Traditional Darkroom Articles in CameraArts

[steve simmons]

In the Feb/March issue Steve Anchell does an up to date survey on black and white fiber based printing papers including changes coming from Kodak.

Future articles in progress include masking the negative, a fashion and figure photographer who specializes in black and white, and a test of fiber based papers and various developers for tone and contrast options. Other articles on working in the tradional darkoom are in progress including a test of the Acros 120 and 35mm film in PMK, a test of several Pyro and Pyrocatechol based film developers (this will be in View Camera), a look at Ansco's 130 print developer, a test of the new Sekonic L558 meter (Zoning with the Multi-Tasking Meter: An Update), and more.

CameraArts and View Camera are working hard to be the magazines for the traditional photogrpahers. We have more of this type of article than any other magazine that we know of.

steve simmons
www.cameraarts.com
www.viewcamera.com

 

[Francesco]

I would love to subscribe to View Camera (I have been buying back issues in bulk once a year and it is a pain) but being in Europe I must pass through R. White and I do not like it. I prefer to pay all upfront directly from the publisher and receive my issues in a timely manner. Unfortunately, this is not possible here in Stockholm, Sweden. I am hoping that one day I can be a subscriber directly from the source.

 

[bmac]

Do we really need 5 different posts about these magazines in this forum?

 

[L Gebhardt]

Thanks Steve, I will be reading the next issue with great interest - when will it ship?

Any hint as to what the changes are from KodaK? I hope they are going to leave PolyMax Fine Art alone - it is my current favorite paper (not warm tone).

 

[photomc]

For those that might be interested the picked up the new CamerArts with Steve Anchell's article on the survey FB papers - if you have read Steves book on VC printing it is worth tracking down...plus some nice portfolios. Steve S, keep this type of work coming and you will start to pick up some of the analog folks. Good photo publications are getting harder to find..B&W UK is about the only other I have found (OK, Lenswork is great - but not really the same type of publication).

 

[steve simmons]

Posted: Thu Feb 19, 2004 2:10 am Post subject:

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For those that might be interested the picked up the new CamerArts with Steve Anchell's article on the survey FB papers - if you have read Steves book on VC printing it is worth tracking down...plus some nice portfolios. Steve S, keep this type of work coming and you will start to pick up some of the analog folks. Good photo publications are getting harder to find..B&W UK is about the only other I have found (OK, Lenswork is great - but not really the same type of publication).
_________________
Mike C
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Thanks for the note. Yes, we are making an effort to pick up readers from PhotoVision (apparently out of publication). We have more articles on traditional black and white scheduled in the coming months

dye dodging
Acros roll films in PMK
Ansco 130 paper developer
doing fashion and portraiture in black and white

We are also doing a two part article on paper and developer combiunations in View Camera. The first part is in the March/April issue (will be out in two weeks) and the second part will be in the May/June issue. Bruce Barlow is writing the article andf will be at the View Camera conference showing the results.

steve simmons
www.cameraarts.com
www.viewcamera.com

 

[photomc]

In the Feb/March issue Steve Anchell does an up to date survey on black and white fiber based printing papers including changes coming from Kodak.

Steve, not picking but I did not see any info from Steve Anchell on 'changes coming for Kodak' - did that info not make the article or is the information not ready for prime time.

 

[Fintan]

 

[efikim]

You could try contacting Robert White in the UK http://www.robertwhite.co.uk, who might have a spare copy. Otherwise, with difficulty, as Steve Simmons on the whole prefers not to acknowledge the existence of Europe.[/url]

 

[steve simmons]

Posted: 24 Feb 2004 12:38 Post subject:

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You could try contacting Robert White in the UK http://www.robertwhite.co.uk, who might have a spare copy. Otherwise, with difficulty, as Steve Simmons on the whole prefers not to acknowledge the existence of Europe.[/url]
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Unfortunatly this is another example of someone coming on posting nonsense without bothering to check their facts. We developed a distribution system with Robert White becasue it is much more efficient than sending over sungle copies to readers. They The subscribers get their copies much quicker and more reliably this way..

Yes, we do care about readers outside the US. Please do your homework before posting info about our magazines.

steve simmons

 

[efikim]

I'm sure I recall other people from Europe complaining about having to go through Robert White.

However, as for checking my facts, I used to subscribe through RW. Then you had the quaint notion that publishing the whole of an article in the magazine was unnecessary, and that you'd leave part of some articles only on your website. Of course, distribution via Robert White didn't quite account for this, and meant that in order to read the magazine I'd already paid for I had to phone Robert White each month (during working hours, of course) to get the password to get on to the site to read the rest of the magazine.

When this was raised on another list, you couldn't see any reason to change things, so this was one of the factors in my decision to stop subscribing.

Lenswork, on the other hand, manages to allow Europeans to subscribe to their magazine without any difficulty.

 

[roy]

I had to phone Robert White each month (during working hours, of course) to get the password to get on to the site to read the rest of the magazine.

Glad you mentioned that. I wondered how RW subscribers were catered for.

 

[steve simmons]

Then you had the quaint notion that publishing the whole of an article in the magazine was unnecessary,>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

On one occasion we published the photos in the magazine in pure portfolio style and the text on the web. We admitted this was an experiment and admitted that we would not do it again. We we put on the web before and since is supplemental material. The magazine has remained between 64-72 pages for 10+ YEARS AND WE HAVE NOT CUT THE CONTENT DUE TO A DROP OFF IN ADVERTISING OR BECAUSE WE PUT MATERIAL ON THE WEB. sUBSCRIBERS, EITHER DIRECTLY THROUGH US OR VIA A DISTRIBUTOR STILL GET THE SAME SIZE AND QUALITY OF MAGAZINE AS ALWAYS. (sorry for the caps, I hit the CAPS KEY by mistake)

Again, the reason we went to Robert White was that it speeded up the delivery and made it more reliable. This is called customer service. To make an absurd statement that we do not acknowledge the UK or Europe really is a comment about the poster and not about us.

