A Post In A While

Ah, so I haven't posted in ages. No I haven't been neglecting it I have just simply been stupidly busy with life lately. I have been shooting, but not as much as I would like to. I try to get out regularly to shoot, but quite frankly it is easier said than done lately. So I wanted to give an update on some stuff I have been doing.

Thankfully I have my trust Nokia Lumia 1020 mobile camera phone with me so I can get some shooting done when I have a moment or two, but I would love to have a go-to film camera more often than not. But sadly they are a bit restrictive and bulky for my job. Quite simply it would be too difficult for me to work with a film camera instead of my phone.

However a recent film shooters meetup and walk (summer 2015) took us to St. Lawrence Market and the surrounding area over to C'est What bar and grill. It is a absolutely lovely place to grab a bite and a pint.

Oh incidentally my wife and I have also gone completely Vegan. Don't know what that is? Look it up!

 www.vegan.com

I won't bore you with those details, I'll talk strictly about the shooting I did at St. Lawrence Market. It was great fun, but a little.... crazy..!
I shot some CBEMA (Svema) FN64 rated at 200 there (which came out stunning btw) and some wonderful Porta 800! That film is amazing. No, not in 35mm... 120!

I have been finding myself more drifting to 120 instead of 135 lately, just simply because I prefer the lower number of frames and larger sized frames. It makes such a difference having such massive film (at least to me).

Midday Meal - Zenza Bronica SQ-Ai - 80mm ƒ/2.8 - Portra800

My go-to camera is the Bronica SQ-Ai. It just instantly became my go-to camera for, well, basically anything I shoot!  I love the square and how the camera handles. It just feels right in my hands, but I'm a Bronica kind of guy!

Main Entrance - Zenza Bronica SQ-Ai - 80mm ƒ/2.8 - Portra 800

The market is beautiful inside and quite chaotic, but it makes for some interesting photo opportunities. I thoroughly enjoyed it, but it was the outdoor shots that I enjoyed most!
When we left the Market and wandered about Downtown Toronto I got to try out street photography with a medium format SLR!  Go figure!

The Odd Couple - Zenza Bronica SQ-Ai - 80mm ƒ/2.8 - Portra800

Not the easiest thing to do, shooting street photography with such a big camera, but I managed to, as these people didn't even have the slightest clue that I had even taken their photo, another plus for Waist Level Finders...

The Lady With The Lilac Parasol - Zenza Bronica SQ-Ai - 80mm ƒ/2.8 - Portra800

The shot above literally took more than 10 minutes to take.  I had it all lined up at one point, but then other people started to show up in the shot and I had to wait.  I didn't want random people pollution in the photo, so I waited and waited and waited...
Then this lady started walking toward me and the moment arrived... She was the sole person in the shot and actually stood out just enough to give this more than a landscape shot...

I tripped the shutter and perfect!  I knew I had nailed the perfect photo..

Across The Bar - Zenza Bronica SQ-Ai - 80mm ƒ/2.8 - Portra800

Yeah, we ended up at a bar/pub after.. We always do for 'after-walk' refreshments, which means beer.. It was fantastic!  We got fries and a beer, of course.  +Alex Luyckx, the organizer of the walk, let my wife wander around with a Hasselblad. Lucky gal!

Well Crafted - Zenza Bronica SQ-Ai - 80mm ƒ/2.8 - Protra800 

However my wife decided on a coke instead... but I couldn't have framed this photo any better..

So yes, I am still active, just haven't been updating my blog often enough.  I hope to rectify that soon and get some more Camera Reviews as well..

Until next time... Keep those shutters firing!

The Immense Power of Film

Seven stops.  That's a downright killer for Digital and Slide film.  Seven stops of over exposure will completely blow out mid-tones, highlights, and bring shadows to a point where they will become highlights.

Seven stops is unheard of for even getting an image with Slide and Digital, and yet.

Take IR film with an IR filter, and that's what you have to do.  Take the film's speed, and drop about 7 stops off the rated speed to account for the filter, and hope the light comes through enough on the film.  After all, IR light is a funny thing.

Using Rollei IR400, I was exposing for 3 to 6EI, which is between 6 and 7 stops over exposed.
This allows enough light to get through the filter and expose the film, giving an image.

"Humber Light" - Bronica ETRs - Zenzanon 75mm ƒ/2.8 @ ƒ/11 1/8s

As you can see it has an absolutely gorgeous look that standard B&W film just cannot see.  It is a wonderful effect.

Now that said, what happens when you meter for EI3 or EI6 and expose the film without remembering to attach the filter?

Well, what happens to a digital image 7 stops over exposed.
Why, you blow it out.  Basically you have no chance of saving even the tiniest bit of detail.

Well, this is the thing about Negative film.  It has such immense latitude that you can save images that are essentially blown to pieces.

"Broken" - Bronica ETRs - Zenzanon 75mm ƒ/2.8 @ ƒ/16 1/4s

I wondered the same thing.  I had shot this image, and as soon as it was finished exposing I looked down and noticed the filter still in my hand.  Yup, I shot this without attaching the filter to the camera.

I thought, "Nope.. I've lost this image.."
It was also the very last frame on the roll.  I know I had a whole roll of great images, but this one image was, well... lost!

Apparently, this film has such incredible power, incredible latitude, it is, for lack of a better word...  Incredible!

It blew my mind, not the highlights. Yes, I know that the some of the highlights ARE blown out, but considering that the detail in the mid-tones is still there, and there is still shadows, I cannot imagine this image even being remotely salvageable on anything but Film.

+Holger Drallmeyer had an oopsie where he forgot to attach the filter and blew out two sheets of IR film.
I suggested stand-developing in a Rodinal 1+200 mixture for 60 minutes to help even it all out.  But this was developed in Rodinal 1+50 for standard times, and it worked out .. well quite amazingly well!

For those that have accidentally done something similar and were not sure how to develop the film.  Well, why not try developing it normally. You never know, you might be surprised!

Until next time,  Keep those shutters firing!