my first neg and contact print from my 8x10

[jessicadittmer]

very flawed - thinking my enlarger lens must be a dust breeding ground -ack! It's been in storage a LONG time- gotta clean it. My antique contact frame has flaws too I think (I cleaned it well but there are still odd marks showing up- same mark but in a diff. location when I move the neg.- it will appear in one place then because I moved things for the next trial it moves- exact same mark). So, this is a scan from my contact print. I'll work on composition and lighting next round but this time I was just trying the camera for the first time with my boys.

[Jay DeFehr]

Jessica,

Your first 8x10 contact print looks in subject and composition (right down to the missing hands and ample headroom), almost exactly like my first, except mine pictured only one of my boys. Camera technique takes time to master, as do making defect-free negatives and expressive prints from them. If I could do anything different than what I did, I'd make a point to work in a project framework from the very beginning. Good luck, and keep up the good work!

[Leigh]

Well done, Jessica.

Now... a lifetime of practice. Welcome to the addiction.

- Leigh

[jessicadittmer]

LOL! Thanks! I have a lot to learn but looking forward to the journey. "project framework"? Jay, can you tell me more about that? Like work on a series of certain things as I learn?

[Leigh]

I think Jay's talking about a conceptual focus. Create an oiutline in your mind of what you want to show in your images.

You can have dozens of different projects running concurrently; you're not limited to just one or a few.

Think in terms of a book. What would you want to collect for inclusion in a book on the subject of __________________?

One book might be "How I Learned to Use a View Camera".

This would encompass learning all the various movements and controls, what they do,
when to use them (and when not to). Then shoot examples to show the effect of each.

Another really common one that would tie in with the foregoing is still life images.
These frequently require camera movements to render the subject properly.

And the list goes on. The idea is to clearly visualize the concept of what you want to do before you start doing it.

- Leigh

[Jay DeFehr]

LOL! Thanks! I have a lot to learn but looking forward to the journey. "project framework"? Jay, can you tell me more about that? Like work on a series of certain things as I learn?

Hi Jessica,

The luxury of being an amateur comes with a price. Without specific demands on production of finished work, it's too easy to obsess over (in my case), or ignore various aspects of the imaging chain, and in a larger sense, there's little external demand to develop an artistic voice. Defining specific projects, and doing what's required to see those projects through to completion will provide a fuller and more timely education, and encourage you to develop not only as a technician, but as an artist, assuming that's a goal for you. This defined framework is one advantage of a formal education, which requires a means by which to measure progress and achievement. I feel this is one reason I've developed less in 10 years than most students do in 5.

This deficiency has become glaringly apparent as I begin working on defined projects with deadlines and expectations for finished work. There are lots of holes in my competencies, some of them bigger than others, so that in many ways, I feel I'm just beginning my education, despite years of practice. I don't think projects need be overly ambitious to be effective, in fact I'd say that would be a mistake. Yes, you need to stretch for growth, but within reason. I think if you're realistic about your abilities, which can be difficult for beginners to gauge, and define projects you can reasonably expect to complete within the time frame allowed (open ended projects are dangerous for anyone, and more so for beginners), you'll meet plenty of challenges and opportunities for growth along the way.

Your projects might begin with something as simple as producing a finished portrait, matted and framed, by a given date, and that will be enough to create the need for you to think about all of the issues involved, and plan your work to meet your deadline. I think this kind of holistic approach is, in the end, much more productive than obsessing over any specific areas of process or technique.


Best of luck to you, and I look forward to seeing more of your work.

[Holdenrichards]

Takes a while to get used to the sheer size of the viewfinding in the 810, I keep reminding myself of the need to fill that nice big frame in front of me and that while the object itself may seem big (bigger than in any other camera I look through) a step or two toward the subject is usually needed. Excellent first image.

[jessicadittmer]

thanks for this info. this will help me a lot! I'm going to reread these posts too as I decide my next steps.

[cosmicexplosion]

nice first one.

my impressions are to much white in background making faces hard to focus on, and yes a little more of boys in picture.

but keep it going, good models!

[desertrat]

I think your first negative and print turned out pretty well. Large format is something that takes some time and practice to work the bugs out, I think more so than 35mm or roll film. My first ever LF image was using an old Seneca Competitor view camera with an 8-1/2" lens because I hadn't made a lensboard yet for a 12" lens I had bought previously. The bellows leaked light like a sieve so I had black fabric wrapped around them. The camera was sitting on a chair because I didn't have a tripod yet. The film holder was loaded with expired RC paper because I hadn't bought any film yet. The camera was (more or less) focused on the fence in my front yard. Three trial exposures and tray development in the bathroom and I got a usable image. After the paper neg dried, I spent at least an hour pouring over it with a triplet magnifier that was the taking lens salvaged from an old Zeiss-Ikon SLR that used 126 Instamatic cartridges. I couldn't get over the amount of detail in that paper neg. Eventually I printed it.

Getting contact printer glass clean and keeping it clean isn't easy. A tiny speck of something on the glass will show up on the print. Some older glass can have nicks or flaws that can't be cleaned off. Sometimes the only thing that can be done is to replace the glass. It wouldn't hurt to check the negative to see if some of the faint spots might be on it. I've had expired ortho litho film that produced spots like those on my prints. It won't be easy, there are a lot of little procedural details required to get good prints. I've never been able to make a single print that was completely free of a few little spots or flaws, so I started learning how to retouch prints. I think that's an integral part of print making, also part of the challenges and rewards of analog photography.