If someone wants to subscribe directly with us and is willing to pay $75/yr we will take your sub.

steve simmons

 

[efikim]

How about answering fintan's question, Steve?

I'll leave the rest as it is.

 

[steve simmons]

Posted: Tue Feb 24, 2004 10:53 pm Post subject:

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How about answering fintan's question, Steve?

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

To get a copy of CameraArts in the UK you can

contact sales@robertwhite.co.uk

or contact us. The cost from us is $7.00US plus postage which is about $8.00US for first class.

steve simmons

 

[steve simmons]

If you are a subscriber through Robert White or Process Photo Center in Canada we do give them the Password for each issue so they should be supplying the info to their customers.

Here is how it works

You need a USER ID. This is always VCSUB (must be in CAPS). This never changes.

You need a Password. This is also on the address label if you get the magazine from us. It is a six digit sequence that reads like a birthdate - always starts with a 0 or a 1. It follows VCSUB on the address label. Again, if you subscribe through White or Process Photo they have the info every issue.

We also have several free articles available to everyone on our web site

www.viewcamera.com


steve simmons

 

[Fintan]

 

[steve simmons]

Thanks Steve, I'd like to get an issue.

Can you tell me if you have an approximate percentage of non-film photography [d******] articles. I see your current issue has several. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

The sub-title of CameraArts is The Art and Craft of Photography in the 21st Century. We will always have a mix of digital and traditional and the mix will vary each issue. To make a separation is artificial. It would be like only doing platinum articles 100 years ago when another process came along because the newer process was not considered photography. This is soooooo silly and unfortunate. That said with the apparent demise of Photovision we are increasing our coverage of traditional black and white. We have upcoming articles on dye dodging, using black and white for fashion and portraiture, Across rollfilm in PMK, tradigital photography, etc.

www.cameraarts.com


steve simmons

 

[Fintan]

 

[steve simmons]

Good luck with your publication, however I suggest you become more customer friendly.>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

can you be more specific?

steve

 

[Ed Sukach]

This is no big deal, but "beating" on Steve Simmons is getting a tad tiring.
Some have issues with his publication, I *like* digital as
little as the next guy, but I think all of us have received the message ... Burned into our flesh, by now.
Can we, - gently - move on?

 

[doughowk]

Steve, appreciate your efforts for the photography community. I picked up a copy of Camera Arts & am pleased at increased coverage of B&W & traditional photography. I may disagree with you on your views re digital - I think its a tool for graphic artists; but I concur with Ed that too frequently you & others who try to serve the photo community seem to incur unnecessary abuse from that same community.
One suggestion, though. I subscribe to View Camera, and have yet to understand why the use of jerry-rigged password process for access to website. Maybe I'm too use to working with databases - computer programmer by day; but, when MySQL, LDAP & other databases are readily available, a simple subscribers table with "active" & "password" fields seems like a better solution. It could even be updated with info from Robert White in England.

 

[David A. Goldfarb]

Yes, the whole password business is a complication that negates the value of the service. I'm not going to hang onto some piece of trash--the plastic wrapper with the label--to retain the password and neither are many others. If you expect people to use a new password with each issue, then stick the label directly to the magazine.

It would be much more convenient just to be able to log in and set a password that expires with the subscription. If you could somehow encode that information into the label, I would be willing to do it once, but it's ridiculous to have to enter a new password with each issue.

 

[efikim]

I was going to just leave this, but now that doug has joined Ed in commenting on 'unnecessary abuse' I feel there is a little imabalance here. I can't see what 'beating' or 'abuse' of steve has happened here.

I told fintan what his likely option was to get a copy of the magazine, and commented on the poor service to Europeans (since fintan is also based in Europe). This got 'abuse' in return from Steve, so I added an explanation, which got a further unhelpful comment from Steve; in neither comment did Steve make any comment to correct my belief that fintan's only choice was to contact Robert White.

Fintan asks about digital content, and is told this is 'soooooo silly'. If anyone is being abusive it's not fintan.

Earlier, photomc asks why something that Steve said would be covered wasn't covered, and is ignored.


So, where is the abuse, or is it that we customers are supposed to be grateful for whatever crumbs we are given, and aren't allowed to comment when things aren't as we would like? Most vendors will at least appear to listen to their customers complaints, and try to understand the basis for complaints. Sometimes this even leads to improvements in either service or product. (and customer service isn't just telling the customer this is what he's going to get; it involves listening to what the customer wants.)

 

[Ed Sukach]

I was going to just leave this, but now that doug has joined Ed in commenting on 'unnecessary abuse' I feel there is a little imabalance here. I can't see what 'beating' or 'abuse' of steve has happened here.

Chill out a little, will you?

You miss the point. I did not say that comments about the magazine were unwarranted. What I did say was that the point had been made. I get it!! I got it a long time ago!!

I have assumed that the discussion here would be - and is meant to be - constructive. I am sure that Steve Simmons is listening - and what is being worked out is going to be of value to all concerned. All concerned ... I don't happen to be one of them at the moment - so .... PLEASE take notice of the amount of energy here ... I am being careful ... I would suggest (n.b. SUGGEST!!) that your conversation might be more appropriate and you would -- possibly -- (n.b. NO DOMINEERING COMMANDMENT INVOLVED) be able to communicate more effectively by using private messages.

Let's turn the sensitivity level down a notch ... and save that vital chunk of our being - sensitivity - for our work.