Category: Black & White

Portrait of the Artist: Channeling Lovecraft

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My images today are of my friend Leeman Kessler, actor and creator of the Ask Lovecraft video podcast. In this podcast, he portrays author H.P. Lovecraft, reanimated to answer viewer questions. In the photo shoot, I was shooting “behind the scenes” as he recorded an episode. Leeman can certainly channel intensity! I chose three images below:

Channeling Lovecraft 1

Channeling Lovecraft 2

Channeling Lovecraft 3

 

For this shoot I used my Mamiya 645 Pro TL and Rolleiflex E3 medium format cameras, shooting in available light wit with Ilford Delta 3200 film, and Kodak Tri-X film, pushed to EI 3200.

Another from Yonge/Summerhill

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If I ever need to do a Steampunk group shot, I think this would be the location! (The old train station, now a liquor store near Yonge/Summerhill in Toronto.

Under the Bridge

 

Voigtlander Bessa R 35mm rangefinder camera,
35mm/2.5 Voigtlander Color Skopar lens
Svema Foto 200 film, developed in Rodinal 1+25,
5 minutes @ 20 C

The Walkway

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Another image from the old railway station near Yonge/Summerhill in Toronto. I love what the 15mm lens does for scenes like this!

Walkway

 

Leica IIIa, Voigtlander Helios 15mm/4.5 lens,
Tri-X developed in Pyrocat-HD 1+1+100 for 16 minutes @ 20 C

Lines and Curves

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Still getting used to the Voigtlander Helios 15mm f4.5 Superwide angle lens, shot here with my 1930’s vintage Leica IIIa 35mm rangefinder body. I love what it does with the entrance an old train station (now a liquor store) near Yonge and Summerhill in Toronto, taken on a bitterly cold Saturday morning recently.

Old Train Station

 

Leica IIIa, Voigtlander Helios 15mm/4.5 lens
Tri-X, developed in Pyrocat HD 1+1+100, 16 minutes @ 20 C

Commonplace

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An abandoned shopping cart is not that uncommon a sight in a large city, but I liked what the combination of the morning sunshine and the extreme wide-angle perspective did to it.

Grocery Cart

 

Leica IIIa, Voigtlander Helio 15mm/4.5 lens,
Tri-X developed in Pyrocat-HD 1+1+100 for 16 minutes @ 20 C

The Face of Comedy

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I had a fun time shooting Kat Letwin and other performers last evening at Kat’s Solo Combo comedy show at Comedy Bar here in Toronto. A challenging shoot due to low lighting, but I am happy with a lot of the images.

Comedian

 

Nikon D7100, 18-200 Nikkor lens
Shooting at ISO 6400
Post-processing done with Lightroom and Nik Efex

Those Swirl the Days

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I love photo gear that imparts character to images, and this is one area where vintage film gear beats digital. This image was taken with an old Soviet-era Zenit 3M SLR, and a 58mm f2 Helios 44/2 lens. A Russian copy of the Zeiss Biotar lens, when stopped down to a small aperture it is quite sharp, but when used wide open (as it was in this image of my friend and fellow film fanatic Ori) you can get an amazing “Swirl” in the out of focus areas, especially away from the centre of the frame.

Shooting film

Zenit 3M SLR, Helios 44/2 58mm/f2 lens
Tri-X developed in Pyrocat HD 1+1+100,16 minutes

Eyes

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One last image from my recent shoot with Justine. I like mages where faces are partially obscured, and the power of eyes carries the image.

eyes

 

Nikon D7100, 18-200mm Nikkor lens