Richard Vanek - Black and White Photography

Now I am not sure, first and for some time now, I was sure there were from Denmark. The reason was that we saw them in brewery in Belgium, where quite big group of Danish tourists were enjoying discovery trip of Belgium beers. Than today when I worked on this picture I saw some dutch text on his shirt. So maybe they were at the end Dutch or Belgium. Who knows. In any case I really enjoy to photograph them. They didn't move a inch looking to me white a little smile and enjoying food and good bear.

One day in Belgium, while walking across the street I have got in this position, behind traveling cap. Later that day, I have learned its whole history from Israel where it was born from love until its time in Germany. Later its path get blurred, but luckily it pop up again in Belgium for a moment, before it when on road back to Israel.

First day of the year. Receiving SMSs, emails,phone calls. Chats with friends over some IM services or voiceIP. All those electronic stuff. Packets are floating, bringing memories to friends one didn't see for month or years. All those ASCII letter or colorful HTMLs. It is nice, but I am missing and I must say really missing just seeing people and sitting in front of them. Missing quiet moments, sitting somewhere on terrs. Just being with them. Where all those life traces are heading. It feels like universe expanding and all known starts and planets expanding to infinity. Ment to never come together again. It is sad, don't you think?

I am updating my web site under the hood. Making it easier to travel for web search engines and bots. I am hoping that this way will be easier to find my web site. More people will than discover it and hopefully they will find it interesting enough to stay and return.

I am member of www.photo.net almost five years. I use it mostly for discussions and source of information. In first year I try to also upload some pictures, but than, after very bad experience, I have removed all my pictures from there.
Today in attempt to bring more visitors to my web site I uploaded few pictures there. You can see my black and white prints. I realize, that when you type my name in Google first link which you will get is actually my photo.net member page. So that was a main reason why I also placed few pictures there today.

You probably guess that I like photographs of HCB (Henri Cartier Bresson). He has one picture where boys are playing soccer in front of huge wall with small windows. When I saw this wall in Portugal it reminds me that wall of his. I couldn't resist and take picture of it. Only one. And even after more than year I still like it.

I think I will take a little break from all this web tweaking stuff. I did make a lot of changes on all my pages. Modified titles, meta tags, keywords. I did verify html on most of the pages and fix small bugs which were found. Hopefully this will lead to increase traffic and rating and all that web stuff.
I will probably do few more things like adding link page and site map. The second one I have planed to do for long time already, but somehow didn't managed. I wanted to have some dynamic automatic way to generate that kind of map. So it will be all the time up to date and doesn't require any manual maintenance. maybe I just need to start with it. First simple and than improve it.
Similar stuff I try to do on top page. Something which will show latest stuff. Not only last new pictures put also news in projects, experiments and articles. So people can find them easier. I have noticed that only first about 10 pictures in each gallery have higher rating. My project page for example seems to be not visited very much. Articles are quite ok, most of the traffic there is coming from photo.net and search engines. I guess that is thanks to more text informations there.

Maybe all this web technical stuff is not interesting to you. I guess not, but I am busy with it in last few days. I will develop more films today and put some more recent pictures soon. And as you maybe remember I was promising some style change which didn't really happen yet. Frankly I didn't make anything what I would like. Anything what was in a way I had imagine. Yes I did try some stuff, but mostly it turns not good. But do not worry I am not giving up.

This is how south of Portugal look mostly in the summer of the 2004. Majority of the forests were burn down. Only from place to place you can find a little island in this moon land. We where driving in this burned countryside for over hour. It was very depressive. I do not know what is true on the fact which I have read later in Portugal newspaper. They wrote that most of the time, reason for those fires is cigarette thrown out of the car window. In temperatures above 34C I can imagine that everything is dry and only little spark is needed.

Once a while you meet interesting people on Internet. It is not very often, it is actual as rare as it happen in real life if not less. While ago I was part of yahoo group about black and white photography. As you know my view on groups you are not surprised that I left the group. There were very few activity. One person who tries to make group more active and was in mine tie there writing long and interesting articles was Jeff.
From time to time we exchange some emails. Today he wrote me nice email with new year wish and also with a note that he wrote few lines about my work at his web page. I really appreciate that. He has also page where he pick up, from time to time picture from other photographer and write a little review about it. It is interesting thing. Jeff is writing very well. I was thinking maybe he could made his website kind of photo critic place. I think he would be very good in it. Should him write about it. Hm, maybe Jeff you reading this?

I have added new page containing site map. Mostly reason is to make it even easier for spiders to travel around my photography site. Can be also sometimes handy for visitors as well. I still think that my site has no difficult navigation and everybody can find everything.
I need to make better links to web shop. I have no power to do it today, is late and I like to read some book.

