Film: Old portfolio work - B&W and Tech Pan

[Scott Keating]

I'm a new member here and as I mentioned in my intro I was looking around the 'net for Kodak Tech-Pan film. I thought it had been discontinued (as have a lot of films) but after finding a pack of Technidol developer I thought I'd check it out. Google turned up a link here and... well, neat forum.

Just to share, a couple of old pictures from the mid/late-80s when I fancied myself a fine-arts/landscape photographer. Some of it kind of makes me think "what was I thinking?"

Scott Keating: Barn & Stream, foothills of the Blueridge Mountains - Nikon F w/Nikkor 50mm f1.4, Tech-Pan film

Scott Keating: Seneca Rocks, West Virginia - Mamiya 645, TMAX-100 film

Scott Keating: Henry House Hill - Manassas National Battlefield Park - Nikon F w/Nikkor 50mm f1.4 - Tech-Pan film​

Comments welcome.

 

[Michael Fontana]

Hi Scott

TP-25 and Technidol, yep I used these ones too, and remember that the TP was harder to roll in the developer tank's spiral than other films, beeing thinner. But with a 6/9 cm- neg, its prints didn't showed any grain till 1 meter in size!

 

[Asher Kelman]

Welcome, Scott,

We're more than delighted to see film! These pictures really add to our breadth of experience here and might wake up some folks to follow suit.

Just to share, a couple of old pictures from the mid/late-80s when I fancied myself a fine-arts/landscape photographer. Some of it kind of makes me think "what was I thinking?"

Scott Keating: Seneca Rocks, West Virginia - Mamiya 645, TMAX-100 film​

What were you thinking? You were doing instead! This picture is good on my screen! For sure in print it is even more impressive. I've never seen an image before where the mountain moves and the clouds stay still!

Asher

 

[Jim Galli]

Hi Scott. 'nother film cronie here. I always got sideways with TP and never liked it much. I've taken the other path and just use brute force sizes of film to accomplish something similar. In the freezer though, I have rolls of Kodak Aerial Recon Panatomic X which I cut up for the 5X7 and 8X10 cameras. With a 40X microscope I still can't find the grain and I've heard it is what the TP grew out of. It seems much friendlier to me, the TP always being so *&%^&% fussy. I paid a small ransom last year for a couple of bricks of Panatomic X in 120 size. Cake and eat it too.

Welcome, and some really beautiful work you've shown. The local contrast in these is pretty sweet (which is why you use the TP in the first place right.) I think I've still got most of a 150 foot roll of Kodak 35mm Tech Pan in the freezer that I'll never use.

 

[Scott Keating]

What were you thinking? You were doing instead! This picture is good on my screen! For sure in print it is even more impressive. I've never seen an image before where the mountain moves and the clouds stay still!

Thanks! That's one of my favorites from, 1988 I think. It's worth a story though: I took a friend of mine out there for a day trip and hiking (3 hours one way too, yikes). She and I walked about halfway up to the top and back, took a ton of pictures but nothing worthwhile. It looked like rain and we were tired so we packed up to leave. Just on the main road I glanced back and saw that scene...jumped out, set up my tripod (never shut the car off), set everything up, grabbed the spot meter, did some guessing, and took a few quick frames.

That scene disappeared just as quickly as it appeared. 30 seconds after I took that the whole of Seneca Rocks went dark and we were in the middle of a thunderstorm.

Luck, apparently, helps.

 

[Jim Galli]

Luck, apparently, helps.

f8 and be there is potent too!

 

[Scott Keating]

I have rolls of Kodak Aerial Recon Panatomic X which I cut up for the 5X7 and 8X10 cameras. With a 40X microscope I still can't find the grain and I've heard it is what the TP grew out of. It seems much friendlier to me, the TP always being so *&%^&% fussy. I paid a small ransom last year for a couple of bricks of Panatomic X in 120 size. Cake and eat it too.

I'm not really sure what the history is on the aerial film. Aerial Pan-x (2412) was discontinued at the end of 2007. For large-format aerial work I always used 2405 and it definitely had grain but the film-base is very similar to tech-pan. I think the pan-x stuff was primarily for high-altitude work where the speed isn't too critical anyway - wish I had some

 

[Scott Keating]

I meant to add this one!

The others are 35mm and medium format, this completes the format series with 4x5. I do remember the entire place was a sheet of ice and hauling that stuff around and setting up the tripod was a real challenge.

Scott Keating: Harper's Ferry, West Virginia in Winter (1988?) - 4x5 monorail view camera w/Tmax-400 film​

 

[Asher Kelman]

Scott,

What's the rectangle in the rock face in the upper 1/3 of the picture center?

Asher

 

[Scott Keating]

It's an old sign from the 1800s. Supposedly it said "Mennen's Borated Talcum Toilet Powder", but I've never been able to read anything but "powder"

 

[Ian L. Sitren]

Beautiful work!

I also shoot on a Mamiya 645 AFDII and in black and white do shoot T-Max often. But I have real preference to shoot Tri-X especially when I can push it 2 stops.

 

[Mike Shimwell]

Scott great stuff.

If you're after microfilm now you might try Adox CMS20 in their developer (also known as Spur orthopan) which alledgedly outresolves Tech Pan squite significantly. It has less red sensitivity than TechPan so looks different and still quite finicky. I've also used it to make zone plates and developed in Rodinal - then it excels.

Ian, one day I'll be sucked in to medium format and it will be your and David Loubser's fault...

Mike

 

[Erie Patsellis]

I meant to add this one!

The others are 35mm and medium format, this completes the format series with 4x5. I do remember the entire place was a sheet of ice and hauling that stuff around and setting up the tripod was a real challenge.
Scott Keating: Harper's Ferry, West Virginia in Winter (1988?) - 4x5 monorail view camera w/Tmax-400 film[/center]

Great image Scott, welcome to OPF from another film holdout. Since I've gone back to school full time I haven't been checking here as often as I should apparently. Good luck, hope to see more of your fantastic images.

erie

 

[Rachel Foster]

I particularly like #2!

 

[Nigel Allan]

As you can see from some of my posts I have redsicovered film as a result of taking up photography again with a DSLR - nice irony there. These are lovely and confirm why I love film. The grain and smooth tones do it for me every time. Let's have more

 

[Michael Fontana]

Scott great stuff.
.............. Ian, one day I'll be sucked in to medium format and it will be your and David Loubser's fault...

Mike

Mike - why not a straight step - 4/5'?

 

[Erie Patsellis]

Mike - why not a straight step - 4/5'?

well, maybe I can nudge you a little bit in that direction:

Sinar P, 210 Symmar, 1/2 sec (or so) @f22, Tmax400 (darkest part of the engine place on Zone IV, due to TMY's amazing ability to just build density seemingly forever (much like the late Super XX), getting the entire image's tonal range onto the straight line portion of the H&D curve.)

Scan of a work print (ignore the dust...), final image is printed 16x20, with similar tonality, though slightly darker (and negative cleaner). The electronic version doesn't do the image justice, an optical print is sharp as a tack, and amazingly nearly grain free. Shot at the Midwest Large Format Asylum outing in November, at the Monticello Railroad Museum.

erie