Free day Monday 13th December 2011

Monday 13th December 2011


I had a number of tasks I'd hoped to get done today, and of those I managed to collect my new prescription lenses (fitted in my old frames), and mail a thank you e-mail to Andrea at the Salvation Army.

I still need to:
Complete the painting in my partially completed darkroom
Print Contact sheets for Fridays shoot (scan and edit images and provide copies for the sitters of selected/best images)
Process test roll of film (taken on my new RZ67) then review pastiche attempts and progress accordingly
Attempt to get in a darkroom and print my Colour Object images

As an update I've started to paint the rest of the unpainted wood work in my Darkrrom.

As an update I hand processed the Film after my kind friend assisted with advise on chemicals (having purchased a new batch recently). I've found the Ilford Website and suspect i'll be printing off all the technical specs for the products I have.
I mixed and then used the new chemicals on the test film from my own RZ67.
Thank you Jenna for the advise and company whilst hanging around in a cold miserable dark room!!

Free day Monday 12th December 2011

Monday 12th December 2011

Based on MPWs comment on my blog I've ordered (and received today) 'A Man Escaped' which hopefully I'll get time to watch over the Christmas period!

Free Day Sunday 11th December 2011

Sunday 11th December 2011

Another day spent looking after my son, and I got his camera out and had him taking pictures!

I've spent a while this evening sorting the negs from Friday out, and placing them in the correct order in the sleeves. I noted the Contact sheets kindly made for me on the shoot day (whilst i was still shooting) were back to front. I'll produce a set of contact sheets during the week.

In total I shot 5 rolls of Delta 100.

Free Day Saturday 10th December 2011

 Saturday 10th December 2011

As usual I have my son this weekend and after the very busy shoot day yesterday I plan on pretty much concentrating on him this weekend.

Alexander and I have a Christmas tree and lights to put up and a busy weekend of playing with toys ahead of us!

Day 45 Friday 9th December 2011 (Body)

Friday 9th December 2011 (Body)

Today was the portrait shoot day which we've all been planning for and it turned out to be a really interesting day.
Setting up in studio one it was obviously a busy day in the studios as flash power packs were almost out of stock when I got to the stores! Setting up took longer than I'd hoped due to lack of clamps top hold the poly boards.

Set up was assisted by some advice and assistance from Jonathan with Ian Turner doing the bulk of the work (with the set/lighting). Lights and set up were as per my previous blog initially, although by the afternoon we'd tweaked the set up.

All my sitters arrived on time with a range of props and we set about taking and processing images with Amy Still and Theresa Trannah arriving at 10:30. and staying until about 14:00(?). I had a couple of technical snags/user errors, but nothing we couldn't overcome and almost three rolls of film were fired off (with a few frames of film being lots to silly errors or glitches)

Initial set up RH side of the set

Additional fill light and adjusted reflecting polyboard

Final layout (PM)

Final Layout (misus front Reflecter/poly board)

Adrian Horwood arrived at 14:30 and having reviewed my initial negatives and contact sheets I wanted to try and get more light onto the sitters face. Jonathan and Ian dealt with adding a fill light whilst I continued to shoot and at the same time we switched from F8 to F11 on the main light (as the fill was added) and took the background up from F16 to F22 (with the new fill putting out F4). I'd overexposed by at least half a stop (as required) but the initial images looked like they needed more lighting. Hindsight might say that the fill should have been added at the start, but the test set up in the classroom was followed exactly initially. Dark clothing and props creating shadow were the main reason for adding the fill and seeing the differing results will be interesting when i scan the negs.

Once scanned and reviewed I'll be able to decide which images worked best

I'd like to thank my sitters and the Salvation Army for their help.

Free Day Thursday 8th December 2011 (Body)

Thursday 8th December 2011 (Body)

Received a call today from one of my sitters saying he'll be slightly late tomorrow, which is fine as we'll be all set up and hopefully have already shot my two previous sitters.

Adrian Horwood advised me to check out a couple of links with information about himself, which I have attached below.


http://www.medway.nhs.uk/about-the-trust/board-of-directors/non-executive-directors/adrian-horwood/

http://www.cmtrust.co.uk/The_Trust/Trustees/index.html

'After thirty three years in the UK banking sector with Midland Bank and HSBC in a range of roles in the City of London and South East England Adrian retired in 2004

Adrian is married with two adult daughters. He is a non-executive Director with Medway NHS Trust and member of the Governing Body of Mid-Kent College. A member of the Salvation Army in Chatham, Adrian has a major interest in music and is a Choir Leader and plays in the brass band.'

I am looking forward to meeting all three of my sitters tomorrow.

Free Day Thursday 8th December 2011 (Environment)

Thursday  8th December 2011 (Environment)
I popped into uni to search my locker for some negs I seem to have misplaced,  don't you hate it when you can't find something! Having failed to find them, I popped to the Christmas Fair with a friend to wait for darkness to fall (and some rain!).

Once conditions seemed right I returned to Maidstone again to finish of the test film in my pastiche location. This time the street was wet, but until I develop the film I'm still treating this roll of film as a test roll to check out the camera, and to test the bulb settings and my meter readings and tripod stability/suitability. It's also interesting to get a feel for the when people are most likely to be using the street etc.