One more think I planning to add is link page. This page will be containing interesting links about photography

I do not know how should I write about it. Our every day live and all our problems seems now so small, so unimportant. People mostly see only their own little problems and needs. I think we all, these days, here, have no idea what some other people could been and are through. How is our normal life different and small comparing to experiences and struggling of others.
Yes I have seen a movie, movie about life of twins. Life in a times when it was not easy for ordinary people. We are also ordinary people, but our time gave as such a protection that we can not see behind our curtains. It is terrible what is going on. How people can be like this, to each other? What is a problem in us? Why this is going on, still further and further.
I do not know, you probably have no idea what I am talking about. That is maybe what I need to do, show to all of us, like books and movies did to me. Show to us that we can be better. By making images, the way that everybody see what is wrong, what is a problem. Not by making images which are cut out of connections, images which are served in media. Images where one see only results of hate and ignorance. But by making images from places and lives which are close to us where one can identify what is wrong.

I have developed six rolls of films Monday in Paterson Development tanks. They are still hanging and are not cutted. Why you may ask? Well every time I came home from work I am so tired that I can not convince myself to do almost anything except some necessary things for family and home.
Today I have plan to break this and cut and scan those films. I would also like to post another photo.

Now is this soccer field under the snow, but only few month ago it was nice and green. There was a time, few years ago when I was playing with my son on it. Just two of us having fun trying to take ball from each other. In one moment in the swing of the game I was running after him and felt on him. I thought I have broke his back. Me twice as heavy as him. I was shocked. Well at the end nothing happen, I was so happy, it looked really very serious. I will never forget that.

It is last few hours of today, the Friday of 13rd. I think I have survived :-) Yep when I was small boy and following school, this was always my disaster day. It was probably because I knew that the Friday of 13rd is not from somebody else and I create all those disasters myself, but who knows.
Today was ok, quite a busy day at work but at least interesting. And after I have come back home and we had a dinner and but kids into bad I have started to put my last scans in order. I didn't made any notes and any categorization for last about fifteen films. Now I am finish and scanning as well is going to the end. Last twelve shots. Those two films at the end of scanning are two years old expired Ilford FP4+. Roy gave it to me and they turn very well. It seems like I am becoming frequent user of expired films and gaining some extra knowledge for them. Well it is not true, they are just not bad at all.
But let's come back to these two films. I have exposed them in two hours we were with kids in park near by. I have done one in contrast light and specifically in back light situations. I have used spot metering and they turn incredible nice. The other roll I have exposed just after it but Sun was gone. Those have nice texture and full details in shadows. This combination of Ilford FP4+ and Paterson Aculux 2 seems to be very good. I hope I will have a time to but some shots over the weekend on line.

One of the simple pictures which can create deep emotions and nice feelings. I like those images, they are not complicated and gave a feel of beauty. I always loved frozen leafs, trees or in general anything which has that nice icy cover on. My mama use to say that ice queen was near by. And as a small boy I was always imagining how she is walking around and drawing all those icy flowers on our windows.

So I couldn't resist no more. I put new picture from last roll I have scanned. It is Ilford FP4+ developed in Paterson Aculux 2. It's name is frozen leaf. The tonality is beautiful, you should see the print, amazing. I like ti very much. As I wrote simple print, which can start nice emotions. I wish you nice weekend!

Last days before Christmass I have made few portraits shots at work. It was just shooting around :-) Some of them I find quite nice. Probably it is because I know the people. Portraits are quite classical I would definitely like to make some different one if I ever would have a model and time for it. Seems like I never can really manage all necessary things in the same time.

I believe, lately, I am putting kind of crappy pictures on this site. I am recently, really often, looking to the pictures I have made previously and picking up some of them. Maybe I should actually make some plan, take camera and made some new pictures. Somehow I am not able to get myself into the mood in which I am able to create images. From time to time, especially late in night I have ideas how picture should look like, but than I am lazy to get up and make it. And yes it is not always possible. In the night it is for some pictures just too dark :-)
But back to the point. I surely have feeling that I need to improve the pictures I am putting on the web, maybe to slow down a bit but publish only really good ones. At least those, which I think are the good ones. And maybe make those daily shots only to the journal but not to the galleries.

I always have feeling that there is something very specific, something what is very characteristic for Slovak culture. Culture in a sense of that specific approach which doesn't create stories, action or hype. Culture which creates mood and specific feeling. At least for me, when I hear Collegium Musicum or Prudy or when I saw movie Zahrada, all those and similar style creates that kind of specific mood, feeling.
I have saw few last minutes of some documentary on Slovak Television. It was about poets around city of Zvolen. There where few situations, few, more visual than documentary moments which creates same feeling inside myself.
All this let me think. This would be nice to create here in the middle of heavily calculated and planned Dutch society. Creation of art which will force you to stop, think and feel.

