Using small flashes outdoors on a rainy day

November is not the most promising time to do landscapes here on Whidbey Island, but I wanted to make another try at the trees along the Ft. Ebey Bluff Trail. As luck would have it, there was some blowing mist and occasional drizzle to add extra gloom to the day.

Having selected my framing I locked down the focus and put small, battery-powered flashes to the left and right of the camera, another one about 50' further down on the left, and a final one on the right of the path past the second tree. All were about as powerful as a Vivitar 285. Two triggered off of the camera with Pocket Wizards, and two triggered by Wien slaves off of the other two. Red, magenta and "CTO" gels added some color shifts.

By 30 minutes after sunset the flashes balanced well against the sky. I put plastic bags over the camera and lights and waited a little longer in the light rain. After another 20 minutes the sky was down to a 20 second exposure, during which I could use a couple of flashlights to paint in the path. The Nikon did some long exposure noise reduction also.

If it had not been so wet I could have done a little more feathering of the lights with taped on paper scraps.

While shooting a nuke sub went below the bluff on the way out to sea. I kind of hoped my flashes would not get return fire from the escort boats.

HP5 film for 35mm shooting

In preparation for a trip where I may need to go down to 35mm shooting as a weight issue, I've dragged some Ilford HP5 out of the fridge. I've used HP5 occasionally, but never really depended on it. Hence, the idea of giving it a shot at becoming my basic film for 35mm. This shot is OK, but I really had to overdevelop the film and then print at high contrast to get a decent result. Moreover, the film background density is pretty dark, meaning that enlarger heat will make the film wiggle during the printing exposure. I haven't shot 35mm TriX since 1993, but maybe that's where I've got to go. Opinions?

Joys of Selenium Toning

Sometimes there's a print that just has to have that final kick into full richness. That's when you soak it in a selenium bath and watch that last bit of image appear. It also makes the image a little more archival.

I use a 1:8 dilution for my Ilford Multigrade FB, leaving it in for 4-5 minutes. I pull it about as soon as I see the effect so that it doesn't get overdone.

Try it yourself, but don't forget rubber gloves and strong ventilation.
(Other examples at http://www.johnolsenphoto.com/.)

Walking the Bluff

Two hundred feet above the Puget Sound and facing to the west, the bluff trails at Ft. Ebey State Park take a lot of wind, especially during our November storms. Hikers are often amazed by the twisted trees, as well by their resilience. In mid-October I made another pass at photographing some of the best specimens. I was fortunate to have a clear afternnon sky and almost no wind.

I shot with a medium format camera and used an old roll of TriX 400. It was a successful expedition and a pleasant way to get outdoors for a couple of hours.

More images from this series are on my web site.

Search for Intelligent Life

On the plains of Magdaline west of Soccorro a huge array of moveable radio telescopes scan the universe, perhaps searching for signs of intelligent life. (That's why the telescopes are aiming up, they won't find any down here below.) I set out to recreate this scene using pistons from a Suzuki GSX 750 for telescopes in a studio set-up. The ground is brown burlap, the mountains cut from cardboard cartons and the moon is a front disc brake rotor from my motorcycle.

For prints or useage rights contact me by email. More from this series appear on my website http://www.johnolsenphoto.com/.

Motorcycle Art Featured at Artworks Gallery

Artworks Gallery at Greenbank Farm on Whidbey Island

Photographer John Olsen will be the featured artist at Artworks Gallery's First Friday reception August 5 from 5-8 p.m. Olsen will feature photographs from his new work, Industrial Glamour. This is a celebration of the union of creative design and functional mechanics as exemplified by early motorcycles, both American and British. John shoots on medium format film and produces fine art prints in his own darkroom.
 
Other artists of the Artworks Gallery co-op will also be on hand at the First Friday reception to share in this special evening.

Marc Brodine, woodblock printer and mystery writer, will be on hand to entertain with his acoustic blues guitar on the First Friday evening. Expect to have a fine time.