Black & White Photography UK - WishList

Fintan · Feb 24, 2008

I've read infinite amounts of criticism about this magazine in the long running thread THIS MONTHS UK B&W MAG

I was hoping APUG members could balance it with a new positive thread on what they would like to see included or new suggestions.

Its completely clear, what we do NOT like to see in the current issues, please refrain from re-stating this in this thread.

So folks, what do you want to read about? Give David Corfield a different type of headache

Trevor Crone · Feb 24, 2008

David will love you for this thread Fintan, however B/W do send out reader questionnaire's from time to time.

The definitive guide to Pt/Pd printing.

Interview with Lee Friedlander, I think David has already got this on his 'hit' list.

More gallery profiles, not just in the UK but from around the world.

Leon · Feb 24, 2008

articles on developing style and aesthetic. Tips on presenting portfolios. A users perspective on Portfolio reviews (like Rhubarb Rhubarb) compared with the organiser/ gallery reps who go through the work. Following a photographic project from conception to completion. Conveyance of meaning/ message portrayal though photography. All in depth. All would be helpful and strangely enough, all would be equally accessible to digi and analogue users alike.

Ian Grant · Feb 24, 2008

Funny you should list all those Leon, I've been writing recently about just those topics. I also attended some of the earlier (actually the first) events run by Rhonda Wilson (of Rhubarb, Rhubarb). I hadn't however thought of submitting them to B&W magazine. Maybe I should re-jig them for the magazine.

Ian

Fintan · Feb 24, 2008

The history of Lith printing thread thats runing here would make a fine feature in the mag.

Lol999 · Feb 24, 2008

Interviews with, or at least articles about, with depth, photographers. One of the ones that impressed me most was the one with George Tice. How about following up Mike Johnstons drooling over Henry Wessels new book with a larger piece about the man and his work?

Cheers, Lol

Schlapp · Feb 24, 2008

Article about the man and his work - Emile [Gandofi]

mikeg · Feb 24, 2008

Excellent ideas by Leon, just the stuff I'd like to read as well.

It may be too late now, but I would have liked an article on Rodchenko linking up with the exhibition at the Hayward Gallery.

Mike

Lol999 · Feb 26, 2008

It appears there is a lot of dissatisfaction with the state of the mag, and I'm one of them, but few seem to know what they'd like to see instead.

Cheers, Lol

GeoffHill · Feb 26, 2008

I picked up B&W mag for the first time due to the thread, and after 3 issues, it is, IMHO, the best photo magazine out there. With the exception of the rather misplaced DSLR list, I don't want to see anything changed.

Christopher Walrath · Feb 27, 2008

I would like to see the darkroom brought back as well as the classic camera feature. I dislike the pop photo table style charts about features/pricing on the latest cameras (which never include film). And what happened to 'Five Things'? I know Ailsa has moved on to farer freelance pastures and I'm not singing 'Where have you gone, Joe DiMaggio?'. But a lot of fast changes were made that I don't prefer. I picked up my first issue to browse (not buy) in four months. I still miss the B&W Photography I fell in love with.

PhilipRingler · Feb 27, 2008

I'd like to read more about the photographer's philosophy and the philosophy of photography. Perhaps more focus on avant garde photographers/ experimental contemporary photographers.

Gary Holliday · Mar 5, 2008

I would like news on new film and paper releases along with paper comparisons. Kentmere Wt against Ilford Wt eg. Interpretations of the same negative using different toners and developers.

kram · Mar 5, 2008

AS above plus: A slow film 'shootout', because no one else will do it, Adox CMS 20, gigabit, ATP 25, etc. Review of the Microtek F1 scanner. Classic cameras, reader darkrooms.

Erik Ehrling · Mar 5, 2008

I've been a regular reader of BW since November 2006. The only other photographic magazine I subscribe to is LensWork and I think that all in all they complement each other fairly well. However, just like Christopher Walrath (above) I really miss the "5 things I can't live without" feature.

