Flying with Film

Mr Whiskey Photo assistant and packing consultant extrodinaire 

So with my upcoming trip out to Anderson Ranch I realized I was going to be flying with a bunch of film. Normally I prefer to drive places so I can make photos along the way. The Journey being as important as The Destination. This go around I’m a bit time bankrupt and the distance is great enough to warrant a flight. This brings into play a whole set of variables.You see with a 2002 Crown Victoria I can fit an amazing amount of stuff. But right now I’m limited to a carry on in the overhead and one that will fit under the seat of the plane….

So some choices have to be made.

First off I’m bringing the Canon 5dmk3 for ease of use and instant feedback during the workshop. 3 lenses 3 batteries 4 sets of cards and a flash round out that kit. I know a zoom takes up less room than 3 primes. It’s just that I don’t work that way. Primes just fit my way of working. My second choice is the tried and true Mamiya 7II with a 65mm and a 80mm.

I chose this camera because it makes roughly the same aspect ratio as my 4x5.It has a leaf shutter for faster flash sync speeds and it has a much smaller profile.That and a few odds and ends round out my back pack bag..

Why the added expense and hassle of working with film? That’s a much longer post for a different time.

So now that I’m mostly packed I need to worry about 2 other essential items.

A tripod and some film. The tripod is the easy one, I’m going to use a smaller one with a ball head and stuff it in my suitcase.I won’t have as much room for underwear and socks but there is laundry available where I’m going so that should be fine.If I wanted one of the bigger ones for use with a bigger camera I could always ship it to my destination and ship it back when done but that’s just not practical right now.

Now onto the 2nd and biggest essential.

FILM. In particular Kodak Portra 400 120.

Freezer bag with label and some emulsion choices.

After some online research, to see if anything has changed in the last few years. Not much has. Kodak tells us that film rated at 800iso is fine for one pass through the current X-ray machines. That means 400iso is good for 2, 160iso for 3.Maybe. That information only applies to the personal screening machines, checked bags get a WAY BIGGER dose of X-rays. Never and I mean NEVER put film in a checked bag. As an aside,never travel with film loaded in a camera, remember the camera is going to be X-rayed, also there is a chance that the film back might be opened by a screener, and there goes your film…

There are no direct flights from Boston to Aspen I’m going to be making a couple of hops. If worse comes to worst my film will get the Zap two times. Not the end of the world but not ideal and I’m not cool with that. I’m going through all the trouble to work with film I don't want it damaged. Fortune favors the prepared!

What I need to do is put all my unexposed rolls in a clear plastic freezer bag that is marked “unexposed film” and ask to have it hand checked. Nicely and with the confidence that this is how it’s done. Because this is how we travel by air with film. I shouldn’t have to tell you that you should be nice,like me Ma always said, “be nice on purpose.”

Do not use the old shielded bags they used to use for film. If an X-ray screener can't see through them they just turn up the power until they can, effectively rendering them useless.The reason I like the freezer bag is they are tougher then sandwich bags, they have a hardier zipper and they also usually have a little panel you can write on with a sharpie.I label almost everything, it makes finding things in a hurry easier. A well labeled bag that is easily accessible saves the screener time. I don’t know about you but when I run into an organized and prepared person at work I’m more then willing to go out of my way to help them out. They took the time to think about my time and its value. Be that person

Everything you need plus somethings you don't! but you'll need it if you don't bring it.

That brings me to getting to the airport early. Being respectful of other people’s time and allowing yourself enough time to deal with being a special case is important. Worse case you just make your flight, best case you have extra time to buy an overpriced beer while waiting for that flight.

Lastly mark your exposed rolls and keep them in a separate freezer bag. Still easily accessible along with the unexposed rolls just separate. I had to compromise with a screener once where they hand inspected my exposed film and xrayed the unexposed. Yup it came down to that. Exposed film is more sensitive so it was more important to me,the unexposed got marked and then used in the holga because that’s my happy accident camera, I’m already throwing the dice so why not a little more chance?

