Urban Motion » 8×10

8×10 First Image

BennehBoy — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 14:12:50 +0000

I got the first set of negatives back from the lab (Peak Imaging in the UK – use them, they are superb), and here is my first ever 8×10 photograph. The ‘model’ is my friend griffleriff (aka Stephen Griffin), the inverted quotes signify a bit of an in joke

8×10 Photography is for Dorks

BennehBoy — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 11:41:24 +0000

I’ve finally completed putting together my 8×10 gear. The last bits required to complete the puzzle were a Sinar Pan/Tilt head, a heavy duty Slik Professional 4 tripod, and a big laptop bag (TechAir 5504 – it’s superb), I use the bag for the film holders and general shooting paraphernalia.

So, with the gear all now being in place I’ve been able to get out and shoot on 8×10 film. Careful packing has allowed me to get all the parts of the P2 into my smallish rolling peli case, this has made it so much easier to get the camera to location than when I was lugging the huge peli 1650 about – no more of that!

I recruited my friend Griffleriff (Stephen Griffin) to come along as an assistant/Sherpa but he decided to take these photos of me using the P2 instead – no wages for Griff!

What I hadn’t counted on is how much of a dork I’d look whilst I was shooting with this thing Or perhaps I’m just kidding myself and I don’t require the camera to look dorky….

Cleaning 10×8 (8×10) Fidelity Double Dark Slides

BennehBoy — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 19:54:40 +0000

WARNING!!! Although this procedure is straight forward, the author takes no responsibility for any damage, injury, or harm incurred to you, your gear, or anyone else by following this procedure. You attempt this ENTIRELY at your own risk.

With that said, I recently picked up 4 Fidelity Elite 10×8 double dark slides (DDS’s), they were in superb condition but in dire need of a good clean — I suspect they maybe hadn’t been in use for some time. Knowing that dust and dirt can get trapped in the nooks and crannies and create havoc when taking shots, I thought it best to see about getting them spic and span.

I started out using my rocket blower to force dust out of all the obvious places. Inserting and removing the dark slides should have theoretically loosened any dust and grit on the felt light trap, but after trying this the felt was still filthy. With that in mind I decided to see if these things would easily come apart.

And yes, they did, by pulling apart the ends closest to the fold out flaps you can slide out the whole centre section of the holder. Be very careful not to bend the outer U section too much or you might inadvertently snap the holder!

Once the central section is pulled out you can remove the outer guides from it. This will let you work a cloth or brush into all of the areas that have built up dirt and grime over the years. The felt can be tapped against a hard surface to free any dust it is holding – do this gently because within the felt is a fine gage metal form that helps it to keep it’s light tight shape.

For stubborn marks and label glue I applied some Naphtha lighter fuel with a soft cloth – caution, it’s an irritant, and is highly flammable! Duh!

2 of my four holders were a bit more difficult to dismantle, the components were stuck together with epoxy. Inserting a flat wide bladed edge between the guide components and the outer U shape allowed me to ‘crack’ the epoxy by exerting a small amount of pressure. Be careful not to prise too much or you risk leaving marks on the parts which could potentially compromising how light tight the holders are!