Richard Vanek - Black and White Photography

I am in Sweden now. I took all my photo equipment with me with the hope I can develop all my undeveloped rols, once for all!
Hopefully I can also take soe nice pictures even llight in this time of the year is not property which is very offen here.

It is reality, I developed first film here in Sweden. I started first clearing out my old films. I have bought all chemicals here and as everything, also those are more expensive than in Netherlands.
Anyway I have find Ilford RAPID Fixer and using that one now. It is non-hardering fixer.

Today morning I went to Gamla Stan. I took camera loaded with TMZ (3200ASA) as it was night time. No light at all. I wanted to take pictures of some wall lighted with those old lamps.
Gamla Stan is old town of Stockholm, narrow streets, old building and nice atmosfere esspecialy now when it is full of snow.

I developed it in XTOL 1:1 for 18:30 @ 20C. It is underexposed, but I expected that as most of the time it was very dark, but I think I have got nice pictures as well.

I think I settle down for developing TMY in XTOL 1:1 at 20C at following procedure:

 1 x 30sec   - non-stop inversion
16 x 30sec   - 4 inversion in 5sec
 1 x 45sec   - no inversions

This way total time is 9:15 and negatives are nicely full just enought for getting nice shadow details and scanning. I am starting clock after pouring xtol in tank, than starting pouring it out 10 sec before time is up.

I need to developed films of other brands (Fuji Neopan, Agfa, Fomapan, Ilford Delta or HP5) as I would like to buy bigger amount of the one which fit the best.
I used so far TMY but I am not very satisfied with it, it very sensitive on way of developing and exposing. I need something more flexible. Nice thing about TMY is that I can buy it very cheap. So let's develop what I exposed already in winter and see which one is potentional favorit.

So I developed Ilford Delta 400 and HP5. Both very nice films. Much stronger base comparing to TMY & Fuji. As I used non-hardering Ilford FIX for all films I can see that Ilford films are stronger they do not round as Kodak or Fuji does.
The base is a little bit darker than Kodak one. I have no idea how it will effect scaning as do not have scanner with me here. Pictures I did in SK in winter are full of tones and Delta is handling overexposing very well. Few shots agains the Sun are much better than I had with TMY.
Negatives for both films are nice full maybe little bit too dense, just little. I will see how does it effect scanning one I am back home.
Developing procedure I used for Delta 400:

     xtol 1:1 @ 20C 400ml

 1 x 30sec   - non-stop inversion
11 x 60sec   - 4 inversion in 10sec slow

And for HP5:

     xtol 1:1 @ 20C 400ml

 1 x 30sec   - non-stop inversion
11 x 60sec   - 4 inversion in 10sec slow
 1 x 30sec   - no inversion

Agfa APX 400 today. I developed one roll. Base is darker and what is funny it is curvy as TMY and Fuji. I expected, as it is kind of classical emulsion, to have more solid base same as Ilford, but not. It is very thin but darker as Ilford ones, so I expect difficulties with scanning.

And now comes Fuji Neopan 400. I must say I have high expectations for this film based on information I have got from Inet. And at first I was dissapointed. Once I settle time (I developed 3 rolls) I have get nice results what is about shadow details, scale and base is very very transparent. Maybe little bit more than one used with TMY.
So my procedure for XTOL 1:1 400ml at 20C is following:

 1 x 30sec   - non-stop inversion
19 x 30sec   - 1x inversion (fast)

There is one think which I am not sure what cause it. Each of those three films has two parallel scratches on the first 8-15 shots! I have no clue from where they come. Same camera, same tank, same handling as other films. I never ever had a scratches on films I developed. And now this. I even dissasemble the film box and search for some spikes, looked at my new camera and found nothing! If it is from producer than it is strange as I bought two films in Germany and one here in Sweden. I really do not know.

I was hoping for a suprise today. I developed Fomapan 400. The cheap film which I was using 15 years ago, even that time it was of course different model :-)
So base is very dark, probably darkes of all I developed so far. Pictures are low contrast. I used non-diluted XTOL as there was no time provided for dilution. I will try tomorrow little but different agitation and see if I can improve contrast. I also have feeling that whites are no very white, so in other words blacks on negative and not black enough. More tomorrow.

