High School Kids need photo gear

[Bob Carnie]

Hi Folks
moderators please move to right area if wrong.

Elevator has just donated Enlarger (8x10 Deveere and 4x5 Omega) sink and misc. darkroom equipment and as well Epson 7600 and 9600.

The school is Georges Vanier Secondary School in Toronto and I met the instructor of the photo program and visited his school. His space and program is impressive , but as in most locations the budgets are very small. But what they lack they make up with in talent and effort.

Anyone here with a good heart and some excessive gear (analogue and digital) cameras , lights, materials paper and film, darkroom and lightroom gear that would work with the above and willing to donate to a very good cause , give me a email and I will forward. bob@elevatordigital.ca.

Any duplicate gear is then forwarded by this teacher to other high school programs that will put some of this stuff in willing and eager hands.

 

[victorw]

First and foremost on behalf of Georges Vanier Secondary School, I'd like to come out and thank Bob for his donation to our school. I am the teacher he's talking about. As a high school teacher, there is some risk that I am revealing who I am via online communities but at this moment, I just do not care. We are incredibly honored and privileged to have Bob's support. Bob, your donations will be transformative, and no one will appreciate these things more than the students.

Georges Vanier is a very special place. On one hand it is a place where art is flourishing: Home to the Program2Art digital/classical art programme, we have some of the brightest and best students in the Toronto Board. However we also are located in one of the most economically depressed areas of Toronto. Most all of our students are displaced. A visit to my classroom on any given day can reveal a Afghani student who only has his mother to support him, a student who fled Iran with his father after security forces almost killed him, a Syrian girl, who has barely seen a computer let alone used one, a Japanese student who can barely speak English, a rough and tumble student from Ghana, a large goofy softly spoken Chinese Canadian student, A brilliant student from Ukraine who is fantastic at both physics and the arts, and any number of Chinese exchange students of different dialects. Most of our students cannot afford to visit a pro-lab, let alone own any of the equipment that we have received, which is what makes this special.

In this confluence of different identities that make up Georges Vanier, there is unmistakable creative energy, thirst for knowledge, and drive to perform. Our students are fantastic, and landing what amounts to an art imaging studio upon them is truly unprecedented. I simply can't wait for their eyes to bug out in September when they see what we've received.

Thank you Bob, all I can think is: What a way to tell our students: "This is the way we do things here; welcome to Toronto."

Victor Samou Wong

 

[Whiteymorange]

I can't donate anything at this time (I'm up to my a__ in trying to get my own program going again after a year away) but I just wanted to say how important donations are to a program like this. Much of what I have been able to accomplish in my own program has been, in large part, due to the charity and interest of others. One unintended but very important side effect of equipment donations has been the way that it gives credence to the program. My headmaster has been much more supportive of the traditional darkroom after a donation of good equipment happens - it somehow makes him understand that people think this stuff is important, so he better back it.

Best of luck,
Whitey

 

[Fintan]

Hello Victor,

Can you make use of a 4x5 camera? I have a Linhof Technica and some outdated Ilford film which I can send to Bob for you. Please let me know.

Good luck with your programme.

Fintan

 

[victorw]

That would be utterly fantastic!
Thank you kindly.

I am frankly, staggered by all of this, because much of it, when bought new, actually sums to more than the amount I get per semester in budget!

Cheers

 

[Fintan]

Mine isnt new Victor, far from it but its very useable and will give you a nice big negative for Bob's enlargers. I'm delighted to support this and I will arrange to ship it to Bob in about a weeks time.

Does anyone have some 4x5 film holders to donate?

 

[victorw]

I actually have already donated some of my personal holders, so no need.. Although if someone does send them I will offer them to other schools within the Toronto District School Board.

 

[Fintan]

I actually have already donated some of my personal holders, so no need.. Although if someone does send them I will offer them to other schools within the Toronto District School Board.

Excellent you are all set for some LF so.

 

[victorw]

Wouldn't know about ALL set up. Previous to this I was loaning students my old Combat Graphic, but gritting my teeth because the camera was a personal one and if it were damaged, the school would not replace. Combat graphic, not speed graphic! It was also somewhat imprecise and the movements were somewhat problematic. Another thing that would be problematic is that the students wouldn't take it out because they were worried about breaking my personal property. The Linhof would become the school 4x5 which would be amazing because it's bombproof and because it would be school property. Signing it out would then be less of an issue.

 

[Christopher Walrath]

I have nothing personally but I know a few photographers. I'll see if I can round something up for ya.

 

[asrafferty]

APUG makes nice things happen

Victor and Bob, one other little side note besides the paper we'll arrange to get to you from Ted's studio.

As I've been working through those things, I found some BlackJacket focusing cloths, and of course I contacted Keith Walklet to see if he'd like back these prototypes he had given Ted to show students in his workshops. Keith very graciously told me he didn't need them back, and that I was free to do with them as I saw fit. I really hadn't thought about it any further, til I saw that BlackJacket has a banner ad on APUG. In light of the support here for Bob's initiative on your behalf, and the fact that APUG is one of the ways we can bring together those who need help with those who can help, I think that's a sign that these focusing cloths should go to your school. It's not a big thing, but just a little "something extra" that might not otherwise have come your way, I hope.

