Steve Maniscalco Photography

Trunk Space

 

Iskra 6x6 Folding Camera, FP4, Thornton's 2-bath developer

Weird Garden

 

Iskra 6x6 Folding Camera, FP4, Thornton's 2-bath developer

Cheese-n-Stuff

 

Gran View w/75mm Super Angulon
TXP-320 in Thornton's 2-bath developer

City Center Motel

 

Gran View w/75mm Super Angulon
TXP-320 in Thornton's 2-bath developer

Along the Rim

I had the chance to use the Gran View for the first time since fixing the initial problems.  We went camping up near the Mogollon rim over the weekend and that put me in close to a number of spots I've shot many times before.  These views are not original for me, but being familiar with the challenges of the subject seemed a good way to start off with a new camera.

I've got mixed feelings on the experience overall.  The camera was handy enough, and the little loupe built in to the back was just about right for confirming focus.  My reservations, I think, had more to do with large format than the Gran View's limitations.  The more I put myself through the paces necessary for large format, the more I doubt it is worth the effort for my needs.

It's very easy to fall in love with the huge negatives and the potential they offer, it's another thing to resign myself to the additional work.  Now, I've never claimed to be the most industrious person in the world, but neither am I lazy.  The fact is, it's taking me about 2.5 times as much time to load/unload/process the film as it would take to do equivalent work with medium format.  The question then becomes, are the experience and results worth that extra effort.

Barry Thornton, is his book "Edge of Darkness," makes a very good case that medium format is the sweet spot for most work, assuming the output does not demand the additional resolution.  A great deal of information can be had form a medium format negative, and honestly, it's enough for the much larger prints than I typically made.  But, I knew this going in to large format and went anyway.  I wanted to experience working with the large negatives.  I love the smooth tonality of medium format as compared to 35mm and felt compelled to go larger still.

In any case, I've got time and money invested in large format and will stay with it for a while yet.  It's at least possible that my skills will improve enough to offset some of that extra effort.

Here are three from that shoot.  The limited rise of the Gran View actually came in handy for the vertical shots.  You can see in the third shot that 1/125th really isn't enough to stop the wind motion at the top of the trees.  I likely could have opened up a stop and gone for a faster shutter speed, but did not, owing to my lack of comfort with the camera.  Live and learn.

 

 

 

TXP-320 in Barry Thornton's 2-Bath Developer.  Gran View camera w/75mm Super Angulon

Old Signs on Old Businesses

Some of these places I see in the older parts of town...it amazes me that they're still viable.  Mel's Diner looks like it still may be a good place for a greasy spoon breakfast, but I can't really imagine checking in to the Two Palms Motel.  I suspect everyone at the Two Palms is either there by the month or by the hour.

In any case, I'm loving the colors delivered by Ektar.

 

 

Iskra 6x6, Ektar 100

Point and Shoot 4x5...Fail

Got some time away Saturday morning and put the first few films through the Gran View 4x5 point and shoot.  It was an interesting experience and I'm sure I will get used to the camera over time.  I know that sounds like damning with faint praise, but really, it is an odd beast and "getting used to it," is really about as high a praise as I thought it would get.

On the down side, I have a problem with it I need to resolve.

 

I'm pretty sure it's not supposed to look like I'm shooting through a bright tunnel.

When I first saw the scans I thought, "Wow.  What could make it vignette like that?"  I posted the scan and a smarter guy pointed out that normal vignetting is dark, not white.

Given a little time and thought, I think I know the problem.  I think the problem is in how I adapted that copal 0 lens to the copal 1 hole.  I did not paint the aluminum donut I made to shrink the hole and I believe the problem is reflection off of that donut...or a light leak, but reflection seems more likely.

The good news is, with the massive negative, even throwing away 2/3rds of it, there's still lots of good stuff available.  Also, this was my first test of Kodak 320 TXP in Thornton's 2 bath developer, and I think it works quite well.

