F11 magazine, Michael A. Smith and Paula Chamlee featured

[Sal Santamaura]

...in the vicinity of Te Anau...

Last April, in conjunction with my wife's convention presentations at an Australian convention, we added a travel leg and spent three nights in Te Anau. Through sheer coincidence, it was probably the best week of your year for freedom from sandflies in Fiordland. We even had one spectacular sunny day, during which I managed to make a few really nice images, albeit with my small digital gadget, not a large format camera. The places you picture on this forum frequently look very familiar. Now that you've narrowed things down from "Southland New Zealand" I know why.

Beyond the spectacular physical environment, two things stood out. One was the approach to Queenstown airport. The other was my first left-side-of-road driving experience. Both terrified my wife but pleased me.

I'm sorry not to have known where you live, David. Meeting you would been another great New Zealand memory.

...Back in the good old days of analog abundance some of these forum fights over personalities were occasionally ( and sadly) fun sport...

I disagree. The conflicts you refer to never were, aren't now and never will be "fun." They're nasty diversions that have no place here.

[Bruce Barlow]

Michael, I realize that your focus has been on your AZO forum and website; but your expertise in silver chloride paper printing would be of definite benefit to this large format community. Might I suggest that you could start a thread here on silver chloride paper printing. It could be a long running thread such as some of the others whereby you and others could post on the subject. Ideally, it could become a topic with multiple threads. Just a thought.

Their website already has such threads, freely accessed and very informative. There's much more good information there than could be replicated here for a long, long time. I go there when I want answers, and usually find them without even posting a question. You might have a look there, first.

[mdm]

April is my favourite month to be in Southland, although last April we had unseasonal snow on the 12th, its usually cool and calm and crystal clear. I am afraid I did not live in Te Anau when you passed through.

Last April, in conjunction with my wife's convention presentations at an Australian convention, we added a travel leg and spent three nights in Te Anau. Through sheer coincidence, it was probably the best week of your year for freedom from sandflies in Fiordland. We even had one spectacular sunny day, during which I managed to make a few really nice images, albeit with my small digital gadget, not a large format camera. The places you picture on this forum frequently look very familiar. Now that you've narrowed things down from "Southland New Zealand" I know why.

Beyond the spectacular physical environment, two things stood out. One was the approach to Queenstown airport. The other was my first left-side-of-road driving experience. Both terrified my wife but pleased me.

I'm sorry not to have known where you live, David. Meeting you would been another great New Zealand memory.

I disagree. The conflicts you refer to never were, aren't now and never will be "fun." They're nasty diversions that have no place here.

[Drew Wiley]

I like his work itself, but not his inflexible methodology. I once tried ordering a box of Gr 3 Azo from him, but he sent me Gr 2 instead, since that is what one is the one you're "supposed" to use. Well, at this point I think I know what my own negatives need, and what their own contrast is like. But he probably would have sent
me nothing if he knew I was going to enlarge on it, since you HAVE to contact print it.

[Sal Santamaura]

April is my favourite month to be in Southland, although last April we had unseasonal snow on the 12th, its usually cool and calm and crystal clear...

We were there near the end of April. Only the slightest traces of snow remained in small south-facing crevices. See attached snapshot.

...I am afraid I did not live in Te Anau when you passed through.

In that case I've nothing to be sad about.

[Michael A. Smith]

I like his work itself, but not his inflexible methodology. I once tried ordering a box of Gr 3 Azo from him, but he sent me Gr 2 instead, since that is what one is the one you're "supposed" to use. Well, at this point I think I know what my own negatives need, and what their own contrast is like. But he probably would have sent
me nothing if he knew I was going to enlarge on it, since you HAVE to contact print it.

Sorry about that, Drew. I am not sure why you are so hateful. If that happened it was an error and you should have let us know ASAP. We would have sent you the Grade 3 and paid for return shipping of the Grade 2.

You wrote, "Grade 2 is the paper one is ‘supposed’ to use.” I don't know where you got that idea. Certainly not from me or Paula. Most of my work was printed on Grade 3 Azo.

We have kept a careful record on a data base of everyone who ever purchased Azo from us. 635 names. We have never edited it, even after people have deceased. Curiously, your name is not in the data base.

Michael A Smith

[Sal Santamaura]

As a Michael who's sick and tired of people not being able to spell one of the most simple and common names in the universe, what bothers me most here is the spelling in this thread's title.

