Film Photography Project and Picturing Wanteete

Image Source: http://www.picturingwanteete.com/project-history/

 

If you know me, you know that I'm a big fan of The Film Photography Project (FPP). (Click Here) to check them out.

 

Well, FPP supported a project called Picturing Wanteete, where Louise Rita Contino moved to a village in Uganda (Wanteete), and shared photography with seventeen of its residents. The cameras she used, all Pentax K1000s, were donated by FPP.

 

(Click Here) to go to the project web page. I would love to see an exhibit of the pictures. Apparently, there was one in NYC earlier this year; I'm not sure if it's still up. But really, I just love the concept.

 

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Mat Marrash Is Spreading the Word - On Film, That Is

I met Mat Marrash at last year's Walking Workshop, sponsored by the Film Photography Project (FPP). FPP is a great bunch of people, and I refer anyone and everyone interested in film photography to check out their site. (Click Here) to do that.

 

Mat was one of the organizers of the workshop, and led the large format aspects, including doing a demonstration of 8x10 instant film photography(!) using Impossible Project film.

 

Anyway, Mat continues to spread the word, and has recently held a film workshop at Midwest Camera Exchange in Columbus, Ohio (my home town). (Click Here) to read a little about that experience.

 

Image Source: http://matmarrash.com/blog/2015/5/28/midwest-photo-exchange-festival-of-film

 

Keep spreading the good word, Mat! The film photography world at large appreciates what you're doing!

 

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Matt Marash's Large Format Photography and Barber Shop Project

Old Style Barber Chair, by Reed A. George

Leica M8, Canon 50mm f1.4 LTM Lens

 

I met Matt Marash at the Film Photography Project's Walking Workshop 2014 in Ohio. He's associated with the project, and one of his areas of interest is large format photography. At the workshop, Matt was shooting 8x10 instant film. Very cool.

 

Matt has a lot going on photographically. His large format photography website is quite nice. Be sure to check out his barber shop project, which is just a great idea for a photography project. (Click Here) to see it.

 

(Click Here) to find out more about the Film Photography Project. If you're interested in film photography, this is the place for you.

 

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I Love Slow Photography - Jim Austin Shares "SloFo" on Film Photography Project Blog

Slow, by Reed A. George

Mamiya Universal Press Camera

 

I love slow photography. Probably my favorite camera for ultra-slow, contemplative photography is the Mamiya Universal Press (MUP). You just don't hurry this camera up. It's big, heavy, and stubborn. It makes me do photography it's way.

 

Jim ("Jimages") Austin has written a nice blog post on the Film Photography Project's blog about slow photography, which he refers to as "SloFo." I'm not sure why we need a new term for it, but I enjoyed Jim's post nonetheless. Jim was shooting in the Bahamas with a selection of Konica, Nikon, and Nikonos film cameras.

 

(Click Here) to read the blog post on the Film Photography Project's page. Be sure to watch the video that's linked to from the text; it shares different pictures than are used in the text. Plus, it's kind of fun to see Jim paddling his boat to shore.

 

If you're a rapid-fire high speed continuous shooter, you owe it to yourself to try some slow photography. Personally, I find it much more rewarding and useful in sharing my creative vision.

 

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Polaroid/Fujifilm FP100C Instant Negatives from the Mamiya Universal Press Camera

I'm still having fun with my Mamiya Universal Press (MUP) camera. Today, I used it to shoot some portraits of my daughter on her birthday using Fujifilm FP100C instant film. Note that pack film is larger than the 6x9 image that the MUP lenses are designed for, hence the vignetting in the corners.

Scanned Instant Print, 14th Birthday, by Reed A. George

MUP, Fujifilm FP100C Film, f5.6, 1/125 sec.

 

 

I was so pleased with some of the images that I decided to figure out how to recover the negatives from the film backing, which you usually throw away.

 

(Click Here) to see a video from the Film Photography Podcast describing how to recover a negative from Fujifilm FP100C instant pack film. Beware that the process uses bleach. Wear gloves and keep a fan on while you work.

