Anton's Photo Kitchen

Serenity in NY

2012-02-10T20:00:00.000-05:00

I went up to the Adirondacks one day a couple months ago with an old friend of mine to do some shooting and I am not quite sure how we came upon this tranquil spot, but I am glad we did.

I am not much a fan of landscape photography, but it was more than a perfect opportunity to practice some.

While I think the image above is okay - nothing is incredible or groundbreaking about it. For me, 35mm is a bit flat and I would much prefer using medium format and upwards for this subject matter, but I had the Nikon FE on me, so I used it. Better than nothing.

The coolest thing that day were the snails that were frozen to the wooden walkways. I only had the 28mm, so no macro photography for me.

What I enjoyed most about the day was not the photo taking aspect, it was the overwhelming peace of the location.

Nikon FE
Access 28mm f/2.8
Kodak Tri-X

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Wasabi

2012-02-05T22:15:00.001-05:00

Peas, please.

Trying out the close focus abilities and sharpness of this off-brand lens at f/2.8. Shutter speed also at a ridiculously low 1/8th of a second.

Not a bad result for one of those shots that you want to make just to finish up the roll of film.

Nikon FE
Access 28mm f/2.8
Kodak Tri-X

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Religion and Politics

2012-02-04T23:09:00.000-05:00

I was surprised to see this bold declaration in Harlem.

While this may be a well composed picture, the real star of the image is the content matter. I do not often go for journalistic shots, but I had to capture this moment in history.

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...and justice for all

2012-01-22T14:51:00.000-05:00

I am going to keep my political opinions to myself, but I will admit that I am one of the 99%.

...And Justice For All

Holga 120N
Kodak Portra 400
fill flash w/ 1/2 CTO gel

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A Couple More From The Anachronism IV

2012-01-16T13:36:00.002-05:00

So there are a couple more images that I have yet to post from this great night.

How I love this most colorful of costumes on the maddest of hatters. Kodak's Portra really gives great tones throughout.

Again nice tones here, but the guy looks a little reluctant in the image, hence I dub thee "Reluctant Time Traveller."

Images taken with the Holga 120N, Kodak Portra 400, and a small flash with a 1/2 CTO gel in order to warm up skin tones and colors a bit.

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First Time TLR-ing It

2012-01-09T20:28:00.001-05:00

I wanted to use the Rolleiflex that has been sitting on my shelf for a few years, but before I could go out shooting I had to invest in a CLA due to the (de)ceased shutter.

I spent the money and went out shooting.

This is my story.

I loaded the film wrong and grew increasingly frustrated not seeing the frame counter move whenever I cocked the shutter.

I figured that I was one to blame for the mishap, and indeed I was. I did not insert the film through the rollers on the transport and that is what prevented me from doing my street shooting on the lower east side. Oh well.

I tried to salvage the film by rerolling it in my blackened bathroom, but I did that incorrectly and ended up jamming the camera with some tape I did not secure. Grumble.

Frustrated, I popped the camera back open ruining the roll of film. I did not like throwing away $5, but it was necessary and I was glad the camera was fine.

I threw in some Kodak Tri-X and went out shooting again the next day, this time, to a much less interesting place, but I tried my best to make interesting photos.

Let me tell you, using this thing is completely different than the SLRs or rangefinders I am familiar with. I was having a hell of a time with the flipped image - lining things up or framing served as a major hindrance because I had to think and make coordinated motor movements in reverse - it is not something I usually do.

In a way I suppose that is a good thing; I had a long enough time to consider if the shot was worth making.

I am very surprised with the quality of the lens. I have always liked the Tessar formula, but this one in particular (the f/3.5) writes more beautifully than all of the other Tessars I have used before.

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Marriage of Content and Image

2012-01-06T22:30:00.000-05:00

I first got the idea for this post while listening to Bruce Dickinson's "Chemical Wedding" album (Bruce Dickinson is the singer for Iron Maiden). Each of the songs on the album is inspired by the writings of William Blake, who is probably most famous for writing (and illuminating) "The Marriage of Heaven and Hell." Circuitous route for the explanation of the entry's spawning, eh?

In "The Marriage of Heaven and Hell" Blake writes of the union of the body and soul; they are not separate entities and together form a whole. One is not to be rejected for the sake of the other.

In addition to Blake's great words he created images to parallel and complement his content, intending the two to be experienced together. The entire message would not be transmitted if the words were read alone.

Body and soul

Images and words

One work

One unified endeavor

As a photographer I constantly try to push myself to learn a new technique or become more familiar with the cameras in my arsenal.

Through trial and error I came upon an important realization that some cameras are more suited for certain tasks than others. Each camera has a different feel and imparts a different aesthetic thumbprint upon an image.

Consider the subject. Consider the camera. Consider the goal. Consider how to achieve the goal.

Learn what works. Learn what detracts. Learn what adds.

Only through intimate understanding and practice with the camera can you increase the impact of the image.

These are some examples of images that I think are married well:

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Anachronism IV: Sasha: Fire Gypsy (part 6)

2011-12-26T16:48:00.002-05:00

I am not quite sure if she was eating the fire or blowing flames on this image. Perhaps a combination of both.

It does not matter to me so much because I enjoy the simplicity and ambiguousness of the image.

This one reminds me of a long and curvaceous dragon, not unlike those in Chinese depictions, dancing with the summoner of flames.

Okay. That is the close of all the fire dancer images. I plan on writing an entry that will incorporate one or two of the images, so please forgive me for posting again, if only to demonstrate an idea.

Stay tuned for the next posting, I am really going to try to make that an interesting one. [edit - I am not so sure how well the next entry turned out; I was tired of kicking the idea around in my head and needed to get it out there]

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Anachronism IV: Sasha: Fire Gypsy (part 5)

2011-12-24T14:14:00.000-05:00

I am lumping these two images together because of the commonality in theme.

Circles are a powerful form and always draw the eye when viewing an image.

When photographing I tend to see in shapes and have trained myself to consciously strip down elements that are nonessential to a point when it becomes an unconscious habit in order to make a stronger a picture.

In practically all of my photographs I have one point of interest.

In these Anachronism photographs I focus on Sasha and the flames that surround her are an extension of the image content and the reason why I am photographing this event.

I have to imagine the flames creating a pleasing form (based on my experience and intuition concerning how light writes on film) in order to complement Sasha.

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Anachronism IV: Sasha: Fire Gypsy (part 4)

2011-12-18T14:49:00.000-05:00

For whatever reason this is the most popular image of the set on flickr. Personally, it does not do too much for me, but there might be a few things about this image that made it garner the most attention.

It is fun to follow the light streaks and have an interesting pattern.

On another level the figure mirrors the design of the tattoo on Sasha's back (angel/devil wings) and it is as if the fire is going to help her take flight. That may be a bit far fetched, but it occurred to me, why not someone else?

It could also be because the lil' bit o' butt illuminated by the fire and the flash, but then if that was the case, I would imagine the image discussed here would be more popular.

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Anachronism IV: Sasha: Fire Gypsy (part 3)

2011-12-17T22:39:00.000-05:00

Fire Vortex

Dragging the shutter can be a tricky thing. You do not want to keep it open too long because the image might become blurry due to exposure; the flash exposed once, but the longer you keep the shutter open the light has more time to collect on the film.

It is a delicate balance.

I think I kept the shutter open for about 1-2 seconds here and this let me capture some amazing circular light trails coalescing into one point.

Sasha's unusual body posturing also injects an element of the exotic into the image, which I feel is a nice compliment to the shape light painting.

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Anachronism IV: Sasha: Fire Gypsy (part 2)

2011-12-14T00:02:00.000-05:00

Fire Noir

I have a hard time expressing how fortunate I feel to have captured this image.

I love the S curve of her body.

I love the localized lighting that hints at more.

I love the flame trails.

I love the motion blur that gives the image an ethereal feel.

I love the amount of negative space.

I love that my imagination races.

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Anachronism IV: Sasha: Fire Gypsy (part 1)

2011-12-11T23:25:00.001-05:00

On Sunday, December 4th, I went to the fourth Anachronism event at Webster Hall in New York City. Holga 120N in tow, I was determined to get some great pictures.
I would say the entertainment this event was stronger, but for whatever reason I thought the people at the last show were more fun.

Despite my last observation I had a great time and enjoyed myself immensely. I feel that the set of pictures of the Fire Gypsy, Sasha, is my strongest work in a long, long time.

I dub the above photograph with the rather pedestrian title "Fire Goddess". Sasha did a phenomenal job entertaining the crowd and I had a great time photographing her. This image is but a pale reflection on the majesty of her performance.

To achieve the image I dragged my shutter, meaning that I let the flash expose her, but kept the shutter open so the flames would continue to write on the film. I think the final result is pretty trippy.

All of the photos in the series were obtained with this technique, and I will be posting them over the next few entries.

After I wrap up my Anachronism IV photos I plan on writing a photo essay that I have been kicking around in my head for the past week or so.

Stay tuned.

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Of My Youth

2011-12-01T19:34:00.000-05:00

Springtime of my youth was a glorious time where my body was keen and sharp and I was too naïve to take advantage of all the gifts bestowed upon me. My sense of self was unrealized and I cruised along the oversaturated highways of distraction that diverted me from true knowledge and passion. Yet, I still miss those times at times.

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Parallel Docking

2011-11-30T21:27:00.000-05:00

So you think parallel parking is difficult...

Olympus OM-1
Zuiko 35mm f/2.8
Fuji Superia 400

On St. Thomas
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Important Agendas

2011-11-29T23:36:00.000-05:00

Aesthetically, perhaps not the best images, but what I can tell you is that they have content like NO OTHER.

This image was taken in St. Thomas while on my vacation. I think the guy in the background (on the left) is responsible for the signs. He was scraping the corners of the street with some tool to clean the accumulated dirt. A little later he was screaming at the top of his lungs about something.

This one tops the other on the gibberish chart.

Wow. Just, wow.

