Teaware B&W Appreciation

[debunix]

Gorgeous. I've never used a Rolleiflex, but watched my father use his and reviewed images he took with it many times. My first camera was a Rollei 35S manual rangefinder. I miss watching images develop in the darkroom, but though I still have my little Rollei, the immediacy of digital images has kept my poor little Rollei in the closet rather than in use. Glad to see that do you have one getting "exercise". Such a beautiful result.

[Baisao]

Gorgeous. I've never used a Rolleiflex, but watched my father use his and reviewed images he took with it many times. My first camera was a Rollei 35S manual rangefinder. I miss watching images develop in the darkroom, but though I still have my little Rollei, the immediacy of digital images has kept my poor little Rollei in the closet rather than in use. Glad to see that do you have one getting "exercise". Such a beautiful result.

Thank you very much, @debunix. I’m sure you know the magical feeling when looking down at the ground glass and seeing a three dimensional image there. My grandmother kept me entertained one day in church by handing me a TLR. I was truly amazed. It truly seemed magical as a child. How lucky you have been to have a father like that!

The Rollie 35S is a famously nice pocket camera. It had one of the finest lenses of its time. Please be sure to work the speeds on it from time to time so you avoid an expensive repair. The greases and oils get thick over time make the shutter speeds slow. Working them regularly will help protect your investment. It’s a valuable camera and it’s value will continue to grow.

[Andrew S]

Not shot on film, unfortunately, though I admire the tonality of film and chemical prints, and the patience of those who use those art forms.

Black and white photos on digital cameras can seem vulgar in comparison, or at least a little bit confected.

Perhaps one day, I'll take a 1:1 large format photo of a deserving teapot...

Andrew

[Baisao]

Lovely photo, @Andrew S. The lighting and textures are great.

I never thought to use my large format camera for tea photos. That’s a grand idea.

[Andrew S]

@Baisao: thank you; you clearly have much more patience than I ever will. I look forward to seeing the fruits of your efforts one day.

I dabbled a while ago with taking and printing (but not developing) photos from a Linhof Technika field camera, but using a Van Dyke brown / ferrotype process rather than silver gelatin.

There's a part of me that wants to try taking a photo of some ancient little zini teapot with that method again one day, since the rustic browns tones of the process could work well in representing the tones of a rustic brown Yixing teapot, but there's another (larger, much more powerful) part of me that remembers the great effort that it took just to get all the chemicals and instructions lined up, let alone the effort and skill that would have been required to get a decent result...

Andrew

[Baisao]

Baisao: thank you; you clearly have much more patience than I ever will. I look forward to seeing the fruits of your efforts one day.

I dabbled a while ago with taking and printing (but not developing) photos from a Linhof Technika field camera, but using a Van Dyke brown / ferrotype process rather than silver gelatin.

There's a part of me that wants to try taking a photo of some ancient little zini teapot with that method again one day, since the rustic browns tones of the process could work well in representing the tones of a rustic brown Yixing teapot, but there's another (larger, much more powerful) part of me that remembers the great effort that it took just to get all the chemicals and instructions lined up, let alone the effort and skill that would have been required to get a decent result...

Andrew

Those are impressive processes to work with. You must be good with chemistry. I’ve stayed with silver gelatin. There are worlds to explore within all kinds of photography.

I see a lot of parallels between tea and B&W film photography. I often use photography in analogies when discussing tea matters.

Most of my photos are high contrast but the photos have far more grays when traditionally printed than from scans. I’ll post a few more soon.

[Baisao]

EA2670D0-776C-4681-9DBE-E36E31359012.jpeg (261.66 KiB) Viewed 7068 times

This was shot on Neopan 400 and developed in Ilford DD-X. This was with 35mm; “full frame”, as the kids say.

Neopan 400 was a wonderful B&W film but FujiFilm killed it off. Tri-X has a cult following for being gritty but I think Neopan 400 deserved to have a cult following too for its lovely grain and the unique way metallic surfaces are rendered with it.

[teatray]

Gyokuro in Vinaigrette, ca. 2022 (uncolorized).

[Bok]

Simplicity. Or, is it?

[DailyTX]

Simplicity. Or, is it?

Simplicity is not that simple to master

[Bok]

Simplicity. Or, is it?

Simplicity is not that simple to master

[Baisao]

Simplicity. Or, is it?

All the lines but that S-curve from the lid to the body is stunning.

[Bok]

Simplicity. Or, is it?

All the lines but that S-curve from the lid to the body is stunning.

Indeed. It’s a humble masterpiece…

Something more extravagant for tonight

[TeaGrove]

Something more extravagant for tonight

Lovely balanced combination.

[Bok]

@TeaGrove thanks!