TOP is interested in hearing from photographers who still do LF contact printing

[Oren Grad]

For those here who don't follow Mike Johnston's blog, The Online Photographer, this morning Mike posted a call for examples of large format contact printing. No money involved, nor is this a contest of any kind, and he's asking only for jpgs, not for actual prints. He's interested in getting a sense of who is doing LF contact printing these days and what they're up to, and plans to post some samples at the end of next week.

Here's a link to the post:

Baker's Dozen: Sheet Film (Call for Work) (http://theonlinephotographer.typepad.com/the_online_photographer/blog_index.html)

[Oren Grad]

The call is now closed, and here is the resulting post:

http://theonlinephotographer.typepad.com/the_online_photographer/2017/10/a-bakers-dozen-large-format-contact-prints.html

[fj55mike]

I'm pretty excited to have been selected by Mike to be featured in the post considering I'm a total beginner in contact printing. Looking forward to making more though.

[cowanw]

It's sometimes hard to know who people are by their handles, but congratulations to Thom Bennett, Will Whitaker,
Monty McCutchen, Gary Nylander and Denise Ross.

[Thom Bennett]

Happy to be included!

[chris_4622]

Wow, I made it too with the photo of my mom. Thanks Mike.

[William Whitaker]

Very neat to be included. Quite honored, actually. Thanks to Mike J. Also to Oren for alerting us!

[David Karp]

Congrats to all!

[Corran]

Submitted for fun, didn't get featured. Would love to know why, in terms of honest critique - though I have no idea if he even received my email due to no response. As some may have seen recently I have posted a few contact print scans on the forum but specifically this is the one I sent in (http://www.garrisaudiovisual.com/photosharing/print-7321ss.jpg).

Nice to see a variety of CPs.

[txind76121]

Hi Corran,
Honestly it's just that there's only so much space. I got about 45 submissions for 13 slots, and could have chosen many alternates. What I'm going for is variety and maybe the "twist," what you might call "ancillary interest," for instance the entry that allowed me to mention HABS/HAER. In some cases when there are similar entries I only picked one. For instance I chose a B&W portrait by Chris Fazio, and could have used an equally good one from Bill Cowan. Tough call.

Sometimes the presentation is key. Mike Rozier holding various prints was different than any other entry, and Bill Wyke's double picture of himself holding the print in a tray with a shot of the print next to it was a shoo-in from the start.

I've judged many contests and edited many features, and it's seldom just about judging whether any particular entry is "good" or "bad," although many people who enter tend to see it that way. It's more that the mix has to have the right balance overall and appeal to the broadest audience.

Sorry yours didn't get picked this time around, but thanks for participating!

All best,
Mike J.

P.S. You think it was hard this time, I've already gotten several hundred submissions for the Smartphone Baker's Dozen.... :-\

[David Karp]

Hi Mike, You should hang around here more often!

[bob carnie]

I was pleased to see lots of people I recognize who is Monty McCutchen btw??

I do tons of Contact prints but mine are all from digital capture or scans then make larger film for printing.

[Sal Santamaura]

...
All best,
Mike J...

Hi Mike. As long as you're here, it's time to edit your profile so the location reads "Penn Yan, NY" or "By the shore of Keuka Lake, NY" instead of "Small town 'Sconsin." :)

Sal

[Sal Santamaura]

...who is Monty McCutchen btw??...


http://www.largeformatphotography.info/forum/search.php?searchid=7200382

[Corran]

What I'm going for is variety and maybe the "twist," what you might call "ancillary interest,"

Yeah I get it, I should've sent you the 8x20 contact print I made recently and a picture of me making it instead. Sorry, I've had entirely too many rejections in a row lately (with no feedback), most far more important than an online blog featurette, so I had a moment.



P.S. You think it was hard this time, I've already gotten several hundred submissions for the Smartphone Baker's Dozen.... :-\

I don't envy you.

[txind76121]

Hi Mike, You should hang around here more often!

Hi Dave,
I just found this thread entirely by accident--clicked on a "came from" URL in the TypePad stats.

Alas, I basically hang out nowhere. It's all I can do to keep TOP going. It's much more work than it looks like, and I'm beginning to slow down a bit as I age. (I was 48 when I started the site 12 years ago.) And while I do have a c. 1903 Rochester Optical Pony Premo No. 6 whole-plate camera in the living room / front hall, it's there for show--I've never taken a picture with it.

At this point in history I wouldn't want the Pony Premo used. It's in fantastic condition for its age--essentially perfect, although it's not a York Peppermint Pattie because like most things that are 115 years old it can't be said to pass for new. But it's such a remarkable "survivor" that it would be a shame to start adding wear to it at this late date. I bought an ostrich-plume featherduster just to dust it!

I learned in about 1987 that I'm not naturally a view camera photographer. I think it demands a certain temperament. You have to be able to "previsualize" as AA put it--know what your picture is in advance. It still boggles my mind that Joel Meyerowitz shot 400 sheets of film to get the 100 pictures in St. Louis and the Arch...a 25% hit rate. Amazing.

