Excitement and Optimism !!

[f16sunshine]

Are you excited about photography in the coming months?

I am absolutely stoked!

Life has many unhappy turns. I sure have many ugly bits of food on my plate.
That however is not what this thread is for. Let me share a few things and get the ball rolling. Hope to hear from friends here as well.

*I pick up my Pakon Scanner today. There are literally dozens of rolls waiting and I can't wait to soup them up and see.
Many 120 rolls for the V700 to view as well.
Best of all I will adopt another room in my house to use as a full time digital Darkroom.
I don't like to soup up until I know I can go straight to the scanner.
With a dedicated space this will be easier than ever.

*This Saturday I will meet an RFF member in person. That should be a fun meeting.

*I know have a pair of humble yet wonderful Hexar AF Cameras and can dedicate each for diiferent lighting ranges.
With all the uber expensive Leica and Contax SLR 35mm film gear I used over the years I'm quite contenet with a pair of humble P&S cameras 😛

*Several events coming up to shoot for paid work and a big ne I'm contributing for charity.
The one I'm looking forward to most is the Annual Downe Syndrome Buddy walk on Oct 5 where I have been invited to cover the days events.
My older sister will be a self advocate speaker there this year.
Although she has lived with downs she is very successful. She will celebrate 24 years of service at Microsoft on September 14th.
If anyone can imagine what a 20+ year package of MS looks like. It's an incredible thing. Our family is very proud of our young lady!

You see...Lots to be happy about! What are you happy about? Vacations, Gallery spots, new gear, new friends or a muse..... Lets do hear it!
Lets fill up this thread with our upcoming collective optimism 😎

 

[pete hogan]

Good to hear about your sister's successful career, Andy. We're proud of her too!

Get some nice shots.

 

[daveleo]

I will be excited to follow the various gear design evolutions, though I won't be "upgrading" very often.
More than ownership, the new designs, the new editing software, the new computer capabilites, new workflow processes all challenge and re-challenge me to evaluate (and change?) how I do things.
Finally, I look forward to pictures and styles that stimulate my thinking and sense of "beauty", mystery, intrigue, etc.

 

[f16sunshine]

Thank you Pete! Very kind of you to say 🙂

Dave
I'm excited about developments as well although, like you.... I will view from the sidelines in regard to gear 🙂

Anyone else felling good about photography ?

 

[Lauffray]

- I've found a darkroom I can go printing in, I'm going to sign up this friday.
- A couple of very promising books by Steidl still due for publication this year
- A last quick photography trip with a buddy coming up later in october
- Wrapping up a long term project and I'll be editing very soon
- If I have time later this year I want to collaborate with a friend to design and publish a book of his photographs

Also I'm very glad this year that I've tried new things, some didn't turn out so well but that's not the point of experimentation.
- Polaroids
- Portraiture
- Shooting an entire vacation exclusively in colour
- Landscapes

 

[John E Earley]

I'm stoked about life in general and photography in particular. My goal this coming year is to represent the "joys abounding in life."

 

[f16sunshine]

Anyone else have reason for optimism and happiness in their photography they would care to voice ?

 

[De_Corday]

I just sold my first photo essay last week, and I just successfully pushed a roll of HP5+ to 3200 for the first time. Both fill me with a sense of potential that I was very much in need of this summer 🙂

And, Andy, congrats!

 

[maryland_fotos]

Baby steps into medium format photography with the Bronica RF645 would be a reason. I would be curious to hear how the V700 works with the 120 film.

 

[lxmike]

I decided this year to put more time and effort into my photography, buying an X Pro1 and a couple of Fuji lenses, plus a Bronica SQ_A kit have all breathed new life into my photography

 

[De_Corday]

^^ I had the same feeling when I bought my ETRS. Aren't Bronicas awesome? Did you get the speed grip?

 

[lxmike]

and of course congratulations Andy you must be very proud of your sister and rightly so

 

[lxmike]

^^ I had the same feeling when I bought my ETRS. Aren't Bronicas awesome? Did you get the speed grip?

I tend to shoot via the wlf so have held off buying the speed grip, have you got one , are they nice to use

 

[De_Corday]

Mine came with a prism and a grip. I was planning on getting a waist-level and using it as a tripod camera, but to be honest the speed grip handles so nicely that I haven't yet.

 

[lxmike]

Mine came with a prism and a grip. I was planning on getting a waist-level and using it as a tripod camera, but to be honest the speed grip handles so nicely that I haven't yet.

nice to hear you are enjoying your bronica, they are very addicitive😀

 

[siracusa]

I'm feeling optimistic, not least because there's not really any equipment I want or need (*). I've realised that with a Jupiter 3 on camera and a Summaron 35 3.5 in my coat pocket I have all that I need (and might even sell my ZM Planar I'm so content with this simple combination). And I'm really looking forward to the autumn colours, and to the long dark nights that will follow, which will bring with them different kinds of photographic opportunities and challenges.
*This is of course just a delusion. In fact I really want a Moskva 5 as an affordable mf folder.

 

[siracusa]

I just sold my first photo essay last week, and I just successfully pushed a roll of HP5+ to 3200 for the first time.

Both of these achievements deserve very hearty congrats indeed! What did you use to develop the HP5+?

 

[varchs]

I am very excited my RFF pals,
Pour little baby daughter is about to be delivered in November!!!
I have ordered a 30m roll of HP5 to continue the belly shots of the mother and start our little girl's modeling career ...

;-)

 

[De_Corday]

Both of these achievements deserve very hearty congrats indeed! What did you use to develop the HP5+?

Thank you!

After waffling back and forth on what to use, I went with DD-X for 18 min. A little more contrast than I would like, but totally usable negs... My last attempt at a 3-stop push was a semi-stand of TriX in Rodinal, and it came out very streaky.