Yesterday I knew I have this meeting of the portfolio club. You know I mentioned it before, group of people discussing they own work and giving each other mostly honest opinion. We always bring some work we like to discus of we think it is interesting and we speak about it. It was a second time I didn't have any prints. So, yesterday I was doubting should I go or not. Last time I stayed home. This time also persuaded by Viera I have decided to join a group.
Good I did. Even I didn't have anything of mine own work, I saw quite a few nice shots and I saw people interested and totally involved in photography. That helps a lot. Afterwards I went for cup of coffee with our leader Hans Zoete. He was very nice and suggested that we can have chat after our group meeting ends. We had and I was talking about what I like to make and how I feel a bit lost and uncertain and so. In our discussion I have also mentioned name of Czechoslovak photographer Taras Kuscynskyj. When I have started to take photography a bit more serious (about 15-20 years ago) he was my idol. I like his work very much. Unfortunately he is not well known in Western Europe, but he was very popular in Japan. You can see selection of his work on World Web photo Gallery. You maybe surprised that I like work of nude photos, but I love his style, romantic and very poetic. I believe that his work is just marvelous. You can see also few picture made as postcards. And isn't this a wonderful portrait.

After injection of photo flu I have exposed Saturday and developed today another roll of Fuji Neopan 1600. I exposed it in night trying to catch moving light and shadows on the wall. Sort of thing I remember to seeing when I was young boy and visiting my grandmother.
On technical line, I used again my old tanks. No I do not have anything against Paterson but I notice that the way how liquid flows back down to the tank create huge flow on liquid which creates small marks on negative. You know those flow marks of fresh developer from wholes of 35mm film. This is particularly visible on high sensitive film. So I try to avoid it last time but only using rotating and not inverting approach for agitating liquid in tank and today I went back to my almost 30 years old tanks :-)
Scans tomorrow... If any :-)

Light from night street to dark room in the middle of the night. Behind the curtain is glass bottle which makes this shadow on the curtain. Exposed on Fuji Neopan 1600 with Olympus OM-2n and developer in Ilford Ilfotec DD-X.

Shot from inside, curtain is lit by passing car. Exposed on Fuji Neopan 1600 with Olympus OM-2n and developer in Ilford Ilfotec DD-X.

Doorway from inside. Shot in the middle of the night only with light from street lamp. Exposed on Fuji Neopan 1600 with Olympus OM-2n and developer in Ilford Ilfotec DD-X.

I use to call this last roll, than rename it to Experiment page. Well, whatever is the name but I put three new shots here and not to gallery. I wasn't sure if that is good enough to go there. Well Night mood is going to be container for my night shots try outs. It is for a while now, that I am trying to make photos which would underline little bit of magic feelings which night could had when you have been child. Little scary and little secret. You do not know what each shadow is, but your imagination works full speed. Well, I am curious what do you think. Let me know. Next two shots for tomorrow!

Lights on the wall in our kitchen. Lights coming from outside. Shot was done in the middle of the night. Exposed on Fuji Neopan 1600 with Olympus OM-2n and developer in Ilford Ilfotec DD-X.

You can see my shadow there but not me what a trick. And I am not hanging outside in front of the window :-) Exposed on Fuji Neopan 1600 with Olympus OM-2n and developer in Ilford Ilfotec DD-X.

I have add two other shots from my night tryout last weekend. So you can see whole new experiment. And specially my auto portrait, quite a funny one. I am not going to tell anybody how did I managed to have my shadow but not myself on the picture. You tell me :-)

I was getting crazy about this. Maybe you remember there was a time somewhere in last year November when I put two prints on eBay Charle's cat and Cross. Both were sold. The first one was bought by famous New York photographer Dave Beckerman. He choose for economy delivery. Well it was close to Christmas and as time goes there it pass those 28 days what TPG Post promises. Today I have got notice from Dave that print arrived. Just few days after I print another one for him. This new one is waiting in my room to be put into envelope and being send. So it tooks two month about sixty days to get to New York.
Good news is that print even after such a long journey arrived in perfect shape. At least this was good on this long journey. Packing is good :-)
Anyway I have now extra print, maybe I just put it on web. And I am proud that my print is now hanging on the wall of Dave Beckerman.

It was around 5.A.M., about -15C and almost three years ago, when I was walking in small streets of Gamla Stan. Old part of Stockholm. I was passing this window and I can't walk just like that next to it. It reminds me my grandmother's window. Winter early morning, with light on. Difficult to fall a sleep, whole nigh awake, doing small things next to old vacuum tube radio. I was, at that time, small boy sleeping in her huge soft bed.

I have fixed few small problems on my web and add new picture. Last pictures are quite dark. Well they all made in night, but still I have fix two of them, after looking with distance of few days.

After a long sleep you wake up so early that you observe first light coming to the room. And you stay in bad even light becomes stronger, putting extra curtains over the window and flipping sun-blinds.

