Hi from Dark Mower

Dark Mower · Sep 17, 2006

Hi, I’m new here. I won’t bore you all, I hope. I’ve been working with cameras, alternative processes and printing press cameras since the late mid-70s. And there have been equal years in various graphic arts cameras. You know the two room setup with the camera in one room and the bed of the camera/darkroom in the second room? Yeah, I lived in the ‘cave’ forever. But you can’t imagine all the times I enjoyed the process camera, much like an oversized view camera, with a 32-inch bed. The monster negatives were fun to make.

I know a lot about the ancient and alternative processes. I’ve got about 80 vintage cameras from the early 1900s to a couple of digital ones. I’ve got Diana cameras, a Rolleiflex TLR, a SpeedGraflex and a Conley 4x5 (technically it is a glass plate camera.) There are two Kodak Retina cameras and a cute as a bug Kodak Signet 35 camera. I’ve got a couple of spot meters and quite a few handheld meters. And there is the weird one I made that you see, at least temporarily, under my name, my dirt cheap 4x5 “Wondra-view” view camera with the film holder being the most expensive part. Weird, huh? Yeah, I need to airbrush it and make it look legitimate.

After all these years I’m still learning.

Anybody here remember the Diana camera? Did I bore you yet? Hi, everyone.

Torus34 · Sep 17, 2006

Oh, my! You and Mysteryscribe are going to get along just fine!

Welcome.

Looks like I should dig up and dust off my GE DW58 and load some film into the Praktica IVb.

Mitica100 · Sep 18, 2006

Welcome to TPF. Nice array of little gems you got in there...

terri · Sep 18, 2006

Bore me.....?! You're my new TPF hero! :lol:

:thumbsup:

Post your stuff, I'm begging you!

mysteryscribe · Sep 18, 2006

terri you fickle person you lol falls for a pretty camera everytime

Welcome to the madness retro camera type person.

terri · Sep 18, 2006

mysteryscribe said:
terri you fickle person you lol falls for a pretty camera everytime

Welcome to the madness retro camera type person.

It's true. I cheerfully admit it. :sillysmi:

mysteryscribe · Sep 18, 2006

please note the restraint in the choice of wording this is a family site rofl

Dark Mower · Sep 18, 2006

LOL…thanks for the warm welcome. It looks like good members here. This is my second beginning. Do I have the energy to go the distance the second time? I think I can.

The short story is a friend of mine found an old Unicolor 35mm, black and white, enlarger in the yearly trash pick up two days ago. He gave it to me. It did have the lens so it had some worth. Then I thought of my Omega enlarger stored away. The thoughts of the old and weird cameras I have snowballed my memories of the fun I had taking pictures and making prints. I am learning what is new here because one thing led to another.

That old enlarger will sit in my truck for a week. The more I talk about darkroom equipment, the more interested my friend gets. I think he’ll want the enlarger back. I might end up being a teacher and he can pass on the tradition. This could get interesting.

Give me some time to pull up old pictures. I should mention I saved a lot of glass plate negatives before people would throw them out. I love ‘em. They are big enough to simply contact print. Here is a sample and one of my favorites. If you look carefully then you might see an engine under the horse drawn carriage. And the guy seems to have his hand on a…steering wheel? Could the picture be a proud new-fangled horseless carriage getting ready for a 4th of July parade? Does the picture have a new development of Victorian style homes in the background? The way the print looks, it is definitely an orthochromatic emulsion on the glass negative.

I’ve got more that I need to dig out. Thanks for the welcome.