I’ve never had much luck with Ilford HP5+ in 35mm; my scans always had too much grain for my taste, and I didn’t like the tonality. Shooting in medium format (at an exposure index of 250 instead of the box speed of 400) I am liking the results better!
Rolleiflex E3 with 75mm/3.5 Xenotar lens
HP5+ film at E.I. 250, developed in TMax Developer
1+9 for 14 minutes @ 20 C
Another image created with my Zeiss Sonnar 50/1.5 lens (on my Contax IIIa rangefinder). At a wide aperture (in this case f2) this is not a sharp lens, and it has a focus shift that makes it a challenge to work with. I do like its atmosphere though.
Contax IIIa, Zeiss Sonnar 50mm/1.5 lens
Svema Foto 100 film, developed in Xtol 1+1 for 10 minutes @ 20 C
This image was created using my Zeiss Sonnar 50mm/1.5 lens. This is a very quirky lens when used at large apertures, and will definitely take some learning!
Contax IIa, 50mm/1.5 Zeiss Sonnar lens
Svema Foto 100 film developed in Xtol 1+1 10 minutes @ 20 C
Yesterday the model had to cancel at the last minute, the weather was dull and chilly, but I decided to go to High Park and shoot anyway, and I’m glad I did.
Rolleiflex E3 with 75mm/3.5 Xenotar lens
Tri-X film at E.I. 1000 developed in Diafine 3+3
It has been said by many performers that children are the toughest audience you can have: it is hard to get their attention and even harder to keep it. Last night Janice and I attended the 2014 Toronto edition of Dusk Dances, an outdoor dance festival. Many children were in attendance, and one particular performance (involving synchronized swimming in inflatable wading pools!) really grabbed and kept their attention, as shown in their faces below.
Nikon D7100, 18-200mm Nikkor lens
Post work in Lightroom and Nik Silver Efex Pro 2
My friend Maria and her business partner Agatka have three times now put on a dinner service at The Depanneur here in Toronto. This facility has a kitchen area visible to the eating area and is a great setting for photography! I was able to shoot the buzz of activity in the kitchen and I think for the most part I was able to stay out of the way. 🙂
Nikon D7100, 18-200mm Nikkor lens
Post processed in Lightroom and Nik Efex
Three years ago I worked with Amy Braun as a model, and today I want to congratulate her as a published author! Her urban fantasy story Call From the Grave has just been published on Kindle. I read it last night, and was really impressed (and I have read a lot of Fantasy and Science fiction in my time). I would highly recommend her writing. Well done Amy!
Mamiya 645J, 80mm/2.8 lens
Tri-X at E.I. 1000 developed in Diafine 3+3
Today’s image is another one from Rock, Stock and Barrel’s gig at Irene’s pub in Ottawa. The band’s bass player, always quietly smiling in the background, always rock solid, but never seeking the spotlight.
Nikon D7100, 18-200mm NIkkor lens. Shooting at ISO 8000
Post-processed with Lightroom and Nik Efex software
I had a lot of fun shooting my friend Sue Murphy’s band Rock, Stock and Barrel on Friday night at Irene’s Pub in Ottawa. I was struck by a couple of things: first was the very low light: I had to shoot at ISO 8000, and take a lot of photos to make sure I had an adequate number of keepers. (I made it, barely :-)). The second thing that made an impression was talking to the band: definitely not a bunch of teenagers, the discussion centred around family responsibilities, and how they preferred playing shows that didn’t keep them up past their bedtimes. But once they hit the stage all that was forgotten, and proved (as if it needed proving) that rocking high energy music is not the property of a single demographic.
Nikon D7100, 18-200mm Nikkor lens
Post processing done with Lightroom and Nik Efex
Today’s image is another one from my Doors Open excursion last weekend. This is a meeting room from the Edwardian office building at 10 Adelaide (Canadian Heritage Centre). The room was empty, but still I felt echoes of authority.
Nikon F2, 28mm/2.8 Nikkor lens
Tri-X developed in Xtol 1:1 for 9 minutes
Post processing with Nik Silver Efex Pro 2
My Third Eye 