 

It was actually pretty easy to do, and the results are quite impressive. Here's a scan of the same negative that was used to make the print above:

 

Scanned Instant Negative, 14th Birthday, by Reed A. George

MUP, Fujifilm FP100C Film, f5.6, 1/125 sec.

 

I think I could have done a better job scanning this negative. The highlights are too high, and the colors are washed out compared to the print.

 

Here is a more impressive comparison, showing the scanned print (left) and negative (right) at 100% magnification.

 

100% Crops (Print on Left, Negative on Right)

 

As you can see, the negative has a lot more detail and sharpness, and grain. Pretty interesting. I could make a 5x7 print from the negative just fine.

 

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Hollywood Activists Do Something RIGHT! Kodak Film Here to Stay!

I'm so glad to read that the director's group in Hollywood, which includes Quentin Tarantino and Martin Scorcese, was able to convince (I'm sure with money as well as influence) Kodak to commit to continuing film supply well into the future.

Cold Shenandoah River, Shot on Kodak C-41 B&W Film

 

I don't know which films are going to persist, but I'm sure that some motion picture films will be useful to us still photographers as well. Good job, guys!

 

(Click Here) to read more on Indywire.

 

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Nice Write Up on the Argus A on the Film Photography Project

I have an Argus A. I usually take it out once a year, for the annual Argus Day, in August. (Click Here) to read about Argus Day. I missed it last year, but will keep it in mind for 2015.

Catching Crayfish, by Reed A. George

Argus A

 

(Click Here) to read a recent post by Robert Dungan on the Film Photography Project's website, about the Argus A. While you're there, visit the FPP store and buy something. They're a great group, and are helping to keep film photography alive and well.

 

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About to Try Ilford HP5 (35mm B&W Film) for a While

Image Source: http://filmphotographyproject.com/store/ilford-hp5-plus-bw-35mm-x-305m-100-ft

 

My friend Charlie has a couple of bulk film loaders. Since a small group of us have been regularly meeting and shooting film for a while now, we decided to start bulk loading our 35mm cassettes. It's actually interesting what's happening with film prices today. Charlie's a Tri-X shooter, so that's where we looked first. We were unable to locate a 100' roll of Tri-X anywhere at a price that would result in any savings over buying by the 36 exposure roll (savings is about the only reason to bulk load, unless you want to tailor the number of exposures you get per roll). HP5 is still reasonably economical.

 

(Click Here) to buy your film from the Film Photography Project.

 

So, we're just about ready to roll (pardon the weak pun).

 

In the past, I've played with pushing Kodak Tmax 400 to 1600. (Click Here) to see how that worked out.

 

I also found a post on the very interesting blog "35 MMC." (Click Here) to read about shooting HP5 at iso 3200. That's a three-stop push, but sure seems to work well.

 

I don't have any experience with HP5, but will soon!

 

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Film Fear-Mongering at Pop Photo?

 

Chinese Actress, by Reed A. George

Rolleiflex T, Kodak Portra 160 Film

 

As you probably know, I love shooting film. I have so far stuck with the big names in film, with few exceptions. Kodak TMax is my choice for black and white film in iso 100 and 400. Ilford Delta 3200 is my favorite fast black and white film (I shoot it at 1600). For color, I shoot mostly Kodak and some Fuji.

While there are some other great films out there, including many to try out at the Film Photography Project's store, I have been content to stick with my favorites.

I recently started to read an article at Pop Photo entitled "12 Films Worth Shooting With Before They're Gone". I thought that maybe they had some information on films that truly are on their way out. As soon as I started the article, I noticed that the first two films listed were my favorites: Portra 400 and TMax 400! Oh, no! Did they know something I didn't? Nope, I don't believe so. Their third listed film is Tri-X, the most beloved of Kodak standards still available. I am pretty sure I would have heard if any public announcement had been made about Tri-X.

Now, I'm not saying it won't happen. We may see the sad day when these films disappear. I'm just not convinced that now is the time to get people worried about it. So, thanks for nothing useful in this case, Pop Photo.

