29
May
2011
View Camera
29
May
2011
DFW LF GROUP, MUSEUM OF THE AMERICAN RAILROAD GATHERING, Saturday, July 02, 2011
Though not exactly posted here in order, the D/FW LF Group, by popular request, has added more summer events. The Dallas Museum of the American Railroad, located in Fair Park, will open their doors a bit early this July 2nd morning to allow our big cameras in for some peaceful photography. Once the doors open at 10, we will still be able to take our time to take photos, but there might be foot traffic between you and your object!
The museum is located at Gate 3 in Fair Park. We can begin entering the premises at 9AM.
A couple of things to consider:
1. Everyone will need to sign a standard waiver stating that the photos will not be used for commercial purposes.
2. There is a $7 admission fee. Since they are opening the doors a bit early and have additional costs involved with this, We am asking you to make an additional contribution to the museum. This can be any amount you feel comfortable with; it is just a friendly gesture of thanks to the museum.
We are planning to have lunch at an old Dallas Deep Ellum restaurant after the shoot, so save your appetite for more good food. Adairs has been around for a long time and has a great rustic(?) ambience.
For more continuing information, drop by the Large Format Photography Forum.
See you on July 2. . . and. . . do not forget we are heading to Pilot Point July 30th.
JB
24
May
2011
DFW LF GROUP, PILOT POINT GATHERING, Saturday, July 30, 2011
Here we go again! Our informal LF Photography Group is holding another outing, and even braving the heat of summer in Texas.
Visit historic downtown Pilot Point for some great photo opportunities; both architectural as well as close-up detail of antiques and antique fixtures.
Since it is the midst of summer, we will meet early in the morning – 7:30AM. Color film photographers might want to be there even earlier! Sunrise will be at 6:39! Complete side lighting right down W. Main Street will be at 9:17AM. This might provide for some interesting shadows! There are some wonderful murals to photograph also. Google “Bare Nekkid Ladies in Pilot Point” to read up on the most controversial mural in town! The bank building, just off the square, was used in the movie “Bonnie & Clyde.” Many photographic opportunities are within 2 blocks on each side of the town square.
We will end with brunch at the local greasy-spoon on the town square between 10:30 and 11. This should help us beat the worst summer heat and humidity!
Estimated drive times from:
Ft. Worth: 1 hr, 10 min
Dallas: 1 hr, 15 min.
Carrollton – 55 min.
We invite everyone interested in LF & ULF photography to join us for some serious discussion and fun. Also, if you are a working photographer, please bring a few photos to share with everyone.
For more continuing information, drop by theLarge Format Photography Forum.
Dallas: 1 hr, 15 min.
Carrollton – 55 min.
Hope to see you July 30th in Pilot Point!
JB & Susan
22
May
2011
D/FW LF GROUP & TCC GATHERING. . . A GREAT TIME!
What a great time we had Saturday with the D/FW LF Group & Tarrant County College, Exposure Photo Club gathering at the TCC N/E Campus. We had about 25 enthusiastic
participants, ranging from beginners to somewhat seasoned photographer-types in attendance, and everyone had a great time sharing stories, showing off their equipment, and photographs. The weather cooperated, it was dry, cloudy, and the temperature was pleasant.
We packed up our outing on the campus grounds after a lot of looking, touching, and photographic talk, then continued with more discussion over BBQ at North Main BBQ in Euless. The truth of the matter is, for those that are interested, you just can’t get enough photography! And, there is a rumor that the D/FW LF Group is planning more outings for the rest of this year and into next year.
Stay tuned here for more announcements and to keep up with the local happenings. Our goal is to promote film photography, in any and all formats. . . though our main focus is LF and ULF, if you shoot film of any size, or if you are interested in film, please join us to learn more. Everyone is welcome. Our goal is to promote photography, in any and all forms, and to dispelled the myth that film is dead.
We would like to thank all of those involved in the planning of this event and an even bigger THANK YOU to those that attended. We are looking forward to seeing everyone again soon.
JB & Susan
10
May
2011
D/FW LF GROUP, VIEW CAMERAS & BBQ
We continue with preparations for the upcoming DFW LF GROUP, TCC GATHERING, Saturday, May 21, 2011. We are hoping for a good group to show up to see, touch and experience the LF & ULF camera. this is a no excuses, dedicated to film and the view camera gathering and we hope to promote film and the art of photography.
We will be gathering at the Tarrant County College N/E Campus at 8:00am. For more information, see my previous post, “DFW LF GROUP, TCC GATHERING, Saturday, May 21, 2011.” We plan on adjourning our field trip about noon or so and continue our outing over lunch. Not only will we be talking large cameras and film, but we will be heading for a little BBQ. We invite everyone to join us for what should be a lively lunch and discussion. We will be going to a local landmark restaurant, North Main BBQ in Euless. Here is an excerpt from their web site;
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. . . “Home of the World’s Best Ribs” is backed with 30 years of barbeque experience. North Main BBQ serves the “World’s Best Ribs”. . .
North Main BBQ is located about three (3) miles west of the Dallas-Fort Worth Airport off Hwy 183.
North Main BBQ serves an “All you can Eat” lunch and dinner buffet that includes its award winning ribs, chopped and sliced beef brisket, chicken breast, pork shoulder, sausage, ranch beans, potato salad, cole slaw, assorted relishes and bbq sauce. All meats are slow cooked with hickory smoke from four to twelve hours.
More information on North Main BBQ HERE.
>
. . . “Home of the World’s Best Ribs” is backed with 30 years of barbeque experience. North Main BBQ serves the “World’s Best Ribs”. . .
This just couldn’t be any better. . . View Cameras and BBQ. Join us for a little fun!!!
