I like film...(open thread)

[stray cat]

Advertisement (gone after registration)

props to you and your M6 on this one.  Really thoughtful framing.

 

Thanks a lot Adam, I really appreciate that. One thing this picture illustrates to me is just how fine a lens the 28mm Elmarit is. I'm guessing you'll concur as I've always admired the way you use yours - especially the NY Blizzard series cones to mind there. I think it is a very very special lens indeed.

 

I also wanted to say (I've been distracted by other things of late) how absolutely fascinating and beautiful I find those Central Park, 5am pictures. This is the City, to all intents and purposes, asleep and only just thinking about waking - the city that never sleeps, the side of it few ever see. Last year I was staying in Los Angeles and was waking at 4:30 - 5 and I was surprised to find that, no matter how hard I concentrated, I couldn't hear any sound whatsoever. Your 5am shots have exactly that same effect - incongruously exposing these teeming, active cities as actually having down-time.

[chrism]

Chris  - that is not film.  You're lying.  That also doesn't look like the squirrels we have in New York City.  Too fluffy.

 

 

Them's fighting words, bucko! Flashguns at dawn in Central Park...

 

My friend is Tamiasciurus hudsonicus, the American red squirrel, and she is quite unlike the evil gray Sciurus carolinensis, nor the pretty and delicate European red, Sciurus vulgaris. She looks so good as she specified a portrait with a chromogenic B&W film* pulled three stops and developed by an impossible method.

 

The film used is proving more of a mystery than I supposed. This film:

 

was sold by Freestyle three or four years ago as an 'XP2-style generic' and it was not made by Ilford according to their technical department, which means it was not Fuji's chromogenic film either as Ilford make that film for Fuji. It's not Kodak as the base is purple and not orange. Either the 'Made in EU' is a lie and it was made in China, or it was made in eastern Europe, but I don't know of any chromogenic B&W film made and sold by those factories (unless all production went to China). Freestyle could probably solve this if they gave a damn.

My interest is that I can use Ilford's 120 XP2 Super with far more reliable success at unusual fast speeds than I can achieve with this mystery film in 35mm. I don't want to have to repeat all the push experiments with authentic Ilford XP2 Super. I bought something like 100 rolls of this stuff, and there are still a good couple of handfuls in the film freezer. They work fine for normal or pull process and I'll use them up before I start on my bulk rolls of real, official XP2 Super.

[gnuyork]

foggy morning

 

 

Rolleiflex MX-EVS type 2

T-Max 400 (expired)

Xtol 1:1

[A miller]

wow, this one is gorgeous!  the little boat off in the distant fog adds mystery  - nice!

foggy morning

 

 

 

Rolleiflex MX-EVS type 2

T-Max 400 (expired)

Xtol 1:1

 

Sincere thanks, Phil.  And hope all is going well otherwise!

Thanks a lot Adam, I really appreciate that. One thing this picture illustrates to me is just how fine a lens the 28mm Elmarit is. I'm guessing you'll concur as I've always admired the way you use yours - especially the NY Blizzard series cones to mind there. I think it is a very very special lens indeed.

 

I also wanted to say (I've been distracted by other things of late) how absolutely fascinating and beautiful I find those Central Park, 5am pictures. This is the City, to all intents and purposes, asleep and only just thinking about waking - the city that never sleeps, the side of it few ever see. Last year I was staying in Los Angeles and was waking at 4:30 - 5 and I was surprised to find that, no matter how hard I concentrated, I couldn't hear any sound whatsoever. Your 5am shots have exactly that same effect - incongruously exposing these teeming, active cities as actually having down-time.

[Wayne]

Thank you very much, Ernest, for your erudite thoughts on my humble photograph.

 

Let's indeed call it 'Untitled' - I like that.

