Antarctic pics

[alex gard]

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4x5, 150mm, Red 25 Filter, HP5+, T-Max Developer 24 degrees for 14 minutes. Scanned neg, no adjustments

I am new to LF and have been developing my first few negs from my trip down south. Definitely a lot to learn but still having a lot of fun in the process. Here are a few more which didn't turn out as good (semi-stand development)

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[Toffle]

Nice, Alex. Are these processed on the reclaimed darkroom onboard ship?

 

[Truzi]

Nice work. I really like the last one that didn't turn out "as good." It speaks to me somehow.

 

[alex gard]

No these were not processed on the ship as I didn't have my chemicals on board with me. I was supposed to be on the trip they're on now as a person was on compassionate leave but came back as they needed the work. I hope to be back on for the next trip in March and I'll be taking all my processing gear (including a Jobo machine from CATLABS!)
These were all processed at home, using a dark-bag which is really awkward but I'm slowly getting the hang of it.

 

[mrred]

nice

 

[Toffle]

No these were not processed on the ship as I didn't have my chemicals on board with me. I was supposed to be on the trip they're on now as a person was on compassionate leave but came back as they needed the work. I hope to be back on for the next trip in March and I'll be taking all my processing gear (including a Jobo machine from CATLABS!)
These were all processed at home, using a dark-bag which is really awkward but I'm slowly getting the hang of it.

Processed IN a darkbag? I am more than impressed. Please tell me that's easier than it sounds.

 

[alex gard]

sorry, I meant I loaded the sheets into a MOD54 in a dark bag. Which is a helluva lot easier than loading 120 onto reels in a darkbag.
I've been in touch with a local college so going to use their darkroom while I'm on land, just need to get a couple of pieces and chemicals to get this jobo machine up and running.

 

[andreios]

Very nice images... How did you get the chance to get there, if I may ask? It is maybe one of my biggest dreams to visit Antarctica once in my life.

 

[Poisson Du Jour]

The fifth image is a winner for me; it is dark, brooding, malavolent and edgy, if lacking the true representation of Antarctica; the picture could be of a scene of anywhere there is water, low hills and snow. If anything is needed, that little blip of a 'berg at lower right could be bigger to give it a more powerful representation. The image is one I would frame and display. I'm ambivalent about B&W for Antarctica (though a number of expeditions have had people exploring the landscape with IR film too). A lot of Australian photographers shoot Antarctica in colour because of the rich and powerful colours and tones in dramatic light of ice floes and bergs; one photographer has at the moment slipped my mind but produced a profoundly beautiful portfolio on Velvia using medium format in morning and evening light about three years ago. Others, namely Australian LF worker David Tatnall, working in B&W, concentrate on the often dramatic and sublime shapes and ephemeral character of chunks of ice in specific shoreline-to-sea locations.

 

[Kevin Caulfield]

I too love the fifth one, and can imagine it looking wonderful as a large print. I find it refreshing to see Antarctic photos in monochrome. Well done, and I look forward to seeing more.

 

[alex gard]

Thanks guys. It was certainly pretty challenging using only film as I had no immediate feedback. I didn't take a DSLR with me this time, just the hassy and f2. I did lots of bracketing. I'm getting through the bulk of the 120 film now, the 4x5 sheets were a little disappointing as expected as it was more or less my first time shooting/developing 4x5 but I think now I much prefer the 4x5 process and will be using it a lot more in the future.

I took more b&w than colour film with me, majority of the colour was portra, ektar, a little reala & velvia. I am preferring the black and white process for now, I find that when going through colour photos I tend to switch them to b&w anyway.

There are of course people on board that took down mountains of DSLR equipment (one guy on board was doug thost dougthost.com) and I know I probably missed a lot of oppurtunities without fast cameras and fast, long lenses but I want to really challenge myself and I have an oppurtunity to go down there every year through the summer months and want to keep persisting until I really nail the film side of things and am able to come back with stunning prints on film without leaning too much on top-notch technology to get good photos.