Today evening I developed new roll of Fomapan 400 in non-diluted Xtol. I did one inversion every 30sec and constant inversions for first 30sec. Total time 7:30. Negative inmprove in contrast, maybe little bit in shadow details. Tomorrow I'll try 12min in xtol 1:1 with agitation 4x in 10sec each minute.
I have feeling that this can lead to nice and cheap way of producing negatives.

I am going to small one week holiday. I am going to buy few rolls of Fuji Neopan 400 today and use them there and see what about scratches. If scratches dissapears this can be my film of the future.
Whole point for this search is that I like to find the best and cheap film. Best is Delta400, but it is the most expensive one. If money is not a problem I will use it no question. But Neopan is very close and it is second very cheap. Not as cheap as Fomapan, but 2.85euro per roll is not bad.

Yesterday I developed Fomapan 400 in xtol 1:1 for 12 min @ 20C. It looks good, but not extremely good.
When I cut it today morning I realize interesting thing. There were scratches again on that film, but scratches were not real it were drying marks which just looks like scratched line!!! Sommaybe scratches on Fuji are the same I didn't verify that yet, but I'll do as soon as I can.
I am leaving for holiday now so next time you hear from me will be in 10 days. And I will have some more Neopan exposed...

I had a nice holiday and I exposed few Fuji Neopan 400 & 1600. I will try to developed them in following days and that I can make decisiona bout what I am going to u se for this year.

As you can see on right side I added list of three latest photographs. This place is updated automaticaly whenever I add new photo on server.
I am also planning to add new page containing my best photos from last developed roll. This will be possible found in hobby/photo page.

The next interesting result I confirmed yesterday was secret of scratches on my few last negatives. I am sure that scratches are drying marks on films. My metal clips for hanging negatives just get little bit of dirt and when I pour wetting agent over them it start loosing some of the dirt which dries on film.
So I need to clean them, be careful not to pour wetting agent over them and be sure wetting agent doesn't have a foam on it. Hope this will solve the problem.

I developed AGFA APX 400 in xtol 1:1 @ 20C for 13:30 and get very nice full shadow range negatives. I did continuos inversions for first 30 sec and than each first 10sec of each minute 4 slow inversions.
I used Amaloco X89 fixer for 5 min with hope film will be less courling. Unfortunately it doesn't have any effect.

I paid attention, when I developed yesterday Fuji Neopan 400 from holiday, to avoid drying marks. I used very little wetting agent and clean clips for hanging of negative. And it turn out to be right approach, especially I think low volume of wetting gent helps. Normally I used much more that yesterday.
Using xtol 1:1 with my approach I already wrote before for 10 min @ 20C creates beautiful negative full of tone. So I can declare (even before I will really scan it) Fuji NEOPAN 400 as my film for 2003.

After my sunny sky winter holiday I have problems with right eye. I hope it is only temporary. I had that problem already once and after few days was gone. I have to take this as warning and be more careful.
I went yesterday to the nice photo shop here in Stockholm. Very nice man help me with searching eyecup for my Bessa R2. We found lot of them which fits from Nikon range, but all of them covers also useful part of image inside in viewfinder. As I do not like to lost that advantage at the end I bought rectangle one for F80 which perfectly fits to Bessa.
As I paid before for more expensive rubber eyecup mounted on top of diopter correction for Nikon EM I could choose something to fill the gap. I choose for Ilford Delta 400 film. The man gave me two of them for very very cheap price. I really like that shop. They have big choice of second hand Leicas and are very helpful.

Do not hesitate to look forward to Photo pages. They are updated very frequently.
Chess page wasn't updated for some time as I lost much of interest in game. I still play but nothing really important.

In a weekend I developed two high sensitive films. Fuji NEOPAN 1600 and Kodak TMZ. Neopan I did, after unsuccessful previous try, now in non diluted xtol for 6 minutes with recommended way of agitation. ( 1min constant and than each minute 5sec inversion). Result is little flat and a little undeveloped. Not much but could be better. Next time I will try longer time and maybe agitation every 30sec like I am using with Neopan 400.
What about TMZ goes, I used as I did before 18:30, but this time film is heavily undeveloped on a part which was in a centre of the tank and quite ok on the part which was at the end of tank. I suspect that, maybe I should use undiluted Xtol here as well. I will try that next time.
So far not much luck with high sensitive films.

