Richard Vanek - Black and White Photography

Following week will be little heavier for me as I need to travel to Stockholm again. On the other hand I am expecting to have some time Friday just for myself and do some shooting. This is extra important for me because for a certain reasons this is probably the last time I am traveling to Stockholm in Sweden for business reasons.

Tonight I went to my favorite Kontrast gallery in Stockholm. They presented World Press photo exposition. I must say it is very very sad exposition. One can see what disaster is happening in the world and what people can do to each other. I am not sure if I do like such a expositions. I have got feeling while walking there, that those kind of pictures are maybe good for newspaper news, but definitely I wouldn't make exposition out of it and I wouldn't participate with similar picture on any exposition. I am definitely sure I wouldn't accept and price for a picture of that kind, which show such a brutality. It is good for bringing attention to bad things which goes on, but definitely it is not means to make anybody famous.

I was at the evening today at few of my favorite photo shops here in Stockholm. I have bought test pack of PermaJet papers and pack of 10 rolls Maco 100 film. Film is one year expired but very good price. I took on pack to see if it is ok and when it is maybe I will buy more of them. I will shoot some more tomorrow.

Today was a long day, morning I was little working and than went to city. It was beautiful sunny day in Stockholm, exactly what I was imaging it would be my last they here like. I walk a lot and take about five roll of pictures. First I was on Gamla-Stan (old Stockholm city) and than went to Södermalm. This place is my favorite, especially the place around Sofia Kyrka. I spent some time and rolls walking and shooting round in this nice cold blue sunny day. Then I went for lunch and when I was back there were clouds all over the sky. Pity. I walk down to Slussen and find myself shooting skateboarders at Katarina V. vårdgymnasium.

I have got today mine new Nikkor 28/2.8 AF-D lens. It look great and I hope I can make some nice wide angle shots soon.

Today morning at my daily bicycle ride to work I stooped at couple of places to shoot some picture with new 28/2.8 lens. It was bright cold blue sky morning with very sharp Sun. At certain moment I was passing by place where somebody is keeping his horse. I did almost whole roll on this beautiful animal with great back light and clouds coming from its nostrils. I hope it will turn right as I was using this yet untested and expired Maco 100 film. You say maybe risk, yes but when you mix old those wild things together maybe you are going to get some bonus :-)))) Let's see when I develop it. maybe tonight...

I have made little update to web page today. From top page you can see three most recent photographs published. At the bottom of the column which contains thumbnails of those three photographs was a link to galleries with name More. Now this link is replaced by link which allows you to see special gallery which contains twenty most recently published photographs on web site. So this is easier way to see what new was added. I hope this little thing will make some use for you who are checking from time to time what is new.

I have developed two rolls of MacoPhot UP 100plus and two rolls of Fuji Neopan 1600 tonight. Maco films looks good and seems that 12 month after expiration didn't have any effect. Neopan 1600 looks underexposed even I use longest time (15min) in Aculux 2. I believe Aculux 2 it is not the best developer for Neopan 1600. Maybe I try again Kodak Xtol as I still have one package.

Tonight I have printed one of the photographs done using MacoPhot UC 100plus last week in Stockholm. Scanned at 5400dpi without grain diffuser. Scan result looks very nice and print is also great, a lot of details in shadows and highlights. This particular shot I print was one of the best exposed from that roll. On the other hand the second roll of Maco was exposed in strong back light with dark subject (horse) in front. These shots are on one side underexposed (horse) and on the other side overexposed (sky). It seems like Maco 100plus is not dealing very well with overexposure. It is rather difficult to say based on one development attempt, but I still like in this situation Kodak 125PX in Aculux 2 more.
I am bit hesitating if I will buy this film for nice price or I will buy roll of 100ft of Fuji films which I have found source for almost the same low price. But I need to put them on rolls.

