[Leica] Who we are, where we're from, what we do.

[Jim Brick <jim@brick.org>]

Born and lived 25 years in Santa Cruz CA. West coast surf town. Surfing, 
skin diving, and photography as youth hobbies. Photographed for my high 
school year book and Miss CA pageants held there. Went to Oregon State 
College (engineering) and to Brooks Institute of Photography (commercial 
photography.) Moved to Sunnyvale CA (Silicon Valley). Been here 38 years, 
same house for the last 33 years.

Worked as a commercial/illustrative photographer for ten years and also 
began working as an engineer (consultant - embedded controllers) here in 
Silicon Valley. Most of my engineering work was in the photography field. 
Everything from high end photo processing equipment to digital imaging chip 
sets and cameras.

My current photography effort is large fine art prints. Ilfochrome and 
LightJet prints from color transparencies. B&W work is mostly T400CN 
because of the simple C41 processing. But printing on real silver paper. My 
current engineering work is still in embedded controllers. Electronics 
Imaging Division of Agilent.

I have an extensive closed loop darkroom. Any size color print (up to 
20x24) dry to dry in 10 min (RA4) and 16 min (Cibachrome). C41 is 20 min 
and E6 is 35 min. Drum scanning and LightJet printing is just three miles 
from my house at Calypso Imaging (www.calypsoinc.com). Nirvana!

My cameras of choice are Leica M, Leica R, Hasselblad, and Linhof. Not 
necessarily in that order. Gitzo carbon fiber tripods, and Fuji color film. 
APX-25 (a freezer full of it) and APX-100 for real B&W film, T400CN for the 
fake stuff. Fuji Crystal Archive paper, Ilfochrome Classic RC & polyester 
paper, Ilford RC and fiber warmtone paper. Soup du jour: D-76, Xtol, Kodak 
Single Use E6, Tetenal C41, Tetenal RA4, Ilford P3 Ilfochrome process, 
Ilford Multigrade developer. And a bunch of Windisch & Beutler home brew's.

I don't own a scanner. When I want a scan, I get an archival drum scan from 
Calypso. 150MB file for 35mm, 250MB file for 6x6, and 350MB file for 4x5. 
It is archival because from this, you can re-capture your original by 
outputting the digital file to film. And you can make a LightJet print up 
to 48"x96", from the file, if you so choose.

Jim