Have you met… Allen Furst

[David Chesterfield]

Lightstalking Introductions
This time around we learn a little about Allen Furst, known on the forums as @3pco.

I’m a retired scientist living in Half Moon Bay, California. Years ago, before grad school, I had an Olympus OM-1 and an interest in black and white photography. But it was expensive and grad students have no money, it took time and grad students have none of that either. I gave it up except for a few family snapshots, and focused on my career and my other hobby, music. I used to play a little jazz guitar (I can’t play anymore because of arthritis), and when not playing it I have constantly listened to music throughout my life. But my research work involved photography (though not the kind we discuss at Lightstalking), so I do have a small measure of technical understanding.

I got laid off about 10 years ago, a year before I’d planned to retire anyway. It was a blessing. I went out and bought a D200 and called myself a photographer. I bought Photoshop, grumbling at the cost, and became fairly proficient. I scoured the web for tutorials and made it a point to learn at least one new thing every day. ( All this was done in isolation: having been scolded by my third grade teacher for not playing nicely with others, I developed a lifelong fear of social interaction.)

Eventually I declared myself a professional, on the basis of no qualifications whatsoever. Targeting the real estate market, I bought some big portable lights and umbrellas from Alien Bees, and the Nikon 18-200mm. I really got off on shooting empty rooms: they are tranquil. To market myself, I called Annette, the realtor who had sold me my house. I told her she was hot, which is enough to get any 60-year-old woman working on your behalf. She passed the word to her colleagues and I got a few jobs. It paid for my gear plus some beers.

Other pro gigs include four magazine covers for a local giveaway rag called CoastViews (run by another 60-year-old woman), and a whole series on San Francisco tourist attractions for a startup with a mobile phone app, for which I was paid 3% of nothing when they went under. But it was so much fun.

I like to experiment with all kinds of photography, but mostly I am into landscapes and what is called fine art photography, which involves taking pictures of things that no one else would. Sources of inspiration include the Library of Congress archives and Wikimedia for historical images from various photographers (I aways forget their names).

A favorite location is Pillar Point Harbor, more or less across the street from my house. In a small area, there is a marina and a small commercial fishing pier, wetlands, and a couple of significant surfing beaches. And a cafe with excellent espresso and croissants, where one can end one’s photo outing in style. I wander around there most mornings, earbuds blasting, in my own little world. (Let me express gratitude to several kind fishermen who have guided me out of the path of trucks on the pier.)

Nowadays I shoot with a D600 because I want to print bigger stuff. I had to ditch some lenses because they weren’t full format, so I’ll pass on a word of advice I once ignored: don’t waste your money on DX glass. Metal prints are my area of interest right now, nice finished ones, not the cheap-o’s with the rounded corners. My biggest challenge at present is learning to what degree I can enlarge for them by interpolation in Photoshop. I will offer some for sale when I run out of wall space, but I’m still in learning mode.

My favorite lens is the old Nikon 28-200, although it is slow. It’s wonderfully versatile and sharp, stops down to an aperture so small the photons have to go through one at a time. It’s like quantum mechanics, which may explain the random nature of my results.

My web presence is incoherent. I don’t use Facebook much because a sociopath cannot friend anyone. There is a Flickr account that I haven’t paid enough attention to (www.flickr.com/photos/pillarpoint/), a photography website that needs culling and a sense of purpose (pillarpointposter.com), and a separate blog with essays containing solutions to all the world’s problems if only someone would read them (best-left-unsaid.com). If anyone knows Barack Obama, tell him to take a look.

Here are some images I’m doing on the metal project, for illustration:

The fish buyers’ building https://flic.kr/p/EuvCif

The Ankeny Street takes tourists fishing https://flic.kr/p/Fj2crM

The castle in Toyama, Japan https://flic.kr/p/FsqRmz

Egret https://flic.kr/p/EZSuKj

CC: @admin, @kent

[Albirder]

Such an interesting interview, Allen. You will have to keep us posted on your efforts to print on metal.

[3pco]

Thanks Albirder. It’s a slow process. I wonder if others on this site are into printing or if they are mostly looking at their screens.

[Kent DuFault]

Very interesting interview. I like your humor!

[3pco]

“If I had no sense of humor, I would long ago have committed suicide.” – Mahatma Gandhi

[Erik Fransman]

For a person with a lifelong fear of social interaction, you are doing quite well on LS.

You’ve come a long way from the OM-1 days and no money to metal printing. Not many people have either the money, the wall space or (most important) good enough photographs to do that. I am impressed. Must be wonderful to walk around in your own house surrounded by your own favorite photographs hanging on the walls.

I just spoke to Barack. He was surprised because he knows your blog and implemented many of your suggestions. “Didn’t he notice?” he asked.
Thanks for sharing.