Every day when I ride on my bicycle to work I am passing place when somebody has horses. Sometimes is one there sometimes more. This was shot on early cold morning with Sun behind the horse making nice back light. Quite a challenge for exposure meter. This was shot on MacoPhot 100 plus and developed in Paterson Aculux 2. This was the first time I use my new Nikkor 28/2.8 AF-D lens.

This is a nice place in Stockholm. Little park under the Sofia Kirka on Sodomalm. I like this place very much in summer or winter. I always get a good feelings when walking around.

I am working on the print for D. I had a scan made by my old scanner I anyway decide that I will try my new scanner as it is working perfectly and giving me results far better that old one. When I scanned it I realize what was a problem with this picture, there are scratches on film. This is one annoying stuff when you experiment with films and buying cheap brands. This one was Foma 200. I have bought the other day 10 rolls for trying out. All of them had scratches of some kind. I never had scratched Fuji, Ilford or Kodak film.
So it takes me little longer to fixed that, but once I will have it I would have a good data for nice prints. So do not worry D. you will get your print soon.

I have just finished developing of four rolls of Fuji Neopan 400. Just by looking at negatives I can tell you that this is the best film/combination I ever had. Neopan and Aculux 2 makes it for me. If I eve will try to change something on this please let me know! I shouldn't!
Because I am shooting in past few month really a lot I am trying to cut my expenses somehow. Yesterday I have bought bulk loader for film and order two 30.5m rolls. One Acros and one Neopan 400. I will see how it will go. Maybe this is a way to go.

The other day I realized I am going down on my films again. I need to buy next batch. Recently I am shooting more and therefore expenses for films are rising. I was looking for a possibility to find cheaper source and realize that from where I am buying films now it is quite the cheapest I can find.
The only other possibility how to lower the costs is rolling own films and buy 30.5m film rolls. So I bid on bulk film loader and have won one last weekend. In the same time I have order from my friend in Japan Fuji Neopan and Across 30.5m bulk rolls.

I do not know how this will work people say you have to be careful for dust. I'll just give a try and see.

I have got first problem with my Continuous Flow System (CFS) on Epson Photo 890 I am using. Black ink is puring out of heads and spits blobs of ink onto the paper during printing. Ink appears on printer's rollers and it makes marks on the prints. They call it "LOSS OF SIPHON BREAK". I lookup up instruction for solving a problem and going to do this (rather costly) operation as soon as I can. It is not very nice I have few prints I need to put out and now this. Instructions for solving this says about printing of 50 pages to make again little air in cartridges. Little scary.

We were inviting for kind of picknick celebration of the birthday of our friend. There was a lot of people and lot of kids. I felt like one of them I was playing with then and hiding behind my camera. Myself and they too, I believe, forget about the camera it was like my one eye. I made a huge amount of shots.

This man is looking at the fishing port in Quarteira/Portugal. Whole port is behind fence. Only entrance is through market hall, where fish are for sale. Only few people can enter that building. This man was looking quite sad. I had feeling like once he was one of those guys from fishing boats.

When we back at my wife's parents we are use to come for milk into one house in the village. This shot I made on a backyard of that house. Exactly such a leather bag had my grandfather. He keep there his hammer and other tools he was carrying from job to job.

Yesterday I have received my bulk loader from ebay. Alden 74 from UK. Now I am waiting for arriving of films I have ordered from Japan.
I have decided, based on friends suggestion that I will roll my films into used cartridges from lab. I have visited local lab and find out that commercial labs are not receiving that many films to develop anymore. At the end I have checked one lab (De Afdruk, Breda), which is little more professional. It is the same lab I have used when I was still printing using Fuji FDI machines, four years ago.
What was my surprise when I have received whole bag of empty film cartridges with explanation that smart photo people are still using quite a lot analog cameras. I have got about 150 rolls from only four hours they were open today! Great! I asked them and they agreed that I can come every week to pick up some more.
I have sort out them and find out that the popularity of ISO is 400, 100, 200 and 800. And this lab has about 90% of Fuji color films from customers :-)

So now I am ready, loader, cartridges, just film is missing...

