Spring Break 2011 Equipment Reservations

Students -

Photo checkout is now accepting reservations for Spring Break equipment, which can be picked up on Friday, March 11th. All equipment checked out during this time will be due back by 10 am on Monday, March 21st.

Photo Checkout Schedule Adjustment

As a minor adjustment to Photo Checkout's operating hours next week, we'll be open from 8 am to 5 pm on Tuesday, December 14th, instead of until 10 pm. Tuesday, as you may know, is the evening of the Senior Photo show, so you should head on down to the Baxter to see what everyone has been working on this semester! Again, photo checkout's new hours for Tuesday, December 14th will be from 8 to 5 instead of until 10 o'clock.

DM22 "Driver Test" Requirements

Students-

If you want to use the Mamiya DM22, you need to show a faculty member that you can:

1. Properly insert a CF Card
2. Switch the camera on
3. Switch the digital back on
4. Set the digital back to correct camera setting
5. Set the digital back to 200 ISO
6. Make a correct exposure with a gray card in the image
7. Gray balance camera
8. Switch the camera off
9. Switch the digital back off
10. Remove the digital back from the camera correctly
11. Replace the digital back on the camera

As a reminder, the camera will only be available to be checked out for use in the studio at this time.

New Goods Recently Arrived in Photo Checkout

Students -

Photo checkout now has available several new items which may be of use to you. Those of you who have been frequently checking out light meters may already be aware that we've acquired another pair of Sekonic L758s (PDF of the manual is available here), but we've also picked up a couple more basic lightmeters: a pair of Gossen Digiflash meters. These are very small and simple meters, and as such I suspect that some of you will love them dearly for their portability and simplicity, and others among you will regard them with a frothing hatred for their lack of advanced features and basic interface. I would advise having a look at them before you have need for a light meter to determine if it's the sort of meter you'd like or not. The instruction manual is available here (PDF), and of course you can stop by photo checkout to give one a test drive.

On the color management side of things, there's a new Spyder3 Elite available for (in-building) checkout to address your laptop display calibration needs, and a trio of X-Rite Colorchecker Passports.

Checkout also has a couple new Vivitar 285HVs. These are non-dedicated flashes that can be used on just about any camera with a flash shoe or PC socket... except for that goofy Sony/Minolta "inside out" flash shoe design. These are essentially manual flashes, and though they have some Auto features, they won't give you any sort of TTL functionality, so you might want to study up on the manual, which is available in checkout. I couldn't find a Vivitar-provided online manual for the 285HV, but there is a manual for a prior version (though same model number) located here (PDF).

Call for Entries for Campus Photo Contest

Students-

I've been asked to spread the word that the Exit Gallery, the Office of International Programs, and the Leadership Institute are holding a photo contest, and it looks like it will be of particular interest to those of you who have travelled internationally, or are in places of an international persuasion right now. Here is the call for entries that was forwarded to me:

International Photography Call for Entries – Convocation 2010

In conjunction with the 2010 Freshman Convocation, The Exit Gallery, MSU Leadership Institute and Office of International Programs are proud to present an international photography contest juried by convocation speaker Kevin Connolly.

Fifteen to twenty photos will be selected for a two week exhibition in the Exit Gallery from September 7th – 17th. The final photos selected must be printed 8”x10” or 8”x12” with a 2” white window mat.

Convocation speaker and international photographer Kevin Connolly will be announcing the winners at the exhibit reception on Friday September 10th in the gallery. There will be cash prizes for three winners: First – $125, Second – $75, Third – $25

All submissions must be by MSU students. Please submit two photos taken during international travel with title and location to asmsuexhibits@montana.edu by August 25th at noon. Files must not be larger than 8 MB.

For questions or further information please contact ASMSU Arts and Exhibits at 406.579.1724 or asmsuexhibits@montana.edu.

