The Photo School is something between a book, a magazine, an encyclopaedia and a self-instruction course. Above all, it is supposed to be easy to read, useful and enjoyable; and, we hope, in most cases accurate and even authoritative.
It consists of numerous modules, which are sometimes like chapters of a book; sometimes like magazine articles; and sometimes, well, just unclassifiable.
Door, Loches
Roger shot this on Ilford XP2 Super, trade processed, printed (by Frances) on Ilford Multigrade Warmtone.The lens was a Voigtländer 90/3.5 Apo Lanthar on either a Leica M4-P or a Voigtländer Bessa-R2.
Action Level (from Reviews) Agoraphilia (love of marketplaces) Appropriate quality (from 'Quality in Photography') Artisan and Artist camera straps
Basics (a multi-part set of modules on, yes, basics) NEW Body of Work Bulk loading 35mm film (from 'How do I...?')
Camera, The (from basics) Choosing black and white films; see also Choosing films Choosing and using thermometers Composition I (from Quality in Photography) Creating a photo-school course Cut film holders, loading (from 'How do I..?')
Darkroom (converting toilet to) Darkrooms, see Our Darkrooms Density, the H&D curve and gamma Details (composition) Developing tanks for 35mm (from 'How do I...?') Developing tanks, choosing (from 'How do I...?')
Ektar 100 film see Kodak Exakta Varex VX IIa (Yes, the 1950s original) (from Reviews) Exploded Photographs(from 'How do I...?') Exposure guide (when you haven't a meter, from Basics)
Farewell to the King (Leica 50/1 Noctilux review) Filter adapters, skeletonizing Fixer testing (from 'How do I...?') The focal point (composition) Focus and depth of field (from Basics)
Gossen Tele Semi-spot Attachment
Handling 120 film (from 'How Do I...?') How do I...? (a series of modules, a bit like Basics)
Kodak Ektar 100 film (from Reviews) Konica SIII review (from Reviews
Large format lenses, re-shuttering (from 'How do I...?') Large format see also Upside down Leica as a Box Brownie (from Basics) Leica f/2.5 Summarits (from Reviews) Leica M8 (from Reviews) Leica M8.2 (from Reviews) Leica Summilux 24/1.4 (from Reviews) Leica Tri-Elmar 4/16-18-22 (from Reviews) Lenses (from basics) Loading a 35mm camera (from How do I...?) Loading 35mm into developing tanks (from 'How do I...?)
Movement in a Still Life (Model Aircraft)
Narrative, record and graphic pictures Negative development technique
Paterson water filter (from 'Microtests') Perspective and the illusion of depth Photosniper (from Reviews) Print File sleeves (from 'Microtests') Processing 35mm and 120 film (from 'How do I...?') Processing sheet film in a Paterson Orbital tank (from 'How do I...?')
Quality in photography (a series of modules)
Re-shuttering large format lenses
S.E.I Photometer (from Reviews) Sharpness I (from 'Quality in Photography') Sheet film processing in Paterson Orbital tank Shirley Wellard cassettes, manufacturers' instructions (from 'How do I...?') Shutters and shutter speeds (from Basics) Skeletonizing filter adapters (from 'How do I...?) Smallest room (toilet) as darkroom (from 'How do I...?')
Tewe Polyfocus zoom finder (from Reviews) Thermometers, choosing and using (from 'How do I...?' Typewriter (in winter sun)
Upside-down cameras, why and how (from 'How do I...?') Using 35mm cameras (from 'How do I...')
The Worst DSLR in the World (Visoflex III on M9)
Zeiss 50/1.5 Sonnar (from Reviews) Zeiss 4/18 Distagon (from Reviews) Zeiss Ikon (camera and lenses, from Reviews) Zone focusing (from 'How do I...?')
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Girl reading map There are so many exhibitions at the Rencontres at Arles (this is 2008) that it can be hard to choose which ones to visit, in what order, and for how long. This site is much the same, we hope.
A Bright Future Awaits You On the Colony Planets We like to travel as much as we can. This Beijing street scene reminded Frances so much of the movie Blade Runner that the title suggested itself.
Mearle's Drive-In, Visalia, California The classic Corvette was pure luck, and even though Roger had slow film (Fuji 50) and a slow lens (Zeiss Biogon 50/4.5) he decided to try his luck anyway, at about 1/15 hand held. If you don't play, you can't win.
Long Range Desert Group Re-enactors are often wonderful subjects, and as they are (pretty much by definition) putting themselves on display, there is rarely much embarrassment about photographing them.
Girl on water-slide, Igal, Hungary The great thing about most of continental Europe is that people still regard it as a bit of a lark to be photographed, rather than getting upset about it. We have a great weakness for spas, and Igal is probably our favourite.
Reculver Towers Frances hand-coated heavy water-colour paper with liquid emulsion to make this picture. The trouble is, of course, that there is a certain amount of luck involved in how the image and the coating interact.
Danseuse, Spectacle de Danse, Moncontour 2007 Every year, the local Jazz Dance Association puts on a Spectacle de Danse with dancers of all ages: this is one of the youngest. Frankly, the picture isn't very sharp: it is a close-up, taken with a Noctilux 50/1 at full aperture and ISO 2500. Is the lack of sharpness the first thing you notice?
Voigtländer Bessa-1 There is inevitably a fair amount about equipment on the site: we just don't agree with the people who say. "Equipment doesn't matter." What we're concerned with is on the one hand, the right equipment for the job, and on the other, having fun with that you've got.
Barred window, Arles Arles again, because it illustrates one of the things we shoot a lot of: old buildings, ruins, ancient towns and cities. We go there every year for the Rencontres.
Sunshade, South of France Although Roger shoots the majority of our colour, for which he uses mostly digital cameras (almost exclusively Leicas) we both prefer film for black and white. Frances used 6x9cm Ilford HP5 Plus in her Alpa for this picture.
Lido, Margate Frances does quite a lot of hand colouring, sometimes of her own pictures (as here) and sometimes of Roger's. There is a whole gallery of hand colouring. |
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© 2010 Roger W. Hicks