I have successfully modified apache xml-rpc library to be able to call my xml-rpc from behind of proxy using https.
I am now able to update my databases from local computer. I made small nice command line program which manage my photos from local PC on my web server, using https, xml-rpc. It is really cool and I was surprised how fast it is.
This will be incorporated in imgArch software as I said before. I changed my approach to imgArch after I saw some nice example of work done by my colleague at work. Hopeful I will have a first version of imgArch soon ready. Should be able to import images from local drive and update web images and save them in SQL or XML file.

I added new 'browse photo' page in hobby/photo. You can see all pictures I published on web there.
I am also adding pictures from last year as I have now handy tool for it. Next pictures are comming just in few moments.
Enjoy!

Last week I have borrowed from shop 21/4 Color Skopar for my Bessa R2 camera. It was a different experience, comparing to my 35 Ultron. I need to go closer to people I could shoot in a room with taking atmosphere there. Nice I believe I this will be my next lens.
Today I developed those films some looks promising, of course until I print them you can's say anything for sure. Let's wait until I get back home again (next week) and I can do some scans and prints.

This is the last week of my stay in Stockholm. I had achieve what I was planning, I developed all my old negatives (well two left, still :-) and I exposed and developed about 20 rolls of film in Sweden.
I like nice photo shops in Stockholm, they make possible for me to try some new equipment and to buy rubber eye piece for my Voigtlander Bessa-R2.
I also had time to improve my web pages and bring attention to my photographs. Hopefully after my return to Netherlands I will bring you more of my latest photos and will open some of them for sale.

I did my last photo shopping in Sweden yesterday. I decided that I am going to look how much would they ask for UV filter 39mm. And if they have it in shop I would just try it out, which is very difficult in Netherlands as I have no such a shop near by.
I visit my favourite Schomherrs foto at Upplandsgatan 16, Stockholm. If you ever be in Stockholm go there!. I wasn't disappointed I walked away with Leitz UVa filter for 200SEK!

Well and again everyday rutine starting, Oh god, how I hate it, I have to do something with it. I have got so many plans.
Let's start with cleaning my computer room. Than I can do some scans. An what I am currently most looking forward to, is scan comparism between Fuji Neopan and Kodak TMY. I come back to you soon...

So I am ready to scan. Everything cleaned and prepared. Now it just left to install lates VueScan and fine tune it again (as I wasn't scanning for last 3 month).
Usualy I do scan preview at 600dpi whole roll. It takes about 30-40min and gives me 900px pictures of every field on roll. Than I just go over and pick some of which I scan raw and correct in other Picture Window Pro.

New section, Last Roll added. It will contain few shots from last developed roll with descriptions. Few shots I mean about two, tree. The once which are better and I dare to show them :-) Enjoy and tell me what do you think.
First scan to this new section will come today...

I did scan about 4 rolls and was planning to add some shots to my 'last roll' page, but I wasn't satisfied with a single shot from those rolls. So, sorry, you have to wait a little bit more, maybe after weekend.
Anyway, I did scan Ilford HP5+ which unfortunately was underexposed thanks to experiment I did at the end of last year with old Zenit camera, which is underexposing about 1.5 stop. But what I wanted to tell you was, that scale of shade is so much nicer on this film that on TMY. I am looking forward to see other scans of correctly exposed HP5+ I have in my queue.

Today I have received from michael my photograp printed using inkjet Epson Stylus Photo 890 on Epson Enhanced Matt Paper using MIS Full Spectrum Inks. I do have the same photo printed by Fuji Frontier FDI machine. I am now looking side by side on both prints. I have to say that I like the inkjet print better. It has more details in black, brighte whites, it is a little bit sharper (that could be only perception on paper as Epson paper is totaly matt and FujiColor Crystal Archive Matt is reflecting a little light in certain positions) and giving kind of little 3D look.
Generaly I have very very positive feeling from the inkjet print and I really would like to have possibility to print my photographs this way. I like it! Thank you very much michael!

Maybe you wondering, what such a delay. Well I am kind of busy. After seeing print from MIS inks on epson 890 I ordered the printer. I am scanning more and more negatives. Soon I will have some for last roll to show. And rebuilding my browse photos to introduced more topic oriented browsing, together with small comments about pictures. And as a last thing I will change this site to be only about my photography, all other pages going to be moved to my personal ~richo place.
So that's what is going around. I am trying to do this things in steps and unfortunately I do not have all time I would like to so it is going rather slowly.