Olympus OM-1
Zuiko 35mm f/2.8
Fuji Superia 400
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Stolen Shot

2011-11-26T16:46:00.001-05:00

I am not sure what type of photography this image would fall into. Street? Landscape? Travel? Street landscape?

I made my way out onto the rocks in order to obtain a good composition for another one of my photos and a couple of folks saw me out on the rocks, so the guy started making his way out too and gave the camera to his lady to take a picture of him with the ocean scenery as a backdrop. A precious vacation memory, I am sure.

I was still on the rocks and liked the idea of getting a picture of him posing for his own photo, but without having the other photographer in the picture. Was this an impromptu forced image?

Whatever it is, I think it is just fun.

Also, the horizon is not slanted; I just caught the curvature of the earth.

Olympus OM-1
Zuiko 35mm f/2.8 (single-coated )
Fuji Superia 400

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St. Maarten

2011-11-25T19:26:00.003-05:00

St. Maarten was the first destination of the cruise and I got to walking around the streets beyond the shopping district. I got pretty close in this picture and the featured dog did not stir one bit, so I am not completely convinced of the validity of the bold sign.

I did not like the feel of the island too much, but I believe they have the best deals based on the liquor prices alone.

I picked up some four (4) bottles of $50+ liquors for more than 50% off each. Everyone was telling me that St. Thomas was the place to pick up the booze, but I think they may have been riding too much on their reputation - their prices (while still excellent) were at about 40% off.

I have some other experiences to relate over the next couple of entries, so check back!

Olympus OM-1
Zuiko 35mm f/2.8 (single-coated)
Fuji Superia 400

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St. Thomas

2011-11-24T23:04:00.003-05:00

I went on a cruise mid-November to the Caribbean and had the most relaxing time of my life. The unfortunate thing is that we were only docked for 4-9 hours at a time, so I could not really explore the destinations, but I did the best I could with the time allotted.

Here are a couple of shots:

View from a bay in St. Thomas.

A dilapidated building on the same bay.

I am extremely surprised with the intense colors rendered here because I used a single-coated lens, which normally renders colors a little softer than the multi-coated lenses. I did not pump these up in post; the images are straight scans.

Generally I am not a fan of the cheapo film, but it does render cool colors really nicely.

Olympus OM-1
Zuiko 35mm f/2.8 (single coated)
Fuji Superia 400

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Vacation Pictures (tease)

2011-11-22T21:09:00.000-05:00

I brought my Olympus OM-1 and 35mm lens on vacation and accidentally overexposed some 400 speed film by two stops. I am curious to see how well the film takes to such a gross inaccuracy of metering, but am excited to have some film back to scan, regardless of the outcome. Of course, I will talk about this in some detail, but I needed to write something about it now.

Get ready for a bunch of photo entries!

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New York Comic Con and Personal Chiding

2011-10-17T00:38:00.000-04:00

Okay, so I ended up only taking one picture at NY Comic Con on Sunday. Actually, it was not even at Comic Con. It was on the street where I saw a dude decked out in an Iron Man costume followed by a filming crew. I do not even think I framed it that well.

Lame. I know. Truth be told, I was not feeling it. The event was sooo packed that I did not feel like I could devote the time to the subject that I desired. This probably stems from being stifled to moving well below my natural pace and forced to shuffle around the entire day. Very irritating. Same thing I said about the Medieval Festival, right? I want to be in the right mindframe or my work would just be crap; I suppose that is something that I need to work on as a photographer.

Just like a writer needs to write and write and write, I need to take image upon image upon image, otherwise I would just be cheating myself from my potential. I have been much too lax with the art and have too many excuses of late, so that needs to change.

Anyway, I do want to share an anecdote of the day. I paused in one relatively obscure corner to check out the show program and set my beloved Olympus OM-1 on the floor in order to read such program in an easier fashion, then I got up and started walking to my next destination.

Halfway there I saw something that I wanted to take a picture of, but noticed that the weight of the camera was not about my neck. I had left it back in that obscure corner. I walked (shuffled) back as quickly as I could and on the way the following stream of consciousness ensued: "Great. There goes $XXX dollars. I wonder if this is how a mother feels when she lost her child? Probably not; it is just a camera."

I finally reached the spot where I had previously perched, but did not see the device. I thought "just like that huh?" Then I noticed the strap from underneath the blue curtain. I found the camera and rejoiced.

Iron Man image to come.

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Medieval Festival (part 3)

2011-10-10T09:13:00.000-04:00

The first time I saw this person at the festival she was far off and I did not have the chance to take her picture. I made a promise to myself to keep walking the grounds until I ran into her and could ask to take an image.

Point of the story: be resolute.

This girl had on an elaborate steam punk outfit. Maybe she was a little out of place at this festival, but the costume still worked. Very cool nose-ring.

I think this is the final picture I will post, so I hope you enjoyed the images over the last few entries.

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Medieval Festival (part 2)

2011-10-08T16:40:00.001-04:00

This gent made me laugh while I was taking his picture. I asked him if I could and he said yes, but then started talking in character like "What do you mean take my picture? Are you going to paint my image? Are you taking my essence?" and so on...

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Medieval Festival at Fort Tryon Park

2011-10-06T21:40:00.003-04:00

I lugged my Bronica SQ-A to a Medieval Festival held at Fort Tryon Park and had an okay time.

The park is very nice, but so many people showed up that it was hard to get around.

A lot of the people that dressed up were really friendly, but it felt like there was something of an attitude of irritation in the air emanating from the mundane folk. Maybe it was the crowding.

Many costumes seemed a bit K-Mart-ish.

I was not really feeling the day (for a variety of reasons) and struggled to finish the roll of Kodak Portra 400 and I made many mistakes as described in my last post. Frankly, I am surprised how many images came out. I only like a few of them, so I will upload a couple more over the next few days.

On a side note, after I got the roll back from the lab I discovered there must be a light leak coming from somewhere on the camera (most likely from the 120 back). Not great news considering that I want to use the camera at the New York City Comic Con in a week, however, push comes to shove, I can shoot around the issue.

I am really excited to be able to do a cross post with my comic book blog. Photo nerds and comic book nerds unite!

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Rookie Mistakes

2011-10-02T21:16:00.000-04:00

I believe I saw this title as a title on one of the forums I frequent and it perfectly explains how I feel today.

Today I went to the medieval festival held at Fort Tryon Park so that I could take a lot of pictures of people in costume, have a good time, and get some practice in with the Bronica SQ-A before I take it to New York City Comic Con. Well, I think about half of the shots are ruined because of my ineptitude.

This camera has an autoexposure feature when the special metering prism is attached, but half of the time I forgot to turn the meter on!

Damn it!

Oh well. I am not going to repeat the mistake again and I am going to be ready for Comic Con.

Is it a huge loss? Eh. I was not really feeling the event and a lot of the costumes looked a bit K-Mart-ish.

I also have not been feeling so well the last few days, so that could have dampened my enthusiasm as well.

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NY Post Office

2011-09-19T20:21:00.003-04:00

On Sunday I had about an hour to walk around midtown before joining the comic book meetup group at the Skyline Diner, so I whipped out the SX-70 and started snapping.

The first image I captured (above) is the main branch of the NY Post Office in midtown Manhattan. It is a monstrous building so in order to get a sense of scale I included some people that were hanging out on the steps in the lower right hand corner of the image.

Next I took a picture of a pretty girl who was doing some studying on a more secluded side of the building. It did not come out all that great, so I will not sully her with a sub-par image, but it was great practice to ask a stranger if I could take their picture. I have done it before, but I should do it more often.

Yes, I joined a comic book meetup group. Maybe a little dorky, but, but it was so much fun! Comics and graphic novels have really grown on me the last few months and I am amassing a nice collection. I have even started a comics blog, should you want to check it out.

Well, that is it for tonight!

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PX-100, Orange Flash

2011-09-17T11:29:00.003-04:00

Things I have learned:

The SX-70 is not a discreet camera and is difficult to employ it as such. I am not saying that camera is not a good street shooter; it certainly gets some interesting reactions that might add to the overall image.

I was strolling along one of the piers at the Hudson River park and really liked the composition of this shot. I was trying to be very clandestine in order to get the person on the right of the image not to be aware of what I was doing.

I took the shot and immediately the loud whrrrrrrr of the motor and rollers caught the person's attention and obviously he knew what I did. At least that happened after the shot.

I do not have the best SX-70. The meter is slightly off and the fungus'd lens does not help with any possible sharpness an image might have. In fact I am not even sure the exposure compensation wheel works either.

However I do get an image that I am able to slightly tweak in post, and honestly, I love the results.

I used the Impossible Project's experimental Orange Flash film, and as it promises, is not a final version of a product. Still, it was a good deal and I wanted to have that Polaroid experience again.

I want to thank the Film Photography Podcast for inspiring a love for Polaroid.

Polaroid, SX-70
Impossible Project
PX-100, Orange Flash

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The Anachronism (part IV)

2011-09-07T21:17:00.006-04:00

This my last part in this series of entries. Just recalling parts of this event, even after about two weeks have past, brings a smile to my face.

I think this person had this serious of a look throughout the night. The parasol is an eloquent touch and adds a nice backdrop to the image.

I avoided a bluish tinge on the photograph by using a 1/2 CTO gel over the flash head.

The White Elephant Burlesque Society, led by Viktor Devonne (above), closed the evening for me. Joy, exuberance, and abandon oozed from each dancer and put a big stupid grin on my face the entire time. The finest part of their show was when Viktor started controlling a dancer with a video game joystick, but then the dancer got a hold of the joystick, which forced him to start dancing and the look on his face...priceless; he acted like the whole performance was against his will. Absolutely hilarious.

I can not wait until the Slipper Room in NYC opens again as I must inject more burlesque into my weekends.

White Elephant Burlesque Society

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Anachronism (part III)

2011-08-31T22:01:00.004-04:00

So apparently there is a steampunk calendar. Lots of these look awesome! Also, it looks like Brooklyn is steampunk central.

I loved her piercings and geisha-esque outfit. This one may be my favorite from the night.

