Thomasville Trip #2

Went back to Thomasville Sunday to shoot some more in preparation for a project. Many of these have already been printed! Here's a quick rundown of the shots I took on 4x5:

Schneider Symmar APO 150mm:

Same:

Nikon 500mm Telephoto:

Schneider 58mm XL:

Nikon 90mm:

Schneider 150mm:

Nikon 90mm (sorry for the crappy scan):

Old Cars and Kodak Portra

I'm starting to really like the new Kodak Portra 160. I shot too much slide film thinking it was "better" but on harsh, sunny days color negative film is not only a must to get more dynamic range but looks beautiful too! Here are some snaps of some old cars in Albany, GA that I took while wandering around waiting on the orchestral concert last weekend. All are with my Nikon SP and 50mm f/1.4 lens:

Sunrise on Highway 133

February has already been a really busy month and I'm struggling to get any work done photographically. However, last weekend I got up early and headed to Albany, GA a couple of hours earlier than I needed to go to play in the Albany Symphony to spend some time with my 4x5 on Highway 133. There are many scenes on this stretch of highway between Valdosta and Moultrie that beg to be photographed. Just recently the peach trees have started to bloom and I will be heading out there with some color film to capture them in full bloom, but for now here is one shot I took that morning that I finally was able to develop and scan. This I believe is a pecan tree grove but I'm not 100% sure. I used the Nikon 90mm f/8 lens for this with almost full rise and a little bit of a tilt upwards. The negative was developed N-1.5 to try to retain some detail around the sun, which was pretty successful I think. Toned in PS.

I should have a variety of images coming as I've got two trips planned for February - one this Sunday to Thomasville and then the next Saturday up to Callaway Gardens and Providence Canyon, so hopefully I'll have a lot of new work soon.

One more self-portrait

Things have been busy for me lately. I have some shots to develop but for now here is my second self-portrait.

I shot this with my 8x10 and a 11-1/2" Verito lens wide-open at f/4. This soft-focus lens gives a fabulous glow to the highlights. Here is a scan of the contact print rather than the negative. I used the green-sensitive x-ray film for this shot. The scan has some artifacts from the scanner light reflecting off of the glossy surface but it is close to accurate:

Self-Portrait

I've been going to a class to learn more about shooting film and darkroom printing, and one of the things I was assigned to do was a couple self-portraits. I'm not much of a fan of these but oh well. I decided to model this one off of Feininger's famous The Photojournalist. My girlfriend Meagan assisted me with this because obviously I couldn't do it myself!

Tech details:
Toyo GII 4x5, T-Max 100, N-1 in T-Max RS. Shot with a hundred-year-old Gundlach Radar 300mm f/4.5 @ f/14, 1/8 second. Cropped, edited, and toned in PS.

Savannah 2012 - 4x5, 6x17, and 35mm

Finally finished developing. scanning, and editing these. I have a lot to do in the darkroom printing some of them but that'll come later. I had the pleasure of spending 3 days in Savannah two weeks ago for the Georgia Music Educator's Association conference assisting with the All-College Band. When I wasn't engaged with them I was out hitting the pavement with my 4x5 and other cameras all through Savannah's historic district and of course River Street.

I almost always bring my digital SLR on trips like this but this time I made the decision to completely forego digital. I think my photos turned out better than they would otherwise (not necessarily because digital is inferior, but having to focus on the film shots and not fumble with yet another camera kit).

Well I'll get right to it. Make sure to hit "Read More" when you get to it to see more photos!

The first day was busy so I did not get out till after sunset. Here's a shot across from a bar that is always hopping. I used a Schneider 210mm Symmar-S and took eight exposures each 1/2 a second long to get a different effect:

The next day I got up early to shoot. Here is a shot in the famous Colonial Park Cemetery. It was a bit blustery so you can see some movement in the moss to the left. I used a Nikon 90mm f/8 for this:

Near this cemetery is St. John's Cathedral, one of my favorite Catholic churches. Here is a shot of the interior with a 150mm lens:

I also ventured to River Street and took some candid street photos using my Nikon SP equipped with either the Voigtlander 21mm or Nikon 50mm, 85mm, or 135mm lenses. Here's a couple of the best shots:

 

Lot's more after the break!!

8x10 Portrait

I took a portrait for a friend today using my 8x10 and I am very happy with the result. I used the Nikon 300mm lens at f/16. Again I used the green-sensitive x-ray film, and the image was toned in PS using my subtly warm duotone action:

I also took a shot with my 4x5 loaded with Kodak Portra 400NC film using a 210mm:

I also scanned another roll of film today from Savannah, so I should be finished with everything tomorrow...I only have two more sheets of 4x5 to develop.

Another 8x10

I'm working on a ton of film I shot in Savannah last weekend, so for now, here is another 8x10 shot. For this one I used my Schneider Symmar-S 210mm, which I found handily covers 8x10 with minimal movements! I like the perspective (equivalent to about a 28mm on 35mm) so I am happy to have discovered this. My scanner still has issues with banding as you can see on this scan; oh well, the contact print looks better anyway:

I'm way behind on posting these photos...

I am trying to catch up with posting some photos that have been done for weeks. These are photos I took over the Christmas holiday while in Mississippi. I won't go into too much detail but will include the lens used for posterity:

Schneider 150mm APO, Fuji 160s:

And here is a shot with the 58mm XL, still on Fuji 160s:

This is the condo I stayed at. Taken with the 47mm XL:

Next, the Beau Rivage casino. Taken with the 58mm XL:

And finally, a statue taken with my converted Polaroid (and the Schneider Xenotar 135mm f/3.5) with normal film (T-Max 100). Toned in PS:

More photos tomorrow!