Over weekend I have borrowed mine Olympus OM2sp with 28mm lens to my son. He was very persistent to see his pictures as soon as possible so I developed his film together with three of my old films tonight.
I have just finished and all four rolls are drying. What was my surprise when I saw what was on those old films of mine. Pictures I was looking for and wonder where they are, pop ups today after I took film out of tank. The beautiful tree on edge of steep meadow I took last summer in Slovakia. Than some other shots from Slovakia's summer last year. Portraits of Kamila and some nice shots of drying grass on meadows. Well there are more shots, which were hiding from me in last half year. I am happy I have developed them today. It was bit crazy as I combined in the same tank Ilford HP5+ with Fuji Across and in second tank Fomapan 200 Creative with MacoPhot 100up. All of them turns quite well. Last test is for tomorrow when scanning will be done.
I am nicely surprised!

My friend Roman Harvan on the side of Danube river in hot summer afternoon. I must admit we were slightly drunk, but in perfect mood for out endless discussions about music, photography and art all together. We meet very rarely once in few years, but I always like it. I made few shots with him that evening. I like this one the most.

I have scanned first roll from my development job yesterday. It is Fuji Across 100. It was developed for 12 minutes and it was developed nicely full tones. Negative for little bit too dense than is usual from y development, but scanner has no problem to get all data from it. You can see one example out of this roll, portrait of my friend harry.

It is interesting how different films behave under the same conditions differently. Well, it seems to be normal to expect that, until you know what I am talking about. I for example experience with some films, Fomapan or Fuji Across (not other Fuji) drying marks from wetting agent. I have tried two different types of wetting agent, but I always got those drying marks on edge of the films. Why is that? Why on some yes and on some not?
Same is it with marks on edge of the film. This time, they can't be removed they are from foam, I suspect. Also only certain films happen to be sensitive to it. I always get them with Maco 100up and sometimes with some of Ilford films.

When I was about twenty I made a photo of tree alone on a meadow. It was nice sad shot. Last summer I was biking in Orava and in certain moment I realize how nicely is this tree placed alone on this meadow. I took few shots. Later on I realize how similar these two pictures are. Ina distance of almost twenty years I made very similar shots. But not only shots, also my mood road and all surroundings are very similar. Isn't that interesting that when you feel the same you tend to make same shots? I think this is very true and somehow I feel it from this picture. Simple but powerful, at least to me.

Today morning is very similar, in sense of how I feel, to yesterday's evening, when I have put Alone tree picture on-line. Similar, but different. I woke up today, and in contrast with weather forecast, it is cloudy, dark and was snowing. And you know, in The Netherlands, this is not very common. At least not in past six years I am living here. This winter, in general, is much more stronger than anything I remember here. So, morning dark, with a little pounder two centimeters of dry snow on road and grass. Very beautiful. I used to went out with camera twenty five (Oh gosh) years ago and took shots in such a weather. I used 50ASA fomapan film (not in production anymore) and was shooting white fields, trees, roads leading to white land. Cool and nostalgic feelings. And those feelings I am sharing now as well.

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Maybe you know last.fm and Pandora systems. Shortly, it is cool way to discover new music by listening sound stream which is customized for you based on your choice and what have you listen in the past. I like it, I have found a huge amount of music I never heard about, for example band Moloko :-). Today slahsdot brought link to interesting article, comparing both of these systems. So Take a look what it is and how last.fm compares to Pandora.

I am doing almost every day small modification on web, mostly it is fixing small cosmetic problems. Like today I try to fix some problems which are visible with Internet Explorer. I have also replaced header image with image without text and using written text instead. It is always better. Faster and more search engine friendly.
I also signed myself to banner exchange program so soon you will see banner son my site. A lot of you will be probably surprised as you know I am very against this approach. I must say I never really try it out. I will do try now and will see. I think if it is done well it will be not very annoying. And that I shall see if it will bring any traffic to site.

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All this technical babbling is mostly not interesting to anybody except the few people who maybe try the same as I do. Catch attention.

When you in teenage, often you like to be alone. You do not need others views and opinions. You have got enough of yours and I mean, a lot. You are full of yourself often being surprised with things you think. Often, you find the best solution to not fight, but leave, and let other wonder. You have your opinion and that is enough and you are proud of it.

Valentine's day is almost here. I do not have really very many of that kind of pictures which would fit Valentien's day. Anyway I have selected six prints and gave them 20% discount until comming Friday. So if you from Europe it would be (I hope) still possible to deliver before 14th of february.
I also added one new print to limited editions section. It is very much related to love and Valentine's day than as well. For this print there is also 20% discount.

Today I have worked half day on creating of banner for my site. I must say it is not easy. If one like to do it right and to satisfaction, than there is no short way. Using certain tools for creation of animation, than realizing that I am overdoing it a bit. And than starting again. Finally after very long time I have something I like. Than I save it in format I can't continue further. So I have to start again if I like to change anything. Well at least I have got a training.
The other time of the day I have spent with fixing problem which after few years is a first I have with IMatch. The software I am using for managing my photographs. It property database add about 4000 same items for different (seems randomly chosen) images. all this situation happen when IMatch was running while I was adding new images. Than IMatch hanged and when even after 20 minutes it doesn't look to start moving I kill it. After restart property DB was corrupted after fixing that one I have got those 4000 overwritten items. Well I have backup so no big deal just there was no easy way to get rid of those unwanted items. Now it is solved but still property DB is bigger than necessary.
So that was my Sunday, boring hm? Should take some pictures instead!

