Darkroom Musings I
Winter and lock-down in Austria were severely impacting my picture taking endeavors, so it was only natural to fire up the darkroom.
I did not print for two months, which means I had a lot of negatives to choose from.
Usually I print 6 motives during a session, but thanks to a strangely busy week my workflow was slower than usual.
Probably fueled by winter melancholy, it came to my mind that during a photographer’s lifetime, there are only so many pictures one can take and print.
ILFORD FB paper and some notes. This is real analogue picture making.
We tend to forget that in times of digital photography, where it is very easy and not very time consuming to take an image. Nonetheless, these images end up on our drives and we all know what happens next: Probably a post to Instagram or the online portfolio and that is it. The time spent on editing in front of a computer screen almost never leads to a real print.
The number of analogue prints a photographer can create during his lifetime is far smaller than the digital photographs he can accumulate on his hard drive.
It is this time analogue printing takes that gets you thinking about your work.
This is why I encourage everyone to shoot film from time to time and print in the darkroom.
Prints make great gifts and giveaways for special clients, by the way.
Darkroom prints are real.
Nikon F6 Serviced
Getting a Backup Body
As you might remember, I bought a new Nikon F6 about year ago. Due to the COVID-19 outbreak, it did not get as much use as I planned.
However, I soon realised the need of another F6 backup body. I soon stumbled across a heavily used example at camera31.at.
The rubber elements were badly damaged and the body was quite scratched up. As I got it for a reasonable price I decided to purchase it and send it to Nikon for a full overhaul.
When handing it in to the clerk at the Nikon Vienna service point, he was quite surprised as he never came across a Nikon F6 with any defects or issues. I quickly clarified that even this beaten up example was working perfectly, but that I wanted to give it a spa treatment.
My Nikon F6: back from service - looks almost like new!
The Merits of Product Support
After a month (a spare part was on back order) the Nikon F6 was delivered to my doorstep. For only 200€, Nikon did a complete service, replaced all rubber parts and even read out the shutter count: 1.700 actuations (equals about 50 rolls of film).
Keep in mind that the F6 was introduced in 2004. Having product support for over a decade shows that Nikon cares about their customers and flagship cameras in particular.
Also, the experience underlines the importance of having a newly produced (the F6 was only recently discontinued) film camera where parts are still available – there are photographers out there who actually use their cameras, and these cameras will need service at some point.
That Time a Studio Strobe Almost Fried My Camera
ready . . . for electrocution
Prologue
Last Friday I worked with fellow artist Raffaela Bielesch on her new (secret) project in her studio at the Creative Cluster Traktorfabrik in Vienna. The task at hand was to create a series of photographs on slide film using a two-flash setup and a neutral background. Raffaela and I had my Olympus OM4 + winder, a Zuiko 90mm f/2 and a sturdy vintage Gitzo tripod complemented with two fairly low-end cheapish studio strobes at our disposal.
So far so good…
Stranger Things
After the first two rolls of Fuji Provia 100F, the camera started to behave in a very strange way. Approximately every third frame, the shutter (mis)fired during the rewind without pressing the shutter button. At first we thought that it was either the winder going haywire or that the batteries of the OM4 ran out of juice, somehow causing a malfunction. After turning the winder off and putting new batteries in the body, nothing changed. Switching to mechanical shutter speed of 1/60 did not help either. Also, the mirror locked up from time to time. Only after removing the camera and disconnecting the synchro cord, winding the camera one additional time, the mirror returned to its initial position. Third roll in, Raffaela and I called it a day and gave up on my Olympus. Seemed like it was the first OM4 to ever break during my career.
Raffaela Bielesch working with the OM4 setup
Putting 1+1 together
Strangely, after dismounting the OM4, it behaved normally. Even the winder would work like it used to. No mirror lock-ups or shutter misfires. After I noticed that the hairs on my hands stood up, it dawned on me: Somehow the strobes charged up the Olympus OM4 via the synchro cable over time. This caused the camera to misfire every three shots or so, always when too much electrostatic had accumulated.
That also explains the strange tingling I felt when I put my nose close to the metal housing of the camera - spider senses I guess.
