urban ku # 173 ~ the big yellow father
Friday, March 7, 2008 at 10:05AM 
Kodak tower and my studio • click to embiggenOne of the special 'features' of the good old days, photography-wise, is that with which I am reacquainting myself as I scan some older 8×10 color negatives - f**king DUST.
FYI, in the good old days, a standard item in my darkrooms - I had 3, one for film loading, one for film processing (color & bw), and one for printing (color & bw) - was an industrial-size (about 5 ft tall) cylinder of compressed nitrogen with a pressure regulator and spray nozzle. Dust didn't stand a chance with that kind of 'dust-off', but, if you didn't set the right spray pressure, neither did an 8×10 negative - a negative could be literally ripped in half with too much spray pressure. Believe me. I know.
And, FYI, PS dust and scratch removal / digital 'ICE' is a very poor substitute for nitrogen in a tank. Those software 'solutions' to dust and scratch removal all depend on image blurring, which, in my book, is no solution at all. That's why, when I made the leap from high-end P&S digital cameras (sealed body = no dust on the sensor) to dslrs, I went with Olympus - their in-camera dust buster has been and is a perfect solution to sensor dust. I have yet to see a single dust particle on an image file.
In any event, today's picture is for Paul Maxim who opined on yesterday's picture; "Just wanted to say how much I like the river image. For those of us who once lived there, it's just so typically "Rochester" (and I don't mean that in a bad sense). You can literally feel the humidity. How long ago was this taken?"
Thanks, Paul. The picture was taken circa 1981-84. I can't pin down the exact date because my camera's EXIF data was erased from internal memory 'card'.
Today's picture is of the Kodak tower / corporate headquarters. Also depicted is my first 'solo' studio - note the big white air conditioner on the right. That window, the 2 to the left, and extending back to the 2 windows on the alley side of the building was my studio space. The picture was taken from the roof of the building (the Smith Gormley building) that housed my 'new' studio and loft living space.
This little NW corner of downtown Rochester - 1 block long, 2 blocks wide - was comprised of mostly empty (but not abandoned) old loft buildings. 2 photographers,including me, had studios in Searle Building. 1 photographer had a sort-of studio and illegal living space in another building. I felt there was a pent up demand for artist lofts - studios and legal loft living spaces - in the Rochester community. So, with the permission and support of the Smith Gormley building owner, I renovated the building - 6 stories, 72,000 sq. ft. - creating 20 lofts, all of which were leased before the renovation was completed.
The building had 7 photo studios and a variety of other artist and artisan studios. Everyone lived in their space. It was an exciting time - we were truly urban 'pioneers'. 
A Smith Gormley loft • click to embiggenWithin a year, the neighborhood had 3 music/dance clubs and 2 restaurants. It didn't take long after that for the big developers to notice what was going on and today in the St. Paul Quarter (as it is now known), the Smith-Gormley is one of the original loft-style apartment buildings in downtown Rochester, and, with its position at the heart of the St. Paul entertainment district, remains a sought-after address.
It still amazes me that I started it all.
Reader Comments (1)
OK, now stop it. You ARE making me feel a little homesick. While I do like the southwest (climate, scenery, and the fact that I actually have a job here), I find that I do miss Rochester a bit. I think part of it is because there are "old buildings" in cities like Rochester - links to the past. I don't think there are any buildings here that are much older than 2 or 3 decades. Everything you see here is either relatively new or under construction. I miss the visual connections between past, present, and future.
Oh, and another wonderful photograph. Isn't that interesting.... It must mean that your photographic tastes and mine do coincide somewhat - they're just offset in time by about 25 years or so! Seriously, this shot of the Kodak tower is a unique perspective of the iconic image of the company that literally was Rochester for so many years and for so many thousands of families. If you have any more of these, keep them coming. Better yet, create an online book or something!