Funny Signs

I have a growing collection of signs that I find funny(ish). Here's a few from last week. The first one I noticed while my 6 year old daughter was in a kiddies play area and I was just about to offer her a cigar.

This next one I noticed while looking for a 24 hour shop. Not open...work that one out.

And this one I saw in my local supermarket. I guess we're all finding the recession tough.

Have a good week.

Photography Lecture : Glasgow

The Photography of Margaret Watkins : The Mitchell Library

This is definitely one for your diary. The fifth annual Annan Lecture (presented by the Scottish Society for the History of Photography) will be given by Joe Mulholland in the Mitchell Library Jeffery Room on Thursday 25 March at 18:00.

Here's a brief history of Margaret Watkins

Margaret Watkins was born in Hamilton, Ontario, in 1884 and died in obscurity in Glasgow in 1969. She was active in New York in the 1920s, where she had a studio in Greenwich Village and worked with Clarence White and the other great photographers of the period including Stieglitz and Strand. Her work in advertising and art photography was often innovative and experimental, and she exhibited internationally.

In 1928 she visited her four elderly aunts in Glasgow, which became her base for the rest of her life, allowing her to travel in Europe and particularly in Russia where she made some of her most striking work. However, after the war she became very reclusive. Joe Mulholland was her neighbour, but in the many years he knew her, she never referred to her photographic career and it was only after her death that the nature and scale of her achievement became evident.

Sounds fascinating, see you there.

6:00pm Thursday 25 March 2010

Admission : Free

The Mitchell Library
Jeffery Room
North Street
Glasgow
G3 7DN
Scotland

Tel : 0141 287 2999

The Renfrew-Yoker Ferry, Glasgow

Photographic Exhibition of Own Work

At the moment I'm preparing 16 images for my upcoming photographic exhibition; "40 Days To Go : The Renfrew-Yoker Ferry" (working title).

On Friday 19 February 2010 I spent the whole day photographing the death-sentenced Renfrew-Yoker Ferry in Glasgow (Scotland). The ferry service is over 200 years old, at the current site. I photographed the ferry once every hour from when it opened at 06:30am until when it closed at 09:30pm. A long day but the results were well worth it.

The initial venue for my exhibition of 16 images will be the Renfrew Inn (the Inn overlooks the Renfrew side slipway); the date is the last day of sailing (the 31 March 2010).

Here's a few of the images to be featured in my new photographic exhibition.


I have other venues interested in displaying the exhibition. So if you can't make it down to the Ferry Inn, in Renfrew, there will be other places in Glasgow to catch it. I'll keep you posted.

Photography Exhibition : Stirling

37 Steps : Gillian Cooper

This exhibition, on at The Changing Room in Stirling, has me intrigued; artist Gillian Cooper took a photograph of her surroundings after every 37 steps during a single day. There's plenty of reasons for visiting Stirling and this looks to be another. Here's the link to Gillian's exhibition link to Gillian's exhibition.

13 February 2010 to 28 March 2010
Tuesday - Saturday 10:00 - 18:00
(Closed Easter Friday, 2 April 2010)

Admission : Free

The Changing Room
Tolbooth Jail Wynd
Stirling
FK8 1DE
Scotland

Tel : 01786 274005

Pinhole Camera Photography Project

Part IV of IV : Developing the Final Print

So far you've read about the historical significance of pinhole photography, we've constructed the camera itself and you've seen how to create a negative image on photographic paper. If you're new to this four part blog you'll probably want to read the other three before this one.

In this part (the last part) we are about to make a final print using the contact print method. You will also need an extra piece of equipment for the darkroom; a 60 watt light. You could use a table lamp but remove the shade first.

DARKROOM AND SAFELIGHT ONLY : ACTIVITY
In the darkroom take out a sheet of photographic paper. With the shiny/emulsion side facing up place the paper on top of the camera. The emulsion side of photography paper feels more glossy/smooth than the reverse.
DARKROOM AND SAFELIGHT ONLY : ACTIVITY
Take the dried negative and place it face down on top of the unprocessed sheet (emulsion to emulsion).
DARKROOM AND SAFELIGHT ONLY : ACTIVITY
Place the square sheet of clear acrylic (included in the kit) on top.
DARKROOM AND SAFELIGHT ONLY : ACTIVITY
Use the elastic bands to hold everything in place, making sure they're not covering the back of the negative print. The negative and new sheet of photographic paper need as good contact as possible.
PART DARKROOM AND SAFELIGHT ONLY : ACTIVITY
Hold the top of the camera towards your 60 watts light; no nearer than 4 feet. Keep your fingers away from the paper. Switch on the light for 2-3 seconds (my negative is slightly underexposed so I switched on for only 2 seconds to compensate). You could open the darkroom door instead if it's bright outside.
DARKROOM AND SAFELIGHT ONLY : ACTIVITY
Now develop the contact print (the sheet of photographic paper under the negative) in your darkroom chemicals (following the steps in Part III).

