I like film...(open thread)

[Doc Henry]

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Honcho's opinion, that I thank in passing, independently of its comments about the pictures of Adam, reassure me .
One conclusion : the color is not easy contrary that some (many on forums) claim when I see with the pictures (in general digital) corrected and say it is enough to have Photoshop or Lightroom and hop it's good ! not so simple !

Best

Henry

 

 

Kodak Gold 100

MP-50LA

 

Chickens and ducks in balade 

 

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PS : Kodak Gold film has a nice color IMO and is cheaper than Portra

It's like Kodak Portra. I'll try some rolls next time and I'll develop myself.

Your opinion ?

Edited January 27, 2016 by Doc Henry

[Doc Henry]

It is a red brick oven which are numerous in Asia , but polluting because it is charcoal.
Many others oven at left in background

 

A little hazy that day , despite that  green color is correct IMO

(taken from our Toyota's humanitarian mission 4x4 all terrain , made available by the government) 

 

Kodak Gold

MP-50LA

 

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Best

Henry

Edited January 27, 2016 by Doc Henry

[Doc Henry]

I like this picture for this vast wild area with flood extent (climate warming), only a small field is exploitable
Adam earth is red due to the laterite (red rock) coming from the oxidation of the iron and aluminum , characteristic of these countries

 

KG100-MP-50LA

 

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Green and red colors are correct IMO

 

Best

Henry

Edited January 27, 2016 by Doc Henry

[dgc]

M7 on Fomapan 100.

A step rail to Plas Mawr house (Great Hall) in Conwy, North wales.

 

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[Doc Henry]

and the last of the series

this one for Dgc 

I would have liked a bit of sun that day but anyway I took the photo

it's flooded everywhere

 

 

Another way to fish

 

Kodak Gold

MP-50LA

 

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Best

Henry

[Doc Henry]

M7 on Fomapan 100.

A step rail to Plas Mawr house (Great Hall) in Conwy, North wales.

Play of shadow and light Dgc

another way of seeing....

Thanks for sharing

Best

Henry

[Keith (M)]

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If I may call upon you all on more time for your "curator" input on the color version of the composition that I shared with you in B&W a week or so ago.  

As with the last series, I'd like to know which of these you feel is worthy of inclusion in a professional portfolio.

All were taken with Ektar and my Hasselblad SWC/M

The follow TWELVE  photos were taken during sunrise and sunset over a two day period 

I have ordered the photos chronologically beginning with the pre-dawn magic hour and ending with the post-sunset magic hour.

I value your critical input and really appreciate your patience.

Best, Adam

Hmm, difficult!  Serenity or dynamism? Stillness or motion?  Pastel or vibrant tones?  

Nos 3 & 5 have something of a 'plastic' feel to them and the sunburst in #5 comes across as 'too good to be true'!  Not sure the yacht or cruise-liner add anything as they distract from and break-up the panorama. My preference is for #2 due to the dynamic element of the sky/clouds, the crisp delineation of the buildings and the way the light falling on the water 'lifts & separates' the groynes & fences, adding to the 3D effect.  Just my 2pence-worth!

[gsgary]

I hope I can develop a roll this afternoon but I'm off work with a trapped femoral nerve in my back, been really missing posting shots because the last few days worth of photos posted here have been fantastic with even more new people joining

[gsgary]

Ref #10203, another shot from Lacock Abbey & M7, Summaron 35mm, HP5+, Rodinal 1:50. Amazing how low a shutter speed one can get away with...

This is wonderful Keith

[Keith (M)]

Wonder what used to be through there?  Another shot in the National Trust's Lacock Abbey.  M7, Summaron 35mm, HP5+, 1:50 Rodinal.  The combination of film & dev seems to be giving me good tonal gradation and the grain seems well controlled. 

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[philipus]

Very interesting question Ric. I look forward to other members' responses. I often shoot colour when it's quite dark so here are my thoughts. I usually use what's in the camera simply because I rarely finish a film in time so I can switch to a more sensitive emulsion. This means I will just push an ISO 200 or 400 film one or two stops. In my case this is often Superia 400 (here's a dusk example).

 

I have also used Portra 800 (here's a boring example) and while I like it I actually prefer the versality of ISO 400. These films are also considerably cheaper than the 800 variety.

 

Pushing can be hit or miss though and the scans often require quite a bit of processing, esp. for the grain.

