Onion Fields - Image captured by vintage folder Voigtlander Bessa II with Heliar 105mm f/3.5 lens and Ilford 100 Delta Pro film - scanned with Epson Perfection V750 PRO. Cropped in Photoshop. The richest farm soil in Ontario ...
To continue on the same note as Thursday morning's SNAPZ, I am posting another image about geometric lines. You can find tons of these geometric lines in and around the farm rich land of Ontario - especially the Oak Ridges Moraine - part of the Greenbelt of Ontario. Anyway I had company for this shoot (on occasion I do have company, most days I shoot solo). My friend, Carole, who was visiting from South Carolina (formerly Montreal) had a good chuckle that I kept spouting and getting excited over "The lines, look at the lines!"
The other difference on this shoot, I was hopping in and out of my car. Most shoots involve me cycling or walking. It was a situation where there was not an area to park and it was too far to walk from one spot to the next. Plus I did not have an extra bicycle for my companion that morning. But I must say, I accomplished what I had set out to do.
Storm's Coming - Image captured by vintage folder Voigtlander Bessa II with Ilford 100 Delta Pro film - scanned by Epson Perfection V750 Pro
This still does not assure you that you will be able to capture the image you have in mind. You might have to return to the same spot time and again. What it boils down to is perseverance and patience.
The image above was captured at the Canal Road farms around 7:30am. Thank goodness for a stormy day, otherwise the sky might be too washed out on a cloudless day, the foreground could have been flat as well.
No zoom or telephoto lens required ...
I am sure every photographer who travels frequently have one time or another grappled with the decision on which camera to bring and most important of all which lens to leave at home.
Since I started shooting with vintage folders, the choice is no longer left up to me. Uhm! In a way it still is, however, I no longer have to worry on which lens I have to bring. The lens on the vintage folders are fixed lens. If I choose to bring the Bessa II (6x9 medium format), the decision to make is how to frame the image carefully than capture it. Due to the lens being fixed, I am forced to get physically as close as possible to the subject - no zoom or telephoto lens to help me here. Once the film is developed and scanned onto my desktop, I can crop it in Photoshop. This ends up being the same thing as using a zoom or telephoto lens.
Okay, I can hear the nay sayers ... going "No way!" "The image will not be sharp enough" and so on and so forth ... Let me explain. As the Bessa II is 6x9 format, after scanning the image is actually 120 MB. This is bigger than any existing digital camera in the market. Below is an example that I had shot at Canal Road just off highway 400 (these pillars are actually supporting the 400 bypass over it)
Reflected Strength - captured by vintage folder Voigtlander Bessa II with Ilford 100 Delta Pro film and scanned by Epson Perfection V750 PRO- shown as is (no editing)
Reflected Strength - cropped in Photoshop no other editing.I am not saying that I no longer use zoom or telephoto lens. I still do with my Hassy. What I am saying is that I do not have to moan or mull over not having a zoom or telephoto lens when I am out shooting with my folders. In fact, I always carry two different folders with me on days that I shoot with them. I bring a 6x6 format folder and a 6x9 format. Why? Since they are so light, I can. Believe it or not they fit into my pockets.
The choice of medium format cameras ...
When I returned to the world of film photography, I chose the medium format cameras as my medium. Primarily the Hasselblad 503cw and all its assorted accessories i.e. lenses, extra film backs, waist level finder and the 45 degree prism finder and etc.
For those of you not familiar with the Hasselblad, these are not lightweight cameras, I for one always limit myself to certain lens which I require for the day's shoot. I discovered over time I only prefer 2 lens at any given day when shooting and only a couple of extra film backs. Even than I feel my shoulder and back objecting by the end of the day.
Over dinner one night. I was reminiscing with my cycling buddy about my first camera - a 35mm Yashica ME rangefinder - which I had sold when I upgraded to my 35mm SLR. This prompted me to surf eBay to replace my missing Yashica. One thing led to another and I stumbled upon the world of vintage folding cameras. To make a long story short. The vintage folders have become my camera of choice for traveling, if I wish to shoot in B&W film.
My favourite folder is the Voigtlander Bessa II with a Heliar 105mm f/3.5 lens. For a 55+ year old camera, it still performs amazingly. The film format is 6x9, this means I only get 8 shots from a 120 film roll as compared to 12 shots from a 6x6 medium format. Just to give you an idea, the images below have not been manipulated except cropped to show the clarity of the image captured by this vintage folder. These images were captured by the Voigtlander Bessa II. The film I use exclusively with the vintage folders is Ilford 100 Delt Pro. I have yet to experiment with the Ilford Pan F (I use this with my Hasselblad 95% of the time).
Uncropped and unedited image from vintage folder ... seen as is. Scanned by Epson Perfection V750 PRO
Cropped without any further editing.
Same church subject from a different perspective.
The Holga saga continues ...
I soon discovered that using the Holga can create excitement in subjects that have been shot so many times previously. However, it can be overdone very easily and it can become "blah" very quickly. So this will be the last Holga image for now, until I find straight photography a little tedious again. I guess, you can safely assume that I will use the Holga to break my "Photographers Block"
Strolling ...The Holga quirks ... yeap it's there ...
As I have been playing with the Holga, it is a camera with only 2 aperture setting - sunny or cloudy. I found the apertures to be at least 3 stops higher than normal. I had to use Photoshop to adjust the exposure.
Focal setting is also very simplified - portrait (head shots), small group, large group and infinity. It is truly back to the guessing game on focal length.
If you do not have a system on when to rewind the film (in my case, immediately after each shot) you can easily have double or triple exposure on an image.
... better known as plastic toy camera.
Holga camera ... a tool for fine art photography?