I have cleaned CFS on my printer and it seems that the problem is solved. Quite a mess printing so much paper, than having all tubes disconnected. After all that I had to clean the printer's rollers and when I was in such a cleaning mood and went through all my room. It needs some clean and reorganization already for few days or shell I say weeks :-) Now I feel much better in a nice clean environment with working printer.

When we went out today with kinds I did little experiment I load my camera with 400 Fuji Neopan and exposed it to 800. I would like to see how it stands next to Fuji Neopan 1600 when exposed at 800. I am not sure when I will have some more time to develop, but I hope next week. I need to develop few rolls and than I can focus again fully to printing.

I was standing there and taking shot after shot in attempt to catch good light and composition. It was on nice castle in village Oravsky Podzamok in Slovak Republic.

When we were leaving castle in Oravsky Podzamok (Slovak Republic), I had suddenly opportunity to see in tunnel this old cab without people.

Today I am so tired that I am going to bad almost instantly after I finish this. I do not have this luxury often. But I have to use it today as I am so tired. I even do not know why. Well I did print few prints yeterday until late night and was doing some sport today, but nothing I do not do normally. So good night...

My films from Japan arrived. Now I have really everything for rolling my own films. I am not sure about what kind of tape I should use. I bought some and I am going to try it.

Tonight another situation, which are happening quite often recently. I am loosing things. So I lost my cards today. Quite a stupid think, but somehow can get me nervous. Especially when it is in combination with other small things which are going on now in last few days. Somehow I feel like I need some kind of reset. Maybe this is the way. Anyway...

Sky looks brilliant cold and clear today. It is only few minutes ago when was still dark. Now light is rising so I took camera again on my way to work. I was hoping to get some more shot of the horse, you know. I loaded camera for change again with film I didn't use for while. Kodak TMX. Friend gave me two rolls and because I am not sure how about expiration of that film I do not want to use it for anything particularly important. I have used this film for few years together with Xtol it was my choice. I left it as I was for more dramatic tones and TMX always gives me some kind of flat look.
Now I am again at work and I didn't shoot much no horse picture today. Yep weather is still nice but you know sometime, you just do not feel like shooting.

Just loading my first own film cartridges from 100ft roll of Fuji Neopan Acros 100ASA. First cartridges stocked somewhere and I pull too hard and broke film after twenty shots. Now I am on fifth one and no problem so far. I hope I loaded 100ft roll in the bulk loader in the right way. It is kind of fun. I will see if I just throw 30 euro for 100ft Fuji Across out of the window. That can happen in case I have light leakage in bulk loader or I scratched all rolls by dust. Well, it is fun anyway, something new...
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So now I am done. All 19 rolls in about 70 minutes including loading a 100ft roll. Now I can say how much it costs me. I have bought film from Megaperls Japan Shop, which is run by my friend Dirk Rösler. Including postage price for one 36 roll of Fuji Acros is 2.06 euro. I also bought Fuji Neopan 400 (Presto) 100ft roll. I didn't load that yet. I wait how Across rolls are going to turn out. But I can calculate price for one 36 shot Fuji Neopan roll. Including postage it is 1.71 euro. The cheapest I was buying was 2.60 from UK.

Sometimes the simplest moments and the most beautiful ones.

When I was a small boy and had my first 6x6 camera I very often shoot this kind of pictures. With my parents we were very often visiting different castles and other historical places. I have quite amount of shot from them. I made this one last summer and I find tone and composition nice.

Sometimes the simplest moments are those you will remember forever. Like this one. We were walking in a small city after whole day of traveling through small villages and towns of Algarve (south of Portugal). Quite and tired we were passing this huge, nice Coconut tree, when Viera turns towards me and I pressed the shutter.

At the moment I am doing little organizing of the photos I was working lately. Burning raw scans and print files to CD's. From time to time I need to do it. As the amount of photographs is rising the importance of good organization and good managing tools is rising as well. I am quite happy I have this IMatch tool.