World Wide Pinhole Photography day is Sunday April 29th

Thanks, Steve. It's been months since I did any pinhole, I really do need to do more.

About the paper I use, it's Freestyle's Arista brand in grade 2 glossy RC. I prefer grade 2 over multi-grade for better control of contrast, and the paper is not contrast sensitive to the color of daylight, as would be the case with MG paper. Through calibration tests I've come to rate this paper at an exposure index of 12, with the caveat that the dilute developer has to be up to proper temperature (at least 68f), and that I develop for at least 2 minutes.

The camera is a plywood 4x5 camera at f/280, takes standard sheet film holders. Bright sunny morning, plenty of light.

My exposure method is that I meter the scene at ISO12, select the exposure time for f128 on the meter, then do the conversion to the camera's focal ratio of f280. Part of the calculation is already done previously [(280/128)^2=4.78] and is applied to the camera as a label with the conversion factor of 4.78, such that all I have to do is the simple multiplication after the meter reading. All of my pinhole cameras are labeled with their conversion factors, which makes it very easy to shoot in all kinds of light, since paper has virtually no reciprocity failure.

-Joe

was so blah dark and rain here but I did get one with my zero image 2000 6x6. I slid some expired ilford pearl rc paper in instead of a roll of 120 for the pinhole day shot. 1 min. exposure. I developed it in the trays then for a paper neg. scanned and inverted it.

My contribution, Harman Titan, Delta 100, R09 1+50, Mod54...

I jumped the gun and went out Saturday between rain showers and tried my new Ilford Titan for the first time. Used HP5 developed with ID11 1:1 and the negatives look good. I used my Gossen Ultra Pro and the Ilford exposure calculator ... worked like a charm. The rough draft view finder also worked and I hope to print the negatives ASAP.

This pinhole "stuff" is fun. We had downpours all day on the official date so I lucked out ... hope it counts.

http://www.jeffreyglasser.com/

Remember all, that you do have until 31st May to post your pinhole pics on the Worldwide Pinhole Photography Day website, joining a worldwide battery of thousands of others. Proof positive of the Film Underground.

I love this group. Can't decide which is better, the commentary or the photos. I got two rolls of Tri-X on my 612 yesterday, and hoped to have them developed today, but alas, no D-76. But they'll be developed by the weekend.

By the way, Mr. Fish, what is the name of your Zero Image?

Cheers,

-- Mark

mfohl said:

I love this group. Can't decide which is better, the commentary or the photos. I got two rolls of Tri-X on my 612 yesterday, and hoped to have them developed today, but alas, no D-76. But they'll be developed by the weekend.

By the way, Mr. Fish, what is the name of your Zero Image?

Cheers,

-- Mark

Click to expand...

Mark,
it is the Zero Image multiformat 6x9 (set up at the moment as 6x6 and running RVP100f). A much loved camera obscura and an ideal bushwalking companion! A production problem is holding up my acquisition of a ZI 4x5 deluxe outfit, probably later this month or in June.

Armed with a short list of destinations, I sallied forth with my 4x5 "Pinhole Box" and two other cameras on what was undoubtedly the nicest weather I've ever seen on WPPD. But alas, I think I'm going to retitle it "Worldwide Comedy of Photographic Errors Day," but that's a shortcoming of my own; maybe I tried to do too many things. First up, I designed a folding wire-frame viewfinder to add to last year's camera, did all the calculations, etc. Ran way too short on time to hack it out of some 0.020 black anodized aluminum sheet, so I threw a fixed blob together out of glued up black mat board and attached it with two-sided tape. Turned out to be a good idea. The angle of view on this camera is so-o-o-o wide, a wire-frame finder - at least my design - is about useless. Maybe a tube or ring and post rifle style sight for the center would be more useful.

Among other "happenings," I loaded four film holders with Arista RC grade 2 paper, pre-flashed them a bit more than last year, based on a new test. I added those to a holder still loaded from last year. So of the three shots I took on paper, two were on a holder in which I somehow loaded the emulsion against the septum, since verified the only two with a screwed up load.