 

I referred to it (the landscape) as "anonymous" because I'd actually passed it a couple of days earlier, on my way to the ubiquitous "somewhere else" (specific, non-anonymous place). But I sensed that it was, indeed, as you so thoughtfully point out, enigmatic. Can something be both enigmatic and anonymous at the same time? Hmmm. By one definition of anonymous ("lacking individuality, distinction, or recognizability"- Merriam-Webster) this landscape is, as you correctly state, not anonymous at all. After all, at least one photograph exists of it, published on the WWW for all the world to enjoy. Whether it ceased to be anonymous because the picture was taken, or because the picture was published, or because someone actually saw the published picture and related it to a real, extant place, is possibly moot. "The presence of absence" as again you have so articulately put it, is indeed what this photograph is about. And, as such, it is anonymous because its very lack of individuality, distinction or recognizability transforms it from a specific place (Malibu Hills) to something altogether more universal. Much like - and again, I am so glad you invoked one of my all-time best-loved films - L'Avventura - sets the Aeolian island landscape to be a universal anonymous place where an elliptical (or, put another way, enigmatic) mystery develops only to be subsumed by the development of a laconic affair. Such, however unromantically, was not to be the fate of my Malibu Hills landscape. I stopped, made a couple of exposures, drank it all in for a few moments, and then moved on, as we always seem to do in our preoccupied lives. I am exceedingly happy, though, to think that these few fleeting moments may have given me some link, albeit as I see it undeserved and tenuous, to Keats, Shelley, Byron, Coleridge, Beckett, Shakespeare et al!

 

As an aside, your suggested title of "Murdered Landscape" reminded me of an exhibition mounted some years ago by a former tutor I'd studied under while at photography college, Susan Fereday. She'd gained access to - "repurposed" would be the current expression - archival photographs from police files that had been taken at the sites of murders in and around Melbourne in the 1940s, 50s and 60s and made beautiful black and white prints of them. These pictures had been taken contextually and did not show bodies or offer any other clue that a murder had taken place there, yet they held (for me at least) a most compelling power - perhaps much more so than had the unfortunate victims been shown.

 

Photography is, potentially, so much about mystery. It purports to show reality - and it does - but exactly what reality it shows is selective and at the sole discretion of the person with his or her finger on the button, or who at least has access to the negatives/prints/files and has the imagination to be able to see a broader context to these things than was perhaps originally intended. Larry Sultan and Mike Mandel's book "Evidence" is of course a classic example of that. It is also - and again I am so glad you have recognized it in my photograph - uniquely descriptive of the passage of time, which itself embodies unknowable mystery - as Adam's wonderful pictures taken at 5am in Central Park so eloquently allude. My picture was made on a Sunday - what are the chances that pile of dirt would still be there on Monday evening?

 

I do like 'Untitled' as a title.

Or, in all fairness, we could refer to it as an innocent landscape. There could be a body under the pile of dirt, but without proof...........We can hardly judge it.

 

It is getting late. I am off to bed.

 

Best

[stray cat]

If so, Wayne, you'd think there was all the more reason for that pile to be gone by the next day.

[Wayne]

Advertisement (gone after registration)

I had to peek one more time.

 

Glad I did.

 

If so, Wayne, you'd think there was all the more reason for that pile to be gone by the next day.

I can't help but think we are creeping into the possibility of identifying this as an alleged landscape.

[Ko.Fe.]

Taken with FED-2 I purchased as for parts. Made it working again. From test roll, Kodak 50D in hcB.

 

Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here…

Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members!

 

[stray cat]

I had to peek one more time.

 

Glad I did.

 

I can't help but think we are creeping into the possibility of identifying this as an alleged landscape.

 

For my own part, it's an "I didn't do it - not guilty your honour" landscape.

[otto.f]

 

From a trip to Vezeley (Burgundy)

SWC on Tripod with FP4/ID11

Thomas

Wonderfull tones and structure!

[philipus]

Very nice Ian. I love the muted colours and the composition. Do the wings always look like that? I'm wondering because it looks a bit like this one I shot once in Kenya but I guess it is farfetched to believe it is the same species.

 

Comma (Polygonia c-album) in a clearing in Chiddingfold Forest. I rarely crop but this is cropped roughly 2x. Portra 400 and Macro Elmar-M.