Just happy short note: I have received today my printer, Epson Stylus Photo 890 which I am planning to use for producing fine art archival black and white inkjet prints of my photographs with MIS VM inks.

Today is a big day. I have moved all my non-photo stuff into my private home page and left main page dedicated to photography.
Also changed browse phot into nicer gallery page where you can find not only my photographs, but also stories and comments tide to those images. Hope you will enjoy. Please let me know what do you think.

Today is a first day of my real web pages at this private ~richo url. Main page piskoftak.sk is now dedicated to photography.

I have add new gallery Railway station POPRAD. It contains shots I did in 1996. I always planed to published them as that onw week I spent there was important moment to bring me back to photography.

I scaned roll 2002-51 exposed in Christmass time of 2002. I add few shots from that roll into last roll section. Take a look and if you have some comments, let me know.

Maybe you know there is a special atmosphere at night railway station. Those huge lights, lighting rails and strange people slowly moving around waiting for train or for place to sleep. Very quiet often changed for incredible loud noise of fast passing goods train. So, it was about two a clock morning when I saw this man without lower part of legs going in station hall to sleep. When I saw how he is moving up the stairs I did quite few shots. After I went behind him to the station hall I found him going to sleep on one of hidden benches in darker side. I didn't made a single shot there, I was just shocked too much.

Next day I visit few of those small houses before and after railway station where rail man is setting up connection between different tracks and who knows what else they doing there. In this one I spent some time and I get this nice shot. I like it horse shoe as symbol for luck, with rail man checking something through the window.

This shot was choose by Andrej Ban as my best in the week workshop I had with him back in 1996 and it was published in Czech magazine Reflex. This is a bit posed as when I start shooting, he start doing all those poses as a super star. I like composition of rail tracks and dramatic sky with electric wires.

Andrej B?as far as I remember also liked this one and he particularly liked same structure in machine and roof of building behind a man.

And this one was my favorite. Maybe I was again tired of all the people around and I shoot few railway still lives :-) as this block break and railway wheel.

I was taking quite a few shots of kids playing on snow. But the light was really bad, very flat light as everything was under clouds, no shadow nothing. This one is nice. They are so in a game you can see it on their faces. It is fun!

Our kids made this snowman when we arrived at my wife's parents. Temperature that time was about -17C. After two days it went up to +2C and this was rest of their snowman. I really like the shadow of the tree. It was exposed at morning, as you can see on snowman's shadow.

I just can't resist walking on bright freezing mornings, first across village and than to the fields. Great sharp Sun was creating a lot of nice views and I found this one. Old wood house.

I have got quite few responses on my last roll page which inspired me to add new and this time last roll of the year 2002. It was also interesting experience of scanning properly exposed and developed roll of Delta 400. This was my last point for deciding between ordering Fuji Neopan 400 and Delta 400. Now I am scanning first roll of 2003 which is Fuji Neopan and feel better fit scanner than Delta 400.
Hope you enjoy last pictures and let me know your comments. Thank you in advance!

So I was continuing my morning trip in about -18C temperature and I went up the bridge and saw this tree. Water on its branches was partly melting on Sunny side and freeing on other.

After bridge I kept on street and than turn to left where our grand father is keeping his few bees. I like this picture a lot.

I was already quite frozen, especially my finger on shutter when I have got above houses in village and took this nice shot against Sun. I am always surprised when such a shot turns to be nice. I think this is a tribune to my Bessa R2.

And than I needed to quickly returned, as I was getting really cold after about two hours walking there. I passed this holy place, I guess some accident happened here some dozen years ago. You can always find fresh flowers there. I like such places far from anybody's house but still care is kept.

I have order bunch of films (Fuji Neopan) from mx2 shop in germany. They were not able to deliver it in one month and they did inform me about anything. After my phone call 2 weeks after order they ensure me that next week it will be. After next two weeks next Friday I canceled my order. I ask my friend help me with order from 7dayshop in UK. Let's see how this will end. I am out of stock of films and do not like to buy from shop here as it it almost tripple price.
In the evenings trying to improve a bit web site. Hopefully it is going good direction. Still have few things in mind. Like sorting galleries based on date of last update. Move between pictures directly without need to go back to gallery. Have stories together with big photo and not only in gallery next to thumbnail and so. Well working on these things is slow as I have rather little time. I also like to do some prints as I am scanning Stockholm shots. Would be nice to make few prints.

