Changing Up My Darkroom and Home Studio

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Nokton48

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New 30x120 Broncolor Striplights modded to old Pulso by Nokton48, on Flickr

Now I have bought, and modded to old Pulso fitting, two Broncolor 30cmx120cm Strip Lights. These "kickers" will be used for strong backlight effect, rim-lighting the subject subjectively. I am just learning how to use them in my small width studio. For portraiture they will be dramatic and amazing. I like this look very much and am looking forward to getting this comfortably into what I am already doing.

Every studio needs a couple of strip lights
 

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Nokton48

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18x24cm Mammo Norma 121mm F45 18 pops C171 Beauty Light Grid by Nokton48, on Flickr


Testing Kodak Mammography 18x24cm in HC-110 "H" 6.5 mins at ambient. 8x10 Sinar Norma 121mm F8 Sinar Norma Schneider Super Angulon on Norma Vertical Copy Arrangement. Shooting straight down at F45. Broncolor C171 Monolight with Broncolor Blue Pulso Beauty Dish, popped eighteen times with shutter on "B" to build up the density. Contact printed Omega DII with Omega;ite Arista RC #2 Matte paper Multigrade developer. Digital background shot by Tim Layton and was blown up by me at Costco. It was dark red so I guess I should have expected a lack of density on the right. Live and learn. Highlight tonality looks decent to me. 18x24 XRay film is easy and fun to shoot

8x10 18x24 Sinar Norma Overhead Shooting Table 165 Norma SA by Nokton48, on Flickr

New Overhead Shooting Stage straight down 35mm to 8x10. FOBA Combitube system is very elaborate and works great for tabletop. This is the beeg 165mm F8 Norma Super Angulon 18x24cm+ lens. On the table are my matched pair of 360mm F5.6 Schneider Componon which will go on my 5x7 Norma TLR reflex. SK Grimes is CNCing a copy of the rear mount which I sent them. Should be ready soon it's similar in size the mount shown below beneath the two lenses.
 
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Nokton48

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Alice 1995 by Nokton48, on Flickr
  • 8x10 Sinar Norma 480mm Rodenstock F11 at F22. 8x10 HP5+ D76 developed in 8x10 Unidrum. 4x8' softbox at 90 degrees left, 3x4' softbox at 45 degree left, 4x8' white foamcore at 45 degree camera right. Had a straight 16x20 print made on RC paper, at local commercial lab.

    Everybody enjoyed the session and they liked this one
 
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Nokton48

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1992 Great Sand Dunes No 1 by Nokton48, on Flickr

Our goal was to ascend the Great Dunes. This is the view when we stepped off the parking lot. Notice the figure in the distance; when I got there (to that point) I HAD to rest! 4x5 Sinar Norma 90mm f8 Norma Super Angulon HP5 d76 1:1. 8x10 fibre print Fortezo Dektol 1:2 Omega Dii Omegalite 180mm black Rodagon. I knew this was going to be something special. It was late afternoon sun

1992 Great Sand Dunes No 2 by Nokton48, on Flickr

The sand is blowing up to my knees. If I lowered Norma it would be catastrophic. The light was starting to get really, really good. 4x5 Sinar Norma 90mm f8 Norma Super Angulon HP5 d76 1:1. 8x10 fibre print Fortezo Dektol 1:2 Omega Dii Omegalite 180mm black Rodagon.

1992 Great Sand Dunes No 3 by Nokton48, on Flickr

I am sinking knee-deep into the sand. This is a glorious experience. I stayed in this spot quite a while just enjoying everything about this. 4x5 Sinar Norma 90mm f8 Norma Super Angulon HP5 d76 1:1. 8x10 fibre print Fortezo Dektol 1:2 Omega Dii Omegalite 180mm black Rodagon.
 
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Nokton48

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1992 Great Sand Dunes No 4 by Nokton48, on Flickr

Those are the beginnings of the Sandre De Christo Mountains in the background. By the time I got back to the parking lot, I was exhausted. No sign of my Assistant Charlie who had the car keys. A nice Guy from Santa Fe (50 miles south) gave me a ride back to our campsite, he had an Uber+ Motor Home. Told me he owned one of the top restaurants in Santa Fe. Had an over the top Linhof 4x5 Technikardon I remember. We laughed when he said to me "You B&W Guys always use wooden tripods". What a fantastic evening. 4x5 Sinar Norma 90mm f8 Norma Super Angulon HP5 d76 1:1. 8x10 fibre print Fortezo Dektol 1:2 Omega Dii Omegalite 180mm black Rodagon.
 
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Nokton48

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My New Broncolor C200 1500WS Pulso Monolight by Nokton48, on Flickr

After talking for almost an hour enjoyably with KHB (the Omega Guy in Canada), I decided to pull the trigger on a more modern Broncolor Monolight with some power. Newer caps and modern switches, just up to the point in vintage, to where the manufacturer went to microprocessor controls, which can poof. After some research I discovered the Broncolor Minpuls C200, which is a 1500 watt second Monolight, which is part of the proline Pulso family. I found this one very reasonably priced, so I will give it a go. The new strobe should be here end of this next week. There are some advantages to Monolights versus pack systems. I will adapt my olde Pulso Universal Attachments to fit this more modern Pulso Unit. So interchangeability plus more power. This will be a good addition to the studio.
 
