Edwin Lachica
14-May-2006, 10:52
I never expected to be doing LF Photography or doing more photography at all. I couldn't find atelier space for painting so turned to doing some photographs with a DSLR. Somehow I needed something analog so I bid on a Rolleiflex 2.8 A on eBay. The Rollei arrived but in need of a major CLA. Out of frustration I bid and won a Sinar F2 4x5 which was just a couple of hundred francs more than what I paid for the Rollei. I worked as an account manager in an advertising agency which was affiliated with Grey worldwide but by then all the photographers we were hiring were doing MF or digital so I did not have a concept of what a view camera is. All I know is that the Sinar was a bargain and it sounded totally analog to me. And so the journey began. Google turned up LF.info and I am and will always be indebted to the community.
Aside from the Rolleiflex 2,8A fiasco, I was quite lucky on my other purchases both from eBay (although I have limited to buying items from Switzerland) and various for-sale ads posted on the websites of local photo shops.
It has been a rush the past 6 months to complete my equipment: lenses -- 240mm Komuranon, 150mm Nikkor-W, 90mm Geronar-WA MC (the last two came with a Sinar F1, or rather the F1 was sold with both lenses and other accesories thrown in at a price one would normally pay for the used Nikkor), film holders (got a mixed lot of 26 film holders including Toyo, Fidelity and Lisco all for under 200 francs), and best of all after scouring local postings, I was able to aquire a Durst 1000 with a color head and condensor head, 150 EL-Nikkor, Negative carriers, easel, grain magnifier, and a mixed lot of around 1000 sheets of Ilford paper all for under 500 francs from an institution that has gone all digital.
The ride has been smooth so far thanks to LF.info. One initial mistake though was buying the Rollei R3 film as my first film before I shopped to compare B&W film prices. The price of film made me hesitant to make practice shots although it did force me to do more exercises setting up and view camera movements. I don't think I can stop now that I've experienced the magic of darkroom work.
As a thank you to the community, I'm also volunteering for the film bank/drop-off project I read about in the forum. It will not be problem to arrange for Rollei, Maco, Foma, and Ilford 4x5 sheet film for anyone visiting eastern Switzerland (of course within reasonable time frames).
I'll be documenting the UNESCO World Heritage listed Baroque churches of the Philippines on a visit this July. Hopefully they turn out well enough to be posted for a critique.
Aside from the Rolleiflex 2,8A fiasco, I was quite lucky on my other purchases both from eBay (although I have limited to buying items from Switzerland) and various for-sale ads posted on the websites of local photo shops.
It has been a rush the past 6 months to complete my equipment: lenses -- 240mm Komuranon, 150mm Nikkor-W, 90mm Geronar-WA MC (the last two came with a Sinar F1, or rather the F1 was sold with both lenses and other accesories thrown in at a price one would normally pay for the used Nikkor), film holders (got a mixed lot of 26 film holders including Toyo, Fidelity and Lisco all for under 200 francs), and best of all after scouring local postings, I was able to aquire a Durst 1000 with a color head and condensor head, 150 EL-Nikkor, Negative carriers, easel, grain magnifier, and a mixed lot of around 1000 sheets of Ilford paper all for under 500 francs from an institution that has gone all digital.
The ride has been smooth so far thanks to LF.info. One initial mistake though was buying the Rollei R3 film as my first film before I shopped to compare B&W film prices. The price of film made me hesitant to make practice shots although it did force me to do more exercises setting up and view camera movements. I don't think I can stop now that I've experienced the magic of darkroom work.
As a thank you to the community, I'm also volunteering for the film bank/drop-off project I read about in the forum. It will not be problem to arrange for Rollei, Maco, Foma, and Ilford 4x5 sheet film for anyone visiting eastern Switzerland (of course within reasonable time frames).
I'll be documenting the UNESCO World Heritage listed Baroque churches of the Philippines on a visit this July. Hopefully they turn out well enough to be posted for a critique.