As you can see I have added banner to almost every page on my web site. For now they are on bottom of each page. I will see how this will turn on and will adjust according. As I saw at least I am not getting some porn or any xxx rated banners. If you will ever see such a banner from my site let me know. The company serving them has written that they do not use that kind of stuff.
I hope it is not bothering you too much, but I need to increase of site exposure as I like to sell little bit more prints. Maybe this is not the right way, but for the moment I will give it a try. I need some money to support my photography otherwise I need to focus too much for earning them other way. That would result in having less time for photo and therefore making less photographs and prints.
Hopefully you come here because you like my pictures and even if you do not buy anything maybe you can click on some banner from time to time :-)

I am really curious how this goes...

Well so far, it is not really interesting for my site. My banners seems to be not showed anywhere. This is based on statistics I am getting from the banner network I have joined. Anyway, I have first created nice animated banner which of course was not accepted as it was bigger than 12kB limit they have for free banner exchange. Here you can see all my simple banners I made afterwards. No animation at all still in average 10kB big :-)


If you like to support my site you can take this banner and but it on your site. I would appreciate that very much.

I was extremely busy with family things in last week so haven't much time for writing, even I have shoot few rolls and develop some. Soon I will post new images. I also was monitoring how this banner experiment is continuing. Well even I explicitly request not to use pop-ups they are happening from banners. I showed for past week 3000 banners and my banner was showed 2000 on other sites. At least according to statistics I am getting. From those 2000 exposures two times people come to my site click on banner. I do not know what to think about it. Is that ok? I think if the banner are not generating pop-ups (I have complained already) I will keep them for little longer. OK let them just few more days.
And if banners are annoying to you let me know. So far I have got only one email about it.

I have add long awaited link page. For the moment there is about dozen links, but I will extend them. I have also add text to each link, mostly from site itself. My plan is replace this temporary text with two, or so, lines of my own view on site. I hope you find other interesting places and photographs.

Huge parking places, behind even bigger super markets had always very depressive effect on me. One feels like piece in a game, not like independent person with free will. Hey I am here not because I need to buy and pay, I am here because I like to have something nice for dinner! How often you have that feeling that you only unimportant piece in machine?

I hope you can still bear with me. I am trying those different banner exchange programs. I cancel the one on bottom of the page because they were generated pop ups even I explicitly choose to not have them, when opening my account there. Now I have moved to other company and their require to have banner in first 400px. That is why I have them now above my page. They also guarantee some better results. Well I will see how this goes.

Working in corporate world has a lot of similarities with other worlds. Worlds we would not like to be. When you think a little longer, and you look at reality from different angle, you realize that having a smoke break is not far from airing prisoners.

Space is divided into unequal parts, one contains a leaf. We stay and observe, waiting for the moment when leaf will dissolve into particles and will move to other, bigger part of the space. We know it will happen once, just not close our eyes. Be ready and watch...

For the moment banner odyssey is over. I have in mind few other things, but it will take a little while I guess. Well my thoughts are about google way. Put some advert on my site and also create own one and pay for it to get it on other sites. But after looking at all the help pages of google about it, I have feeling it is little too complicated. I need to take distance and trying to understand it all. What I like on it so far, that I have more control over how do advert will look and also what it will be about.

It is very very hot, sun is beaming to your head. Step are more and more difficult to make. You are thirsty and you do not know what is behind a next turn. Only one think you know, you need to go further until the Sun set down and cooler air will fresh your head. until than you need to walk!

Even you do not realize you sit in the passenger seat of driving car. You looking forward, but you have back mirror as well. From time to time, you eyes are tired to looking into the grey future and they lean to-wards back mirror. What do you see there? What you would like to see is nice time and beautiful places from past. Instead you see yourself from present time looking back-wards. So do not look back, you will never see what you dreaming of, or what you remembering. Just make your today as best as possible so tomorrow it is something to remember from past!

So how do you feel, tonight? Sunday evening and next working week in front of you? You had some plans and ideas you like to make. Unfortunately all things turn differently and you sitting now with little cloudy mind in front of computer reading these lines. You plan to do different, but end up here. You will go shortly in a bed to take a few hours to sleep to repair your body. That body which is tired now and mind which is surfing around wanted but unrealized dreams and plans.
So how it is with you. Will you tomorrow end up here again, waiting for something to move you to right track. I can tell you here you will not find it. I only making my own drive here. You can join me for few kilometers, but please realize this is not public transport line. This is my drive and I will steer it my way, I hope.

