analog photography

The New Kodak TMAX 400 Film – GET EXCITED KODAK IS BACK!!

by EveNSteve

New Tmax 400 Box

Kodak IMHO hit a home run with the new TMAX 400. I’ve been testing the 35mm version- (the box says world’s sharpest 400… and it is!) and having now shot around 30 rolls of this film in Puerto Rico and tested a few more here in Vermont here are some initial thoughts (note- please be sure to click on the images to get a larger view):

1. I tried 3 different developers (D-76, XTOL and PMK… XTOL Straight wins hands down.)

2. True 400 speed in XTOL.

3. Extremely fine grain with a very, very nice tonality…MY NEW FAVORITE FILM!!!

4. I feel that the times posted by Kodak for this new film are pretty darn good- at least the Xtol processing time/ temp produces negs that scan perfectly.

Eve Full Frame

I have posted an example snapshot I took of my wife Eve Ogden Schaub of LIFE=ART while at lunch in Puerto Rico (my Pina Colada is just out of the frame). The image was shot on a Leica M7 with a Summilux 50mm F1.4 at F/2.8 (060 filter on lens). Be sure to check out the detail images as well as they really illustrate why I feel this film is a real winner (remember…this is 35mm 400 speed film!)

Eve EyesEve Right Eye Close UpOOF

The scan was done on our Imacon at 6300dpi, 16 Bit, Wet Mount. Printed at 16″ x 24″ on our d’Vinci Fine Art Printer it blows me away that this is 35mm. Go get this film NOW! This is a film we as photographers should support as it is fantastic (and how often can you say that these days?)

Please note that there is quite a bit of old stock TMAX 400 out there (I don’t like the old film at all)…the new version has only been out since Oct/ Nov 2007 and can be a bit hard to find. The box should have a red rectangle that says “World’s Sharpest !” The Catalog Number is: 894 7947…I purchased mine from a Calumet Store.

SanJuanCopyrightStephenMSchaub2008Here is a sample preview of my new artworks from Puerto Rico (These are from my Fragment Series). The image is 36″ x36″!

Viva La Revolution!!

Please note all images Copyright Stephen M. Schaub 2008

Confession of a Bagaholic

by EveNSteve

AudioBlog LogoOk, I admit it…I’m a bag (camera bag) aholic. Are you?This audioblog seeks to give an answer to this “condition” that plagues photographers everywhere. How should you carry your gear? Why do camera bags suck? What is the best way to carry your gear for travel photography?  All of these and more are considered and answered in this therapeutic audioblog. The images below are referenced in this audioblog so give a listen and let the healing begin. To order the bag seen below (does not include insert) call: Iomar Perez in Puerto Rico at 787.612.6862.

To order a Y Strap just click on the link.

picture-002.jpgpicture-003.jpgpicture-001.jpgme.jpg

Puerto Rico- Thoughts From the Road

by EveNSteve

AudioBlog LogoHybrid Artist Stephen M. Schaub summarizes his 2 week photographic excursion in Puerto Rico with suggestions and real world shooting solutions for the working photographer. Upcoming related audioblogs will include: film tests for the new Kodak TMY-2 (TMAX 400) and The Y Strap User Report.

Next On The Revolution!

by EveNSteve

During the next two weeks I will be photographing in the rainforest of Puerto Rico and surrounding areas. During this time I will be testing the new Kodak TMAX 400 (35mm) film and plan on a full report upon my return. Initial testing done by me at Indian Hill Imageworks indicates that this may be my new favorite film (best 400 speed I’ve ever seen)…amazing grain (almost as good as most 100 speed films) with a huge tonal range. Stay tuned!

 Viva La Revolution!!

Thought For The Day.

by EveNSteve

Our Fearless LeaderSadly enough, it bears repeating (and repeating…): digital and analog are different and choice is good. Why does one have to win? I just came across oh-yes-yet-another-article in which the author in the very first paragraph states that digital is better than analog. “There. I said it,” opines self-described “fussy pro” Jim Richards in NARFE magazine.

Nice, of course, to see the huge ad for a SONY digital camera-whoops, I mean “illustration”- inserted in the article as “content”…who do you think is paying for this fake article, eh? We are, as the flood of mis-information continues to poison our industry.

Merry #@$%^ ing Christmas!

Plastic People

by EveNSteve

“With great power comes great responsibility.”

                                                      Stan Lee, From the first issue of Spider Man

These words should be branded on photographers world-wide.

Why do I say this?

I just received the current issue of “Professional Photographer Magazine” today (I’m not quite sure why I receive this magazine) and noticed that almost all the images of people in the magazine- articles and ads alike- were not… real. These poor folks had been retouched out of existence…morphing into Zappa-esque “Plastic People”. I had to do a double take on more than a few of them to check to see if they really were photography, rather than CGI (computer generated imagery) …and the scary thing about that is that on more than one I’m still not really sure.

But we’d be lucky if this phenomenon were limited to the pages of one crappy industry rag. Just go to your local bookstore and check out the magazine stand and you’ll see the magnitude of this travesty…WARNING: it is so scary that I would only recommend it to photographers over 18 years in age due to the shocking and graphic nature of the visual insanity. How could we as photographers have forgotten that it is the human element in an image that counts and that the quest for the perfect print/ perfect model/ perfect everything is doomed to perfect failure? That the quest for Perfection in the wrong hands can kill a photograph? A true master photographer knows to when to stop. You the photographer with a click of your mouse and perhaps the wave of your wand have the full capacity to squeeze every bit of life and passion out of even the most amazing image…so just don’t do it. Yes your computer is amazing and yes your skills at Photoshop are fantastic but don’t feel like you need to use all of them at once on every single image…for the love of god, man, step away from the computer!