Olympus OM4 - the camera that survived
Back home, I immediately checked whether the OM4 did take any damage. After thorough testing with the Phocron XA shutter tester and shooting a roll of Ilford FP4 at all shutter speeds, I found that my beloved camera was functioning properly.
Relieved, I sent details about the incident to two well-known, renowned Olympus OM experts: Gordon from the OM-Labor in Frankfurt and Frank, the “OM-Doktor” from Hamburg. Both independently concluded that an electric charge originating from faulty studio strobes were the most likely cause for the malfunctions. However, both repair technicians were pretty surprised that the OM4 survived the ordeal of being electrocuted unscathed.
Lesson learned…
Raffaela and I were lucky this time, but it is fair to say that a photographer should be aware that where high voltage and cheap equipment is involved, care has to be taken.
Have you ever experienced something similar? What is your take on cheap studio strobes for professional use?
The Photograph Not Taken
I'm a photographer – I take photos. That is the very definition of what I am. It is what I embody, what I live and breath every single day.
I took photos of every subject possible - no matter how gruesome or intimate - as long as it served a purpose, was it a journalistic or artistic one. Some of these I'll never share with anyone during my lifetime.
Nonetheless, there is nothing more extraordinary than a photograph not taken. This is the story of the photograph I did not take.
The Story
It is Sunday evening, I head out to “Westbahnhof” (Western Station, Vienna) to pick up a box of donuts I just pre-ordered. Of course, I bring a camera with me, who knows whether there is an opportunity to grab some interesting streets. And I wear a face mask, there is a pandemic going on, after all. Looking at the back of my camera changing some settings, I fail to realise someone walking up to me.
"What kind of photographs do you take?"
A slightly slurred, male voice makes me turn my head.
"I take street photos"
Judging by his appearance, my vis-à-vis is most likely a homeless person, aged around 30 or 40, wearing a dark coloured hoodie and a dirty face mask around his neck.
"Do you take pictures of fuck-ups and hobos as well?", he continues to inquire.
At this point, my mind is racing. Is he looking for trouble? Is he trying to point towards the issue that photographers exploit people living on the streets by taking attention-grabbing photographs?
"Well, I don't do that – I'm looking for interesting, entertaining street scenes to photograph."
"Would you like to take photo of me taking a shot. I'll do that now, would you like to take my picture?"
At this point, I realize that he is dead fucking serious - he is not trying to pull my leg.
"That’s a private moment, and it belongs to you. I think I ‘d rather not take a photograph of you doing that."
Giving me a determined look, he repeats:
"I thought you probably never photographed or saw something like that. Would you take the photo?"
At least he is right that I never photographed someone doing drugs.
"It is your private moment. By exhibiting the image at some point in the future, I would expose your private moment to a judgemental public. I believe no one has the right to be judgemental about private moments like these, so I'd rather not take your image."
The man takes a step back, his face and posture change like he snapped out of something.
"Sorry for bothering you. It was wrong to ask you for something like that. I'm very drunk. Sorry for talking to you. It was a stupid idea."
I pull my face mask down to the chin. The words that leave my mouth are not formed in my head, but somewhere else.
"Thank you for asking me. For trusting me and for sharing this with me. There is no need to be sorry. You did not bother me at all."
He says his goodbyes, and rushes up the escalator which leads to the backside of the train station, were the addicts usually hang out.
Thoughts
Did I fail as a photographer?
A photographer is someone who takes photos - so yes, I failed as I did not take the photo. I wanted to be polite and show him that I value him as a person. At least I upheld my ethos – not photographing for grabbing attention without journalistic or artistic intent.
Did I fail as a person?
Maybe he wasn’t offering me to take his picture, but requesting me to do so. By asking me whether I take images of “fuck-ups”, he was most likely referring to how he felt about himself. He was trying to find out whether I would even consider taking a photo of a “loser” like him.
When I declined, he felt ashamed. He felt ashamed by bothering a “normal person” with his request.
But isn’t it one of the most human things that we want our photograph taken? To assure and document that we exist in this world?
Homeless, drug addicts, immigrants, minorities – they all sit on the sidewalks of our societies.