I have add first two rolls I did in Stockholm at the begining of this year. I have about next 15 rolls. Last rolls shots will be added to last roll page and than the one I still consider good will be moved to Stockholm gallery.
I have also created gallery about Slovakia, were I put shots from Christmass. And I also found one night photo of my home town from the same time.

With friends we made trip to town called Sigtuna. Small city with Viking history. I did this shot in a place leading to small original restaurant with very very nice atmosphere and home food. I really like it I felt like visiting my grand grand mother.

This is after we left town hall and it is view on the water from the inside square of Stockholm's town hall. Sun was nicely lighted water and brings bright light to the internal square of town hall.

This was just fast shot and turn to be the most beautiful night shot I ever did of my home town in Slovakia. Zilna was always so nicely lighted in Christmas time

Today I have update gallery page, which is now sorted based on date of last update. Fresh galleries are at top of the page, now. Dates of updates are also visible.
I scanned next two rolls and planing add new shots to the web about Wednesday. Some of them are really interesting. The ones of you, who read my journal for some time, maybe you remember my early morning shots (5:00am) in old city of Stockholm - Gamla Stan in first weeks of February. Some of those shots looks really good!

Yesterday and day before that I worked for even more improving my photo presentation. It is now almost done on my home computer and I will transfer it maybe today to main side. I improve navigation between full size pictures, which will now include text belonging to the photograph and it will be possible to move to next and previous photo in gallery. As I wrote before I have 4 new rolls scanned as well and when this web update is running I will add new gallery and few new shots to last roll page.

January 2003, as a one of my first think when I was in Sweden I joint tour around a city. This is a shot of Japanese tourists taking shots in Stockholm town hall. There were so noisy and everywhere that I can't heard our guide.

Things are changing every day. Last Saturday we decided to make some changes in our house. So we started with moving furniture around, and combining and all it end up with disconnecting and moving my computer to different room. So I did not too much to finish my planned web update. So please be patience I will be back on-line soon with new photographs and improved web page interface.

Today I reconnect my computer to internet again. Even I have no desk ready yet, I can work a bit. I am looking forward to show you nice night picures from Gamla Stan (Stockholm).

Yes, it is here, new navigation between pictures. I hope you like it. It is quite late in night, I am so tired, but because I really wanted to do it I am still awake.
Please let me know if you like new navigation between pictures and also how do you like a little different presentation of photos in gallery pages. Enjoy!

Everybody sleeping, is early morning in Stockholm's old town Gamla Stan. Everybody is sleeping, I can't. Walking in these snowy narrow streets brings me memories from childhood. I used to, as a boy come late from school and in winter, when snow was silently and slowly falling, I can hear only sound of my steps on a frozen snow.

I like this composition, it is like entrance to home not to the house.

Walking alone on the narrow street, when suddenly door on right side are opening and dog is running out. Girls surprised more than me, that somebody is walking with camera at this time, is turning on opposite direction and faster leaving. Dog doesn't.

Very nice shadow, unfortunately it is not entrance to house number two :-) I was fascinating by those old lamps which were shining into dark of narrow streets of Gamla Stan.

Amd again shadow, this time negative as the light from this old lamp is creating light filled third window on a house where everybody is sleeping.

New photos on last roll page. This time night shots from Stokholm's old town Gamla Stan.

Finally I have made my new room. And now I can make some more photos again. As for start little improvement in browsing again. I hope it is going to be better and not worse. Please let me know.
I already scaned next roll. This time, frozen waters of Stockholm. It will be soon at last roll page. maybe you wondering where photos are going from last roll page. Well, based on popularity they goes to apropriate gallery page. Last few photos where moved to Stockholm gallery.
I should soon (tomorrow) received my new batch of films from UK. My friend in London help me with reposting them as a shop doesn't deliver outside of UK. Well, package was bigger than expected so postage went sky high. Next time I have to plan better and not buying everything at the same time. So I am looking forward to use Fuji Neopan 400, when it arrives and hope you can enjoy soon new photos from Stockholm.