Photo Checkout Schedule Adjustment

Students -

As a reminder, photo checkout will be closed on the evening of the Senior Photo Show, which this semester will be on Monday, May 3rd. Photo checkout's revised hours for that day will be from 8 am to 5 pm, instead of 8 am to 10 pm. For those of you who may have a copy of the lab hours on your refrigerator for reference, please note the change. With exception for May 3rd, photo checkout's hours of operation will remain as posted for the remainder of the semester.

Also, if you have work remaining in the studio from the Personal Vision show, please remember to pick it up! The studio (as well as the finishing room) will be cleared of stray prints following the end of the semester!

- Charlie

Photo Checkout Workers Fall 2010

Students--

Photo checkout is taking applications for Fall 2010 photo checkout workers. To qualify, you must be an enrolled student taking 6 or more credits for the semester(s) in which you will be working. There are three options for working at photo checkout: you may work as a student worker, as a work study (for those of you who are awarded work-study from Financial Aid), or for credit (via MTA 333-- this can be a good way to build upper division credits for graduation).

To pick up an application, either stop by photo checkout, or download one at this location (PDF link).

Some of you have already filled out applications earlier this year, and I still have those on file, but feel free to stop by and reaffirm your interest, and to provide an up-to-date(ish) schedule for next semester to indicate your approximate availability. If you have any questions, please stop by photo checkout and ask me about the positions.

Also, don't forget to move out of your lockers for the summer. If a graduating senior has indicated that you can have their locker when they leave, make him or her come to checkout with you and tell me about it! To date, no one has made a "bequeathal" of a locker yet, so if you are expecting to inherit a choice location, make sure the arrangement is formalized and documented by photo checkout!

--Charlie

Wacom Intuos 4

Students-

Using some CFAC funds for this year, Photo Checkout has acquired a medium-sized Wacom Intuos 4 tablet. It's not the wireless version, but left-handers can configure it for more comfortable usage, and it has a few tricks up its sleeve with a little touch dial not seen on predecessor models.

The tablet is not set up on any specific workstation, but can be checked out from photo checkout for use on any scanning station in either digital lab, with exception of the workstation with the Cintiq display.

Also, as a reminder, please have your lockers cleaned out by the end of the semester so that they can be cleaned during the summer. If you're taking a summer photography class, you can leave your stuff in there, but for the rest of you, now might be a good time to start sorting through some of those things you can take home right away, before final projects start to get too crazy!

Speaking of Expired Film...

I saw that Jace mentioned using expired film in an earlier post, and it reminded me that Winslow Studios has donated a big box of expired medium format film to the photo program. Most of it is color negative film, though there is a bit of Ektachrome, and most of it is 120, though there is a bit of 220 in the mix. Casually surveying some of the expiration dates, almost all of it is over ten years old. I was told it was refrigerated for much of its life, though it has spent most of the last several years out of cold storage, and simply in a basement. If you're interested, stop by checkout, and pick up a roll or two!

Photo Checkout Spring Break Reservations

As of this morning (March 1st, 2010), students may now make reservations to check out equipment for use over spring break. Equipment may be checked out on Friday, March 12th, and will be due back by 10 am on Monday, March 22nd.

Modification of Checkout Hours for Senior Show

This semester's Senior Show is coming right up, on Tuesday, December 15th, and to facilitate and encourage the attendance of all students, photo checkout will be closing earlier on that date than the printed schedule indicates, at 5 pm instead of 10 pm. Photo Checkout will be closing at 5 pm on Tuesday, December 15th, instead of 10 pm. If you have work due on Wednesday, please consider this factor when planning your work schedule next week. Aside from this change, the printed and distributed photo checkout hours of operation should remain as-scheduled for the remainder of the semester. In case you were wondering, photo checkout will be open until 5 pm on Friday, December 18th, the final day of the semester, and will be formally closed after that date until the spring semester begins in January.

Behold! Framing Point Driver!