This mime broke character and spoke a few times throughout the night. I think this is a very fun image.

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Anachronism (part II)

2011-08-28T14:18:00.003-04:00

anachronism [uh-nak-ruh-niz-uhm]– noun:
something or someone that is not in its correct historical or chronological time, especially a thing or person that belongs to an earlier time

All the people who attended this event must have felt somewhat anachronistic, which allowed people to bond easily, let down their guard, and have a great time. To put it simply: Anachronism III was drenched with super positive energy and I loved it.

Probably the most decked out person at the event was the host: A Count Named Slick-Brass, captain of The A.S.S. Titilus. He was pushing everyone to drink, drink, drink, but drink responsibly. Unfortunately, the success of the event was judged by the bar bill, so in order to have more shows like this one, everyone needed to dig deep into their pockets and buy a couple beers. I enjoyed his hubris and he had a great and anti-politically correct sense of humor. He also won best in show at the cosplay contest, despite the fact he publicly withdrew after showing off his costume to the crowd.

She was heading up the costume contest. Incredibly outfitted in some green devil attire.

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Anachronism (part I)

2011-08-26T19:29:00.006-04:00

Last Sunday I attended my first steampunk event, and let me assure you, it will not be the last! I can not begin to adequately elaborate on how much fun I had, but I am going to try.

The adventure began as I was trying to decide on what to wear; blending in is an important aspect in photography (on the street and at events) because it helps lower a person's guard that they might have otherwise had if I wore just a pair of jeans and a t-shirt.

I also added a newsboy cap and a chained compass to wear on the vest which gave me an early 1900s look (I think).

Let me tell you: taking a self portrait at f/2.8 is an exercise in exasperation.

The event, held at Webster Hall in NYC, started off a bit slow but picked up speed a couple hours in.

Bands played. Beer flowed. People in costume mingled.

Picture time:

She was a model for the body painter at the event, but I liked her face so much, I shot that instead of the artwork on her back.

This guy was great. I loved his outfit and he sang sea shanties, Irish folk songs, and an interesting interpretation of Led Zeppelin's "Gallows Pole"

He also played this tune by the Pogues:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=yGL4ZtvDN0o

All of the images on the black and white roll were terribly overexposed, so I did what I could with the levels and think they turned out okay.

Each shot was taken on the old variation of the Holga 120N (the one with only one aperture) and Kodak Tri-X.

That is all for now, but I will be adding more images over the next few entries.

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Anton's Portra 160 Experience

2011-08-16T21:25:00.005-04:00

Check out my review that is up on the Film Photography Project's website!

http://filmphotographyproject.com/content/features/2011/08/antons-portra-160-experience

Leave comments, thoughts, and positive vibes!

Listen to the Podcast!

Shoot film and join the group!

!

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Summer In Central Park

2011-07-23T18:27:00.004-04:00

A couple of weeks ago I strolled into Central Park on a hot Saturday afternoon in Manhattan. My plan was simple: shoot some film with the Holga 120N that had seen little use over the last year; an issue I was bent on rectifying.

The camera felt a little unusual in my hands because I had not used it in a few months. Its weight is probably the most discombobulating feature as it is made almost entirely of plastic, and thus extremely light. My mitts are usually holding a metal camera with a solid weight, something that screams "machine," "tool," and "camera." I do not think of the Holga as a "toy" like so many others would be quick to say, but honestly, it requires an entirely different mentality to shoot properly. Whether I was shooting with the proper mindset is questionable, but, so it goes.

Furthermore, I accidentally managed to flick on the bulb setting switch that bought me one-way ticket to motion blur town; a real destination for anyone who has handled a Holga before.

Anyway, here are a couple images that I took with some mildly expired (but cold stored) Portra 400VC:

This dance squad put on a fun show that I was smiling the entire way through. Well done gents. My attempt of an action shot with a camera made for action.

This kid zoomed past me on his unicycle while displaying some impressive juggling skills. You can not tell all of that from the shot, but I like it for some reason.

I think I have taken some of my best shots with the Holga in the past, so I think I will be grabbing it more often from now on.

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A Day Leading Up to Midnight in Paris

2011-07-09T19:52:00.004-04:00

Yesterday happened to be a long and wonderful day where I woke up bright and early and went to bed too late, but everything in between was magnifique.

I picked up some bagels for a bunch of my coworkers, 1 onion, 2 cinnamon raisin, 1 salt, 2 whole wheat everything, with regular and scallion cream cheese and butter. Brooklyn Bagel and Coffee Co. in Chelsea certainly know how to do those chewy grainy sinful pleasures, and their coffee is really good too.

The walk from the store to my job is about a mile and a half, but you know, morning walks happen to be one of my favorite things because they are relaxing get you geared up for the rest of the day. Anyway, I finished my large tasty coffee before getting into the office, but it made me jittery for about two hours. I do not often have coffee in the morning (so my body is not accustomed to the caffeine level), but do find it very enjoyable every now and then.

The day went smoothly and after work I dropped off a roll of 120 Portra 400VC at Printspace, a really great place to get your C41 developed, and got on the subway to head home.

I got off at the usual stop and was exiting through the turnstyle when this guy in his 60s started yelling at me "DON'T PUSH, DON'T PUSH!" Now, I happen to do this every day, so I feel I have a pretty good grasp on how to exit a subway station, but apparently this fellow had a problem with my methods. Truth be told, I was bewildered and said:

"But that is how it works..."
"Didn't you see I was in there?"
"But I was not pushing you."
"Don't fucking push!"
"I wasn't."
"Don't fucking do that again."
"Have a good day" - it must not have been to good to be yelling at a total stranger and I totally meant it).
"What did you fucking say?!"
"Good day to you sir!" - with a salute (maybe that was to irritate him a little).
"Just try to say that again!"

I had plans to meet up with Metal John later in the eve for dinner and catching the new Woody Allen film "Midnight in Paris", but I had some time to kill before then and decided to go into the second hand store where I almost purchased a suit that fit me perfectly for $25, but while it looked nice the material felt a bit rough, so I opted out.

On the car ride up to Hawthorne Metal John and I listened to the Screaming Trees album that I did pick up in the aforementioned store, and it was oh, so early 90s. Scott Stapp must have been listening to the album and taking notes, as Creed sounded like a lot slicker version of the band.

We dined at the Oriental Diner on some okay food, but we both surmised the Japanese restaurant near my home was far superior. I do not think we will head back to that establishment even if we are going to see a movie in Hawthorne again.

Truly, the movie was a joy. Real and surreal. Characters hilarious, yet poignant. Hemingway and Dali were real highlights of an already stellar feature.

A couple of favorite quotes:

Hemingway: It was a good book because it was an honest book, and that's what war does to men. And there's nothing fine and noble about dying in the mud unless you die gracefully. And then it's not only noble but brave.

Hemingway: No subject is terrible if the story is true and if the prose is clean and honest.

I would try to cite the ones from Dali, but I would not do the lines justice.

As I was watching the movie I was thinking to myself that this was definitely a movie I am going to need to own.

There are a ton of other reviews online, so I am only going to end my quasi-review by saying that the movie left a smile in my heart. Trite, but true.

Maybe I will go to the Metropolitan Museum of Art or the MoMA tomorrow to check out the works of some of the artists referenced in the film. It would also be a great excuse to enjoy the best brunch in Manhattan (at Lexington and 93rd).

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Thoughts on the New Kodak Portra 400

2011-07-05T18:10:00.006-04:00

Well, this review is hyper late as the film was released months and months ago, yet I still felt like writing about it. I just finished the roll of 120 that I had popped into my Voigtlander Perkeo I back in mid May, but better late than never.

So I will preface this by saying that I loved the old NC (neutral color) variant of Portra because of the warm and neutral tones it imparted on an image. When I had heard that Kodak was consolidating their NC with VC (vibrant color) films into one flavor I was a little concerned, but in the back of my head I had a feeling that Kodak would not let down the film community. In many ways, I think they far surpassed everyone's expectations.

I had seen numerous reviews of the stuff and all were very positive, but ultimately I needed to decide for myself.

Here are a few images from my first roll:

Yogi/acrobat/contortionist in Washington Square Park collecting money after a show.

That is impressive.

Some cherry blossoms at the Sakura Matsuri festival in the Brooklyn Botanic Garden

All in all, great colors and skin tones with an incredibly fine grain. Colors seem to pop where you want them and are subdued elsewhere - somehow a mixture of the aforementioned VC and NC is achieved.

I am also interested in a claim by Mat Marrash from the Film Photography Podcast who says you can shoot the film at an ISO of 3200 after pushing the film only one stop (i.e. shooting at ISO 3200 and developing it as if shot at ISO 800). There is another photographer who shot and developed the new Portra at 3200 with great results. Extraordinary, really.

I want to test the film out some more, but I have a feeling this will be my color negative of choice.

So there it is. I did not put the film through the ringer with overexposure and underexposure tests, but all signs lead to a high performance and flexible film. A bit more punch than NC and not quite as vivid as VC. I like it a lot.

Not to detract from the film, but I want to say that the 50+ year old Voigtlander lens performed quite nicely as well.

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Vikings

2011-06-04T12:39:00.004-04:00

A couple of weeks ago I went to the annual Viking Fest held at Owl's Head Park in Brooklyn, NY, with the goal of using the Bronica SQ-A on the go. I suppose this is one of my photographic goals this year - I mean, this is the best (and most complete) camera system that I have, so I should definitely use it more.

With that in mind, I toted my camera with the normal lens (80mm) to Bay Ridge on a two hour trip to visit my uncle:

We headed out to check the festival, which was despairingly small. I still had a good time talking to some of the folks about the ancient gambling, strategy games, and other things viking. A conversation with this awesome lady:

was struck up about photography and she was delighted to see my Bronica. Unfortunately there is a little camera shake in the image.