Today I received my long awaited packs of Fuji Neopan 400. Looking forward to use them for some nice shots. I didn't do much shooting in last few weeks. I still have a lot of films to scan and, what is more important, would like to make some prints!

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And I added few new shots from my fifth roll exposed this year in Stockholm. Enjoy!

I couldn't shoot anymore, my fingers where totaly frozen and my face was scratching. Anyway, when I saw this man comming towards us I can't resist.

Night was leaving and people start slowly apearing on streets. We quite frozen inside out where watching beatuty of wharf. This is a view from Gamla Stan towards Sodermalm in Stockholm.

I was standing in front of this window to the kids world for some time. In front of me in mean while kids where walking to school. I really liked that window on the rough wall, window to the kids play world. Iwas wondering how I can take it, I did it this way, what do you think?

I am getting few comments about quality of my scans. As you maybe now, scans I have here are just direct result of scan without any modification. I normally scan whole roll and select few good ones and only resize and sharpen them before placing on web.
I have got suggestion, with a good arguments, that I should pay more attention to quality of scans. Enhanced a bit, do correct cropping, clean dust and so. Yes I think there is a point in those suggestions as one of you said, this web is my presentation and it should be as perfect as possible :-). I'll try my best.

Not much update in last few days, but anyway I was scanning a lot and will have new photographs soon. It was quite busy time home last few days and I enjoy beautiful weather we have here.
I was thinking to put bigger images on web. I am scanning with 900px maximal dimension and for web I always downsized to 600px. Is there any reason I shouldn't put 900px on web. Well it doesn't fit on 1024x768 when in portrait orientation.

This was one of the few moments when I felt I need to ask permssion to take a picture, just not to be root. I did ask

In a lunch break I often walk around company and to the Amphitheatre which is behind it.

In a lunch break I often walk around company and to the Amphitheatre which is behind it.

I realy liked those snow covered benches.

We were returning to the Gamla Stan, people in groups talking, kissing and watching helicopter staying on one place for ages

View from boat to the Gamla Stan

I was watching it for long time, about ten shots.

I have add about 30 new pictures and one new gallery (Holiday in Slovakia). This gallery is only temporary. The most pictures are added into Stockholm gallery.
I also changed web interface for browsing pictures and small improvement in title of each page. Hope you like it now better.

I am going to move few pictures from "Holiday in Slovakia" gallery to "Slovakia" gallery and remove it. It was mainly because to share those pictures with my friends with who I was on that holiday.
Result of experiment with bigger size is that I will keep 600px or maybe little bigger 700 or so. 900px is too much as indicated.

I removed gallery "Holiday in Slovakia" and move few pictures from it to gallery "Slovakia".
I am looking into use of nice software called IMatch for managing my photos. It looks promissing. Originally I was thinking to make one myself, but it would be reinventing of weel I guess.

I am playing with my Epson 890 and printing quad tones black and white photos. I am getting fairly good results considering, that I still use normal Epson inks and not MIS VM. All prints are done at Epson Archival Matt paper. I would like to do some prints for my friends and will try some Epson glossy paper as well. I see this as a test drive to get some practice and knowledge.

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Also handling IMatch is going quite well, it has a 30 day tryout period so I am trying to do max in those days. And well I have feel I need to little upgrade my system. I have 40GB HD to install and need to buy some more memory.

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last roll page is empty now. I soon will scan new roll and new pictures will be there. This time I like to try new way of scanning and extracting only green channel from full RGB 48bit scan. I hope this way I can get sharper and richer scans.

I did scan two new rolls, but there is nothing which looks good to me.
Currently also doing a lot of changes on my computer. Trying to clean things up with reinstalling everything. I like to have clean environment. I have got new room so now I like to make that order also in computer so it can work reliably and do what I like it to do. I should soon receive new memmory which should speed up performance, well 1.2GB of RAM should be enough, shoudn't?

