Lens: Rodenstock Imagon 200mm shot wide open without the diffusion filter in place.

4x5 Fortepan 200 developed in Pyrocat HD

Print on Ilford MGWT toned in selenium and thiocarbamide

'Doo Dadd' was shot w/the AeroEktar and some very old and outdated Rollei infrared film. 

I'm not smoking anything as I write this, but this curio looks like a metal 'stickfigure' facing away from the lens and doing pushups w/his hands and feet on the edges of the bowl.

This I think shows the diff bet the painterly and muted brushstrokes of the the Taylor Hobson front lens group versus the hard and abrupt contrast of the AE.  These lenses differ by some degree, but do exactly the same thing as far as drastic transitioning from best focus to oof. 

I think 'Doo Dadd' is a prime example of what I've been talking about, the stylization of the background transitioning from a fairly representational foreground.  Sure the background is oof, but that's not the point and neither is the obvious restating of how you did it, but finally looking at shapes and figures and what they change into as you go away from best focus. 

The plumbers and heating guys out there will recognize this, and since it's metallic tape, this really works good w/your lights. 

I was looking at how little I had left and reminding myself I had to pick up some more and then just started throwing it up in the air to see how it looked when it landed, and then made the decision to shoot it.

The transition from best focus to the oof background is both 'lush' and 'lyrical' w/this glass.   Steve Nichols inspired me and got me thinking about the Wollensak Raptor as a very nuanced lens w/his foundry shot, and this glass reminds me of a very soft and SUPERBAD version of the Raptor.

This glass ain't as contrasty as the AeroEktar, yet the nuance and tonality is still striking just like that of the Raptor. 

Taping out this glass back to the focal plane(focused @inf.), I've changed my estimate of its FL to 210-220mm and F2.8 wideopen.

It's time to end my current sojourn w/this glass, stopping @4 images somehow always seems right w/me w/any piece of glass, I don't like shooting and shooting w/the same glass unless I've got a legit idea.   I like going for awhile and then stopping to see where I'm at and where I'm going. 

This SM was backlit and shot on a very thick pane of glass exp. @F2.8-1/250 sec.

My gut was telling me one more shot of this from another angle.  The time of day this was shot dictated F2.8 @ 1/250 sec.  I still like the immediacy of the first shot, and I like the inclusive 'here is where everything's at' aspect of shooting a little farther back and from above via the second shot.

You pick'em