Slackline 8x10

[Rahul Sharma]

So I recently got my hands on an Ansco 8x10 camera. Being a cheap bugger, I use paper negatives, which effectively give me the shutterspeed of an angry daguerreotypist. I was trawling the campus with the 8x10 and found my friend slacklining. After much convincing, setting up, focussing and whatnot, this picture was taken.

CJ Slackline 8x10 bw reduced size​

 

[Asher Kelman]

So I recently got my hands on an Ansco 8x10 camera. Being a cheap bugger, I use paper negatives, which effectively give me the shutterspeed of an angry daguerreotypist. I was trawling the campus with the 8x10 and found my friend slacklining. After much convincing, setting up, focussing and whatnot, this picture was taken.[/CENTER]

Rahul Sharma: CJ Slackline 8x10 bw reduced size​

Raul,

The need for extended exposure, with the slow as molasses paper negative, allows the recording of the activity over time and so we see the movement of the rope and his arms. This would require a ND filter on the digital camera to approach such an effect, but then the depth of field would have been greater. As it is, the picture is a success and admirable! BTW, for my own education, what paper didi you use and was it the same for the print and how was they each processed?

Asher

 

[Rahul Sharma]

I use Ilford grade 3 paper. I generally meter using my digital camera at iso 200 and f9 and just multiply the shutter speed by 30. Dev is in dektol 1:5 till it looks right, and the resulting negative is contact printed with the same solution the negative was processed in.

 

[Asher Kelman]

I use Ilford grade 3 paper. I generally meter using my digital camera at iso 200 and f9 and just multiply the shutter speed by 30. Dev is in dektol 1:5 till it looks right, and the resulting negative is contact printed with the same solution the negative was processed in.

So you process in trays by direct inspection. So no drums for you?

Asher

 

[Rahul Sharma]

Not really. because I use paper, I can work with the safelight on. That is useful for multiple reasons.

First of all, because intrinsically, paper is really contrasty, especially if you use multigrade. SO I like the flexibility of being able to mix a different dilution as I go along and process it visually. (I don't preflash the paper, because I am lazy)

Secondly, because I am poor, and drums are additional expenditure

And thirdly, because if for some reason, if the exposure came out all goofy and such, then I have the flexibility to jerk it, which would give me a muddy, but still salvagable negative.

Plus, It is always so nice to see the image show up in the developing tray.

 

[Rahul Sharma]

One thing, though, I recently got a box of Panalure. Now I am not of a sufficiently advanced age or experience to know of paper qualities off the top of my head, so I developed it under my amber safelight. I got miserable prints. It seems Panalure is pan paper, so either I get myself a drum, or red safelight, or I just condemn, what sounds like a wonderful paper.

 

[Ben Rubinstein]

So what are the actual shutter speeds?

 

[Tom dinning]

I've done this more than a few times with the kids. Nothing quite as sophisticated as using a camera, though. Anyone out there remember making the pinhole camera with a shoe box or the like, using print paper for producing the neg and contact printing onto another sheet of paper. I had one kid use a rubbish bin. Used 16 x 20 paper and 4 minute exposure with an f number somewhere in the hundreds. When he showed it to me I told him it was a stack of rubbish. Joke, right
My science teacher showed me how to do it when I was about 12, and probably his before him. This is kids stuff and we should all be kids sometimes.
Good on you, Rahul

 

[Asher Kelman]

This is kids stuff and we should all be kids sometimes.

Exactly!

My camera was an Oatmeal box. (In those days I thought it was a British company, LOL!). I myself did those contact prints and also had a chemistry set. Hmm, also set the room on fire with my chemistry set. My kid brother slept through it, even when I turned the linoleum 180 degrees to hid the missing floor!

My great step up was to a Brownie box camera, two tiny view finders, for portrait and landscape, respectively. That was my magic and it never left!

Asher

 

[Asher Kelman]

This is kids stuff and we should all be kids sometimes.

Exactly!

My camera was an Oatmeal box. I did those contact prints and also had a chemistry set........ Hmm, also set the room on fire with my chemistry set. My kid brother slept through it, even when I turned the linoleum 180 degrees to hide the missing floor!

My great step up was to a Brownie box camera, two tiny view finders, for portrait and landscape, respectively. That was my magic and it never left!

Asher

 

[Rahul Sharma]

So what are the actual shutter speeds?

So for the slackline image, it was 1/10 of a second. That seems pretty fast until you realise that my dslr set on spot metering was telling me the exposure should have been 1/600 of a second. Also a compensation was made for f stop, with me going down a stop to f16.

I wish I could use 8x10 photography as play. I am currently working on a project involving mannequins of stereotypes of indian people. Some really heavy stuff. Once in a while though, I take out the big bertha (my 8x10) and go take street photographs. The stares themselves make it totally worth it. Especially because I am pretty young, and work with a piece of equipment that predates my grandpa by 5 years.

 

[Ben Rubinstein]

What fun, honestly. Would love to have a go trying it out.