"I Trust the Look of You"

I was in 60-Minute Photo getting my first bulk-rolled 35mm canisters developed (success!), and the old gentleman ahead of me had some family pictures to be printed.

Trouble is, his negatives were an old format (126 maybe) and the lab couldn't do them.

"We COULD cut them to the same size as 35mm and print from that ..."

No. You. Can't.

So I offered to scan them on my flatbed, which is able to scan 4x5 and so should be able to do these as well.

"You CAN'T cut these negatives ... they're precious! Let me -- I'll do it for cheap -- or even free."

I don't have time for this.

I lost my job a week ago and should be hunting for a new one...

I have a storage unit to empty out before they repo my stuff ...

I have hundreds of digital shots from France, Spain, Greece, and Turkey to process myself...

I have boxes full of dark room equipment to organize so I can begin processing my own b/w film ...
"I'll do it for $25."

He looked me over.

"I understand if you don't want to entrust me with your negatives. They're priceless."

He smiled.

"I trust the look of you. Take care of them."

Here are a few. I had to resist the temptation to spend *any* time editing them ... he needed the prints the same day and I only had a couple of hours to get the negatives and CD back to the lab.

The Genius of Photography, Episode 1

I'm watching the BBC series "The Genius of Photography" and am blown away by the first 35 minutes.

So far, from Episode 1:
- I want to make a Camera Obscura
- I NEED to find a way to make a Daguerreotype with my Crown Graphic 4x5
- Great quotes from Chuck Close:

"Here's the dilemma and the strength of photography: It's the easiest medium in which to be competent, but it's the hardest medium in which to have personal vision that is readily identifiable."

"There are no accidental masterpieces of painting. But there ARE accidental masterpieces of photography."