I have about the opposite temperament--I like exploring, experimenting, note-taking, trying different things, and I have to admit I'm better suited to grab-shooting, snap-shooting, looking at things this way and that, playing around. Howard Bond and I used to debate 8x10 vs. 35mm and he would say he just wished more people would use LF when it's appropriate. With me, it's not that I don't take pictures I *wish* I had taken with a view camera...it's just that I never know in advance which ones those will be! What I found out was that halfway through setting up for an LF picture I'm ready to move on to the next thing. Pretty consistently. We all have to go with our strengths. (Sigh.)

To say I have a great deal of admiration for LF photographers is putting it mildly, though.

M.

[txind76121]

Sorry, I've had entirely too many rejections in a row lately (with no feedback)

Again, just a question of time. I'm a one-man band, so everything has to get done by me. Just acknowledging receipt of 45 emails is probably 20 minutes, 20 minutes I don't have. Much less offering any kind of constructive feedback for the 32 I didn't pick, which would kill an hour and more like two. I'm supposed to be doing something else right this minute, for instance. But I'm procrastinating. :-)

I'm at the point where I could literally spend 40 hours a week just replying to my email. Nothing else would get done.

That's just me, BTW--I'm a slow worker and I like to cogitate on things. And I tend to get lazier as the day wears on. Thom Hogan, Michael Zhang, Scott Kelby, Chase Jarvis, Joe McNally, or Ming Thein could probably run TOP in two hours after dinner three nights a week, but then, each of them probably has something like ten times the energy I have. :-)

Mike

[jnantz]

I was pleased to see lots of people I recognize who is Monty McCutchen btw??

i know, huh, people recognized :)
great to see denise ross there too !

over on photrio monty goes by zebra ...
he does 20x24 wet plate stuff that is jaw dropping
and a wicked nice person to boot ..

[cowanw]

Bob was being sarcastically funny folks;) They are intimates.:eek:

[bob carnie]

Monty is much shorter than me and quite uglier by a county mile. He needs to sneak up on a mirror every morning to shave , just in case the visual shocks him so much that he cuts himself.

[Monty McCutchen]

First and foremost I have to admit to being a bit humbled to being included in TOP’s selection. I’ve been a long time reader and no matter my age, I never tire of that feeling of being included by those you’ve long looked up to, whatever the field or endeavor might be—and so to Mike I’m thankful for that. AS to Bob teasing me, yes its true, I’ve been lucky enough to get to know Bob and his wonderful studio up in Toronto through various business trips there. We’ve become quite close. This past Christmas I gave him a step ladder so we could start having eye to eye conversations. All the good natured teasing aside, my pt/pd printing has been greatly improved under his constructive feedback. I’m grateful for his continued support.

Congrats to all included it was fun to see all of the excellent work.

Best,

Monty

[Merg Ross]

A talented bunch here! Great to see your work. Congrats to all.

Merg

[David Karp]

Hi Dave,
I just found this thread entirely by accident--clicked on a "came from" URL in the TypePad stats.

Alas, I basically hang out nowhere. It's all I can do to keep TOP going. It's much more work than it looks like, and I'm beginning to slow down a bit as I age. (I was 48 when I started the site 12 years ago.) And while I do have a c. 1903 Rochester Optical Pony Premo No. 6 whole-plate camera in the living room / front hall, it's there for show--I've never taken a picture with it.

At this point in history I wouldn't want the Pony Premo used. It's in fantastic condition for its age--essentially perfect, although it's not a York Peppermint Pattie because like most things that are 115 years old it can't be said to pass for new. But it's such a remarkable "survivor" that it would be a shame to start adding wear to it at this late date. I bought an ostrich-plume featherduster just to dust it!

I learned in about 1987 that I'm not naturally a view camera photographer. I think it demands a certain temperament. You have to be able to "previsualize" as AA put it--know what your picture is in advance. It still boggles my mind that Joel Meyerowitz shot 400 sheets of film to get the 100 pictures in St. Louis and the Arch...a 25% hit rate. Amazing.

I have about the opposite temperament--I like exploring, experimenting, note-taking, trying different things, and I have to admit I'm better suited to grab-shooting, snap-shooting, looking at things this way and that, playing around. Howard Bond and I used to debate 8x10 vs. 35mm and he would say he just wished more people would use LF when it's appropriate. With me, it's not that I don't take pictures I *wish* I had taken with a view camera...it's just that I never know in advance which ones those will be! What I found out was that halfway through setting up for an LF picture I'm ready to move on to the next thing. Pretty consistently. We all have to go with our strengths. (Sigh.)

To say I have a great deal of admiration for LF photographers is putting it mildly, though.

M.

Hey Mike,

You don't have to be a view camera photographer to hang out here! But I know that you don't have lots of extra time. In the end, we all just love photography.

I got some good work out of my 100+ year old Whole Plate Improved Seneca after it received a new bellows. Funny, most of my best work with it was using the 5x7 reducing back! Just a matter of chance, I think. Probably, it will soon be time to send it on to a new user though -- I have a new Whole Plate rig for my ARCA-Swiss monorail. On the other hand, I am thinking about how I might turn it in to a Whole Plate/5x7 enlarger!