David Ondrik Photography (blog)

White Mesa, Dragon’s Back, originally uploaded by davidondrik.

I was given some very old Rodinal. So I decided to try stand development. That’s when you really dilute the developer, in this case 1:200, agitate the tank for a minute (or some variation on this) and then let it stand for (in this case) 2 hours.

The idea is that slower development causes the tonal range to increase. Also, Rodinal is a compensating developer, so it exhausts in the highlights while the developer in the shadows is still active. Because of the weak developer, this makes it very difficult to block up the highlights.

It’s also easy to get the film going and then do other things that require your attention for 2 hours.

Coyotes, originally uploaded by davidondrik.

This is one of my most popular images on Flickr. I haven’t yet made a print I’m happy with yet. I guess Death, excuse me Thanatos, really is one of the best subjects for a photographer. If only I’d thought to have a naked female model lie down with the coyotes I could have Sex, excuse me Eros, as well. Then it would be the best photograph ever made ever. Oh well, live and learn.

Dawn Gardens 2010, originally uploaded by davidondrik.

I’m not super happy with the 3 rolls of film I got back from the lab. I’m not sure if it’s the images, the Portra 160VC film, or what. But I’ve uploaded 2 that I do like to my Flickr page. There’s also two digital shots that are okaish. They’re currently the first 4 images on Flickr.

I shot 3 new rolls of 120 film this past week for the Antelope Lake/Dawn Gardens series. It’s Kodak VC 160 (I think) instead of Ektar 100. I’ll see how it compares on Monday. There’s also 2 digital shots that may be passable.

Thanks for all your posts. They are wonderful reads; very insightful and informative. I’ve made sure to turn off comments. I appreciate your help and feedback!