There are stunning colours down there and surely colour photos are amazing but I've found from going through my own pictures, the black & white ones appeal to me the most and I was hoping this would be the case as it's the avenue I want to go down and hope to really master.

thanks for looking & the comments

 

[Poisson Du Jour]

That's what's really important, finding individuality in your choice of whether you shoot in B&W and colour — one over the other, or both. , I was making observations based on what I have seen a number of other photographers come back with, and colour images have on occasion left me unmoved, especially those shot digital. Don't get over-burdened with too much technology, as you've noted (the Hassy would be the choice for getting the beauty on film), and which others should take notice of; the business of taking mountains of DLSR stuff on a cruise often slows down the rest of the group because of the photographer's lack of fluency in equipment exchange and indecision. KISS should be a pre-requisite for Antarctic sojourns.

 

[Xmas]

They all look cold useful in frame on wall in summer.

 

[CatLABS]

Thanks guys. It was certainly pretty challenging using only film as I had no immediate feedback. I didn't take a DSLR with me this time, just the hassy and f2. I did lots of bracketing. I'm getting through the bulk of the 120 film now, the 4x5 sheets were a little disappointing as expected as it was more or less my first time shooting/developing 4x5 but I think now I much prefer the 4x5 process and will be using it a lot more in the future.

I took more b&w than colour film with me, majority of the colour was portra, ektar, a little reala & velvia. I am preferring the black and white process for now, I find that when going through colour photos I tend to switch them to b&w anyway.

There are of course people on board that took down mountains of DSLR equipment (one guy on board was doug thost dougthost.com) and I know I probably missed a lot of oppurtunities without fast cameras and fast, long lenses but I want to really challenge myself and I have an oppurtunity to go down there every year through the summer months and want to keep persisting until I really nail the film side of things and am able to come back with stunning prints on film without leaning too much on top-notch technology to get good photos.

There are stunning colours down there and surely colour photos are amazing but I've found from going through my own pictures, the black & white ones appeal to me the most and I was hoping this would be the case as it's the avenue I want to go down and hope to really master.

thanks for looking & the comments

Forget the mod54 - try the Jobo , though these look great!

 

[alex gard]

No worries omer, I'm just waiting on a little adapter for the powerpoint and some C-41 chems and I'll start the jobo up pronto!!!

 

[Jeff Kubach]

Great work!

Jeff

 

[alex gard]

pretty chuffed with this one

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[pbromaghin]

Number 4, what the heck is that perfectly round ball?

 

[alex gard]

A weather radar i think, or some kind of satellite in weather protective housing


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[alex gard]

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[jerrybro]

Alex, you are a harsh judge, I think the whole set works well.

 

[alex gard]

thanks jerry

nearly finished developing all my rolls, hope to start getting throguh & uploading them soon

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[Dr Croubie]

Dammit, stop posting amazing shots and making me want to go and work there.

I checked out that job site you gave me, applications have closed for 2014-15 but maybe I might be interested the summer after.
There's only 1 "Electronics Engineer" position that I'd be suited for, $82k + $56k loading doesn't sound bad either (the -45C does sound bad though, still I'd prefer that than +45C). And I used to work for the company that supplied 3 of the radars on their list of things to work with, so I'd have a decent chance too. Just gotta deal with being away from the missus that long...

ps, on #4, I think those poles and wires on the far left of the shot are the 2MHz MF radar from Atrad where I used to work...

 

[alex gard]

pretty sure they're reeeeeeally old radar/towers/radio things.... the area they're sitting on looks like it's been there forever but I could be wrong.

In summer the weather is really good, it could be -20 and still be pretty good. As long as it's not windy, I've never been there during winter (which would be freaking cold I'd assume) but summer is pretty good, but can still get ball-shatteringly cold.

Good luck and keep us updated on if you decide/get in. I might be ferrying you on your way to work!

 

[Dr Croubie]

Was that Davis Station?
I'm pretty sure that this is the VHF radar, it's a 12x12 array with elements about 1.5m long (1/4 wavelength). This one's been there since 2001/2.

Then (edit: this one is the MF radar, I found a map). It's hard to see: 1/4 wavelength is 40m long wires, but they're so spaced out there's no shadow. Wherever it is, it's really old, probably nearly 20 years by now. And 20 years in antarctic weather would make anything look ancient.

The Meteor Radars are nearly impossible to see from googlemaps, only 1 transmit and 5 receiving antennae 2m across (maybe this?)