Losing My Religion

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Over the last couple of years I have gone from lukewarm Christian to resigned atheist (in a family of Christians), so when it comes to taking pictures with a religious theme I’m sort of conflicted — I like the grand traditions of Christian art, architecture and music (especially the latter, and I don’t mean Christian rock!), but I am now considering it from behind the glass window of non-belief. I took this picture a couple of weeks ago  — I was part of the choir at a wedding in the chapel of Trinity College, University of Tor0nto. the choir stalls are in a raised gallery at the back of the chapel, as as I was early I had time for a few pictures. For me, the image is symbolic: the setting and architecture have beauty, but it is empty.

Trinity Chapel, U of T, Toronto

Strength, Part 3

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Today is the final post on the photo shoot with remarkable model and Cystic Fibrosis survivor Sarah D. In this image I made no attempt at glamour; Sarah’s surgical scars from her double lung transplant are plainly visible; nothing is hidden.

The clock to me symbolizes many things; from what I have read, various treatments have improved life expectancies, from a median of 6 months (U.S., 1959) to over 47 years (Canada, 2007). The clock can also symbolize the patient waiting for suitable donor lungs to be available, as the race against her condition continues.

The final symbolism was quite by accident — after seeing the image, Sarah remarked that the clock was showing a time of about 8 o’clock, and that this was the time of her surgery which saved her life. A striking coincidence, and a testament to the operation that gave her the physical strength (buttressed by her obvious mental strength) to extend the timeline of her remarkable life.

Scars and Time
(Mamiya 645 Pro TL, 80mm f2.8 lens, Tri-X)

Strength, Part 2

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Today another image from the shoot with remarkable model Sarah D. What I like in this photograph is Sarah’s expression; so many images involving female nudity feature expressions that seem to say “I am plaything, I am possession, I am submissive to you.” None of those messages are present in Sarah’s expression: it is an expression of strength, of self-possession, of someone confident in herself and her body. The partial nudity is almost incidental; the facial expression is the key to this image.

Sarah film003

Sarah’s strength is also drawn from her supportive family. In contrast to many nude models who feel they must strive to keep their modelling a secret from family and friends, Sarah is able to be be open about her art; when the first pictures from the shoot were posted her mother posted a nice, supportive comment, and I found this quite touching. I have since learned that other members of her family have also seen the images and have been very complimentary to Sarah, and that brings a smile to my face.

On the Edge

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I like taking pictures of people on public transit here in Toronto, and as I have a long commute to work, I have plenty of opportunity! I take the pictures on the sly most of the time, and an iPhone is perfect for this stealth photography. I also like the look of the various Hipstamatic vintage effects. I don’t know for sure if this woman realized I was taking her picture, but I think she realized on some level that something was going on — her look is unsettling, and fascinating, and I like the random hand forcing its way into the image

Eyes and hand

Strength

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Today’s image is from an amazing photo shoot from earlier today, of model Sarah D. In additional to being a very talented model, horseback rider and dressage instructor (and roller derby player!), Sarah has Cystic Fibrosis and recently received a double lung transplant. She is a very strong and powerful woman, and has incorporated what she has been through (and continues to deal with) into what she is, rather than being dominated or defined by it. I can’t help but ve very impressed by that kind of strength.

This image is a Fuji FP3000B instant film negative scan. I also shot some medium format film, so there will be at least one more post on this topic and remarkable model.

Sarah Polaroid032

A New Approach

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Today’s image is another hand-tint, but unlike all my others, there are no people in the image, and I am making no attempt to be realistic. Ive been thinking of trying more surrealistic hand-tinted prints, and this is my first attempt. I shot the original black and white image of Pompeii last year during our trip to Italy.

neg scanScan-120825-0001

The Colour Purple

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Today’s image is from what was likely the last Kensington Market project involving models and the use of bleached/reclaimed negatives from Fuji FP100C instant film. I love the large swath of purple in the image, and model Caroline’s expression, hair, and choice of wardrobe were great for the setting.

Caroline Elizabeth in Kensington

Suppression of Detail

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Today’s image in a sense has a complicated genesis: the original image was an instant photo, shot on Fuji FP3000B instant film. The negative portion (originally meant to be simply thrown away) was preserved in a delicate and wet state, and carefully dried, resulting in a low contrast negative image. This image was scanned, and brightness/contrast adjustments were made to the scan. The scan was then printed (inverted as a negative) on transparent stock for contact printing using the Van Dyke Brown process. The look is vintage, with the texture of the paper subduing detail.

Emily - van Dyke Brown

Portraits In Kensington

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Today, a video of various portraits taken recently in Kensington Market, Toronto, with Fuji FP100C instant film, using the negatives after bleaching/reclaiming. I love the colours I get from this process!

More Mad Scientist Photography

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Another post with a Polaroid bent today: When the very first Polaroid was introduced in the late 1940’s, the original prints had a sepia-like tone. This was considered a limitation at the time, and later Polaroid black and white films had a more neutral tone balance. Years later, they did introduce films that brought the tones back, but alas those films are long gone. I decided to try using traditional print toner to see what would happen. (Tech details for those so inclined at the ned of this post). The results while not perfect are intriguing, and worth experimenting with a bit more. The next test will be to leave this print out for a few days to see if I get any further tonal change or discolouration.

toned polaroid004

(Fuji FP3000B instant film, toned using Kodak Professional Selenium toner, diluted 10:1. Applied with lint free soft cloth,
allowed to sit for about 60 seconds, then wiped off with lint free soft cloth and rinsed under cool running water.)