How Much Have We Accomplished?

[neil poulsen]

Covid didnt slow me down so much as coincidental health problems . . .

Kirk, Sorry to hear about your health problems. Old age has a way of being fickle. Hopefully, you'll emerge from 2020 with all those problems having been temporary inconveniences.

[Tin Can]

Good work and Bless you and yours this year and more

I successfully completed the ChromaGraphica Kickstarter campaign, getting everybody’s holders out to them and resolving the occasional issue.

Got the rest of the production shipped here and started building holders for retail sale.

Sourced a US supplier of plate drying rack parts, blank glass, and also sourced smooth black glass for wet plate shooters.

Those are the highlights.

[Randy]

Haven't done much. Pop died back in June (not from covid) so me and my siblings have been handling his affairs and getting Mom settled. I have shot and processed a few sheets of 4X5, as well as a couple rolls of 35mm in old cameras. Darn back problems has diminished my motivation to shoot large format somewhat. It's a shame - we have had some nice weather the past couple months here in south central Virginia

[vnukov_pk]

Covid spring lockdown got me started in cyanotype and van dyke. In autumn I got new to me 13*18 camera and learned how to dev film in trays. Not bad for a year of shorter work hours.

[neil poulsen]

My wife and I are retired. While age makes us vulnerable to COVID, our retirement status and income has enabled us to STAY HOME! As a result, it's been a relatively productive year, both in photography and making progress in our over-sized yard.

I've been working on a rather solitary project photographing local historic architecture in our college town. Now that winter's here, I look forward to printing B&W silver and processing color image files.

[John Layton]

While my slowing down of print sales had earlier made me somewhat depressed, I now find myself caring a bit less about this - which is starting to feel liberating. This, combined with much less photo-related travel, has meant more just poking around my yard and woods with my camera...kind of like how I got started all those years ago - and I've been finding and creating some nice compositions.

[tgtaylor]

So far Covid-19 hasn't inhibited my photography although I haven't been out photograping and printing anywhere near what I was doing prior to it. I was scheduled for cataract surgery on the right eye just as the pandemic broke out and was apprehensive about having it done in Palo Alto which was the epicenter of the covid outbreak in the bay area at the time. But after two weeks of daily monitoring the vitals (which I continue to do ) I began to plan for a one week road trip in Northern California – which subsequently became a two week trip, at least - and had arrived at the crux of the plan: should I take the 2 F6's (one for B&W and the other for color) and the 8x10 for the alternative print OR the 645NII and P67II and the 8x10? That dilemma was rudely interrupted at 6am on a Sunday morning by a big bang that sounded like a nearby explosion. It was one bolt in the wave of lightening strikes that started the wildfires that consumed much of the west coast – including the area that was in the trips itinerary. So that put a stop to that idea. But not permanently - the road trip is back on the front burner for either this winter or spring.

[Nigel Smith]

I actually need to go back to work for a holiday! Job/home life get blurred too easily.

Photographically (not that I consider this photography as such) I've scanned 16,375 (give or take a few) negatives and slides. Currently working my way through colour negatives and some prints... probably around 200 films to go! I've found some nuggets, but there's a whole lot of tailings! I constructed a Arduino based Shutter Tester but haven't decided whether it's any good. Played around with paRodinal enough to see that it works.

We've reworked our veggie patch so that it's now raised (600mm) so you don't need to bend over to weed/etc. Growing 3 kinds of onions (red,brown & spring), radishes, tomatoes (3 types I think), carrots (2 types), strawberries, coriander (finished for year), capsicum and basil. I pruned my chili plants in winter and they have bounced back with vigor. Huge crop coming! Lots of lemons on tree (it's only a couple of years old) starting to yellow but my lime tree is disappointing. It's also new and produces lots of flowers/buds but they all drop off. It's still growing so I think that's the issue however I can't bring myself to remove the flowers as they appear just in case one survives. Also cleaned the shed out to get my old car out and move it to my garage (which means my son looses the spot!) with the intention to get it back on the road (technically it is, but you wouldn't want to go to far from home!)

Planning on doing some picture taking and printing over the Christmas break.

[Jim Jones]

Much of my photography in recent years has been pro bono sports for a local school. That produces an occasional photo that makes it well worth while. With sports moving indoors, it could be an opportunity to catch up on organizing, editing, and printing. Otherwise, the virus hasn't made much of a change in my life. Twenty years in the U. S. Navy was good preparation for this.