Yesterday afternoon I was at High Park in Toronto, shooting Rollei 80s film. This film has a very high red sensitivity, and to enhance this sensitivity I shot through a red 25A filter. To my eyes it seems the landscape became transformed, almost magical or alien.
(Pentax K1000 35mm SLR, 28mm/f2.8 SMC Pentax lens, 25A Red filter.
Rollei 80s film developed in Rodinal 1+50 for 14 minutes @ 20 degrees C)
This past weekend I had a shoot on Saturday at Sunnyside Pavilion in Toronto. While waiting for the couple to arrive (and more on them in a future post), I did some shooting of my own. This location has become a bit of a wedding photography factory, so I mainly skulked around the edges and did detail images.
(Canon 7 Rangefinder camera, circa 1961, Soviet Jupiter 8 50mm/f2 lens,
Fomapan 100 film developed in Tmax developer 1:9 for 9 minutes)
I thought this citizen of Toronto had an interesting look, and the Nikon 105mm/2.5 allowed for just the right degree of isolation in the framing.
The last few days I have been trying my Nikkor 85/1.8 lens on my Nikon F2 for street shooting, and I am really liking the this focal length; so many images just seem to present themselves, like today’s image of a dog owner coming back to collect his dog. (I was originally trying to get a shot of the dog alone, but the owner came back just as I was about to shoot).
(Nikon F2 with 85mm/1.8 Nikkor lens, Tri-X film at E.I. 400 developed in Xtol 1:1 for 9 minutes)
Today’s image is of tulips in High Park, Toronto. I took the image using my Rolleicord III Twin-lens Reflex, on Fuji Reala colour negative film. I’ve mentioned before how the Xenar lens on this camera has nice swirlies in the out of focus areas when shot fairly wide open, and I think that effect suited the flowers.
I think today’s image (another one of Jenna in High Park) is the first I’ve posted that was created using a Lensbaby Spark lens. I guess one could call this a piece of neo-primitive technology: the lens has only 2 elements, one fixed aperture, and to focus one pulls the front of the lens back with your fingers, like a built in bellows. What is fun is that by changing the angle of the bellows you can put the focus point anywhere you like.
I am seriously liking the combination of the 105mm/f2.5 Nikkor portrait lens, and Polypan F film (developed in Tmax developer 1:9 for 8.5 minutes at 20 degrees). It seems made for subjects such as the lovely Jenna (taken yesterday in High Park in Toronto)
Today’s image was taken about a week ago; I was at Downsview subway station, waiting to meet someone from whom I was buying some film (and got a great deal on 20 rolls of some medium format Fuji colour negative film!). With me I had my “Baby” Speed Graphic (originally designed to shoot 2 1/4″ x 3 1/4″ sheet film, I was shooting 6 x 7 cm images on 120 roll film, via a film holder from an Mamiya RB 67). It has a 101mm Kodak Ektar lens, which I just love!
Every year at around this time, people flock to High Park in Toronto to see the blooming of the Cherry blossoms. Delicate and lovely, they only last a few days at most. I thought it would be a nice setting for a portrait session with Nina Mason, a teacher and actress with whom I’ve had the pleasure of working with in a few Alexander Showcase Theatre productions. In contrast to the newness of the blossoms, I used some decidedly old technology: a 1950’s era Rolleicord III twin lens reflex camera, loaded with Fuji Reala colour negative film. I like shooting this camera with the Xenar lens fairly open, as I like the way the background and corners blur.
There is no new, there is no old; only timeless.
On a cold January 1st, we went and spent time at the Toronto Zoo. I took along my Speed Graphic 2×3, and guessed at exposure, using the Sunny 16 approach. The Polar bears didn’t seem to be minding the cold.
My Third Eye 