So, Keith, if you're listening, thanks for being such a good colleague to Ted, and for advertising on APUG so that good works can happen beyond what you originally imagined.

(Not to mention thanks to our own Sean, who makes connections among people possible at all.)

Send me an address, and as I'm shipping other things to other people, I'll get these to you, Victor.

I love it when it works this way.

Best,
Amy

 

[jd callow]

For the time being I've made this thread sticky in the hope that we can do some back to school giving prior to the arrival of the kids.

Good on you Bob, and all those who followed.

 

[rorye]

I've got about 100 sheets of Kodak E100S Readyload I'd be happy to send.
Just tell me where!
Best,
Rory

 

[Bob Carnie]

I am very thankful to all who are supporting Victor and his students. Amy thank you very much for your doanations from Teds stock I know the students will use up the material , Laura and I will drop by late Sept to say hello.


I will make sure everything gets to the school that is sent to me, and I think I can coax Les Mclean to spend a day with Victors students(showing them how to make nice black and white prints) when he arrives back in Canada this fall.
On a personal note I just hired a highschool student (different school from Victors) to a two year apprenticeship. Nigel has worked for me the last year and has proven to be a great addition to our team. Some of you will see him and get to know him and for me it is very , very heartwarming to know 18year olds still consider what we do as cool.

 

[jd callow]

ELEVATOR
42 Industrial St.
Toronto, ON M4G 1Y9

I'd contact Bob (bob at elevatordigital dot ca) and warn him prior to shipping any thing from out of country. If you put a value on it and the origin is not Canada then it is likely to be taxed and a duty levied.

 

[Dinesh]

Many thanks to both Bob and Victor for helping to foster another generation of photographers. Who knows, perhaps in time Vanier will be known for it's photography department and not just its really, really, really good looking alumni.

 

[asrafferty]

ELEVATOR
42 Industrial St.
Toronto, ON M4G 1Y9

I'd contact Bob (bob at elevatordigital dot ca) and warn him prior to shipping any thing from out of country. If you put a value on it and the origin is not Canada then it is likely to be taxed and a duty levied.

Good tip, JD, thanks... Bob, are you thinking you might pick up at least some rolls and boxes when you're here in the fall? Or should I start doing my research on what "Gift" means on the customs forms?

 

[cdholden]

supported formats?

I see only 4x5 mentioned above. Will you be supporting 35mm? Or just photography in general? I have a third party Nikon mount lens and maybe a flash or two. If I can find them in storage, I know I've got some unused pc sync cables. I'm sure I could throw a handful of film in there too.
Does anyone know or have a link for regulations regarding sending developer/chemicals from US to CA?

 

[Fintan]

The OP says surplus equipment so I'd say 35mm would be just as useful.

I should point out to Mr Carnie that only partners and spouses refer to photographic equipment as excessive

 

[victorw]

Thank you all for your support. APUG's community is truly fantastic!
35mm stuff is really useful as I am training them on the 35mm SLRs before letting anybody touch digital.

Cheers

 

[jd callow]

victor how many 35mm cameras would be enough to start?

 

[Fintan]

Victor, would your Toronto school be interested in a 4x5 pinhole camera made by Noon? Heres the blurb on RetroPhotographics website....

Noon Pinhole 5x4 The Noon Pinhole cameras are handmade in Poland from Jatobá (Hymenaea courbaril), also known as Brazilian cherry, a tree common to the Caribbean, Central, and South America and Brazil. Fitted with a 0.3mm laser drilled pinhole individually microscopically examined for roundness, the focal length is 50mm corresponding to a f number of about f/152. Image capture angle is 116 degrees.

The camera accepts a standard Double Dark Slide in a rather unusually ingenious way: instead of a conventional slot, the DDS is placed in the back of the camera and held in position by a ribbed wooden dowel which slides down angled guides – push the dowel down firmly to hold the DDS against the light trap. Simple and effective.

I can send this to Bob also if your school would like it.

 

[victorw]

victor how many 35mm cameras would be enough to start?

I really have no limit and the simple reason is that I have come to accept that a certain amount of breakage occurs every year. After all, the K-1000's that we use are quite old. Guess what they charge for repairs? Yup, an amount that exceeds the worth of the actual camera.

I think that if any of you have any crusty old 8x10" cameras lying around (100 years old even, it doesn't matter), and film (even ortho film)that would go a long way to getting the DeVere we just got into action.

Cheers

 

[victorw]

Yes the pinhole camera would be great. Since Bob gave us the DeVere, we're always looking for more LF stuff so that we can put it into action

 

[RalphLambrecht]

Mine isnt new Victor, far from it but its very useable and will give you a nice big negative for Bob's enlargers. I'm delighted to support this and I will arrange to ship it to Bob in about a weeks time.

Does anyone have some 4x5 film holders to donate?

and much more.Who is paying for shipping?