(Note: My favorite is the third shot down.)
Monday, June 05, 2006
Photo Essay: Salute to Israel Parade
I had the opportunity to march with my daughter's school in the Salute To Israel parade, an annual event on 5th Avenue in New York City. Here's an unusual look at a parade, from the point of view of a participant.
(Note: My favorite is the third shot down.)
(Note: My favorite is the third shot down.)
Sunday, May 21, 2006
Wednesday, May 10, 2006
Rollei R3 Monochrome Film mystery
It has a variable film speed range from ISO 25-3200.
It's available in all film sizes, from 35mm to 8x10 sheet film.
Its sensitivity covers a wide range, from orthochromatic to panchromatic, right into infrared.
It has excellent resolution and contrast, and low fog due to an antihalation layer directly under the emulsion.
It can be enlarged or scanned with excellent results.
It can be processed in D76.
What the heck is this stuff?
It's Rollei R3 film, and if Rollei's amazing claims for it are true, this could help keep film photography alive. Big time.
I've emailed Rollei's US contact for information about availability in the US, and have found one source that will special order it for me. When I get it, I'll run some tests and report the results here as well as in greater detail in Black & White World. Meanwhile, go to Rollei's European web site for the details...and Stay tuned!
It's available in all film sizes, from 35mm to 8x10 sheet film.
Its sensitivity covers a wide range, from orthochromatic to panchromatic, right into infrared.
It has excellent resolution and contrast, and low fog due to an antihalation layer directly under the emulsion.
It can be enlarged or scanned with excellent results.
It can be processed in D76.
What the heck is this stuff?
It's Rollei R3 film, and if Rollei's amazing claims for it are true, this could help keep film photography alive. Big time.
I've emailed Rollei's US contact for information about availability in the US, and have found one source that will special order it for me. When I get it, I'll run some tests and report the results here as well as in greater detail in Black & White World. Meanwhile, go to Rollei's European web site for the details...and Stay tuned!
Photo Essay: Ballgame
Minor league baseball seems to have taken the place of major league games as a place to bring the family for a day (or night's) entertainment at a reasonable cost. This was my first game...the home team won, but that was barely the point of it.
The usual disclaimer: These photos are subjective images of things that I found interesting and photographable at this particular place and time. They are not meant to be a narrative of the game.
The usual disclaimer: These photos are subjective images of things that I found interesting and photographable at this particular place and time. They are not meant to be a narrative of the game.
Friday, May 05, 2006
Thursday, May 04, 2006
One shot: Feels like summer
It felt like summer today--thought this shot was appropriate.
Nerdy photographer observation: I shot this with an 18-55mm "Kit" lens that came with my Canon 20D. Do you see the slight pincussion distortion in the horizon! If you've ever wondered what the difference was between a sub-$100 and pro optics, here's one of them. (In theory, anyway.)
Monday, May 01, 2006
Photo essay: Washington rally for Darfur
Yesterday I went to Washington, D.C. to attend a rally urging the US and United Nations to stop the ongoing genocide in Darfur, Sudan.
The following photos are not intended to be comprehensive or make any kind of political statement. I'll let the talking heads do that. Instead, it is a record of what I found visually interesting and compelling, and tried my best to photograph.
Please click on each photo to see it big.
(Technical note: all photos made with a Canon 20D, and converted to black-and-white in Photoshop Elements).
The following photos are not intended to be comprehensive or make any kind of political statement. I'll let the talking heads do that. Instead, it is a record of what I found visually interesting and compelling, and tried my best to photograph.
Please click on each photo to see it big.
(Technical note: all photos made with a Canon 20D, and converted to black-and-white in Photoshop Elements).
Thursday, April 27, 2006
A color-to-B&W anomaly
I really should know how to do this.
I was experimenting in Photoshop Elements today, and tried converting this photo from color to B&W...
But look at how the bright yellow sign and flowers became a dark grey. Yuck!
It was quite a surprise.
How did this happen, and what do I need to do to get the flowers to render the flowers a lighter shade? Any PSE experts out there care to chime in?
Like I said...I really should know how to do this.
I was experimenting in Photoshop Elements today, and tried converting this photo from color to B&W...
But look at how the bright yellow sign and flowers became a dark grey. Yuck!
It was quite a surprise.
How did this happen, and what do I need to do to get the flowers to render the flowers a lighter shade? Any PSE experts out there care to chime in?
Like I said...I really should know how to do this.
Rambling with Resnick: The Earthquake of '06
How should traditionalists handle the new landscape of photography?
NOTE: Welcome to the first RWR in blog form! I'll be adding our back catalog of blogs in the coming days and weeks!
We've seen it coming for years: digital was getting better and it was only a matter of time before it caused major shifts in how cameras were made and sold. Since the beginning of this year, the pace has picked up--so much so, that there can only be one word to describe what's happened to the world of camera-makers and film companies:
An earthquake.
Consider what's happened since the dawn of 2006:
• Konica Minolta stopped making photographic equipment.
• Nikon discontinued manufacture of all but two film cameras.
• Mamiya announced its intention to stop making photography equipment.
• Fujifilm announced 5,000 job cuts in its film division, and started to diversify into non-photographic fields.
• Kodak announced it will raise its film prices by as much as 17 percent.
• Leica entered a partnership with Panasonic.
• Samsung announced its first SLR, in partnership with Pentax.
• Olympus announced it's sharing technology with Panasonic.
• Sony announced it will soon make digital SLRs, called Alpha, using the Minolta mount.
