Filmomat: A really cool film processor that handles 35mm up to 5x7in sheet film! 

I’ve been following (lusting after?) the Filmomat since it was first introduced, and at that time the creator had just made it for himself.  Now sometime later he’s made it available for sale (although it’s kind of pricy) and that is really exciting.  What makes it so cool? First off, it’s really difficult to develop color film at home – the chemicals aren’t expensive or dangerous but color film processing just requires really steady temperature control and at higher temperaturesRead more

Collaborative Large Format Scanner Comparison

Source: Collaborative Large Format Scanner Comparison This is an older study of mostly older scanner technology but its still interesting to review and compare the different machines.  The difference between detail and also DR can be seen between the older professional / prepress machines and the newer consumer products like the Epson flatbeds.Read more

Stand Development Darkroom Guide | The Art of Photography

Stand Development is a film developing process that involves placing film in a tank of highly diluted developer and letting it “stand” with no agitation. Source: Stand Development Darkroom Guide | The Art of Photography I just watched this video and thought it was a pretty useful introduction of stand development. It covered the potential advantages of the technique such as tolerance to exposure variance, more sharpness and dynamic range and also some of the potential pitfalls such as bromideRead more

Pixar in a box Tutorials on Kahn Academy

I spent part of the day reviewing color science and other really excellent tutorials put together by Pixar staff for the Khan Academy.  These were really well done and even though I know color science fairly well, I still felt that there were one or two things to pick up.  Perhaps this is because these tutorials are taught from the perspective of making movies which involve of course the science behind it, but also desired emotive effects as well asRead more

Travel Horror—What Happened When My Film Was X-ray Scanned 11 Times – DigitalRev

While I was waiting for my transit flight, I felt an itch to go for a totally non-scientific experiment – let the films (without the lead bag) in my carry-on baggage go through x-ray machines Source: Travel Horror—What Happened When My Film Was X-ray Scanned 11 Times – DigitalRev I’m about to head out to photograph some cool rock formations in NW New Mexico and am thinking about what cameras to bring and which films.   Refreshing myself about howRead more

Local Darkroom finder

I’m lucky, I live in walking distance to one of the largest public darkrooms in the country, the Harvey Milk Photo Center.   It’s got something like 45 enlarger bays in their darkroom, a film processing area, a digital lab, and some class rooms.   I just came back from printing in the darkroom tonight and wondered where I might go if I wasn’t in San Francisco. A quick google pulled up Local Darkroom.  It’s a web tool that allows youRead more

Wehman 8×10 camera

I recently acquired a Wehman 8×10 Field Camera second hand from Laura C. and it’s really an amazingly light and sturdy camera that folds up into itself and is easily carried into the field.     Sadly these are no longer in production, but you can view them and the instructions and other details on Mr. Wehman’s site. He’s also a talented photographer and has some of his work up in galleries that you should check out too.   The WehmanRead more