Photographic Projects – Kodak No. 9

We have some great people in the bwfp flickr group and they certainly came up trumps when asked about their photography projects. The plan is to feature the some of projects that were put forward.

The first one is called Kodak No.9 and the projects creator Mike N Dawn’s Photography has given us kind permission to share it here.

This what they had to say about it –

“It was definitely an eye opener. My wife worked there back in 2003 through to 2005, shortly before it started to pack up and close. In 2005, Kodak announced they would be closing the doors to Kodak Heights for good, as it was outsourcing the work over seas, and on the other side of the country. I believe it was a cost cutting measure, but sadly it also meant the loss of more then 800 jobs.

In the late 70s, Kodak Heights employed nearly 5000 employees, and was one of the main chemical manufacturing plants in North America. Nahanni Whiskey, and he can attest to this, was one of the many that would drop off his Kodachrome films for processing at this very building. The Kodak #9 building was the office, and film processing facility, where as the outlying buildings, now nothing more then piles of gravel today, were the main chemical plants.

They were also one of the main suppliers of B&W Photo paper, both Kodak, and even ILFORD branded paper. (My wife worked in the B&W Photo paper packing centre).

It was quite the site to see late at night, the lights blazing, trucks entering and exiting at all hours. From flatbeds to tankers and other various delivery trucks.

The day the plant closed, it was like the place had turned into a ghost town, for it was pretty much a town in its hayday! The lights were out, and the roads were and land was forever silenced. Like a blot in the city, where light once shone like a photographic beacon, it is now an eerie place to look at. The remaining #9 building, scheduled for future development and restored, is now a destination for firebugs (as it has been torched repeatedly), vandals, local graffiti artists, and Urban Archeological photographers, myself included. Like a skeleton sentinel, standing and watching over, silently, the lands that once were bustling. Now looking like a graveyard… overgrown with weeds, and pitted with holes, like open tombs, from the excavation of the old chemical tanks. The guard booth is now a burned and collapsed wreck.

This adventure into the life of what once was a photographic giant, was both insightful and eye opening, and sadly depressing.

I do have one more set of images left to do here. I need to reunite my Kodak Duaflex IV with the land that gave birth to it.”

To see more of the project then follow this link to Mike N Dawn’s page on flickr

Fancy a coffee?

Like most people I think of coffee as a enjoyable warm beverage, that has the ability to give one a bit of a boost in the mornings. Imagine my amusement when I also found out you can develop film in the stuff?  I went from disbelief to utter amazement in the space of a few seconds. However, I was just starting to dip my toes back into black and white developing again and wanted to take things slowly rather rush gung-ho into every cool thing I’d recently discovered.

Now let’s fast forward 18 months, to the point in time where I actually get my act together to try this out. I offered up a roll of Shanghai GP3 to deity of experimentation and shot it at box speed.

Caffenol is very simple to make:

Cheap strong basic coffee granules (supermarket stuff) as the cheapest brands have higher amounts of caffeic acid.

Washing Soda – may also be called Soda Ash, but what you’re looking for is Sodium Carbonate (Na2CO3), waterfree (anhydrous).

Ascorbic Acid – This needs to be absolutely pure.

The ascorbic acid I ordered online, mainly because where I live it is nigh on impossible to buy stuff in pure powdered form.

For mixing and quantities I followed this recipe for Caffenol-C-M by Reinhold.

It seems there are different schools of thought with regards to mixing, some like to put the ingredients into the same container one after the other, some people suggest dissolving the coffee and the washing soda+ascorbic separately and then mixing the 2 liquids. I haven’t really tried enough to give an opinion on this and with my next batch I shall try a different mixing method.

I don’t usually presoak, but with the caffenol I did, mainly to wash some of that lovely blue colour from the Shanghai film and because what I’d read was suggesting to do so.

5 minute – presoak with water at 20c

12 minutes – caffenol, 10 inversions first and then 3 every minute.

2 minutes – used a water to stop development. Inversions as above.

6 minutes – fixer – 10 inversions and then 3.

Washing – 10 inversions then dump, 10 inversions then dump, water with photoflo, 20 inversions then dump.

