Asheville: Double Take

Alright folks, the rumors are true. Beginning July 1, the intriguing Lynne Harty and I will exhibit new work in the hip and trendy lobby of the Asheville Community Theatre. Both of our bodies of work focus on the city itself, and I've taken the opportunity to expand the AshevilleHDR series, adding a couple of never-before-seen pieces.

The details:

Asheville: Double Take
July 1 - 23
Reception: July 10, 5:00 - 6:30 p.m.
Asheville Community Theatre
35 East Walnut Street
Asheville NC, 28801
(828) 254-2939
Gallery hours: Tues-Wed, 10-4; Thurs-Sat, 12-7:30.

Now, in case you hadn't noticed, the reception is a bit short, especially compared to the ones I've thrown in the past. That's why I waited awhile between The District and To See A Darkness. I mean, they couldn't both be the social event of the year. In any event, the reception is short because the ACT's production of Noises Off will be starting shortly thereafter, so come on down for a night of art and theatre snobbery! We can all drink free booze, wear berets and argue about the artistic validity of HDR photography!

Seriously, though, I'm excited. I wish I could show you the new images, but then they wouldn't be never-before-seen. So. Here's a B-side. I love it, but it didn't fit. One of the other new ones didn't fit either, but I loved it even more, so it went in anyway. Critique away, you HDR haters!

If patience is a virtue,

I am a sinner.

For ten years, I used only stainless steel developing reels. Only. Matter of pride. Unfortunately, when I started shooting a lot of 120 after the arrival of the P6, I noticed an unacceptably high percentage of rolls ruined during development. And by "unacceptably high" I mean "any at all."

I can count on both hands the number of rolls I've lost since I started developing my own film all those many years ago: Two rolls from our honeymoon, two rolls of Doc freakin Watson playing the guitar, and two rolls of 120 that stuck together on the reels.

So I swallowed my pride and started using a Paterson tank for 120. It was like trying to learn another language. And I learned some very colorful words indeed.

For ten years, my developing process has gone like this: Develop, stop, fix, dunk in the wash, tear the film off the reels to look at the pictures, hold negs up to the light with fixer dripping into my gaping mouth, feel satisfied that I've still got it/kick myself for ever thinking I had it, re-reel, wash for 20, Photoflo, hang to dry.

So of course the first time I tore the film off the Paterson reel to look at it, I was quite surprised that it was nigh impossible to re-reel. I had to dig up another reel, and by the time I got it on, most of the emulsion was gone from the edges. Not acceptable.

So now, for 120, my process is this: Develop, stop, fix, wash, stare at the microwave timer counting down, pace around the kitchen, turn the radio on, turn it back off, look at the timer again, wonder how these seconds could be the same ones that go by so fast during Final Jeopardy, finally settle down to read a book, and then leap up from the chair and dash across the kitchen when the alarm beeps, Photoflo, rush to the bathroom to hang the film in the shower, stare at each image with cold water dripping into my eyes, hang to dry . . . come back twenty seconds later to look at them again.

I haven't ruined any more film since I started using the Paterson tanks, but that extra 20 minutes kills me, readers. Kills me.

"Cheap Viagra" said:

"Great Firstly very thanks to the film company like kodak. thay they have change the world totally. I have used already that various role of kodak like kodak ectachrome, kodak elitecrome. Now would like to use Kodak's Ektar 100. Thanks for sharing this informarion. . . . Alex"

Being a blogger, I get spam comments all the time, and I do my best to filter them out. But this one was really something. To top it off, "Alex" forgot to include a link to the cheap Viagra.

So now I'm imagining some spammer sitting in a cubicle, typing away, and coming across my blog. If he likes that post, there are plenty of others. Suddenly, his productivity is down. Middle management starts checking over his shoulder. Can spammers get in trouble for surfing the net on company time? Might the awesomeness of DarkTopo result in one less spammer in the world?

Plus, what kind of person shoots Ektachrome AND makes a living spamming Viagra? Two stereotypes I never imagined mixing.

Cthulu

Reckless

The New DarkTopo Command Center

After six weeks, I'm finally blogging from the new Darktopo command center (upgraded from the old DarkTopo bunker). I like the space much better, though I'm going to have to go to the curtain barn and get something to block out all this stupid light--I've got a wedding coming up this weekend, and the monitors need to be calibrated.

This afternoon I unpacked the boxes of books that have stood like boulders against the wall since we moved in. I found this:



A PDF of the F100's instruction manual, printed out in the UNCA computer lab back in 2005. I no longer need it, because I sold that camera to raise cash for the new house. No more DarkTopo film speed tests with 1/3 of a stop increments.



We're not materialistic people, but we've both been surprised at the weight things like that carried. I've got a fancy new office, but there are holes where things used to be.

Also, they say that books are the bane of moving. They are wrong: