Richard Vanek - Black and White Photography

New month started and here it is new free print. You can order it from my web shop and you have to pay only shipping costs. Please note that to one address you can ever order only one free print.

Last month I made edition of five free prints and only four where ordered. This month I decided to make only edition of three prints.
I am planning to place not ordered print from Free January edition to the eBay and to see how it goes there.

Today it was spring! We have got first all day Sun and blue sky day. It is amazing how much energy such a simple, but powerful thing can give you. I am like reborn. Again looking at days in front with joy and expectations.
In last few days, base on suggestion from Dirk I am listening podcast named "Camera Position". I am now at #31, but going every day further. It is really interesting to hear other people talk about photography. I exchange few emails with its author Jeff Curto.

I have this strange problem. If somebody is ordering from my web shop and he/she choose PayPal as the way to pay, than PayPal presents them its page in Dutch language! I have no idea how to change that. I set my preferred language to English (it is not possible, I can choose it but it went back to Dutch after I click Save). I have also wrote to PayPal about it, but no response yet.
Anybody had something similar?

I have finished scanning all films developed last week and new sic rolls is ready to be developed, maybe tomorrow

Fellow from US has order free print for February.

Every week I have sale, it is great, not much money but the fact that it is going is nice. Maybe one day I will have not only money to buy new paper, but maybe some good, equipment. You know I am thinking about one, but well I will keep it for myself. It is anyway dream until I am not going to sale for hundreds a week :-)

It is nice that orders are rolling. I like to support those who bought print from me and therefore I am introducing some new actions and discounts.
Shortly they look like this:

• Free postage on orders above 150 euro
• Once order of free print.
• 10% off after free print
• 20% off after your last regular order
• 10% off for writing review
• 10% off being referred by new cutomer

More information about these discounts, delivery, payment and shipping you can read at my shop information page.

If you read that little bit more detail description you find out that some of the discounts are time limited based on your last order or other factor like that. I do not like to put aside my older customers and therefore for those who bought print before 1.Feb. 2007 you can apply these discounts as if you would made your last purchase at 1st February 2007.

The Photobloggies are now open for nominations! If you like my photographs and the way I present them, consider please nominating www.piskoftak.com.
Thank you very much for your help!

I have received some feedback from PayPal today and hopefully when you decide to pay using PayPal you will not see PayPal in Dutch language. It shoul dbe in English same as this web site.
I have did some changes and tested it so hopefully all is correct now. In any case, ff you encounter this problem please let me know. Thank you for your help!

Hot summer, sitting in a garden between all that noise of nature. Under the nice tree, playing cards. What do you want more?

Finally all the problems with showing PayPal in non-English language are solved. This is done thanks to PayPal response, osCommerce support forum for PayPal IPN module and great help from my friend mafo.
Second of the free prints seems to be soon gone. I hope, that soon, also not free prints are start selling. I should receive very soon papers I have ordered and I will be printing some nice 30x45 prints on PermaJet Alpha paper.

Today we are getting some nice snow, maybe I just go to the fields if there will be some light at today afternoon. Than I will make some of those lyric images I always loved when I was fourteen. Nostalgic feeling this snow is bringing to me. Is it nice, to forget about orders, actions, eBay and just go and dive into lyric landscapes?

I just realize I have in my galleries 285 photographs. Maybe it is a time to make some additional way of browsing through them. Some top ten or favorites or even searching. What do you think? Leave a comment with you opinion if you care :-) Thank you!

Yesterday I have discover work of Tom Chamber and that let me again thinking about kind of photography I actually like and even more what I would like to make. It is also interesting how my opinions and my favorite photographs are changing. There were times when I like very much those melancholic landscapes with touch of mystery. I also very much liked documentary photos catching up a moment and telling a story. Now I more and more inclined to the photos which are actively created by the photographer. Photos which are not only observation, but also creation of the author.

I believe that it is for me time to really try to make some my own creations. I did few experiments, like this one, but all of them limits creativity only on post processing part. I would like to add more creativity at the time of exposure so actively create a scene. And I do not mean studio settings, but putting components into scene, which I would like and the way I would like.
As you know I really prefer people in my photos, so I would need somebody with who I can do this really easy and who do not mind the starting problems. Well let's see how it will go. These are ideas and now it is only up to me to fulfill them.

Do you remember time when you really enjoy playing in bath. You do not mind that water get colder and you would play for hours if only mam wouldn't come the third time and force you to wash and leave the bath.

