Printing Up a Storm, Darkroom Updates, and More!

 Quite a few things have been going on here since last week's little instructional video made its debut.

First and foremost, the weather outside has been frightful, compressing available shooting time to half-day spurts of creativity. I'm half way into my first and last box of Tri-X 8x10, and so far it has done as expected. Were it not 2x pricier than Ilford HP5+, and a special-order-only product, I may have switched back to Kodak stock for 100% of shooting. Unfortunately, though, that is not the case. Five more barbershop shots on this Tri-X and it's back to HP5+. I'll miss the bit more speed of TXP (pyrocat hd gives slight loss of speed), but definitely not the price!

Second on my plate is the upcoming Midwest Large Format Asylum Portfolio Review. A funny name for a funny group of large format shooters, but they're all really great guys. I met a large chunk of them last summer at Photostock 2011, and from the looks of things, I may not only be the youngest guy attending this meetup, but I may also be shooting the smallest camera! To add even more pressure to uneasy feeling of showing a bunch of seasoned LF veterans my portfolio, I promised these gentlemen an all-carbon-print portfolio, and darnnit' that's what I'm gonna' give 'em!

While we're still on the topic of carbon printing, I received in the mail a brand new, custom made coating rod from R.D. Specialties out of New York. They're great folks to deal with, and through a little help of the Carbon Transfer Group, started by Sandy King, I was able to find all the information I needed to get just the right size formed rod to coat my own carbon tissues. Fourteen have already successfully coated, five already printed, and with a good twenty* more coated and done by Friday of next week. (* hopeful estimate). For folks out there still scratching their heads about carbon transfer printing, below you'll see an embedded YouTube video that will fully demonstrate the insane amount of time that goes into a simple contact print. Trust me, once you see one in person, it's worth it!

Fourth and finally is some even more funky, out of left field news. I just got in the mail today 100 sheets of Agfa Green Sensitive X-Ray film! That's right, the same kind of film we all got to view our first broken bones on can be used in view cameras to make negatives for contact printing! Since the film is a little more quirky than modern panchromatic (most of our visible spectrum) emulsions, it gives a more early 1900's look, with it's biggest advantage being sheer economy. You're not going to believe it until you see it, so click HERE. Your eyes don't deceive you, this film only costs $0.28/sheet in 8x10!! With my most commonly shot films coming in ~$4/sheet in B&W and ~$12/sheet in color, it's easy to see why giving X-Ray film a try was the next logical step in shooting more 8x10 film. Expect regular updates in this area, I plan on exploring every inch of this wallet-friendly film!

Well that's it, I'm off to the darkroom to carbon print for hours and hours and hours. If I get too bored, don't be surprised if you see YouTube video show up (below) on the carbon print process

Have a great weekend and long live film!

Update on Saturday, January 21, 2012 at 10:17PM by Mat Marrash

Well here it is, I got bored, and just as promised, a little video from today's carbon transfer printing session! For the record, it was a great overall printing day, I went 7/9 on prints, the other 2 not even making it to the sensitizing stage as the carbon tissue mysteriously cracked while drying.

More videos like this to follow in the coming weeks!

Bellows! (Extension Factor)

Now THESE are some bellows! Camera and photograph property of a HUGE photographic inspiration of mine, Sandy King.A few weeks ago, I made a promise to some Twitter followers that I'd answer a very common question that takes place in the world of large format photography. When you're focusing a camera that has bellows, there's a good chance that if you're focusing at portrait distance or closer, you're going to need to compensate for that bellows draw!

The math is, overall, pretty simple.

1. Measure the focal length of your lens.

2. Measure how far the bellows are extended (for this to be relevant, this number should be greater).

3. Divide your extension by the focal length, and then take that number and square it.

4. This will give you the factor by which your bellows are drawn. Since light falls off exponentially, apply your extension factor to Log Base 2 of your number and that's how many stops of extra light you'll need in your exposure.

For an even simpler, more visualized version of this, check out this video:

2012 Resolutions, Just for Kicks

Many other photographers I know and follow are already posting their New Year's Resolutions for 2012. Not wanting to be left in the dust, I got to thinking what things I could do a bit differently in 2012. So far, here's what I've come up with...

2012 Photographic Resolutions:

1. Conceptualize - For the coming year, I want most if not all the images I take to have some meaning behind them; a unifying theme amongst them wouldn't hurt either. Snapshots, even 8x10" ones on wet plate collodion, aren't going to cut it.
2. Mobilize - To move outside the University of Findlay darkroom, I want my wet plate work operable and independent of a singular space. Lighting and darkbox are already in place, just a few more steps to complete.
3. Galvanize - Using whatever means available, I want to inspire others to get into or improve their photography. 
4. Monetize - This is always something I wish to improve upon each year, but I want 2012 to be an especially big year on the books. Last year, save a couple of books here and there, my photography paid for itself! Let's see if 2012 can see the year of *gasp* a profit!

So why do all of my resolutions contain an "-ize" word? I've always been a big stickler for consistency and continuity in my projects, and if resolution #1 is going to be met for 2012, better get started early!

As always, let me know what you think of this post a comment, send an email, or even let me know what you're planning on doing for 2012.

Everyone have a save and happy New Year, and long live film!

Update on Wednesday, March 14, 2012 at 9:14PM by Mat Marrash

I'm going to be "checking up" on the 2012 resolutions throughout the year, as things progress and (hopefull) get accomplished.

3/14/12 Resolutions Report

1. Looking back, its quite an unrealistic goal to have everything I shoot contain something meaningful. Somewhere along the way I've remembered the joy of shooting just to shoot! ^__^
2. The mobile wet plate darkroom is 85% completed, and already "road worthy".
3. Already inspiring may new and upcoming photographers, right on track.
4. Monetization is, so far, going very well. I expect the coming weeks to really make 2012 the year of the green.