Author: johnmeadowsphotography

An amateur photographer in Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Wallflower

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I have a few “Wallflowers” in my camera collection: cameras that I just never seem to get around to using. The camera I used this morning shooting in a Park in Toronto near Yonge/St. Clair is one example: one of three Pentax Spotmatic 35mm SLR’s I got for next to nothing sometime ago. The bodies were cheap because the meters didn’t work, but everything else certainly does — the Spotmatic has a lovely solid feel, and the shutter sounds like it will last forever. It is easy to see why the Spotmatic is considered a classic.

Twisted Path 1

 

(Pentax Spotmatic SP, 55/1.8 Pentax Tukamar lens, Ilford Delta 400 film at EI 200,
developed in Microdol-X 1:1, 14.5 minutes @ 20 C)

If At First You Don’t Succeed

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This past Saturday I was with my Photographic friends Mike and Donna, shooting infrared film In Kleinburg, Ontario. I was shooting Efke 820 Aura infrared film, but the it turned out the filter (an IR 920) was blocking the wrong light, and when I developed the film that evening, I was horrified to see basically a blank roll :-(. All I have from Saturday is mosquito bites.

Not wanting to admit defeat, I went out on Sunday with a different filter (this time an IR 72) and a different infrared film to Guild Park in Scarborough, and had somewhat better luck 🙂

Guild Park Infrared 3

 

(Nikon F3, 28mm/2.8 Nikkor lens, Rollei Retro 80s film, IR72 filter, 1 second exposure @ f16,
developed in HC-110 Dilution H for 10 minutes @ 20 C)

Inside St. Martin’s Church

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Another image from England, inside what my be England’s oldest church, St. Martin’s in Canterbury (portions dating from the 600’s CE). A warm morning light was coming through a window, and illuminated wooden pews and cloth seat cushions.

St. Martin's

Details

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England has a lot of amazing buildings that make for great images, but it’s important to resist the temptation to stand back for the big picture, and pay attention to details, texture etc. I found this door on an otherwise nondescript old building in Canterbury.

Door Detail

The Jennifer Gears Project, Part 2

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Today, one more image of Jennifer from what I am calling the Jennifer Gears project 🙂 Today’s image is one of the black and white film images I created. In addition of course to  Ashley ‘s amazing technical work, I think it is really important to highlight Jennifer’s contribution today: her intensity and expression were as critical as any other success factor for the shoot! There is always depth and complexity in her expressions, and that makes her a rewarding model to work with.

I think special mention should be made of how patient she was during the multi-hour make-up/FX application, as well as removal afterwards!

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Model: Jennifer Bettencourt

Special FX/Make-up Artist Ashley Vieira

(Nikon F3 35mm SLR, 85mm/1.8 Nikkor lens, Eastman Double-X film,

developed in HC-110 dilution B for 6.5 minutes @ 20 degrees C)

The Jennifer Gears Project, Part 1

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I have had the privilege of working with model/musician Jennifer Bettencourt on a number of occasions, so when she contacted me recently about a project I was naturally interested. A friend of hers named Ashley,  who is a new graduate of a program in special effects needed to document her final school project, and needed a model and photographer and I was lucky enough to get the call.

The project was steam punk themed, and involved the creation and application of many. many gears to Jennifer’s skin, and we aren’t talking just make-up; Ashley made the gears using moulds she made herself to create three-dimensional pieces applied like tattoos. Preparation took many hours (see a “behind the scenes” prep shot at the end of this post), but the results were worth it! It was also fascinating to watch the whoe process; I certainly learned a lot!.

I shot both colour digital and black and white film; I am starting off with a digital image to show the great colours; in my next post I will show one of the black and white film images.

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Model: Jennifer Bettencourt

Special FX/Make-up Artist Ashley Vieira

Here’s a behind the scenes image

Prepping for the shoot

The Golden Spiral

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This is a view looking up at the base of the Tulip Stairs, in the Queen’s House, Greenwich, England. I was struck by the lines; it reminded me of the “Golden Spiral” mathematical construct (related to the Golden Rectangle, I believe). Although originally shot in colour, I prefer the black and white, with its inherent focus on line, light and shadow.

Tulip Stairs, Queen's House, Greenwich, Engand

A Sense of History

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This image was created at the ruins of Battle Abbey in England, site of the Battle of Hastings in 1066. The location practically exudes a sense of history. This image is of a monk’s common room, and is one of the more well preserved spots in the structure. The very dim lighting forced me to use a digital camera with a high ISO (about 6400) to make a handheld image possible.

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The Octagon Room

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This image is of the “Octagon Room” at Greenwich Observatory in England. I was drawn to it by the its spare formality and open space, although I had to time my shot between groups of other tourists.

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(Mamiya 645 Pro TL, 55mm f2.8 lens, Ilford HP5+ film developed in Tmax developer 1:9 for 15 minutes @ 24 degrees C)

England In a Different Light

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Sorry I was not diligent in blog posting during my absence — I will get back on the wagon!

This image was created at a park in Canterbury, England, close to the ancient city wall. I used Rollei 400IR Infrared film, and a 72IR infrared filter, which is almost completely opaque to the naked eye, as it blocks most visible light, but allows infrared light to pass through. Even though it was a reasonably bright sunny morning, I had to put my camera (my Mamiya Pro 645 TL medium format) on a tripod, for exposures of .5 to 2 seconds in length.

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