Great Score

So my wife and I visited some local yard sales this past weekend (we're avid "Yard-Salers") and among some great scores, I found the mother of all photo deals. An older gentleman has been an enthusiast for years, and has decided that it was time to pack it in. He's moved on to gardening and pruning his meticulous lawn. He had the following equipment with a sign stating "Complete Photo Outfit - $100":

1 - Olympus OM-1 Manual SLR
1 - Vivitar 100-300mm F/3.8 manual lens
1 - Olympus 50mm F/2.0 lens
1 - Vivitar TeleConverter
2 - Vivitar flashes
8 - Tamron filters
2 - Tripods
1 - New cable release
2 - Leather carry bags

For once, I didn't even hesitate, as I paid in cash, full asking price. Not to mention he was a nice guy that "just wanted a good home" for the equipment. He found a good home!

- John -
ThePhotoHound

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Is Darkroom Photography Dead?

Not until recently have I realized that there are a lot fewer B&W darkroom photographers out there than I thought. I mean, I knew I've been out of the game for a few years, but what happened?! I had this dicussion with an old friend the other day. It looks like B&W darkroom photography has become an art. What I mean is, it's always been an art, but when it was first introduced, it was the only way. Then in the 60's and 70's, it became fashionable to develop your own stuff. In the 80's and 90's, it was considered a bit Retro, but it was still mildly popular. Now, you're a dinosaur if you haven't gone digital.

Then I saw a glimmer of hope: if there are artists still putting brush to canvas, and one could argue that painting has been around since the dawn of time on cave walls, then B&W darkroom photography (i.e. REAL photography) will never go away. That's encouraging to a guy like me who believes that unless you're elbow deep in fixer, then you're not truly connected to the art.

- John -
ThePhotoHound

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Going Retro

I recently blew the dust off of the old Ricoh KR-5 Super and my Tamron 80-200mm F/2.8 Telephoto lens... I have to be honest, it felt good to get that old manual camera back in my hands again. It felt so good, in fact, that I bought a pristine Pentax K1000 off eBay for $30. I bought the Pentax 50mm F/2 lens (also great shape) months earlier in a package which included multiple 48-60mm filters.

I can't wait to pop in a roll of Ilford HP5+ 35mm 400 ISO film and start shooting again. It's been a while! I've been shooting quite a bit with my Canon Rebel XS (stock 35-80mm AF lens), and it's great to be automatic, but there's nothing like the weight and feel of a classic manual SLR... Is everyone pickin' up what I'm puttin down?

- John -
ThePhotoHound

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Flying With Film...

I've gotten many e-mails regarding traveling with film... is it safe? Will you damage the film by allowing it to go through an x-ray machine? The simple answer is MAYBE. Although studies show that a fog can form on unexposed films with silver halide crystals (and most film nowadays is made this way) if they travel through a high powered x-ray machine. The most high powered x-rays are those scanning the luggage that travels in the belly of the plane (i.e. everything but carry-on). Therefore, I highly recommend carrying all film as carry-on, get it hand-checked, and explain to security what it is. Studies have shown little or no effects from hand-checking.

- John -
ThePhotoHound

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I'm Getting Excited

As reported in a recent post, the walls of the soon-to-be darkroom were getting a makeover. The walls are done, as well as the trim (my wife is an angel... I didn't pick up a single brush!) Next, we'll (and be "we'll", I mean "I'll") be scraping the existing carpet glue from the concrete floor to get ready for the enamel paint. Ya, we decided to paint the floor, and give it that real industrial darkroom feel. This weekend, I'll be a plumber, as I run hot, cold, and waste pipes to where the sink is going to be. Not too big of a deal, as the bathroom is on the other side of the wall! I'm getting excited because this means we're just a month or so away from finishing it off!

- John -
ThePhotoHound

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Great Home Darkroom Book

As I began this crusade to build my home darkroom, a search began as well; to find the best home darkroom book out there. I believe I have. It is "The New Darkroom Handbook" by Joe DeMaio, Roberta Worth, and Dennis Curtin. Trust me, there are a lot of books out there, and 90% of them were written in the 70's and never updated. Although the first edition also had an early publishing date, it was completely updated in 1998. It is well written, and has everything from layout and design to tips and techniques for developing and enlarging. You can get it brandy-new on Amazon for $27.69, or slightly used (this is what I did) for around $15. Check it out!