And here (on the left) is the final print. The negative image is on the right. My positive print is still a little underexposed; so maybe 1 second under the 60 watt bulb would have been enough. But that's the nature of this type of photography. You need to keep a record of exposure times and adjust them with each new print until you have a well exposed image. When you look at the final image remember you have used historical photographic techniques. And you have a final print not dissimilar to photographs produced by the pioneers of modern photography.
Tips and Problems
Your darkroom chemicals ("developer" and "fixer") have a limited life after they're mixed. "Developer" will last about a day and goes from pale brown to brown. "Fixer" may last a few days and goes from clear to a very pale yellow.
Underexposed images are pale and need more exposure time (at camera or contact print stage).
Overexposed images are dark and need less exposure time (at camera or contact print stage).
If your paper remains white check the paper was loaded the right way round.
If your paper is black check the camera for a light leak.

I wanted this series to be as real as possible so documented actual results of the first run. I'll revisit the process over the next few weeks and see how far I can improve the image.



Useful Pinhole Photography Links
f295 - on line community of pinhole photography enthusiasts.
Pinhole Photography : History, Images, Cameras, Formulas
Pinhole Photography Theory
On line gallery pinhole camera images


Pinhole Camera Kit Supplier
Flights of Fancy
3 Linglie Mill
Level Crossing Road
Selkirk
TD7 5EQ
Borders
Scotland

Tel : 01750 22142
Fax : 01750 22147

Pinhole Camera Photography Project

Part III of IV : Exposing & Developing The Negative Image

In the first post of this series I covered the historical significance of pinhole photography and in Part II we constructed the camera itself. In this post (Part III) we'll expose and develop a negative image on to bog standard photographic paper.

Talking of bogs; a quick word about darkroom and safelight requirements. Before we can load photographic paper into the camera we need a room that's completely dark. Even the smallest amount of white light can spoil the paper. I'm using an internal loo but in winter almost any room can be used at night with curtains closed. Running water nearby is useful but not essential. I always have the "developer" bath on the left, "fixer" bath in the middle and clean water bath on the right. Knowing where everything is before you turn the light out is important for anything you plan to do in the dark.
We are not working with negative film so we can use a red safelight in the darkroom. I'm using a homemade red safelight put together from a small torch, rubber band and a sheet of red cellophane (the cellophane is included in the kit).
Wrap the cellophane around the torch head and rubber band around the cellophane. (n.b. the power of the torch bulb should be no higher than 7 watts and it should be no nearer than 4 feet from where you are working). You'll quickly get used to working in low (red) light; just give your eyes a minute or two and they'll soon aclimatise.
Now it's time to create the pinhole itself. Push the needle through the hole in the outer box (as near to the centre possible) and into the internal black card box. Make the hole as clean as possible, turning the needle to round out the hole. Be careful not to make the pinhole larger than the needle itself.
DARKROOM AND SAFELIGHT ONLY : ACTIVITY
Take out a sheet of photographic paper. With the shiny/emulsion side facing the front of the camera slide the sheet of photography paper fully down the back of the camera. You will be able to detect which is the emulsion side; it will feel more glossy and smooth. Put the lid back on and wrap the two elastic bands around the camera to hold the lid in place. Don't forget to close the photographic paper pack before turning on the whitelight or opening the darkroom door.
Now we're ready to shoot. Exposure times will be longer than you're probably used to, between 15 seconds and 10 minutes at a guess. So the cat, dog, goldfish, kids or F1 racing are definitely no-nos (a Scunthorpe United defender should be no problem though).

I'm shooting the view from my bathroom. It's not ideal weatherwise, that would be a sunny/high contrast day. It's a very dull day, so I'm going to give it about a 3 minute exposure. I know what your thinking. Your thinking "About?? Surely there's a more accurate way than using About!?". Well there is and here it is....the pinhole is the aperature ok? The focal length is the distance from the pinhole to the photographic paper ok? So if the hole is one inch wide and the focal length is three inches, the ratio is 1:3 ok? Therefore our aperture would be f/3 ok? You just need to measure your pinhole and apply the formula ok? Nope? Well you did ask. Try these guideline exposures instead - Bright Sun : 15 seconds, Overcast : 60 seconds, Dull : 2 minutes, Interior light : 5 minutes.

