Why is this man smiling?
Low Tide.
freezing rain
Old Cat
Why is this man smiling?
broken glass
Pond Scum #86
Net Barn, Along the Lower Columbia No. 1
jimgalli

Why is this man smiling?

Tom Springmeyer, Gasoline Alley, Carson City, NV.

Tom is one of those charmed people (like me) who gets to make his living playing with what he loves best. He has a little shop just at the most southern edge of Carson City, Nevada that is full of petroliana. A candy store for those of us that have no restraint mechanism against things nostalgic. Want the Bear alignment neon porcelain for Christmas?? Too late, already sold, $5500.

Even Tom was impressed with the 8X10 2D and 1860 Darlot. Weird lighting but I had moved him once and didn't figure I'd get away with it twice. Had to make it work somehow.
Click to expand...
Location
Gasoline Alley
Equipment Used
Kodak 2D 8X10 / Darlot Petzval
Exposure
1/15th f5
Film & Developer
Efke 100
Paper & Developer
Ilford MG IV / Chinese Amidol
Lens Filter
diatomaceous earth
Thomas Bertilsson
What a wonderful portrait. It is something I want to do in the future, portraiture with a large format camera and antique lenses. You really are an inspiration to me.
- Thomas
 
jimgalli
We got this bulk order of Amidol from China and it's a fabulous developer but it's so full of large particulates that it's nearly un-useable. I mix up the developer and filter it through a coffee filter and diatomaceous earth to get rid of the fines. It still turns everything pee yellow but it makes incredible blacks especially on AZO. I was of course being a smart ass when I got to the filter question :smile:
 
Thank God these people exist. We have a similar place in the U.K called Bygone Times. They even have 1950's fairground slot machines in the basement. You get predecimalisation coins( 4 farthings to the penny, 12 pennies to the shilling, 20 shillings to the pound but good suits and horses were priced in guineas) and its back to childhood

Pity about everything except his face being out of focus. Don't worry your not alone in making elementary mistakes. I have seen poor efforts from two 35mm photogs called Winogrand and Cartier-Bresson who have even less excuse given the format they used.

pentaxuser
 
jimgalli
Thanks all! Actually the focus was a conscious choice. I had a Cooke Aviar in kit that would have made every square molecule sharp. I'm of the school that thinks perhaps holding the subject in relief against a softer background not only leaves more for your imagination, it elevates the subject to peak import.
 
I like the weird angle on the light too; it kind of identifies this as a shop by suggesting a shop window with an external awning and all that kind of stuff. Sets the mood, so to speak.

Did you use tilts to get his hands out of focus or is this a natural consequence of the lens?
 

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jimgalli
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Image metadata

Filename
springmeyers.jpg
File size
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Date taken
Mon, 17 December 2007 10:42 AM
Dimensions
731px x 589px

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