Today a portrait of my friend and fellow podcaster Mike, taken in a pub using my Pentax ME 35mm camera. I haven’t used this camera much recently but got it out for the April episode of the Classic Camera Revival podcast, where Pentax was the topic of the day. The lens was a 50mm/1.7 and I was shooting wide-open on Tri-X film.
Last Saturday while out as part of one Photowalk, while a couple of us were in a Starbucks another film photographer friend Sean Patenaude walked in. The light coming in through the window was perfect.
Nikon N90s, Helios 44/2 58mm/f2 lens, adapted for Nikon
Kodak TMax 400 film
This past weekend I created some portraits of my friend John Russell in Taylor Creek Park. He noticed some tree trunks had been carved at one end, and so we worked it into some of the images.
Hasseblad 500C/M, 150mm/4 Sonnar lens
Ilford HP5+ film, developed in LegacyPro EcoPro Ascorbic Acid developer
Another image from my shoot last Saturday. This image was taken with my Nikon F4S and the Nikkor 105mm/2.5 lens, which is one of the greatest portrait lenses of all time.
Nikon F4S, 105mm/2.5 Nikkor lens (Pre-AI)
JCH StreetPan 400 developed in Rodinal
Toned in post
As I have said before, I don’t often get to create portraits of children, but this past weekend I had the chance to do so with the daughter of a friend in Calgary. My eight year old subject was engaging and enthusiastic, allowing me into her world, and certainly had an interest in the old camera I was using.
Rolleiflex 3.5E3 (Xenotar lens)
HP5+ film developed in LegacyPro Mic-X developer
Today’s image is of our tour guide in the Chinese Garden in Vancouver last week. It was late afternoon on a very dull day, so I had to shoot wide open at a low (for a Hasselblad) shutter speed. I’m surprised it turned out at all! Given the poor treatment of Asian Canadians in British Columbia (indeed all of Canada) in recent years, it was hard not to feel some shame, in the face of this man’s quiet dignity. He was old enough that he certainly would have experienced some of this first hand.
Hasselblad 500C/M, 80mm/2.8 Planar lens
Rollei RPX400 film
This past Saturday evening I went with photography friend Leon to the Hamilton Supercrawl Street festival to do some street photography. It was a rainy evening, but people were still having fun. The streets were filled with artists selling their creations, and the artisan below saw my Rolleiflex TLR camera and started asking questions about it, so naturally I took the opportunity to create a portrait of a stranger. The Rolleiflex is the perfect ice-breaker in this situation.
Rolleiflex 3.5E3 (Xenotar lens)
HP5+ at EI 800, developed in Legacy Pro EcoPro 1+1 for 14:15
Another image from my recent shoot with my friend Jo-Anne. Intriguing expression in this one.
Hasselblad 500C/M, 150mm/4 Sonnar lens
Kodak Portra 400 film
Last weekend I had a photoshoot with my good friend (and very talented musician and composer) Jo-Anne. While I was using my Hasselblad kit for most of the work I did take some 35mm images using my Nikon N90s and 50mm/1.4 Nikkor lens. I used Rollei RPX 400, pushed to EI 1600 using Tmax developer. I was very happy with the expression I was able to catch.
Recently I bumped into my photographer friend Leon Bonin, near Downtown Camera in Toronto. When it comes to street photography, Leon is absolutely fearless; he will ask anyone if he can take his/her picture, and he gets great results.
From a technical point of view, I am very happy with the combination of HP5+ film (not know for super fine grain) and Perceptol developer. Reasonably tight grain, and nice tonality!
Rolleiflex 3.5E3 (Xenotar lens)
Ilford HP5+ film developed in Perceptol
My Third Eye 