Tag: Tri-X

Another Backstage Portrait

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I am writing this blog post from the backstage dressing room of The Crucible, as we await the start of our last performance, so I thought another backstage portrait would be an appropriate subject. This is Annie, at fifteen the youngest member of our cast. She is a remarkable, talented young actor who combines wisdom beyond her years with the spirit and enthusiasm of a child; as such she is perfect for the role of Betty Parris.

Annie Backstage

 

(Nikon F2, 50mm/f1.4 Nikkor lens, Tri-X film at E.I. 800, developed in Diafine 3+3)

Interaction

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Another shot from my extended photo walk last Saturday. The man was selling something (some kind of spirituality perhaps), and actually had gotten someone to stop and listen.

Trying to Convince

 

(Nikon F, 105mm f2.5 lens, Tri-X developed in Xtol 1:1)

Frozen Orca’s

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On King Street, east of Dufferin is the remnant of a rail line, likely a spur to service a factory. All that is left now is what you see below. To me, it seemed like a pair of killer whales, frozen in time.

Saturday May 4th002

(Nikon F2, 105mm f2.5 Nikkor lens Tri-x film, developed in xTol 1:1 for 9 minutes)

Finally, back to film!

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It’s been a while, but I finally have a traditional film-based image 🙂

I was out shooting yesterday, with a Nikon F and F2 in downtown Toronto. I’m a sucker for these geometric-based compositions!

Lines and People

Dog-Tired

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It’s been a chilly weekend (by Toronto standards) by that hasn’t gotten in the way of doing some street photography. I saw this man carry a fair sized dog, and managed to pop off a quick image.

Dog-tired

 

(Nikon F2, 50mm f.14 lens, Tri-X at box speed developed in Xtol 1:1 , 9 minutes)

Water Pipes

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I was out recently in downtown Toronto with my Nikon F 35mm SLR, with a 105mm.f2.5 lens attached. This lens is a classic, and is certainly one of my favourites. I was drawn to take this image by the gleaming metal, surrounded by salt and snow.

Water Pipes

(Shot on Tri-X film, box speed, developed in xTol 1:1)

The Eyes Still Have It

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When I take portraits, it’s all about the eyes and expression, and I love the expression worn in this image (taken on the way to PAB 2012)  by Adam Gratrix,  an extremely bright and creative podcaster from Surrey, BC. His energy really come through here I think!

Caught in Mid Gulp

(Pentax ME Super 35mm SLR, 50mm f1.4 lens, Tri-X @ E.I. 1000, developed in Diafine 3+3)

Against the Grain

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Another image from a roll sitting around for sometime waiting to be developed. In this case, a roll of 35mm Tri-X black and white shot late last summer in Toronto with my Nikon F2 (body since sold as part of a gear rationalization, since I have an F3 body as well).

Since this was shot on 35mm high speed film, grain is inevitable, and in comparison to decades ago when photographers would do everything in their power to minimize grain (in part as a response to shooters who didn’t take the 35mm format seriously), many film shooters now don’t mind the grain. It’s a badge of authenticity, and has a special character, especially when compared to digital noise. It is ironic that people spend money on Photo shop plug-ins to recreate this grain. I like the real thing 🙂

Street Performer, Dundas Square, Toronto

When Worlds Collide

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Here is another shot from the Voigtlander/Kathleen session. Shot on film, but then enhanced using the Nik SilverFX Pro 2 plug-in. This plug-in is meant for making digital pictures look like vintage black and white film, but I find that it is also useful for working with scans of pictures shot with real black and white film. Purists may scoff, but at the end of the day, I got the image I was looking for.

Voigtlander 2

Breaking the Rules

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A good rule of thumb is that when shooting a portrait when you have very shallow depth of field, you should make sure the eyes are in focus. This image, taken yesterday during a session with a model for my Women in Camera series, breaks that rule. The camera is in focus, but the model is out of focus. Although this particular image likely will not be the final selection for the series, I do like the effect and the resulting mood of the image, and the model made a great wardrobe choice with the hat, to give me the vintage look I was going for.

Voigtlander 1

I suppose one could say the lens, or “eye” of my Voigtlander Avus folder is in focus so in that sense I’m not cheating 🙂