Author Topic: Introducing...Me! (Read 4620 times)

f6point3 · « **on:** November 17, 2011, 05:10:24 PM »

Hi Everybody!

My name is Pete, and I found out about this site from astrobeck, whom I met at flickr. I've been looking around the site at the different threads and am seeing quite a bit of creativity and knowledge being shared, and that's just what a photo-forum should be, so I'm happy to be here.

I've been a regular film-shooter and obsessed camera collector since January 2001, about six months before I retired from the US Navy. The camera which started it all was a Brownie Hawkeye Flash Model, and I bought it because it looked just like the one my parents used when I was a kid. Since then I've bought and sold and given away and destroyed (in failed conversion projects) several other BHFs, and who knows how many hundreds of other cameras. And there's enough developed film behind me to paper several walls of a modest-sized house, too. If the obsession is great enough, and strong enough, one can really do a lot of damage in 10 years...

My information on the left here says "35mm" but that must be a default setting that I can't change, because my true love is MF, in both 120 and 620, especially in box cameras. I do shoot 35mm in RFs and SLRs, but the majority of my collection is Brownies and Agfa and Ansco boxes. I buy 'em, clean 'em up, and shoot 'em as often as possible. Folders and TLRs make up the remainder of my collection. There's a link at my website (click on globe at left) where you can peruse present and former members of my camera retinue, just click on the "Old Film/Old Camera" Gallery. There you will see pics of and taken by the cams.

It took me a few years and the closing of a local lab to get me started on it, but I develop my own b&w film now as well, and that has simply opened up new facets of fun in my photography. Turns out I'm a developer-collector, too! I have Xtol, D-76, Acufine, HC-110, Rodinal, Ansco Permadol and Caffenol-C developers, and I use them all, and consider the Massive Dev Chart a very close, personal friend.

Expired black & white film is a favorite with me as well, because there's a mystery inherent in every roll of film, mainly: Will there be images? When I'm not shooting I work as a Civil Servant at a Naval Air Station. I tried to go pro after I left active duty, but it didn't work out for me, so photography is now my Very Expensive Hobby. I hope to learn a few things here, have some fun, and hopefully pass on as possible whatever meager crumbs of knowledge I possess.

Thanks!
Pete

Flippy · « **Reply #1 on:** November 17, 2011, 05:24:32 PM »

I think the "35mm" is the forum rank for members.

Good to see somebody who appreciates box cameras. I have a few old "real" ones made from wood, and a few later plastic ones. A 6x9 negative is a wonderful thing to work with.

Britt Aximon · « **Reply #2 on:** November 17, 2011, 05:32:28 PM »

Welcome Pete!
I'm quite new around here, but love the knowledge and all this nice people at this site.

Regards, Britt

Sandeha Lynch · « **Reply #3 on:** November 17, 2011, 05:51:35 PM »

Hello Pete. Small (and ever-diminishing) world !!

Suzi Livingstone · « **Reply #4 on:** November 17, 2011, 06:46:56 PM »

Hi Pete

Nice cam, I'll look after it for you

Suzi Livingstone · « **Reply #5 on:** November 17, 2011, 06:47:56 PM »

Quote from: f6point3 on November 17, 2011, 05:10:24 PM

My information on the left here says "35mm" but that must be a default setting that I can't change,

This changes when you post more.

astrobeck · « **Reply #6 on:** November 17, 2011, 06:53:50 PM »

Hi Pete!
Glad you came for a visit, and likely you'll hang around as it's lot of fun around here, and there's a lot to share and learn.

Yeah, the 35mm is just a level of posting sort of thing.
It will change the more you post, which I reckon will be a lot since it appears you have a lot to share.

Welcome, and so glad to see you here.

Next time I'm in Corpus, I'll look you up. I'm WAY overdue for a trip to Padre!

f6point3 · « **Reply #7 on:** November 17, 2011, 07:00:30 PM »

OK, I get it now -- 35mm is noobs, and it works up eventually to 8x10?

Thanks for the warm welcome, everyone. Sandeha, I saw you were here, mate! Excellent.

Suzi, thanks, but I just got this myself at the beginning of the year. It is a sweetie, though, innit? It's my only French camera, but I'd love to have a Kodak-Pathe' model of some kind.

Flippy, you should go over and see my DIY box camera conversions. I have taken several 116 and 616 cameras and fixed them to take 120 and shoot in 645 format. Nifty thing about it is, when you shoot 120 in a 116 camera, the numbers 1-16 are the ones that file past the red window. One of my conversions (a Brownie Target Six-16) made a round-the-world trip in a share-shoot thru Nelson Foto Forums, and I think everybody had an interesting, if challenging, experience with it.