 

Agfa Vista 200 can be pushed two stops with very good results (this is an example which I posted earlier in the thread). It's one of the best performers for the price, I think.

 

Sometimes at dawn/dusk or in darker settings I don't push, even with ISO 200, but this may risk blurriness, depending on for which parts of the image one exposes (Superia 200):

 

Flickr

75/2

 

Flickr

35/1.4 

 

Btw, E6 pushes quite well too, depending on the film and provided one gets an accurate exposure. This one, which I think I posted earlier, is Provia 400X (120) at EI1600.

 

From what I've seen in this thread and elsewhere the Cinestill stock will give interesting halos around bright objects so if that's the look you want it's a film type to consider. That said, Agfa Vista 400 will also give halos (35/1.4, cropped):

 

Flickr

 

Philip

 

 

Question for Adam and others: can you recommend any available colour films for handheld night photography? I'm thinking to seeing how the neon lights in the seedier parts of Zürich might look in their full "glory".

Ric

 

[gnuyork]

 

Leica M6

Summaron 35

Tri-X

[dgc]

The Fuji GF670w did not reach its reserve at £1120, there is another available for £1750. Usually, eBay is a good indicator of market value so it will be interesting to see if the seller lowers the reserve or, more likely, attempts to strike a deal with the highest bidder.

[Doc Henry]

I hope I can develop a roll this afternoon but I'm off work with a trapped femoral nerve in my back, been really missing posting shots because the last few days worth of photos posted here have been fantastic with even more new people joining

Ouch it hurts ! ...   and handicapping

Good recovery Gary perhaps with an anti-inflammatory

Best

Henry

[dgc]

Philip, interesting stuff and good colour in the images.

When developing C41 do you need to allow for a different development time if you have pushed 1 or 2 stops ? I ask this as you suggest that there be only a couple of images on a reel that you have pushed, which may need the decision of favouring the pushed or non-pushed images and risking some colour shift. 

[Doc Henry]

Very interesting question Ric. I look forward to other members' responses. I often shoot colour when it's quite dark so here are my thoughts. I usually use what's in the camera simply because I rarely finish a film in time so I can switch to a more sensitive emulsion. This means I will just push an ISO 200 or 400 film one or two stops. In my case this is often Superia 400 (here's a dusk example).

 

I have also used Portra 800 (here's a boring example) and while I like it I actually prefer the versality of ISO 400. These films are also considerably cheaper than the 800 variety.

 

Pushing can be hit or miss though and the scans often require quite a bit of processing, esp. for the grain.

 

Agfa Vista 200 can be pushed two stops with very good results (this is an example which I posted earlier in the thread). It's one of the best performers for the price, I think.

 

Sometimes at dawn/dusk or in darker settings I don't push, even with ISO 200, but this may risk blurriness, depending on for which parts of the image one exposes (Superia 200):

 

Flickr

75/2

 

Flickr

35/1.4 

 

Btw, E6 pushes quite well too, depending on the film and provided one gets an accurate exposure. This one, which I think I posted earlier, is Provia 400X (120) at EI1600.

 

From what I've seen in this thread and elsewhere the Cinestill stock will give interesting halos around bright objects so if that's the look you want it's a film type to consider. That said, Agfa Vista 400 will also give halos (35/1.4, cropped):

 

Flickr

 

Philip

Beautiful demonstration of what can do a film without the race for digital high isos ! demential

Thanks Philip

Best

Henry

[gsgary]

Ouch it hurts ! ... and handicapping

Good recovery Gary perhaps with an anti-inflammatory

Best

Henry

Got some Gabapentin and solpadol Edited January 27, 2016 by gsgary

[A miller]

Images for a 'professional' portfolio really need visual impact and it would help you search for similar subject matter and viewpoints to critically compare these images with more dramatic work.  Of the 12 you have uploaded, #2 is worthy of a little more post processing.  I would discount the rest for various reasons, manly because of composition and lack of creative impact (don't mean to appear harsh here, but you did ask for a 'professional' critique and I do spend a lot of my professional time doing this).

 

So what exactly are we looking for in this set of images for potential inclusion in a professional portfolio?  Are they intended as images for display or for illustration?

 

As an image for display, #2 shows promise in that you have caught the streaking effect of the long exposure on the clouds and the sky is always going to be an important part of a good wide angle landscape image.  As I said, a little careful work in post could enhance this aspect of the image for a touch more dramatic impact.  #12 by comparison is a nice image but rather bland for consideration for display, it is illustrative, or more accurately, editorial and could work in a magazine article for instance. 

