Richard Vanek - Black and White Photography

I have change a way how the most recent twenty photographs are displayed on my site. I move them to be displayed same way as normal photos are. So same way of navigation and same way of page layout. That makes it possible to see and add comments and well as link to shop if they are offered for sale.
Hope that will make browsing easier. I am preparing some other changes as well as I am playing to use Drupal content management system. possibly to replace my home made stuff I am using now. But it will be not that fast if at all.

I still remember how nicely was the smell in school when we come in September and they painted it in summer. I remember new wooden tables and all nice and shiny. Now thirty years later school is closed. Dust everywhere. What a pity. I loved it when I was young!

Earlier this week I have had conversation with fellow photographer who sells his work also here on eBay. His way and also his photographs are little different than mine.

I like nice work of art, something which give me something to think about, something which makes feeling, imagination in my soul. I like that very much. It just feels so nice. Doesn't have to be a photograph. I just watched special movie. And I have those feelings right a way.

As one wise man said before "Art suppose to lift the human spirit". That exactly happen to me when I encounter such a item. Isn't that great?

When I can I like to buy it, to have that more often. I have great books where I look on paintings, photos and I have books and some movies as well. Paintings and photos are much better as I can look at them and they give me always something more. It is like my mind is creating new things based also on how I feel when I look at the piece.

But there is a limit, I never buy anything expensive, for me over 200US$ is expensive. I will not buy even the greatest photo for such a price. His prices starting from 250US and he is selling. I am running my work for much less and I am selling rather slow.

This let me think. What people consider when they like some piece of art so much that they would like to buy it? Imagine that you see something so beautiful in your eyes, that it gives you that kind of feelings I described earlier. You like to have it. It is quality piece made with utmost care. You know it.

So how does your decision is changed when you see the price?

• a.) You look at his and you think, wow 250, it must be something of great value. I'll buy it.
• b.) You look at his and you think, wow 250, I love to have it but it is juts too much, sorry.
• c.) You look at mine, wow 40, cool I like it and I can afford it. I'll buy it.
• d.) You look at mine, wow 40, well it is probably some kind of cheap stuff. I like it but I better buy something of more value, sorry.

So tell me what is your choice a,b,c or d ?
Thanks!

Sunday morning I took road to North Holland about 170km from where I live. Reason was that I like to buy my first (yes you heard right, first) zoom lens. Things are evolving and even myself, who always was for prime lenses, as I was always for manual focus bodies, is buying zoom lens.
Same situation as it was with auto focus, is now with zoom. Until I find body which does auto focus the way I wanted, the way I have control I didn't use it. Now I bough this Tokina AT-X Pro 20-35/2.8 wide angle zoom lens. I like to go winder than mine 28mm Nikkor, and I always liked 35mm. I hope this lens will solve all my wide angle needs.

I spend more than two hours with this fellow photographer. Enjoying his company and pictures. We talked about all kinds of things. It was a great time and it always surprise me this. You know you meet person you never saw before and it feels so natural to communicate.
What was my great surprise and what pleased me much was when he offers to offer me a discount on lens if he can get one of my prints. I take that as one of the best way one photographer can give to work of other photographer. To buy his print.

Some days ago I bought small thing. I never thought such a machine exists. It is a small FM Radio broadcaster. ON one side you plug your whatever, (mp3,pda,cd,... anything which has a audio out) and it will broadcast it over air in FM chosen frequency and you can catch it on any radio in range, well around 20 meters. Great for car where I am using it or in house if you all like to listen same music from you mp3, cd,....
It works pretty well you only choose frequency where is nothing broadcasted and you can listen. It has a AAA battery or car charger. I listen my podcasts in my car radio now :-)

I have discovered some very interesting photos on Internet today. Look at front page and there under my recent images is list of my last delicious findings.
These updates are not reflected in my RSS feed. If you think they should be tell me, thanks.

I was carrying yesterday my camera with me. I was hoping to shoot some heavy rain shots with new zoom lens. But whole day was either sun with clouds or total cloudy, but dry.
A Afternoon when I was back home I got idea to shoot moving threes with long exposure. So I made one roll, using all strange filters I have. What I got was also nice Cumulus lighted with late Sun.
Now only I need to start developing all those rolls.

Dave was busy in last few days with creating videos about his photos. Those you can see on his own page dedicated to it. I like his channel about hoe print is made. Here you can see first two part from his PhotoTech channel. He will add more describing whole way until print is packed.

We were waling in Amsterdam, when we saw small girl with beautiful long hair walking in front of us. I took camera and made this only shot while she was going down the stairs tot he small shop. Those were days in 2002 when I was shooting quite a lot of street photos.

Yes, it is. I just filed two film developing tanks with six rolls of film. Earlier today I prepare fresh chemicals except developer. Tomorrow I will be developing at least these six rolls and than I will do next and next. I have enough for at least three rounds (18 rolls). I am really glad I made this step it has been while (few weeks) from time I developed last ones.

Long time ago, we visited friends in Belgium and together we went to some kind of kids farm. Kids can play there also with farm animals. It is now five years ago and our Ema is not such a small girl anymore...

I am on a good road now. I developed six rolls today and have plan to make another six tomorrow. fotospeed has arrange nice postage to Netherlands so I can order few liters of their excellent fotospeed fd-10 and they have also some paper so I will get some sampler to see. They are rather expensive.
I have received my new 77mm filters for my 20-35 zoom as well as diffuser filter for my other lenses. I am really looking forward to do some experiments.
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That was a news from Saturday the Twelve of May two thousand seven.

Do you have it also sometimes, that the smallest details attract your attention? I have it often in rainy day. That kind of rainy day when things slow down and one has time to stop and think. Than simple drops of rain on the door's handle make me wonder.

