Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2002/03/04
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]My very close friend, swim partner, and esteemed colleague, Angela Buenning, is having a show of her project "Living in Silicon Valley" Saturday March 16th in Noe Valley, San Francisco. I'll give the details in a moment. History: I've known Angela for several years. We met at the pool. We planned our workouts together and talked about photography in between swim sets, and afterwards over lunches, Keeble visits, etc. Her interest was fine art photography, with the mind set of street and urban life, urbanscape photography. We initially talked about cameras. She had a Nikon SLR but wanted something more substantial. Something that she could use and not worry about making quality "big" prints. After much looking, talking, and testing, she decided on the latest Pentax 67II. It took her about a nanosecond for the Pentax to become second nature to her. It's like an extension of her mind. You'll see it's on topic later on... :) After getting the Pentax and starting the photography for her project, she began making prints at San Jose State, a school in Oakland, and a few other places that had RA4 processors, but to her dismay, the RA4 processors were not maintained properly and her results were all over the map. So she started using my darkroom. I had just installed a JOBO ATL-2400. Because she was such a heavy user (eight to ten hours at a stretch) she basically debugged the system for me. It is because of Angela, I now have an air conditioner, bulk chemical heaters, and two enlargers in my darkroom. This is where she decided that 20x24 would be her standard print size. The JOBO and one shot chemistry made fantastic prints, but, of course, the process is a bit slow as you cannot put another print in until the previous print is completely processed. Unlike roller transport processors. And I only had one enlarger at that time so she could not work on two negatives at the same time. She found a rental darkroom in San Francisco that has a 50+ inch roller transport processor that is perfectly maintained. And each darkroom has two enlargers which allow printing two negatives simultaneously. A print from one is processing while working on a different negative in the second enlarger. The roller transport processor is dry to dry and you can have multiple prints going through at the same time. Because of the large processor in the rental darkroom, Angela has been making some 30x40 prints. These are unbelievably awesome!!! Angela is a perfectionist. I have seen her use 10 or more sheets of paper to make a single print, take it home, pin it to the wall, and then come back and make more prints because of some minute nuance that she didn't like. That even I couldn't see! Her prints are all as perfect as humanly possible. Angela teaches Journalism and Photography at "Eastside College Preparatory School" in East Palo Alto as well as working tirelessly, what seems like 24 hours a day, on her "Living in Silicon Valley" project. She has had rave reviews from notables like Judy Dater and has had her prints exhibited in several shows. So, the show: Angela has an architect friend, Ross Levy, who designed and just built a new home at 1451 Sanchez St., San Francisco (between 27th and 28th streets.) Angela's photographs (20+) will be hung throughout the house. The house is not occupied yet so it makes a great gallery. She mounted her prints on aluminum and they are held away from the wall 3/4" by a small base on the back. This is an awesome look! Her show will be all 20x24 and 30x40 prints of urban life in Silicon Valley. I urge anyone who can, to come see this exhibit. It is up for one night only. Saturday March 16th and it starts at 8pm and goes to... whenever. And yes, there will be food. :) Street shooters, come see Silicon Valley life portrayed through a medium format camera and an incredible eye. You'll be amazed. If you know anyone who buys/collects fine art photographs, this would be a great opportunity for them to get in on the ground floor of what surely will be a very big photographic name in the near future. Her work is really outstanding! If you go, please tell Angela who you are and that you are a friend of mine. I will be there for an hour or two, 8-ish to perhaps 10-ish, and if we haven't met before, find me and say hi. White hair, not skinny... :) Oh yeah, ON TOPIC, Angela owns and uses a Leica R8 for stuff other than her Silicon Valley project. :) Jim ps... From the south bay, up 280, exit San Jose Ave. (north), left on 30th or 29th, right on Sanchez. Or up 101, exit Army Street (west), left on Sanchez. From Oakland/Berzerkeley, across Bay bridge, exit from 101 on Army west, left on Sanchez. From Marin, across Golden Gate, 19th ave., left on Soat, left on Portola Drive, right on Diamond Heights Blvd, left on Douglas St, right on 28th, left on Sanchez. - -- To unsubscribe, see http://mejac.palo-alto.ca.us/leica-users/unsub.html