The awning says it all - below it are the shops which reflects such, of which I didn't notice.
Nikon F100 - 85mm f1.4
Filtering by Tag: F100
Shark Teeth or Island Style
Nikon F100 - Ilford HP5+
Looking thru -
Snowstorm
The last snowstorm of the season - 400 S and 300 W.
Nikon F100 - Ilford HP5+
The Plastic Architect
Small sensored cameras most of time have slow lenses - coming back to full frame, be it film or digital, reminds me of the creative power, the f1.4 depth of field can offer. Sometimes the background is too busy for comfort and the 1.4 allows the blur - or sometimes the attention to the scene is important to get in one area - and this type of lens allows that. Or - it becomes creativity of its own sake. Either way it becomes another creative tool for reference.
Nikon F100 - 50mm f1.4 - Ilford HP5+
Maui on a Boat
Three feet away while seated on a ferry with a 50mm and little options for framing present. And in a way conditions force the idea to get out of the comfort zone and you make do - and it's a nice thing when something good literally develops.
Nikon F100, 50mm f1.4 with Yellow 44 filter, HP5+
Nikon F100 - 50mm f1.4 D, Yellow 44
the Accidentals
I had a chance to see this up and coming band — “the Accidentals” here in SLC last month. I also offered to photograph them as I just happen to have the gear to possibly get some good images. My brother Mark who introduced me to them also put me in touch with their Manager.
In my off time - there are two genres I just love shooting - Bands and Sports.
I had to bring the digi - D3s - but on a whim I also brought my F100 loaded with 400 HP5+ mounted to a 85mm f1.4. The 1.4 was a given considering I only had 400 asa in the F100.
This is Savanna Buist accompanying the opening act - total improv on the spot fill. So I took the opportunity of chance to burn some frames — and this is the best of the two.
It’s interesting how the BW takes the “Band” out of the band — and turns it into some kind of “Classical” looking image. It doesn’t hurt that she is playing a classical looking instrument either.
This was taken cradel to grave - Shot, developed, and scanned in house.
It turned out well — and the band will be Grammy winning in about 5 years — you heard it hear first. They are really something. I can’t wait to hear their next album.
Nikon F100 - 85mm f1.4 - Ilford HP5+
UTA Trax
Riding the Trax - anything goes -- especially at 7am - ish.
Nikon F100, Ilford HP5+
Watershed
This is a watershed moment - as this image is from a roll of film I've taken from cradle to grave. Shot on the Nikon F100 on Ilford HP5+ with the 85mm f1.4, developed with Kodak D-76 at 70 Degrees for 13 minutes, and scanned on a legacy Minolta Dimage 5400 series I at 5400 dpi. I say legacy as these necessary consumer scanners are no longer produced - but I'm saving that for another post.
So now everything is in house - and the fixed costs are only film and chemicals. No more $20 per roll for processing. - per roll.
And I have my friend Will Wright to thank for getting me this far and helping me realize what film has too offer.
Nikon F100 on Ilford HP5+
Hula in Ektar
I dragged the Hula Girl to the beach for a photo shoot -- I take what I can get.
Maui.
Ektar in 100 - Nikon F100 - 50mm f1.4
Creative Process
I have the unique access to the inner workings of an Architectural office - as it's my day job. And there are times when I take advantage to capture those workings, and this is one of them.
A collegue prepares a wall with creative ques to start the creatvie process.
400 speed film is great for indoors - it's perfect, combined with a f1.4 lens. I hardly use 100 ASA as I really like the flexibility 400 provides.
Nikon F100 - Ilford Delta 400 DevScan by theFINDLab
See thru the subject
I've said it before - develop photographic muscle memory and technique with what ever is available. And - sometimes that means going to extremes - i.e. - Here Kitty, Kitty !!
Nikon F100 - Ilford HP5+
the Waiting game
The best thing about film, and the worst thing about film: not seeing the image after capture.
It forces the creation of the discipline to wait. Some times that is very lengthly. My nephew of 7 years, after I took a picture, asked me, “Can I see it ?”.
Ilford HP5 - SLC County Building
Ilford Delta 3200
I started the film quest with a lot of grain - Delta 3200. It was an aesthetic to pursue which called me to explore for some reason.
Shot at 1600 and developed at 3200. Everyone says this is the way to shoot it - which is what I did - but I haven't shot enough to know the difference. 3200 is their most expensive stock.
This DevScan is by "theFindLab" in Orem, UT. Although expensive they are quickly becoming a premier lab - from my own experiences. I don't know if they think the same thing but it seems I'm seeing more and more Instagram's of their work.
Shot on the Nikon F100 with the kit 24-120D. I haven't quite figured out this lens for performance - but it sure is convenient to have the focal length.
Nikon F100 - Ilford Delta 3200
35mm Film
Film as made me become a better photographer, in 1 week - because I have a vested interest. Each click is $1.25 in the end. I become more deliberate, intensive, and reflective of everything I shoot.
I’m using the Nikon F100 and a D 24-120mm lens. It can outshoot me, yet it can’t run itself - that’s the rub.