So where do we go from here? I for one am taping the quote from Stan Lee to my desktop and the next time I am tempted to remove just one more wrinkle I will read the quote and recall with a shudder the insanity epitomized by “Professional Photographer Magazine.”

"It" Takes Great Pictures

by EveNSteve

It? Who- or what- is this “It” anyway?

How many times have you said this: :”Yeah, It takes great photos“? But what does this really say about our relationship to our technology?

You are the photographer- right?…the camera is just a tool. Some of the best works ever made were made with not-so-great cameras, and, as we all know, give a camera to a good photographer, ANY camera and they can produce good work. Give a camera to an inept photographer- even the BEST-MOST-AMAZING camera- and can you reliably expect phenomenal results? Not so much.

The upshot? It ain’t the camera stupid.

Sure, the Photo Industrial Complex loves it when photographers pile on all praise and gratitude to them, ie: their products. And YES, there are some really good lenses and camera systems made that can enable you to get a shot or explore possibilities not possible with other equipment, but it is worth remembering that these tools are useless in the hands of an idiot… and yet marvelous in hands of a talented artists. The gear- or IT- is just a tool.

So the next time you are about to give credit for your vision, talent and hard work to the Photo Industrial Complex/your camera manufacturer- remember that, actually, you deserve the credit… after all, they already got their reward when they swiped your credit card.

Stock or Schlock…The Death March of an Industry

by EveNSteve

By Stephen M. Schaub

Stock photography…seemed like a good idea some years ago. Turn those old jobs and personal works into revenue again and again or take the plunge and just shoot and shoot, amass a huge catalog of images and sell away.

Great, right? NO!

Stock photography has become the muzak of the visual industry. Sure, it fits tight budgets where good imagery is needed (and there is some good stock photography available) but all of this stock imagery used to be actual jobs photographers got hired to shoot…now it is just a click on any stock agency screen…no photographer to hire, just enter your credit card and done. Add into the mix the incredible shrinking day rate for working photographers and stock is a spike through the heart. How can you pay your bills, feed your family and expect to compete with the bargain rates stock imagery sells for?… you can’t. You may disagree with me but- you’re wrong. Want great work, need great imagery- HIRE a photographer!

The Photo Industrial Complex has also screwed photographers (yes again) in this area of day rate and making a living as well. Ever notice how after convincing us to lighten our wallet for the next studio upgrade or latest software gizmo that they then come out with a slimmed down and affordably priced version of the product you just bought…and then proceed to sell it to: your client. Ask any wedding photographer or table-top photographer and they will tell you that digital and small product photography set-ups have killed a large segment of their revenue.

In the the end it is the photographers themselves that are the worst whores and imbeciles because we allowed this to happen in the first place…why? Greed, laziness take your pick…maybe lack of business vision. Yes, stock photography does have it’s place, as do do-it-yourself setups, but nothing can or ever will replace the creative eye of the professional photographer. Amen.

Alternative Light Source

by EveNSteve

By Stephen M. Schaub

First off let me be VERY clear…the Figital Revolution is not one of those sites where reviews are paid by advertising dollars (we have no dollars) and this site is not the place to go see and read all about the next piece of crap you don’t really need.

Having now cleared that up I had the chance this last week to look at a new item I feel may just fit some photographers’ needs, both for film and digital (imagine that!) I got this idea in my head that wouldn’t it be great to have an on-camera light (not flash) that could be dimmed, daylight balanced, light-weight and rechargable. Drumroll please…Presenting Vidled. Yes this product which is really intended for video purposes can be mounted in your hot shoe using a small ball head (very cul) and allow you to see exactly what you light is going to look like and by the use of a dimmer on the unit tweak it perfectly…and it is really a nice quality of light…for some things. My initial idea was to use this with a wee bit of a softening gel over the light for intimate portraits where flash just wasn’t right and big hot light wern’t either. Problem is that LED lights are really bright and difficult to look at even with my diffuser installed. Additionally, the light output is not huge so doing a portrait at say a distance of 7+ feet requires near full power which of course is going to blind your subject. But this brings me to the area where this handy little gadget in my opinion could be useful: MACRO and CLOSEUPS as well as still subjects that need just a little bit more light at, say, a distance not past 8 or 9 feet. You could also paint your subject with light and do some amazing long exposure stuff. The battery (depending on the version) lasts from 1.5 – 3 hours on full blast…not bad. The weight is equal to my Sunpak 383 with batteries so…reasonable. For more information on this product and to view their different configurations just visit: vidled.com

Let The Games Begin!

by EveNSteve

It’s that time of year again when the excitement for the new and fantastic is palpable. Is it Christmas? Is it my birthday? No it is Photo Convention time! What?

It’s the hypnotic time of year when new cameras, printers and photo accessories are released upon the photo community at a frantic pace in an attempt to convince you that the gear you bought last season is now somehow dated and inferior.

Be Smart. Be Figital.

Look at the reality of what is new and is it movement or is it progress? Yes, there are new and wonderful products and some meaningful upgrades but REALLY look and don’t just buy into the hype.