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)

Hacking the Process, Part 2

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In a recent post, I showed an example of what could be done with the negative from Fuji’s instant black and white film (FP-3000C), once allowed to dry and then scanned. Today, another example of hacking the process: it is possible to take the negative from Fuji’s colour instant film (FPC-100) and carefully wash the black backing off with bleach, and then wash the developer off with plain water. You are left with a transparent negative that can be scanned as a colour negative (albeit requiring a lot of colour correct in the post work). I love the results, and the messy borders add to the character of the image, in my opinion. I am also struck by the sharpness of this approach, compared to the scan of the original print, which seems soft to me. Expect to see more bleached negatives in the very near future!

My first attempt at bleaching/cleaning a Fuji FP-100c negative

(Classic car in Kensington Market, taken with Polaroid Land Camera model 100)

Making Connections

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I was out with my Polaroid camera today, and on three different occasions I was stopped by a smiling passerby, asking questions about the camera: how old it was, where do I get film, etc. It was like being out walking one’s dog, as a means for initiating conversations with strangers (and as an introvert, I often find this very difficult to do!). I have also gotten the same reaction when out with a Rolleicord Twins Lens Reflex.

If a goal of photography is connecting with people, then these vintage cameras help me fulfill that goal!

Busker
(Street busker shot in Kensington Market 22 July, 2012, Polaroid 100 Land camera, Fuji FP-100C instant colour film)

Old Friends Ken and Bryon

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I posted a Polaroid from this shoot a few days ago, but I think today’s image (shot on a Rolleicord twin lens reflex camera) will be the “official” image for the “Old Friends” series. For me, this image captures the total ease in each other’s company, which is one of the hallmarks of a true friendship.

Old Friends Ken and Bryon

A Camera that Plays Mind Games

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Today’s image in Kensington Market was taken with my Yashica Mat LM 120 format Twin Lens Reflex camera. On one hand it was quite inexpensive, and has an amazing lens. On the other hand, the shutter/film advance mechanism is balky, so that the film advance often sticks until I jiggle the camera or mutter incantations. This is the one camera I have where keeping a headless chicken in the camera bag (to wave in front of the stuck film advance; when all else fails there is always voodoo).

I swear that in a past life this camera was a cat (Will I work? Yes. No. Yes. No. ….)

A Foursquare location?