Hello from the Mojave Desert, CA

[desertrat]

I'm a photo hobbyist and tinkerer who has never sold or exhibited a photo, but I did recently loan an 8X10 B/W negative to a friend who had prints made for herself and some friends. She said she was going to get enlargements, which I can't do from 8X10 at present, but I guess they would have cost too much, so she got contact prints made, which I could have done. But I was happy she liked the picture. I have a small collection of old cameras that I got cheap, mostly on ebay. I shoot 35mm, 6X6, 6X9, 3-1/4" X 5-1/2", and 8X10. The cameras I use the most are an Exakta VX-1000, Pentacon 6, and a Seneca Competitor View. People who know cameras know these can be bought for not a lot of money, and they're not the most reliable in the world, but the enjoyment factor per dollar is huge! My crown jewel was a gift from Dad when I was a teenager, a Voigtlander Bessa II with the 3.5/105 Color Skopar. I rarely use it and treasure it, but probably will use it more when I get a decent 6x9 enlarger. I live about 15 miles south of Redrock Canyon State Park, which has been photographed a lot. Sometimes I go there in the early morning or late afternoon to try out a new camera or film or developer. Test shots of the fence/storage shed/utility pole in my back yard get boring after a while. I just started scratch mixing pyro developers from formulas in a cool old book of photographic formulas printed in 1924. I feel an addiction coming on. There are many outstanding formulas created by modern photographers for modern films, but I was curious how the old formulas would work. I should close for now, before this post gets too long and rambling.

 

[roteague]

Greetings desertrat from Hawaii. APUG is an addiction, but a good addiction. Glad you found us.

 

[rbarker]

Welcome, desertrat. Hmmm, 15 miles south, eh? Would that put you in Cal City or Mojave proper? I was hatched and fetched up in Bakersfield, so we used to wander out your way when we wanted to warm up.

 

[desertrat]

You nailed me down pretty well! I'm in Cal City.

 

[BradS]

Cal City...I cannot believe how that place hase changed in the past ten years! Welcome.