Computer still not in fully the shape I would like to have. As I am getting older I really starting to hate these things, why they can not work right and reliable for the first time! You always have to do some extra and spent time you love to use for something totally different.
I hope when this is over I will be able to work finaly on new photos, I have so many plans. Just take a look:

• put everything under IMatch
• do scans and prints for Bart
• finaly do some prints with MIS VM inks on epson 890
• scan and edit few best pictures and print them
• profile Fuji FDI machine in lab
• try out hc-100 and ilfotec DD-X with film test
• prepare portfolio of best ten or so prints
• try to print some in classical darkroom
• ... and much more :-(

You are not going to believe this, but my computer has died. I can not believe it either. First my new 40GB HD went off and because I had swap there, and it was on different controller than by boot disk, or maybe because something elese, my win2000 just do not boot anymore. I am getting screen saying "no swap file going to allocate temporary one 20MB" and than computer is frozen. :-( !!!!!

My computer is back again. I am installing all back, hopefully it will be as stable as it was before crash. So, I hope soon I will present you new set of pictures, there is still plenty to scan from Sweden!

Chess, hmm yes I play a bit with player on my level I still would like to play better but I do not have all the time I wish to have so I play when I like :-) and do not improve much.

My development of imgArchive is freezed for the moment as I discover IMatch soft which can do a lot of things I like to have in it. Maybe I will do some small utility instead.

Yesterday I have scanned new roll. I had a lot of problems to make vuescan work. New version I installed has few problems which were not there before. Anyway I did about half roll until I fall a sleep.
Today I will continue and put some new shots on web. This roll contains experiments with 21mm/f4 Color Skopar lens for my Bessa R2 which I have borrowed for few hours back in March in Stockholm.
I have also made improvement in my work with IMatch. I have all my photos in it and also categorized photos from this year. It is real joy to work with that software. I am going to buy it!

Weekend is over and you do not see any new photos, what's wrong? Well nothing, I spent whole Sunday behind computer and learn and learn. I did lot of experiments on one picture from roll 2003-15. I scanned in raw format in vuescan and tried to make best of it in Picture Window Pro and than print it, still using standard Epson inks on Epson 890.
It takes a while until I get grip to modify picture right, first I did all things wrong and I was more and more disappointed. Than I started again and made few observation:

• scan with multiple pass on my ScanWit do not work always right. I have to check if picture is not blurred. It happens!
• Scan raw to get all info, set correct exposure, use long exposure button and try multi pass. Scan in max (48bits).
• In PWP extract green channel as it is more sharp of all. Check other or mixed than together if you wish. Convert from negative to positive, use Bright Curve to get nice histogram.
• After all bright curve modification resize to final print size, for proofing A6 and sharp it a bit.
• When printing position picture on A4 the way you can print 4 on one sheet of paper. You do not need to cut and you can easily compare different version.
• Printing using all cartridges give very nice smooth tones, but they have color cast. The best it can be see on printing 21level shade card.
• I wish I have MIS inks here, but until than I have a lot of other things to improve!

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I was also playing with IMatch again and find out it has a lot of features which I do not need and some which I like to have are missing. This is probably very normal situation. So I was still playing with idea to make my own. I just like software design :-) I am only afraid it will have in java quite low performance.
I think I am going to give a try, I will with small utility which will give me back my xml-rpc publishing on web.

I have prepared two new picture to publish on web today and scanned three photos in raw format and high resolution for Bart. While scanning I realize that setting exposure higher will bring some more details from dense (on positive white) areas. As those three shots where done on snow it was very useful to increase exposure.
I also put my experimental print from Sunday to mat. It looks quite nice I must say, 13x19cm is quite small but nice size with mat 20x30cm.

I made quite a few successful prints. I found on internet icc color profiles for my printer/paper combination and even with color inks I am getting nice results. MIS UltraTone inks suppose to arrive in few weeks.
I am bit delayed with uploading scans on web, but as one my friend suggested better make it good. Soon will be my new version of the upload tool ready and I can that show you new nice photographs.
Hang on!

When I came home today I was shocked and surprised! I have ordered special black & white carbon inks to my printer from MIS 17th of july and there arrived today!!!
So, guess how I spent evening, filling new cartridges with those inks, of course!. They need to rest over night and I will do some cleaning tomorrow and day after or maybe later tomorrow I'll print first archive high quality black and white ink-jet prints! Wow!!!

When I saw this dog I can't resist. Up to that moment I saw such equiped dogs only in some comics. Poor dog it even can't drink alone.

When we went up the small hill in Stockholm, it was a Sunday, we found these two boys silently eating on the sun, in front of church.

