Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2002/03/04

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Subject: [Leica] Bay Area LUGgers and visitors, Don't miss this! You will be sorry if you do!
From: Jim Brick <jim@brick.org>
Date: Mon, 04 Mar 2002 22:40:21 -0800

My very close friend, swim partner, and esteemed colleague, Angela 
Buenning, is having a show of her project "Living in Silicon Valley" 
Saturday March 16th in Noe Valley, San Francisco.

I'll give the details in a moment.

History:

I've known Angela for several years. We met at the pool. We planned our 
workouts together and talked about photography in between swim sets, and 
afterwards over lunches, Keeble visits, etc. Her interest was fine art 
photography, with the mind set of street and urban life, urbanscape 
photography.

We initially talked about cameras. She had a Nikon SLR but wanted something 
more substantial. Something that she could use and not worry about making 
quality "big" prints. After much looking, talking, and testing, she decided 
on the latest Pentax 67II. It took her about a nanosecond for the Pentax to 
become second nature to her. It's like an extension of her mind. You'll see 
it's on topic later on...  :)

After getting the Pentax and starting the photography for her project, she 
began making prints at San Jose State, a school in Oakland, and a few other 
places that had RA4 processors, but to her dismay, the RA4 processors were 
not maintained properly and her results were all over the map. So she 
started using my darkroom. I had just installed a JOBO ATL-2400. Because 
she was such a heavy user (eight to ten hours at a stretch) she basically 
debugged the system for me. It is because of Angela, I now have an air 
conditioner, bulk chemical heaters, and two enlargers in my darkroom. This 
is where she decided that 20x24 would be her standard print size. The JOBO 
and one shot chemistry made fantastic prints, but, of course, the process 
is a bit slow as you cannot put another print in until the previous print 
is completely processed. Unlike roller transport processors. And I only had 
one enlarger at that time so she could not work on two negatives at the 
same time.

She found a rental darkroom in San Francisco that has a 50+ inch roller 
transport processor that is perfectly maintained. And each darkroom has two 
enlargers which allow printing two negatives simultaneously. A print from 
one is processing while working on a different negative in the second 
enlarger. The roller transport processor is dry to dry and you can have 
multiple prints going through at the same time.

Because of the large processor in the rental darkroom, Angela has been 
making some 30x40 prints. These are unbelievably awesome!!! Angela is a 
perfectionist. I have seen her use 10 or more sheets of paper to make a 
single print, take it home, pin it to the wall, and then come back and make 
more prints because of some minute nuance that she didn't like. That even I 
couldn't see! Her prints are all as perfect as humanly possible.

Angela teaches Journalism and Photography at "Eastside College Preparatory 
School" in East Palo Alto as well as working tirelessly, what seems like 24 
hours a day, on her "Living in Silicon Valley" project. She has had rave 
reviews from notables like Judy Dater and has had her prints exhibited in 
several shows.

So, the show:

Angela has an architect friend, Ross Levy, who designed and just built a 
new home at 1451 Sanchez St., San Francisco (between 27th and 28th 
streets.) Angela's photographs (20+) will be hung throughout the house. The 
house is not occupied yet so it makes a great gallery. She mounted her 
prints on aluminum and they are held away from the wall 3/4" by a small 
base on the back. This is an awesome look! Her show will be all 20x24 and 
30x40 prints of urban life in Silicon Valley.

I urge anyone who can, to come see this exhibit. It is up for one night 
only. Saturday March 16th and it starts at 8pm and goes to... whenever. And 
yes, there will be food. :) Street shooters, come see Silicon Valley life 
portrayed through a medium format camera and an incredible eye. You'll be 
amazed.

If you know anyone who buys/collects fine art photographs, this would be a 
great opportunity for them to get in on the ground floor of what surely 
will be a very big photographic name in the near future. Her work is really 
outstanding!

If you go, please tell Angela who you are and that you are a friend of 
mine. I will be there for an hour or two, 8-ish to perhaps 10-ish, and if 
we haven't met before, find me and say hi. White hair, not skinny... :)

Oh yeah, ON TOPIC, Angela owns and uses a Leica R8 for stuff other than her 
Silicon Valley project.

:)

Jim

ps...  From the south bay, up 280, exit San Jose Ave. (north), left on 30th 
or 29th, right on Sanchez. Or up 101, exit Army Street (west), left on 
Sanchez. From Oakland/Berzerkeley, across Bay bridge, exit from 101 on Army 
west, left on Sanchez. From Marin, across Golden Gate, 19th ave., left on 
Soat, left on Portola Drive, right on Diamond Heights Blvd, left on Douglas 
St, right on 28th, left on Sanchez. 

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