'Tis the season for finishing, so students may be interested to know that Photo Checkout has a framing point driver available to check out. This was generously donated by Professor Anderson earlier this semester, and it seems to coincidentally have a color scheme matching the school colors. Go Cats! This may not have much application for those of you simply matting or mounting photos, but for those of you doing framing work, this device will drive tab-like points into the side of a wooden frame (sorry, it won't function properly with metal frames), holding the work in place. Stop by checkout sometime to have a look at it if you're curious. And if the worker on duty doesn't seem to know what you're talking about, have them check "the drawer with the tacking iron."

New Goods Recently Arrived in Photo Checkout

Freshly delivered this morning, photo checkout has received a new 16x20 contact printing frame from Bostick & Sullivan. It's made of elm, and still has that new-contact-printing-frame smell (varnish). It's available to check out now, if you're interested.

Also, while I'm thinking of it, checkout acquired two Garmin GPS units during the summer. Those of you participating in the Bozeman Survey Project may find these to be particularly helpful accessories.

Another subtle and recent addition to checkout's camera fleet recently came in the form of a Lomo LC-A donated to the department by Professor Christina Z. Anderson. It's an itty-bitty 35mm film camera, with a fixed 32mm 2.8 lens, and its only automatic feature is exposure. It's a little fancier than a Holga, but quite a bit smaller, so if you like saturated colors and a bit of vignetting, you should give this little camera a try.

New Epson 7900!

If you've made a visit to DPL1 lately, you may have noticed a colossal new printer lurking in one of the corners. We've acquired a second Epson 7900 this semester with some EFAC funding, and it's all configured and ready to go. Currently, it's set up for Matte Black printing, with its counterpart in DPL2 configured for Photo Black work. This replaces one of the 7600s in DPL1, which recently broke down in a rather abrupt and not-easily-serviced fashion, a printer which has now been retired. The 7900 will print from roll media up to 24" wide, and is quite a bit faster than its predecessor. The printer's physical use is a bit different from the 7600 (i.e., loading roll paper), so if you have any questions, don't hesitate to consult photo checkout for a walk-through of how to use it.

The printer arrived in a very large box, which is currently up in the studio, near the garage door. Should you need some very large pieces of cardboard for some sort of Halloween purpose, feel free to haul them to your residence for whatever use you have in mind. Perhaps you could also put the cardboard to use creating lighting modifiers for various lighting and portraiture projects. The cardboard will be taken to the recycle bin early next week, so if you have any use for it, be sure to get it sooner than later!

Important Building Access Announcement

Current students-

A Cat Card reader has been installed on one of the entrances to the VCB building: the upper-level entrance facing Grant street, near the main entrance to the Black Box Theater. Because of this, the building will now be "locked" on weekends and after 5 pm. Fear not, however, you should retain access to the building during the hours in which photo checkout is open. Should you arrive at the building and find your usual entrance securely locked, try using the Cat Card entrance to see if it yields passage to you. I am told that it should allow any current photo student to access the building, but my recommendation is that you test it, ideally on an evening or day which is not the evening or day before an assignment is due. During the week from 8 am to 5 pm may not be the best time to test your card's usability, since the doors will be unlocked regardless of the whether your card works or not, and you may get a "false positive" from the test. If your card doesn't give you access, see Colette in Film Checkout, who is our in-building contact for managing the implementation of this new lock system.

In summary, if you can't get into the building on Tuesday evening for Senior, or Saturday afternoon, try the Grant street entrance. Photo checkout is not changing the operating hours of checkout or the labs, but the times during which the exterior doors of the building will be locked and unlocked will be changing a bit.

- Charlie

SFP Network Meeting

Photo students and interested parties -

The School of Film & Photography's new director, Bob Arnold, will be in attendance at tomorrow night's SFP Network meeting. If you haven't met Dr. Arnold yet, and would like to get to know him a bit better, tomorrow's "town hall" event may be an excellent opportunity to ask questions and find out a little bit about our new director. The SFP Network (for all SFP students, not just film students!) will be meeting tomorrow evening, on Wednesday, September 23rd, at 6:30 pm in Studio B (that is, the Film studio, not the Photo studio).