So waiting is over! Three new photographs on web. I did quite a progress with my software for uploading to web. I like it, finally I did some useful piece of code and I enjoyed it a lot! It is not finished yet, maybe it is just begging of reborn of my imgArchiver, who knows.
Anyway you know what is waiting for me this evening, cleaning a printer from epson ink and try of new ones!!!

Cartridges filled with new MIS Ultra Tone inks, and few prints done. And how does it look? Yes it does look good, I still need to do more experiments and print more different photos, but I am glad I am there now!

After a printing few pictures with new inks I realize that my negatives do not look as good as I though. Now when printing time is here you can see what real good negative is. I definitely must improve my developing and exposure technique to perfection.
I also realize that black ink is not as black as I would like to have it. After printing on EAM and Ilford Smooth Fine Art ink jet paper I have need to try PhotoRag and new Forte inkjet papers. I asked friend to bring me some Forte from Sweden and maybe I will succeed to order some PhotoRag from UK or DE wherever I can get it cheaper. It is really pity that I do not know and can't find source of these goods in Netherlands.
Soon going on holiday so I do not have much time for too much experiments but I like to develop some lately exposed Neopan this time in Ilford LC29 for change.

My friend let me try some old Ikon Zeiss camera. It is simple rangefinder with 40/2.8 lens and shutter in lens. I clean it and put Neopan 400 in it. Will try it tomorrow.

I have shoot complete film with this old simple and very quiet camera. Most of the time in very contrast situations with sharp Sun. I would like to develop it today.
I also bought tetenal Archival Matte paper to try with MIS UT inks.

I am a bit of disappointed from tetenal paper, well at first I wasn't sure which is the right side for printing, after printing on both side I know now, even not sure. But the resulting print is not that perfect as I hoped for quite expensive paper (10 pieces for 13euro). I will do some more test later.
I developed film from Ikon Zeiss camera in Ilfotec LC29. Camera works fine, negative looks exposed nicely. Will see more Monday when I will scan and possibly print.
I have scanned next negative from Sweden, few more to go. I will update web soon with new images.

I have got Forte ink-jet paper from my friend. I am looking to do some more printing today afternoon. Lot of plans, let see how it will turn out.
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I scaned whole roll from Ikon Zeiss camera and print two pictures out of it. I do not know why, but I have feeling it is not that sharp as I am used to. Maybe it is by optics, but could be also because of developer change. I am using now Ilfotec LC29. Before I was always using xtol. I can also see little bit grain. It is more visible than from my xtol developed negatives, at least that how it looks to me. I need to directly compare two Neopan 400 scans devloped in different developers.
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I also tested Forte paper and did more test with Tetenal and must say those too papers behaves verys immilar, also texture is same. They are much whiter than EAM, but they do not handle black ink that good as EAM. Sometimes you can see little reflection on places where is too much of black ink.

I add three new pictures from one roll I just scaned. Roll was exposed in March this year, in a time I was still in Stockholm. I have two more rolls to scan from that time and I belive also two to develop. I will try again Ilfotec LC29 even I have got feeling that it brings little bit more grain. Last time I did it like this:

Fuji Neopan 400 exposed @ 400 with ilfotec LC29 @ 1:29

1 x 60sec constant inversions
7 x 60sec 3xinversions in 5sec

1 x 30 sec stop bath
1 x 30 sec wather bath

10x 30 sec 3xinversions in 5sec Ilford Rapid Fix 1:4

This is a example from my first roll in Ilford Ilfotec LC29. Maybe next time I'll try little less time and also lower dilution to reduce a grain. And maybe I'll do it in steps so it will be easier to see effect.

Always, when I see old bicycle I can't resist and I take a picture of it. And also this one in streets of Stockholm I found interesting. Rust gives it a nice shade tones.

As we were walking in Sodermalm I notice this shadow on a wall. Find it interesting, made by sharp Sun in a spring day, which was promissing summer, but still cold. That day we spent a lot of hours walking on this island of Stockholm and saw how people were pull to street to welcome the Spring Sun.

This photograph was exposed using old Ikon Zeiss Continnetta of my friend. One can see little unshapness, mainly on print or high resolution scan. The unsharpness is mostly visible at corner of the shots. Negative was developed using Ilford Ilfotec LC29 1:29 and it has a more grain than I wa sused from Kodak Xtol 1:1.