Category: 35mm

Her Own Space

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Today’s image was taken in the communal dressing room backstage at the Alexander Showcase Theatre’s production of The Crucible in which I have a role as Willard, the Marshall. (Five more shows to go, there is still time to come see us!) This photograph is an image of the multi-talented Sharon Zehavi, getting into character for her role as Abigail Williams, ringleader of the teenage girls.

The dressing room is small,  cramped and noisy as people get ready for the show, but Sharon is clearly in her own universe as she seemingly allows herself to be consumed by the character of Abigail.  The intensity is incredible. The exposure was 1/30th of a second, but she is so still, so focused, that if I had a tripod the exposure could have been a second or two, and there would still be no blur. Amazing. 

Sharon

 

(Yashica Lynx 5000e 35mm rangefinder, 50mm/f1.8 lens, exposure 1/30th of a second @ f1.8 on Tri-X film at E.I. 1000, developed in Diafine 3+3. Post work done using Nik Silver Efex Pro 2,
with additional post done by Sharon.)

Reunions

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Yes, it has been a while since I’ve posted. My role in the Alexander Showcase Theatre’s production of the Crucible has kept me quite busy of late, but I did have time yesterday to get out and do some shooting with my Nikon F2 35mm SLR and 24mm/f2.8 wide-angle lens. It was a reunion with Eastman SO-331 film, a special process film that is designed to be very contrasty, unless developed differently I used Diafine 3+3 and it seems to keep the contrast in check, although I will be testing with other developers. I did a bit of work in post on this image (toning and sharpening) so it is a hybrid image, sorry purists 🙂

Bridge at River Street

Swirls

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Today, another image shot with my Soviet Russia era Helios 44/2 58mm/f2 lens. I took this image with the lens mounted on my Yashica TL-Electro SLR body, using Kodak Cinema XX film at E.I. 200. The occasion was the engagement photo shoot of GIllian and Kari.

The Helios 44/2 lens has achieved cult status in some quarters due to the “swirl” one can achieve in the unfocused parts of the image, when shooting wide-open, and the effect is really evident in this image. Shooting in full shade wide open at 1/60th means the image isn’t tack sharp, but I do love those swirls 🙂

Helios 44/2

Red Scale

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Today;s image was shot recently using the redscale technique. For this technique, you use regular C-41 colour negative film, but wound backwards in the film cassette, so you are shooting through the back of the film. The light hits the red emulsion layer first, resulting in the deep red and orange tones in the resulting images. I love the effect; it makes me feel like I am on Ray Bradbury’s version of Mars.

Red Scale - Don Valley

 

(Pentax K1000, 28mm/2.8 Pentax lens, C-41 ISO 400 no-name expired colour film, wound backwards)

Twilight Portrait

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Today, one of the film images from the session with Jennifer this past Saturday. This shoot marked the first time I used a recently acquired Helios 44/2 lens (58mm, f2). This lens is a Soviet Russian era copy of a Carl Zeiss Biotar, and has quite a cult following in certain circles. The fact that its focal length is slightly longer than normal for a “normal” lens makes it great for portrait work. In this shoot I had it mounted on my Yashica TL-Electro. The lighting was not bright, so I was shooting wide open at 1/60th of a second, on Ilford HP5+, pushed to E.I. 800. I like the gritty, documentary look I got: it is a good match for Jennifer’s intense expression. She is a master at bringing emotion into a shoot!

Candle Portrait

Energy

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Lens flare is often seen as a defect in an image, but sometimes it works. Pointing almost directly at the sun I am surprised there wasn’t more!

Power

 

(Pentax K1000 35m SLR, 28m/f2.8 SMC Pentax lens with yellow filter,
Rollei 80s with yellow filter, developed in Rodinal 1+50, 14 minutes) 

Reclaimed

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I keep get drawn back to this disused railroad in the Don Valley in Toronto. Apparently it has only been about 6 years since it was last used, but it doesn’t take long for nature to start reclaiming it.

Old Railroad

 

(Pentax K1000 35mm SLR, 28mm/f2.8 SMC Pentax Lens with yellow filter,
shot on Rollei 80s film developed in Rodinal 1+50 for 14 minutes) 

Watching and Waiting

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Today’s image was created using my Yashica TL-Electro: my very first 35mm SLR camera, purchased in 1977 when I was fifteen. It has sat idle for almost 20 years until I recently decided to pick it up and see if it still worked. (It did, once I sourced non-mercury batteries). The image was taken inside the Eaton Centre is downtown Toronto of a man who appeared to be watching and waiting. In fact, the somewhat melancholy mood of the photo reminds me of the Moody Blues song Watching and Waiting.

Watching and Waiting

 

(Yashica TL-Electro, 135mm/3.5 Pentax Super Takumar lens, Ilford Delta 400 film developed in TMax developer)

Behind the Veil

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Today another image from High Park, shot on Rollei 80s film with a red filter. I continue to be amazed at the different reality I get with this film/filter combo. It’s look pulling back a veil.

High Park(Pentax K1000, 28mm/2.8 Pentax lens with 25A red filter, Rollei 80S film developed in Rodinal 1+50 for 14 minutes)

 

At Water’s Edge

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I don’t know what it is about being by the water that gets people to stop and contemplate. maybe we are unconsciously communing with our distant ancestors who lived in the sea before evolving to live on land?

Scan-130911-0003(Nikon F2, 105mm/f2.5 lens, Tri-X film)