I have managed to develop another six rolls. Some nice stuff there. Last two days I am busy with doing my preview scans and than when it is done and I am back from my short trip to Belgium I will post some images.
I must say it is nice feeling to develop again. This analog stuff still has that magic for me.
I was (and actually still am) thinking about buying Nikon D200, especially when I go soon to Tokyo when prices are much nicer than here. I can't really decide. I love analog but still have this digital in my mind. The comfort of instant feedback is that what let me think about it. But the price is really too much for me.
For a fraction of a day :-) I was thinking about Nikon F6, but I decided I really do not need that. I am more than happy with mine Nikon F100.

I need to write this before I forget. One of the films I am regularly using now and which I developed in these last two batches is Czech Fomapan 400. I was developing it always at 12min in Aculux II at 20C. In last batch I had two rolls exposed not at 400ASA but 320ASA. I decided to develop it for only 10 min. On roll in my three roll tank was exposed at 400ASA. What I am observing now that those rolls at 320 and even the one at 400ASA are far better now than when I developed for 12min. I guessing that it is a effect of thiner negative (not really visually observable) and therefore better for scanner.
I will come back to this when I do detail 5400dpi scan of both rolls. I may see nothing spectacular, but I feel that I found the good way to get the best out of Fomapan 400.

I have seen on some Internet shops Aculux III, now produced in Germany for Paterson photographic. I decided not to order this one, but to switch for Fotospeed FD10. I just ordered two 5 liters containers from UK. In this situation my rambling about digital seems to be like from other world :-)

So we are back from short, four days trip to Ardene in south of Belgium just some 30km from Luxembourg border. We had a great time and nice weather.
In few next days I will post images from new developed rolls and have plan to develop some more.

I just notice I have recommended over 50 shots in my delicious part on front page. I just add number 53. It is about the time I start creating my own. How often I am writing this? Every week?...

We were in Ardene (Belgium) also in February and I loved this view from top down to the villa under the ruins. It was very nice place and will be posting more picture from there.

I have made two people very happy today. I gave two prints to one nice person from Japan, visiting us at my work and another free print to friend and colleague of mine. They both were very happy and like print very much. I made small limited editions of three prints. Print shows classical Dutch windmill. I like to give this Japanese gentleman something to remember his visit here.

From time to time I do this that I gave prints for free. You know point is to share and I like to do that as far as people appreciate and like it. Every month I have in my own web store three prints for free. To let people experience only for price of shipping my work. To let them see how my photographs look. You may take a look at my web shop

The one print which left will be active on eBay today evening. I just use today 20cent action. Image look like this maybe you find it nice as well.

I have rather interesting experience. I drive diesel car, 2.2TDi I must say this being my first diesel car, I like it very very much. Normally I take cheap Diesel from local super store or sometimes, once a month Diesel from Shell station. On a full tank I drive around 700km. I also experience a bit of dark smoke when I accelerate with high rpm.
Well to make long story short: We were in Luxembourg and I filled my tank with Shell Diesel there. I drove 870km on full tank and have no dark cloud at all when I accelerate strongly. I want this kind of Diesel here home and doesn't have to be that cheap as it is there :-)

Ardene Belgium, Feb 2007, Nikon F100, Fomapan 200 at 100, Aculux II :-) More tech specs? Let me know.

Ardene, Belgium. February 2007.

Ardene, Belgium. February 2007.

Belgium, Ardene, February 2007

This is forgotten number IV. Thanks Dirk to let me know :-) Ardene, Belgium. February 2007.

I was just loading another six rolls to my developing tanks. In total dark and while moving in dark space and only feeling with hands I remembered when I did the same thirty years ago in toilet in house of my parents. I had only some towel under the door and one hanging over side to filter light out. It was necessary always wait for two, three minutes until my eyes accommodated to dark to see where the light leak is. Mostly under door or through key hole. I had that feeling again. Even now is cloudy and rather chilly I felt like that time in the middle summer when house was hot and sharp July sun was beaming under door through the towel.
I am happy I had such a nice childhood...

I just finished developing next six rolls. And yes I like it I like that special feel when you take film out of the fixer and you look at it. All this two hours of work for bit more than 200 images, I like it. My daughter Ema was watching me today as I was developing films. She asked some questions and than she said: "You know dad, you are surely only father from school who does this" :-) I like it!

What to say, sometimes one makes juts picture which one likes at the time and there is no connection to anything. This one I just like from purely compositional point of view and it gave me feel of space and freedom.

Every time we are at holiday in village or city and passing by the church we go in. We look around in quiet place and mostly we also burn some candles.

What is God for you? What is God for him?

Forgotten, alone and still not sad. In a fresh morning, between a grass, holding it shape and waiting, waiting for somebody who sit and enjoy it.

The image I have place just now reminds me shots made by Dirk when he was using his large format camera. Very narrow field of sharpness and often not parallel with film plate. I feel that it is only nicely seen when looking at bigger image. I like it very much and can make it free print of June.
When I write about it. Nobody bought free print for May same as for April. It could just be that I will stop with it. Maybe June's one will be the last one. Half year feels quite enough. But I will place this free print for June on eBay as 100% discount, let see if there will be anybody interested.
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When talking about eBay. I just change titles of all my listings to contain more keyword, hopefully it will attract more searches.
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I am just scanning films developed yesterday and there seems to be few nice shots as well. So I have enough for this week ;-)

Different look on the Bench, which is waiting for sombody to rest on it.

So this month nobody ordered free print>. Why is that? Not enough interest or not enough advertisement? Tell me?
From tomorrow I will be offering my free print on eBay. So June's free print will be eBay 100% discount on by me selected print. If that will fail I will just end with this kind of offer.

They don't like them, they falling on it. It shouldn't be there, They want to feel like in the forest.