Neg print exchnge

[keithwms]

Well, that most recent print exchange kind of petered out... too bad.

At APUG there is some enthusiasm for a "print one negative" exchange. Why don't we do that here? I think it could be even more interesting here, since the output will include any hybrid method. Inkjet over silver, gum, Pt/Pd, albumen, handpainted, gum over inkjet, mind over matter.... whatever.

My proposal is to provide an image and then everybody prints it however the hell they want. And then we do a print exchange.

~~~Ground rules~~~

1. Any comments attempting to restrict the creativity of the printers is strictly forbidden! You join or you don't join. Anything goes as long as it is hybrid.

2. This neg could be mine or anybody's, I don't care. It just has to be interesting and open to many interpretations in different media. N.b. if we want to do this democratically, we could all sign up or the exchange, and then those who sign up can each submit a scan of a file to be printed, and then we all vote and pick the top one or two images on which the exchange will be based.

3. Those who do not fulfill their obligations to generate a print within a month will be publically lashed on the buttocks with a wet noodle. Obligations include: sharing prints to your partners and describing, in full glorious detail, your workflow.

4. Somebody will volunteer to scan all the results and put them in a thread. This person will be rewarded in an as-yet unspecified manner.

5. Any sniffing or eye-rolling about how others generate their output is forbidden and will also be punished by public lashing across the buttocks with a wet noodle.

~~~ End of rules ~~~

So... any takers? Or proposed amendments to the rules?

[mkochsch]

I'm interested. I had suggested something similar late last summer during one of the exchanges. I've thought it through a little bit more since then...

http://www.hybridphoto.com/forums/showthread.php?t=424

It's more of a collaborative exchange but it contains a "personal choice" element too. I think most people will (or should) shy away from the idea of voting -- a la "Survivor" to pick one or two of the best images. I'm not really interested in finding out if my image is "the best" or anyone else's is for that matter. This should be an exercise in technique and expression. I think entrants should be curious to see how at least one of their images is interpreted by a minimum of one other photographer in the exchange. The thought I have in this regards is that everyone in the pool (say five or six people) would submit two 8 by 10 images to the pool and then participants could draw-from-the-pool (read: download) as many as they wanted from the 10 to 12 negatives. You would have one mandatory print and one or more elective prints. Some people may just want to print up copies of their two sets (mandatory and elective) and be done with it, others might print all five or six. Participants could download all the raw materials and work with and see which worked out for them and which didn't. Mailing to the pool be mandatory since one of the other big draws of an exchange is getting a package of "real" prints in the mail to ogle, fawn over and show to family and friends.
In point form:

Everyone submits two images (min.).
Everyone will have one of their images "interpreted" by a randomly assigned photographer.
Everyone gets to pick one or more "elective" images to print.
Everyone prints their two sets -- six each -- mandatory and elective.
Everyone get prints in the mail.

~m

[keithwms]

Sounds good to me!

Frankly I have some negs that I'd love to see some of the experts work with.

[bob carnie]

I am in just set it up.

[mkochsch]

OK we need three more. Then we close it off. First come first serve.
~m

[Carl Radford]

I'll play :)

[mkochsch]

Two more.

[keithwms]

I am cajoling....

[keithwms]

Okay, I just enlisted one more, Walter Ash will join.

We need one more!

[mkochsch]

One more.
~m

Okay, I just enlisted one more, Walter Ash will join.

We need one more!

[mkochsch]

OK. I think if it's just the five of us I it'll make the first one a bit easier.
Let's set the deadline for negatives for a week from today. So Wednesday March 19, 2008 to have the artwork up. I think I've got two images in mind already, but it'd be nice to think about it over the weekend. One is colour and the other is black and white. One is digital the other is from film. That's just the way it worked out. They should all be digitised to ~8x10 (between 250 and 360 dpi). 8x10 because I think if any bigger we'll be having issues with the postal system after we print. (15"x10.5" is large envelope here? Unless we go to tubes.) Personally I'm going to try to keep the images as close to natural as possible. I'll probably "dust" the film. I intend on leaving some open "head room" on the levels so contrast can be adjusted to taste. Tiff format with LZW compression ok with everyone? Other than that ...anything goes. If you've got a crazy idea go for it this is an exercise not a contest. Learn. Create.
A good question is....can we upload these large files to the site here or are we going to do it somewhere else? We could always open up an FTP directory on someone's computer.

Participants
1. Keith Williams (USA)
2. Michael Koch-Schulte (Canada)
3. Bob Carnie (Canada)
4. Carl Radford (UK)
5. Walter Ash (Canada?)
6. We'll leave 6. open until Wednesday if someone wants in they can still jump on.