Long exposure times mean there's no way you can hand hold the camera. So you need to position it somewhere solid (a chair, table, wall, ground). When it's in position place a finger on top and open the shutter. Close the shutter when the desired time is up.
You don't need to mix (i.e. dilute with water) the "developer" and "fixer" in the darkroom with only the safelight on. They are, however, temperamental and best used at room temperature. Remember to use rubber gloves when handling them.

DARKROOM AND SAFELIGHT ONLY : ACTIVITY
Remove the camera lid and take out the photographic paper. Using the tweezers, slide the paper into the "developer" (shiny/emulsion side down) for 10 seconds. Turn the paper over and gently rock the bath (agitate) back and forth to remove trapped air bubbles. Watch the negative image appear on the emulsion and allow it to go a little darker than you think is ok (you need to compensate for the effect of the red safelight). It should take between 1 and 2 minutes.
Next, we need to stop the development process. Lift the paper out of the "developer" and put it into the "fixer" (again shiny/emulsion side down) for 10 seconds. Turn it over and agitate (the bath not you) for about two minutes. It's now safe to put on the whitelight.
Finally. We need to wash off the chemicals. Place the negative face down in the water for 10 seconds then turn over (the paper not the bath or yourself) and agitate for a further 1-2 minutes.

And that's it. To dry the negative print you can hang it on a line (inside not outside next to your laundry) with a peg or just lay it out on a suitable surface. Our own negative turned out slightly underexposed (too light). It's probably due to in-camera underexposure but could also be down to insufficient time in the "developer" bath. We can try compensate for this in the final step - "Part IV : Developing the Final Print".


Useful Pinhole Photography Links
f295 - on line community of pinhole photography enthusiasts.
Pinhole Photography : History, Images, Cameras, Formulas
Pinhole Photography Theory
On line gallery pinhole camera images


Pinhole Camera Kit Supplier
Flights of Fancy
3 Linglie Mill
Level Crossing Road
Selkirk
TD7 5EQ
Borders
Scotland

Tel : 01750 22142
Fax : 01750 22147

Pinhole Camera Photography Project

Part II of IV : Building the Camera

In Part I of this series of posts I covered the historical significance of pinhole photography. In Part II we'll construct the camera itself.

Here's the sides of our pinhole camera. The camera shell is made out of an MDF type material. We chose to glue our camera together but you don't have to.
First we assembled the sides and base.
After attaching the base panel we screwed on the "shutter" over hole in the front panel.
Next is the internal black card box. This will help light-proof the camera and help create a square image on the photographic paper inserted (later) into the rear of the camera.
The black box is glued together using the folded tabs.
Notice the black box has a side missing?
Well the side with the hole should face the rear of the camera when you drop it in. It's also useful to glue a strip of paper onto the top of the black box. This will make it easier to remove the box and photographic paper in the dark-room.
Now place (don't glue) the lid onto the top of the camera.
Wrap elastic bands around the outer shell (for extra light security) and we have our very own Pinhole Camera.
In Part III we'll make the pinhole itself (in the internal black box through the hole under the "shutter"), we'll insert photographic paper inside the camera and we'll expose our first image.


To come - "Part III : Exposing & Developing The Negative Image" and "Part IV : Developing the Final Print".



Useful Pinhole Photography Links
f295 - on line community of pinhole photography enthusiasts.
Pinhole Photography : History, Images, Cameras, Formulas
Pinhole Photography Theory
On line gallery pinhole camera images


Pinhole Camera Kit Supplier
Flights of Fancy
3 Linglie Mill
Level Crossing Road
Selkirk
TD7 5EQ
Borders
Scotland

Tel : 01750 22142
Fax : 01750 22147

Pinhole Camera Photography Project

Part I of IV : Camera Construction & History



During this half term school break I'm building a pinhole camera my daughter received (from me) for Christmas 2009. The camera kit is made by the Scottish Borders based company Flights of Fancy (Flights of Fancy is the wholesale/trade arm. The website for retail customers is The Other Branch).

I know what you're thinking. You're either thinking "what's a pinhead camera?" or you're thinking "who wants to mess with smelly chemicals; isn't that why we have digital photography?". Well firstly it's a pinhole camera and not a pinhead camera. And secondly the pinhead .. oops .. pinhole camera is a perfect way to teach the principles of photography.