 

 I would congratulate you on your control of colour saturation where many would be tempted to 'over cook' these.  Personally, I would persevere with the location.  Given dramatic light and cloud formations, you could create some very powerful images here.

 

Of course, all comments can be taken as subjective and as just the opinion of an individual, but it's your request for feedback from the aspect of a professional portfolio that prompted me to respond.  My comments are very much In accordance with what I would say to any of my current professional Mentees (though necessarily limited in depth here because this is an enthusiast's forum above all). 

 

Hope the above helps, you've handled Ektar well.

Sincere thanks, Steve.  I really appreciate the constructive feedback.  And I can certainly take a lot more, so don't be shy.  I have only been shooting cityscapes for about 8 months and I am entirely self taught in every aspect.  So I have a lot to learn and a lot more to still capture.  I am a "big boy" and want to hear about any improvements and elevated expectations that I should have for myself.  One thing is for sure, I am not without subject matter!!!

 

I have always been very impressed with your photoshop skills and in particular your effectiveness with luminance.  You tread right up to the line of over-dramatic and over-processing, and in most cases (IMHO) I think you stay comfortably on the right side of the line.  So I take your feedback very much to heart.

 

As for my goal for these photos, I want to end up with 1 or 2 of each of the B&W and color for inclusion in a portfolio of exclusively film-based NYC cityscape photographs that could be sold primarily online on a tasteful website (that I am carefully plotting) and through other mediums.  I am not seeking out only those "hole in one" photographs, like Peter Lik.  Rather, I have a more modest goal of competing with the better photographers who sell their prints through sites like www.fineartamerica.com.  It is enough for me that the scene has good composition with broad public interest and a well balanced and unique color palette with a signature of medium format film.  I see this as a long term multi-year process, with a lot of pruning of the collection during this time.

 

These photos are still pretty new and I will continue to toil over them for the next few months and will no doubt make hopefully improvements to luminance, colors and framing.  But I was having difficult extracting objectiveness out of my eyes (and my Mother was no help) and so thought it would be timely to tap into the powerful insight of the participants on this thread.    It has enabled me to go back to the photos with fresh perspectives on many levels. 

 

As you suggested, I actually did an extensive amount of research of other photos on the web of this particular composition in advance of my time there for exactly the reason you mentioned.  I was surprised to not find very many strong photos, and really nothing on the level of a "hole in one."  So b/n the 12 B&W renditions and 12 color renditions that I have shared in this thread over the past few weeks), my thought is that I have at least 1 or 2 from each category that could compete quite well with the top of the pack (at least the ones that are publicly available).   Even 2 keepers out of 4 rolls of 12 exposures is not too bad...

 

Thanks again for your thoughtful remarks.  I really appreciate it and it means a lot!

 

Best,

Adam

[Doc Henry]

A pair of Dartmoor ponies, mother and son.

 

Leica MP

90mm Elmarit-M f2.8

Adox Silvermax with yellow filter

SUPERB tone and subject

Thanks Steve

Best

Henry

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Hallo,

Look here: Interesting Leica gear

[A miller]

Pfäffikon by -Ric Capucho-

 

 

Monster carp that have safely *grown* in a castle moat. XP2 and maybe the M6, hard to remember.

 

Question for Adam and others: can you recommend any available colour films for handheld night photography? I'm thinking to seeing how the neon lights in the seedier parts of Zürich might look in their full "glory".

 

Ric

Ric - there is no question in my mind that the Cinestill 800T is the best choice for artificial and low light.  The red halos are what they are.  Most people love them.  To the extent it is not appealing, it is materially outweighed by the superior rendition of artificial light. 

 

The portras will generally have an ugly orange cast to tungsten light, with is hard to avoid in the streets.

 

Slide film actually fares pretty well; it's just that those available on the market are very slow.  Pushing is an option but you need to remember to expose for the highlights and expect VERY contrasty results, which can be cool except when it is not  

 

One thing you might consider is to go on ebay and buy some expired 1600T ektachrome that has been well kept.  The prices are pretty good, there is a lot out there, and the results you'll get will at that very least be quite unique.

 

I really come back to the Cinestill 800T - that is what it was made for and it does a very good job.

 

Let me know if you have difficult getting some as I can bring some over to you on my next trip to London. ($10/roll + 8.775% sales tax)