Robbie Becklund Photography

From a year ago, an eye opening interview by a stong defender of the environment. Save the Earth, Dump Bush, interview with Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. by David Talbot

While I go on about large format and my need/want for super clarity in my images, I'm still shooting with the Holga and actually excited about some recent contact sheets. Test prints tonight maybe... Well I've always been intrigued by pinhole cameras since I experimented in college with the oatmeal box 4x5 homemade pinhole. But I've never pursued it further. The thing I like is there's lots of distorted sharp detail and up close and far away are in focus due to the small pinhole aperture, what is it, something like f400. I recently ran across a company that makes very nice pinhole cameras, Zero Image and they make a 6x9 format pinhole camera. I see that the pinhole camera can do things that I want in my images that the Holga camera can't do, like very close focusing and a wider angle. So this Zero Image 6x9 might be the ticket. You can shoot from 6x9 to 4.5x6. Oh and the f-stop is f235 on this one. Either this will be my next camera purchase or a view camera--how's that for two very different photo paths.

Digital outsells film, but film still king to some. Uh, Yeah.

Are you sad and depressed that no one cares about your art? This article won't make you feel much better... Call that art? A chimp could have painted it.

Did you ever notice most blogs are real boring... I follow up links to see who's stealing photos of mine. Mostly it's someone like this and I don't really care. But reading this stuff (only for a few seconds, honest...) is, I don't know, funny, very uninteresting, mundane. I guess very high school or college. I guess if you're a parent you should find out what your kids blog address is and read it while your at work--that would be an eye opener. Most kids are probably more willing to share more with the whole internet world than with their parents.

Here's a 5x7 contact print I took while in Brooklyn. I had a 4x5 and 5x7 at the time. While I enjoy this picture, the size is just too small. I kind of even think the 8x10 contact print is too small, but I'm not springing for an 11x14 camera. The low res jpeg file hardly picks up any of the subtle detail.



Leaves and Water, Prospect Park, Brooklyn, New York, 2001

Okay, so I've decided I'm going to get a view camera... I have narrowed it down to 8x10 or 4x5. Cost, portability and the fact I can make big prints goes to 4x5. Contact prints for their beautiful detail and tone goes to 8x10.

The negative (no pun intended) to 4x5 is I need a new enlarger to handle the bigger film. And the fact that I can't enlarge the 8x10 negatives (unless I get a monster enlarger) goes against the 8x10.

I have old prints that I will study that I shot with 4x5 film years ago to see how much detail is in the enlargement. Of couse 4x5 is a big jump in detail from medium format and that will be enough. It's bad enough getting a new camera, tripod, lens, filmholders, darkcloth, lightmeter and film--I just don't know if I want to add a new enlarger to the equation.

I suppose I could get an 8x10 and somewhere down the road get a 4x5 reducing back and enlarger so I can make big prints. Or I could get a dreaded 8x10 enlarger. I wonder if the ceiling is high enough in my apartment...

(side bar: have you ever seen Clyde Butcher's darkroom? I just love those pictures of Clyde Butcher standing waist deep in the swamp and of their swamp tours. "Hey who wants to go for a walk in Cotton Mouth and Alligator infested waters!" )

Well I'll keep muddling this over and over and over....

Here's an interesting article about a long awaited study about the source of pollution/haze in Big Bend National Park. U.S. sources called main cause of Big Bend National Park haze. It's not pollution from Mexico, which many thought, including yours truly. Much is from the Eastern U.S. and East Texas.

I think a big reason I like photographing in Northern Minnesota is because I've been visiting there my whole life, since my great grandfather (he settled there from Sweden), grandfather, and dad have all lived in Grand Marais. Hmmm, I wonder if that means I'm supposed to do the same.

Here's a picture of my brother and I at my grandfather's cabin at Devil's Track Lake up the Gunflint Trail from Grand Marais.

Here's two new images that I recently listed on ebay. These are unmatted 8x10s. I have these matted to 11x14 in my ebay store.



Stone Arch Bridge in Minneapolis



Madeline Island Ferry

While I'm somewhat confused on how I want to proceed with my photographs, I've been pleased with my sales on ebay. In the past I'd get frustrated if I had a lull in sales and just stop selling on ebay. Now I'm sticking with it and it seems to be paying off. My goal is to make my ebay sales at least a good part time income. I'll be doing art shows next summer also. Ultimately, selling my photos has got to become my only source of income.

