Thomas Edison's Laboratory c.1895

[iShutterbug]

Advertisement (gone after registration)

Thomas Edison's Ft. Myers, Florida laboratory, where he and his wife wintered from 1886 to 1930 and he tried to synthesize or find a natural source of rubber. Leica IIIf, Summaron 35/3.5, Kodak Portra 160NC, 1/5 sec @ f/11, drugstore develop and scan to CD, Nik Silver Efex Pro Sepia 2, burnt edges, this is a crop of about half of the negative. (Taken 13 Apr 2010) This is wild, I used to have an old 5x7 B&J and this shot looks just like it--only with a 35mm!

[ATTACH]198333[/ATTACH]

Edited April 17, 2010 by iShutterbug

[daveleo]

from what i read of him, Mr. Edison was serious and studious 100% of the time (not a party guy at all).

 

they must give tours of his Florida place ?

 

my comments on the photo . . . i like the treatment, but think the f11 is too dark . . . you probably went for depth of field, but i would enjoy seing more details of the bottles, etc. (the 1/5 sec is pretty gutsy !)

[Advertisement]

The Leica Q3 is available for pre-order at B&H Photo Video and Adorama

[biglouis]

Has an 'old photograph' feel which suits the subject very well.

[iShutterbug]

Thanks, guys.

 

Yes, I was on the official tour of the grounds, houses and lab with 20 other people so I had to get what I could but I had fun as usual. Also across the fence was Henry Ford's winter house, there were Model T's all over. The whole area was much larger than I had imagined, like a compound. I was also impressed with Edison, who I admit I knew little about previously except for schoolroom mention, that's why I went down there to see for myself since we lived relatively close. Yes, he was a real workaholic--but he married twice and they were both very young--that fox. I had expected to see a lot of electrical paraphernalia, etc. but apparently mainly what he did down here was biological and chemical work (with an idea towards synthesizing rubber for tires for Harvey Firestone and Henry Ford)(it didn't work out). They said one reason he bought this property was because of its stand of bamboo, which he used for experiments with filaments for lightbulbs. However, the rather large museum next to the house and lab made up for it with lots of big pictures and exhibits of his many many inventions and I was impressed. I learned that actually Henry Ford didn't "invent" the production line, he got the idea from the way Edison set up production of his own products, phonos and light bulbs, etc. in an assembly line fashion.

 

Yes, I was trying hard for lots of DOF and I agree the picture ended up too dark and that's my fault, my first fling with Efex, it seems at least a stop lighter in color, with the colors brightening it up as well. I have four shots taken with the IIIf in the lab, hand-held, and they are all a little soft and dark, I think a combination of yours truly being a bipod and not a tripod and I see from my other outside shots my little Summaron is not that sharp, as well, don't know if CLA will help. I never shot it that much but it seemed okay but I never looked that close. However I will scan these multi-pass with my 5400 and see what I can eke out, however the negs are thin showing my exposure was off, so that's why I experimented with b&w for mood and the "old time" effect trying to salvage something. BTW I shot digital as well and I have to say they came out pretty good in the dark lab--I thought film was supposed to have greater latitude?

 

Don

Edited April 17, 2010 by iShutterbug

[pauledell]

Don,

 

A perfect example of the old-time pictures that are seen in history books. A nice replica.

 

Paul

[iShutterbug]

Don,

 

A perfect example of the old-time pictures that are seen in history books. A nice replica.

 

Paul

Thank you, Paul, much appreciated. That's why I didn't sharpen it more, to keep that "old look" I remember from those big uncoated lenses.

Don