Adam - Cold

I'm going to start working on my fine focusing skills.

This is Adam. He is my boyfriend. We've been together for almost 4 years. Gone through a lot together, including having a baby. We're getting married sometime next year.

He was cold. He's in his favorite spot, our new couch, and he's watching Batman: The Animated Series. Too stubborn to get a blanket even though I told him to.

This photo wasn't perfect. The focus is slightly off. I was aiming for eyes, but I don't have a loupe and I wasn't using a dark cloth so I kind of flubbed it. I could've closed down a stop or two and probably negated my bad focusing, but I'd like to learn how to focus better so I plan to shoot wide open for a while. Then again, it could also be from the 1 second shutter time. The weirdness on the left side, there, may be from the fungus infesting the lens. I'm hoping to get it to Carol Flutot at some point.

Also, this is a negative scan. I'm planning to print this, but I haven't found a sheet of glass that I can use yet, nor a bulb that will work well for contact printing. If anyone has ideas, please let me know. I wish I'd gotten in on that Lodima order.
Click to expand...
Location
Living Room
Equipment Used
Speed Graphic, Rodenstock Geronar
Exposure
1 second at f/6.8
Film & Developer
Forte 400 and HC-110 1+150 Stand
Paper & Developer
Eventual Slavich Bromoportrait/Liquidol
Looks pretty good to me, from a technical point that is. Married eh, good on you.

Don't you have a piece of window glass somewhere, use that. Then use a bed lamp with a 15W or 25W globe for exposure. The on off switch combined with a second hand on your wristwatch, is good for a timer. I've used these before.

The focusing could be solved reasonably cheaply. If you were to find a 99 cent magnifying glass, get a cardboard tube, the type you send poster prints through the mail. Cut the tube to about the correct length for focus on a GG, use some duct tape, voila, you have a working lupe.

I would say under $5.00, which includes the petrol to your hardware store.

Mick.
 
I don't know what weirdness you're talking about on the left hand edge? The only weirdness I can see is sort of stepping due to high JPEG compression or at least it looks that way.
 
Focus looks all right to me, particularly for a contact print. For glass all you need is window glass; it doesn't have to be absolutely perfect. You want to avoid scratches and bubbles but a couple of light scratches won't hurt anything. A piece of felt to lay the negative/paper sandwich on and you're in business. For light, any old light bulb will do. Edward Weston used one on a long cord and had a wooden clothes pin he used to raise or lower the bulb to lengthen or shorten exposure time as needed. That does fine.

Good luck!

Mike
 
I'm planning on posting a better scan and then doing a contact print sometime later this week with the very Weston setup Mike mentioned.

Also, I have a cheap 10x loupe somewhere, but I can't find it. I think I'll try what you suggested, Mick.

I'm going to go to the local farm supply store today to see if I can't find a few things to make myself a cheap lighting setup that I can use with a cheaply homemade soft box as well as on stands for portrait purposes. This was lit with just general room light. There was a strand of Christmas lights were were using as a lamp on the right, and 180 total watts up on the ceiling fan. I'd like to get some lighting working that isn't quite so flat.
 

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Stephanie Brim
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