It really is that easy and no harder than your usual black and white processing.  But don’t take my word for it, give it a try 🙂

So that you may research this yourself, here are a few links to get you on your way.

Caffenol Video

Caffenol.org

Caffenol.blogspot.com

Digital Truth

and here are 2 flickr groups to check out –

Caffenol Private Palace

Caffenol

Getting started in street photography. Article and photos by Derek Sikes

South of Market, SF

Street Photography is a subject that comes up a lot on the internet and opinions vary.  There really is no authority on the subject or even a clear definition of what street is or is not.  The overwhelming response is that we know it when we see it which is very subjective.  I don’t claim to be a great or even average street photographer, but it’s something I enjoy when I get the opportunity.

The wiki definition of street photography sites the most classic examples of street were done between 1890 and 1975.  During this time black and white film was the most prevalent medium presumably for it’s faster speed and overall economy.  The rise is directly attributed to the portable 35mm camera but there is no rule saying that your camera must be 35mm or a Leica, even if that is what the majority of the famous classic street photographers used.  Vivian Maier while not well known in her own time, was a great street photographer who used a 6×6 Rollei TLR for the majority of her work.

You can practice street photography in color and lots of people do it well, but in my opinion the best street photography has always been in black and white.  Maybe it’s because it strips away all distractions and focuses your attention on the subject, or maybe it’s because I’ve been programmed to recognize it that way.  A classic film for street is Kodak Tri-X.  The emulsion has changed since the “classic” era but no one can argue that Tri-X processed in D-76 is not a classic combination.  It’s a great place to start anyway.  As for the camera, again, the classic combination would be a Leica M-3 or M-2 witha  lens between 28 and 50mm.  There are no rules saying you can’t shoot a Nikon SLR or an Olmpus XA but the reliability and size of the Leica combination have always been a hit with the hardcore street photographers.  Keep your shutter speed fast and your f stop at f8 or higher as a general rule.  This is why fast film comes in handy.  There are times when you’ll need or want to deviate from the fast shutter speed and max DOF but as a starting point fast shutter will reduce camera shake and increased F stops increase the chances of being in focus as well as keeping the environment in focus.  You can deviate from that of course, since there are no rules, but I think the majority of what we recognize as street photography falls under those guidelines.

Protesting guy

The Ninja Assassin with the invisible Leica is mostly a myth.  It’s important to be discreet and in most cases people in the street aren’t going to pay attention to you unless you’re drawing attention to yourself.  There will be times when people notice you and look directly at you.  Having a camera pointed in your direction is not a natural thing.  The majority of people in this world are not walking around looking for a confrontation, they have places to go, people to see so more than likely if they notice they will either smile and go one about their day or they may give you a dirty or confused look.  Don’t be a photography dork and yell that you have the legal right to take their photo, even if you do.  Just smile and go on about your day.  The secret to shooting in the streets is to be courteous and leave your hang ups at home.

The train stop near EMB

Chances are you’re not going to go out on your first street shoot and get a Pulitzer unless you’re really lucky.  I’m talking winning the lottery lucky.  Start out by taking photos for yourself that have meaning.  If the right moment presents itself you may just be the next Pulitzer, but the biggest challenge is to consistently get 1 or 2 keepers in a roll.  A great photo is a combination of timing, lighting, subject and luck.  Those moments don’t present themselves on a timed interval, you have to be there with a camera, recognize what’s going on and get the shot.  It’s one of the most challenging photography disciplines you’ll ever shoot and you may never get a great photo in an entire lifetime.  This isn’t to discourage you or to sound jaded, it’s just a reality of the genre.  The positive is that you don’t need to get a foot in the door or get your big break to have an opportunity to shoot you only need to get your foot out of the door.  In this respect the playing field is very level.  You don’t need expensive equipment or a trust fund to travel the world.  The only thing you need to do is get out and shoot, look for those moments, those places that have magical lighting and interesting elements etc. and start doing it.

Copyright Laws:   http://www.copyright.gov/fls/fl107.html

http://copyright.gov/circs/circ1.pdf

I have provided a link to copyright laws in the US.  I am not a lawyer or an expert in copyright laws so if you need legal advice I suggest consulting a lawyer who specializes in the matter.

Also in response to the comments this article has received I have done some editing to correct a few things.

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