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Preston vs. Brown II
Summary:
In part two with Preston and Brown, they talk about Photoshop's recent development.
From tools in Photoshop 3 up to CS4, Preston and Brown embrace more of Adobe's software line-up.
Subjects of discussion are the extensive features of Photoshop and how they should be applied in practice depending on the user and his goal. They also regard the capability of Bridge to support one's workflow in the entire Creative Suite.
Third party plugins for Photoshop are another big subject that they expect to develop in the future, as well as camera raw and video support.
Preston vs. Brown I
Summary:
Russell Brown has been an Adobe employee for 25 years and exchanges his Photoshop expertise with photographer Robin Preston.
Both of them experienced the development of digital image retouching with Photoshop from the outset. Having started with rub down typesets, the leap to printing texts and working with costly hard- and software to implement CGI was a milestone at that time.
Despite all progress, they adhered to one principle: think analogue, work digitally.
150 Years of Colour Photography
Summary:
In this FotoTV film, photographer Gert Koshofer takes viewers on a journey through 150 years of colour film.
2011 was the 150th anniversary of the first exhibited colour photograph in May of 1861 in London, England. 1911 would make today the 100th anniversary first patent registration of the first multi-layer colour film which people know of today. 1936 would make today the 75th anniversary of the first multi-layered colour slide film of Kodachrome.
Koshofer starts out by showing viewers the first print from a slide film that was ever made. It is a photograph of a Scottish meal ribbon, made by Professor Maxwell and was made available to the public in 1861. It was a big problem for Professor Maxwell because he had to go through a very intricate process of creating three different liquid colour filters to be able to project the image. He then projected the images overlapping each other to demonstrate the full colour image. A very time consuming and difficult procedure compared to the simple slide as we know of today.
The first commercially successful colour film material was the Autochrome plate from the Lumiere brothers in their factory in Lyon, France. It was slide positive glass plates. It was unique because paper photos could only be created by very difficult means. The structure that made up the Autochrome plate was the grain pattern consisting of the finest elements made up of potato grain starch colored in green, magenta and orange and having a diameter of 0.01mm. The disadvantage however was the colour shift or colour clumping where colours could form unpleasant color shifts. The light sensitivity from the Autochrome plate was very nominal. In comparison to the ISO values we have today Autochrome had an ISO value of about minus 10.
Koshofer continues on to explain more exciting information about the history of colour film and photography, including the creation of Kodak Kodachrome, a film that was very popular and used world wide until it was taken out of production and off the market, the last developing being offered to customers until 2010.
The Digital Pinhole Photography II
Summary:
Martin Timm is back with part two in his series on digital pinhole photography. Here he has gathered all the necessary ingredients to cook up a pinhole adapter that can fit any digital SLR.
The techniques used to construct it is right out of your grade school handicraft's hour. This amazingly simple approach using toilet paper rolls, tin foil, rubber bands glue etc is carefully explained. The result: a ready to use handy-dandy pinhole attachment for your digital camera that's ready to use.
So now it's time to get your feet wet..literally. Martin takes it outside and gives a hands-on demonstration using the pinhole adapter to compose a great picture, demonstrating it works too. So check it out!
The Digital Pinhole Photography I
Summary:
The Three-Color Photography
Summary:
Adolf Miethe was responsible for the three-color, or Autochrome photographic process. Today exhibition curator Mr. Seibt welcomes us to view the works and achievements of Miethe that have been collected throughout the years.
Seibt has a somewhat personal connection to Miethe in that his in-laws lived not far from the area where Käthe Miethe, Miethe’s daughter resided. This close knowledge sparked Seibt's interest to delve into the personal life of Miethe.
