Rough Around the Edges

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Today’s image is of model Emily Decoteau, wearing an amazing costume she made herself, “reverse-engineered” from an illustration she found. The title “Rough Around the Edges” does not apply to her amazing costume work! I am referring to the process used for this image; the original was taken using a Polaroid Land camera model 455, and the negative was allowed to dry, then scanned. (I also added some toning, along with brightness and contrast in post).  I like the fact the the edges are messy, and that bits and pieces of the paper film pack are still visible; to me, that says this image is real and tangible, you can hold it in your hands, knowing it was a witness to the moment.

Emily - Instant Negative Scan

Something in the Air

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Yesterday I had the pleasure of working with Rebecca Zur, in a park near Yonge St. / St. Clair Ave. in Central Toronto. Twenty minutes before the shoot was to begin, the heavens opened and there was a brief but intense sun-shower. Afterwards, the sun stayed out, and the air remained quite damp and steamy, but the light took on a soft, diffuse and magical quality, which made it perfect for the shoot/ (I was melting in the humidity, but that doesn’t matter :-)) . I shot Polaroid, digital and conventional film for this shoot, and I have chosen one digital and one Polaroid for today’s post, as the looks are quite different, but equally valid.

Rebecca

Rebecca (Polaroid)

Train of Thought

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Today’s image is from another bleached/reclaimed Fuij FC-100C instant print, taken at the Broadview subway station in Toronto. I posted it on flickr as I was going out the door this morning, and didn’t have time to add any description. It quickly got a couple of nice comments, but I think one person made the assumption the look was all done in post. Given the plethora of apps and plug-ins available today to make digital images look like grungy lo-fi analog images, it was not an unreasonable assumption; most viewers would have done the same. I just can’t help but notice the irony of the situation.

Train of Thought

Highs and Lows

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What a week it was; as hinted at in a previous post, it was a technology vs. John week: camera malfunctions, and then a darkroom chemical drama that ruined an important roll of colour negative film. It seemed the entire week was one big Julia Child-esque “Teachable moment.” Time to focus on the highs though: I did get some nice Polaroid negative reclamations, such as this one:

Kensington Market, reclaimed Fuji FP100C instant film negative

and I was very happy with how my video of the vintage 20’s session turned out with Emily:

 

This week? I have two shoots booked, and I am determined to rock them both! I will not be defeated!!

Whatever Doesn’t Kill You . . .

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I have to confess there are times when the thought of just sticking a memory card in a DSLR is appealing; the odds are higher that the camera will “just work.” Recently, the idea of something “just working” in traditional film photography for me seems unrealistic. In the last week, I’ve had to deal with the following:

  • a Polaroid SX-70 camera that only grudgingly spits out images
  • a Rolleicord III Twin Lens Reflex (TLR) camera that won’t stop at frame 1
  • A Yashica TLR whose shutter/film winder mechanism often takes a lot of begging and pleading to function
  • a Polaroid pack camera deciding to jam in the middle of a shoot
  • a Polaroid self-timer not working
  • Polaroid shoots where negatives (and indeed sometimes even the prints!) get smeared, or dry strangely because of the recent heat. Today’s image is an example of that particular issue.

Kensington Polaroids

I still love film cameras, but there are times where it seems like unrequited love (something I’ve experienced more than once, over the course of my life).

I’m not whining, mind you; just the blog equivalent of sighing. I’m fully aware that this is the price I have to pay.

Part of the Brotherhood

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This post isn’t about the image but the interaction. I was on a shoot in Kensington Market yesterday, with the Polaroid around my neck getting plenty of attention. The photographer in the image below walked up with a smile on his face, and a DSLR around his neck. We talk for a bit, and it turns out he has a beautiful Pentacon 6 Medium format camera.

Another film Photographer in Kensington Market

 

(Polaroid Land Camera Model 100, Fuji FP-100C Instant film)

Journey vs. Destination

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Today’s photograph is from a shoot last evening with model/actor Sarah. It was getting dark quickly, but thanks to the 3000 speed instant film (Fuji FP-3000) in my Polaroid Land Camera 455 I was able to get a number of good instant images. If the photo is the destination, then using the Polaroid makes for an interesting journey; Sarah and I were able to review the images as we shot, not as LCD images on the back of a camera, but as a print in our hands, and we both felt that was a crucial difference. Sarah is a perfectionist when it comes to getting her poses and expressions just right, and she certainly did an amazing job!

Sarah Polaroid

Power

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It has been quite awhile since I have seen non-expired colour infrared film available for sale. Black and white is easy to get, though not inexpensive, but not colour, so today I have a faux-infrared image taken with my iPhone using the Hipstamatic application. When I walk to from the bus stop to my office I pass large power lines and towers every day, and I am always struck by the lines and drama.

Power

Anything is Possible

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My stable of instant cameras has grown by one, as I have acquired a first generation Polaroid SX-70 instant camera, dating from about 1972. This camera is a beautiful piece of design and engineering, and it is hard to realize today what an impact it made when it was first announced.  For film, as the original Polaroid film is no longer made the only choice is to use Impossible Project film. It is not the most straightforward film (i.e. the prints must be hidden from light for the first few minutes, and the results can be unpredictable), but it is great that an old classic like the SX-70 can still do what it was meant to do.

First successful image from my SX-70

(My first successful SX-70 image, using Impossible Project color shade film)