Your Questions Answered

[danalec99]

Since you have been an ad photographer/lecturer when most of us were in diapers and have 'seen it all', who's work inspires you, now; and why?

 

[PlasticSpanner]

Where is everyone & why aren't they posting tonight on one of the most exciting nights of the year?

 

[Hertz van Rental]

Since you have been an ad photographer/lecturer when most of us were in diapers and have 'seen it all', who's work inspires you, now; and why?

You can find something to inspirational - or at least trigger a train of thought - in any photograph if you look properly.
There are way too many photographers to mention whose work has or does inspire me in the fullest sense. But if I had to choose:
Les Krims, Lee Friedlander, Duane Michals, Joel-Peter Witkin
They see things in a different and unique way. Things that others miss. And they do it with humour - a rare commodity in Photography.
And John Blakemore. The giant of British landscape photography - and he was the first person to ever take an interest in my pictures.

 

[Hertz van Rental]

Where is everyone & why aren't they posting tonight on one of the most exciting nights of the year?

Not everyone is sitting up to baste a turkey.

 

[Jeff Canes]

I have two rolls of Adox CHM (copy of FP4+) to develop, I currently have four different developer, which should I use? (1) Old D-76 (2) TMAX (3) Tetenal Neofin Blue (4) Freestyle Arista

 

[danalec99]

Apart from the prospective 'career opportunities' that the students may be able to build along the way, why would someone pursue a master's degree in photography?

 

[Luminosity]

We have not started wrapping any gifts yet....how much sleep to you think we will get tonight and what are the odds that we won't be able to find tape/scissors or run out of wrapping paper in the middle of the night?

As exhausting as it is to spend x amount of hours wrapping pressies, I still find it very 'xmas spirity', it puts me in a festive mood, funnily enough. I missed that this year as my family and I resolved to exchange gifts ( mine to them and theirs to me ) when I get back to Aus in March.

Don't ya love the fact that ya spend so long shopping for gifts and then wrapping them all up and then they ( especially the kids ) spend two seconds ripping it all off

 

[Alison]

By the time you've got everything sorted you won't get to bed before 1am.
Kids being kids should wake up around 2am to see if Santa has been.
They should come in to show you what they've got around 2.30am.
Then next door's burglar alarm will go off around 3am.
The answer? Not much sleep and you'll have just enough wrapping paper to do half the last present.

So far you are correct....it's 2:05am and we're just now getting ready to go to bed. I guess the boys will be up between 4:30-5am.

And Tina you're so right, we wrapped and taped and occasionally cursed when the paper fell just short of what we needed for about 2 hours and the boys will have everything done in under 10 minutes, I'm sure :mrgreen:

 

[Hertz van Rental]

I have two rolls of Adox CHM (copy of FP4+) to develop, I currently have four different developer, which should I use? (1) Old D-76 (2) TMAX (3) Tetenal Neofin Blue (4) Freestyle Arista

How old is the D-76? That would be my first choice. It's virtually identical to Ilford's ID-11 so should give the most predictable results.
But developer/film combinations are like cameras and underwear. It's a very personal choice. I have used films and developers that friends have raved about and got zip. I ended up sticking with Plus-X/Tri-X/Microdol-X because I knew exactly how the film would turn out. It was one less thing to worry about when taking pictures.

 

[Hertz van Rental]

Apart from the prospective 'career opportunities' that the students may be able to build along the way, why would someone pursue a master's degree in photography?

A good Master's (at least in the UK) concentrates more on the conceptual and communication theory so you should come out with a deeper understanding of what you are doing.
However, I looked at one Master's course (now closed down) and the lecturers expressed surprise that I could take pictures. The people who did the course very rarely had any knowledge or experience of Photography.
It dawned on me that MA's were largely for people who wanted it to look good on their CV (Resume) or go on to 'teach' at College.
My Master's is in Education and qualifies me as a teacher. I'm on the register at the Department of Education and Science.
Theoretically you need a Master's before you can go on to do a PhD.
One day I shall be Doctor Hertz van Rental! (That's a pretty sick picture you've got there, etc )

 

[Hertz van Rental]

ever ****ed off your subject? (I have)

Not so far as I know. I like to think it is my Irish charm and inate breeding.
The most likely explanation is that my looks terrify the crap out of them so they daren't complain. Either way it works for me

 

[ThomThomsk]

OK, here's a question. I've got a Paterson developing tank and I want to start using it in the New Year. What is the best way to get everything to 20 degrees and to keep it there? I've been practising with water and it is hard to get everything bang on for any length of time - adding more warm or cold just gets me see-sawing around the right temperature.

 

[Hertz van Rental]

OK, here's a question. I've got a Paterson developing tank and I want to start using it in the New Year. What is the best way to get everything to 20 degrees and to keep it there? I've been practising with water and it is hard to get everything bang on for any length of time - adding more warm or cold just gets me see-sawing around the right temperature.

Use a bucket or other large container. Fill it with water to 20C (or 24C if you use Microdol-X) + or - 1C. Keep stirring it as you check the temp. It's easier to get a large volume to the right temperature than a small volume.
Use this water to mix stop and fix and for the wash.
Mix your dev separately - if it is too cold to start with then you can find that mixing with water at 20C gives you only 16 or 17C.
Getting it right comes with practice but the trick is to mix with small quantities of hot until yo get it to 20C then add water from your bucket.
Another trick is to keep the room you process in heated to 20C. This means that all solutions stored there will be at or around ambient, making it far easier to get them to the right temp.
It will also minimise heat loss from the dev tank.
If you can't get the room very warm then do the above - but make a heat jacket for the tank from thin expanded polystyrene or bubble-wrap. The principle is the same as lagging your hot water tank. And store your chemicals in a warmer room.
If you have a lot of money to throw around you can buy thermostatically controlled water baths - but the above will work just as well.
Dev needs to be spot on but stop, fix and wash is OK if it's within 5C
Does that help?

 

[ThomThomsk]

Does that help?

Yes, it does. It's given me an idea, which is to use a coolbox, the type you use for picnics, to keep the water at 20 degrees. Insulated, with a lid, and big enough to hold 30 litres or so. Thank you very much.

Thom

 

[ferny]

How's the weather in California this time of year?





I think it's warm, isn't it? Being so fat and old, surely Santa is close to having a stroke when he visits there!