You may know that I am working now with Foma (fomapan) films. It has couple reasons. One is that that I have difficulties to find Kodak 125PX here and if that it is terribly expensive, second is that my favorite Fuji Neopan 400 is not sold in bulk anymore. Therefore early last year I have found that Foma 200 developed at 100 ASA in Aculux II is perfect if not far better than Kodak 125PX. Especially in grain is much better and tonality is exactly same or very very close to that feeling from Kodak 125PX which I like.
The other reason is price. I could go to Ilford films, but they are very expensive. I can buy Foma films in bulk very cheap and that is why I using them. There are some problems which I solved on the way. For example the Foma films are more sensitive to mechanical contact than Kodak or Fuji films so I need to handle them bit more careful.

I had troubles with Fomapan 400. It is far from the feel of Neopan. I am fighting with it for really a long time. I must say that after I developed few rolls exposed in low light I am starting to like its own tonal reproduction. You can see Foma 400 on these three bath photos. The soft tone and gentle grain (visible only on prints from 20x30cm) is really adding atmosphere to it.

Beautiful stones in my hand. Cold fingers, but happy face. I showed it for a moment, that run back to the river, happy dull cold day.

The Photobloggies is an annual award ceremony celebrating photoblogging around the world. Every year the editors select photoblogs around the world in different categories.
Nomination is closing in two days 15th of February. If you like you can add your vote and nominate my web blog Europe in Black and White photos into different categories. For example: Best Western European Photoblog, Best Black and White Photography, Best Kept Secret, Photoblog of the Year
This way you can help increase popularity of my site so more people can see what kind of photos I am producing.
I thank you very much if you would find those five minutes to fill form for nomination.

I have just dispatched last free print for February. This month it went much faster. I have discovered that new packaging I am using is able to fit into letter box opening. That means I can send A4 prints as letter and not as packages. This is decreasing postage even further. I need to rework my postage calculation module in my web shop for this.
I hope that after free prints I will get also some orders for normal prints. In a weekend I have made two beautiful prints on Epson semi gloss paper. That made very nice deep black with that pearl surface. I may print new free print for March with that paper. I have bough this paper also A3+ size and my PermaJet Alpha in A3 size should be here any day now.

I have just get message from Alexis in Brazil.

I really like them! They are great, in all senses. I think they respect "fragile" sign. Not a damage.

I was so glad. I never shipped to Brazil before.

I am so excited that I just list print on eBay. I will do more. I have some prints I made before and I have discovered them this past weekend. I'll list them all in next few days. So Charle's cat is first. Last time it sold on eBay as well. You can read more about me on eBay.

It seems like Wednesdays are not my days. I am always so tired and so much work. I find myself walking like a zombie around 22:00 and still busy almost until midnight.
I have those few film's rolls prepared to develop for more than week on my desk, but I like to put some more photos on eBay tonight.
I also had idea Monday about next picture, how to make bring light and how specially illuminate part of it in early dusk light. It strikes me Monday when I was standing still in traffic jam and looking into fields. I realize that this special light before sun rise can be very nice on picture if the other objects are illuminated by some other light source. Later the same day, at the evening I remember that I did something really similar and I have found that picture. I will post it maybe tonigh, but it is still rather far from he idea I have now.

I have forgot to tell you. I have updated my eBay page and it now includes also new blog. That blog will be rather specific about my experience on eBay. But some of you could have interest in it. You can subscribe using alternate RSS link on pages of www.piskoftak.com as well from my eBay page or directly using this RSS link

Game has started :-) I have put additional three prints on eBay and now I have totally four prints there. Thanks to fact that eBay offers RSS feed to my items, I included that information on my web page. Now on top page you can see what I am offering on eBay and what is the current price. Updated is once a hour.

In the middle of the night, sitting alone in th middle of the fields. Same like sitting in the middle of the day in between millions of the people. Nobody notice you, nobody know what is in your mind.

That last photo I put on line few minutes ago titled "In The Fields" is the one I wrote earlier this week. It was attempt last summer to do something different with light. I surely will try some more with early light and maybe something even with painting with light, who knows.

One of my latest customer who bough my print printed using carbon pigment inks wrote me this:

It seems more delicate than the B&W print process of old!! You do know of course that if you get these digital type prints wet it is ruined altogether!

Frankly I never did this to my print. I am very careful with them as I was with my darkroom prints before. So I handle them with care. Today I was doing some cleanup and found some older test prints which were done the same way. Cotton Rag paper and printed with carbon pigment. So I said let see and let water in pour onto print with full power in my sink. When print was totally soaked I softly move my finger over the printed surface. And? Nothing I was amazed nothing somehow I expect that pigment will blur. So I pressed harder and only when I really pressed I saw some blurring on edge of print. Than I took small cloth handkerchief and try to dry surface just brutally moving on surface of the print. There was no traces of pigment on the cloth itself. I believe same brutal pressing and scratching wet surface of classical darkroom print would have same effect.

