post your trees!

[ndg]

Thanks for the nice comments. Carbon printing is a labor of love that is for sure. Most people think of sharp images when they see a carbon print but I too love my Kodak 305 Portrait lens. Stopped down they are beautiful. I use mine just down from wide open a bit. Soft focus carbon prints are wonderful to see. These are from Trinidad.

Jim, very nice work. You are so right - of all the alt processes, I realized that carbon transfer really does soft focus work the most justice. Your work has always been an inspiration.

[Jim Fitzgerald]

Jim, very nice work. You are so right - of all the alt processes, I realized that carbon transfer really does soft focus work the most justice. Your work has always been an inspiration.

Nana, thank you for your kind comments. I will be working with my 14x17 and some soft focus lenses in the future for more Pictoralist work and portraits. So much fun to explore the possibilities of this wonderful process.

[scheinfluger_77]

Trees at Birch Point Beach State Park. Lugged in my 8x10 B&J/Kodak 305 portrait/tripod/two film holders about half a mile. 20f, no sunshine. Worth the adventure even without anything to show for it. But I am pleased with these!

I so enjoy my this lens. I wish they made them in smaller sizes. Russ Young says there's a Grubb equivalent, and I looked and those are in smaller sizes, but they seem exceedingly rare.

8x10 tmy2 in pyrocat hd.

img563 by philbrookjason, on Flickr




img564 by philbrookjason, on Flickr

Boy these were awesome enough to make me go look for that lens on ebay. There's 3 listed for around $1200 each, are they really that valuable?

[mdm]

The only thing a photograph can do is describe. My experience has been that in forest a dagor describes out of focus areas beautifully, a plasmat such as a sironar s horribly and there is no doubt in my mind that a Kodak portrait lens is amongst the worst. Obviously, it's a portrait lens designed to smooth over ugly complexions so the photographer can describe only form. Everything about soft focus lenses is stupid, except occasionally when used by outstanding photographers in order to describe something that can't be described otherwise. To me it's like talking in pidgin. The lowest common denominator. Mr Weston knew his stuff, Strand too, and neither will ever be accused of sharpness for sharpness sake either. At least the pictorialists were trying to do something other than make fuzzy pictures. please recognise that fuzzy pictures for the sake of it are the domain of the lens enthusiast. So by all means, talk pidgin to your hearts content. It's fun, but it limits what you can communicate.

[Jim Fitzgerald]

Photographs describe and interpret. How I choose to describe this scene is up to me. I enjoy it and others do not. It is what I love about what we do as photographic artists.

[ndg]

It boggles me mind why some people always seek to force their aesthetic on others. You may not like soft-focus lenses. That does not make them stupid. It only makes them "lenses you do not like". No more no less. No one has the right to dictate to another on this forum or elsewhere what they should or should not like. And throwing out the Strands and the Westons does not make your case either. You may not like Jim's images. Good for you. You have no right to denigrate them though. Really uncalled for!....And by the way, even pidgin has an art to it, even if it is low in your terrestrial esttmates!

The only thing a photograph can do is describe. My experience has been that in forest a dagor describes out of focus areas beautifully, a plasmat such as a sironar s horribly and there is no doubt in my mind that a Kodak portrait lens is amongst the worst. Obviously, it's a portrait lens designed to smooth over ugly complexions so the photographer can describe only form. Everything about soft focus lenses is stupid, except occasionally when used by outstanding photographers in order to describe something that can't be described otherwise. To me it's like talking in pidgin. The lowest common denominator. Mr Weston knew his stuff, Strand too, and neither will ever be accused of sharpness for sharpness sake either. At least the pictorialists were trying to do something other than make fuzzy pictures. please recognise that fuzzy pictures for the sake of it are the domain of the lens enthusiast. So by all means, talk pidgin to your hearts content. It's fun, but it limits what you can communicate.

[jp]

The only thing a photograph can do is describe. My experience has been that in forest a dagor describes out of focus areas beautifully, a plasmat such as a sironar s horribly and there is no doubt in my mind that a Kodak portrait lens is amongst the worst. Obviously, it's a portrait lens designed to smooth over ugly complexions so the photographer can describe only form. Everything about soft focus lenses is stupid, except occasionally when used by outstanding photographers in order to describe something that can't be described otherwise. To me it's like talking in pidgin. The lowest common denominator. Mr Weston knew his stuff, Strand too, and neither will ever be accused of sharpness for sharpness sake either. At least the pictorialists were trying to do something other than make fuzzy pictures. please recognise that fuzzy pictures for the sake of it are the domain of the lens enthusiast. So by all means, talk pidgin to your hearts content. It's fun, but it limits what you can communicate.

Don't worry; I'm not offended.

Thanks. I am not about pleasing other people. Describe "What" is the question. If your idea of what is different than mine, you miss out.

You're about 12 hours timezone away; are you using Ambien (and possibly mixing it with alcohol?)

[jp]

Boy these were awesome enough to make me go look for that lens on ebay. There's 3 listed for around $1200 each, are they really that valuable?

They range from $700 to 1600 depending on how patient you are. Those at $1200 are no hurry to sell. Post a wanted here if you're serious.

[Jim Fitzgerald]

Well, I pay no mind to some people who have a right to their opinion. I love what I do and that is all that matters to me. I could never understand the comments from this guy.
There was a 305 that sold for $499.00 the other day. Good buy in my opinion. 700.00 is tops I feel.

[h2oman]

The only thing a photograph can do is describe.

Many good photographs do not describe, but instead suggest. This can be accomplished in many ways.