Comments for Michael Marten Photography

Comment on Alan Ross’ photography and his #PostAPhotoFriday idea by New old images | Michael Marten Photography

New old images | Michael Marten Photography — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 09:07:54 +0000

[...] had thought I would try and keep to Alan Ross’ ‘PostAPhotoFriday’ idea, but it’s been more like ‘PostAPhotoEveryFortnightIfIHaveTheTime’! Still, [...]

Comment on The darkroom comes a step closer… by Michael Marten

Michael Marten — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 20:25:54 +0000

Yes, I love that – I think it’s why I like my old Rolleiflex camera so much. I have a graveyard project looming with that (sounds gloomy, but I don’t think it will be as bad as it sounds), and I’m now toying with the idea of eventually making prints of those images using the enlarger – two old gifts to make images with.

It’s certainly all a bit sexier than a digital camera, a memory card, and a laptop!

Comment on The darkroom comes a step closer… by Mike Green

Mike Green — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 20:57:09 +0000

Excellent ‘find’! It’s somehow very much better to have something, and more particularly to /use/ something, which has history associated with it and whose ‘life’ you are prolonging by taking and using it. I hope the results live up to expectations, and I’m sure it’ll be entertaining getting back into it.

Comment on The darkroom comes a step closer… by Michael Marten

Michael Marten — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 23:12:41 +0000

Ah yes, I think I’ll get the same reaction in my house!

I look forward to it too – it’ll take me a little while before I can get going, but it’s coming!

Comment on The darkroom comes a step closer… by Michael Marten

Michael Marten — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 23:09:58 +0000

That would be great if you still have anything that you no longer need! I will almost certainly be asking for advice too…

Comment on The darkroom comes a step closer… by carrie

carrie — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 19:54:40 +0000

I am so glad you are doing this, it one of the most exciting parts of the process. For cine film I get my supplies from Silverprint in London and they have been very reliable. They come in a box with all sorts of danger and toxic labels on, makes Catherine really nervous!

Comment on The darkroom comes a step closer… by Michael Marten

Michael Marten — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 18:06:55 +0000

I hadn’t expected to restart my d&p with an enlarger, to be honest with you – I had presumed I’d start with the film development.

But I think it’s always worth discerning and following the leads serendipity offers – so I look forward to lots of hits and misses with this (probably a LOT of misses, at least to begin with!).

Comment on The darkroom comes a step closer… by Mabel

Mabel — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 18:06:33 +0000

Excellent!Good luck with that. I must raid the cupboard and see if I still have developing tanks you can have.etc- I can’t remember if they eventually went to the charity shop or not. Will get back to you!

Comment on The darkroom comes a step closer… by akismet-1b1e9861c3eb1ebcbaa6491bd92018bf

akismet-1b1e9861c3eb1ebcbaa6491bd92018bf — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 17:52:08 +0000

I’m sure you will have lots of fun. I am tempted to get an enlarger, but it will just be some much more extra faff in addition to the antics I get up to with developing film that I might have to find a new home if I did :/

I look forward to seeing some of your results

Comment on Peak District by Michael Marten

Michael Marten — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 19:35:37 +0000

I like both actually, but I prefer the second. The first was an attempt to get the two trees on the edge, the single tree in the middle (and middle-distance), and then the line of trees on the distant hill. Unfortunately, the trees in the distance are not really that visible! I did actually use an ND on this, but I was using a spot meter I wasn’t used to for working out exposures, and I think I should have used one that went down another stop or two. The lens was actually rather dinky, and the NDs were just standard Lee filters.

Comment on Peak District by Mabel

Mabel — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 19:15:58 +0000

I like the second one, and I do love the purple colour band of heather in the first, although it sounds like you’re no so happy with this one.
I think an ND filter would have enhanced the first, but I daren’t think how much that would cost for a large format camera! Well done with your first lf pics- it all sounds a bit scary to me!

Comment on Some reflections on representation by Nakedness, breasts, ‘art nudes’, sex and photography | Michael Marten Photography

Wed, 11 Jan 2012 08:55:54 +0000

[...] to responsibility in portraiture that I have touched on briefly before (for example, here and here). In particular, I want to offer some reflections on the photographic portrayal of nudity, or [...]

Comment on Ownership and responsibility by Nakedness, breasts, ‘art nudes’, sex and photography | Michael Marten Photography

Wed, 11 Jan 2012 08:55:48 +0000

[...] can be dramatic when we encounter them: there are the examples I have given above, but I have also written before about the brilliant image by Richard Avedon of Nastassja Kinski naked with a serpent: ‘Kinski [...]

Comment on Photography or image capture? by Michael Marten

Michael Marten — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 08:23:10 +0000

Hi Marc,

as I understand Rodowick, he’s deriving his understanding from the idea that we watch a film, not a movie, and a film is made on, well, a strip of film. He’s then extending that to still photography, and perhaps that doesn’t work so well. I do think, however, that there is something to it – he’s referring not just to the etymological root of the word, but the heritage of usage, and that clearly suggests something to do with physicality, with chemicals and darkrooms. Going back to the root of a word is but one approach to discerning its meaning.

However, as I said, for all practical purposes, I think it’s perfectly acceptable to use the term ‘digital photography’.

I think the DNG thing is marketing, and nothing more: I think they’re counting on most people not knowing what a positive is, having had years of print film coming back from a shop with a strip of negatives. Otherwise we might have had DPGs instead of DNGs!

Thanks,

Michael

PS I realise there’s a careless mistake in my post: I talk about Bruce Percy keeping his film negatives safe, but of course, he shoots Velvia, so that should be positives!

Comment on Photography or image capture? by Marc de Ridder

Marc de Ridder — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 21:01:38 +0000

Sorry Michael, but I disagree and firmly believe that ‘digital photography’ is the appropriate and relevant term. In the true sense of the word, photography literally means ‘drawing with light’ and, although it has been associated and intertwined with film, negatives and chemical processing for well over a century, we must not forget that this has been merely our choice of tools to ‘draw with light’.
On the other hand, I agree that the term ‘digital negative’ is not appropriate at all. A negative constitutes an inverted image and is only appropriately used for ‘negative film’. The raw file is not an inverted image and would therefore be more appropriately called ‘digital positive’, in line with ‘positive film’, more commonly known as slide film.
Cheers,
Marc.