JB
28
Apr
2011
DFW LF GROUP, TCC GATHERING, Saturday, May 21, 2011
We will be helping host an informal gathering of LF & ULF photographers from the Dallas/Fort Worth area Saturday, May 21, 2011. The DFW LF Group will be meeting at 8am at the Tarrant County College (TCC) North East Campus, 828 Harwood Road, in Hurst. We will gather at the Visitor Parking and will be photographing in the central campus park area just a short distance from the parking lot (see map). Those interested in traditional, large format photography are welcome to join us. Here is a link with driving directions;
http://www.tccd.edu/Campuses_and_Centers/Northeast_Campus/Directions_NE.html
There are quite a few photo opportunities including flowers, trees, shrubs, architectural, and there is a giant chess board to photograph. Michael Kan will bring a bar stool and some diffusers in case anyone wants to shoot any portraits. We will have an assortment of LF and ULF cameras available for some hands-on time. JB & Susan Harlin will have ULF cameras setup and there will be several other local LF photographers in attendance. Everyone will be available to answer questions. If you are interested, this will be your opportunity to meet and talk with those that work with large cameras and film. We will also bring a few photographs to boot.
We would like to thank Larry Hart, President of the TCC Exposure Photo Club, for arranging for us to meet on the campus. Larry will be joining us along with some of his fellow students.
Following our shoot, we will head over to North Main BBQ for lunch and fellowship.
Thanks to Bob McCarthy for finding us a great spot for some BBQ, and Michael Kan for planning and logistics.
For more continuing information, drop by the Large Format Photography Forum.
JB & Susan
19
Apr
2011
VIEW CAMERA LUBE
It is important that your view camera work and work smoothly without glitches in the field. Nothing is worse than having some issue when you are out working. I spend a lot of time maintaining our cameras. I feel it is better to do this before we go out, than to have problems that require work in the field. Nothing is worse than wasting time on repairs when you are out.
A high-quality Microcrystalline Wax is one of your best friends when it comes to keeping your view camera clean and working smoothly. See my previous post titled “Wax On. . . Wax Off” for more information about waxing the camera.
But, waxing the camera is only part of keeping it functioning smoothly. You need lubrication for the metal parts. Metal rails, guides, and locking knobs need lubrication to keep them working freely. Nothing is worse than having a threaded part to seize up in the field. The best lubrication for metal parts is a dry lubricant. One that goes on wet but dries leaving a slick lubricant that does not get on your hands and possibly on your lenses or film. A dry lubricant also does not attract dust and dirt.
One of the best lubricants I have found is a product made for lubricating bicycles. Pedro’s Ice Wax 2.0 is a natural wax-based dry lube for use on bicycle chains. It is also an excellent choice for the metal-to-metal parts of the view camera. It works on brass, steel, and aluminum surfaces equally well. The manufacturer says it is a Hydrophobic wax coating that repels water and provides protection from wear and contaminants. It goes on wet and dries leaving a lubricating film that keeps parts moving freely.
Just a drop or two worked into the metal-on-metal surfaces is all you need. And it lasts for a long time. It is also good for all threaded locking knobs to keep them free and to prevent them from seizing up. A little Microcrystalline Wax plus some Ice Wax, and you should be good to go. . . go to the field that is, without any glitches to slow you down.
JB
31
Mar
2011
ONLY A LIGHT-TIGHT BOX
“He tried to impress upon me that, though a camera is nothing but a tool, it can be (therefore it must be) used for a higher purpose than the meaningless transference of already visible information onto a sheet of paper. Because camera could describe a worker’s vision of his world, like a cello or a paintbrush, or granite block, camera held the capacity for art.”.
-Fred Picker- Discussing his experience with the Ansel Adams Workshops.
Zone VI Newsletter, Number 39, June, 1984, p. 5
A camera is just a tool. . . a thing. It is only a light-tight box that holds the lens and film. It is no different than a carpenter’s saw, a painter’s brush, a pianist’s piano, or a sculptor’s mallet and chisel. Any of these tools in the hands of the inexperienced will create little more than noise or a mess. Likewise, in the hands of a beginner, the camera is no more than a thing. In the hands of an experienced photographer is becomes a tool for creating art.
If you want to become a photographic artist the first goal is to become an accomplished master of the equipment. But, how do you get there from here? It starts with ambition and drive. Like any skill, you will only learn, and become a master, if you are dedicated. The mechanics of photography are not difficult to learn. It does take time and determination to get there, but it is not an unachievable task. You just have to have the desire and drive to work through the process of learning how best to use the tools.
Think of when you were a kid and you thought that taking piano lessons was a great thing to do, since some of your friends were already enrolled. Then after a while you get the usual threats from your parents to get in there and practice! You get the customary, we bought you that expensive piano and are paying for lessons, so get to work. Truth is, you really didn’t want to learn the piano in the first place. It was just something you thought would be neat. If you really wanted to learn, your parents would have to be lecturing you about spending too much time with the piano and limiting your keyboard time.
It is that drive. . . that obsession with learning that makes for the great artist. You have to eat, sleep and breathe photography to be really successful. Just a casual interest will lead to little more than a few casual photographs. Or, maybe you are just obsessed with the hardware. Maybe you would be better off collecting and trading equipment. There is always that possibility that the light-tight box is your obsession and not the photograph. Only you can make that determination.
That Light-Tight Box is just the camera. . . a tool to be used in the creation of your art. I hope that you learn to use your tools to your best advantage! Invest your time wisely. Learn the tools of your chosen craft well. Do not stumble around in the dark, it belongs inside the camera.
JB
16
Jan
2011
UTAH 2010-2011 TRIP SNAPSHOT ALBUM
Our 2010-2011 Snapshot Album is up and ready for viewing. We had another great trip and you can find our album HERE.
25
Sep
2010
