Hi from South Africa

[Roy Menzies]

After years of digital I recently built a 120 format pinhole and that rekindled the wonderful old feeling of anticipation, waiting for the film to be processed. That led to the purchase of a ZERO 4x5 which gives amazingly sharp images. Only trouble is, after paying the lab processing rates my kids' inheritance will be no more.

So, off to the store this morning for some chemistry. Just the familiar, but almost forgotten smell has got my pulse racing. Now for a LF film scanner.......
Oh well, the kids can earn their own money ;~)

[Marek Warunkiewicz]

Good for you! Where in SA are you? I grew up in Durban and miss it deeply. Welcome to LFPF!

[Diane Maher]

Welcome to the forum, Roy!

[Roy Menzies]

Thank you, that's where we live!

[Vick Vickery]

Welcome to group therepy, Roy! Sorry 'bout your kids inheritance, but they do need to learn to be independent! Fine life lesson you're handing out!

[Roy Menzies]

Haha! Thanks everyone, and Vick, I finally broke it to the kids today: on their 40th birthday they're outta here. Or is that a bit harsh?

[Michael Cienfuegos]

The kids' inheritance??? It ain't an inheritance 'til you're dead, til then it's all yours! Enjoy!

[Charles Hohenstein]

Welcome, Roy.

[Andrew O'Neill]

Welcome!

[philosomatographer]

Hello Roy,

I am also a South African (Johannebsurg) and I also recently joined this forum owing to also recently (in the past year) having started large format photography (4x5in).

Loking forward to seeing your work! Just a word of advice, if you're doing balck and white, and you've never made darkroom prints from large format negatives before, you are in for a real treat - equipment is available cheaply, and the quality is sublime. I actualy find scanning more of a fuss than making prints the way they were meant to be made :-)

I also much prefer the look of scanned prints, for the times when I do want to post online, which has many benefits: If you are happy to make a small (8x10in) print for scanning, scanning is faster, dust is less of a problem, and you don't need nearly as good a scanner to get amazing images. This is my most recent scanned 8x10in print (after having discovered the wonders of using discontinue Ilford Technical Line film [at ISO 6] for general-purpose photography):

Reach for the light

(1950s Schneider-Kreuznach Symmar 150mm at f/5.6)

Have fun,
Dawid