Shave of the day:
1. Double-edge razor purchased on Madeleine Island, Wisconsin, from a woodcrafter whose business is named "The Wooden Rose." (If I recall correctly, he lives in or near Cornucopia, Wisconsin.) He turned the razor handle and installed it on a kit frame. The head is the most comfortable that I've ever used. I have a couple dozen double-edge razors, with Gillettes dating back to the 1920s. This razor is hands-down my favorite. I bought it last October, and he included with the razor a no-name blade. My family and I were staying at a place in northern Wisconsin, and I had taken only a cartridge razor with me. The next morning after purchasing the razor, I installed the no-name blade and gave it a whirl, assuming that it would be at best a mediocre shave. I was stunned at how comfortable it was--and it remains comfortable. I used to rotate my razor usage, going with a different one each week. Now I almost always use this one. That head is superb.
2. Rapira Platinum Deluxe blade: cheap and excellent.
3. Vintage boar-bristle brush: it gets the job done.
4. I think that's an Art of Shaving sandalwood puck in a Crabtree & Evelyn bowl.
5. Old Spice.
I took the photo with a Sinar F1, which is a 4x5 monorail view camera, with a Nikkor-W 135mm lens at f/32, using Ilford Harman Direct Positive Paper. This is a photo paper that is exposed in-camera, as opposed to under an enlarger.
The paper is very slow: ISO 1-3, or thereabouts. Assuming an ISO rating of 1.5, my meter gave me an exposure of about three and a half minutes; I took one shot at that speed and then a second (this one) at four minutes and twenty seconds. I developed it in Sprint paper developer and scanned the image.
The paper tends to barrel, especially after developing. This print barreled very badly, and it doesn't want to lie flat on the scanner bed. The edges of the print are thus a little shinier than they should be . . .
The camera at the back is a Busch Pressman, which also shoots 4x5 film. It's sitting on a copy of Ansel Adams's classic book The Negative--somewhat ironically, as no negative was created to make this old-school print!
Beautiful entry! Thanks for sharing!
Greetings from Santa Rosa, CA