A Lurker Living in Chicago Area

**ducque** · 8-Apr-2007, 17:56

I've lurked here for some time ...

I feel like I'm a real newbie to LF, but I really have been shooting LF for about 8 or 9 years. In previous lives, I was shooting 35mm and MF.

I started with a B&J "Saturn 75" camera with a 4x5 back which I was carrying into the field. What a pain that was! I decided, in 2000, to build a field camera. It took me some time, but you can see the results in my article in View Camera in Sept 2001.
Since then, I've built a second folding 4x5.

I shoot about 60% LF, and about 40% MF today. I like to think of myself as a B&W photographer, but the fact is that I do shoot about 75% color. I do all my own darkroom work; I have developed a pretty good formulary over the years, and I mix all my chemistry from bulk.

I'm an inveterate builder. Not only have I built the cameras and the darkroom, but also a lot of processing equipment, etc. -- for example, a film processor which works much like a Jobo, and uses Jobo tanks, but is equipped with my microprocessor-based controller. I've also done a pin-registration setup for unsharp masking.

Perhaps my most ambitious project was to build a 24" intaglio press, for printing large digital negatives using traditional "print pulling" techniques.

**Ron Marshall** · 9-Apr-2007, 05:35

Welcome to the forum. Your intaglio press sounds intriguing. I'll look for your article in my back issues of View Camera.

**Greg Lockrey** · 9-Apr-2007, 05:41

Intaglio press? Isn't that the kind of press they make money with?

How about posting some pictures of your hand built cameras?

**ducque** · 9-Apr-2007, 06:08

Yes, precisely. It is exactly the kind of machine they print money with.

Getting the inks and colors really right isn't much of a challenge. But if I could only get the paper right...

**Greg Lockrey** · 9-Apr-2007, 06:37

Originally Posted by ducque

Yes, precisely. It is exactly the kind of machine they print money with.

Getting the inks and colors really right isn't much of a challenge. But if I could only get the paper right...

FWIW...Crane makes it. Maybe they'll spot you a couple of sheets....yeah, right.

**Ralph Barker** · 9-Apr-2007, 06:47

Welcome to the LF Forum.

Although printing dead presidents on your Intaglio press sounds like fun, I've heard there are, uh, certain drawbacks to doing so.

**ducque** · 9-Apr-2007, 07:31

I worked for a certain, to be unnamed, large computer manufacturer for many years.

I was the engineering manager for their first laser printer product, about two lifetimes ago. We were able to print limited graphics with the awful beast. So, as a stunt, we managed to get some (real!) check paper. We then printed up some bogus checks, right on a computer-show floor, to the delight of the people who came to our booth.

Though printed in laser toner (in the days of magnetic-ink-only), those checks were absolutely convincing!

However, not to the delight of the FBI, who showed up to our booth on the second day of the show with some "strong suggestions" to alter our demonstration in some "subtle" ways ...