Miethe is known historically in photography for two achievements; he invented the magnesium photo flash along with his colleague Johannes Gädicke around 1889. And his most notable achievement being the completion of his transcending three-color process. Before Miethe’s process came along the term “natural colors” had not even been thought of in the world of photography. It was Miethe who constructed the interchangeable camera. The camera’s principle was that three 9x24cm separate photos were to be made one after the other on photo plates with red, green and blue filters over each photo. Using the three separate photos further to view them in full color happened in that they were either made into a slide transparency, viewed through a device called the Chromascope, enabling all three color filtered images to be viewed as one color photo. The last method was viewing the images through a projector, which consisted of three light channels and three lenses and a control mechanism on the back to control each individual color and project it onto the wall.
Miethe was also known for many other firsts. He made a total of three expeditions in his time a s a photographer. Being less a scientist he concentrated on capturing images in color. He took the first color image of the pyramids and valley of the kings in Egypt and the first color shot of an arctic glacier. Miethe was a also a hot air balloon pilot, capturing aerial images of landscape and towns that were to be used militarily during the world war.
Miethe was seemingly a “Jack of all trades” and being so won him friends as well as enemies, but the ones that knew him personally truly saw him as multi-faceted. This exhibition focuses on the personal aspect of Miethe, but another exhibition is forthcoming about Miethe the artist.
Rollei Single-Lens Cameras
Summary:
Today photographer and camera collector Karl Krämer presents to FotoTV and viewers his extensive collection of Rollei cameras with a focus on the single-lens Rolleiflex cameras, their functions, features and optics.
The first camera that Krämer displays is the Rolleiflex SLX developed in the 1970’s, which he personally still uses today, he especially like the quality optics for his black and white shooting application when shooting in the studio.
Rolleiflex at one time had lenses manufactured for them by both Carl Zeiss and Schneider Kreuznach. Rolleiflex even licensed lenses through their factory, of course, all three types of unbeatable German quality. Some of the Rolleiflex models were manufactured in Germany as well as in Singapore, although the latter not being much worth to collectors.
In Krämer’s opinion Rollei came about developing and producing the numerous interchangeable lenses and single lens system is because photographers requirements for their applications and tasks were not met using set focal distance. The possibilities were endless when using interchangeable lenses and improved their work considerably. Rollei was also the first manufacturer to develop autofocus lenses for middle format cameras, another milestone for excellent German craftsmanship.
Twin-Lens Reflex Cameras
Summary:
The first camera that Krämer displays is actually not part of the Rollei collection, but it is the famous double-lens camera from the company Vogtländer that Mr. Heidecke worked for before starting his own company with Mr. Franke.
The first model Heidecke and Franke introduced was the stereo camera, Heidescope 1. This particular model of the Heidescope was available in various styles, which was later known as the Rolleidoscope.
Krämer stresses the durability and longevity of all the Rollei cameras. A camera manufactured in the 1920’s is still perfectly functional and producing beautiful images today. One model, the Rollicord is the only model manufactured by Rollei that did not have any leather outfit. It was because at the time there was no leather available to be used on their cameras. Even though the Rolleicord was not outfitted with all the extras that the Rolleiflex offered it remain unparallel in optical quality. So while the average guy or photographer opted for the Rollicord, the Rolleiflex was the choice of professional photographers who could afford the higher price.
Krämer’s passion has helped to preserve a wonderful part of Germany’s history as well as keeping the cameras in wonderful working condition he shares the wonderful craftsmanship of German manufacturing. In part two of this series he will talk more about the 35mm and one-lens cameras and single lens middle format cameras produced by Rollei.
The Impossible Project
Summary:
“The Impossible Project” is the name of the exciting undertaking to bring back Polaroid film. FotoTV was at production headquarters in Eschede, Holland, to meet those responsible for this incredible project. For instance, boss and initiator, Florian Kaps, who is the driving force behind the project. Furthermore, we’ll take a look at the technical aspects for the ongoing project, as well as the development of the new Polaroid film.
When asked how the best way to show support for the project, Florian Kaps replied, “We need storytellers, people who find history exciting and would like to share it with others. We find Polaroid’s story to be very exciting indeed, and during this special report we will show you how the impossible in photography, became possible.”
Treasures of Photographic History
