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NE OH Gathering, September 17 – 19, 2010

Whew. Five weeks of Alternate Processes, summer course, U Akron. The class met 9-1, Monday through Thursday. The reality most of us stayed to 4 or 5 every day. Some had to leave for a second class and returned to stay until the wee small hours. We could also come in Friday to work but no class. That sure beats a three day workshop, but I am pooped. It was such a success that there is talk of making it a ten week, six credit course next summer. I hope I am that strong at 71. I have some prints to show in September. The full time students have many prints to show. Final critique is tomorrow. I hope you all are working on some good stuff to bring in September.

John
 
Thanks Jeff. It has been a lot of fun and learning.

Bill, Glad you will be coming if your employer doesn't have you scheduled for that weekend.

John
 

Hi John,
Tell me what types of processes you worked on. I love Van Dyke and is my first choice in doing that kind of work. Gum is my most troublesome type , although I have seen some nice gums before, usually smiling and with teeth. I'm certain if you did gum prints they will have a strong bite on us when we view them.

Lee
 
Ektar Film for the Fall

Hi All,
Wondered if any of our group has had experience with Ektar Film. I picked up some 120 rolls in hope to shoot some fall colors this Sept and Oct.

I wonder how it does in deep woods, no direct sunlight and long exposures of 2 to 12 seconds, +++. I put a test roll in the camera last night and will do a walk about over the week to come, hopefully finding some deep woods streams and lackluster waterfalls compared to CNP up there. I figure I will know when I am deep enough into the woods when the bugs are eating me alive, so I can test long exposures.

Lee
 
Lee,

I've tested Ektar for reciprocity failure using a standard astrophotography methodology. That consists of shooting one frame at 1/8 second (.125 seconds), then putting on a 10 stop ND filter and shooting at 125 seconds (.125*1000, which is 10 stops), bracketing exposure with aperture. You can calculate a Schwarzschild exponent from the number of stops adjustment necessary to get density equal to the shorter exposure.

The Schwarzschild exponent I got for Ektar 100 was about 0.81, not particularly good, not terrible. No reciprocity failure = 1.0. Films with low reciprocity failure are in the .88 to .98 range. For Ektar 100 with a Schwarzschild exponent of 0.81 in the range you mentioned, 2 seconds adjusts to about 3, and 12 seconds to about 23 seconds. I haven't checked color crossover or color shift.

You can make up your own reciprocity adjustment table with a spreadsheet and the following formula:

corrected exposure time in seconds = (metered time in seconds + 1)^(1/p)-1

with p being the Schwarzschild exponent.

Lee
 
Lee,
Great information. Thank you so much for this insight. Looks like you did a very comprehensive study of the film. I'll plug the formula into Excel and see if I can make something work. Might make a little cheat sheet and put it in the light meter cary case.

So, did you like the look of Extar? I've used Fuji 160S for quite a while and have heard they may stop making it. I do not know what to believe there. I would think the Fuji people will outlast Kodak in making film but that is only my guess.

Lee
 
I've shot several rolls (6-8?) of Ektar 100. The reciprocity test took about 5 frames on one roll, one for the short base exposure and the others for brackets at 125 seconds. I like it a lot. Internet reports of exaggerated Ektar 100 saturation, cyan skies, and blocked up reds don't hold true for me. I would have shot a lot more Ektar 100 if I weren't trying to finish off the Kodachrome and had a smaller stash of C-41 films on hand.

I've been through a couple of bricks of Pro 160S. It has been my main C-41 film for a while. I think the official Fuji line is that Pro 160C was/will be dropped and Pro 160S will continue with a name change since they won't need to distinguish between two Pro 160 films. I'm not placing bets on who will make film longer. I'd like to see them all continue to produce as many different films as possible.

Lee
 
Lee,

Sorry for the slow answer. Dolly and I went to see the Cartier-Bresson exhibit in Chicago and just got back Tuesday evening. Fantastic show. 460+ prints. As you may remember Dolly is a water colorist and was ecstatic viewing the twenty three Monets at the Art Institute.

In the Alt Processes course we were to work in Cyanotype and Van Dyke. I had one problem after another with my negatives and Cyanotype, so for all intents and purposes I worked in Van Dyke. Eight of the 7x17s are matted and in a show now, but should be back by our gathering. The 8x10s are also matted and at home.

