Re: It's not worth the risk

[Joe Berenbaum <joe-b@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

At 12:10 02/10/98 -0500, you wrote:

>> > i'm really dying to push trough with this project.  but i'm having
>> > second thoughts.  i don't have the money or the time to screw up. i
>> > can only afford to import 30 rolls of HIE and i only have until august
>> > next year to pull this through.  now my question is....is it wise to
>> > go ahead and d o it, or should i just forget about it and just try IR
>> > later on in my life?    whether or not i graduate on september '99
>> > depends on this project.  hope you guys could help me with this. 
>> > thanks!!!
>   -------------------
> 
>> I say, since this is your shot at your degree, that you don't spend 
>> this year experimenting/learning about how to shoot, print and 
>> develop HIE and not have a degree at the end of it all.
>------------------------
>One purpose of graduate school is additional specialized training. The
>Master's degree is intended to provide an introduction to independent use
>of the critical skills needed to operate at an advanced level. Although it
>would be a disappointment, and a spot on the resume, for a student not to
>produce any adequate photographs, the student will have progressed
>adequately, in my opinion, if they can demonstrate with confidence that
>they, through their ability/skills to appropriately and thoroughly attack a
>problem, have a high probability of successfully obtaining photographs in
>the near future based on their own initiative. In my non-photographer's
>opinion, to spend the year experimenting/learning about how to shoot, print
>and develop HIE with the anticipation of being able to document the skills
>gained (the photo essay) is compatible with the concept of the Master's
>degree. The student should talk with the potential thesis advisor ahead of
>time to understand the advisor's philosophy concerning the Master's and
>their overall support of the HIE project.
>Lee Tarpley
>tarpley@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

I wouldn't normally quote the whole thing but this time I will since it is
all very relevant. One thing I can suggest is that with a little study the
key characteristics of this film can be broadly understood before a single
shot is taken. There are things you can do to increase your success rate of
"usable shots"; very simply, shoot some outdoor scenes with lots of foliage
on sunny days and bracket up and down a stop or two for each shot, and bear
in mind that shadows will tend to go black and compose appropriately with
this in mind. Keep notes of meter readings, time of day and exposure used.
Expect a lower hit rate when using this film. Then whatever else happens,
there will be some usable "classic infrared" pictures with technical
information on how they were obtained. Once you have a number of usable
images then you can experiment and try anything you like. Its a cliche, but
this kind of picture can look really impressive taken with a wide angle
lens. Even a cliche can look good if it is done well...

Joe Berenbaum
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