Month: June 2008

Milchstraße show, Venezia, IT

Nicolai Grossman Leave a comment

Group exhibition curated by Daniel Augschöll.

Opening Reception:
Tuesday, July 1 2008 3-7pm
IUAV, Magazzini Ligabue 25
Dorsoduro 1827
30123 Venezia
Italy

Photographers:
Mary Amor, Peter Baker, Alana Celii, Clayton Cotterell, Mason Dent, Zack Genin, Matthew Genitempo, Pete Halupka, Paul Herbst, Anna Mack, Alexander Martinez, Nicholas Meyer, Jacob Miller, Grady O’Connor, Hasis Park, Bryan Schutmaat, Jeffrey Shay, Daniel Shea, Brea Souders, Sean Stewart, Suzzanne Stillinger, Neilson Tam, Joseph Tripi, Keiko Terada, Arnoud Verrips, Leon West, Grant Willing, Christopher Wurzbach.

Hope for Polaroid 20×24 & 8×10 film?

Nicolai Grossman 2 Comments

This article in Amateur Photographer says:

Polaroid is in fresh talks over the survival of its professional instant sheet film following its failure to reach agreement with UK firm Ilford Photo.

Polaroid bosses have confirmed that they are in discussions with a ‘third party’ over the continued production of 20x24in large format professional b&w sheet film.

In a meeting with Amateur Photographer, Polaroid’s European vice-president Paul Telford also revealed that there is a ‘strong possibility’ that production of 8x10in format sheet film will be taken up by an, as yet, unnamed manufacturer…

Platinum printing & digital negative workshop, OR, US

Nicolai Grossman Leave a comment

Platinum/palladium prints are valued by photographers, collectors, galleries, and museums for their inherent beauty and archival stability. Although there is much lore and mystique associated with the platinum printing process, when properly handled, it can be accomplished by anyone willing to put in a little time and effort to make it work. Platinum printing is often thought to be a very difficult and expensive process. In this workshop we will de-mystify the process and learn the basic skills necessary to produce very fine platinum/palladium prints at a reasonable cost.

This year Ray Bidegain and Patrick Kolb will be teaming up with Jeanette Altman for an additional 2 days of instruction in the making of digital negatives for platinum printing. In the first 2 days of this workshop, we will be making enlarged negatives for platinum printing. We will then be making platinum prints on Saturday and Sunday. For most of the history of platinum printing photographers needed large-camera negatives for printing; Now photographers are able to use negatives from smaller cameras as well as digital files for making platinum prints. Come learn with us during this 4 days workshop.

July 10–13, 2008

Portland, Oregon [US]
$395.00

More information and registration at Ray Bidegain’s site.

Holy shit: "Filminator" DIY film coating machine

Nicolai Grossman 2 Comments

Flickr member Dark Orange says:

Can’t buy the film you want any more? Just make the stuff!

In this set you will find random photos and information on a project a friend has undertaken – a machine to make his own camera film.

Plastic and goop go in one end, and camera film comes out the other end. This is not a trivial undertaking.

*update*

This bit of hardware seems to have created a bit of a stir…

On APUG

On galerie-photo

On the Nelson Foto Forums

Via MAKE Blog

Security expert Bruce Schneier: are photographers really a threat?

Nicolai Grossman 2 Comments

Bruce Schneier answers the question:

… Clearly any terrorist is going to first photograph his target, so vigilance is required.

Except that it’s nonsense. The 9/11 terrorists didn’t photograph anything. Nor did the London transport bombers, the Madrid subway bombers, or the liquid bombers arrested in 2006. Timothy McVeigh didn’t photograph the Oklahoma City Federal Building. The Unabomber didn’t photograph anything; neither did shoe-bomber Richard Reid. Photographs aren’t being found amongst the papers of Palestinian suicide bombers. The IRA wasn’t known for its photography. Even those manufactured terrorist plots that the US government likes to talk about — the Ft. Dix terrorists, the JFK airport bombers, the Miami 7, the Lackawanna 6 — no photography.

Given that real terrorists, and even wannabe terrorists, don’t seem to photograph anything, why is it such pervasive conventional wisdom that terrorists photograph their targets? Why are our fears so great that we have no choice but to be suspicious of any photographer?

Continue reading at The Guardian

Fuji raises film & paper prices

Nicolai Grossman Leave a comment

Excerpt from a Fujifilm UK press release:

FUJIFILM UK Ltd. (Managing Director Hiroshi Saigusa) has announced that it is to increase prices on its range of photographic papers and films in the United Kingdom. The price changes are being implemented on a worldwide basis. [emphasis added] Prices will be increased from July 2008 and will range between 10% and 20% depending on the product group.

To sustain its photo imaging business, FUJIFILM has been undertaking intensive structural reforms to reduce fixed costs and improve productivity, and has been absorbing the increasing costs of raw materials used to manufacture films and papers over the past few years. However, the recent soaring costs of such materials as silver and crude oil mean that FUJIFILM is no longer able to absorb these costs during the production process.

FUJIFILM’S photographic paper and film continues to set the standard in terms of image quality and they are appreciated by professionals and enthusiasts alike. We remain fully committed to this important market and plan to continue our product development of new photosensitive material.

Kodak discontinues ReadyLoads

Nicolai Grossman Leave a comment

Kodak says:

Due to significantly declining sales volume, Kodak is preannouncing the discontinuance of READYLOAD Single-Sheet Packets for four films.

The items listed below will be discontinued by year-end 2008. However, inventories may run out before then, depending on demand.

Please note: This preannounced discontinuance applies to Readyload format only. Other cut sheet sizes, such as 4×5 and 8×10, are not affected. [emphasis added so no-one freaks out]

READYLOAD Discontinuances:

  • KODAK PROFESSIONAL T-MAX 100 Film
  • KODAK PROFESSIONAL PORTRA 160VC Film
  • KODAK PROFESSIONAL EKTACHROME Film E100G
  • KODAK PROFESSIONAL EKTACHROME Film E100VS
  • KODAK PROFESSIONAL READYLOAD Packet Film Holder