A couple of days ago on a visit to Guelph to see my good friends Katherine and Rob, I took some portraits of Rob with my Olympus Pen F half-frame camera, shooting on Ilford FP4+. I really like the look of the half-frame negative and medium speed film for portraits of men in the prime of life; the texture of the grain in this film, or Eastman Double-X suit the subject matter.
This image is a view of the lake at the Laurentians home of my friend Michelle. It was taken inside a hut, looking out through a window. To me the window looks suspended is space, and I reminded of the concept of the classic Science Fiction story Light of Other Days, where “slow glass” forces light to take years to pass though it.
Rolleiflex E3, 75mm/3.5 Xenotar lens
Kodak Tmax 400 film developed in Xtol 1+1
The railway bridge in Lethbridge, Alberta is quite iconic, and it was interesting to look at it through a gazebo-shaped look-out at the top of a hill.
Voigtlander Bessa R, 15mm/4.5 Super-Heliar lens
Ilford FP4+ film, developed in Xtol 1+1
Here is another image of my friend Michelle, taken at the Quebec meet-up of friends she hosted. This photograph was made with my 4×5 Speed Graphic, my antique Petzval lens, some amazing light, and an amazing subject 🙂
Recently I was in Alberta for business meetings, and as I was staying over the weekend I had time to do some exploring and drove up to see the Badlands around Drumheller. These formations are called hoodoos; the day brought a bright overcast sky, and combined with a strong backlight the landscape had an alien look to it. While the hoodoos are not as big as one might think (only a few metres), their shape is fascinating.
Rolleiflex 3.5E3, 75mm/3.5 Xenotar lens
Plus-X film developed in RodinalÂ
Today’s image is a portrait of my friend Michelle, who hosted a lovely gathering outside of Montreal a couple of weeks ago. I think the landscape orientation works for this portrait, and I love the expression she has!
Pentax Spotmatic F with Helios 44/2 58mm lens
Rollei Retro 80s film, developed in Rodinal 1+50 for 20 minutes @ 20 C
Toning and diffusion in post
Finally back with a new image! This is my good friend Sylvain; a couple of weeks ago I enjoyed meeting up with him and other good friends just outside Montreal. This image was created with my 4×5 Speed Graphic and 1860’s Petzval lens.
When Sylvain saw the image, he said he thought he looked “serious.” The word that works for me is “thoughtful”; like everyone at the gathering, Sylvain is a person of great depth and creativity; he lives up to the caption on his T-shirt. This lens has a very shallow depth of field, but I think it captures depth of character.
HP5+ developed in D-76 stock solution
Yesterday was a bright sunny day, and I probably should have known better than to go out with Eastman SO-331, a special purpose duplicating film with almost impossible to control contrast. Amidst the soot and whitewash I did get an image that turned out OK, and the fact that this film stock has no anti-halation layer made for some interesting glow effects.
Nikon F4S body, 50mm/3.5 Micro-Nikkor lens
SO-331 stand developed 1 hour in Rodinal 1+150 @ 20 C
Another image from our visit to my cousin Sally’s farm outside Ottawa last weekend.
Rolleiflex E3, 75mm/3.5 Xenotar lens
Tmax 400 film developed in Xtol 1+1 for 9 minutes @ 20 C
I developed another 4×5 sheet of Fuji Provia 100F today, and this image goes back to my shoot with my friends Maria and Conor. I love the muted colours!
Speed Graphic 4×5 camera, 1860’s Brass Petzval lens
My Third Eye 