Winter Projects: What's yours?

JWMster · Dec 18, 2019

So do you make plans for "the off season"? or is the off season when you plan the rest of the year, catch up with the year past, or not an event at all?

For me this year, Winter Projects (post move to a new town) are to crank the darkroom / post-processing thing back into gear after settling into the new town and home abode; spend some time re-settling on my development work for eco friendliness; and begin an initiative to learn LF by following the example of someone I listened to whose college LF class "consisted of 3 men arguing over shooting a still life for hours and hours". "Poor flower took a bullet in a major leaf, and on bleeding out begged the ER doc's to 'C'mon... just let me pass peacefully'." Some irony in that of course, but probably much the same should be expected. Plans for travel and summer photography will materialize, but remain pretty amorphous at the moment. Honored that my daughter actually asked for a wall size print for her kitchen eating area... so that's a "commission" of sorts and should be a lot of fun to wrestle with. Relatives... and critics.... can be a tough audience.

So what are you up to? Gear, darkroom and/or project thinking wise?

markbau · Dec 18, 2019

I love winter because even at noon the sun is at such a nice angle, alas, winter is 6 months away, I tend not to photograph too much in summer, my darkroom is semi-underground so I use it to escape the heat and do my printing. Just got an Analyser Pro and am loving it!

adelorenzo · Dec 18, 2019

Winter is my main shooting and printing time. Summers are just too busy with other things to do. Everything is beautiful up here ain the winter and the short days mean you get golden hour all day long. When it's dark and cold it's a great time to spend hours in the darkroom.

My usual routine is shoot/print in fall and winter, exhibit in the spring and then take the summers basically off from photography.

guangong · Dec 19, 2019

Winter offers a lot of opportunities. Rather than lush foliage covering landforms, bare branches, ice covered ponds and rivers, smoke drifting from chimneys, mist and snow offer interesting patterns and opportunities. One subject I have in mind is a sign for a long abandoned prohibiting era roadhouse on a back road near me. Hardly detectable in summer. Also, in the city there is more variety of dress, etc.
Not to mention uncomfortable sweat and heat of summer. Like markbau, I prefer to do darkroom work in cool basement during hot weather.

Ron (Netherlands) · Dec 20, 2019

I just restored my 'British' whole plate Eastman camera
(see: https://www.largeformatphotography....tman-Dry-Plate-amp-Film-Co-camera-restoration- )
and the other winter project is finishing the lens boards for the Rayment Patent half plate camera....
(see here where I asked for measurements: https://www.largeformatphotography....-Patent-camera-who-has-one-need-some-measures )

happy holidays!

grahamp · Dec 20, 2019

I should be moving in January, so a complete darkroom reconstruction is in my immediate future. The new location is not that far from where we are now (<30 miles), but there may be some new vistas to explore.

Ron (Netherlands) · Dec 26, 2019

Ron (Netherlands) said:
I just restored my 'British' whole plate Eastman camera
(see: https://www.largeformatphotography....tman-Dry-Plate-amp-Film-Co-camera-restoration- )
and the other winter project is finishing the lens boards for the Rayment Patent half plate camera....
(see here where I asked for measurements: https://www.largeformatphotography....-Patent-camera-who-has-one-need-some-measures )

happy holidays!

Here's a little update: https://www.largeformatphotography....lensboard-for-a-Perken-Son-amp-Rayment-camera

(didn't have the option to change the original posting anymore...strange...)

Wallendo · Dec 26, 2019

Hopefully, I can get a darkroom set up.I have an enlarger I bought 5 years ago I haven't set up yet.

I don't take that many photographs because it tends to be dark when I go to work and dark when I get home.

gordrob · Dec 26, 2019

I am looking forward to spending a good portion of January in the darkroom to catch up on a lot of printing that I want to do. I have lots of paper that needs to be used up before it gets any older.

Two23 · Dec 26, 2019

Winter is actually my favorite time of year to photo. That said, my winter project has been buying a Kodak 2D 8x10 plus 5x7 back, Lund 8x10 silver tank, Stenopeika 8x10 wet plate holder, 8x10 tins, having 2D lens boards made, and everything else I need to get the 2D 8x10 up and making tin types. I shoot outdoors and wet plate in a South Dakota winter takes some effort!

Kent in SD

dodphotography · Dec 27, 2019

A picture a day on 8x10

follow it here www.daniel-Duarte.com

or IG : Daniel_o_duarte

Kodachromeguy · Dec 28, 2019

dodphotography said:
A picture a day on 8x10

follow it here www.daniel-Duarte.com

or IG : Daniel_o_duarte

Daniel, these are fantastic. You are energetic to use your 8x10 every day. Now you have embarrassed me into loading some 4x5 holders and putting my Tachihara back into operation.That can be my winter project.....

Vaughn · Dec 28, 2019

This is my 'on' season. Made a couple 11x14 images and a 5.5x14 image today up in the local redwoods -- incredible light, with little or no wind for the 4 to 10 minute exposures (FP4+, 360/6.3 at f/90). Fog drifting through the forest about a third of the way up to the tops -- so about 100 feet or so above the creek bed. I was on my way home from Spokane, WA as I past by the redwoods today. It was a long two-day drive (about 15hrs behind the wheel), so those negs will get developed tomorrow (PyrocatHD) at the earliest!

adelorenzo · Dec 29, 2019

Brought the youngest out on my most recent day of winter shooting...

RalphLambrecht · Dec 29, 2019

JWMster said:
So do you make plans for "the off season"? or is the off season when you plan the rest of the year, catch up with the year past, or not an event at all?

For me this year, Winter Projects (post move to a new town) are to crank the darkroom / post-processing thing back into gear after settling into the new town and home abode; spend some time re-settling on my development work for eco friendliness; and begin an initiative to learn LF by following the example of someone I listened to whose college LF class "consisted of 3 men arguing over shooting a still life for hours and hours". "Poor flower took a bullet in a major leaf, and on bleeding out begged the ER doc's to 'C'mon... just let me pass peacefully'." Some irony in that of course, but probably much the same should be expected. Plans for travel and summer photography will materialize, but remain pretty amorphous at the moment. Honored that my daughter actually asked for a wall size print for her kitchen eating area... so that's a "commission" of sorts and should be a lot of fun to wrestle with. Relatives... and critics.... can be a tough audience.

So what are you up to? Gear, darkroom and/or project thinking wise?

paths and trails!

dodphotography · Dec 29, 2019

Kodachromeguy said:
Daniel, these are fantastic. You are energetic to use your 8x10 every day. Now you have embarrassed me into loading some 4x5 holders and putting my Tachihara back into operation.That can be my winter project.....

thank you! Keep at it, always make pictures!

benjiboy · Dec 29, 2019

I still do shoot in winter but try to avoid the worst of the weather and pick my days .

Winter Projects: What's yours?

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