With the Fringe starting in Adelaide again, I decided to try my hand at some Street Portraits. I approach a random stranger, and ask if I can take their portrait. Simple, really.
I’ve written a bit about it over on my other blog here.
I decided I wanted a way for people to be able to find their photos, so designed this little TLR and Instagram business card, matching the type of camera I use for the portraits.
The cards turned up today, and I’m so pleased with them!
While we were away on our mini-breakette we took many walks along the beach. It was windy, and gorgeous. This is from Normanville.
Shot with Olympus OM-1 with a red filter (25A), on Ilford FP4+ 125, developed in Ilford DD-X at 22°C for 8 minutes. Which is the standard method, just 2°C warmer than normal.
If you would like to flick through my film photographs, they have an album on Flickr.
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That might be a bit dramatic. It’s definitely an exaggeration. But look! It looks like I’m about to get one back!
I’ve created a map of all the destinations that I’ve sent #tardigram postcards to. Looks like I might have to create one for where I’ve got them from, too.
Lovely!
To reiterate, if you would like to receive a photograph, lovingly photographed, developed, and wet-printed in the post, get to me your postal address and I shall make it so!
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I had a feeling it would be fun. I had a feeling it would fit right in with my current attempts at slowing down.
So far I have printed 14 postcards. I’ve sent three cards overseas: One has gone to Anchorage, Alaska in the USA, one to a village near Nagano in Japan, and another to Malmö in Sweden. Some are for old friends. Some for new ones. None to random people. Yet. I’m looking forward to my first postcard to someone completely random. I have a few more to print, but that will have to be a job for this weekend.
Above is the response from a friend (an old one, whom I see far too infrequently). I have to say that this response is exactly what I wanted from this little project. A bit of joy in somone’s mailbox. Something different in amongst the bills…that’s not an expiation notice. I look forward to getting more snaps from people when they receive their tardigram.
If people start sending me random photographs in the mail that would be even better. Wink wink, nudge nudge.
Let me know if you want one. Somehow. Try @techoglot on Twitter or @TechnicalKO@aus.social.
PS.
Karloskar
PO Box 23
KENSINGTON PARK SA 5068
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In passing, I mentioned to my Father in Law that I was hunting on Gumtree for an enlarger and other darkroom paraphernalia. Turns out that he has (or had, now!) a box of such paraphernalia in the garage, and would be happy to get rid of it.
I didn’t quite realise just how much stuff he was going to bring around. In addition to the Durst F30 enlarger, I got three Paterson 8×10 developing trays, two Paterson developing tanks (the old, non-Super-4 model, but they have spools in them, which is great), a bulk film loader, a safe-light, some old ID-11 and Microphen developer powders, a bunch of 5×7 and 8×10 papers, and a full 33m spool of Ilford FP4 125.
Aside from needing to make the electrical switches safe, and acquiring paper devloper, some tongs, and a new bulb for the enlarger, I now had everything I needed for the dark-room. Except for the dark room.
To seal up the doors, I got adhesive foam strip designed to seal doors, so that bit was easy. There is still a bit of light leakage around the bottom of the doors, but that would be easily fixed with a couple of door-snakes.
Sealing the window was a bit trickier, and needed a piece of MDF cut to size. Good excuse to get the table-saw fired up.
I gave it a crack this morning (see previous post about Project Tardigram) and it was a great success. The old 5×7 paper curled quite badly, but the modern 8×10 paper dried beautifully. I think I need some filters for the enlarger to improve the contrast of the prints, but aside from this I’m exceptionally happy with the darkroom.
I do need another shelf to stow the enlarger properly, but for now, I’m set and ready to print!