Don’t Let Them See You Sweat

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Yet another image in my Women and Cameras series, but with an interesting story. When I got to the shoot and pulled out my trusty Mamiya, I realized I had brought the wrong finder (the part you look through; the Mamiya is a modular camera and has a number of options). Instead of bringing the eye-level finder I had brought the so-called waist -level finder, that you look down into. The biggest trick with the waist level finder is that the image you focus on is laterally inverted (backwards like a mirror) and this takes some getting use to; when you move to the left, in the finder it looks like you are moving to the right and vice-versa. Also, doing portrait orientation shots is very difficult; turn the camera on its side. and the image you see becomes upside down. I don’t use the waist level finder much, but I got through it somehow, and was very happy with the results I got of model Erikka, holding the Voigtlander Vito B, my father’s old camera, and the first “good” camera I got to learn on.

erikka021

Range and Subtlety

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Today’s image is another in my Women and Camera series, featuring a wonderful model named Fallon. One thing I am doing my best to avoid in this series is an expression I call “the pout.” It seems that a lot of photographers, fashion magazines etc. want their models to look angry, bored, petulant or generally hostile. These are not the expressions I’m going for, and Fallon was amazing in delivering a number of subtle, nuanced expressions that helped the pictures tell a story. Long live the Pout-Free Zone!!

Fallon with Kodak Pony 828

Kodak Retina IIa

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Today’s image is the latest shot from my women and cameras series. The model Bonnie (who was great to work with!) is posing with a Kodak Retina IIa 35 mm camera, built between 1951 to 1954. Built as high-quality precision mechanisms (partly in response to the German Leica’s), the Retina’s chief claim to fame was that it introduced the 135 35mm film cassette, which rapidly became the start format for 35mm film, continuing up to the present day.

This image, like all the others in this series to day, was shot using my Mamiya M645, on Ilford Delta 400 film. This film is definitely becoming my new best friend!! 🙂

Kodak Retina IIa

Not Quite What It Seems?

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If you’ve been on the Queen Elizabeth Expressway (Q.E.W.) , around exit 57 you have probably noticed this shipwreck. It is not quite what it seems. Quite a few years ago, some entrepreneurs took a non-descript boat, and started adding bits and pieces to make it appear like a tall ship of sorts. In the process, the ship was made completely unseaworthy, but that was not as issue; it was meant to be a restaurant/attraction. But then disaster struck in the form of a fire, and for many years the hulk has sat close to shore, an eyesore to some, a landmark to others, but regardless, not quite what it seems. This image is not completely what it seems either; although shot on film, it was heavily post processed with Silver Efex Pro. Given the history of the subject matter, I find this quite ironic.

Shipwreck, Sort of

Hybrid Rocks!

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In the hustle and bustle of Dundas Square, I took  this picture of model Stacy, who is holding an old Zeiss 120 folder. I am continuing to find the analog/digital hybrid approach  quite effective; the Sliver Efex Pro plug-in allows me to get the last bit of tonality I’m looking for from the scanned negative.

Zeiss Folder 2

Another Vintage Process

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Here’s my first attempt at printing with a process called  Van Dyke Brown: similar to the Cyanotype process, but the prints come out a beautiful brown.  It will take some practice to get the paper coating and exposure right, but I  think it will be worth it! 🙂 The image is another one from my Women and Vintage Camera series.

Galina using Van Dyke Brown Process

The Thought Behind the Eyes

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Today’s picture is of a model named Galana; she is posing with my Super Baldina 35mm rangefinder. A very interesting person; we ended up discussing education and when I mentioned that I had a degree in Russian and Chinese history, she asked me “Has there ever been a Communist state?” I’d have to say that all the models I have been shooting for this series have shown a lot of intelligence; the stereotype of the ditzy lightweight and vain model has been completely absent; each model has brains to go with beauty.

Galina

Mirror to the Soul

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Here’s an image from the latest shoot for my Women and Cameras project. My model Amy is holding my Argus A, a 35mm camera from the mid-1930’s, and very important in the history of 35mm photography. What really grabs me about this image though is the eyes: they dominate the picture, and the mood.

Argus A

Boat for Sale

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One of the interesting things we saw on the photo walk in Hamilton Harbour was a large freighter/tanker ship. Apparently, the boat was for sale. I didn’t buy it; it would cut into my camera Gear Acquisition Syndrome budget! It did make for some interesting shots though!

Stern

HMCS Haida

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The HMCS Haida is an old Canadian Warship, no longer in service, but located in Hamilton Harbour as an open museum/tourist attraction. While she is being maintained, I still found a sense of age and decay in various details of the ship, painted over time and time again. Still, a fascinating place to take pictures; more to follow.

Old Plugs