So conclusion? You can pour water on my prints when they will dry they will be same as before maybe little bit like wet paper, not perfectly flat anymore, but image will be not touch. Even if you touch wet surface in normal way, so not brutally hard you will see no effect on it. Only in very abrasive scratching or brushing of wet surface you will see some effect, but still only slight blurring of pigment.
Frankly I am positively surprised. That is one of more effects which carbon pigment gave me to comparing with common dye inks.

In a hot summer day I was driving in south of Czech Republic. Choosing small rounds between small villages. Very rarely I met a person. And than at the end of one place I saw this. Alon in the fields under The Hot Sun. There must be reason why they build it. Does anybody know these days?

Passing by I stopped the car. Look at statues with memories for people which died in 1st world war. Than I looked at building behind it. Old as well, also memories...

We are leaving tomorrow on one week holiday in Ardene. I am looking forward to it same as our kids. They are crazy now with packing all they like to take.
My all eBay bids are ending Thursday and Friday I am back. I just schedule one more to start Thursday as well. Now it will be whole portfolio of Night Mood. Well actually only five prints from it.

All this eBay feels like game, but so far I am loosing money I invested now around 30 euros to eBay fees. I wonder if I sell at least for that amount :-)

We were with kids from Monday until today on small holiday in Ardene in Belgium close to French boarder. We had a great time.
In this period I sold two prints on eBay. They sold for starting price so very cheap, but never mind I sold 50% of offered prints.
I have there new offer this time for whole small project of five prints.

More later I need to get shower and unpack. And I am tired after driving :-)

I have developed another six rolls and while I was doing them I listen all album from Pink Floyd - The Wall. It was a while I was listening this my the most favorite band. In my twenties this was my life. And now it strikes me so strong again. Listening this music and understanding lyrics brings me again to that mood I use to have. Today it brought me huge inspiration. After I was done with films I sit and listen with pen and notes in my hand. I wrote dozen of images which came to my mind. Now it is only question to make them. Maybe it doesn't have to b so difficult how it seems to me now.
Somehow I need to brake that factor of language and foreign country and just make first of the images I want. Than I hope it will go much easier.

So after week of holiday and developing six films I am kind of full of energy even after first day at work :-)

I am experimenting with eBay even more. using now Turbo Lister which allows much easier to edit and place even single item on eBay. Discovering some more features.
If you miss final bidding for my Charle's horse and Fish, you will have soon second change as I re-listed them. Now you do not have no bid or even accept my price, you can suggest what you would like to pay for it.
This is, I think quite nice idea also for my shop, just let customer option to say how much one would like to pay. Could be interesting to know how people value my work. On other hand of course it easy to abuse with nonsense offers. But let me find out how it is going to work :-)

The other day and not only that day, but also days before I had a chat with two of my friends. It is not as those older time chats that you just meet down town and go for beer. Than you spend time together talking, feeling and enjoying that time. No, it was that kind of communication when you sit in front of your computer and you typing characters across half of the world.
Nevertheless, it is not directly important, but it surely has effect.

Every one of us has family and has to work in daily job to make money to support it. We all try from our early time express our feelings by creating things. One by writing, other by drawing and designing and myself by creating photographs. We have very little time for it. And as all creative people know, you can't just sit and produce something you will be satisfied with. It needs time, time to get into the mood, time to get inspiration and situation to want to say, express something.
And this is rather hard when time for your self is limited to late night hours when you so tired that only thing you can think about is some kind of relaxing activity. You brain is totally dried.

Even in those moments each of us, time from time make something which he really likes. It is not often, it is accident most of the time. This let me think, why is this always like this. How many great people are tortured by this every day mill. Or is it only decision to be made?

I felt it very strongly this last Sunday. We had week of holiday only for ourself. Week when my mind was focus on different things, than wakeup at 5:30 a.m. and got work. After this few days I was immediately full of energy and full of ideas.
Today only second day in the mill of life I had such a strong feeling morning when my watch was beeping at 5:30, to just let it go...

So every time I talk with these two friends of mine, I try to convince them to not give up and write that nice little poem, just for satisfying yourself and draw that great picture, to make your soul happy. What I am actually doing is trying force myself to not forget that there is something else in life than mill. I would be very very sorry to lose my friends.

I have made another step to more interactive site. From now you can comment also on posts in journal and not only on pictures.
I must say that I am very happy how haloscan is working with commenting. I am not getting and spam and those comments which I have got to pictures are very helpful and inspiring.

I thank you all for your opinions and support!

Old city of Stockholm, Gamla Stan, winter early moring, February 2003.