Historical Importance of Pinhole Photography
Pinhole photography is the simplest form of photography; where the lens is a basic pinhole. In the history of photography it was the important stepping stone from camera obscura to lens camera; its' principles are those which underly photography itself.

Pinciples of Pinhole Photography
The pinhole camera has an infinite depth of focus (unlike lens cameras). This means everything in the image (whether it's 2 feet from the camera or 2 miles from the camera) will be in focus (the scientific explanation of this is Circles of Confusion). The image will appear upside down and back to front (inverted) on the inside rear of the camera.

Recording & Processing the Image
To record the image in our pinhole camera all we need is a piece of photographic paper placed on the rear wall of the camera. This will create a negative image on the paper (after processing in the darkroom chemicals). The print (positive image) is created with another sheet of photographic paper using a process called contact printing.


I'll blog our progress in three further parts. "Part II : Building The Camera", "Part III : Exposing & Developing The Negative Image" and "Part IV : Developing the Final Print".


Useful Pinhole Photography Links
f295 - on line community of pinhole photography enthusiasts.
Pinhole Photography : History, Images, Cameras, Formulas
Pinhole Photography Theory
On line gallery pinhole camera images


Pinhole Camera Kit Supplier
Flights of Fancy
3 Linglie Mill
Level Crossing Road
Selkirk
TD7 5EQ
Borders
Scotland

Tel : 01750 22142
Fax : 01750 22147

The Renfrew-Yoker Ferry, Glasgow

Photographic Exhibition


The Renfrew-Yoker Ferry service in Glasgow (Scotland) is over 200 years old, it's the last operational crossing this far upstream, the closest Ferry service to Glasgow City Centre, is only 200 metres wide and it will end on 31 March 2010 (due to SPT budget cuts).

As tribute to this historic service I'm planning a photography exhibition. The venue will be the Renfrew Inn (which overlooks the slipway on the Renfrew side) and the date will be 31 March 2010.

I'll post more details of my new photography exhibition just as soon as they are finalised.

Photography Exhibition : Manchester

Don McCullin : 75th Anniversary Exhibition

If you're thinking of becoming a reportage/documentary wedding photographer the first thing you must learn is you must drop the names of Henri Cartier Bresson and Don McCullin at every opportunity. These names are photographic viagra amongst self-styled (so called) wedding photojournalists.

The Imperial War Museum North is marking Don's 75th year with the largest ever UK exhibition of the great man's work. The exhibition contains over 200 photographs, objects, magazines and personal memorabilia, and shows how war has shaped the life of this exceptional British photographer. Here's a link to the exhibition link

The exhibition starts on February 6th 2010 and if you can't wait until Saturday here's a link to an on line slideshow of his images on the BBC website link to slideshow

Personally I dislike name droppers and name dropping... in fact I was saying this to Don McCullin only the other day.

6 February 2010 to 13 June 2010
Daily 10:00 - 17:00 (until February 28)
Daily 10:00 - 18:00 (from March 1)

Admission : Free

Imperial War Museum North
The Quays
Trafford Wharf Road
Trafford Park
Manchester
M17 1TZ
England

Tel : 0161 836 4000

Scam Emails

This One is a Cracker

Scam emails are part and parcel of our internet lives. Most of the time they are annoying but occasionally hilarious. This is a bit off (photography) topic but it really tickled me.

Dear beloved one in Christ,

I know that this letter may be a very big surprise to you, I came across your email contact from my personal search and I instructed the doctor here in this hospital to help me email you and I believe that you will be honest to fulfill my final wish before I will die.

I am Mrs. Jane Smith from Netherlands, I am 68 years old, and I am deaf and suffering from a long time cancer of the breast. From all indication my condition is really deteriorating, and my doctors have courageously advised me that I may not live beyond the next two months; this is because the cancer stage has reached a critical stage. I was brought up in a motherless baby?Ps home, and was married to my late husband for twenty years without a child.

My husband and I are true Christians; we lived all day in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, since he was working here as a contractor, but quite unfortunately, and he died in a fatal motor accident. Since his death I decided not to re-marry and because of my bad state of health, I sold all my inherited belongings and deposited all the sum of $12.8million dollars with a bank in United States New York.