Creating of images, by which I like to show you streets I pass in my way through the space, is not easy. Images which one consider just click of button and another do not know what that means and third says it is rubbish. Why would anybody do that. Does he feels alone and he like to share? Searching for light from somebody else?
In a few years ago I used to run BBS station. I guess you do not know what it was. It was computer with modem where people dial in. Only one at the time was able to connect. The name was "The C Station" in FIDO network. What I love to was watching people going through the pages and from time to time chat with them. You know it was easy. I had a very small room at campus and computer was running day night. Even in the middle of the night when I from dream heard those specific tones of modem connecting I knew, somebody is here. And I went out of the bed, sit in a chair and watch.

Now when you read this I feel very similar. Even I can't really do the same and talk to you I feel rather similar. Well I hope you like what do you find here and if not let me know. Let me know what do you expect to see in back mirror!

The small prints in my web shop, become recently very popular. Maybe people miss it before and now discover.
Yes I am selling prints of my black and white photographs also in lower priced open editions. So almost every print in my shop you can get in bigger 20x30cm size as limited edition print or in 15x20cm size as open edition. Both prints are made using same high quality materials and are matted using pass partout.
Take a look, you can find Limited edition prints

• Landscapes
• People
• Objects

and almost every print also in Open edition section:

• Landscapes
• People
• Objects

Today, first time in history of my site, The Google rating has raised to level five. Maybe, at the end. all the changes I am making on these pages are useful. This way my site will become more visited and more known.
It is quite a scary how position in search engine can have effect. Anyhow I am glad it is going this well. I am preparing new face for my front page. This change will bring more information and will gave little bit more overview what you can find inside. The reason why I like to do it is the simple fact I observe from statistics of my site. Almost 20% of visitors (not search engines or any other bots) is leaving after seeing first page. I like to drop that amount to minimum by providing the most complete overview on this first page. Hopefully it will have positive effect.

Summer time, time of long holiday fresh fruit and crazy games. Time when days are long and you can stay awake all the time you like. When you small you do all games which you will remember for long time. Even the small things, like where did you hide when you play "seek and hide". What apples from tree taste like and more, much more...

It is about year ago when I last time wrote you about my prints I let made in professional lab. I made those prints in early 2001 when I didn't have my own way of printing my black and white photographs. That time I prepare my pictures on CD and went to this lab and ask them to print them for me. They use Fuji FDI machine and Fuji Chrystal archival paper. The prints looks good, not perfect but good enough for used media. All and all, what I like to say is: They use the same process as they do for you to print you prints either from digital camera, or from negative. Difference was that mine where black and white and I can compare with other prints done year later with other technique.
What I have noticed already last year (four years after prints where made) and what is clearly visible now (five years after) is that color shift on these prints is enormous. They used to be black without nay tint, now they kind of dark brown with little purple/magenta tint. Maybe you do not notice it on your color prints as you have many colors and probably not really anything to compare, but for me looking at these prints on my wall (no direct sun) next to prints made by other technique, difference is huge. They say in lab fifty years without change. Well I can tell you know it is a non-sense. So please be aware, things are rather different than promised as most of the time.
And when I am talking about the other technique I mean my ink jet prints made by carbon pigment inks on Cotton Rag paper. They didn't change a bit. I still have my experiment made in 2003. That time I put non archival papers with different inks directly behind glass on south side for two weeks in summer. Well the results are still the same after 2.5 years.

Based on my previous note about archival value of lab prints, Jeff asked me how do I print. I refer him to my article about it. Than I read it through and I realize how much has changed from the time I wrote it. So here it is plan for tonight: Update the printing article to the current state. I gain more knowledge experience and try different things. I will put it all in.

As I have promised I have updated article about making my prints. It is now correct with the procedure I am using now. Maybe I need to extend it later or add new article better describing certain steps in image manipulation I am doing before print. But that will be for other evening. Now I am really tired and need some sleep.
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I am not Watching winter Olympics very much, but what I do pay attention to is Ice hockey. And Slovakia is doing very well, so far no loss. Today we play (we - Slovakia) :-) against Czech. That would be interesting, but it is rather late, not sure if I will stay until the end.

Recently, as you maybe noticed I am busy with taking pictures in rather dark environment. Shooting at the night inside of the house without any light. Using tripod and Fuji Neopan 1600 with exposures up to to 120 seconds. I published only few shot in the Night Mood experiment. I have few more rolls to develop, but before I do I planned to make some more. Yesterday while driving home over the night street I was looking more into the light and shadows close to house entrances. I do not know how it was with you, but when I was in teenage we use to meet with friends and later with girls just there. In half lighted places, mostly close to some lamp post or entrances to the houses. Well that inspires me to try shot something which would evoke that kind of mood I had years ago while dating with girls. That atmosphere of late nigh and seeing nothing else just the other person, without noticing how light went away and cold is coming with the night.
I do not know if it is good idea or not. I am also not sure if I should involved person in picture. Well actually I know I strongly feel I should, but people who saw following images suggested that these are even more intensive and better than images, where I do include person like on the last image in this blog entry. I do not know what to say, but somehow I feel that images with person works for me much better. Maybe you can tell me your opinion or use mail?