And it's only April. Eight months to go.
Surveys are showing that, as the cost of scanners and printers drop and quality has reached photographic resolution, photographers are abandoning their darkrooms for light rooms with computers and inkjet printers. Ilford, recently saved from oblivion by a new owner, keeps the flame going. Berrger, Oriental are also still making black-and-white paper and chemistry, but Kodak has stopped making paper. Agfa, once the world's biggest film companies, is out of photography altogether.
So, what are you doing about it?
How are you dealing with all of the changes? Are you joinig the crowd and embracing some or all aspects of digital? Are you still printing away in your darkroom, changes be damned? Do you feel threatened by the changes in technology or do you welcome the new possibilities they offer? Leave your comments here!
Remember that after an earthquake, there must be rebuilding. How will we rebuild?
NOTE: Welcome to the first RWR in blog form! I'll be adding our back catalog of blogs in the coming days and weeks!
We've seen it coming for years: digital was getting better and it was only a matter of time before it caused major shifts in how cameras were made and sold. Since the beginning of this year, the pace has picked up--so much so, that there can only be one word to describe what's happened to the world of camera-makers and film companies:
An earthquake.
Consider what's happened since the dawn of 2006:
• Konica Minolta stopped making photographic equipment.
• Nikon discontinued manufacture of all but two film cameras.
• Mamiya announced its intention to stop making photography equipment.
• Fujifilm announced 5,000 job cuts in its film division, and started to diversify into non-photographic fields.
• Kodak announced it will raise its film prices by as much as 17 percent.
• Leica entered a partnership with Panasonic.
• Samsung announced its first SLR, in partnership with Pentax.
• Olympus announced it's sharing technology with Panasonic.
• Sony announced it will soon make digital SLRs, called Alpha, using the Minolta mount.
And it's only April. Eight months to go.
Surveys are showing that, as the cost of scanners and printers drop and quality has reached photographic resolution, photographers are abandoning their darkrooms for light rooms with computers and inkjet printers. Ilford, recently saved from oblivion by a new owner, keeps the flame going. Berrger, Oriental are also still making black-and-white paper and chemistry, but Kodak has stopped making paper. Agfa, once the world's biggest film companies, is out of photography altogether.
So, what are you doing about it?
How are you dealing with all of the changes? Are you joinig the crowd and embracing some or all aspects of digital? Are you still printing away in your darkroom, changes be damned? Do you feel threatened by the changes in technology or do you welcome the new possibilities they offer? Leave your comments here!
Remember that after an earthquake, there must be rebuilding. How will we rebuild?
Monday, April 24, 2006
My preferred camera...
I get to try a lot of digital cameras as part of my day job. I've field-tested the Canon 20D and 5D, Nikon D50, Kodak V570, Pentax *ist, the Ricoh GR Digita, and the Sony R1, among others. So, what's my favorite camera when I'm not being paid to shoot?
A 50-year-old Leica M3 with a 28mm f/3.5 Kobolux lens! Its mechanics still work, and I've only had the camera in the shop three times since I acquired the camera in 1978. For years, my film of choice was Ilford HP5, then HP5 Plus, developed in Ethol UFG, but in recent years it has been Fuji Press 800 color print film, which I have processed at a minilab and then scan and convert into black-and-white in Photoshop. Why the change? Simple: Color print film has a 5-stop latitude, giving me a better range of highlight to shadow detail than any B&W film, and the starting ISO is 800. I've done side-by-side comparisons, and the grain in the Fuji Press is noticably lower than HP5 pushed to 800. And I like having the extra stop.
What system do you use?
A 50-year-old Leica M3 with a 28mm f/3.5 Kobolux lens! Its mechanics still work, and I've only had the camera in the shop three times since I acquired the camera in 1978. For years, my film of choice was Ilford HP5, then HP5 Plus, developed in Ethol UFG, but in recent years it has been Fuji Press 800 color print film, which I have processed at a minilab and then scan and convert into black-and-white in Photoshop. Why the change? Simple: Color print film has a 5-stop latitude, giving me a better range of highlight to shadow detail than any B&W film, and the starting ISO is 800. I've done side-by-side comparisons, and the grain in the Fuji Press is noticably lower than HP5 pushed to 800. And I like having the extra stop.
What system do you use?
Sunday, April 23, 2006
Stepping off the curb
First post!
Hi!
My name is Mason and I've spent most of my life doing black-and-white darkroom printing. Some of you may already know me as the founder of Black and White World, the premier resource for black-and-white photography online since 1995. Today I'm starting Blog and White World, which continues the Black and White World mission of spreading information about and enthusiasm for this wonderful craft.
I plan on moving much of the content of B&W World over here so visitors can add comments. It won't happen overnight, as I also have a day job and have only so much time available. So be patient--great things are coming.
Cheers,
Mason Resnick
Founder
Black and White World
http://www.photogs.com/bwwolrd
and
Blog and White World!
My name is Mason and I've spent most of my life doing black-and-white darkroom printing. Some of you may already know me as the founder of Black and White World, the premier resource for black-and-white photography online since 1995. Today I'm starting Blog and White World, which continues the Black and White World mission of spreading information about and enthusiasm for this wonderful craft.
I plan on moving much of the content of B&W World over here so visitors can add comments. It won't happen overnight, as I also have a day job and have only so much time available. So be patient--great things are coming.
Cheers,
Mason Resnick
Founder
Black and White World
http://www.photogs.com/bwwolrd
and
Blog and White World!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
