Friday, January 30, 2015

First Shots - 6x17 Panoramic Pinhole - "Reality So Subtle"

Some cameras take a while to figure out. Pinhole cameras are definitely different from everything else I shoot, and require a different frame of mind. That's one of the things I love about shooting them. And then there's panoramic format. I remember when I purchased a Hasselblad Xpan, a camera that I never fell in love with. It took me several rolls to get used to composing in the long panoramic format. I did eventually get comfortable with it, but then moved on to a panoramic 35mm back for my Bronica ETR.
 
Anyway, I digress. The subject of this post is the "Reality So Subtle" 6x17 medium format panoramic pinhole camera that my lovely wife gave me for my birthday. (Click Here) to read my post about the camera.
 
Here are some images from my first two rolls of film through the camera. Remember, there are only four exposures per roll of 120 film, so this hit rate may not be too bad. I shot one roll of Portra 160, another of Portra 400.
 
These first three were shot at Great Falls National Park in Virginia.
 
 
 
This next one came from the new Metro station in Reston, Virginia. It's my favorite of the bunch. There were actually some people walking through as I shot this one; they didn't show up because they were only there for a small fraction of the time the shutter was open.
 
 
So, I'm pretty pleased with this camera overall. That said, I need to use my head to find the right applications for it, and learn to use it just right. And that's not cheap. At four exposures per roll, plus the fact that my favorite film processor, thedarkroom.com, charges $10 extra per roll for panoramic format (!), I figure these cost well over $6 per exposure. That leads me to the conclusion that I'll start shooting black and white film in it for a while, and develop the images myself. That will bring it back to the "reasonable" level of about $1.50 per shot or so. That's less than a Polaroid image.
 
So, wish me luck! More to come.
 
DMC-365.blogspot.com
 
 

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