 

 

And this is very nice. The grass in the forground and the white dots at left (sheep?) really mess with our sense of scale. Plus I like the bands of grey tones horizontally. 

 

Late autumn view from Whitehorse Hill in Oxfordshire. Usually I'd straighten the horizon but I prefer this one slightly wonky. BW400CN and 28 Summaron-M.

 

 

Lovely Keith. The combination of the perfect verticals and the dominant path makes me feel like I'm actually standing in front of the church.

 

Somerford Keynes Parish Church - on a very dull day.  Hasselblad 500C, 60mm Distagon, Fomapan 200.

 

I have a feeling they fire the flash bulbs for production value and drama. Was there also the typical sort of half-metallic poff sound effect? Then it's definitely so. But, darn, another series to add to my ever longer list.

 

In any event, the backlighting on the squirrel makes this a sublime photo, I think. You are digital already, except that the 'cameras' are standing on a desk Best of both worlds.

 

I've spent the last few days catching up on the Netflix series 'The Crown'. I assume the producers now have cornered the market on Graflex 4x5 cameras, since it seems no other camera was used by any form of press photographer (OK, I did see one Rolleiflex in passing), and I was amazed at their need to waste expensive flashbulbs, not only in the broad daylight of the UK, but also under the midday tropical sun. I am now convinced that a pressman has only taken a photograph if he used both hands to hold a Graflex and a flashbulb was burnt to hell in the process (preferably in slow motion).

One further remark is that we must discover the film stock used by Anthony Armstrong-Jones, who used an M3 and a Hasselblad 500 in near darkness with no flash, no metering, and sometimes at about six inches distance without adjusting the focus. Best of all, he could hold the camera steady with only one hand!

All this makes me feel totally incompetent, and I shall have to either do the honourable thing with my Webley-Scott .455 or go digital.

 

Oh. Here's a squirrel. On film.

Mr Squirrel by chrism229, on Flickr

 

(Otherwise, the series wasn't bad at all.)

 

This is my favourite by far so far Adam. I would not have believed this was with the 80 Planar actually. It looks a bti wider. Just goes to show what a terrific lens that is. I like how you've lined up both the verticals and the horizontals. Excellent work (just a small thing, there's hair or dust in the middle, lower half which you might want to remove).

 

I meant to ask you about reciprocity failure for Ektar. I have looked at the data sheet and it only says "No filter correction or exposure compensation is required for exposures from 1/10,000 second to 1 second. For critical applicatoins with longer exposure times, make tests under your conditions". I'm asking because I'm about to start a project which will require longer exposures, but I only find various guidance online based on people's experiences (like this one at old APUG). Nothing wrong with that, but is there nothing more 'official' from Kodak? I know Fuji publishes tables of this. 

 

 

Here's another from snowy Central Park at night.

Delta 3200; 503cw, 80 planar

Central Park by Adam Miller.jpg

 

 

Very cool and atmospheric. I might just have cropped or cloned away the branches at right but then again I'm no purist.

 

foggy morning

 

 

Rolleiflex MX-EVS type 2

T-Max 400 (expired)

Xtol 1:1

 

Oh, this opens up for all sorts of philosophical thoughts.

 

I can't help but think we are creeping into the possibility of identifying this as an alleged landscape.

 

[SilentShutter]

Taken with FED-2 I purchased as for parts. Made it working again. From test roll, Kodak 50D in hcB.

 

FED2_2_I26M_SRA_K50DncB5min_Dec17713.jpg

 

Nice one ! I bought some "broken" gear as "convult" like a Nikkor Q 3,5/135 (modified to AI) which works perfectly,

some Nikon F2 bodies in parts with a nearly mint Eyelevel viewfinder and a Kodak Retina IIa which is stuck while

try to transport the film and I hope to fix again because it´s a amazing build jewel of fine mechanic !

[wattsy]

Very nice Ian. I love the muted colours and the composition. Do the wings always look like that? I'm wondering because it looks a bit like this one I shot once in Kenya but I guess it is farfetched to believe it is the same species.