Some of them feel like they are not even worthy of attention. They don’t exist in the world of “the normal people”. They are unnoticed.
It would be a relief to be able to turn back time and take his image for his sake, and for his sake alone. It would have been an image depicting a human and his humanity. Not more, not less.
Further References
Austrian photographer Florian Czech explored unglamorous street life in his powerful work “Unnoticed”.
The book “Photographs Not Taken” (ISBN 9780983231615) inspired me to share my story with you. It is a great read for everyone with and without a camera.
Inspiration - Wiener Prater
Introduction
Due to the current pandemic, Austria is still in a state of partial lock down, but as restrictions are lifted step-by-step, interesting opportunities for photo projects arise.
One place I recommend visiting is the Wiener Prater, the famous Viennese amusement park. Let’s take a look at the map to show you where it is located.
To get there, take the U1 or U2 underground to station “Praterstern”, which is marked on the map. From there, it is only a couple of meters to walk.
The Wiener Prater is always a nice place to visit, but when the rides are closed - which is early in the morning or during a pandemic - one can take images of the interesting scenery devoid of any humans.
That said, I came up with three concepts I’d like to share. But before we get to the images, let me show you what I brought for the photo walk.
Equipment
The Olympus OM-D E-M10III is perfect for urban exploration and two spare batteries provide enough power for a day. Along with this camera, I brought my two favourite street photography lenses for the Olympus System, the Zuiko 17mm f/1.8 and the Zuiko 45mm f/1.8. These lenses have equivalent focal lengths of 35mm and 90mm. They offer good image quality in a very light package.
Olympus OM-D E-M10III & 2x BLS-50
M.ZUIKO DIGITAL 17mm F1.8 & LC‑48B
M.ZUIKO DIGITAL 45mm F1.8
Gear aside - let’s check out the images!
Concept I - Silhouettes
For the first series, I decided to capture the skeletal frames of the various rides against the bright morning sky. A significant increase of contrast in post processing gave me this very dramatic look, which is suitable for social media. The images underline the current situation of complete standstill.
Concept II - Lockdown
The second set of images comprises photos of closed-down rides and places which are usually crowded with people. There are quite some visual differences between these images and the images of the first series. No harsh contrasts and more visible surface details put them more in line with classic reportage-style photography. They are meant to tell a story, and I would definitely publish them with little blurbs accompanying them.
Concept III - Figures
The life-sized figures of typical Viennese stereotypes from past and present at the Wiener Prater make up for a very interesting photo subject as well. I decided to photograph them like I would real humans when doing street photography. In the images, the motionless figures serve as references to the current pandemic, one of them is even wearing mouth-nose protection. These images would have worked in colour as well, but I’m just not really in the mood for colour shots at the moment, so monochrome it is!
Final Thoughts
Those three concepts are meant as starting points and will remain in my drawer of creative ideas. Not every picture series has to grow into a full-fledged poto project. Nonetheless, in general I recommend recording already developed concepts and ideas so you can get back to them later.
A New Nikon F6 - Interview by Johnny Martyr
This article was written by photojournalist Johnny Martyr and originally published under the title “There’s Still Time to Buy a Brand New Nikon F6 for Christmas” after conducting an interview with me. I highly encourage you to visit his blog and check out his work, he is an incredible photographer.
Johnny Martyr on Wordpress & Johnny Martyr Main Page / Facebook / Flickr
The Nikon F6 - meet the Legend
The Nikon F6 was first introduced by the top Japanese cameramaker in 2004. It was the sixth camera in the Nikon F dynasty which began, 60 years ago in 1959 and totally redefined 35mm photography. Today, the F6 remains the most technically refined, advanced and modern film camera, not just 35mm camera, not just SLR but CAMERA ever built or perhaps, imagined.
Since nearly as long as I’ve been into film photography, the F6 has been rumored to be out of production, and while still for sale, Nikon has just been selling New Old Stock.
The number of professional film shooters in the world seems to be fairly low and those of us still trading film for income tend to prefer all manual, often archaic bodies. Not “film DSLRs” as my wife calls cameras like the F6.