Bridge

Sequoia National Park

Homemade 6x9 pinhole camera.  Ilford FP4 in Thornton's 2-bath developer

ICCD09

International Commie Camera Day was May 1st (as it is every year).  I came a bit late to the game and had no plan, or really even time, to go shoot a dedicated roll of film from one of my old "commie" cameras.

I did manage to trip the shutter on a Zorki-6 with a Jupiter 12 (35mm) lens, 3 times on May 1st.  This is the only subject I shot.

Devestated

Mt. Lemmon near Tucson Arizona.

 

From home made 6x9 pinhole camera.  Ilford FP4, in Thornton's 2 bath developer.

A Tale of Two Bags

Inspired by a post by K. Praslowicz.

Let's talk about camera bags.  I've got several and I imagine you do to.  I've got the monster bag that holds most of what I'd take on a long trip.  I've got a smaller bag for light gear and packing for a less ambitious trip.  I've got large and small half shoulder/half backpack bags for hikes with light and medium kits and I'm looking for a full up backpack type bag to carry large format gear on long hikes.  It's not those conventional camera bags I want to talk about today.  Instead, let's talk about the actual bag you carry with you all the time that contains your camera...and your other stuff.

For years, I carried a Navy surplus explosives bag as my every day bag.  It wasn't intended to be fashionable.  In fact, I started carrying it in the late 70's when military was decidedly "uncool."  We were fresh out of Vietnam and most teens wore their hair long and wished they'd been born early enough to really be hippies.  I, on the other hand, was a conservative rebel among the too late to be flower children crowd.  As part of my campaign to thumb my nose at those whose values I did not share, I carried this bag (minus the coiled line).  It was my book bag/camera bag.

So I carried this bag and earned the disdain of my wannabe hippie peers and I'm sure it helped keep me from getting laid more than once (not that I needed any help with that).  Ironically, once I actually joined the service, I wasn't able to carry it very often.  For some reason, the Navy objected to my carrying a bag marked "US Navy, Charge, Demolition."  Seems they wanted to reserve that sort of thing for actually carrying explosives.  I think they also did not want some squid walking around on liberty in a foreign port carrying a bag meant to carry a bomb.  Maybe they had a point.

After the service, I dusted off my much loved old bag and it went back to work, carrying my cameras, standing in as an overnight bag and generally repelling women wherever I went.  Eventually, I want through a massive life changing event that caused me to abandon the green monster...I got married. To make a long story short, I would not be carrying that thing around her.  What's a guy to do?  I put the bag in a closet, where it languishes to this day.  I have a vague idea of giving it to my kid when he goes off to college.  No use him getting laid more than his old man did.

Years passed and I made do with whatever I could lay my hands on for carrying cameras.  Mostly I used conventional small camera bags and kept a camera in my computer bag for every day use.  All along though, I missed my green demolition bag and began to notice that hippies were finding me to be acceptable company.  This softening of my persona disturbed me.  I lay awake nights worried that some kid would tell me to "Peace Out," and I wouldn't have an appropriately heavy bag with which to beat him even more senseless.  I had to find a solution.

I started looking for "messenger bags" online.  I never really saw anything I liked, but for form and function, it looked like I was headed in the right direction.  Then one day, I stuck my head in to an American Eagle clothing store.  I immediately felt well out of place.  I'm just not cool enough to shop there.  I dug through a stack of messenger bags on the discount table and didn't really find anything that appealed to me.  Fortunately, the very helpful young sales chick came over and asked what I was looking for.  I described to her the bag that would fit my needs.  As we were searching the stack, sales chick #2 ducked in to a back room and came out with the perfect bag.  Not only was it from the discount table, but it was one they had given up on selling.  Since it was going to be sent back to wherever they send those things, they sold the bag to me for $6!

I walked out a happy man at last!  More than 30 years have passed since I fell in love with the old ugly green bag and I'm happy to say that I've evolved to the point that I'm now carrying a new ugly green bag.

Who says you can't teach an old dog new tricks?    

Newport Beach Pinholes

I miss living near the ocean...not the least because of the photo opportunities.

 

 

 

From a homemade 6x9 pinhole camera.