Mike's Links Page

What!? You're not out making photos? Not in the darkroom? Well then — you might as well be reading about photography.... and snooping 'round the Internet. These links are a start and should do more than just whet your appetite. Since I live and work in Austria there are sites which are in German and located in my vicinity. Still interesting, but maybe a bit too far away for many. Originally organized this list as grown a little chaotic. Please excuse.

Linhof
Highest quality LF/MF kit. Venerable camera manufacturer producing the famous Technika which has to be the drop dead beautiful drop bed camera.

Sinar
High quality Swiss LF/MF kit. Gotta be fair and mention them, too.

Lotus View Camera
Very fine and beautiful 4x5" to 20x24" large format (LF) kit, made in Austria, as well as photographic and digital materials. Alternative process needs catered for. Palladium, platinum, kalliotype kits available. Pyro developers also in stock. Worth a visit.

Canham Cameras
LF cameras. Neat design - having said that I can't say I've ever worked with one. Just look nice.

Ebony Cameras
"Perfection is within your reach" they claim. Pretty boxes, that's for sure.

Alpa
High quality Swiss MF kit. They say "Things are simple at the top." Watch the movie!

Hasselblad
High quality Swedish MF kit. The Rolls Royce of middle format. Complete system and now with digital possibilities that are truly mind boggling - price-wise, too.

Leica
Highest quality 35mm rangefinder and SLR analog/digital kit. For afficianados and fetishists with very deep pockets. The M series has gone digital with the rangefinder M8.

Nikon
High quality 35mm SLR kit. Defined pro 35mm SLR photography for decades.

Canon, Inc.
35mm Kit. Has its adherants. New top-of-the-line Eos digital camera is impressive and ever so expensive.

Stephen Gandy's Camera Quest
Cosina Voigtlaender Bessa Viewfinder Cameras. 35mm rangefinder cameras for those without Leica pocketbooks.

Knips!
Schneider&Tischer - Pro Analog and Digital equipment and services. 7th Viennese District - not far from the Mariahilferstrasse. Digital fans can see what the market offers these days.

Monochrom
Photo supplies in Berlin. Presentation supplies. Light Impression products. Have comprehensive and interesting catalog. Mailorder and web shop.

ACE
Means All Camera Equipment. Portal for searching for what you want/need worldwide.

Digital Light and Color
Picture Window Photo Editing Software for those who edit photos and not primarily graphics. Very priceworthy. And you don't need to buy additional howto books nor attend courses in using "industry standard" bloatware.

infotoshop milchram kg
Cameras, films, accessories at good prices. Right across the Westbahnstrasse from WestLicht and the Leica Shop. In Vienna.

Adobe Photoshop
Graphics Editing Software for those who edit primarliy graphics and not photos. Suffers terminal bloat and is unreasonably expensive. But does just about everything a graphic designer might believe s/he wants. You can run this on a PC, too. Be ready to spend additional monies on instruction manuals and other tips and tricks tomes. Lots of "plug in" filters for effects - watch out - there goes more money.

Foto-Riegler
Austrian mail order for chemistry, cameras, etc.

Silverprint
London based photographic supplier. Some products less expensive than at Berlin's Monochrom

View Camera Store
Lots of LF stuff. See what's available.

Gordy's Camera Straps
Wrist straps for various camera models.

J and C Photo
Fine art black and white films and papers including Kodak, Ilford, Adox, Foma and JandC Classic. Printing papers, too.

Bergger
High quality film and papers made in France. Successor to the Guillemot & Bospflug company, earliest industrial manufacturer of light sensitive materials.

Beck Kamera Service
Viennese shop which services and repairs for all brands of film and digital cameras.

Bromwell Marketing
Large and medium format supplies in Pittsburgh, PA, USA.

Ground Glass Specialities
Satin Snow ground glass. Made in Montana, USA. Real good stuff.

ebay
Needs no introduction. Local sites can be visited, too. Caveat emptor.

BookFinder
Looking for a specific book? Try your luck here. Or here (ABE Books).

Wehman Cameras
Bruce Wehman makes 8x10 field cameras. Check it out. Also interesting tech tips for those who are do-it-yourself talented.

ACDSee.com
My browser of choice. I use film for image capture and have the negs scanned by the lab after developing with all my 35mm stuff - mostly what I'd call snaps. But keeping track of it makes a browser database like this one very handy to have. It's gone through a number of incarnations (versions) and I've kept updating and haven't regretted it. For LF work and the web, this is a fine tool. I scan my negatives and can have them online, too.

Nordfoto Versand
Mailorder from Germany. Batteries for vintage cameras, films, scanners, digital equipment. PDF catalog.

Personal Pages and Blogs

Ansel Adams: Late and undisputed King of the majestic Western Landscape — died in 1984 and still going strong. Site is very commercial. Get an original print for $45,000.00! (Oops — that particular print has been sold!) Had squabble with William Mortensen, who was an ace at image maipulation and popular in the mid 20th century. Adams published three essential b/w photography books: The Camera, The Negative, The Print as well as his Polaroid Land Photography which is out of print, but can be found online. Other interesting books: Examples and his Ansel Adams - An Autobiography. Now start reading...

Andreas H. Bitesnich
Some very nice black and white work - had big show in Vienna in 2004. Mostly figure studies.

Elsa Dorfman - Portrait Photographer
A great place to have a look around. Witty & enlightening. She ought to be a national treasure. Check out the giant Polaroid camera she rents from the Polaroid Corp. Don't know what the situation is these days. Polaroid isn't the same as when she originally asked to rent the 20/24 inch beast.