So clear plastic bag, labeled and readily accessible. Smile, be polite and GET THERE EARLY. Make sense? I hope so,here is a handy link to the tech Support articles from Kodak.

http://www.kodak.com/US/en/motion/Support/Technical_Information/Transportation/index.htm

One from Fujifilmusa

http://www.fujifilmusa.com/support/ServiceSupportProductContent.do?dbid=670359&prodcat=238119&sscucatid=664277

And one from Ilford.

https://www.ilfordphoto.com/faqs

Making a Negative from a Cell Phone

Pretty much everyone now a days has a smartphone. It seems like every time you turn around there is a new and improved cell phone being offered. With the increase of smartphones comes the controversy of phone photography, is it fine art? Should it be used professionally by photographers? All of these questions aside, a camera is a camera and if you want to shoot with it we say go for it! We even have options for you. Recently we created a LVT Negative from a digital file shot with an iPhone SE and then printed a 16x20 fiber print in the darkroom. Here is how we did it:

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STEP 1:

Download the file at FULL SIZE to the computer and import into Photoshop. We made all adjustments here (cropping, levels, curves, dodging/burning, etc.) It is important to make the image in Photoshop the way you want the darkroom print to look. If you know you want a certain area in your image to be brighter make that adjustment now in Photoshop. It will save time and frustration later on in the darkroom!

Our print ready file:

STEP 2:

Because our machines take 8x10 film, we can put multiple images on one sheet of film. We can do the same image a few times (with different contrasts for printing) or we can pick completely different images to be on the same sheet of film. It also depends what size you want your negatives to be. If you only have a 35mm enlarger there is no sense in making a medium format negative! We can either prep the LVT file for you or we can send you the specs and you can prepare the file on your own and send it our way to be made.

For this example we made both roughly 35mm negatives as well as medium format sized negatives:

STEP 3:

Get in the darkroom! We used the 35mm sized negative and made a 16x20 fiber based print. We were able to hold detail and tone in the print while maintaining the sharpness . A note about using camera phone files: just like all cameras the higher resolution and bigger files you have to start with the better the output will be. Thankfully the camera phones keep going up in megapixels which makes the photographs higher quality to work with.

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If you are interested in this process and have questions please call the office (781-740-1300) we would love to help walk you through it.

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Somerville Toy Camera Festival

Francine Weiss

About the Festival:

Since 2013, the Somerville Toy Camera Festival has celebrated the quirky and creative results that can happen when photographers are forced to loosen their controls, submit to the light and embrace the accidental. Each year since, the Festival has brought a wide range of toy camera photography by US and international artists together in simultaneous shows at galleries throughout the city, and featured related programming including artist talks/panel discussions, workshops, social events, and a darkroom day.

This year the guest juror was Professor Christopher James who is the Director of the MFA photography program at Lesley College of Art and Design in Boston.

Liz Ellenwood with the Gold Holga Award!

What is a toy camera?

Holga, Diana and LOMO just to name a few. They are simple and inexpensive film cameras where you have little to no control over shutter speed and apertures. Common qualities of images made with toy cameras are vignetting, soft focus, light leaks and other distortions. It is the true point-and-shoot camera!

Toy camera photography has been widely exhibited at many popular art shows, such as the annual "Krappy Kamera" show at the Soho Photo Gallery in the Tribeca neighborhood of New York City. Various publications such as Popular Photography magazine have reviewed the Diana camera in its own right as an "art" producing image maker. Several books have also featured the work of toy cameras, such as The Friends of Photography's "The Diana Show", "Iowa" by Nancy Rexroth, and "Angels at the Arno" by Eric Lindbloom.

Chris D'Amore

When is the exhibition?

The 2016 Somerville Toy Camera Festival will take place in September-October, with exhibitions at three non-profit spaces in Somerville MA: Nave Gallery Annex, Washington Street Gallery, and Brickbottom Gallery. For a full list of opening dates check here.

In addition,  The Griffin Museum of Photography in Winchester, MA will have a walk-in camera obscura built by artist Marian Roth! The installation of the camera obscura in a small gallery at the Griffin will take place on September 8, and is open to the public. The camera obscura will be accessible to visitors during regular Griffin Museum hours through October 2, 2016.

Liz Wood

How are we involved?

