Foot in the water

[Paul Potera]

I can’t follow up stories from the Arctic. No use in even trying.

I am new to OPF. I used to be active in the Photography forums back in the day of Genie and CompuServe. Get in the “Way-Back” machine Mr. Peabody: I spent almost 10 years in Los Angeles doing Editorial work and about 7 years in DC doing commercial photography. Being a photographer I had some extra time on my hands and I was “drafted” into the computer games industry in 1993. Since then I have been on an extended leave from photography. I am testing the waters again and I have really been taken by the talent I have seen on OPF. The pictures posted that I have seen are breath-taking. Kudos to you guys.

Since I am opening closets that haven’t been peeked into in a number of years, I am likely to sell my large format gear and use the proceeds to buy a new digital rig. I will be cruising the boards looking for advice on new digital cameras since I am intent on taking the plunge again. It looks like I am in the right place.

I can pitch in on some of the dated methods of doing things. I hold a degree in Photography although in the past ten years it seems like EVERYTHING has changed. I still have rolls of VPS in the freezer and I have an appreciation for how they are feeling right now.

Cheers to all,

Paul

 

[Asher Kelman]

Hi Paul!

Welcome so much! I'm sure that you have so much to share. Especially in your store of analog pictures which will be fascinating and your experience. Film is not dead, just for specialized work.

For example, different black and white films, like TriX and TMax have properties not seen in digital. Gain, and this is my interest, for discrete projects where one only needs one great interior or landscape scene for a project, but with fantastic detail, then one can rent a top of the line Sinar back for example or else shoot 8x10 film.

The choice of film is to me simple. It just requires care and basic knowledge and has the advantage of low cost and a feeling of almost infinite quality. Further one can readily accept the challenge of planes of focus that are beyond ordinary digital cameras.

So I still hold film as important to the creative photographer. However, if one is earning a living shooting large architectural projects then the digital back is obviously hard to beat.

I hope you have some of your photography available to scan and share!

Also we are building a base in film especially large format so your experience will be important to us!

Again thanks for joining us and we hope this will be your new home.

Asher

P.S. Concerning digital, all the expertise you could imagine is here just for the asking. I'm just delighted to have a real film guy join us!

 

[Harvey Moore]

Hello Paul

Welcome, your post is timely and possibly expensive for me. I have been looking at re-acquiring film expertise (and gear) that has been long dormant for me, too long.

Looking forward to your posts.

harvey

 

[Paul Potera]

Many thanks for the Welcome, Asher and Harvey.

I have been poking around on the boards some more and find the pictures amazing. Photography in its Art form has always impressed me, and probably what initially drew me into the field. My "career" was more telling a story, (editorial), or product based, (commercial).

The gear, even though it is just a tool, is still cool to play with. I enjoy that very much.

Harvey, I will look for your name on the forum and get more information on what formats you are playing with. I have a Sinar, a Hasse and a bunch of Nikons, so I have most of it covered. I look forward it.

Thanks again!

Paul