This being my first experience with Van Dyke it was really interesting to compare the silver contact prints with the Van Dykes. I learned the tonal range is really much longer than silver and needed to be much more contrasty than what usually works for me in silver. The negatives that printed best were mostly ones that had too wide a range to easily print in silver without much dodging and burning. I noticed the other students were printing digitally enlarged negatives in 5-10 minute exposures in the UV light box. My Rollo Pyro stained negatives were 15-48 minutes. A step test and then a print meant I was lucky to get two good prints an eight hour day. Some time ago I bought a used Ameragraph 1200 watt mercury plate burner with vacuum table that I will start working with soon. That will reduce times to a more reasonable range and increase the electric bill to a less reasonable range.

John
 
I made it to the Akron show. Wow! is all I can say! The photography was stunning. and the multi-media show at the end was also breath taking! My artist friend hadn't seen the new building so being able to tell him "I told you so!" was the best! He was really impressed with the whole place, especially the photography, and wants to know why I can't print that big. He also wants me to do a solo show at the gallery in Erie so I really need some help with a portfolio and a lot of other things. Sorry I missed the last get together.

Cheers,
Dorothy
 
Dorothy,

You are so demanding. Did you stop by with your fellow? Did we go out for your favaorite Indian food and hear what is about? Did we get to see his work? Why, the girls didn't even get to sniff.

I'm with Lee. I love the new work on your flicker page.

Hello.

John

djkloss said:
hello?
Click to expand...
 



So I've heard (pushy) I call it enthusiasm I'm sorry, no, we got lost in Kent, and of course, no maps or gps, then off to Akron, then straight home. The week before we went to Pittsburgh to the Carnegie Museum to see the AAP show which was great. There was an Indian restaraunt in Pittsburgh we went to which was really nice. He's pushing me to do a solo show, (and to draw! ha ha!) and I keep saying I'm not ready. I don't even have a portfolio which is where you guys come in. I need help! Maybe one of our experts can have a talk on how to put together a thesis and portfolio at one of our gatherings? I need to quit experimenting and start printing. Looking forward to September. Hope I can make it this time. Thanks Lee & John, for the compliment.
 

I think you need to stop beating yourself up. In my opinion you have some of the most creative and well presented work I see at: our gatherings, The Midwest LF Asylum, or the twenty courses I have take at U Akron. You have suggested a great idea as you do so often. Here are some of my thoughts. I hope others will add, especially examples I may have forgotten.

Let’s start with current teaching on portfolio concept. The only place I know, the Art School at U Akron starts students on the portfolio path in Photo 1. As soon as they can develop and print, the students are directed to create a theme and then present five prints related to that theme. In Photo 2 they continue with a handmade book of prints related to a theme. In any advanced class there is one assignment. Finish the course with twenty 11x14 or larger B&W or color prints in window mats related to a theme. The student gets there by shooting four rolls of 36 images a week in 35mm and putting ten new prints on the board for class and teacher critique every two weeks. Major parts of the critique are; what is your theme, how does this picture relate to the theme, how well is it printed, how consistent is the printing in the whole portfolio? To graduate as a Photo Major they have to have had four advanced classes and a senior show of one of these themes.

I have seen first time advanced students dither away half a term trying to figure out a theme. The more experienced ones have a theme in mind before they take the course and shoot all summer or all Christmas break on that theme. Many second or third time advanced students continue an earlier theme. At last count I had 150 prints on the OH & Erie Canal in 7x17. A cohesive body of work on the canal was exactly what Cleveland’s history museum wanted to augment its canal exhibit. Other themes of mine have been: detail of the railroad tie wall at the art school’s parking lot, metallic spirals and religion in transition. We are told that galleries are looking for a theme, well presented, to make their gallery stand out and sell prints.

Thinking of past attendees of the NE OH group, some themes come back from memory. Help me if an Alzheimer candidate has forgotten someone. Shawn –Pond Scum, Daniel L – Nature Abstractions, Peter- Stones in River in Platinum, Lee G – People (us) in Natural Environment, Rick T (you haven’t met him) Abstractions in Deterioration, Jeff & Eva – Travel and Detroit Disassembled, Bob & Ann – Detail of the Old Mills in Pittsburgh., Bill S – Wet Plate Portraits. Joe S - Wet Plate Nudes. Anyone please add what I have forgotten or not learned to date.

John
 
Wow - I took a few weeks off from APUG, and they redesign it, and we have a 5 page thread about September!

I will join you on Friday and Sunday in September. Unfortunately, I have a retreat for a non-profit that I am involved with (I better be there, I'm the president).

Lee - I've shot a lot of Ektar 100. When I was in Spain earlier this year, I shot either Ektar 100 or Fuji 400H (and a few of 800 and 1600 Fuji). I think you can click in my signature and see some scans that show the different colors from the different films. As you may know, I like to scan, and Ektar 100 scans very nicely with my Coolscan 9000. I will usually expose at 2/3 to 1 stop over, and the results are very nice.