Why am I confused about my photos? I'm pretty sure I want to start shooting large format for my north shore photos. I'm just not sure which format. 4x5 would be fine, I just need another enlarger. I've been thinking about 5x7 and doing contact prints and looking for a 5x7 enlarger (much harder to come by then 4x5). I want to be able to make big prints for artshows next summer. That is why I'm pondering 5x7. I've ruled out 8x10 because it will take me forever to save up the money to buy one.

With 4x5 I could get a new one for a decent price. A new view camera would be so nice. I've always bought used cameras and some have really sucked, it was such a struggle just getting a decent picture. I know this was the cause of me giving up large format.

I'm also not sure how I feel about the Holga camera now. I haven't been happy with any of my new Holga pictures. Maybe when I get a view camera I'll just shoot what I would with the Holga with the view camera and see how that works. I've thought about pinhole large format, or of getting old crappy barrel lenses that take screwy pictures (I think Sally Mann has done that). I don't know, but I do like images with some wrong with them.

I can get really freaked out about all this. I'll start spending way too much time on photo.net or apug.org (analog photo users group) trying to glean some nugget that will give me the answer I'm seeking. I thought I was happy with medium format, but the idea of printing real big has been festering in my brain and it won't go away.

In the mean time I've got film to develop. So that will keep me busy while I accumulate some $$ so I can leap back into large format.

Water Grate Sky

I recently listed the above photo on ebay for the first time in quite awhile. This photo has the distinction of being the image most stolen by other websites or blogs. This auction is for an unmatted version, but I've also listed matted 8x10 and 11x14 versions in my ebay store.

I've listed another batch of unmatted 8x10 photos on ebay. These are from Lake Superior and Duluth and Big Bend in Texas.

This is at Ball Club Lake in the Superior National Forest, Minnesota, about a month ago. Here's a shot that looks like it could use a 4x5 negative. I've been pondering getting a 4x5 view camera again, but I get too frustrated with all the set up and equipment. Maybe what I need to do is go back to the Fuji 6x9 cameras, which I had in the past and really enjoyed. This photo was taken with a Fuji 6x4.5. While there's a decent amount of detail with the 6x4.5 neg, the 6x9 negative is double the size and gives a bit more detail.

On the roll of film there is almost an identical shot of this that I took just before this one. It's funny, when I see two similar shots together I usually consider the second one better because I had time to work with the shot. But I think the framing is better with the first one, I'll have to make a test print and see.

While I'm not totally happy with this picture I feel I'm getting closer to capturing what I'm seeing in the North woods of Minnesota. On calm days, there's these amazing combinations of clear water and rocks and reeds and logs/branches. There's so many great combinations of elements. And the dark glasslike water is very nice.



This is in La Jolla, California. It was fun on the Pacific coast, I've spent very little time here and the cliffs and rock formations and erosions are great. I wish I would have had more time to spend here and on a early Sunday morning when there weren't tons of touristas. If you haven't noticed, I'm not too fond of having people in my pictures.

Thursday 99 cent ebay new photo auction - 9/01, is the photo below. Big Cement Blocks and Coal!

Now's your chance to buy a matted 8x10 photo by me and this one's a Holga photo too! Click the above link to see (and bid) on the auction.

I'll be doing this every Thursday. I'm planning to list new photos or at least ones where I haven't ever sold any matted at this size. I just don't want someone to feel bad that they bought a photo at full price and now I'm listing it at .99.

Going to the great Minnesota tradition today - The State Fair. I'll take the Holga to see what exciting pics of cheese curds and deep fried key lime on a stick I can get. Los Lobos is playing tonite for free so they will be nice. One of the last times I saw Los Lobos was at the World Trade Center plaza (very wild setting to see music, with the soaring towers) just months before 9/11. And the anniversary is coming. One of the things I got from my storage unit was a box full of 9/11 stuff including videos with 3 days worth of local NYC coverage. Haven't looked at it, but maybe on 9/11--maybe not--sheesh get off this tangent.

Anyway, I digress--off to the fair and Los Lobos and Holga Pics. And here's a recent shot in NE Minneapolis near the Mississippi river. Big Cement Blocks and Coal.