There were also some knightly performances to combat and I chatted with this amiable fellow about armor and the combat:

I ate some thick beef stew that I can not remember the proper name of and had some waffles that tasted just like the ones my grandmother used to make. The flavor and texture transported me back some 20 years, sitting at the big dining table passing around the home-made food at a big Sunday afternoon dinner.

I should look into trying to make those waffles.

All in all I am not too happy with the images from the day - mostly because I am not fond of the film (Fuji Provia 400F) because of the colors and heavy grain (for medium format).

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Inspiration From Other Media

2011-05-30T13:27:00.004-04:00

I just finished the fourth book in the hardcover SAGA OF SWAMP THING collection, and I have to say that it is the most exciting comic work (that I have read). If you are into comics, even just a little, you know about Alan Moore. You have most likely seen movies adapted from his works: V for Vendetta, The Watchmen, Constantine, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, and From Hell.

Back to Swamp Thing. What has blown me away by this series is the incredible and experimental use of artwork format to convey impeccable storytelling. This series does not have the typical 9 panel pages that practically dominates the layout of comic books. Reading the stories and the panels is like following a chaotic roadmap, but it has an organic feel, which would be appropriate for any story involving the Swamp Thing. It is this experimentation that is going to force me to delve back into the collections again and look for tips on lighting, composition, and storytelling for bringing my photography to a new level.

I want to step outside of that "9 panel" comfort zone. I want to experiment. I want to continue to learn and learn and learn and transcend the normal conceptions of photography, or specifically, what I have been doing.

I believe the route I want to take has to do with photo methods, so to assist I picked up a book titled ALTERNATIVE PHOTOGRAPHIC PROCESSES. When I learn the possibilities of what is capable outside of the cookie cutter develop, scan and or print mentality, my pre-visualization abilities will increase to give a clearer, stronger, image of what I want from the final image.

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Niagara Falls (part 3)

2011-05-22T20:01:00.005-04:00

This is my final entry about Niagara Falls, I hope you have enjoyed the images from the previous two.

I thought what this guy was doing was pretty dangerous; standing on the perilous ledge of the falls , but hey, I have to thank him because I like the shot. He also sports a none-too-flattering wedgie.

Taken with the Olympus OM-1 and 35mm f/2.8 single coated Zuiko lens on Kodak Tri-X film, souped in TMax chemistry.

Prepare for the impact; a first hand look at the power of the falls from the Maid of the Mist.

Wham! This picture was taken before the last picture, but I think this sequence tells a better story :)

Both shots with a crappy point and shoot.

One of the five cameras I had specifically brought for the Maid of the Mist shots crapped out on me at the hotel, so I had to get a crummy disposable camera, which did an okay job.

Taken at a park in Queenston Heights while my friend and I were on our way to check out a town called Niagara on the Lake, which was supposed to be an 18th century town, but it felt more like Scarsdale (in Westchester County in NY) with all of its overpriced boutiques and restaurants and pay parking. The monument featured at this park (Brock's Monument - seen in the distance) is quite ridiculous. It is so high up that if the artist did a fantastic job, no one would appreciate it. If the artist did a poor job, no one would realize it. Funny in a perverse sense, really.

I was going for a silly picture here. Instead of posing my subject on the steps and looking at me for an environmental portrait, I had him bend over for no apparent purpose. I am sure it sounded pretty creepy when "bend over more - I like that..." came out of my mouth.

Taken with the Olympus OM-1 and 35mm f/2.8 single coated Zuiko lens on Kodak Tri-X film, souped in TMax chemistry.

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Niagara Falls (Part 2)

2011-05-11T22:09:00.015-04:00

I was most surprised by the insane commercialism of the area. On this one street there were about 4 wax museums, ice cream shops on every block, and almost every type of fast food place you can think of. Outside of the immediate area the place was somewhat depressed and dilapidated:

Taken with an Olympus OM-1 Zuiko 35mm f/2.8

The night before the last day in Canada, John and I ventured to the falls to take some night time pictures (around 11pm) while spotlights shone on the water:

On the last morning of the trip my friend and I woke up at 5am and walked down to again and took a number of pictures and here are the best ones (spare the image from the last entry):

All of these were taken with the Bronica SQ-A with a Zenzanon 80mm f/2.8 PS lens

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Niagara Falls (Part I)

2011-05-11T22:09:00.008-04:00

I have tried to break into Canada twice before, but alas, the fates must have conspired against me. The first instance was about a year ago when my friend and I were all set to go, but the morning of the trip he informed me that his green card had expired and that he would probably not make it past the border control to get back into the states.

The second time I was going to visit with my girlfriend at the time, but my car died on the trip and we had to take the train back down to get home.

This time I actually made it, but it was a close call.

After a long car ride, a conversation with a gamut of topics, and listening to some great tunes we made our way to the border where this cutey of an officer was asking us some questions:

Q: What is the nature of your visit?
A: I wanted to answer "Pleasure" but said "Came to see the Falls for vacation"
Q: Have you ever been here before?
A: (No, but John had)
Q: Can I see your hotel reservation?
A: (Passes confirmation printout)
Q: Did you bring any cameras?
A: Yes
Q: How many?
A: Thinking and looking up for a moment I counted in my head and said "five".
Q: Five? Why do you need that many?
A: "Because I do film photography" - granted that is not the most lucid answer to someone who might not be into film photography, but it made sense to me at the time.

After a few more questions she handed us a yellow sheet of paper and said to pull over and give that to the people that would come out to meet us. On the yellow slip of paper "5 CAMERAS" was written and underlined.

John noted that he did not want to have a cavity search because I had brought five cameras across the border.

The people that came out to greet us said that we needed to go into "immigration" while they searched the vehicle.

Inside I had to explain that I was not shooting for commercial purposes and that our visit was recreational. After a short probing we were let through.

I received the nickname "5 Cameras" after the incident.

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Single-Coated vs. Multi-Coated Lenses

2011-05-01T19:29:00.006-04:00

A thought occurred to me the other day. I believe that single-coated lenses are worth far more bang for the buck than their younger multi-coated brothers. For the most part they perform exactly alike, except that single-coated lenses generally make for a less contrasty image with slightly softer colors.

A less contrasty image is of great benefit to render greater detail in shadowed areas. If the initial image is too contrasty, information can not be brought out.

In the darkroom or on the computer you can always easily add contrast to an image like the picture above. If the concern is of colors, those could easily be pumped as well, but not too much, please.

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Sakura Matsuri Festival at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden

2011-05-01T19:10:00.006-04:00

So I was not entirely sure what to expect at the 30th annual Sakura Mastsuri festival. The programs listed throughout the day sounded fun (traditional drumming, cosplay caberet, and the art of Japanese karate to name a few) and I had been to the Brooklyn Botanic Garden before so I thought I would be able to get some beautiful shots of the cherry blossoms in full bloom; however, I did not expect the mob scene that it turned out to be.

The garden was so packed that one could not even hope to dream of getting an isolated shot of a row of trees, or even a single tree for that matter, so I focused on the characters, which turned out to be fantastically interesting:

May be my best shot of the day.

I can not explain to you how adorable this girl was.

This girl sang a bad ass version of the Full Metal Alchemist Brotherhood theme song during the caberet.

This is cosplay.

Japan is big into animation and dressing up like your favorite characters from one's favorite series. What reason you ask? Fun, obviously. There are places here in the States that you can experience cosplay, like anime and comic conventions, but this was the first time I had ever experienced it in person.

It seemed like everybody attending had some DSLR on them and throughout the day I heard the rapid cycling of thousands of shutters as the photogs crowded and surrounded the people in costume, but I noted a few Leicas, a Contax, a TLR, a Pentax, a Minolta, and a Zeiss Ikon. I was happy to see that there were still a bunch of film users about.

Proudly I displayed the Bronica SQ-A to represent precision Japanese medium format photography, and let me tell you, every time I use this camera I fall more and more in love with it - even my subjects like being photographed by the elegant hulk!

I got all of these shots because I asked for them. If you want an up close and personal shot with someone do not be afraid to go up and ask the person - the worst they can say is no. There is so much more to gain if you actually engage a person.

I knew there would be lots of color during the day, so Fuji Velvia RVP 50 was the obvious choice, but to tell the truth, I was a little bit worried about the rendering of skin tones because of the proclamations from a certain well known reviewer.

Anxiously, I picked up my film after work yesterday because I was not sure what would develop; whether I had wasted money and such, but soon as I opened that cardboard cube box my heart skipped a beat: the slides were gorgeous. I can wholeheartedly recommend this film for color portraits. Even the clerk who ran the place came by to take a look at them with me. He was also surprised with the brilliant colors and neutral skin tones and even brought the slides over to the light table for a closer look with a lupe.

Once I got home I hurried to scan them, but for some reason (surprisingly) the scanner does not portray the images justly. They all scanned underexposed and I started freaking out that the Bronica's meter was incredibly off and that I would need to get something repaired, but I looked at the slides again today and clearly only a couple were under (most likely by human error). I am not sure why the usually excellent CanoScan 8800F crapped the bed, but maybe it does not handle Velvia well? The scanner always seems to work better with Kodak films; maybe therein lies is the mystery?

I did the best I could to salvage the photos last night, but these turned out less detailed and duller than the real thing.

You can check out the whole Sakura Matsuri set here:

And now you know that I love anime.

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Film Photography Podcast Meetup

2011-04-17T22:15:00.007-04:00

Shot by Michael Raso of the Film Photography Podcast

Weeks and weeks of anticipation led to a culmination of awesomeness on April 16, 2011, which shall be eternally known as the greatest day in podcast history. Yes, the greatest. A number of listeners of the Film Photography Podcast and the host, Michael Raso, gathered in Madison Square Park to venture around the east and west sides of Manhattan on an epic quest to explore the city, make friends, and take pictures.

At the onset of the day, while waiting for all of the attendees, those already at the park shared their cameras and lenses fondly talking about their history and feature highlights. Numerous people were surprised by the large size of the Olympus OM-1s viewfinder in such a small camera. One person even approached me after hearing about it from others! It may have convinced one or two people to check out the Oly system.