This was Ilford’s Delta 3200 shot at 1600 - and going from what I read up on this film stock, many say it’s really a 1600 speed - and from seeing the various examples online I took the cue and decided to stay at 1600. For some reason I can’t take Kodak’s Tri-X seriously. Maybe because I shot so much of it in High-School and it never did me any favors. But that’s a personal problem I guess.
Why Film ?
That’s the Jedi Mind Trick - Shooting film makes me feel like the skill is one of perishability - you either know what you are doing to get the shot or it vanishes to the shoulda, coulda, woulda.
The worst thing about film - I can’t confirm the result after the shutter fires.
The best thing about film - I don’t know yet, other than the boost to the psyche in thinking I’m somehow unique in the photographic space - which is nothing but trouble.
Film becomes a design constraint - give a designer all the choices in the world, and good luck getting a result - but give a designer limitations and you have a better chance at getting something great. Can the same be true in the photographic world - I don’t know ? ASA, and film stock are the limiters / aka the design constraints.
Where does this go ?
It keeps going until I get bored or I reach the law of diminishing returns for my efforts. And that may be a while - as I have a Yashica Mat 124 2-1/4” x 2-1/4’ in the mail for me to dig my teeth into.
Believe you me - this is going to be good.
35mm Film
Just before Christmas I did the unthinkable. I shot a roll of 35mm film. Did I just say that - did I just do that? My name is JSturr, and I shot a 24 exp. roll of expired 35mm Kodak Royal Gold Film.
With that moment - I became even more film curious now - Hmmm… what’s this film craze all about ?
Nikon FM-2 and Kodak Royal Gold
Flashback: 1985 - Pentwater High School yearbook and I’m using the FM-2. I was 16 at the time. I came to develop a love hate with the FM-2, love at first because I didn’t know any better. I shot over 200 rolls in that body. Here’s the back story.
My late Father bought the camera in the early 80’s - basically when it first came out - it was quite a piece. 1/4000 max mechanical shutter with 1/250 on the flash sync - unheard of at the time. Very shortly after it fell out of a canoe and the light meter was fried. # 3 brother was to be married and the repair time was too close for comfort so Dad made me an offer — pay the repair bill and it’s yours. He bought an FG (probably the worst body Nikon ever made), as a replacement, and I paid him $110 and got the FM-2. What I didn’t know at the time - was the FM-2 never really exposed anything correctly except flash. But I really didn’t figure that out until recently.
Flash forward to this century. The last time I shot film was 2004 - ISU beginning photo - ugh - and I hated it. Probably because I was forced to do it - with a communal dark room, etc.
When I was home over Thanksgiving - and rummaging around my late Father’s office area - I noticed these rolls of 35mm Kodak Kodacolor 200. Hmmm…. interesting I thought - well Hell - can’t let this go to waste. I should have stopped myself - but I guess the Gin clouded my judgment - and off to the suitcase the 3 rolls went.
It sat on the shelf — until — just before Christmas. The FM-2, and the 50mm f1.4 AIS. What was very new to me was the lab’s (if you call the Fred Meyer a lab) ability to scan the negatives. That changes everything. That’s half the pain in the ass of shooting film - the viewing and the printing, blah, blah, blah.
Now it becomes a hybrid workflow. Hmm… I’m thinking again.
So - of that roll I shot before Christmas — a few were interesting and even compelling.
With all of this — now I’m thinking that if I’m going to keep this craziness going - I will need a new body - something fairly recent, and with AF. I start looking at F3HP’s at first - I remember dreaming of those when I was a kid — but never was able to even come close to opening one. F3HP’s are running at about $2 + with no decent metering of AF though.
The body with the decent metering was the FA - a bastard child, if you would. The FA was a head of it’s time - with Matrix metering. But no one trusted it so it never really took off. I really liked the FA - but is wasn’t AF - AF looked more and more better.
So what about an F5 - they are big, but robust, and had some quirks and were running about $3 - and I didn’t quite know if I wanted to deep dive this early in the game at that price. Ok — scratch that — onward — then the F100 found me. A mini F5.
Nikon F100, 24-120 f3.5-5.6 D
I found one for about $200 - and here it goes.
So now I have killer AF, Matrix metering, but I need to figure out which film.
All the players (Kodak, Ilford, Fuji) have a smattering of films — really probably the just as many as there were 20 years ago - maybe not the same as before, but just as many.
I’ve settled on Ilford Delta and Kodak Portra as of late. Purchasing and development will run about $40 per roll plus or minus. That price includes scanning, and that’s the other economic model for the labs — scanning resolution price hikes. Basically $5, $7.5, and $10 upcharge. If this exercise gains some traction - then I see myself getting a scanner and maybe even processing myself.
Ugh — this is insane I think to myself - but I’m starting to like the change, in a disturbing way.
That’s the story so far - I guess I’m telling it to easy the craziness - and convince myself I’m still normal. I’ve Delta 3200 asa shot at 1600 in the can to be sent to the www.theFINDlab.com in Orem. They will be the lab of choice for now - and are about 1/3 more expensive then others in the space. But from what I’ve seen their services may be without peer. We’ll see. I may frequent the www.darkroom.com.