Canon F1

[Brian Moore]

[/url] Dwyer Middle School by brian-moore, on Flickr[/IMG]

This is a photo of a school in Huntington Beach, California. Dwyer Middle School, it's called. It has two wonderful murals, one on each corner of the edifice you are looking at here. This mural shows an oil drilling derrick. Oil drilling was a big thing in Huntington Beach during the early part of the last century. (The mural on the other side of the building, not shown here, portrays the surfing lifestyle which Huntington Beach is so well-known for today.) I used my Canon F1 and a 28mm FD lens. The film was Kodak Technical Pan 25 ASA. I developed it in Rodinal using a 1:100 dilution and a 60 minute "stand" technique. I took this photo on July 4 of this year.

 

[Pete Askew]

Nice shot Brian and I like the composition. Once again a good tonal range. I must try a comparison of standard vs this stand technique. I've never used it. I guess it must work a bit like a 2 stage developer.

 

[Brian Moore]

Thank you Pete. Looking at the image now I wish I had taken my chain saw with me that day to remove the tree on the left. As to the stand technique, I'm no expert on developers since Rodinal is the only one I've ever used, but I think you may be correct as to the stand technique's two stage-like attributes. My understanding is that the developer exhausts quickly when bringing out the highlights, but continues to act slowly on the darker areas of the image. I used the stand technique and 1:100 dilution in order to take advantage of the Tech Pan's very fine grain attributes. (I understand that Rodinal is not celebrated as a fine grain developer when diluted in it's normal 1:25 or 1:50.) Thanks again.

 

[Chris Dodkin]

I like the tonal look of the film - very appealing

The stair rails leading up to the mural are a nice lead-in, almost like looking down a corridor to the subject

Interesting that HB used to be filled with oil wells - you'd hardly know it today!

 

[Hamish Gill]

I like the tree!
I like the shot!
its sort of eerie the way this process seems to create a glow around things..
its an odd look, that sort of reminds my of HDR ... i quite like it ... i like it more than HDR

 

[Brian Moore]

Thank you Chris.

And yes, early images of Huntington Beach show hundreds of such oil drilling derrecks. I'll see if I can find on the web an old photo to post. There are still many oil wells around the city, but the oil is drawn out by those big stork-like machines whose beak-like heads bob up and down continually. I'm sure you've seen them in your time in Southern Cal.

 

[Brian Moore]

Thank you Hamish. I am now glad I didn't chop the tree down, and since you like that tree I will shelve my plans to remove it later for the sake of photography. (And thus will I consequently reduce the possibility of my arrest.)

As to the "glow around things" that you allude to, stand development--at least with Rodinal--is well known for producing that "halo" affect. I have some images in which it is very pronounced. (And I, too, like it.) Thanks again.

 

[Andy Boardman]

Rodinal

Best developer ever made was Agfa Rodinal, an old workmate who used to do all the B & W deving & printing once forgot about a film, it was in the dev approx 5 hours & came out perfect as though it developed it then stopped when ready.Shame it is not around today really.

 

[Pete Askew]

Your dream has come true!!

http://www.speedgraphic.co.uk/bw_chemicals/agfa_rodinal_film_developer_500ml/20310_p.html

 

[Brian Moore]

Thanks for your comment Andy. I believe the various Rodinals available today are supposed to be based on the original Agfa recipe. The one I use is called R09 One Shot and it's made by Foma I think. I guess the Agfa formula is in the public domain. Do you think such reproductions are different in their results?

 

[Darren Bradley]

Great shot. I, too, like the glow. It really does a nice job of emphasizing the effect you're going for here.

I was also going to mention that HB is STILL filled with oil wells, just like Long Beach next door. It's a bit strange to see if you're not used to them, because you will often see one or two scattered about in random places, like the parking lot of a supermarket, or the backyard of someone's house, or a vacant lot between two apartment buildings... They're a bit eery-looking, too, like strange birds.

 

[Hamish Gill]

Id like to see some shots of these things in situ!!

 

[Darren Bradley]

I'll take some next time up head up north.

 

[Hamish Gill]

good man! where you been anyway? .. not ween you on for a while!

 

[Brian Moore]

You're absolutely right, Darren. Plenty of them. Like ponderous dinosaurs pecking at the earth. (No tall drilling derricks any more, though, although I saw one in Taft, up by Bakersfield a couple of weeks ago--it was on the grounds of a museum dedicated to oil.)

 

[Darren Bradley]

Yeah, I know. Been neglectful of my RPF duties, of late. Crazy busy traveling for work, and haven't had much internet connectivity, either.

 

[Hamish Gill]

Im sure we can let you off ...