A New Mistress, A New Affair

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I think I will be starting a torrid, complicated affair with a new mistress.  Now before I go any further I should say that the mistress in question is a film, Kodak SO-331, a special purpose black and white film that I picked up in a one thousand foot reel.

so 331 test005

SO-331 is a tempestous, challenging and alluring film: very slow speed, but changeable based on lighting/contrast, and very difficult to develop without getting touch much contrast. This is meant to be a high contrast film, so to be successful and show proper tonality, it must be convinced to be something it isn’t.

Like a lover, this film can be coy, difficult and demanding — showing flashes of the magic it can create, while at other times stubbornly refusing to cooperate.

I only have the one bulk roll of this film, and it may be hard to get more, so like many affairs, when it’s over it will be over, but hopefully with many great photographs and memories.

L’Homage Pour Édith Piaf

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Today (the opening night of Man of La Mancha in which I play the Governor and the Innkeeper) seemed like the perfect day to post this image of model Léah, who wanted a portrait that pays tribute to her hero, twentieth century French singer and icon Édith Piaf. I have to admit I didn’t know much about Édith before working with Léah (I had heard La Vie en Rose, but hadn’t made the connection), but in reading about her, listening to her music and watching performances on YouTube I was struck by how this tiny (4 foot 8 inch tall) woman had such a powerful, commanding stage presence, and how her essentially tragic life is transmuted into the emotional intensity of her singing. She literally put everything she had, and everything she was into her performance. As an amateur actor who clearly has so so much to learn, I can really take a lesson from her life and music.

L'Homage Pour Edith Piaf

The Eyes of the Actor

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I took this photo for a production of Man of La Mancha that I am currently in, and shows two of the main characters, Don Quixote (played by Robbie Burko) and Sancho Panza (played by Antonio Olivito). What strikes me are their eyes — it shows how much they have both internalized and become their characters, as well as how much energy they bring to their roles. When I work with models, I try to get them to think like actors: find a story, a reason for a facial expression, etc. In a lot of ways, actors make the best models.

Don Quixote and Sancho Panza

If you’re in the Toronto area, why not come see the show? Show dates are May 4th, 5th, 6th, 10th, 11th, 12th and 13th. (More information and tickets here) I will be playing two roles: “The Governor” (a rather nasty prison gang leader) and “The Innkeeper” (who is actually a rather nice guy).

Hope to see you there!

Something Different

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Something different this time around — tack sharp and in colour, taken with my Contax IIIa rangefinder 50mm Jupiter 8 lens and some 400 speed Fuji color negative film. I was struck by the colours and geometric patterns, as if I stumbled onto a piece of abstract art. Sports Court

Latest in Vintage 35mm Series – Darkroom Drama

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Today’s image is the latest in a series taken with vintage 35mm gear (either my Leica or Contax 35mm rangefinder). This image was taken with my Contax IIIa, and Russian Jupiter 8 52mm lens (Damn it’s sharp!!).

The real drama with this image began with the film development though. I have a number of bulk loaders (so I can save money by buying film in 100 ft. lengths and “rolling my own”). I had thought this film was Fomapan 100, one of my favourite films in medium format. When it is developed, its anti-halation coating is dissolved and turns the developer a cheerful shade of green when it is poured out of the tank. When I started pouring out the developer this time around though, it came out clear, meaning it wasn’t the film I though it was. I immediately stopped pouring out the developer, topped it the tank with water, did some mental math and added 75% more development time.

mEily 35mm008

I dodged a bullet, and everything came out OK. (Perhaps a tad more grain than optimal, but I’ll take it). The sad thing is that the film has no edge markings identifying what brand/type it is, but at least in the future I know how to develop it. 🙂

Part of the Machine

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I don’t think I have posted anything from this session for the “Broken” project yet. It features the tricycle featured in a recent blog post. The way the model worked herself into the tricycle reminded me a bit of Charlin Chaplin in Modern Times, as he seemed to become part of the machine.

From the Broken Project

Out of Its Element

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For years we’ve had an old tricycle in our garage, getting dirtier and more rusty with the passage of time. I took the tricycle out of its element, and shot it in a studio setting, and I quite like how it turned out.

Old Tricycle

Vintage 35mm Portrait #2

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Today’s image is the second in my project of portraiture taken using vintage 35mm equipment. This specific image was taken using an early 1950’s Contax IIIa rangefinder, coupled with a Soviet Jupiter-8 normal lens. The inherent sharpness of this lens was just what I wanted for this look, while still keeping a vintage feel.

Old VInes

Inside the Watercolour

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Today’s image was taken last weekend, when the Cherry blossoms in High Park, Toronto were briefly in bloom. In this image, I was going for a luminous look, like being inside a watercolour painting.

Emily Among the Blossoms

(Nikon F3, Vivitar 70-210mm Series I zoom lens, Fujicolor Colour negative film)

Looking In the Mirror

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Sorry in advance for the introspective post, but I wanted to talk about where my creative energy comes from. This is a post that I have been thinking of writing for some time, but I’ve always hesitated — what would people think? I’ve finally decided to take the risk.

For me, creative work such as photography draws its energy from a lack of emotional equilibrium, either of the present or of the past. When I’m having to deal with something and my thoughts/feelings are jumbled, the work  seems to flow easily. When “life is beautiful” the well of energy and ideas can often dry out.

One motivation or source of creative energy I’m (at the very least) conflicted over is my need for feedback and attention. As an introvert and a loner for much of my life, my art is a way of screaming “I’m here, don’t ignore me!” It provides me with a lot of energy, but it is definitely a two-edged sword.

There’s more, but that’s enough for now.

Adox CMS 20001
Scrollwork Detail in Guild Park
(Leica IIIf, Jupiter 8 lens, Adox CMS 20 film at I.E. 20, Adotech developer)