Phew. Last night I loaded up half-a-dozen film holders and (weather permitting) I will get out this evening to use the large format camera again.
I haven't used it 'in anger' for over a month now, what with travelling for work (no more of that at least) and other things. The tripod kit (Manfrotto 055XProB and 808RC4) I got at the end of February has not really been used at all.
I've been taking various pictures of freakin over the past years, here's a link to a flickr slideshow of my uploaded pictures...
It's getting closer... photography will soon be a de-facto illegal act: in this account of police (Ok, PCSO) intimidation coupled with ignorance of the law. Get your MP to sign up to EDM 1155 before you discover that you have no rights at all.
Submitted by namcom on Wed, 19/03/2008 - 16:29.Wow. There's an awful lot of people seemingly upset by The Polaroid Corporation's recent decision to stop making their eponymous film.
Check out www.savepolaroid.com.
Of course, the current Polaroid Corp. has pretty much nothing to do with the original corporation; the current company being much more interested in slapping their coloured squares onto any number of consumer electronic devices than their traditional analogue imaging processes.
Ironically, Polaroid could well be making the biggest mistake ever. Recent reports seem to indicate that the rush to digital imaging is being stemmed, and consumers are returning to film, whether for
The latest Metropolitan Police Force advertising campaign encouraging us all to spy on each other is further evidence that the UK is losing its nerve entirely and will, before long, welcome Stasi-like secret police, constant observation, and further restrictions in our movements.
In the old days, there was a very real terrorist threat within the UK, what with the IRA and all that. During that time business as usual was preached - once you respond to the terrorists, you have already lost. Now, there were plenty of attacks, lots of people died but, ultimately, it is now history. Who was funding the terrorists here? Well, there were rumours of collections being held in certain Boston bars to support the brave freedom fighters across the Atlantic but I'm not saying anything...
Is society to blame for its own incarceration? Is accountability the true evil here? When everyone has to be seen to be doing something, the only responses are kneejerk - there is no plan, there is just a panicked herd mentality.
Until one day, you wake up in East Germany in the 1980's
A quote from New York Times' 'Stasi' book
Submitted by namcom on Mon, 17/03/2008 - 16:25."To ensure that the people would become and remain submissive, East German communist leaders saturated their realm with more spies than had any other totalitarian government in recent history. The Soviet Union's KGB employed about 480,000 full-time agents to oversee a nation of 280 million, which means there was one agent per 5,830 citizens. Using Wiesenthal's figures for the Nazi Gestapo, there was one officer for 2,000 people. The ratio for the Stasi was one secret policeman per 166 East Germans. When the regular informers are added, these ratios become much higher: In the Stasi's case, there would have been at least one spy watching every 66 citizens! When one adds in the estimated numbers of part-time snoops, the result is nothing short of monstrous: one informer per 6.5 citizens. It would not have been unreasonable to assume that at least one Stasi informer was present in any party of ten or twelve dinner guests."
[Also see Amateur Photographer article]
Austin Mitchell has an 'Early Day Motion' (EDM) currently running in the houses of Parliament regarding the clarification of the laws of photography in public places:
Submitted by namcom on Mon, 17/03/2008 - 12:14.
I had a birthday party (of sorts) last weekend* and invited friends etc. over to our house for drinks/food/chat. In light of the recent announcement by Polaroid that the production of instant film was to stop, I decided that this would be a good time to have a go with Polaroid... I picked up a camera from freecycle, bought a twin-pack of 600 film from Boots, and I was good to go.
My collection of photographic equipment grows ever-larger - got a HP Combi-Plan developing tank from my wife and her parents (Hooray! Now I hope I won't scratch my 5x4 negatives), and am getting a decent tripod from my parents (Manfrotto 055xprob + 808RC4 head - I really need to keep the MPP still!).
Submitted by namcom on Wed, 27/02/2008 - 11:34.... perfect.
Just days before Polaroid announced they were shutting down production of their eponymous instant-film, I bid on ebay for a Polaroid film back (so I can use instant film with my LF camera). I have been chasing various 545 film backs (taking Polaroid 'Type 5x' sheet film) but they always went up to silly prices (and the film isn't cheap either). I therefore started looking at the 405 back. It takes a smaller image - 3.25 x 4.25 inches (in a pack of 10 pictures) - but it will allow me the instant feedback on my pictures that I desire.
I caught the last 85% of a program on BBC one (imagine... : The Secret of Life) where Alan Yentob looked into (I'd say investigated, but it was more of a chat with various people) the self help industry.
