From Wikipedia:
Tri-X is a classic high-speed black and white photographic film from Kodak. It has a rated speed of ASA 200/24° DIN, and it was the first high-speed black and white film. Currently it is available in two speeds, ISO 320/26° (320TXP) and 400/27° (400TX). Tri-X 400 is the more common of the two, coming in 24 and 36 exposure rolls of 35 mm and 120 as well as 50 and 100ft bulk rolls of 35mm. Tri-X 320 is available in 120 and 220, as well as 4×5", 5×7", and 8×10" sheets.
Tri-X 400 is rated at ISO 400 when processed in standard developers and remains among the fastest black and white films today. Push processing Tri-X to EI 800 in a standard developer brings very good results, while further pushing to EI 1600 requires more sophisticated processing. Introduced November 1, 1954[1], Tri-x was once one of the most popular films used by photojournalists, but it declined in the 70's and 80's due to the falling price and increasing popularity of colour film. Since the advent of digital photography it has all but fallen out of use in newspaper journalism. Apart from possible use in educational establishments, it still remains reasonably popular in documentary journalism.
I cannot tell you how many rolls of this stuff I used to shoot and develop!! Awesome B&W film! (Then couple it with some of the cool papers like Portriga Rapid, etc. and the pictures would come alive. (Just threw some of the paper stock away on New Year's Eve.)
I too threw out some B&W paper just recently. I tried to give it away here, but no one wanted it. I took it to Goodwill. Have no idea if they will try to sell it or not.
I think this challange just showed the difference in generations. I had a similar response to my own shot. Some understood what it was about and some just didn't get it. That is not a gripe about my score, just about whether they understood what it was suppose to represent.
Yours is a great shot - tho - one of your nicest. Well done. It should have scored higher (as can be seen by your number of 10's, 9's & 8's.
The death (or near impending death) of Tri-X is a sad thing. I bought 3 bricks of the wonderful stuff from my photo dealer a few months back when he was cutting down on stock. They are sitting in my freezer now, waiting for the day that I will fire up one of the cameras and go out shooting again. I can hear my cameras begging for me to toss out the digital and come back to them as I write this.
Leroy... as I looked at your entry I knew the voting would go the way it did. Even if many of the people who scored it low had heard of Tri-X, the chances of them having ever used it are slim, and what it's name states subliminally to whoever has utilized it to it's full potential. Rest assured... to those of us in the know...your photo was a sight for sore eyes that brought back wonderful memories long buried.
If anybody (besides me) has an old roll of this lying around without knowing what (if anything) is on it, and doesn't do their own processing, Rocky Mountain Film Lab specializes in developing old film.
It really did hurt my feelings to throw out the paper, but not having a darkroom anymore (or ready access to one) I saw no need to keep it any longer. :-(
OMG - just read through the comments on that. What the heck are they teaching these kids today?
Not all of us are professional photographers or have taken courses, you know :P
(tho' I must say that I DID know what he was referring to, despite my lack of education. Liked the shot, got the shot, noticed the pun Bear mentioned but, unfortunately, didn't vote that challenge. Sowwy, Leroy :) )
I thought the whole darn thing was very clever! ;)
As for tossing old photo paper...yes, expensive, but I've had it for many, many, many years! No darkroom to play in for that stuff. :(
I thought the whole darn thing was very clever! ;)
As for tossing old photo paper...yes, expensive, but I've had it for many, many, many years! No darkroom to play in for that stuff. :(
I'm debating on doing B&W film again (medium format), but will probably just work in a changing bag and have drum scans done on the photos I like. It'll definitely save money. Printing is the expensive part of traditional photography.