We can count the number of new, non-toy 35mm cameras still made on one hand. There’s the Leica MP, Leica M-A, and the Nikon F6. Only in the last several years did we lose all Cosina-made bodies such as the Zeiss Ikon, Voigtlander series, and Nikon FM10, as well as Canon’s F6 competitor the EOS-1V. The vast majority of 35mm film photographers shoot on aging, vintage cameras of numerous makes. And this works fine for most of us, but admittedly, has a limited lifespan.
But there are still a few hardcore film shooters left standing for whom Nikon apparently still builds brand new F6 bodies. Yes, that’s right. NIKON STILL BUILDS THE F6. And Thomas Eisl is one of those hardcore shooters so I talked to him about his recent purchase. Check out what he has to say!
Martyr: Why did you want an F6? How does this camera fit into the style of your work?
Eisl: My body of work rests on two pillars, street photography and structured projects.
For street photography I mostly use a Leica M4P and a digital Olympus OM-D M10III.
My structured projects pose a kind of an antipode to the randomness and chaos which is so typical for street photography and I try to make a definitive statement or comment with each project. The subjects range from documentary, architecture to portraiture and nudes – depending on the story I’d like to tell. For these projects, technical perfection and complete control over the photographic process are very important for me.
As one of the finest 35mm SLR cameras ever made the Nikon F6 was always in my mind as a sensible choice. The F6 is the key to the vast world of F-mount lenses (including the latest ones) making it the perfect camera to shoot virtually every project and subject I want to pursue in the next decade(s).
Martyr: It’s long been rumoured that Nikon has been selling New Old Stock F6’s, that they hadn’t actually built these cameras for years. How did you verify that Nikon does in fact still build new F6 cameras?
Eisl: According to my knowledge, the rumour first came up in 2008.
A tour in Nikon’s Sendai factory in Japan around August 2018 showed that the assembly line for the F6 was still there and functional.
When I decided to order an F6 in December 2019, I went to my local camera dealer in Vienna, Austria, Blende7, and asked whether he could order one. Although earlier visits at Nikon Europe’s homepage showed that the camera was on backorder for at least 2 months, he immediately got confirmation by Nikon that a new F6 is on its way.
When the camera arrived, I checked the contents carefully trying to deduct when it was produced or at least packaged. The Nikon F6 has an internal battery that controls the internal clock. When the camera is left without batteries, the internal clock will stop and the F6 will inform you when turned on, that the internal battery ran dry. My Nikon F6 showed the correct date and time for Austria. This means that the clock was set before the F6 was shipped from Japan and that at least the internal battery was (brand) new. Additionally, the camera came with full German documentation, guarantee card and a brand new set of CR123A batteries with an expiration date around 2022. All these things indicate that my F6 was no older than a year, I’d say.
Additionally, I sent an inquiry to Nikon Germany to ask whether the F6 was still in production. The official written response stated that the F6 was definitely not discontinued. Around 5th of December 2019 the Nikon F6 was again available at the online store – the backorder notice gone.
Taking a look at the serial number of my camera which is 35955 and comparing it to an F6 sold new in 2015 bearing the number 34875 I’d conclude that least 1080 units have been sold since then (approximately 270 cameras per year).
Martyr: Most film shooters have been getting their cameras from eBay and KEH for at least a decade. What was it like unboxing a brand new 35mm SLR, direct from Nikon in 2019?
Eisl: Just to describe the circumstances: When I ordered the F6, the owner of the small camera shop immediately offered me a discount and handed over a bottle of wine to shorten the waiting time. On the day the camera arrived, he assured me that he did not touch the box or check its context, brought me a cup of Viennese coffee and asked me whether he could document the sale and unboxing of the legendary F6 by taking some pictures.
Opening the box, removing each layer of cardboard and finally holding the camera of my dreams I knew that I made the right decision and that I did not buy a camera, but a companion for life that I will never ever give away.
It sounds crazy, but I am still mesmerized by the experience.
Thank You Johnny…
… for the interview, your efforts compiling this article and your dedication to photography!
Please Visit
Johnny Martyr on Wordpress & Johnny Martyr Main Page / Facebook / Flickr