Month: March 2019

35mm · Film photography · Photography

My first try at studio-style portraits

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My local photo society had a studio-style model shoot this week which gave me my first ever chance to shoot professional models in this sort of environment. To be clear, this wasn’t a true studio setting, it was more a case of those members with studio-lights, backdrops etc. bringing them along, and then a session of organised shoots with each of the four models, so each member got a few minutes to photograph each of them.

I took along a couple of cameras: the Yashica Mat (which I remembered I’d loaded with 100asa film at the weekend, rather than the Delta 400 I’d bought for this session!), and my Nikon F80 with a Sigma 105mm f/2.8 and a 50mm f/1.8. I brought along a couple of film choices for the Nikon, but quickly decided on a roll of Tmax P3200 that I gratefully received from my Emulsive Secret Santa last year, and which I’ve not had opportunity to shoot until now. I figured the 3200asa film would give me plenty of leeway with shutter speed and hopefully produce some nice gritty portraits.

It became quickly apparent that I wouldn’t have enough time to faff around with the Yashica Mat, tripod, light meter etc, so quickly fell back to the F80 for the task at hand. Having never worked with models before, I didn’t really have a clue on how to direct them (and being somewhat shy didn’t help me either), but I was able to direct them in some poses I wanted to shoot, and I also heeded some advice I’d heard on a YouTube video once: That you should trust the model to pose for you. It’s their job, and they’ll know what works better than an inexperience photographer. This was good advice.

Anyway, not knowing quite what results I would get, I was very happy when I got my processed negatives back. While I’m sure there are many points to criticise, for my first attempt I was really happy with what I’d got. I’m not sure it’s something that I’m interested in pursuing further, but it was a good experience.

Anyway, here are a small selection (and there are a few more on my Flickr stream if you want to see the rest).

FILM - WPS Model Session-3

FILM - WPS Model Session

FILM - WPS Model Session-5

FILM - WPS Model Session-6

FILM - WPS Model Session-8

FILM - WPS Model Session-10

FILM - WPS Model Session-12

Nikon F80, Sigma 105mm f/2.8 OS HSM (except the shot with the tattoed arm in the foreground, which was the Nikkor 50mm f/1.8 AF-D) & Kodak Tmax P3200.

Taken on 19 March 2019

35mm · Film photography · Photography

Work continues

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The refurbishment of another section of Park Hill flats is underway and the block in question is cocooned in scaffolding and yellow netting.

This was taken on a roll of 2001 expired Klick XD200 film that I was shooting for this year’s Expired Film Day. Due to the age of the film, I overexposed it a couple of stops. It’s not come out too badly though – a little extra noise and a slight pink cast are the only real signs of its age.

FILM - Work Continues

Nikon F70, Nikkor 50mm f/1.8 AF-D & Klick XD200 (expired in 2001).

Taken on 16 March 2019

35mm · Film photography · Photography

Out into the world

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Another photo from the Canon Sure Shot Telemax, although this time I do recall taking the shot. A good job really, given that I only took it a few weeks ago.

I thought the composition was a good one when I made the photograph, but again I’m very pleased with the way the little compact has handled the scene. I’d used up the roll of film in my F80 when I took this, and would have missed the shot if I’d not had the Telemax in my pocket.

FILM - Out into the world

Canon Sure Shot Telemax & Ilford HP5+.

Taken on 20 February 2019

35mm · Film photography · Photography

Forgotten photographs

fishyfisharcade6 Comments

I like to carry a compact film camera with me wherever I go, and so tend to keep one in my coat pocket at all time. This does mean that the habit tends to fall off somewhat in the warmer months when I don’t have a handy pocket, but through late autumn to early spring I’ve usually got a camera on me.

The camera of choice for quite a while now has been a Canon Sure Shot Telemax point-and-shoot compact, a camera that has the distinction of being the only film camera that I’ve owned since new. It was a gift from my parents nearly thirty years ago and sat unused in a drawer for the best part of two decades until I got back into shooting film a couple of years ago and I decided to see if it still worked. Despite the battery cover being held shut with tape, it whirred into life with a new battery, so I gave it a go. To say I was pleased with the results would be an understatement – while the camera is far from sophisticated, it produces very nice photographs indeed, and it’s been a constant companion for spur of the moment photo opportunities ever since.

Because of the nature of having it in my pocket much of the time, it means it’s with me even on occasions where I go out to shoot with a different camera, and it also means that it can take a while to finish a roll of film, leading to me forgetting what shots I’ve taken with it and getting an extra bit of anticipatory pleasure when getting the roll processed.

Which leads me to todays post. I finally finished a roll of HP5+ that has been in the camera since last October, and got it processed on Friday and then scanned today. I only got 33 shots for some reason – I vaguely remember perhaps mis-loading the camera and so lost a few frames that way – but happily a great deal of them are keepers (to my own standards, if not anyone else’s, at least).

This shot was taken on a foggy day when I went out with my DSLR last year, and I completely forgot taking any shots with the Telemax, so this was a nice surprise. It’s almost the same composition as a shot I took digitally, except this was handheld, and that was on a tripod. Despite the added detail in the digital version, I might be erring towards preferring the film shot.

FILM - Into mystery

Canon Sure Shot Telemax & Ilford HP5+.

Taken on 25 November 2018

Film photography · Medium Format · Photography

Balls of steel

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I can’t remember if I’ve posted a photo of these on the blog before, but this is a new shot taken this past weekend. There are several of these water features around St. Paul’s Place in Sheffield, all different sizes and clustered in groups or individually. They are probably one of the most photographed things in the city, along with the “Cheese Grater” car-park (which can just be spotted encroaching into the top of this image).

There’s a vague ghost of a selfie to be spotted in the reflection. 🙂

FILM - Quite the pair

Yashica Mat 124 G & Ilford FP4+.

Taken on 9 March 2019