Not been here for a while, had stuff happening. Now not much stuff is happening, and I thought I’d get back into photography again. That was just before the lockdown happened. Started looking around for stuff to develop film in, found a pot of mouldy coffee that’s got to be over 5 years old at least. Then dug a couple of 1940s and 1950s cameras out of the cupboard.
Back to the mouldy coffee, I decided to use it to develop film in. This is what happened. Could be good for music track art if anyone’s so inspired?
The film was found in my fridge, long expired, also forgot to put enough of the improvised developer in plus some other stuff happened. Have actually used juiced potatoes to develop film in, it takes a while… but the results are good!
Anyone else do photography?
I do actually have a synth project on the go, but I’m currently in a frenzy of different chemistries and building a new dark room. I say building, more like trying to stop the light coming into my bathroom!
I have always loved photography, although I havent developed my own film in years, that is an art all to itself. You’re getting some mad results from that mouldy coffee/expired film combo!
I will still shoot medium format slide film in my trusty 500C/M when I go travelling, but obviously haven’t been doing that lately. I wouldn’t (and have never) developed it myself though as E6 is complicated. I used to shoot a lot of B&W that I would do by hand, but I have long since let my enlarger go, and my flatbed scanner has been dead for years so there isn’t much point. I also have a soft spot for polaroid, which I find to be a lot of fun for quick snaps and oddities. I have digital gear as well (and a load of 35mm too), but that’s less ‘artful’ and more ‘useful’ these days lol.
Got digital gear too, but keep coming back to film for more creative work.
I had a Mamaya RB67, never quite got used to the 6x7 format though. So sold it and got a 4x5 large format camera, it’s an ex council one. They used it to do archival photos of buildings, as it has the movements to correct distortions and also you can change the plane of focus. This is useful also. This photo was shot using a 1940s Busch Pressman, which is a sweet little medium format camera.
I made the mistake of scanning it in colour, it’s a black and white film though. Also there’s some digital noise in there, my scanner was found in Brighton by a bin. Seems to add to the fray.
Way back in the day (teenage years) I had some basic darkroom supplies, enough to develop B&W film but not enlarge. A few years later I had a summer job at Kodak in Rochester, NY. They had a photography club facility where I could go and borrow a Nikon SLR, go and shoot some B&W film, come back and develop and print it. That was about the highlight and end of my darkroom experience. It coincidentally was just about the same time as the first time I used a synth. In an alternate universe I suppose I’m now telling a photography forum about using an ARP 2600 way back when.
Ooo… to have a large format enlarger! Can do contact prints and scan, not the same but what can one do?
I’d love a proper dark room, my one’s going to be more a ghetto dark room with home made equipment! I tried electronics, but am just not very good at it, love listening to synth music but am crap at making anything other than drone, and I’m crap at that too. It’s funny how one day you wake up, and feel inspired about something. Guess I’ve been in a rut due to shit happening, tis nice to come out the other side though.
Just waiting to be able to get out and take photos of things apart from workstation #1.
Another shot of my computer corner, this time thanks to some Asda baking potato developer.
I still have my first camera from when I was a teenager doing photography as part of my Art classes at secondary school. A second hand Nikon F3 with a 50mm/F1.2 that originally belonged to my uncle and looked like it’s been dragged through a hedge backwards (which it probably had been, he mainly used it when he went hiking), despite working flawlessly. It got laughed at by other kids for being all dinged up and lacking any zoom on the lens, until the teacher pointed out it was best camera in the class and if it was good enough for NASA it was damn well good enough for GCSE Art. I learned a lot thanks to that camera. It’s also when I learned to process B&W.
They really did make that kit to last, and although I have made a few minor repairs and had it serviced many times it still works perfectly. The dings are just signs of a life well lived and I don’t think I would ever let it go, despite having (technically) superior cameras. I still get it out from time to time just to use the fast glass. My more modern stuff is all Canon or Fuji so the pairing is pretty unique in my 35mm/digital collection.