Few month ago when I have started with long night exposure I was using my Nikon F100 on tripod. For automatic exposure measurement this camera has mas time 32 seconds. I must say that in most cases it was not enough even with 1600ASA film. I really do deep night dark shots :-)
Than I took my Olympus OM2-n as I remember that it has very sophisticated measurement of the light even in time of exposure itself. So I put it on and I have got excellent results. Camera is keeping lens open as long as needed, I believe max is around 150 seconds, but I am sure it was more in some cases. When I was shooting some shadows in house and car was passing on street, light shortly flash in, Olympus immediately close open lens as there was suddenly enough light. Shot was done perfect not burn due to strong light flash from car's reflectors.

Isn't that cool how over 20 years old technology can still be perfectly usable and even better than latest?

This weekend including Friday afternoon was full of things. I bought car Friday, well it is second hand, but nice. Nissan Almera Tino. Than, Saturday I start painting my son's room. We needed to first clean it out and move all stuff to some other place. Today from morning, I am putting new wooden floor to the same room. It is finished now, but I am tired. That is why I didn't put single picture on line and didn't write much.
I am really tired and my hands a little hearting, so please excuse me that I will continue tomorrow. You know I am not really any handy man, but I am glad that I done these things and it feels good to do time from time some manual work. Now I can proudly look at room and say: nicely done!

This felt like a two days, but looking at calendar is whole week. Somehow I feel obliged to write here every day, but some time I really need to live that day and have no time for writing. Same excuse I have for not putting any pictures on-line. I still have two rolls I shot about tn days ago not developed, but recently I didn't touch the photo camera. Why is it you ask? Who knows, I just didn't feel like that for quite some time. This live is somehow taking me complete and I have no mood, or state of mind to make any pictures. Well it is not complete like that, from time to time I would do it, but it is very late or I think it just didn't fit. Maybe I simple should stop controlling myself and just do it. I wish it would be so simple.

Sometimes I writing here like I would talk to friend, god friend. Mostly I have little block, though. I miss good friend for some time now. From time we moved in this country and connections to family and friends are drying out slowly I feel more and more alone. It is strange on one side, but understandable on other. I can't listen myself tonight, so I will stop. Talk to you next time...

Yesterday late night I took my Nikon F100 and start playing with it. Just like with toy. I spoke with colleague at work about cameras. He is in process of buying new SLR (digital of course) so we had few talks. Than I browse a web a bit finding more info about Nikon F6. And start thinking why I didn't shoot any picture in last few weeks. Yes I was busy with family and some house things, but anyway it is not that difficult to release a shutter, is it?
On other hand I do not take picture like I use to few years ago. Just clicking any time I felt like. Maybe it is not good, not doing it like that, I have no idea. Nowadays I need to have a plan and I need to go after certain image before I can take camera in my hand.

So yesterday I was playing and clicking without film in it. Felt ok, but still it was that kind of playing without goal. Today morning we woke up to the beautiful cold morning with blue sky. Grass and trees have little white cover from frozen air. Very beautiful. I almost took camera from desk and did what I use to did before. Just take pictures of everything I find nice. Well, not today. Riding on my bike to work I was doubting if it was good decision. It felt so beautiful on fresh cold air, with bright sun in eyes...

I love it when time is slow and evenings are long. One can enjoy a moment as much as possible, without hurring, without tension.

My site was gone for five minutes today. Well it was accessible but files where gone. And not it was not my provider it was me who did it. I was trying out some ftp sync software and that one removed all files in fraction of second. Of course I had backup and I have copy so I could restore them quite fast. Problem was that I stop the ftp sync in the middle, so some files where gone some not. It tooks 5 min. Now all is ok I hope. In case you notice some strange thing or missing files, let me know please especially I am not sure in web shop part. Thank you very much for your help.

French fortress, old streets and kids playing around. We use to play a lot on our street as a children. There wasn't many cars but a lot of games to play.

Yesterday I wrote about 5 minute down because of my fault, now my site was down for one hour, because connection problems of hosting company. Yep, such a things happen ones a while, but explain it to me why it is always when it fits the least. When I open my web shop it went down for almost six hours. Now when traffic doubled in one day, and I was hoping that it will go that well, site went down for one hour. I am sorry for this but I can't do much over here. Hope it will be going well in future. I can't really complain, my site is very accessible in last two years in this hosting company I use.

I am recently working on series which is rather different that what I made so far. I showed on this web site few shots and more is coming. Jeff wrote me few lines how he sees it. I really appreciate his support. Here is what he wrote to me:

As for comments on your Night Mood Series... I like what you try to capture with your photography, Richard. Photographs that evoke meaning, remembrances, feelings in the viewer, by photographing those subjects that evoke them in you. It's that personal uniqueness that makes you and photography so special and that something extra.

