Very first(est) attempts at b&w photography

[Dew]

do you have a film scanner? .. i'll send you a roll of b&w film ... (dont know if it'll hold up in the mail, i know when we send the hubby's mom stuff in Germany .. it takes about 7-10 days)

i've used the C-41 color process b&w film (as a matter of fact, we still have one roll sitting over here) .... i've found myself doing a lot of post process work in photoshop ... contrast wasnt hard enough for me, the tonal range wasnt as flexible

im willing to send u a roll of ilford HP5 400 to try so you wont give up ... we develop our own film here, it takes me 15 mins (really easy, even for a clumsy lady like myself )

you've got great potential in you b&w venture, i'd hate to see ya give it up

 

[Osmer_Toby]

ya, c-41, i meant c-41, not -31. heheh. that lack of sleep thing again....

i too would be willing to send you a roll of my fav bw film (free of charge, of course) if you're really wanting to expand your repertoire.

let me know if you're interested.

as for scanning from the neg, this will give you much crisper shots- you usually lose a ton of quality when scanning prints from a flatbed. i have a canoscan 4000, and when i first got it, i was in love with it. then my capricious self bought a canon 10d, and the neg scanner has gathered quite a patina of dust! gotta bet back to film again soon, tho. there is absolutely a difference in tonal quality in film vs digital, with the favor going to film.

 

[Dew]

hehehe... we can start her a "send her your favorite roll of b&w fund" ... thats presuming u will accept our offer :roll:

 

[ksmattfish]

Well, I'm undecided - I have got only this one camera, and when there's a b&w film in it, I can't on the spur of the moment take any colour photos, and while there's a colour film in it, I can't go black and white (other than digitally via PhotoShop in my computer).

Buy rolls of color in 12 exp, and bulk load your own BW so you can make them whatever length you want (and save $$$). Any pic worth taking is worth trying 3 or 4 different angles, exposures, etc... Then a small roll gets used up pretty quick.

 

[LaFoto]

Corinna - i just browsed your posts via your profile, but i didn't
find a reference to what camera (and any lenses) you use ?

Well, Jack, I'm much less an observer of the technical aspects of taking my photos, but I can tell you that I have a Canon EOS500N with its accompanying zoom lense 2.8-80mm (in the kit), and if you want me to copy what's written on it, I can do so:

"Canon zoom lense EF 2.8-80mm 1:3.5-5.6 ø58mm"

And I also use the "Sigma DL Macro Super, 70-300mm, 1:4-5.6"

Does this information help you in any way?

As to the film I used for these "first(est) b&w photos", it was the only one I could get in the neighbouring town. No b&w films to be had in any of the regular discount drugstores, and the lady in the photo shop in town said, they no longer store any Ilford films at all for lack of demand. No one wants them, she said. All she could offer me was the one I used...

... I might, just MIGHT, have to accept your offer, Dew .
How kind of you all to offer me b&w films.

I have never even HEARD of a film scanner, wow, that would be nice! But well, all I'm having here at present is the regular HP flatbed scanner that DOES, yes DOES take away A LOT from the prints!!! I can see that in any of the colour photos I've so far posted here (mostly so in "Themes"), and it is very disappointing.

Well, do you want to see one more?

 

[Dew]

sure we wanna see more ... well, if you consider the offer, you can pm (private message) me your info and i can ship it out for you monday morning ... im going down to the photo store tomorrow and pick up a few rolls ... hopefully u get hooked on b&w

 

[jack]

hi Corinna,

thanks for posting the detail. i'm not familar with Canon products
myself, but there are a few forum-members here who are very
knowledgeable about canon options. i'm confident you can get any filters
you might want.

so you have 2 good lenses and your covered from 28mm upto 300
which is very nice for you

we can never make any assumptions about the budgets of
people here who need film or equipment. i know myself, often it might
be a choice between buying a roll of film or enjoying a few cafe-au-laits
instead

(did i mention i run a 24/7 international freelance-photography service ..
oh i did ok lol ) *awakes from a dream, re-uses teabag*

i'm amazed you cannot easily locate any film you might need.
there's always the option of buying online of course. respect to Dew
and Toby for their generosity ! vive la forum !

 

[Osmer_Toby]

my offer stands, also. you might be a little leery of giving your address to a stranger you met online, don't blame ya, but my offer stands if you decide you're comfortable with it. either way, be sure to try the Portra- you'll notice subtle yet significant differences between different kinds of bw film.

man, all this talk about it, i suddenly feel like shooting some film (guess what kind). gonna have to steal some time somewhere and go scratch this itch.

 

[LaFoto]

Thank you for the offer, Osmer_Toby, despite your being a "stranger", I might decide I want to get back to you on it, who knows? I'm overwhelmed by your offers!

So how do you like my favourite tree on the side of the road I have to take at least once per day? It has always stood out for me because of it's regular shape, but to get its photo is not easy since there are thousands of trees to the left and right of the road.

In trying to capture the entire tree (so as to "introduce you to it"), I was way limited in my possibilities to move left, right, centre, up or down because of the - actually very busy! - road! All I could do for the photo was to wait for a gap in the steady line of traffic, no more. I did not want to end as roadkill just for a photo, do you understand???

So here we go:

"My tree", on the B75 in Lower Saxony, North Germany

And here's a "close-up" of my tree, and hey: motorists passing me while I took this photo blew their horn at me! I must have been a real sight :

 

[jack]

very nice photos !

i wonder what type of tree it is :?:
the bark in the close-up looks kinda like oak,
but the tree doesnt look like an oak in pic #1..//jack

 

[Tammy]

Hi Corinna, I think you've done a might fine job with these. Glad you've taken on a new challenge - fun isn't it!

 

[LaFoto]

I decided to dig up this old thread of mine again from page 6 or so, since I'm still going on about my new attempts to try out b+w photography, so it stays with the topic.

At present I'm back to the colours, for economical reasons, but a) "by miracle" there has been an Ilford HP5 Plus film in my letter box the other day (thanks to Dew ), and b) it has taken me until now to start liking the very last photo I took with my Kodak-C41 film enough to put it up here.

Any ideas of why I may have started liking it, and why so late? Maybe?

(Technical data - as usual - all unknown to me, erm.... )

 

[Dew]

cool

it may take a minute to get used to the lack of color ... but be careful .. it can be addictive ... you're off to a great start .. i really like these images .. cant wait to see the ones from the Ilford *oh goodie*

remember ... the ilford needs traditional b&w film process ... not developed in color chemicals ... ask your lab about that

 

[LaFoto]

Yes, I am aware that the Ilford-film needs regular b+w processing. Let's hope I can get it here... we live "in the middle of nowhere", practically... :roll:

But something else in direct answer to your telling me that I might miss the colours at first:
Well, I had never planned to scan this one of the lot of b+w-photos with the Kodak C41 film, but this very photo made me miss the colours sorely at first, when I just held the envelope with the prints in hand for the first time! Oh, how I missed them then! For these leaves are actually a very rich brown, and they were shone through by the sun, which had a wonderful effect - and I so missed it in this photo:

Meanwhile - like with many more of the lot - I'm getting more and more used to it. But I still feel far away from any 'addiction'....

 

[Dew]

i think b&w's in landscapes can be tricky .. we've got some landscape artist over here .. perhaps one of them can elaborate further .. cause im clueless about landscapes