[3pco]

Thanks Erik. I sometimes wish I had more wall space, but then there would be more to clean. We must always consider the bright side, don’t you think?
I am impressed that you know Obama, and relieved to learn that he is implementing my suggestions. If he uses my solution for rising sea levels, which is to use giant Hawking-Milner lasers to shoot the excess water into the sun, thereby cooling it and providing a sauna for Mercury, our cities will be safe. And we should be able to shoot some excellent sunsets.

[Rob Eyers]

Good to know something about you @3pco …including your name Allen. I really enjoy your self-effacing humor as well as your images. About resizing your images may I suggest Perfect Resize from OnOne if you haven’t already looked at it.

I don’t know Obama but Donald says he loves Quantum Physics….he goes to the gymn all the time.

[3pco]

Hi @RobEyers. I think I once saw a demo of OnOne on youtube, by a guy named Brandon. I noticed that he kept moving the enlarged image around, so that people could supposedly see all parts of it. But when I stopped the clip on my computer and looked at it hard, you could see sharpening halos around everything. Struck me as a bit dishonest.

Have you used it yourself? Is it better than what you can do with Photoshop? I realize this is going to be image dependent, but I would love to get in the range of 4-500% enlargement. So far, I’ve gotten to about half that with a few images.

The metal surface is unforgiving, and it’s expensive to experiment with it. I’m going to start using metallic paper as a test surface.

[Rob Eyers]

I have used it since it was called genuine fractals Allen. It was recommended to me by a good friend who owns a photography academy in Mexico. He has some 8 foot by 12 foot enlargements on the walls of his academy that were done using it. The original files he used were shot with a Canon 60D(18mp)I think. They are very very good even at a 3 foot viewing distance. Those prints are on some sort of fabric. The better your original file is the better it works from my experience. I’m pretty sure they have a free trial version. I would recommend you try that and see how it works for the images you’re doing.

[3pco]

I’m going to look for that. Thanks!

[Tobie]

Interesting read and I love the shots Allen. Specially the yellow boat.

[3pco]

Thanks Tobie, it’s gratifying to have you say that. My photographic journey so far has been a blast.

[ElinL]

Enjoyed the interview Allen, – not easy being introvert in a society that applauds extroverts.

[3pco]

Thanks ElinL. Most extroverts are just introverts in denial, anyway.

[Angela Fransen]

Very interesting:) I also like your humor:) Sounds like you are having a fabulous retirement. To live near water would be one of my dreams:) Looking forward to more comments and photos from you.

[3pco]

Hi Angela. You are right that I live in a nice place. In some ways I have been very fortunate. Count your blessings.

[Debbie]

Hi Allen, if you get tired of photography I suggest you become a writer 🙂 I enjoyed your Introduction. Your photos are great, but I have to admit I know nothing about metal prints. You are lucky you live so near to water and a cafe, I’m sure there are some interesting photo ops there too 🙂

[Tersha]

Hi @3pco, really enjoyed reading about you, you have a great way of writing, and I’ve always liked your photography.

[3pco]

Tersha and Debbie, thanks for you kind words. I look forward to enjoying many of your photographs as well. While finding as much wrong with them as possible on ST, of course.

[chris pook]

Great interview 3pco. Enjoyed reading your story. 🙂

[3pco]

Thanks Chris. I hope to have a few more to tell before I’m done

[chris pook]

Should have said ‘your story so far’!

[LeanneC]

Reading this was a treat. Nice to get to know you a little better, Allen. I enjoy your photos and your journey into metal prints sounds interesting. You said that your research work involved photography? I was just curious what that was? And by the way, I don’t believe your story of being socially inept – your social prowess has gained you two helpful 60 year old ladies at least. Looking forward to seeing more of your work.

[3pco]

Hi LeanneC
Thanks very much for your interest.
I was in cell biology and later instrument development. Used to use film photography as a measuring tool for distributions of molecules in fluid columns by absorption spectroscopy, and also radioactive molecules in electrophoresis gels. Linear range, std curves, that stuff. Later I helped to modernize the analytical centrifuge, a device that measures molecular weights, and we used digital capture to measure light absorbed or diffracted as it passed through the sample.

[andaleebghazala]

great work i appreciate you

[3pco]

Thanks for taking the time to read it!

[Jacques Brierre]

Late to the party as always, but better late than never.
Love your story and your attitude 🙂
Also love your environment. Was just there. My wife would not
let me leave until we had driven through half Moon Bay.
Wish I’d had time to stop in and visit.
Happy shooting, great to meet you.

[3pco]

Hi Jacques. Thanks for saying hello.
I’m sorry I missed your visit, but I must say you timed your visit to HMB well. In another month or two we should be under our customary summer fog, and locals will drive over the hill to San Mateo for lunch and a glimpse at the sun. At 95°F the sun can become rather tedious, however, so it’s back to the fog for coffee.
Cheers!

[Kent DuFault]

Great stuff, Allen!

[Author]

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