Viewing this series, I am instantly transported back to when I was a kid, to memories of lying in my bed at night, I can at this moment picture it as if I was seeing right in front of me now, how the light would play through the window, the venetian blinds that were on the double window in my room. How it filtered through that onto my ceiling and walls. I would probably have never thought of trying to capture that in my photographic work, to bring out those same or similar memories in those who viewed my work, from their own lives, childhood or memories.

I have just finished developing of two rolls of Fuji Neopan 1600. They drying now upstairs and I am thinking about them. It seems like I have few nice images there. But as I always say, let us wait until I scanned them tomorrow. I try few new things I never did before but always dream about. I am sure I can show you something more tomorrow.

I am listening new album from David Gilmour, "On An Island". It is great! I have to tell you! I never been terrible fanatic of David Gilmour solo albums, and always liked more old music from Pink Floyd. That what is now on this album is something unbelievable. It has sound like some of the music from '70 by Pink Floyd. It reminds me very much sound of soundtrack "More". Sounds of album "Meddle" or "Atom Heart Mother".
It feels like his own himself has come to front again, feels like lyric and melancholic man is getting back to his roots. There is no more need for popularity run, no need for money making. What left is passion for creation of mood. He is doing it perfectly. I love it!

This is one of those nice shots of Ema which I like very much. This one is older from 2002, time when I was using Voigtlander Bessa-R and Kodak TMY film. Somebody find interesting that this one is developed in Amaloco AM-74 diluted 1:15.

4 A.M. walking into bathroom. Night is dark and only street light is coming through the wet window.

I have finished preview scanned of two rolls of night mood shots. Now I made selection and doing high resolution scans of this selection to see how do they turn out. So you can also watch it together with me. As I have one ready I put it in Night Mood experiment page. If you have something to say about particular new picture I would like to know about it, write to me! I really appreciate your comments. Thanks!

You are in bed, but you can see door. There is a light under them. When you pay attention there are voices behind. It is very late in the night you tired, whole day of playing. It is so safe to know that mama and dad are just one door far.

I had a lot of problems after I place my email, even in encoded form on my web pages. Spam rate raised incredible. And also a lot of time people like to send me a comment or note and they couldn't. Mostly reason was there were using some sort of inet cafe computer without local installed mail program.
So I have connect the mail link on top of each page to mail form in my web shop. Now anybody can send me a comment. I hope, I will not get even more spam :-) Hopefully I wouldn't have to implement some kind of image recognition filter. How are they called? Captcha, I think. So your comments are welcome!

Everybody think that you must be sleeping for long time now, but you are not. Intensive was a day and your mind is running fast even you are in bad over two hours. Beam of light from open door is drawing moving target on your wall. Mama check if you sleeping...

Some nights are different than they used to be...

As I promised I add my personal short text to each on the link I have on my link page. Now you can see my view on each of the links. I have also added few links to photographers work I like. Please give them a visit, you will not be sorry.
On my top page I also add link to one interesting site www.dvere.sk of my friend. This page is purely in Slovak language, so for most of you is inaccessible. Few of you who master Czech or Slovak language you can enjoy highly personal and philosophical view on life, things and all...

Stream of lights coming to all sides from light in your room. Why the same light has different feeling when it is on at 3 A.M. when you ill?

Night lights were always creating strange imaginations in me. Lights they look very different in night. In the night even the weakness beam of light has power to create feeling of space or give you a lead.

Looking into the window, looking for a quiet ground, place where one can put his thoughts in order and find again the balance of before.

Dangerous animal? Who knows, in a late night all those shadows are mutated to the different creatures.

Again I have add, now probably the last picture to the night mood gallery. Now I need to make selection. Tell me which are your favorites and what kind of feelings, those pictures you selected, creating inside of you. Tell me I am curious. Thanks!

I am missing Epson Archival Matt Paper, for some time now. I am using this paper for test prints as it has very similar way of reaction to carbon pigment inks I am using as Hahnemuhle PhotoRag or PermaJet Alpha, which I use for final archival prints. Visually I was buying EAM from local store here. It was the cheapest option as I didn't have to pay for postage. Just for fun yesterday I looked at Epson dutch site and find out that I can make order from there as well and I do not have to pay postage. Price was better than in local shop here and without postage it was great. So I have ordered. Today I have receive it and it come from Germany and I didn't have to pay in advance! Isn't that cool. I like it! Very nice. So I can finally use paper for testing which has good quality of image even it is not very light fast. This property is not necessary for test prints anyway.

As a days goes by and I was putting those night mood shots up, more and more I think how to go further. Seems like certain way is defined now. I need to improve it a bit. And still going around with those fourteen prints and asking people what do they think. A lot of you send me your comments. Thank you very much.
Yesterday I have read David Gilmour interview in MOJO magazine. A lot of interesting info for a Pink Floyd fan as I am. One thing strikes me