Friends

When time permits, I roll the enlarger into the bathroom and work for three or four hours, printing contact sheets and 8X10's.  However, I often rely on Christine Olmstead of Before and After Photo Restoration who prints at my direction. Christine maintains a complete chemical and optical lab in her digital restoration studio, and I am indebted to her for her very good work and advice.

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With the growth of digital photography and the transformation of camera clubs and competitions, plus the end of local camera stores, many film photographers work in a vacuum of sorts — without the give and take of face-to-face community. So I am also in debt to Dee Peppe of Midcoast Community Darkrooms, a teacher-photographer who, when asked for 20 minutes of her time for a quick review, gave me two hours of critique, direction, and focus. When I asked her what projects she thought I might pursue, Dee, knowing of my wife's Alzheimer's, looked at the single photo I had of her, and said: "...there's your project".

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"Much may be done in those little shreds and patches of (precious) time every day produces..." Charles Caleb Colton 

Barbara enjoys and benefited from visits to Riverside Adult Day Services in Damariscotta.  Maine taxpayers help fund Riverside through the NAMI Family Respite Program.  Thank you, Maine taxpayers...I am grateful for those shreds and patches of precious time this service provided me for photography.

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Rare find...a film-only camera group: Maine Traditional Film Photographers, which generally meet in Hallowell (it's a moveable feast). It is gratifying to share ideas and activities with like-minded photographers (like minded in process, if not in styles, goals, and techniques). Recommended to those who prefer the wonders of silver crystals over Zeroes and Ones (with deference to photo websites).

www.metfp.com

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Technical

My primary camera is now the Hasselblad 501c/m 6X6 with three prime lenses.  Occasionally I'll use a hacked-up Diana plastic toy camera, and when I'm on the street, a Fujifilm GA645zi is slung over. I most often I use Ilford FP4 and HP5 films, both exposed at box speed.  All my lenses are fitted with medium yellow filters (even the Diana...held on with Scotch tape), though I change to orange or Polarized as needed. I photograph only in available light, though sometimes with fill flash. The tripod is a basic Bogen aluminum model with a Giottos ball head and quick-release.

I develop my negatives in Ilford DD-X or Ilfosol-3, sometimes leaving them in a little longer to punch up contrast or grain. Printing is done on Ilford Multigrade IV RC paper.  Most of my printing is done straight, with an occasional dodge or burn.  I do crop to get the strongest composition, and I do print slightly oversize to adjust the print within the mat for one final composition tweak.

NOTE: scanning to this site is done with an Epson V500 scanner.  All scans are from optical prints rather than negatives, and as such, lack the signature and impact of the in-hand print.