For the next few post, I will be publishing images captured by the Holga camera. For those that are not familiar with the Holga, this is a camera most deems as a plastic toy camera. For the rest of us, it is another tool for fine art photography. This camera is notorious for light leaks, vignetting and blurry images. This in turn gives the images a dream like quality.
It is a fun camera to use when regular photography becomes tedium ... I use it to break the routine. Actually makes photography fun again.
... Froscht's point of view - Image captured by Hasselblad 503cw with Hasselblad C Lens 3.5/100mm Planar C and scanned by Epson Perfection V750 PRO
Froscht ... the Arabian horse - Image captured by Hasselblad 503cw with Hasselblad C Lens 3.5/100mm Planar C and scanned by Epson Perfection V750 PRO
Unexpected moments in nature - Image captured by Hasselblad 503cw with Hasselblad C Lens 3.5/100mm Planar C and scanned by Epson Perfection V750 PRO
The surprise ...
I am sure at one time or another, you have seen or snapped a group or family photo that has at least one member of the group/family that blinked at the most inopportune time ... right at the moment you hit the shutter.
It has happened to me as well in the past. However, I never expected it in one of my nature shots. I guess this should not be a surprise to me ... animals blink too ... "Duh!"
The "Little" Falls - Image captured by Nikon D200 with AF-S Zoom Nikkor ED 17-55mm f/2.8G IF DX and manipulated in Photoshop
I am a little press for time today, so here's the post for the day. Just in case there's some confusion with the Niagara Falls (joke). This is actually shot in Hilton Falls, Ontario.
The "Digital" Philadelphia Dragon - Image captured by Leica D-Lux3 and manipulated in Photoshop
Images captured digitally has its place too ...
The printing process ...I started out being ambitious on posting on a daily basis with only medium format B&W film as the only type of image used. But lo and behold, reality does not permit it especially, when work and daily commitments dictates what is priority. So today's post is from my digital camera. I am not a proponent of using only medium format B&W film, however, it is my preferred medium.
Digital camera does have its place in photography. I use it myself on a daily basis. It is quick, it is convenient and it does not require any wet darkroom processing. All this can be done in comfort, in front of the computer.
Even though I use film for my main body of work (wet darkroom is still required for processing the roll of film - I galdly send it out to Tom at Toronto Black & White), I use the digital process for printing all my work. I have to admit, I like that I no longer have a limited time to do all the dodging or burning for a print. If a mistake happens, I can simply hit the "undo" key.
In a wet darkroom, after the crazy dance and hand waving over the print (dodging and burning), processing the print and letting it dry for proper viewing ... then to realize that an area was still too dark or too light, the crazy dance and hand waving starts all over again. This whole process alone may take 45 minutes (may vary with type & size of image) for a print, not counting how many times we have to re-do the printing to get the "perfect" print. Whereas in digital printing, base on the same image, size and dodging/burning process, it may take only 3 to 5 minutes for that one print. If reprinting is required it can be done quite quickly again.
There is nothing wrong for the "diehards" who prefer the wet darkroom printing technique. My hat's off (sincerely) to all of you. Someone still have to keep the "art" of wet darkroom print process alive. I for one am glad for the digital printing process.
Waiting for Phone Booth - Image captured by Olympus OM1 with Zuiko 28mm f/3.5 lens and Ilford HP5 Plus film.
Scanned with Minolta Scan Dual II.Any photograph should be appreciated for its own merit. An image is an image.
Camera is just gear ...
If someone made a fabulous dish of "Coq au Vin" in a brand new "state of the art" pot. The first question that comes to mind is "How did you make that dish?" or "What did you put in it?" You would never hear "Oh! That brand new pot made a great Coq au vin"
Why is it then, when someone see's a beautiful photograph, the first question that usually comes to mind is "What camera did you use?" or "If I had that ****** camera, I could have been able to do that too"
Using the analogy of the pot and the camera as comparison. The pot is the means to making a meal. It is that particular person's special touch that makes it a memorable meal. This said, all cameras serve the same purpose. It is to assist in capturing the spirit of what the photographer visualizes in his/her mind. A better quality lens or camera only makes it easier to capture the image. Most people seems to forget or ignore the fact it's NOT the camera that makes the image but the photographer. The camera is only a means to an end, whereas Seeing is everything.
Now that I have made that clear, the equipment I normally use for work is a Nikon D700. The lens used is a 60mm micro or 17-55mm zoom. My preferred camera for "fun" after work is the Hasselblad 503cw, lens is 100mm or 60mm or 150mm. I am also using vintage medium format folders (Voigtlander Bessa II and Agfa Solinette III) which are fabulous for traveling when weight is a factor.
My favourite medium for shooting is B&W film. This is not because film is better than digital. Just digital has a different "look and feel" to it - this is purely an artistic preference.
The key ...
For me, I find the best time for photography is first thing in the morning, sometimes as early as 4am or late in the evening ... just after sunset. However, there are no hard and fast rules. When something grabs my attention, that's when I capture it.
When I arrive at a location, I would walk around until something catches my attention or makes me feel a connection to it. On some excursions, I could be walking or cycling for hours before something catches my attention. Taking the time to look also allows me to compose properly in my mind and ask myself do I feel a connection to it.
There is too much emphasis out there in the web on what and who has the latest camera gear. This is especially emphasized by the "gear heads" out in the cyberspace world. If you take good photographs consistently, you will realize that your camera does not matter. It is all about how you see and feel.
Onion Fields - Image captured by vintage folder Voigtlander Bessa II with Heliar 105mm f/3.5 lens and Ilford 100 Delta Pro film - scanned with Epson Perfection V750 PRO. Cropped in Photoshop.