As mentioned earlier, I rocked the Olympus OM-1 that day (an entirely manual camera) and while I had an absolutely fantastic time, the rapid pace of the day was not conducive to my typically slow approach to photography. I certainly know I need to work on making decisions quicker (in regards to composition and exposure) in manual mode, otherwise, how could I be a good street shooter? The OM-1 should let me do this quicker because I have access to the aperture and shutter speed with the same hand in nearly the same location, but I need to get more used to the handling. Only practice will allow me to achieve this goal.

Anyway, here are some more images from the day:

A shot of me by Antonio Álvarez

Group shot by Mat Marrash:

Here is the set of my photographs from the day:
FPP Meetup 4/16/11

The most enjoyable aspect of the day was meeting all these people who share a love for film photography. Hopefully I can go out shooting with some of them in the future.

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LEGO 4x5 Camera

2011-04-04T21:40:00.004-04:00

This is pretty damn cool:

LEGO 4x5

This really makes me want to build my own camera. Maybe a pinhole...

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Camera News and New Work

2011-03-19T23:32:00.005-04:00

The repairs on my Olympus OM-1 are going to be a bit pricey, but I am going to bear their burden. I already have money invested into the camera from the purchase alone and I could not guarantee that another one would be in much better condition. The meter and prism needs replacing, the battery chamber needs conversion, and a CLA (clean lubricate adjust) is needed because shutter speeds are off. Argh. Well, I think it would be worth it since the camera and lenses are small and indiscreet while maintaining an altogether different look than Nikon has provided me thus far.

I took my Nikon FE out today with an off-brand 28mm f/2.8 lens today and I am quite dismayed. Something seems to be off - either the lens or the camera. Focusing to infinity did not seem to align properly so I am wondering what about the problem. I need to investigate further, but I would hate to put more money into another camera.

All that being said, I am excited about getting the OM-1 back. If you do not know, it is a completely manual camera (only having a battery for the meter). The ergonomics are excellent by having the shutter speed and aperture adjustable easily adjustable with one hand. The viewfinder is larger than any other camera I have ever used. The OM-10 (its little brother) comes close.

Why not just use the OM-10? Well, there are a few issues that I would need to sink money into and it is not as well built as the OM-1. The meter on my sample is off and it eats the batteries within a matter of days, so I constantly need to take them out after use because the shutter will not fire otherwise. The OM-10 was built as a consumer camera that gave you aperture priority, and if you wanted to control the shutter speed you would need to purchase an accessory (which I have) that is in an unusual shot, and not too conductive to use in manual mode.

I have a Zuiko single coated 35mm f/2.8 lens coming in the mail and I am looking forward to using that focal length - so far I have used 20mm, 28mm, 40mm, 50mm, and 55mm primes, so this will be new and different :)

I am getting the single-coated version (though mixed reviews abound) because black and white photographs come out less contrasty and color photographs come out a little more subtle. Due to the lessened contrast, single-coated lenses appear to be a little less sharp than multi-coated lenses - but I do not find myself losing sleep over that kind of thing, and in fact I am a fan of a slightly melty look.

Well, I think I have meandered enough, so let me show some photos from my Voigtlander Perkeo I with the single-coated Color-Skopar 75mm f/3.5 lens!

This is my black and white photography classmate that was kind enough to help me finish my roll of film. I love how the blur came out! Humorously enough the teacher showed us that night some work from a portraitist who always blurred his subjects.

I saw this girl standing on a rock and looking at the tree, so I got my camera ready to take an indiscreet shot, but as I was setting up she got off the rock and started leaving. I said "Excuse me, would you mind if you get back on the rock and look at the tree so that I can take a picture?" a silence, "Are you a photographer?" "Yes." "Okay." "Is that a little weird?", "A little, but I can see why you would want the picture." Now I have this image, which I am quite happy with, but to me it is not as honest as the clandestine shot I was aiming for.

A Washington Square Park pianist.

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The Perkeo and Light EDIT

2011-03-08T22:04:00.007-05:00

My next suggest assignment was to look for the interaction of light and shadow. Usually, I always try to find interesting light to some degree, but I was really cognisant this time out.

I used the Voigtlander Perkeo I on this assignment and here are some of my favorites from the roll:

*edit* This is my favorite of the bunch. I like the forced perspective of looking through the subway doors. In a way, it is almost telling my story as much as this person's, and is, as Sara mentions below, voyeuristic. The angle gives the image a sense of immediacy on my end. Truth be told I was going to take a rather boring picture of this scene without this person, but I noticed this lady moving about and waited for her to get into the position I wanted. I kept the camera on my lap and pretended to fiddle with it to make it look like I was not planning on taking a picture of her. I feel this was a better option than keeping the camera up to my face looking making it look like I was going to intentionally take a picture. I also wanted the angle from my lap because it would give a much different feel than if shot at eye level. *edit*

I started to analyze my own shots, but I would not want to impose my thoughts onto the viewer. Do you like any of these? Do you have a reason?

I will tell you, however, that I really like the signature of this lens. The images are rendered gently, but are perfectly sharp where it matters. Even blown up to 100% on my computer the detail held up. That is quite a testament to a sixty year old camera with a hundred year old lens design.

On Sunday I ventured to the darkroom to do some printing some shots for the print exchange and, on a whim, tried my hand at making a print of the first shot; I was really blown away by the smooth tones on 8x10. It does not translate well onto a computer screen, but it really is worth it to make a print from some 120 film.

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A Fungus Among Us

2011-02-28T20:22:00.004-05:00

Definitely not the best phrase you want to hear when you take a camera to the repair shop.

During my lunch break I brought my new used Olympus OM-1 camera to my trusty camera repair establishment and while going over the list of repairs/modification I want (new light seals, mirror sponge, battery conversion, meter check/repair, shutter speeds test, replace focus screen) I also mention to clean some grime in the viewfinder. Matt takes a look at it and says "there's a fungus among us". The fungus appeared to be on the irreplaceable prism! They said they would be able to clean it, but it might come back. Sad face. Maybe once back in my possession I should figure out how to blast some ultra-violet light to kill off any possible remaining spores.

What I love about the camera is its size, ergonomics, viewfinder, and non-reliance on batteries and can not wait until I have it back in my hands. I also have an OM-10, but the thing eats my batteries and the meter is off, so I am not likely to take it out. I thought about having work done on that one, but the OM-1 is a real classic SLR so I may as well put some money into that one, right? I hope.

Will let you know its performance after all I shoot and develop a roll.

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Classic Camera and Photo Class

2011-02-26T22:52:00.005-05:00

Today was an absolutely wonderful day. I took my old Voigtlander Perkeo I out to take pictures at one of my favorite parks to make a study of light and shadow. I am very anxious to see how these pictures turn out as I love the look that comes from the type of lens on this camera.

1) The lens on the Perkeo (Voigtlander Color-Skopar) has a Tessar type formula (4 elements in 3 groups) that renders images somewhat soft at open apertures and very sharp when stopped down to the mid apertures. It is this bipolar element that is unlike anything made today - it is like getting two lenses in one!

2) This lens has a single coating which reduces flare, but should still render shadow detail very nicely and this is especially good for black and white photography. I have even been thinking of getting some single coated lenses for my Nikon and Olympus cameras because the ever present multi-coated lenses have a high degree of contrast which is not especially to my liking.

Walking about and taking pictures felt so nice, even though it was a little bit cold. I ended up in the café drinking a mildly expensive, but nonetheless excellent, cup of coffee to cap off the morning. On the way back to my apartment I entered the library on a whim to check out their photography books, and though they did not have that great of a selection I picked out two: Icons of Photography and The Book of Photography. Perhaps a review down the road...

Switching gears a little bit, I would say my black and white photography class is going well. I now know how to develop film and print pictures, but need oh so much more practice at both.

The teacher had assigned (more like suggested) us to do some self portraits, intentional composition shots, and studies of depth of field so here are a few scans of my negatives that I think turned out well:

I tried to print this picture, and am semi-pleased with the result. I am going to try and get this one right.

This was the other picture I tried to print, but failed hard. Again, I am also going to try this one out again.

I will try printing this one - though it might be a dodging and burning nightmare!

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Moods

2011-01-22T23:45:00.003-05:00

I am feeling "bleh" today. I am sure there is a better word in the English lexicon, but it eludes me due to a) my ignorance; or b) my mental fatigue. Most likely choice a.

Friday evening, on my ride home from work a cough formed, but still only in intervals not to aggravate me, or other riders on the subway (I believe), and thought little of it. Grand plans of doing absolutely nothing filled my head, and I had no other desire but to indulge such fantasies. Problem was that my little cough developed into a throat scathing hack that persists to this very moment.

At some point last night I thought it to be a good idea to take a little nap around 8:30pm that ended up being 3 hours long. Oh, I woke up after my alarm informed me of the 30minute interval I had set, but I turned it off and went back to sleep. My rationale? Not the usual self declaration that is often followed through rarely, "I am just going to sleep a little bit longer. Promise. Then I will be up and productive." It was more like, "This sleep is different from the sleep I am going to have later and it will not interfere."

I felt worse: completely awake, but exhausted and achy. My best friend suggested that I use my condition to take a self portrait for my assignment.

Let me now give some additional backmatter: I started my black and white photography class and felt quite humiliated on a few different fronts. 1) The instructor asked us to use our cameras in the class and the OM-10 was being extremely finicky. The meter was not working initially then the instructor took a look at it and it started to function. 2) I thought I had film in the camera and thought I had made 15 shots. Apparently I forgot to load the camera and did not notice the tell-tale signs of an empty camera.

I want to use this camera for the class because I love how the Zuiko 50mm lens renders images. Just look at this praising post. Frankly, I am tired of how the Nikon 50mm looks.

The instructor gave us a couple of assignments 1) Bring in a print of a picture that you really like. Largish. 2) Shoot half a roll of film on self-portraits and the other half on very deliberate shots focusing on composition.

I ended up not doing my self portraits during my sickness.

*edit* I notice now that I did not publish this post - so here is an old entry.

