Slow Down!

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I’ve been asked recently why I like ambiguity and subtle facial expressions in my portraits, and the reason is simple: we live in a very black/white culture, prone to snap judgments and instant categorizations (good guys/bad guys, cool/uncool, attractive/unattractive, etc.). We are encouraged to make decisions and interpretations of people, situations and issues based on shallow criteria, anything to keep people from actually thinking for themselves.

Ambiguity and subtlety force people to slow down and consider more than one possibility, and this will always be a goal of mine.

Channeling the Mona Lisa

(Mamiya 645 Pro TL, 80mm f2.8 lens, Delta 400 film developed in HC-110 Dilution B)

Images and Music

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Something I’ve wanted to do for a few months now is to combine photographs and music in a slideshow. The photographs are my favourites of female models, taken in 2011. It was an amazing year, tackling this kind of photography for the first time!

Customer in a Coffee Shop

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I took this shot using my Leica IIIb and 50mm Leica Summitar lens. I had stopped into Broadview Expresso, a non-chain coffee shop on Broadview Avenue, not far north of the subway station bearing the same name. I had come in for a coffee, and when I asked if the seat next to his was taken he said go ahead, and started to engage me in conversation. We chatted for a while, and then when I was leaving I decided to ask if I could take his picture (and asking people I don’t know if I can take their pictures is something I rarely do, and definitely need to do more of!). I’m quite happy with how it turned out.

Customer in Broadview Expresso

Not Perfect

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Another image from the 35mm photo shoot outside Massey Hall, this time taken with my Leica IIIb and Russian Jupiter 8 50mm f2 lens. I thought I had ISO 400 film in the camera, but it turned out to be a roll of Polypan, nominally rated at 50, so the film had to be heavily pushed in development, 30 minutes in HC-110 dilution B. A good photogrpahy friend of mine was very helpful in suggesting a development process to salvage the frame. This is unretouched, and is technically certainly not perfect, but it is what I was after – the feel of decades ago; I think it would be less of an image if it were tack sharp and grain-free.

sarah silver unretouched

Being Nimble

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Today’s image is from my first model-related shoot using something other than medium/large format, or digital. This shoot, taken outside Massey Hall in downtown Toronto, was done with two 35mm cameras. The shot below was taken with an Olympus XA, one of the smallest full frame 35mm cameras ever made. Except for a hair-trigger shutter release, this camera is a joy to use. I’ll feature an image taken with the other 35mm camera in a future post.

Sarah Silver

(Olympus XA 35mm rangefinder camera, Ilford Delta 400 film developed in HC-110 dilution B for 7.5 minutes, post production using NIK Silver Efex Pro 2)

There Are Seven Lights

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Today’s image is called “There are Seven Lights” and features model Arnicka holding 5 old, expended flash bulbs.

Unlike the modern electronic flash, these old flash bulbs could only be used once, and then were thrown out, viewed as discardable. Arnika herself has had a difficult life, and has gone through difficult situations in which she was likely regarded as discardable by those around her.

She has however landed on her feet, and is in the process of overcoming challenges and obstacles to make use of her talents. The lights in her eyes show that she is not discardable, and even the spent flash bulbs find a second life as props in the photograph.

There are indeed seven lights.

There are 7 Lights

The Hands

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This image is of Emily, a woman who spent four years in Japan teaching English, and learning to play the koto (pictured in the image). During the shoot, Emily told me of the etiquette and rules about learning to play the koto (e.g. showing proper respect to one’s teacher, NEVER stepping over the instrument, which is played on the floor, etc.). I got the sense from Emily that to play the koto is as much about understanding the Japanese culture, as it is about learning how to play the notes. Emily has a lovely expression in this image, but my favourite part of the image is her hands, and how they are positioned holding the instrument: her right hand in particular shows the grace of a dancer. From the way she is holding the instrument,I get the sense that for Emily the koto is more than an instrument; it is a friend, and a conduit into the mysterious beauty that is Japan.

Emily and Koto #2

All About the Eye

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This is a concept I’ve wanted to shoot for some time. I have this old shutter from a Polaroid camera. I bought it to use on my 4×5 with old lenses that do not have any shutters, but thought that coupled with a cable release it would look great as a monocle. The idea is that the most important photographic gear is one’s eye, brain and heart; everything else is an intermediary.

Shutter Eye029

(Mamiya M645, 80mm f2.8 lens, single strobe through umbrella. Shot using Fomapan 100, developed in Blazinol (Rodinal) 1:50 for 8 minutes)

From Russia With Luck

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In a recent post I mentioned I had picked up a well-used, but still working 1939 vintage Leica IIIb 35mm rangefinder body; it did not come with a lens, and not wanting to shell out or trade for a genuine (read:expensive) Leica lens, I decided to roll the dice and get a Soviet Russian made Jupiter 8 50mm/f2 lens.

The phrase “Soviet craftsmanship” is not heard often, and I knew that buying this lens would be chancy; these lenses are know for having good glass, but shoddy workmanship. I’m happy to report that mine seems to work fine; a sample image from my test roll is below. I have a 50mm f2 Summarit on its way (I had to trade away “the Beast” Pentaax 6×7 to get it), but for now I will enjoy my Russian surprise 🙂

From test roll of Leica IIIb

(Leica IIIb 35mm rangefinder, 50mm f2 Jupiter 8 lens, Ilford HP5+ film, developed in HC-110 dilution H)

Props

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This image is from a recent session with a great model, and features a couple of props. She is using a vintage phone receiver (1940’s vintage perhaps) I picked up for a song, and she brought along a jewelry box. Together with her great pose and expression I think everything works together to tell a story.

Phone Heartache

(Mamiya M645 with 80mm f2.8 lens, single strobe through umbrella. Shot on Fomapan 100, developed in Blazinol, a Rodinal clone 1:50 for 8 minutes)