CatLABS X Film 320 is Kodak 5222 Double-X

From Stephen Schaub “I really dislike it when film or paper is sold under a different name and the identity is kept “secret.” This is now the case with CatLABS X 320 Film which is- in fact- Kodak 5222 Doubl…” Source: CatLABS X Film 320 is Kodak 5222 Double-X While I’m happy that more film stock is being reintroduced, I do agree this is a bit shifty.Read more

Free eBook – Century of Optics

The Optical Society website has a number of books and pamphlets on a number of topics related to optics or imaging that might be of interest.  This Century of Optics book (free download) briefly covers topics from early camera and lens design to the development of things like bar code scanners.  Follow the top menu link to their bookshelf to see other books. OSA is the leading society in optics and photonics. Quality information and inspiring interactions through publications, meetings,Read more

Andre Kertesz’s Photos From His Window

I’ve always enjoyed Andre Kertesz work particularly his polaroid shots and also the ones from his apartment window.  Here’s an interesting article in the NY Times about him that details the shots from his apartment on Fifth Ave. The photographer’s images of Washington Square Park revealed, with affection and longing, a Hungarian émigré who was an outsider in his adopted land. Source: Andre Kertesz’s Photos From His WindowRead more

Facial recognition technology – a threat to privacy? “Opinion | We Built a (Legal) Facial Recognition Machine for $60”

From the New York Times article by Sahil Chinoy on April 16th 2019 What we found shows the technology’s promise — and perils. Source: Opinion | We Built a (Legal) Facial Recognition Machine for $60 Facial recognition technology – a threat to privacy? The NY Times article details how easy it is to use existing public web cameras that live stream and services like Amazon’s or Microsoft’s facial recognition services to identify and track people.   It’s a bit chilling actuallyRead more

Reblogged from Lensrentals / Roger Cicala: The Heights and Depths of Nadar: TL;DR Version 

I’ve seen references to Nadar in lot’s of photography books, and recently I decided to google him to learn more and that’s how I came upon Roger Cicala’s post on Nadar. I do occasionally read his very informative articles, but hadn’t seen this one on Nadar. He was quite a character and among other things also a very good photographer!   This rotating self portrait gives one a glimpse into his character.    Roger’s article will tell you a lot moreRead more

Amazing still life from 1860 by Roger Fenton who worked to promote photography as art.

Wet plate collodion photography seems to be having a bit of a revival these days, and I have a number of friends working with that media. I’ve tried it, taking a workshop from Alan Barnes, and there’s a lot of skill required. Beyond getting good chemistry, there’s an art to the pouring and exposure that can only be mastered by few. It’s rare to see a complete plate without flaws, and getting good dynamic range is hard. That’s why IRead more

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

“A guide to shooting expired film” from PopPhoto

Today I received in the mail a Graflex Super D with “automatic diaphragm”, and more relevant to this article – a graflex pack film holder #523.    I have never seen one of these things before – it’s a metal box that has 12 or 16 sheets of film inside that allows the photographer to advance to the next sheet by pulling on a tab. The tab is attached to the far side of the sheet and pulls it aroundRead more

Award-Winning Landscape Photos Show the Beauty of the Environment

I just became aware of the International Landscape Photographer of the Year Contest from an e-mail from My Modern Met, and it seems maybe others haven’t either so am sharing the links. There is a $10,000 prize. Regardless if you are possible candidate for next year or just a photo enthusiast, have a look! The winning photos are very inspiring! Source: Award-Winning Landscape Photos Show the Beauty of the EnvironmentRead more