We have been proud sponsors of the Somerville Toy Camera Festival for the past few years. We offer a 15% discount for the exhibiting artists of the Festival for their scanning, printing & framing needs. Every year we look forward to seeing what each artist has created with their plastic cameras!

Ky Lewis

Day in the Darkroom

Paul and Liz have been busy printing  Stephen Sheffield's beautiful photography. We have 26 negatives and making over 50 silver gelatin fiber prints in total for this artist! We always enjoy working with Stephen and love the range of tones in his black & white negatives. Film is most certainly not dead!

High-Resolution Scanning

We offer high resolution scanning of all film (color and black & white) sizes, from 35mm and 120mm film, to large format negatives, photographs and other flat surface materials.

Lets chat a bit about our FLEXTIGHT scanner.....

With its high-end optics and 3 line x 8000 pixel Kodak Image Sensor, the Flextight X5 produces images of superb quality and detail. Even though you can find scanners with larger sensors, you will not find better clarity and detail rendition when scanning photographic film. This is due to the electronic image handling of the sensor, the mechanical precision of the device, the quality of the filters, and the resolving power of the Rodenstock lens.

Due to their structure as virtual drum scanners, inside the flexible film adapters, the film is curved in a radius and by this way guided around the sensor.  The film is tightened so that it is in a perfect flat position. The Flextight gives you the beautiful quality of a drum scan without having the mess of using mounting fluid.

It is pretty much the Ferrari of scanners and we love it.

Darkroom Details: What is a RC Print, Fiber Print & more?

We have three working darkrooms here at Panopticon Imaging. Each room has its own specific purpose. One houses the printing lab, one our film processor and the third is where we create LVT digital negatives. In our printing lab we hand/tray process each print to ensure the consistency throughout the printing process. The film processor darkroom details are listed here. Our LVT darkroom is where we can create new negatives from digital files (more details below). We are happy to share information about these processes that we know and love. Video by: Frank Hegyi

rccombo_ver1.2

What is an RC Print?

RC or Resin Coated Paper is darkroom paper with a base that is sealed between two polyethylene layers, meaning it has a plastic base. Since the base is sealed between the two layers it does not actually absorb the chemicals, greatly reducing the amount of time RC prints need to be washed. This is the most affordable darkroom option, however, the least archival. There is developer in the paper to increase speed of development. Over time this will deteriorate giving your print a lifespan of 20-40 years depending upon storage conditions. This is used for contact prints of negatives and prints. This paper was popular with press & newspapers as they needed images fast for breaking news. The RC paper we print on is Ilford Glossy or Pearl with a weight of 190 gsm (Medium weight) paper.

fiberprint_combo1.2

What is a Silver Gelatin Fiber Print?

Silver print, Fiber prints, Gelatin silver as they are commonly referred to and are one and the same. This is a museum quality, tray printing process (not machine processed). Fiber paper is a paper base that is coated with photographic emulsion. The base of fiber prints are not sealed like the RC paper, this makes for a slower process with washing and drying. These beautiful, archival, exhibition quality, black & white, silver gelatin, fiber prints have superior tonal range, durability, and resistance to fading for over 200 years. All prints are finished with a Selenium bath to assure archival permanence. There is the option of warm tone, glossy or matte Ilford Papers. Fiber paper is 225 gsm which is a double weight paper.

Selenium_combo

What is a Selenium Bath / Toning?

We use a Selenium bath to increase the permanence of our Silver Gelatin Fiber prints. For this process we use a combination of diluted Selenium, Fixer Remover and water for a short bath prior to a final wash. Selenium converts some of the original silver image to silver selenide, a more stable form of silver. The Selenium also increases the tonal range available in the paper, deepening the blacks and brightening the lights just a touch. If it is desired, Selenium can also be used to change the color tone of the print. A diluted solution of only Selenium and water will give you a red-brown tone. While a stronger Selenium solution with result in a purple-brown tone.

lvtneg

What is an LVT Negative?

LVT stands for Light Valve Technology. This process which is also known as a Digital Negative or Digital to Silver process is used to create a new negative from a digital file. We have several machines that can create these beautiful negatives on 8x10 sheet film. We have many clients that have damaged negatives that need to be digitally restored and then new negatives made. Also, if you are shooting digitally this give you the option to have prints made in the darkroom. Film is not dead!

