Planet Randy

Holmes Booth & Hayden 1859 Half plate Petzval lens, 4×6 black aluminum with B&S Old Workhorse, B&S Developer, KCN

Thanks fellas’ for letting me try my lens.

10″ A.T. Thompson, wide open, 7 seconds, 4×6 tin

Dallmeyer 3D, 20 seconds exposure, wide open, 4×6 tin

Here’s my first portrait in Collodion. It’s a little overexposed and I couldn’t get the silver to sensitize evenly using a tray. So, I ordered a 5×7 silver tank from Lund Photographics, hopefully that will resolve the issue. This experience taught me to really keep a CLEAN equipment – it’s hard to fathom doing this process in the field.

I find myself scouring for small pouring bottles and non-ridged trays everywhere I go, even though I already have several that’s appropriate (hahaha…).

Thanks wife!

Dallmeyer 3D, 6 seconds exposure, wide open, 4×6 tin

Getting better in exposing tintypes but still have to deal with unwanted artifacts. I know the key is a “clean, clean, clean” equipment.

Dallmeyer 3D, 2 minutes exposure, wide open, 4×6 tin

After taking Dunniway’s workshop on collodion last month, I was able to gather enough materials and chemistry to makes some plates. This 4×6 tin was taken with a Dallmeyer 3D for 20 seconds wide open under a 500 watt halogen lamp. I’ve still got some technical issues but I’m getting there.

A quick snap from Judiciary Square in Washingon, DC – the memorial honors those in law enforcement who gave their lives in the line of duty.

…soft focus that is. I plan on doing some collodion work next year and this Dallmeyer Petzval 3D soft focus lens became available from a trusted source. The “3D” is not for three dimensional, though it does impart a 3D look due to the awesome “bokeh”.

Here’s a couple of first – first soft focus image and first paper negative. I wanted to try this  lens out but was too lazy to develop film, I new people used paper negatives before so I gave that a go. I had some old 5×7 Arista EDU RC paper around; I scoured the  forums and the recommended sensitivity for this paper is ISO 3. Loaded some holders, dragged the Korona to the back yard, found a small bottle, plucked a flowering weed and viola! Cheap as chips.

I’ll prolly enlarge this if I get to enjoy it enough.

A nearing dusk shot of the US Capitol. Lot’s of digi-snappers and got harassed by a couple of Japanese tourist about film. I eased their concerns by inviting them to look at the Hassy’s finder.

Night shot of the US Monument. Cropped to 2.5 ratio from 6×6.

Work sent me to DC for a demo a couple of weeks ago. I called our Congresswoman’s DC office to see if they can give us a tour of the Capitol. A few people wondered why I was laying on floor, if they only new what I saw on the “blad’s” ground glass. The lighting was quite dim so I had to compromise on shutter speed and DOF – best I can do without a tripod.

More to come…

Going through some Tonopah scans and thought this might be a good candidate for Ilford’s Warmtone paper and Moersch MT3 Vario Thiourea toning. It’s from a 5×7 negative but I think I prefer a square cropping. Perhaps next week when my paper arrives.

Mexico is such a beautiful country I’d love to visit this place again, but unfortunately the on going cartel problems down south makes me apprehensive.

This was taken  a couple of years ago with an old Zeiss Ikonta rangefinder 6×9 folding camera.

A potted plant outside our Portola Hotel room. Printed on Ilford MGIV glossy, developed in Dektol and split sepia/selenium toned. I’m surprised it stayed sharp as this was a hand held shot at F/8.0, 1/60th.

After seeing the documentary on Julius Shulman (Visual Acoustics) and seeing some of his early photographs of the  LA river bridge makes me want to go shoot downtown more. I love the story on how he photographed the Stahl House “Case Study House #22” – even in architecture photography there are decisive moments. One day I’ll visit this spectacular house. I digress…

Here’s a shot of the tower on 4th street bridge. Next time I hope to get better morning light.