 

 

Yes, the Comma's wings have a very distinctive deeply scalloped shape. Seen from below, they look like dried leaves (which I guess is the evolutionary point). Your butterfly looks like a fritillary of some sort. They are definitely not the same species.

Edited December 13, 2017 by wattsy

[Keith (M)]

Gosh, how on earth can one keep track on this thread?!  Since I looked/uploaded yesterday afternoon there has been a deluge of superb photographs (Adam's Central Park, Chris's squirrel (are you sure that was really film?), the foggy morning, Ko Fe's rescued Fed-2 result), the list goes on and on.  But the piece-de-resistance of these latest uploads is the erudite analysis/description of an 'anonymous scene' - very interesting indeed!

 

Really must tear myself away and catch up on my tasks...

[philipus]

Very interesting, that's some superb camouflage. Thank you Ian

 

Yes, the Comma's wings have a very distinctive deeply scalloped shape. Seen from below, they look like dried leaves (which I guess is the evolutionary point). Your butterfly looks like a fritillary of some sort. They are definitely not the same species.

[Wayne]

Free hot-tub. Worked when last used. Good times ahead for very small investment. Trailer not included.

 

Landscape? What sort? "Inspirational landscape"? It makes me want to crack open a beer, grab my gas can, and get creative.

 

Dedicated to the great inspiration I have received from Phil, Ian, Wattsy, Henry- gas can is red- and all you others. Beware of unintended consequence.

 

Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here…

Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members!

 

I know, I am pretty bad at judgement of proper exposure. Photo has some value as it was taken in very low light with a very old camera: IID (Converted IA) 50mm 2.5 Hektor, Bergger 400 pancro.

Edited December 13, 2017 by Wayne

[stray cat]

Free hot-tub. Worked when last used. Good times ahead for very small investment. Trailer not included.

 

Landscape? What sort? "Inspirational landscape"? It makes me want to crack open a beer, grab my gas can, and get creative.

 

Dedicated to the great inspiration I have received from Phil, Ian, Wattsy, Henry- gas can is red- and all you others. Beware of unintended consequence.

 

img419-2.JPG

 

I know, I am pretty bad at judgement of proper exposure. Photo has some value as it was taken in very low light with a very old camera: IID (Converted IA) 50mm 2.5 Hektor, Bergger 400 pancro.

 

"Proper exposure" be damned - this has the proper-er exposure if your aim is to present a superbly evocative picture. We think of the better times this jacuzzi has seen (the 70s?) and it reminds us almost of the wagon of a pioneer, or a traveller. It represents here an abandoned relic of other times, unloved and unlovely, yet not completely abandoned - not yet, anyway. The grain in the sky is, for me, the jewel in the crown.

[stray cat]

These benches are no longer on display but they added a nice touch to the Brooklyn riverside boardwalk, and of course gave me an excuse to shoot Ektar .

Ektar

Linhof Technika Press 23, 53mm Zeiss Biogon

Lower Manhattan.jpg

 

Adam, I don't think I commented at the time this was posted. This is one helluva shot - the sky, which would not ordinarily suggest itself in the state it's in as the subject for a colour masterpiece, is  the absolutely perfect foil for that incredible burst of red. Any other light and - well we don't need to know. This is perfect.

[Steve Ricoh]

"Proper exposure" be damned - this has the proper-er exposure if your aim is to present a superbly evocative picture. We think of the better times this jacuzzi has seen (the 70s?) and it reminds us almost of the wagon of a pioneer, or a traveller. It represents here an abandoned relic of other times, unloved and unlovely, yet not completely abandoned - not yet, anyway. The grain in the sky is, for me, the jewel in the crown.

That grain in the sky - the Jewel as you say, Phil - look like the cosmic microwave background, wonderful to see for us grain lovers.

[Advertisement]

Hallo,

Look here: Interesting Leica gear

[sixteen pads]

Experimenting with toys

Minolta Hi Matic 7Sii and Kentmere 100 pushed to 400.