Year End Review: #1 Color Favorite

2010 comes to an end with a dark overcast sky and rain to follow. Winter in Indiana is not often sunny with a clear blue sky. Time to recall those bright warm days of summer. Flowers and green grass (till August!) are the norm. May 2011 bring you and your family joy and happiness. Take care, will post some new images in the coming days. (click on image to enlarge)

Year End Review: #2 Color Favorite

A message from Columbus Grove, Ohio. In 2010 local, state and federal politics have been a hot Midwest topic. In addition to the two major political parties, we have seen a rise in groups like the Tea Party. Indeed in this part of the world, they are vocal, heard and deemed important. (click on image to enlarge)

Year End Review: #3 Color Favorite

The empty and for rent Peru, Indiana storefront is typical of many of the 215 images posted this year. The Midwest has been hard hit by the economic downturn of the last few years. Many businesses have closed, buildings empty and unused. Indiana, with around 10% unemployment, has been especially hurt. Federal, state and local budgets are being cutback. Services are reduced or cut off. Not quite the 1930's but still not a "fun" time for a lot of folks. (click on image to enlarge)

Bin Time

For some three years I have been wandering about the Midwest and in particular the state of Indiana. These journeys have produced a rather large number of images. Several posts have included many of these. Now comes the hard part. Now it is time to review and select. Lots of questions with many valid and varying answers. Black and white and/or color? If black and white, digital (dry-lightroom) or analog (wet-darkroom) printing? Just Indiana? Midwest? Both? After all, Indiana is in the Midwest! Themes - Religion/Decay/Closed and Empty/Used and Recycled/Hard Times/etc...... . Presentation? Book and/or exhibit. Sequencing and sizing- perhaps different depending on the presentation. The fun part-image making- is almost over (the fat lady is warming up!). Now comes the tough part. The real questions are: Who, What, Where, Why. In short, have something to say and find a form to express it. Will attempt to post, however my main focus (bad word choice) is what is in and what is out of the bin. (click on image to enlarge)

Lost in the Midwest: Arcanum, OH. Elevator

Located just outside of Arcanum, Ohio is one of the few remaining local elevators. Many have been closed and/or abandoned and/or torn down. (click on image to enlarge)

Glen Miller Park

Taken shortly before the 5+ inches of snow arrived in Richmond, Indiana. (click on image to enlarge)

Lost in the Midwest: Schoolhouse Barn

This -near Eaton, Ohio - is one of the images that I am using to compare analog to digital printing. This is a 35mm film capture - taken on a late afternoon summer day - of a rural school that has been converted into a barn. In this case the darkroom print was the winner. The silver print showed a wider range of tones - especially in the highlights - which gave the picture a lighter feeling. The inkjet image appeared to be sharper - perhaps too sharp! As the testing continues, the darkroom prints are improving and often excel over the digital prints. (click on image to enlarge)

Looking Becomes Seeing

While in the darkroom printing Richmond City Building-yesterday's image-noticed an interesting reversal. Invert and flip the image and a new reality appears. Roof becomes floor and sky changes into ground. The original presentation is a rather closed image-viewer remains contained in the picture. The new presentation is an open image-viewer is allowed to project beyond and out of the picture. Aside-this is the first time that I have been able to produce an analog image that is "better" then the digital print. Film, chemicals, photographic paper and darkroom equipment are beginning to come together. (click on image to enlarge)

35 mm Film Test

Richmond City Building. This was taken with Ilford Pan F film. Have been searching for a replacement for the discontinued Kodak Pan X film. Believe that the Pan F film will work. This film seems to produce better tones and sharpness-for my way of working-in Ilford's Perceptol rather than Kodak's Xtol developer. This would imply stocking two developers rather than one. Minor problem that can be solved-just more bottles on the shelf. (click on image to enlarge)

Darkroom Postscript 2

Getting near the end of furnishing out the darkroom. The new - to me - 35mm enlarger needed a timer to control exposures. After opening a couple of boxes, found the Varimatic 1500 Automatic Timer. Four days after finding the timer, finally found the instructions. They were hidden away in a file containing information on processing film! Now I haven't used this instrument for maybe 15 or so years. No idea as to how to set it up and how to use it. Started reading the users manual. This tool was manufactured by a company located in Amsterdam, NL The manual is 20 pages of details about the 1500. Reading along, came to this sentence:

"Start the densitometer function, by pressing the MEASURE key, while holding the STAR key down, like a typewriter shift key." Like a what - typewriter shift key? Notice no reference to a computer keyboard. Next step is to set up the Varmatic 1500 and give it a go. Check back for the results. (click on image to enlarge)