Burkhardt Kiegeland's Home Page
Founder of Lotus View Cameras. Holds workshops in LF Photography, Alternative Printing Processes, and Digital Printing. Contributes regularly to Schwarzweiss magazine a high quality german publication. Babelfish will translate his German for you into an understandable English.

Philip Greenspun's Home Page
Another great place to have a look around. Read & get an education as well as opinions on flying! Shares Elsa Dorfman's studio. See also Photo Net, which he started back in the 1990s.

Ken Rockwell's Web Site.
Plenty of information here - he's big on Nikon equipment. So am I for small-format work.

J.B. & Susan Harlin
Large Format work. Fine art B&W photography. Also ULF work. See their 4x10" and 8x20" projects!

Michael Smith & Paula Chamlee
LF and ULF azo contact prints and books. Lovely landscapes.

ctein
Photographer and writer. Makes dye transfer prints. Look here for lovely color prints. A fundus of photography information and some quite interesting links. Read his book, Post Exposure, for darkroom and lightroom techniques.

Dan Burkholder
Photographer and writer. Makes platinum/digitally colored prints. Look here for lovely color prints. Tutorials, too.

Stephen Johnson
Large format photographer using digital scan backs rather than film. See what digital can do! But what a price....

Gilles Martin
Large format photographer based in France. Very nice web site with good links. Landscapes in black and white.

Lynn Radeka
Photography of the American West by Lynn Radeka. Fine-art gallery of limited edition black and whitephotography, color photography and posters by one of America's premiere landscape and ghost town photographers. How to mask tutorial. Interesting links.

John Coffer
Wet plate colloidon photographer. Travels in a horse-drawn buggy.
Uses no electricity in his photography....

Clyde Butcher
Landscape photography in the Adams tradition. Swamps, swamps and more swamps! Lots of other great images, too.

David Muench
Fine landscape photography. Used to be traditional — site now seems to be an advertisement for epson and roland printers — and not very user friendly last time I looked.

Christopher Burkett
Large format optical prints. His explanation as to why he doesn't "do" digital is enlightening.

The Online Photographer
Your daily fix of info on subjects photographical.

Paul Butzi Photography
Interesting reviews - practical tips. Visit this site.

Mammut
ULF venue with galleries and links.

Frank Van Riper
Read his "Talking Photography" Reporter and photographer. Works well with both words and cameras.

Photographing America
Robert Hitchman's newsletter. Those of you who want to take landscape pictures in the USA and need to know when and where the location is favorable, this is the place to visit. Extensive Workshop links.

Patrick Alt
Interesting nudes and bridges taken with very large format cameras. Nice galleries.

More items of interest ...

Taking Pictures in Britain
A pdf file which informs you of your rights and limits when taking pictures in the UK .

Taking Pictures in the USA
A pdf file which informs you of your rights and limits when taking pictures in the USA.

Large Format (LF) Photography site
Forum for large format photography.

photo.net
Have a look around. See Philip Greenspun's articles - follow the links and get an education.

Westlicht.com.
Site for Leica enthusiasts and Auction House in Vienna. Aucions twice a year attract many and lots go for some fantastic sums. Still interesting for us mortals to have a look see.

VOeAV
Verband Oesterreichischer Amateurfotografen Vereine - The Organization of Austrian Amateur Photographer Clubs.

37th Frame
Mike Johnston's site - offers a newsletter that's a very enjoyable and informative read.

Aperture
Organization founded in 1952 by Ansel Adams, Dorothea Lange, Barbara Morgan, Minor White, Beaumont Newhall, and Nancy Newhall. Publishes Aperture magazine.

Wilhelm Imaging Research
Tests digital printing materials and reports on findings. Not industry-sponsored.

Medium format mega site
For links to labs, repair shops, and "other" worldwide! Section on Austria is worth a look.

Camera Austria
Interesting camera mag from Austria — see what the natives are up to. Since 1980.

Photo Net Austria
What's on in my neighborhood.

Richard T. Ritter
Large format repair — worked with Fred Picker at Zone VI Studios for many years. Modifies, repairs and restores
large format equipment. Based in Vermont, USA.

Nationales Museum für Fotografie in Jindrichuv Hradec
A regional center for photography. In Czech. Definately worth a look to see what's on in our greater neighborhood.

Alfred-Erhardt Stiftung
So you wanna get published? Go here and get the bi-annual award. See "Sponsorship".

Lulu
Self publishing. Supply a pdf file and become a published author. They will also sell your book.

The Nocturnes
You wanna take pictures at night? Go here! Or to their blog, The Nocturnes Night Photography Blog which seems to be a tad out of date.

Lost America
Troy Paiva's nighttime web site. Colorful. Could it be he has a brother, Tom Piava?

LF Camera overview
Pretty good listing of LF cameras/camera makers. With pictures. Not complete.

Democracy Now
For the news you won't get via corporate-controlled and censored media. Get a straight view of world affairs. Watch the video streams 5 days a week. That's 5 hours and all you'll need to watch.

Truthout
More headlines that put the lie to corporate media propaganda. Don't waste your time on the NY Times, read Truthout.

Polanoid
For those of you who love instant photography — analog — and who want the print RIGHT NOW. You can order film and reconditioned cameras from this young Viennese business. Join the fun and upload your polaroids, too.

How long does it take you to earn 1000 dollars? What would you do if you had an extra thou' or two? Watch the counter - that seems to be multiple thousands vanishing each and every second. How can anyone still harbor the slightest sympathy for the US of A? The public may contain a few pleasant and well meaning individuals, but they have let their representatives slaughter the hapless overseas whilst blissfully going about their everyday routines. This country has fallen from republican ideals into fanatical fascism. It has truly dropped off the map of the civilized world.