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Nokton48

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SONY DSC by Nokton48, on Flickr

Modern Broncolor Pulso Adapter Ring to Olde original Pulso Universal Adapter cobbled together in my workshop. Held together with brass hobby screws, seems OK we will see. Unit will be here next week. More parts are coming so something will work well I'm pretty sure.

C200 Pulso to Olde Universal original Pulso Adapter 2 by Nokton48, on Flickr

The frosted C200 Glass Done just arrived from a dealer in the UK, who sells them new. A good deal! The frosted dome will be useful for more diffused light at the source. Generic in design but fits most modern Pulso.
 
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Nokton48

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Low Key Portrait Tim Kelly portrait lighting by Nokton48, on Flickr

  • Robert needed a strong "head shot". Low Key Tim Kelly lighting. 4x6 foot Chimera Softbox Broncolor Impact 41 monolight 90 left degrees to the set, lighting everything. A smaller Chimera 4x6 Softbox Impact 41 monolight 45 degrees camera left one stop brighter in closer as a main light. A passive fill panel right, just right out of the frame 4x8 foamcore hinged together. A standard reflector raw hard light camera back left, creating the rimlight from the backline. Dark Grey Muslin behind. A successful head shot low key. 4x5 Sinar Norma, 240mm F9 Norma Apo Ronar gives an almost clinical look. Ilford HP5 D76 1:1 8x10 fibre print on Fortezo #2 silver gelatin paper Dektol dev Omega DD laser aligned 180mm black Rodagon
 
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Nokton48

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SONY DSC by Nokton48, on Flickr

Not Darkroom Renovation, but an exciting piece of small format testing gear I cobbled together. Cost next to nothing compared to MF digital. And it cuts the mustard surprisingly. Handholdable digital with perspective controls, and most of my 100+ LF lenses can be made to fit.

Plaubel Peco Jr with Sony NexC3 body JBWelded to a Peco Junior lensboard. Also fits my Makiflexes and Pecoflex

SONY DSC by Nokton48, on Flickr

Initial test of Makiflex Digital Back! Auto Makiflex #1 150mm f5.6 chrome Schneider Symmar Auto Iris Plaubel Makiflex lens mount. Key Day F11 Easily hand holdable, great way to test all my lenses. Much fun ahead. If I want I can switch to film in 30 seconds, although the camera needs totally reset in that case. But so versatile.
 
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Nokton48

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SONY DSC by Nokton48, on Flickr

Here's the camera/adapted to use handheld to shoot the digital image above. Looks odd but incredibly useful. Cheap to make and weighs nothing
 
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Nokton48

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Adox Ortho PL25 5x7 Norma MicX 360 Apo Ronar by Nokton48, on Flickr

5x7 Sinar Norma #2 360mm F9 Rodenstock Apo Ronar barrel at F11 Adox 5x7 Ortho PL25 Yellow filter Broncolor C200 1500WS Monolight popped eight times into Broncolor Octobox 150 with supplemental diffusion. 4x6 foot foamcore fill right just out of the frame. Legacy Mic-X straight replenished mixed in 2019. 5x7 Contact Print on Arista RC #2 Dektol 1:2 . I shot one frame at four pops, and one at eight pops. The denser neg looks better to me.
Canvas background is "Tim Kelly Gold Plaster" painted for me by Artist David Maheu.
 
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Nokton48

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Set Shop Stuff in the Studio by Nokton48, on Flickr

After studying Steve Sint's Set Shop tutorials, I made up some of the new items for the still life studio. Three 20x24 Rosco Tough Lux Diffusion Panels, two sheets (front and back) for pretty good diffusion. To the right is a Broncolor C200 Monolight Strobe, to the left, is a Marty Rickard Mirror unit, works great for bouncing spill light from the Strobe. I acquired the metal bars (which I cut into one, two, and three inch pairs, cut on my metal band saw. The Armature Wire came direct from Set Shop. The Angle Brackets and Heavy Steel Blocks came from Ebay. Quite useful, I have ordered a few more Angle Brackets. I'm using Manfrotto Clamps and Magic Arms to hold the three diffusion frames. Easy to adjust top, left and right, exactly where I want them. Got some more Manfrotto stuff incoming but I'm about done for now. You can see I have a lot of items to suspend things and really solid set building.

Set Shop New York City

Since 1977 Set Shop has been serving the photographic industry. What began as seamless paper store has expanded to well over several thousand items that now supplies a wide range of industries like display and exhibition.
setshop.com
 
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Nokton48

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Makiflex 4x5 Shanghai Octobox 150 F16 D23 by Nokton48, on Flickr

9x9cm image 9x12cm film Plaubel Makiflex F16. Shanghai 100 film with YG filter D23 1:1 Unidrum Uniroller Omega DII laser aligned 150mm black Rodagon at F16 Arista RC #2 8x10 Dektol 1:2 Testing the new to me Broncolor Octobox 150, beautiful light like movable window lighting. Supplemental Octobox 150 Diffuser added. Notice the attractive catchlight in the glass vase.
 
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