A negative:


But scanned and inverted, there's a bit more than I thought at first - considering it's probably 3 or 4 stops underexposed and the detail is diffused through the paper! - but definitely a downer.


On film it was more like:


That is a former power plant for Pennhurst State School & Hospital outside Spring City, PA. It was one of several such places closed in the 1980s after a decade of controversy, lawsuits, and exposure of things that "should never happen." The shots are taken from the Schuylkill River Trail, a former Pennsylvania RR right-of-way that used to bring coal to the plant.

With printed sticky labels bearing similar markings (both my film and paper were Arista), I managed to shoot two "paper" exposures - 25 or 30 seconds - on film that should have been about 5 or 6. The reciprocity gods worked in my favor (I mean, at worst it's less than 3 stops over), I pulled development of those two sheets a little bit and they are fine.

Several of my destinations proved to be posted no trespassing, or buried in jungle to the extent they were adjudged not worth the effort. But I got a few shots, sent in this one:


That's a crane made by Phoenix Iron Company in Phoenixville, PA, still standing in the remains of some sort of railroad facility in Boyertown, PA. I also went through a roll of Acros in the Bronica for what I hope will be a near-abstract study series of this rusty metal. The negatives look good -- we shall see. Have a couple of shots to finish another roll in the Bronica started at that power plant.

(Maybe I should go for 8x10 in 2013.)

PKM-25 said:

My contribution, Harman Titan, Delta 100, R09 1+50, Mod54...

Click to expand...

Love this image. Mice work

Hello again Mr. Fish, I didn't mean that name, I meant the nickname. Your Canon is Brutus and your Pentax is Pentaximus. And your Zero Image? Zippy? Sparky?? I'm sure you have a better one.

I also have the 612, and haven't even considered the 4x5 deluxe. Yet.

Cheers,

-- Mark

Squeak squeak.

mfohl said:

Hello again Mr. Fish, I didn't mean that name, I meant the nickname. Your Canon is Brutus and your Pentax is Pentaximus. And your Zero Image? Zippy? Sparky?? I'm sure you have a better one.

I also have the 612, and haven't even considered the 4x5 deluxe. Yet.

Cheers,

-- Mark

Click to expand...

The mouse has just clambered out of the cot on a cold, wet May day. Yesterday it was the beach!!

'Zero' is the go-to name. Never thought of anything else for it.

I did have an Olympus XA a few years ago, which I fondly referred to as "Olly". Long gone, I'm now in the market for procuring another XA. "Olly II" if you will.

Joe VanCleave said:

...since paper has virtually no reciprocity failure.

-Joe

Click to expand...

...you know, I hadn't realised that! Explains why my exposure was off! This is my first semi-serious play with paper negs, so that's lesson one learnt!

Results from my first attempt with the Ilford Titan. Shot Saturday beating the all day rain showers we had Sunday. Ilford HP5 metered with my old Gossen Luna Pro and the Ilford exposure calculator and developed in ID 11 1:1.









This is fun!

http://www.jeffreyglasser.com/

Slight correction metered with my Ultra Pro the Luna Pro stayed home.

Assuming corrections were minimal, if any, the metering is very good indeed, but it's the subject matter that is of the most interest and gets these atmospheric images over the line with more WOW! factor in them. I am especially smitten by the first one. And of course it's fun! Every day should be pinhole day. I'm taking 'Zero' out for a walk later today to finish the roll in it.

In Quinninup the can-meras from last year were used, although this year the local children and parents had the opportunity of using a Zero 5x4" pinhole camera with 120 roll film back or a Speed Graphic, also fitted with a roll film back. In practice this did not happen as once the participants arrived the whole thing moved too quickly. Rae got on with organising the tin can-meras. I was too slow to introduce the roll film cameras apart from some looking through the Speed Graphic with a
lens fitted. This got statements of "Oooh, its upside down" - In any case I am the WPPD darkroom buy for these sessions - This is for health and safety concerns, mainly the health and safety of my darkroom, which is where I earn our income

With the scudding cloud cover exposures were difficult to assess with paper negatives in the can-meras, so a few of the pictures had to be repeated

