NY Post Office

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

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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Polaroid

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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