Perhaps the OP was thinking of this other LF Forum member:

http://www.largeformatphotography.in...-Micheal-Clark

Abrasiveness is unattractive. Period.

[Paul Metcalf]

Enjoyed the article and was glad to see Michael and Paula are still doing their thing, it's been a while since I've last touched base (like the last View Camera's Large Format conference LOL). I had some prints along with me at the Monterey conference which both Michael and Paula looked at (Paula's was actually a formal portfolio review). I sort of stumbled into Azo/silver chloride printing - my local photo store had five Azo G3 100 sheet boxes for $68 a box and I had just made my first 8x10 negatives and was looking for something to contact print other than enlarging paper. My first attempts with Azo were with my regular B&W paper developer (not Amidol which I later went to after meeting and talking with Michael) but even with that my prints were much more satisfactory to me. I think it was also at the Monterey conference that Bruce had his print comparison project on hand, so I got to see all of the incredible hard work he put into that. And if I recall correctly, I think one of the most favorite papers from the blind survey was Ilford's Forte, which I had been using for my enlargements (blind luck again!). (Azo was also highly regarded IIRC but it might of been in it's own evaluation class since it was a contact printing paper vs enlarging paper, can't recall exactly). Three things Michael and Paula taught me (or I listened to LOL) in my meetings/discussion with them:
1) use the entire negative - every inch in every area of the frame - for the composition
2) the composition doesn't exist until it's seen on the ground glass (that completely changed my approach to LF photography)
3) use Grade 3 Azo and a water-bath development process to get the benefit of the G3's local contrast without compromising the long tonal scale of Azo (i.e. Grade 2 tonal scale with Grade 3 local especially in lower values)

What I haven't done is tried the Lodima, simply because I'm still working on my Azo supply and I also mess around with some alternative processes. I appreciate Michael's and Paula's commitment to their photography and craft. I miss the days of the conferences which allowed one to interact with others with the same passions (and share prints, processes, etc). Forums are good, but not a substitute. Paul

[Michael A. Smith]

Quote:Originally Posted by Doug Howk View Post
Michael, I realize that your focus has been on your AZO forum and website; but your expertise in silver chloride paper printing would be of definite benefit to this large format community. Might I suggest that you could start a thread here on silver chloride paper printing. It could be a long running thread such as some of the others whereby you and others could post on the subject. Ideally, it could become a topic with multiple threads. Just a thought.

Quote: Their website already has such threads, freely accessed and very informative. There's much more good information there than could be replicated here for a long, long time. I go there when I want answers, and usually find them without even posting a question. You might have a look there, first.
Bruce Barlow

I don't know how to do the quote thing where I wanted to quote from two responses. I hope the above is clear to everyone.

The Azo Forum: http://www.michaelandpaula.com/mp/AzoForum/default.asp

I originally began the Azo Forum in 2002 after I had written several articles about the silver chloride paper, Azo. The reason was that I was getting many questions and thought that with the Forum I would not have to answer the same question over and over. Well, the Azo Forum became so much more than I ever imagined. Many others contributed their knowledge, and there were not a small number of contributors who were far more knowledgeable than I was about various aspects of the paper and the process of printing it. There is enough material in the Azo Forum for a book to be made. If anyone is interested in doing that, let me know and I will assist in any way I can.

Since, after all, the knowledge about printing on silver chloride paper admits of only so much variety, the subject has for the most part been exhausted. These days, the Azo Forum only gets very occasional inquiries. Mostly the activity now revolves around the buying and selling of equipment. The person who does our web site wants me to close it down, as he could then move the site to a different server, and cost us less, but I feel that such a wealth of information should not disappear from public view. So it remains up on our site as a public service. It is heartwarming to learn that Bruce Barlow still uses it and we hope others do so as well.

Since, realistically, I no longer have the time to monitor the Forum as I did years ago (the years go by all too quickly) I would happily move the Azo Forum somewhere like the Large Format Photography Forum, perhaps as a sub forum. If the Forum owners/moderators are interested, let me know and perhaps we can work something out. (No, I am not implying that Paula and I will need to be paid, much as we could use the money.)

Michael A. Smith

Michael A. Smith

[Darin Boville]

Perhaps the OP was thinking of this other LF Forum member:

http://www.largeformatphotography.in...-Micheal-Clark

Abrasiveness is unattractive. Period.

For what it is worth, my middle name is Michael and I am forever forgetting how to spell it. I just had to double check, in fact, as I wrote that. Don't know why...

--Darin