Other articles I'd love to read:
- Build your own film-dryer
- 101 ways to eliminate dust on your negatives
- A Zone System primer (for those of us who until now simply used the built-in center-weighted meter)
- 25 (as mentioned by kram, above), 100 and 400 iso film shootouts
- Film & developer combo of the month
- Reviews of various photographic holidays/workshops/courses

Regards,
Erik Ehrling (Sweden)

Kevin Caulfield · Mar 5, 2008

Erik Ehrling said:
Other articles I'd love to read:
- Build your own film-dryer
Regards,
Erik Ehrling (Sweden)

That's been done, quite recently. In fact, due to a printing error, that article actually ran two months in a row.

Les McLean gave a great suggestion for using two coat hangers as the top of a film dryer, with polythene sides and a wooden base. I slightly adapted the idea and am extremely happy with my new film dryer.

Christopher Walrath · Mar 5, 2008

There are alot of things I still like about the magazine, but nothing that I really love I'm sorry to say.

Erik Ehrling · Mar 6, 2008

Kevin Caulfield said:
That's been done, quite recently. In fact, due to a printing error, that article actually ran two months in a row.

Les McLean gave a great suggestion for using two coat hangers as the top of a film dryer, with polythene sides and a wooden base. I slightly adapted the idea and am extremely happy with my new film dryer.

It was actually that article that made me start thinking further. Maybe my idea is overly complicated, but I'm considering building something like a small size warderobe. You hang in the film strips vertically, after that you close the door and tilt it 45 degrees to avoid water running along the whole length of the film. (If it's a stable enough construction you could possibly add an air filtration system as well...)

Another article I'd like to read:
- Reportage from visits to film factories over the world

Regards,
Erik Ehrling (Sweden)

Kevin Caulfield · Mar 6, 2008

Now you've got me thinking about how the water runs off the film. Surely the surface potential (sorry, I'm a physical chemist) is much less for the film running off the ends than off a face of the film. But you could still tilt the film sideways from the vertical so that the water runs off the side edges. This should make the drying much faster.

jd callow · Mar 6, 2008

colour?

jerry lebens · Mar 6, 2008

Drying Cabinet?

Hi Erik,

The idea sounds like an interesting engineering exercise, but is it honestly worth the effort? The traditional drying cabinet does it's job pretty well (as would Les's coat hangers) and I'd guess that there may still be second hand units available for ridiculously low prices (even in Sweden).

By all means put a, very low power, heater into an old (clean) wardrobe or even into a metal office cupboard and, if your films are clean they'll be dry and ready to print in about 30 mins. If you dry them any faster you're liable to damage the emulsion with heat.

As I read your entry again. Are you suffering from water marks on your films? If so, try giving them a final rinse in distilled water with a small amount of photo-flow. Since I started doing this in Brighton, which has very hard water, I've never suffered from water stains.

Regards
Jerry Lebens

arigram · Mar 6, 2008

Reviews of film cameras that are not necessary new to the market but are still being manufactured and sold.
Such as the still produced 35mm, medium format such as Rollei and Fuji and all those LF cameras.
It would be great for all those who want to try a film camera for the first time, try another format or
add another tool to their photography.

Shiny · Mar 6, 2008

I'd love to see something on Josef Koudelka, one of my absolute heros

jim

Shiny · Mar 6, 2008

arigram said:
Reviews of film cameras that are not necessary new to the market but are still being manufactured and sold.
Such as the still produced 35mm, medium format such as Rollei and Fuji and all those LF cameras.
It would be great for all those who want to try a film camera for the first time, try another format or
add another tool to their photography.

I second that! there's loads of film cameras still being produced out there. How about something on the very affordable 35mm K-mount cameras? or the Seagull TLR's

Marcust101 · Mar 6, 2008

This has probably already been done but a how to on mounting or framing the precious pictures, be they digitally or wet printed

Great idea Fintan

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