Also, I've got some extra KR64 if anyone wants a few rolls. To use up what I have, I may be shooting a roll everyday during the fall foliage season. (actually, that sounds like fun).

Looking forward to seeing everyone next month.

Jeff
 
Jeff,

Great that you are coming. Looking forward to seeing more prints. Have you made any advances on your plans to develop film? I saw Dale mentioned a Shen Hao at the end of the July gathering thread. “Did you pick up a camera yet? PM me if you have more questions. There was a Shen Hao HZX45-IIA for $550 on the LF forum yesterday.” Have you moved into 4x5?

John
 
I think that the portfolio discussion is an excellent idea. While it would be nice to have a "professional" talk about how to construct a proper portfolio, I am sure that we have some great collective knowledge among us. Perhaps those who were willing could show their portfolios and talk just a bit about them, and others can provide constructive feedback. In this way we can all learn from one another.
Dan
 
Dorothy,

I forgot to mention that portfolios are usually delivered in some sort of box or carrying case. I have a plastic giant brief case that is called a portfolio case. Any art supply store sells them. Archival boxes that can be found at Holngermetaledge.com among other places are great. It shows your concern with archival quality. My matted 7x17 prints are an odd shape. I found that some followers of that format had custom presentation boxes made. Unfortunately I missed the original order and the later resale when some of the original people changed format. Daniel and Shawn had some pretty neat presentation boxes from which they showed their work recently. I don’t remember if you were here that time. There are also heavy shipping cases for transcontinental portfolio shipping.

John
 
Hay All,
Found a great write up on Portfolios.

http://art-support.com/portfolio.htm

I think it would be good too as others have said have some discussions on creating, and showing portfolios. Given winter hibernation is upon us soon, it might be a good time to develop one based on some of the discussions we have.

Look forward to see you all soon. Sue and I hope to also get down to the Berlin area too while we are there. I's a drive away, but will be nice for a new area to explore and put some images into a new portfolio.

Lee
 
Great article Lee. Thank you. I was reminded of a suggestion Bob Herbst gave in a platinum printing workshop that Peter and I took several years ago. He said that when Tom Hinson, Curator of Photography at the Cleveland Museum of Art since 1973, looked at work he immediately flipped the over mat up to look at the print itself. If it was an alternative process he wanted to look at the quality of the brush strokes or if matted out with rubylith, how well it was done. He wanted to look at how the print was affixed to the back mat. Bob had developed a method of folding a strip of the same mat board so it acted as a corner mount and certainly looked better than the artist’s tape I use.

Hopefully with hints such as these we will all be delivering better work to whom ever we want to see our prints.

John
 
Reminder: The 38th Cleveland Camera Collectors Show, Sunday, August 29, 2010, 10 AM to 4 PM, 4742 Brecksville Rd., Richfield, OH 4486, Days Inn.

I hope to be there at show opening. One time five or six of us went to the Musketeers for lunch afterwards. I am game if anyone else is there.

John
 
Dolly and I went back to the Akron Art Museum today to see the two exhibits again that we saw at the end of the last gathering. “Detroit Disassembled: Photographs by Andrew Moore” and “Arctic Re-visions:” http://www.akronartmuseum.org/exhibitions/ These are really good and we hope you will find time during the weekend to see them.

Jeff I hope you and Eva will tell us more about your experiences with Andrew Moore.

Earlier in this thread I mentioned that the exhibit book was no longer available in the museum store. Jeff said, “Andrew said the publisher is already sold out. Not sure if they'll be doing another printing either.” Please see that as an indication of how good this exhibit is.

The good news is that there has been a second printing and at least today books were available in the museum store. We bought a copy. We also have the 25 minute PBS video of the artist discussing his work and the exhibit. Both will be available for a look if anyone is trying to decide whether to go to the museum.

John
 
Well gang. We need a little help here. This is a gathering of like minded folks who share their interests, enjoy the hobby and learn from each other. We have an event coming in two weeks. We don’t seem to have the enthusiasm, the conversations, that usually fill this thread. What can we do to generate a little momentum? Where is the buzz we have had in the past?

Do we have any more input on building and presenting a portfolio?

Who will have pictures to show, of what, in what media?

Would someone be willing to make a presentation on portfolios or another photo related subject? Peter had a great one on platinum printing a couple events back. Would someone offer something they are working on?

Is there something in the area people would like to photograph as a group, discuss as a group, make plans to accomplish? Unless the hurricane brings us some water the waterfalls will not offer much. Does anyone have any ideas what subjects might be enhanced by a dry spell?

Talk to us. What do you want from the event? What can you contribute?

John
 
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