LVT negatives: Stephen Sheffield

Staff Intro- Elizabeth Ellenwood, animal, cheese and film lover

Elizabeth Ellenwood is our fun loving darkroom printer and resident animal lover. She received her Bachelors of Fine Arts in Photography from the New Hampshire Institute of Art in 2010. Following graduation she assisted Boston architectural photographer Peter Vanderwarker for a number of years. In 2012, she started working with us at Panopticon and became full time as of 2015.

Wet plate portrait by Mercedes Jelinek

Darkroom printing and development is her passion here at Panopticon. Elizabeth known lovingly as Liz is obsessed with all things film. She is an accomplished alternative process printer having studied and assisted at Penland School of Crafts. Over the years she has learned the alternative processes of Wet Plate Collodian Printing, Tin Types, Cyanotypes, Albumen Printing and Emulsion Lifts. Also, she has taken classes with Carl Weese at the Center for Alternative Photography where she added Platinum Printing to her repertoire. Recently, she had a one person exhibition of her work at Danforth Art titled Elizabeth Ellenwood: Of Light and Line. Which received a wonderful review by Mark Feeney in the Boston Globe!

Some fun facts about Liz. She loves cheese...I mean like really loves cheese. She is frequently known to throw a cheese party or two and loves to say "Queso for my Face-o". When not in the office you can find her chilling with her dog Ophelia and her drummer dude Josh who plays in the Boston-based band  Girls, Guns and Glory. She loves to travel and has visited Germany, Ireland, Italy (2x) and Switzerland in the last two years. Her next excursion is to Hawaii next year!

Check out Liz's process video:

Artist Spotlight: Stephen Sheffield

"Descent (ladder series #35)"

Stephen Sheffield, a native of the Boston area, is an alumnus of Cornell University, where he obtained a BFA in painting and photography. He received his MFA in photography from the California College of the Arts, in Oakland/San Francisco. He specializes in photography, mixed media and photo-montage and has exhibited nationally for over 20 years. Stephen creates large-scale commissions for private collectors, institutions, restaurants and hotels, as well as images and photographic illustrations for magazines and advertising agencies across the US.  In addition to being a full-time artist, Stephen runs the black and white photography major at the New England School of Photography in Boston and is adjunct faculty at the New Hampshire Institute of Art MFA Program. Stephen Sheffield is represented by Panopticon Gallery in Boston, MA.

• Your work has a sense of storytelling and a slight twinge of humor to it. Walk us through your process – do you sketch out the scene ahead of time or is more a spur of the moment?

SS: Ideas pop into my head almost at random. I then make sketches and do research as far as location and angle, props and “feeling”. Once things are set up and planned I get to work. Of course that is when things go wrong and I have to wing it. There have been very few shots I have taken that have ended up looking exactly as I imagined them. I think much of the humor comes from the “winging it” aspect of the actual shoot.

"Small Business"

• How has social media played a role in your photography?

SS: I use social media less for personal and more as a way to lead people to my work and to keep my work on their minds. It is also in a small way becoming a reminder to continue to make new work. You cannot show the same work forever.

Mixed media installation at Union Beer Company in Red Hook, NY

• You recently moved from Kenmore Sq area to the suburbs of the south shore. Has this changed or impacted your art making?

SS: The move has made a major impact on my work flow mainly, not the work itself. Good and a little more difficult. Good for space and my kids and my wife. It was tough moving my studio out of the Fort Point Channel after 20 plus years, but now the studio has been replaced by a carriage house and a darkroom in the basement. No more rent payments and no more commuting, but it is tough to find a good cocktail and quick access to galleries and museums. Making the work itself has the potential to be easier as I move forward. Time will tell.

"Smoke 1"

• What artists influence you and how do they influence your thinking, creating and career path? Because you are a mixed media artist do you look at more painters & sculptors than photographers?

