Good morning and Happy New Year!
I took this image yesterday close to home. I was shooting with a Miniature Speed Graphic, a vintage press camera (with a 6×7 roll film holder from a Mamiya RB67). This is an intriguing camera. Utterly manual, so easy to make mistakes, and yet photo journalists of the past were expected to “get the shot” with this kind of gear. My respect for photographers of the past continues to rise.
I’ve been having a lot of fun with the Hipstamatic app on my iPhone, and so here is another Hipstamatic image: my good friend Ken at the Only Cafe in Toronto. The photo is dark, not particularly sharp, and rather gritty. However, the lighting in the Only is not bright, and the pub does have a gritty ambiance, so in this case I think the image is more realistic, more true to the moment than a perfectly sharp, properly lit image would be.
I was watching a video this morning about a woman who had been kidnapped for 18 years but managed to regain her freedom. Her interviewer commented on how she took pleasure from everyday things, no matter how small, and I think this applies to photography as well; it’s not always about the spectacular sunset, the exotic location, the once in a lifetime portrait. Photography can (and should) also be about everyday things, and the beauty that can be seen, if only we look a little harder
A video of my vintage style Christmas Photo album.
Last night I was at a concert put on by Sine Nomine, a Toronto-based early music ensemble (of which my wife is a member). In addition to recording the concert, I decided to do some photography of the group warming up and decided to go “old school” by shooting Polaroid. In retrospect I wish I’d brought a flash as the venue was not very bright. I ended up shooting 1/30 second, wide open @ f4.7, even with Fuji FP3000B film with an ISO of 3200. Pictured in the image is Randall, who in addition to being a musician and scholar is also an enthusiastic advocate of traditional film.
I originally started taking photographs of this rider on the subway because I thought his hat was interesting, but looking at the images later, this one really caught my eye because of the completely blank windows. The train was above ground at this point, but seeing nothing through the train windows, just the light gives the image a strange feeling for me.
Sort of looks that way . . . 🙂
I know I must drive some models crazy when they ask me about what to wear for a shoot. Unless I am planning a very specific concept, my suggestions tend be very vague. This is due in part to my abysmal fashion sense, but mainly with how I approach most shoots; I hope they pick clothes that bring out their personality and character, and model Hilary certainly did on a recent shoot. Her costume to me radiated a cheerful, whimsical playfulness, and that certainly came out in her poses and expressions.
(Mamiya 645 Pro TL, 80mm/2.8 lens, Ilford Delta 400 exposed at E.I. 800, developed in HC-110, DIlution B for 10 minutes.)
After yesterday’s massacre in Connecticut, today’s image had to be one of a child.
Every child is a gift and a treasure.
Saw this person on the subway this morning: apart from the Christmas hat, she just sat there, no expression, no sense of the season. Weird.
My Third Eye 