SUCKING LESS

I just returned from Icon Labs on Wilshire. My own developing is still questionable, so I use a lab, until I can nail down my technique with color. I was processing two chromes of paintings I am sending to shows (video forthcoming) and decided to grab another film holder that had been lying around.

Remember the post about sucking and just keep doing it? 15 minutes ago, I dropped this Portra 400 negative on my little light table, took a pic on the iPhone and inverted it. The above is what came out. (minus a slight color alteration) That's it. No scan, no nothing. Just a crappy iPhone preview of a negative. I would call this the beginning of a new phase for my LF work in the field.

Does Your Arm Hurt?
Patting myself on the back aside, this goes to my point about repetition and progress. These two negatives represent a new level in my ability to work with the medium. And yes, it is still flawed. There is a slight keystone issue, that I did not correct with the mechanics of the camera. There are also some other issues with reciprocity, but frankly, I have a lot more latitude than I thought. Also ...the subject matter and composition are less than desirable, but right now I am trying to work with material I don't find interesting. I am trying to prove out my technique and see if I can find a story in an otherwise banal subject matter. I don't have that part down yet. However, this is a decent negative and a decent documentation of the LAX complex, looking east towards Century Blvd.

Shot at 6:20pm, December 25th (that's how I do Christmas) from the top level of the Terminal One parking garage. For those who know, yes, the better shot was looking west to the tower and through the construction. So, like the post from January. Just keep doing it. It gets better. As for me, this worked out well enough that I might just attempt a shoot in the desert tonight.