Hiya, Becky! You are definitely welcome in my part of Texas.

Ed Wenn · « **Reply #8 on:** November 17, 2011, 07:26:53 PM »

Hi Pete and welcome to Filmwasters. Wow! I wish everybody wrote such detailed introductions; thanks for taking the time. You have worked the '35mm' thing out by now I see, but just to show you that you're not the first who's been confused by my sense of humour, take a look at this post from a year or two ago: http://www.filmwasters.com/forum/index.php?topic=2105.0

Looking forward to hearing/seeing more from you as the weeks go by.

LT · « **Reply #9 on:** November 17, 2011, 07:45:21 PM »

Hi Pete - welcome to Filmwasters! Love the cameras - now, lets see some of the pictures you have made with them ...

Lino · « **Reply #10 on:** November 17, 2011, 07:46:56 PM »

Hi Pete! Looking forward to seeing your pictures on the weekend thread!

Late Developer · « **Reply #11 on:** November 17, 2011, 08:00:20 PM »

Hi Pete and welcome!!

I've been around just over a year and a nicer and more knowledgeable bunch of people you couldn't wish to meet.

I can't profess to be familiar with many of the cameras or formats you've mentioned but that's the great thing about this site - there's always something new - even when we're talking about something old

Best. Paul.

f6point3 · « **Reply #12 on:** November 17, 2011, 08:05:37 PM »

Ed, that's a funny thread, thanks for sharing that. Paul and the rest, thanks so much for your warm welcomes.

Leon and Lino (hey, sounds like a vaudeville team, no offense), here are a couple of samples from box cameras. First, the following are from an Agfa Trolix, made in Nazi Germany from Agfa's own version of Bakelite, called "Troglodyte" or something like it (hehehe). This one was shot on efke R50 film, dev. in D-76 1:1:

This one was shot on 1963-vintage Verichrome Pan, dev. in Caffenol-C:

And this one was shot on efke R25 film and dev. in Xtol stock @ ISO 50:

You can see it's got a pretty sharp lens, not bad at all for a single-element meniscus.

LT · « **Reply #13 on:** November 17, 2011, 09:28:33 PM »

Great stuff Pete.

I forgot to add earlier - don't forget to take a look at the rest of our site. Especially the podcasts , guest galleries and collaboration galleries

original_ann · « **Reply #14 on:** November 17, 2011, 09:43:22 PM »

Welcome Pete! I chuckle at your confusion about the '35mm' assignation, as I was (justifiably) confused back in the day! Always fun when people take the time to write up introductions. I love your pics already and looking forward to more!

Francois · « **Reply #15 on:** November 17, 2011, 11:26:14 PM »

Bonjour Peter!
I guess you can see we're always very happy to have new people come around

hookstrapped · « **Reply #16 on:** November 17, 2011, 11:43:15 PM »

Welcome Pete!

We need more Peters here.

charles binns · « **Reply #17 on:** November 18, 2011, 12:30:44 AM »

Welcome - those are some wild looking cameras!

f6point3 · « **Reply #18 on:** November 18, 2011, 11:26:54 AM »

Well, I do feel well and truly welcomed into the fold. Thanks, everybody. I look forward to whatever adventures come my way due to this new association. Should be fun!

Phil Bebbington · « **Reply #19 on:** November 18, 2011, 07:05:13 PM »

Pete, welcome.

Diane Peterson · « **Reply #20 on:** November 18, 2011, 07:40:52 PM »

Pete, Welcome..and thank you for sharing your bits of information..I know you will enjoy it here..

Coveman · « **Reply #21 on:** November 18, 2011, 08:36:51 PM »

ey up pete

edthened · « **Reply #22 on:** November 19, 2011, 02:45:19 AM »

Och Peetie. a no hoo ye ar ye wee reprobaete

f6point3 · « **Reply #23 on:** November 19, 2011, 03:02:56 AM »

Och aye, wee Eddie, hae arrr ye? And Phil, Diane and Sirbarnzabus, thank you.

rpmdrd · « **Reply #24 on:** November 19, 2011, 03:06:41 AM »

welcome pete! i hope i had the same introduction when i started. i am still new and new to film photography as well. i find your cameras interesting and thinking about the first brownie i saw for sale years ago that i should have bought.