard Museum in Aarhus:
    > https://www.greatpix.eu/FIlm/Film-portraits/i-mmdMkfL/A <
    > https://www.greatpix.eu/FIlm/Film-portraits/i-mmdMkfL/A>
    >
    > Grainy Lone, a classmate from 6th-9th grade at Skt. Knuds Skole in Aarhus
    > in the mists of time:
    > https://www.greatpix.eu/FIlm/Film-portraits/i-pLvcx7r/A <
    > https://www.greatpix.eu/FIlm/Film-portraits/i-pLvcx7r/A>
    >
    > Piotr, a Polish economist from the OECD, during a visit here last week:
    > https://www.greatpix.eu/FIlm/Film-portraits/i-nmmFn7B/A <
    > https://www.greatpix.eu/FIlm/Film-portraits/i-nmmFn7B/A>
    >
    > Camera, film and chemistry data are given in the captions.
    >
    > Cheers,
    > Nathan
    >
    > Nathan Wajsman
    > Alicante, Spain
    > http://www.frozenlight.eu <http://www.frozenlight.eu/>
    > http:// <http://www.greatpix.eu/>www.greatpix.eu
    > PICTURE OF THE WEEK: http://www.fotocycle.dk/paws <
    > http://www.fotocycle.dk/paws>Blog: http://nathansmusings.wordpress.com/ <
    > http://nathansmusings.wordpress.com/>
    > Cycling: http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/belgiangator <
    > http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/belgiangator>
    > YNWA
    >
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    -- 
    Tina Manley
    www.tinamanley.com
    tina-manley.artistwebsites.com
    http://www.alamy.com/stock-photography/3B49552F-90A0-4D0A-A11D-2175C937AA91/Tina+Manley.html

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