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Street Shots

2011-01-13T00:06:00.007-05:00

Street photography is not an aspect of photography that I have explored too much; it always seems kind of unusual (and uncomfortable) to point a camera at someone who may not necessarily be a willing subject, but it is something that I am going to try to overcome. I really do love the idea of the commando style and want to practice it more.

Here are some of my favorite street shots from a recent roll of Superia X-Tra, which I feel has some really decent results for being such a cheapo film. Shot with a Nikon FE and 50mm f/1.8 or 20mm f/2.8

This kid set down his boom-box in the middle of a subway car and started dancing to some Michael Jackson. I love the blur here achieved with a 1/15th shutter speed.

A blurry portrait with an ethereal look.

The kid stopped just long enough for me to capture this still.

I set the 20mm to a hyperfocal distance and took this shot at waist level. I think the shadows are interesting and I really like the solar flare (flair).

I waited for someone to walk into this frame featuring the skyscraper and luckily (ironically) caught this girl looking up at something.

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Family Photos

2011-01-04T19:02:00.005-05:00

I was very excited to get home yesterday and start scanning my recently developed film. It has been quite a while since I last posted some pictures up here, so I hope these are enjoyed.

I really like this one of my folks - the feeling conveyed by the picture is one of the best I have ever captured of them.

You do not mess with Grandma. World class beauty!

My pops really has a great face for pictures; his expressions are second to none!

Another example of a great expression, though this one seems a lot creepier than the last - probably due to the almost blacked out eyes. Despite all said, I still think he looks wonderfully friendly.

These were taken with my the Bronica SQ-A and 80mm Zenzanon lens at f/5.6 and 1/500s on Kodak Portra 160NC. Off camera flash (Nikon SB 25) coming from camera right. If I were to go back and make an adjustment, I would put some kind of reflector on their lap to lift the shadows on their necks and eyes.

I have sung the heralds of Kodak Portra before, but I am a little sad to see the two varieties and two speeds (160NC, 400NC, 160VC and 400VC) bite the dust by being conglomerated into one Portra film with one speed (400). However, I have yet to test the two rolls of the new stock I recently purchased. There are a number of websites out there reviewing the stuff saying that it is a film that can be pushed and pulled like mad while still retaining insanely fine grain and color. So, we will see how I feel about it.

One of the great benefits of the Bronica is that the lenses house a leaf shutter that will let me sync them up to flash at any speed. This is so important when you want to control the ambient light. If I did not keep the shutter speed so high, the background would have been more exposed which could have detracted from my family's faces and personalities. This is still a feature of the camera that I need to explore more thoroughly along with the nature of flash photography, though I did pick up a new tool to help me on my journey.

This was the first time I was using my new light meter, the Sekonic L308s which proves to be quite accurate. I am quite happy with each exposure where I listened to the device. On a number of pictures I did not believe the settings, so I tried to figure it out with guide numbers and such, but I was left with woefully underexposed (yet slightly salvageable) images.

Nevermind all of the barely technical stuff above, what really makes the pictures are the subjects.

There is still a roll of cheapo 35mm that I have to make it through, so I will be posting some more photographs within the next few days.

Other personal news soon to develop.

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Metering and Darkroom

2010-12-28T10:50:00.006-05:00

For Christmas I received some money towards a light meter; something I should have purchased a long time ago. The meter will help with flash exposures which have always proved troublesome to yours truly.

On Christmas I made some portraits of my folks using the Bronica SQ-A and an off camera flash, but I was having some distress and I started doubting the meter because of the test exposures made with my digital Nikon. Thoughts ran through my head about having to return the meter and replacing it - an undesired hassle. I ended up taking two of every picture I wanted to make and do not know the results yet, though over the last couple of days I believe I made some human errors and should have listened to the meter from the get go.

Some pictures will be displayed here once scanned - stay tuned. I really hope they turn out well.

Other concurrent events:

I am trying to register for a black and white photography class to learn how to develop my own film and make darkroom prints. I am really excited because ever since I have started my photography I have wanted to learn how to do this.

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20x24 Polaroid Camera Demo

2010-12-02T19:48:00.001-05:00

What a freaking awesome event!

20x24 Polaroid Camera demo

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Scavenger Hunt

2010-12-01T22:03:00.002-05:00

I love the idea of a photo scavenger hunt. For the past 5 years the flickr website has hosted a monthly scavenger hunt and I think this will be the first time I am going to participate.

Check out the list here.

I have been wanting a bit of a challenge to flex my creative muscles and practice some techniques. Prepare for visual puns.

Time to bust out the digital camera - that is unless I think some photo screams for medium format!

Why not try it?

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Portra 6x6

2010-11-09T22:40:00.005-05:00

There has been a bit of a lull here, so I need to break the digital silence by sharing some new photographs I have made with Kodak Portra 400NC. Yay!!!

These were taken with the Bronica SQ-A, quite a lovely camera in its own respect, but the amount of lovely that pours out of this beast is the real story here. The lens is of the Zenzanon 80mm PS variety, and I have never worked with anything that comes close to its performance. Nikon? Pfff.

Here are a couple of photos I want to share:

Some reading with a cup of coffee at hand. f/2.8

A halo of light encapsulates the subject in a glow of elegance. f/2.8

The colors are the best I have ever pulled from a negative film; Kodak's Portra really lives up to its name as being an ace portrait film. Unfortunately, the two varieties of Portra 400 (VC and NC) are consolidating into one type: the new version is called Portra 400, which lacks flair. Despite some minor bellyaching, I still need to try it. I have high hopes as Kodak makes my favorite films.

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95

2010-10-14T21:30:00.004-04:00

Today is my grandmother's 95th birthday, but she does not remember that it is today. She believes that it is tomorrow because all of her life she and her family celebrated on the 15th. We guess that the lie originated with her parents who used the date landlords are required, by law, to turn on the heat for tenants as a memory device to earmark her pseudo birthday. After all, she was one of eight.

We found this out a few years ago because she needed a copy of her birth certificate for some reason or other and on the certificate, the date, in all of its glory, revealed the falsehood, shattering our world. Well, not quite, but it was pretty weird.

Happy 95th, Grandma.

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Polaroid

2010-09-10T22:41:00.008-04:00

Due to the adamant enthusiasm from one of the hosts on the Film Photography Podcast, last week, for the first time ever, I used a Polaroid: the SX-70 from the late 70s.

I never expected to use the camera because it was an unintentional acquisition from ebay; it had been one of the cameras in a camera lot auction. Now that film is once again being produced for these cameras their prices have gone way up.

This beauty came complete with crumbling vinyl, fungusy lens, the ability to fold, split image focusing (it is an slr), exposure compensation, and surprisingly, a working meter.

I had no idea using a Polaroid was so infectious. The immediate satisfaction of taking a photograph and having a print within a couple of minutes is way more gratifying than an instant preview on a digital camera.

Granted the performance is not tack sharp (the fungusy lens lowers contrast and blurs the image a bit) and the quality of the film is bandit (especially considering the price), but these factors add to the surreality of the product and I love the images I can make with the camera!

Once scanned into the computer I had to boost the contrast, but that was the only manipulation I made.

I do have some gripes:
1) I can not control aperture or shutter speed - the camera automatically chooses it for me.
2) The damaged lens adds and detracts from the overall image.
3) The price of the available film is high.
4) I can not call the meter reliable.

Overall:
The camera holds a dear place in my heart. I shall name it Tom Jones. I do not think that is unusual.

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Photographic Opportunity

2010-08-20T16:48:00.003-04:00

I have not finished a roll of film in a bit, but I found a great event going on at Governors Island on Sunday. I will probably make my way down there for what looks to be a lot of fun.

NYC Volkswagen Traffic Jam

*Edit*
The heavy rain has put a damper on my photographic spirits and I have decided not to go. The weather has cleared up a bit, but by the time I get there the event would nearly be over.

I am thinking that I should have gritted my teeth and bared the hassle anyway.

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Erections Guaranteed

2010-08-06T14:54:00.015-04:00

The other day I nabbed my film back from the developer, eager to see the result from the Holga 120N (a medium format camera) which I have not used in about a year. Let me tell you: I love the results. The images are generally sharp at the center, but gradually fade and vignette toward the peripheries. This is the dreamy effect that so many people love on the Holga, but it is the bane of so many photographers who are too into their gear and too into sharpness of their lenses. Yeah, the camera is super limiting with its fixed aperture and shutter speed, but you have to figure out how to work around the issues.

A way to get around the limitations are not surprisingly to work with the available features on the camera, some of which are criminally underused.

1) The aperture is fixed around f/13. The obvious thing is that not much light is let into the camera, but the upside is that the depth of field will be greater, giving a little more leeway on the inexact focusing. The way to fake shallower depth of field would be to set the shot up more towards an edge of the frame, but you need to have the cropping and composition of the final image in mind beforehand. This takes advantage of the nature of the lens becoming more blurry at the edges.

2) The finder is not that good. What you see is definitely not what you get, so it will take a little practice to "see" the image beyond its scope. The benefit is that you will sometimes get surprising and pleasing composition happy accidents which really add to the picture.

3) The shutter speed is fixed around 1/100, slowing down as the camera gets older or if is heavily used. The spring is pretty cheap and wears out. Good thing the camera is under $30. There are no inherent benefits to the speed except that relaxed action will be sufficiently stilled. There is also a bulb mode which is neat for experimentation, but you will have to hold it down with your finger as there is no cable release socket.

4) The focus works. Really, it does. Do not listen to the guys who say they just keep the focus set to infinity. They are the ones with blurry all over pictures. Practice estimating your distances and you are way ahead of the game; this even helps when using the fancier cameras!

5) The inclusion of a hot shoe is an amazing feature. Play with light. Learn it. It will help you overcome nearly all of the camera's shortcomings.

6) There is no real benefit to the cheap construction, but other people like the fact the camera can have light leaks. I do not. I tape up the seams. It can be fun to be a diy'er after little things start to break and you have to figure out how to fix it.