SS: I am still mainly influenced by the masters. Minor White, Edward Weston, Imogene Cunningham, Ralph Eugene Meatyard, Duane Michaels, I could keep going. As far as career path? There is no path anymore. These days it is every artist for themselves and ever-changing. I’m old and I need to stay quick on my feet. For my mixed media I am also still influenced by the masters, mainly non-photographic, but the Starn Twins and Gilbert and George are big ones. The biggest go-to influence who has never let me down has got to be Robert Rauchenberg.

"Lust"

• What are some tips/advice you would give to someone just starting out in photography?

SS: It is super tough out there these days, and and like I said before, there is no clear path for success. My advice is to try to be good at all of it! The technical, the creative, the marketing, the social, the hustle. Go to everything, (openings, museums, lectures) meet everyone and talk to anyone. Always be making art, but don’t show everyone everything. Edit! Edit what you show and edit what you say. Also, never forget to be a good and generous person. That last bit will get you through more doors than interesting or clever art.

"Eddie 2"

Staff Intro - Bruce R. Wahl, Company Bad-A$$

Introducing..... BRUUUUUUCE!!

The newest member of the Panopticon crew, Bruce R. Wahl joined us just last year as a part time-er. He is currently finishing his Bachelor of Fine Art in Photography at Massachusetts College of Art and Design and is a freelance photographer working for clients throughout the Boston area. He brings years of photographic experience as well as some pretty sweet facial hair to the Panopticon team.

You can usually find Bruce at the matting table or jumping into the Panoptivan for a delivery, where ever he is you can be sure there's a story he will have to share.

When he is not at the office or at school, you can find him nerding out over old school motorcycles & film cameras, editing his own work, chillin with his cat Mr. Whiskey, and perhaps indulging in a glass of whiskey (yes there is a coincidence with the cat name) or a brew-ski. Needless to say Bruce fits right in here!

Time Capsule in a Chocolate Box

We had some wonderful clients come in with their parents/grandparents film collection from 1946 Berlin. Close to 50 rolls of Kodak and Agfa film. They were stored in a wooden chocolate box for close to 70 years! It was like opening up a time capsule.

The film was all neatly marked with location and dates. None of the film was damaged except the paper wrapping was brittle to the touch. It was wonderful to hear the stories of the film and the travels of the clients father. We will make sure to post images as we develop them!

Film is Not Dead

Did you know that we process Black and White Film? Paul & Liz are happy that the whole world has not gone digital. We can process 35 mm, 120, 220, 4x5, 5x7 and 8x10 sheet film!

We have a 13 tank Kreonite Dip and Dunk Black and White film Processor. We love this machine and let me tell you why. Our machine has constant agitation which leads to even & consistent film development. While alternative processes like Hand-line processing and rotary processors have very inconsistent agitation which can cause tonal variations in your film. Our Dip and Dunk minimizes handling which will prevent surface scratches which can happen on roller transport machines. Not to mention they have simple mechanics and are constructed to run 24 hours a day so they are robust machines!

Being photographers ourselves we take the utmost respect when handling your film. We meticulously handle each roll and will cut or not cut your film according to your specifications. We will accommodate special processing instructions too! #filmisnotdeadfriday

Fun, Funky and Strange Darkroom Tales

We have three working darkrooms here at the office. Each serving a different purpose. One for darkroom printing, one for film development and the third for creating new negatives from digital files. Needless to say, we get asked a lot of questions about printing and developing and get out fair share of  interesting requests. First, this is the oldest film we have ever processed. The roll states "Develop before 1915". Sad to say there were no images present, it was actually never exposed.

Next up is the Circular Glass Plate Negatives we got asked to print. These images were taken with concealed vest Camera! Similiar to the ad below. "No Tourist, Artist, or Student, amateur or professional, should be without this camera". We agree.

The wonderfully creative Matt Gamber never lets us down with his darkroom requests! He created his own paper negatives using vintage television sets. From his series "This is (Still) the Golden Age" he captures still from such TV shows as  "Price is Right" and "The Lawrence Welk Show".  Mr. Gamber is represented by Gallery Kayafas located on Harrison Avenue in Boston, MA.

We always have plenty of 8x10 film on hand to assist you make your digital files turned into negatives. FILM IS NOT DEAD!