It has been a while; let’s just say the summer has been challenging, and some things have suffered as a result, like my photo blog. I will try to do better.
I was out this afternoon with a lens I have not used in a while: my Lensbaby Sweet35. I love its primitive characteristics, and the way colour seems to wash through the image.
Yesterday I had a shoot with my good friend Adriana. On a cold winter’s day, the best place to get some soft outdoor light without freezing was the greenhouse at Allan Gardens here in Toronto 🙂
Nikon D7100, Lensbaby Composer lens, Double Glass optic
This weekend I had the pleasure of working with Naima, using three cameras (two film, one digital). I’m starting with the digital camera here: my Nikon D7100, using my Lensbaby lens for the selective focus effect. Naima brought intriguing, nuanced expressions to the shoot. Stay tuned for more!
Today’s image comes from last weekend: I had my Lensbaby Composer with the Sweet 35 Optic mounted on my Nikon N90s 35mm SLR (a camera which more than one passerby has mistaken for a DSLR). I was drawn to the contrast of the curved graffiti lines over top of the straight lines of this alley garage door.
Nikon N90s, Lensbaby Composer with Sweet 35 Optic
Film: Rollei Retro 80s, developed in Rodinal 1:50 for 14 minutes.
This past weekend at Doors Open Toronto 2014, one of the buildings I visited was the fascinating Coach House Books, a Toronto printing house that values traditional methods. One of the more interesting pieces of gear is the Heidelberg Offset press. Like me in many respects: Big, bulky, and dating from the 1960’s 🙂
Nikon D7100, Lensbaby Composer with Sweet 35 Optic
I was out shooting at the Beaches yesterday. and one of the lens I was using was the Lensbaby Composer with the Double-Glass optic. The narrow “sweet spot” of focus in the middle results in a miniature effect, to my eyes at least. In actuality I was at least 40 yards away from the gazebo.
Nikon F3 35mm SLR, Lensbaby Composer with Double-Glass optic
Ilford Delta 400 film developed in TMax developer 1:4 for 6.5 minutes @ 20C
Negative scanned and post processed (contrast/vignette) using Nik Efex
I took an awful lot of Fisheye images on film this weekend, so I decided to create a slideshow, with “Bone Garden” by Blood Ruby as the sound track. I think the music fits well.:-) The feeling I get with circular fisheye images is one of peering through a keyhole, glimpsing another world.
All images taken with Nikon F2 35mm SLR,
Lens: Lensbaby Composer with Fisheye Optic.
Films: Rollei Retro 80s, Fomapan 100, Eastman Double X
Post production with Nik Efex
As I mentioned on Facebook yesterday, the Cherry Blossoms in High Park did not have a banner year in 2014, which left a lot of photographers and other visitors desperately looking for colour. A Magnolia tree became an instant magnet, and was surrounded by a crowd. While this image was shot on black and white film, I thought it might be interesting to add a pink tinge in post, to bring back some colour.
Nikon F2, Lensbaby Composer with Fisheye Optic, Rollei Retro 80S film developed in Rodinal 1:50 for 14 minutes @ 20C, Post processed with Nik Silver Efex Pro 2
There were a lot of disappointed photographers in High Park, Toronto today. The blossoming of the cherry blossoms was pretty much a bust this year, due to the very cold/late spring. Luckily there is no shortage of alternate subject matter available. As I continued my fisheye kick, I tried out the LensBaby fisheye optic (mounted in the Composer) on a film camera: my Nikon F2, loaded with Rollei 80s film. On the full frame 35mm I almost get a complete circle. I quite like the result. 🙂
Nikon F2, Lensbaby Muse with Fisheye Optic, shot on Rollei Retro 80s film, developed in Rodinal 1+50 for 14 minutes @ 20C
One effect I like with the Lensbaby Fisheye optic is how it can turn a back alley wall of graffiti into an image that looks like one of the marbles I used to play with as a young boy.
Nikon D7100, Lensbaby Muse with Fisheye optic
My Third Eye 