7) Choice of 6x6 or 6x4.5 - it comes with both masks. I always pick 6x6, but there is the option to choose the different format.

8) The lack of meter makes you learn the relationship between ISO, aperture, and shutter speed - another lesson you can apply to other cameras.

All cameras, lenses, and systems have their limitations and the people who know how to work with their gear are usually the ones who churn out great pictures. I am not saying that I do great work, but I guess I think highly of it enough to share my images and words :)

I took this shot at Figment where people are especially encouraged to express themselves. I liked this guy a lot and he reminded me of a cartoon character. I believe I set the shot up with cropping in mind, but even if I did not, I felt the 8x10 ratio really suited him.

Hands. I love hands. I should photograph them more often.

I will sell all the college boys 11x14 prints.

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Meetup Group?

2010-07-30T20:05:00.003-04:00

Just joined a meetup.com group. Previously, I belonged to a photo club for a year, but it was dominated by the aged and did not feel the discussions/presentations were all that pertinent to my shooting (ie photoshop tips, digital manipulation, etc.). I decided not to rejoin. This group seems to have a younger base, with many members having an interest in film photography. I am attending the group on Monday so that I will have a chance to find out what they are about.

Drawing The Light

I currently have some film that resided in my Holga out for development. Look for results soon - warning, there will probably be gushage over that camera in such post.

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Color and its Conversion

2010-07-21T23:16:00.009-04:00

I was pretty harsh on my photos last time because I was very unhappy with the results. I fiddled with a picture or two because I liked the composition and negated the color in a simple editing program. Check out the results:

The weird color cast is caused by a mixing of halogen with a daylight balanced flash - one of the things that must be taken into consideration when shooting with color in mind. If shooting digital the fix is easy - take a test shot with daylight balance, adjust your white balance and gel the flash to match the ambient light. On film you need to use a filter (which will affect the exposure by some stops), then gel the flash to match the ambient light. On this picture the overall cast is greenish, so I would use a magenta tinged filter on the lens (to balance the green) and gel the flash with green. The gel will also take some power away from the flash so that must be taken into consideration as well when calculating exposure.

However if you want to make a color conversion, you can easily use a program do something like this:

I personally like black and white more than color anyway.

So I guess my lesson is that if a picture does not work for you in one way look at it again and think of other possible options. But please, not too many obvious changes: such would be garish.

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Crappy Photos

2010-07-12T21:14:00.003-04:00

I am so disappointed by the results from my last set of photos. They are so bad I am not even going to post them; instead I will provide the link to an online gallery: bad pictures

I used unexpired Fuji Pro 400H and I can not say that I care for this film. The latitude is very slim and the color is dull and the grain does not seem as buttery as a Kodak film. I tried the film once before and thought it was dull then too, but decided to give it another go.

What also contributed to some of my worst work was that most were taken in mid-day sunshine which is the hardest time to get a good capture because of harsh and flat lighting.

Pretty disgusted with both the rendition of the film and the images.

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Detailed

2010-07-05T16:24:00.000-04:00

Last night my good friend John stopped by to watch some Twilight Zone episodes, relax, and drink the good drink.

Even though he is not into photography he does enjoy a good image and is always willing to see my work. He is quite the articulate fellow (soon to be an English professor) and gives me some of the best feedback I can ask for - describing what he likes/does not like and explaining emotional responses should there be any.

I showed him the two images from the last entry and he was stunned. He said that he really liked the photographs, but pondered a bit over the explanation as to why because he did not want to say the wrong thing due to having a hard time putting his thoughts and feelings into words. Finally, he said "Detailed, the image is so detailed." I responded something to the effect of "That is medium format." I went on further and explained why I liked it to which he agreed point by point.

So there you have it. Even a gentleman who has little knowledge about photography feels the difference between this and 35mm.

35mm: you are great for use in compact slrs and rangefinders when size and weight matters, but for quality we have to go with the larger formats.

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Japanese Hasselblad?

2010-07-02T17:52:00.001-04:00

I have read on teh interwebs that some Bronica cameras have been dubbed as the Japanese Hasselblad due to their looks and the results you can pull from their lenses. I have not had the chance to work with medium format Zeiss slr lenses, but can only imagine they are great. The camera make, however, has no bearing on the ability of the photographer. If you are a good photographer you can pull great results out of any camera, but after a certain point you might feel limited by your equipment.

Within the first year of my journey into the world of photography I dabbled in medium format under the Holga banner; I was hooked. Granted, the camera is incredibly low-fidelity, but I loved those big negatives (2.25"x2.25") and the dreamy look that camera can produce. Next was a much more sophisticated old, old, old rangefinder called the Certo Six that revealed the possible power of the 6x6 with its beautifully bipolar Zeiss Tessar lens. Stopped down it was sharp, but wider open the images were soft and acceptable focus was hard to achieve. Unfortunately that camera is somewhat out of commission now with a busted rangefinder (damn that Halloween party!). I then picked up a couple of other medium format folding cameras that also gave some great results like the Ansco Titan and the Voigtlander Perkeo I. I was even given a Rolleiflex Automat, but still have not seen what it can do (it also has a Tessar): due to my ineptitude I failed my first attempt with that camera while trying off-camera lighting.

As you can imagine those cameras do not have meters; a fact that can be slightly frustrating. Also not being able to focus as exactly as I would like inhibited some of my creative desires. As I mentioned in my last post, I was determined not to pick up another medium format camera unless it had metering and a couple of interchangeable lenses. It also needed to be an SLR so that I could easily achieve great focus. Then along came this Bronica SQ-A on the Rangefinder Forum classified section and I decided to take the plunge. It covered all of my prerequisites AND had a price that would not break the bank.

I recently finished a roll of the faux black and white film that I am so fond of called Kodak BW400CN. I was not quite sure what I could expect, but I did not expect to be blown away.

I took advantage of the great soft lighting coming from the window.

Does the quality of this image make you interested in trying medium format over 35mm? If so, then that is awesome. Help keep the format alive!

I have to wonder when I will take the plunge into large format photography.

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Images From Figment and Bronica SQ-A

2010-06-18T23:31:00.001-04:00

I finished up the roll of film housed in the Voigtlander Perkeo I for many many months, finally. These are some shots at Figment (which I talked about in my last entry):

This is one of my favorite shots I have taken of John. He looks very relaxed and I think I caught a great expression.

The colors are a little bit off because the film (Kodak Portra 400VC) used expired a decade ago. They had a bluish cast (the fact that we were under cloudy light did not help either), so I had to warm them up a bit, but still, I was very pleased that I pulled usable images from the roll.

The performance of the camera, the smallest 6x6 I have ever seen, can not be accurately judged because of the film's age. If I was forced to make an assessment of what I saw so far, the lens might have low contrast as it seemed like I had to add a fair amount to every image. I also have to figure out what is going on with the flash sync, as it did not seem to work even though a flash fired off. The good news is that the images look to be exposed fairly correctly, so I probably will not have to break into the shutter and lube it up. There are also no light leaks! These old folding cameras can have a problem with their bellows after so many years, but I may still want to apply some product to keep the leather supple.

In other news, last night I received the Bronica SQ-A outfit I had purchased through the classified section of the Rangefinder Forum. I had been holding out on buying another real camera (ie Leica M2 or Canon P) so that I could afford a medium format slr with all of my requirements. I was not going to purchase one unless it had a built in meter (or came with a metered prism), a couple of lenses, and was 6x6. This one fulfilled all of my needs and the entire system cost less than a well used M2 body alone - beyond a great deal. I will take some shots of it soon with my digital so that you can see what mine looks like, should you be curious. I will absolutely post some images from the roll I have in there once developed.

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Figment

2010-06-12T09:18:00.000-04:00

This weekend (June 11, 12, and 13) there is a free event going on at Governors Island (NYC) called Figment that is a celebration of the arts where the visitors get to participate and can become part of many projects!

This event lends itself incredibly well to photographs and was a whole lot of fun the last time I went.

Here are a couple photos I took with my Holga 120N last year:

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Thought of the Night

2010-06-07T23:40:00.000-04:00

flickr is an amazing website. Everyone has heard of it, but do they really know that the gamut of talent ranges from novice to master? If you click on enough links and search, you will eventually find some photographers whose images define art. Yes. Big claim, but truth, it is. Favorite those photographers and tell them you love their work, for we are insecure artists.

Check out flickr. I mean really check it out and get inspired.

My photos pale in comparison to a countless many, but take a look if you want.

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New Camera

2010-06-06T11:14:00.000-04:00

I acquired a new camera yesterday, but I have not realized its potential yet. It is a digital camera; a camera-phone. For a long time I had been meaning to replace my old cell which was incapable of holding a charge while talking for more than 15-20 minutes. Really unacceptable. It would also turn off on its own volition without alerting me. The phone had served me pretty well over a number of years - I would estimate it's lifespan exceeded that of 2 phones.

I am not too technically savvy, so I will have to play around with it for a while, but so far I am pleased with the basic abilities; fancy features are unneeded.

This reminds me of a project I want to do: make a pinhole camera out of an old rotary phone. I will have to rip out its guts, bore an aperture, add a shutter curtain, make it light-tight, add a tripod socket, and have a chamber for film with a film advance. Would be a lot of work, but could definitely be a fun side project. Besides, how awesome would it be to say I made a camera, a phone-camera at that.

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Slide Film

2010-06-04T20:58:00.001-04:00

Here are the results from some beautiful slide film called X-Pro from Lomography, though most likely re-badged Agfa CT Precisa film. The results from normal processing (E6 chemistry) versus Lomography's recommended cross processing (slide film developed in C41 chemistry) are astounding. Colors are rendered with a gentleness that I would not call muted because they pack a punch when needed and skin tones are spot on with a touch of warmth that give the impression of vitality and health. If you have not tried a slide film, I highly recommend it; on the downside, prices can be expensive, though you may forget all of that when receiving the film back from the developer.

