January 2011
62 posts
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Cameras, fair and foul.
Disclaimer: This post, which is quite long, has little to do with photography, and a lot to do with cameras. Cameras are a dangerous distraction from actual photography, and if I was sensible I would probably aim to own fewer cameras. After almost a year of ‘shooting film’, I know what works for me - an SLR (be that 120 or 35mm) with a fast normal lens.
I do however get excited now...
My family, out for a walk.
Something I like about being ‘into photography’, and ‘into film’ in particular is the idea that in the future I’ll look back on a collection of pleasing photos of my friends and family, when most people have perfectly functional, but visually unappealing digital snapshots. You know the sort of thing - direct flash, lens set to 28mm, too close, colours too cold....
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nycshawnphotos-deactivated20110 asked: Niall, your pics look awesome with really strong contrast. I think Neopan is a smoother emulsion even at 1600 ISO. One thing about Tri-X 400 is that people say it's natural ISO is about 1250, which totally makes sense since you can push it so much.
I do forget how much I like Neopan.
I do forget how much I like Neopan.
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Come back C41, all is forgiven...
For once (for me at least), pleasing results from colour negative film. As far as I can tell, more exposure is the key. Underexposed NPH400 or Pro800Z negs are truly nasty. Some of the frames I remember giving the full +2 stops (+ 1/3 on the ISO setting, I ran the 800 at 640) more exposure turned out the best.
Got three rolls of slides back today though. It’ll be interesting to see the...
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A good evening's work...
I recently bought an ‘Agifold’ 6x6 folding camera - British made, built like a tank, complete with working rangefinder and ‘extinction meter’. Sadly, the shutter wasn’t playing ball, and my attempts at fixing it only made things worse. Shame, as the rest of it was in quite good nick.
So, to salvage something vaguely useful from this sorry mess, I decided to...
Sunday Afternoon in the darkroom.
Last Sunday I developed 9 rolls of black and white film in one session - 7 separate developments as only three rolls were the same film, shot at the same speed. I decided that I might as well finish up the roll of TMAX 3200 that was in my Pentax Super A by documenting a bit of my darkrooming, then develop it in the same session.
I didn’t have quite enough frames left to do this properly, so...
A sequence...
…of Sarah. I’ve no idea how this came about, but I’m glad it did.
Pentax Super A, 50/1.4, Kodak TMAX P3200.
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How to get about in the snow...
Pentax ME Super, 40/2.8, Legacy Pro 400 (a.k.a. Neopan 400)
How not to get about in the snow...
Pentax ME Super, 40/2.8, Legacy Pro 400 (a.k.a. Neopan 400).
A sorry tale of under-age joyriding...
Pentax ME Super, 40/2.8, Legacy Pro 400 (a.k.a. Neopan 400)
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...and it's broken.
My Kiev 88CM, that is. *Insert many naughty words here*.
Back of the Zeiss lens sticks out too far. Mirror-lens interface. Mirror-carrying frame is bent, so the mirror doesn’t get all the way up, and sticks half the time.
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Ben Eddings has finally set himself up with a tumblr account!
If you enjoy film photography, I implore you to start following him now. I know he’s been scanning like crazy this week, I’m excited about seeing what he made with the bundle of 120 slide film I sold him just before he disappeared off to the Middle East for Christmas. No pressure, Ben ;-)
One man's trash...
…is another man’s treasure. As evidenced by the fact that I managed to sell 75 empty 35mm film tubs on eBay for a total of £15, plus postage! I honestly expected that they’d sell for the 1p starting bid.
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