That’s a lovely camera, f1.2… very fast! I’m glad your teacher put the others straight. I have a f1.1 lens for my Fuji digital, razor thin depth of field, almost surgical in its application. It’s fun processing black and white, more so when you start breaking the rules. Film cameras haven’t really changed much, except for the Minolta Dynax 7, that thing does stuff no DSLR can do.
I sometimes joke that I could knock in a nail with some of my kit, but it would still work after. Unlike your compact digital. (not yours…)
Oh yes, I had always appreciated it, and still do despite being teased at first. And it is damn fast! Almost to the point of being a little useless when your manually focussing with an old fashioned ground glass screen, but with some time and a lot of concentration the results from it are excellent.
It was because of that teacher I took the ‘If its good enough for NASA…’ to heart when I bought my medium format Hasselblad camera when I was at University, and I am so glad I did. The level of quality in the craftsmanship is something else. SImilarly, I have never bought a non-flagship body for the reason of wanting something with a comparable level of quality - although my latest digital would probably not be too happy about a fall, its a Fuji XPro and I have a feeling the lenses wouldn’t survive a proper drop - but I know my EOS 1D IV would be fine (and it has been) it just weighs a ton.
They also tought me the importance of understanding that your camera is just a tool, a box to caputre light, and that having a better camera won’t necessarilly make for better photos - sometimes just the opposite if you can’t operate the thing. There is, however, something to be said about having a tool you can rely on come rain or shine (or muddy mayhem at a music festival). It doesn’t matter if it’s shiny and new (all my cameras bar the X-Pro were second hand, and the X-Pro was a gift), what matters is that the shutter works properly and you can see what you’re doing through the viewfinder.
Photography is my other hobby. I had my own darkroom for a while until I switched to digital around 2005. I photography mostly nature and wildlife, especially owls. Lately though I haven’t been out and about much and the wildlife has not been visiting me at home.
My “Sideline” from my day job is “mantiques” and one of the things i look out for is expired unused film, they don’t make a lot of money on the “Flip” but it’s interesting to have them. think the oldest one I have had expired in 1965… God knows if the purchaser managed to get anything at all out of it.
Totally understand that, I’ve done the same sort of thing myself with 35mm film, the basic models tend not to be nice to use. Having a good strong and heavy camera also helps eliminate camera shake, they tend to be at least dust and rain shielded also. These people who play camera trump cards on forums, I just want to slap them around the head. I’ve known people with more money than ability get really top kit, both with (pew pew) shooting and with photos, then get disillusioned when they can’t shoot straight.
Just really like my Sony A850, had a one time opportunity to buy it for a good price and it’s still my go to for “must have a photo of this” failure means waiting another year, or maybe never. Got a Fuji XT1 also, swapped for a bunch of RB67 kit I never understood. A bright viewfinder really helps a lot on a film camera. Especially with my old eyes.
Ha. . my father in law had a 7D, Bought a 7D Mk2 and has ££££ of lenses, I have yet to see a decent photo in years… My son got the original 7D as a birthday present and has some nice photos from a fairly stock Lense
Thank you, it’s really good to be back again and taking an interest in other peoples creativity. Am going to collaborate with a friend, he’s a graphic designer. Don’t yet know how or what, you can’t always plan how art happens.
I like old film but it tends to go foggy or hazy, there are chemicals you can put in to help with that. 1965! heh… yeh, good luck with that. Natural background radiation is a think when you’re talking extremely old film.
I’ve made some stuff to sell, getting out to post the stuff is going to happen for at least a month.
Some of the favourite photos I’ve taken were on small cameras with no adjustments like the Olympus EE-3. I could carry it around easily and just get it out and shoot with no setup, no focusing or no changing lenses.
(not yours…)
. my father in law had a 7D, Bought a 7D Mk2 and has ££££ of lenses, I have yet to see a decent photo in years… My son got the original 7D as a birthday present and has some nice photos from a fairly stock Lense