Presently, this money is still in the BANK, and the management just wrote me as the Legitimate beneficiary to come forward to receive the money after keeping it for so long or rather issue a letter of authorization to somebody to receive it on my behalf since I can not come over as a result of my illness, or they get it confiscated. Presently, I'm with my laptop in a hospital where I have been undergoing treatment. I have since lost my ability to talk and my doctors have told me that I have only a few months to live.

It is my last wish to see that this money is invested in any organization of your choice and distributed each year among the charity organization, the poor and the motherless baby's home where I come from. I want your good humanitarian, to also use t his money to fund churches, orphanages and widows around.

I must let you know that this was a very hard decision, but I had to take a bold step towards this issue because I have no further option. I hope you will help see my last wishes come true.

As soon as I receive your reply I shall give you the contact of the Bank in United States New York. I will also issue a letter of authorization to the bank, which will prove that you are the new beneficiary of my funds. Please assure me that you will act accordingly as I stated herein. Hope to hear from you soonest.

I await your reply on this my beloved.

Yours in Christ,

Mrs. Jane Smith.

I was going to say "you can't write this stuff". But you obviously can.

Digital Photography Workshop : The Basics

House for an Art Lover, Glasgow : 21 February 2010

My next photography workshop will be on Sunday 21 February 2010 at House for an Art Lover.

This workshop is aimed at anyone taking their first steps into dSLR photography. Lunch is included and there's a £30 discount if you book early. More details of the workshop and how to register can be found here link to workshop

Look forward to seeing you.

Photography Exhibition : Glasgow


Current/Upcoming : The Mitchell Library

The Mitchell Library, Glasgow, (the largest public reference library in Europe) has a photographic exhibition of Israeli and Palestinian photographs on at the moment, in the rear foyer.

Starting on 4th February 2010 until 27th February 2010 there will be a photography exhibition by Jean Marc-Milliere entitled "Beautiful Glasgow". Definitely worth a visit. This also will be in the rear foyer (Granville Street). Here's a link to Jean's exhibition link to Jean's exhibition

Mon-Thurs 09:00-20:00
Fri & Sat 09:00-17:00


The Mitchell
North Street
Glasgow
G3 7DN
Scotland

tel : 0141 287 2999
email : lil@csglasgow.org

Photography Exhibition : Dundee

Iain Macmillan : From Dundee to Abbey Road

Here's a must-see exhibition for your diary. Iain Macmillan (1938-2006) is the photographer responsible for one of (ok THE) most iconic images of popular music. The Beatles Abbey Road album. This is an overdue retrospective of a forgotten Scottish photographer. The exhibition of Iain's photographs has five themes - the Abbey Road image, John Lennon & Yoko Ono, portraits of 60's celebrities, Dundee tenements in the 1950s and his personal photographic work. Here's a link to the exhibition link to exhibition

27 February 2010 to 3 June 2010
Mon to Sat : 10:00 - 17:00
Sun : 11:00 - 17:00

Discovery Point Cafe Gallery
Discovery Quay
Dundee
DD1 4XA
Scotland

Tel : 01382 201245

Photography Exhibition : Edinburgh

William Carrick : 19th Century Russia

This is not only a remarkable collection of photographs but also a remarkable story. William Carrick (1827-1878) was born in Edinburgh but moved to Kronstadt (Russia) when he was only a few weeks old. In 1859 he established himself (with assistant John MacGregor) as a professional photographer in St. Petersburg; making a name for himself capturing pictures of Russian life and pioneering Russian ethnographic photography. Here's a link to the exhibition link to exhibition

4 December 2009 to 22 January 2010
Tue to Fri : 11:00 - 16:00
Sat : 13:00 - 16:00

Scotland-Russia Institute
9 South College Street
Edinburgh
EH8 9AA
Scotland

Tel : 0131 668 3635

Goodbye Old Year, Hello Easter

Is This a Record?

You see the strangest things don't you? Things that make you think "Is it me?". The other day I was in Asda and noticed a Feel Good Movie sticker on a DVD of "Black Hawk Down" (now that would depend how depressed you felt), in Lidl they had a Massive Plant Sale (great if you're looking for a massive plant) and on the side of a lorry I saw the words Shanks Waste Solutions (won't be going to them with my problems then).

This one beats anything I've seen in a while. At the weekend I was in Scunthorpe visiting my folks. On Saturday (January 2nd note) I popped into the local Garden Centre (Stephen H. Smith if you don't believe this story) and nearly keeled over when I saw they had Mothers Day cards AND Easter cards on display. Flipping heck guys. Hello! It's January 2nd! Give us a chance to get the Christmas decorations back in the loft. Is it me?