Yesterday I was cleaning the darkroom for the big big-print printing session and threw all the Quinninup kids' pinhole can-meras in the recycling bin. If we do the curved plane thing again next year I will make a set of cameras with pinholes from Pinhole Resource on 10x8" film as the sensitive material. Paper negatives can be fun to play with once, but in reality are a waste of time and material and the kids here have grown out of the tin can thing already

The Quinninup page on the Worldwide Pinhole Photography Day website

http://http://www.pinholeday.org/gallery/2012/index.php?formType=list&f_action=refresh&Country=Australia&Province=&City=Quinninup&postal_code=&groupname=&searchStr=

is just a click away

John

Poisson Du Jour said:

...I'm taking 'Zero' out for a walk later today to finish the roll in it.

Click to expand...

Where are you heading? I'm out and about today too, we might cross paths at some point. May throw my little XA in just for fun, and to make you jealous of I do run in to you

I'll look into scanning this evening, I made a couple contact prints the other night, all with a wet neg. one I didn't squeegee (last one for the night, just wanted to get it done!), I actually like the blotches and blobs on the positive, I think it suits the subject matter.

I did my day's duty with a new-to-me Holga 120 WPC - 6x12. I was somewhat surprised to see that all 6 shots were reasonable! Aiming is by dint of some rudimentary plastic dots. Since this was the first time I'd tried this camera, it was more of a point and pray mission. Very wide, not sure quite what it's angle of view is, but it's very much wider than I've used before.

Unlike last year's storm on WWPD, this year was merely windy, so did get some streaky clouds even with a 10-15s exposure. I did think about shooting colour, but in the end decided to feed it some Fomapan 100.

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Zero is loaded with RVP 100F and now there is bright sun, so not keen on that.
That's beside the point: I have no idea where I would head, but maybe Paper Mill Falls, down by the Barwon River, come to mind after good rains last night.
You dare show me an Olympus XA and you'll never see it again (like my foiled plot to run off with FDiSilvestro's lush Hassy 503SWC. <*eyes water*> must track him down...


POST-SCRIPT 2.25PM
Returned from a reasonably good shoot-out at Paper Mill Falls; flowing well, as is the Barwon River. A bit dirty though.
Rattled off 5 shots in all waiting for diffuse (cloud-cover) in between excessively bright bursts of sun. Now to get this little pup processed...

I should toss in here that I am quite impressed with the enhanced display in this year's WPPD gallery. Having pictures of the cameras (where provided) and being able to enlarge from the thumbnail is nicely done.

mine combined bicycling and pinhole photography http://www.pinholeday.org/gallery/2012/index.php?id=827

I'll probably get my hand slapped, although I didn't use my Zone VI modified digital spot meter. Nope, used my dang iphone with light meter application. Camera is Zero Image 4X5 with Delta 100. My watch is analog so I guess my images will be APUG compliant. I'll get them processed this week end and probably will print as cyanotypes. Made 4 exposures. This was a good little outing. Bill Barber

My students got to shoot a bit with their pinholes today, we had them loaded up last Thursday ~9-10 metal tins but didnt get to use them until today (Friday I have off now, and Monday was Photoshop and Flash animation classes). Guesstimate exposures ~3-4 minutes each.

We did about 20 or so of them plus some quick contact prints, there were more I didnt take a picture of. I have to actually rescan these but heres a bad pic lol.


They had lots of fun taking pictures of things out the window and around the classroom (like 10minute exposures).

Bonus: Ive included some pics of the Camera Obscuras they made the week before in prep for pinhole cameras.


The tube camera obscuras work with a 2nd smaller hollow end piece to cup over the tracing paper to act as a shade/darkcloth. The long box camera obscura has a piece of mylar suspended in the rear, its designed to be opened and closed to show students the path of light, and works very well too. You only need to cup your hands around the rear to see as well so no heavy darkcloths needed! The white tin in the back is what we used to make the Pinhole pictures with (we had a bunch of them).

I may have an old Olympus XA or two in the basement, and I haven't used it (them) for years. Might you be interesed? Can we get it to your neck of the woods?