~m

[bob carnie]

Images can be sent to my ftp server, at elevatordigital.ca, then get in contact with dylan@elevatordigital.ca and he will help with any downloading issues. other wise I am open to send and collect images on another server.

so just to clarify I am going to pick a couple of basic raw scans and from my work and send it to all five on the list??
as well am I to work on the files and then show what my look is??
sorry bit slow here in Toronto


OK. I think if it's just the five of us I it'll make the first one a bit easier.
Let's set the deadline for negatives for a week from today. So Wednesday March 19, 2008 to have the artwork up. I think I've got two images in mind already, but it'd be nice to think about it over the weekend. One is colour and the other is black and white. One is digital the other is from film. That's just the way it worked out. They should all be digitised to ~8x10 (between 250 and 360 dpi). 8x10 because I think if any bigger we'll be having issues with the postal system after we print. (15"x10.5" is large envelope here? Unless we go to tubes.) Personally I'm going to try to keep the images as close to natural as possible. I'll probably "dust" the film. I intend on leaving some open "head room" on the levels so contrast can be adjusted to taste. Tiff format with LZW compression ok with everyone? Other than that ...anything goes. If you've got a crazy idea go for it this is an exercise not a contest. Learn. Create.
A good question is....can we upload these large files to the site here or are we going to do it somewhere else? We could always open up an FTP directory on someone's computer.

Participants
1. Keith Williams (USA)
2. Michael Koch-Schulte (Canada)
3. Bob Carnie (Canada)
4. Carl Radford (UK)
5. Walter Ash (Canada?)
6. We'll leave 6. open until Wednesday if someone wants in they can still jump on.

~m

[mkochsch]

Yes, you upload two images, tiffs I think are better because there might be some who can't work with RAW, and RAW has so many variants.

You're assigned one mandatory (see below) and one or more optional from the pool.

For the mandatory I think it's simplest if we just pick one of two from the photographer below you on the list. Keith must print one of mine, I must print one of yours, you (Bob) must print on of Carl's, Carl prints one of Walter's and Walter prints one of Keith's.

However, you should download a copy of all the prints to evaluate what you want to use for your second print.

~m

[keithwms]

Okay, I just got back from New Orleans. Please bear with me, I need to read through the thread and figure out what I am supposed to do! Thanks for organizing this!

[walter23]

Okay, I just enlisted one more, Walter Ash will join.

We need one more!

Yeah, like Keith said. I just checked this thread out for the first time today, I didn't realize it was this organized already. Sounds good though - I'll get my two images ready.

Are we only using scans of film images? Or is digital capture allowed?

(I have plenty of both)

[keithwms]

Are we only using scans of film images? Or is digital capture allowed?

I don't think we said anything is disallowed, as long as the output is hybrid, but why don't we stick to scanned film so that you and I, as relative newbies, can compare to straight prints.

[mkochsch]

The only thing disallowed would be a straight Tri-x negative souped with Rodinal taken with a 50th Anniversary King Bhumiphol Adulyadej Leica M6 printed to silver paper, developed in Dektol. Ha! Take that APUG! ;^) Pretty much anything goes. Challenge yourself though.

~m

[mkochsch]

Bob. Are we able to put uploads to your server?
~m

[mkochsch]

Hmmm. Seems Bob is MIA. I'll try to open up a drop on my server tomorrow so we can upload. How is everyone doing with their submissions?
~m

[Carl Radford]

I'll have my ready over the easter break :)

[bob carnie]

Hi Folks

I have been printing three days straight with a client and not up on this..
You can load up to our server anytime,, put hybrid in the description anywhere so we know what is what at our end... Only problem is we are basically closed till Mon for Easter weekend so not sure how that will work for everyone.
get back to me and let me know how to get my images to everyone if my server is not appropriate.

Bob

[keithwms]

Bob, if I upload my files to your site, will others be able to see them too?

I was thinking it'd be nice to have one central ftp server that is open to all, then everybody could download/upload from the same folder on the same site.

We could even create a little mpix account or whatever for that.

[walter23]

Sorry guys, I guess I missed the deadline. I'll get my submission(s) in this weekend sometime.

[mkochsch]

I'm no hard ass and since we've no place to put our uploads yet let's let it slide. I've been very busy today/this week as well Let's extend the deadline until March 28th.
~m

[bob carnie]

Keith and others

If you give me to mon,, I will have Dylan my assistant handle the distribution and axcess to each others images.. send me a email with your details and how many images you want to upload, give them your name and small title.
I will then have Dylan contact each of you to gather the images and give you axcess to all the images.
It sounds complicated but really all he will do is place each persons images on the ftp server and give you all the codes for each persons image and you can look and download at your convienience.
you can give me an email at bob@elevatordigital.ca
and we will sort this out.
****Please do not email me any attachments or images, as this will tie up our operations if the files are large.. not cool***


Bob
Bob, if I upload my files to your site, will others be able to see them too?

I was thinking it'd be nice to have one central ftp server that is open to all, then everybody could download/upload from the same folder on the same site.

We could even create a little mpix account or whatever for that.