I am having some serious trouble formatting tonight, so I will talk about the images a little down here:

1) An abstract of my living room lamp to test out the bokeh of my Nikon 70-210 f/4 af lens. The camera moved during the picture, but the outcome is quite pleasant.

2) I am not used to thinking in color because I use black and white film most of the time, but I could not help to notice this sight. Nikon 50 f/1.8 afd

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In Gear

2010-05-31T21:21:00.000-04:00

I finished a roll of chrome film yesterday which was taking me forever to shoot. I think part of it was the 100 ASA. With such speed I am limited pretty much to outdoor use or studio use if I have continuous hot lights (which I do not possess). Flash photography would be a failure as previous attempts have (thus far) instructed me.

It has been a while since my last post; no excuses. I really should keep this more regular as it would be a good exercise to continue my writing. I feel that it has digressed to a simplistic communication on a surface level while using painfully boring sentence structures.

I should not let only my pictures express my thoughts and feelings, I need to spread well into other mediums. How will I be able to finish the novel my friend and I have been writing for about two years or so to my satisfaction? I need to get moving - in general. Too many things are undone. This blog is an easy step in the right direction.

Anyway, I will drop off the film tomorrow and possibly even pick it up and scan the same day. I am pretty excited about receiving the slides back - I will see instantly how well my craft is progressing in regards to vision and technicality. There is no wiggle room for mistakes with slide as you are allowed with negative. A big benefit to these slides is that they will scan a whole lot faster because slides are the recording of the colors in a similar way that we see the world. Negatives slow up the computer because of all the inverse calculational programs that need to run. I will also need to see if they will knock off a few bucks if I ask them to process only. I do not need the lab to mount each an every one of the strips of film.

I also need to finish up a roll that has been sitting in my tiny Perkeo I. What a great little camera that can give me a medium format image. I still need to see what kind of results I can obtain from it as no pictures have been developed yet. I hope excellent.

Look for pictures in the near future.

Peace.

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Cherry Trees Are Not At Their Peak

2010-04-10T10:06:00.000-04:00

Unfortunately the OM-10 (Fred) does not seem to function as properly as it should. It does not meter correctly (about one stop off) and the shutter does not fire as it should when it is in the "on" position. Unusually the shutter seems to fire when the camera is off for the correct amount of time. I do not know if this is a quirk of the camera or if this is how it is supposed to function. Another look at the manual will help me out on this point.

Today I went to the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens and had a hard time believing how many people were roaming around with digital SLRs (mostly Nikon). I did see one person rocking a Pentax K1000 and another with a Diana. With all the people about (hoping to catch glimpses at the blooming cherry trees) and the oversaturation of photographers, I was not really feeling the mood, though I do hope a few of my shots of Sara will come out nicely.

Dinner smells good, so I will have to wrap this entry up for now. I will probably have some pictures for next time.

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Photography Project

2010-03-07T10:59:00.000-05:00

I am taking part in a photography project. A few disposable cameras were mailed across the country and each participant is allowed to take 9 photographs each before mailing it on to the next person. This is exactly the sort of thing I have wanted to do for a long while and it will kick my creative juices up a notch due to my incessant nature to do my best.

I will upload what I think are the best shots once all is said, done, and developed.

My iTunes has been playing nothing but awesome songs this morning. Playing right now is a song called "Hands All Over" by Soundgarden off of their LOUDER THAN LOVE album. What a great album that is, by the way. If you want to see a very different Soundgarden from the band who did "Black Hole Sun", I highly recommend checking this one out. Recently the band has gotten back together, which I have mixed feelings about, but I will certainly check out their new output.

I have begun using Steve (the Canonet) a little, but that rangefinder patch is not exactly the easiest to use being somewhat uncontrasty. Perhaps I need to spend a little more time with the camera to get more used to it. All said, I am really excited to see the results and how well the lens writes with light.

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Squash and Guitar and Semicolons

2010-02-27T14:24:00.000-05:00

Today I was in the mood to do some cooking; I am going to try my hand at an acorn squash soup. I have not made anything in a long while; I hope my recipe works out well. While at it, I should try some food photography, something I have not tried very much. I have some film loaded in Steve (my Canon Canonet GIII QL17); I will just hook it up to a flash or two and get cracking.

In other news I added another bit to the song I am working on. There is a wonderful guitar that had been neglected until recently. I can not let such an instrument sit idle when it cries out to be played, even though the only player at hand is quite maladroit.

I was going to post a photo of the guitar, but I just realized there are hardly any mentionable in my archive! I think I will also take a picture of her.

Here is a table spread at a beer tasting:

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Frightful Weather

2010-02-26T09:47:00.000-05:00

Oh, the weather outside it was frightful, and inside was too delightful...so I called out from work today. I had been wanting to take a day off from the job for a bit now and I do not think I will be mulcted too much, given the circumstances.

There are so many things to do and not to do; clean off the car, read more Bukowski, nap, write, rock out, slurp soup. I do not have soup :'(

I do not think you want to go out either.

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How I Did It

2010-02-24T21:19:00.000-05:00

If you take a look at my last post, you will notice three pictures.

The first is of symmetry made from elements [almost] at hand in my friend's diner. I use "[almost]" because none of the utensils matched. My friend indulged me by finding two sets and I got to work setting up the shot. Now that I look at it, the salt and pepper are in different kinds of shakers. Oh well. This was a timed exposure based off of a guess that turned out to be extremely accurate. After the scan I did not have to alter anything!...except a minor amount of cropping to coincide with my vision.

Shot two is of a chess game I played with my father (whom I thoroughly trounced). It looks a bit unusual - somewhat blurry, but still sharp. I accomplished this look by "dragging the shutter," which is a really handy technique and perhaps underutilized today. What you want to do is set your shutter speed really low, maybe 1/15th or 1/8th of a second along with the firing of a flash. Use those speeds if you to minimize this effect, but I really like it, so I shot on bulb mode and asked my mother to manually trigger the flash from camera right (which is where those shadows come from) upon my direction. This is how it turned out and I like it.

The last shot, I am not completely sure why I included. It was pretty late when I uploaded it and my brains may have been flocculent. I used the same technique (bulb mode, with a different voice activated flash), but the room had a bit more light in it, so the effect does not have the same gravitas. I like Scrabble. Though I am still learning, I won this game against said voice activated flash trigger. My co-worker regularly thrashes me, but I feel I am not quite as much of a pushover as I used to be. Do you hear that 3427?

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Outside My Norm

2010-02-23T23:04:00.000-05:00

So, like I mentioned earlier, I was shying away from my comfort zone on my latest set of photographs by trying to incorporate more of everyday life.

Most of my shots included people, so I am not going to post them, but here are some of my other favorites which are still outside my norm:

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Redressed Grievances

2010-02-21T20:58:00.000-05:00

An end to an enjoyable and all too short weekend. Tomorrow the daily grind starts over and over again. Sounds like I need to take some time off from work.

I managed to finish up my roll, though I am not too sure about any of the shots in the last twenty-four hours. Do you ever get that magical feeling that you can not wait to see how a shot will turn out? I lack such feeling, but I am looking forward to seeing the other frames, many of which I hope turn out well.

Tomorrow I will start rocking out with my Canon Canonet GIII QL17, a ridiculously long name for a neat little rangefinder with fast glass clocking in at f/1.7 and rare and awesome focal length of 40mm.

I think it is funny that I have started this photo blog, but have yet to post a photo. Such grievances will be redressed on Tuesday when I will present a new photo or two for your pleasure, that is if anyone reads this. I can not tell :)

If you do want to check out any of my work, I have been posting the link at the end to my flickr page at the end of every entry and I more than welcome you to enjoy a view.

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Brooklyn

2010-02-20T12:21:00.000-05:00

Tonight my friend is taking me to Brooklyn for some unknown happening as a belated Christmas present. The first Christmas present (an existential play) fell through for adumbral reasons.

I am told I should dress nicely; perhaps I should bust out my favorite sport coat.

The Nikon FE will also accompany me for the event. I will attempt to finish the roll of film and post some of the results within the next few days.

Enjoy your day!

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Slow Goings

2010-02-19T23:59:00.000-05:00

I am currently working on finishing a roll of Kodak BW400CN (one of my favorite films) on the Nikon FE, which is a great little slr. It always takes me forever to get through 38 frames, but I like to take my time with each shot and I try to be very judicious.

Tonight I took two photographs, one of my friend John in a restaurant and one in the subway of a slapdash tarring job.

I have been trying to do something different on this roll of film. I usually take pictures of the sedentary, but I have been trying to incorporate more a real life energy into my images with a more journalistic approach.

Let us see what develops.

flickr photos

Anton's Photo Kitchen

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Anachronism IV: Sasha: Fire Gypsy (part 6)

Anachronism IV: Sasha: Fire Gypsy (part 5)

Anachronism IV: Sasha: Fire Gypsy (part 4)

Anachronism IV: Sasha: Fire Gypsy (part 3)

Anachronism IV: Sasha: Fire Gypsy (part 2)

Anachronism IV: Sasha: Fire Gypsy (part 1)

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Vacation Pictures (tease)

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Medieval Festival (part 2)

Medieval Festival at Fort Tryon Park

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The Anachronism (part IV)

Anachronism (part III)

Anachronism (part II)

Anachronism (part I)

Anton's Portra 160 Experience

Summer In Central Park

A Day Leading Up to Midnight in Paris

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Vikings

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Niagara Falls (part 3)

Niagara Falls (Part 2)

Niagara Falls (Part I)

Single-Coated vs. Multi-Coated Lenses

Sakura Matsuri Festival at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden

Film Photography Podcast Meetup

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Classic Camera and Photo Class

Moods

Street Shots

Family Photos

Metering and Darkroom

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Portra 6x6

95

Polaroid

Photographic Opportunity

Erections Guaranteed

Meetup Group?

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Detailed

Japanese Hasselblad?

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Figment

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Slide Film

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Photography Project

Squash and Guitar and Semicolons

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Redressed Grievances

Brooklyn

Slow Goings

The Perkeo and Light EDIT