[Leica] Way OT: Shooting 8x10 LF and contact printing

[puff11 at comcast.net (Norm Aubin)]

 Scott, 

Be careful!  This "grand hobby experiment" will take over your life, and
next thing you know you'll be driving around the country in a station wagon
and searching for "The Big Picture"!  I kid you not, it's addictive.  At
least the film is not too out of sight, averaging around $3.00 per sheet for
any of the good films, like Tri-X and Ilford's or Bergger's fine products.
In fact, if you're planning on doing studio work try their (Bergger) 200
speed film, it's rather like Kodak's Super XX of the 40's, and it's a great
portrait film even in the 35mm form.  The next thing you know, you'll be
trying to recreate the look of George Hurrell, or buying ND filters of 8-10
stops and trying the techniques of David Fokos.  Me too, Me too! 

I've been developing LF negatives for years now, and have tried all kinds of
gadgets, and still I prefer the tray method for doing only 2-4 negatives at
a time, and perhaps a dunk tank if I have to do 6 or more.  Since I use 4x5,
I can and do use the Yankee tank, which will hold 12, but I use only 6 at a
time.  I want a few surplus Kodak black rubber tanks and frames for tank
processing - it was the method of choice everywhere and for good reason.
Tray processing has one subtle draw back - temperature control, and one big
draw back - scratched negatives from the interleaving of the sheets.  Still,
it is a very inexpensive way to get going.  I use at least one size over for
sheets, and prefer two sizes over.  I have used 5x7 for 4x5 but think 8x10
is better.  For 8x10 neg's an 11x14 or better yet 16x20 tray will provide
ample room to move the film around while minimizing cramped conditions.  

You're comment at the end - "Who knows, maybe something good will come of it
:-)" is interesting - because you will find it conflicts with using a 35mm
Leica - Big Time!   The Leica is used spontaneously - by feel and instant
decision , as Ted so often exhorts us.  His recent exposition on how he did
the work in the O.R. really goes over this succinctly and pointedly.  The LF
camera on the other hand requires you to evaluate a scene for a long time
while adjusting the camera, it could take 20 minutes or longer (in the field
or the studio) to get it all set the way you want, and by then you may
decide it's not worth it.  I love the two different ways of thinking about a
photograph, but it is akin to switching from Epee to Saber; rather different
approaches to the same problem.  In the end though it does integrate, the
equipment fit's your hand and you start to adapt to that way of thinking,
and it gets easier.

Think of the opportunities - pin hole, macro to die for, negatives the size
of Rhode Island, contact prints that have more tonal values and subtleties
than you've ever seen,  and if you can find an Arista light source to mount
to your camera back, and a flat field lens to install in a lens plate - a
built in enlarger!  F:45 and be there - 20 minutes early!

Write me offline at puff11@comcast.net if you wanna B.S. about this stuff
more -

either way - go for it - it's great!

Best of light,
Norm 


> Message: 5
> Date: Mon, 23 Jan 2006 05:12:45 -0500
> From: Scott McLoughlin <scott@adrenaline.com>
> Subject: Re: [Leica] Way OT:  Shooting 8x10 LF and contact printing
> To: Leica Users Group <lug@leica-users.org>
> Message-ID: <43D4AC1D.4000107@adrenaline.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed
> 
> Roger that as well. As I said, this is all foreign territory to me.
> 
> Yup, I'd be souping my own B&W negs.  Exactly how warrants 
> more exploration :-)
> 
> Note that this would all be a grand hobby experiment for me. 
> I figure if some of my peers who don't drive especially well 
> can go and get their jollies buying sports cars, I should be 
> allowed to flirt with (relatively inexpensive) photo toys, 
> ahem, I mean "tools."
> 
> Who knows, maybe something good will come of it :-)
> 
> Scott
> 
> Frank Filippone wrote:
> 
> >Ok, but 1:1 in 8x10?  A bit "challenging".....
> >
> >You realize that every shutter click is a $10-20 bill spent 
> on film + 
> >development, in B+W.  and color is  $25-40?
> >Are you going to process it yourself?  JOBO? BTZS Tubes? 
> Tray?  Can you 
> >find a lab to do the work?
> >
> >You know about J+C Photo?  They carry the film you will 
> need.... "Cheap 
> >FIlm"..... Mostly from Eastern Europe........B+W
> >
> >Frank Filippone
> >red735i@earthlink.net

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