If you feel the need to read this article (as in, if you want to worry unnecessarily), you can
(click here) to see it on Pop Photo's site.

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Grandpa's World War II Agfa Viking

I thought I had written about this a few years back, but it seems I forgot to post it.

Back in December of 2010, my Grandfather gave me his Agfa Viking camera. He picked it up during World War II, during which he was stationed in Japan and the Phillipines. He seems to remember trading a 35mm Japanese camera for it. Who knows what that may have been?

Anyway, once I got it, I saw that the shutter seemed to be working fine, and the lens turned to allow focusing (it's very common for the cell to get locked in place over so many years). Then I found the aspect that threatened to prevent me from using this old jewel - it is designed for 616 film, which is no longer available.

Grandpa's Agfa Viking

 

Undaunted, I hand-fabricated a thin plastic mask that allows 120 film (not as wide as 616) to ride in the correct film plane in the camera. I then modified some 120 spools to fit into the Viking. It's not perfect, and sometimes the spools slip during film transport. I measured out which exposure numbers on the 120 film backing would indicate sufficient travel. I can now use the red window on the back to make sure I've wound the film on far enough to avoid overlapping images.

 

This configuration results in a panoramic aspect ratio. Here are two shots I made in Washington, DC with the Viking:

Success!

 

As I said, it's a little fiddly to use, and frankly I have enough medium format folders that were designed for 120 film that I haven't gone back and used the Viking since that maiden voyage. But, it was great fun challenging myself to be able to shoot it at all. Pretty impressive images, if you ask me.

 

That said, I hope that someday the Film Photography Project (FPP), or someone else, will reintroduce 616 film for us niche camera owners. Probably hoping against hope. I'm not sure how many cameras were sold that used this particular format film. But then again, who would have guessed that FPP would be marketing 620 film? They are!

 

(Click Here) to check out FPP.

 

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Using the Fuji Instax Neo for its Intended Purpose - Party Pics!

I attended the annual holiday party at my place of work this weekend. Here are some images I made with the Fuji Instax Neo (and some snapshots from a photo booth setup at the party).

Party Pics, Fuji Instax Neo

 

I had to purchase some more Instax film, and was very happy to find that the best price available (including Amazon and eBay) was at the Film Photography Project's online store.

 

(Click Here) to visit the Film Photography Project (FPP) for all of your film ordering needs. These guys are great, and will take good care of you. Just to be clear, I have no financial or commercial interest in FPP; I just plain like them.

 

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Low Tech Wonders - A Little Fun with the FPP Debonair

Sometimes I just want to have a little photographic fun. I want to drop all pretense and concern about the technical aspects of photography, and shoot. I suppose I still (kind of) think about composition, but that's about all I control when I shoot my "Debonair" 6x4.5 medium format toy camera from the Film Photography Project (FPP).

 

(Click Here) to check out the awesome Debonair, a <$20 real film real toy camera on the FPP website.

 

Here are some shots I took on an outing to a local farm to pick strawberries with my family last year (it took a while to finish the roll and send it off to The Darkroom).

 

All of these were shot on expired Konica Centurian film, which judging by the name should be good for 100 years, right? I love the vignetting you get with the cheap plastic lens. It's actually kind of sharp in the center, but that falls away very quickly. Theses are pretty much out-of-camera scans, with only cropping in Lightroom.

 

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Film Photography Project (FPP) Giveaway - My Sigma 400mm f5.6

 

 

I attended the FPP Walking Workshop back in May, and won two great pieces of gear in the giveaway - a Nikkormat FT3 and a Sigma pre-AI 400mm f5.6 telephoto lens. Of course I had to try this big old lens, so I mounted it on my plain prism Nikon F body and took it on the FPP walk to a local military commemorative event. Here are two examples of what I got.

 

At first, this young guy wasn't sure about having a 400 mm lens pointed in his direction. Than he settled down and had some fun "shooting" the 50 caliber machine gun on this vehicle.

 

Rat-a-tat-tat!, by Reed A. George

Nikon F Film SLR, Sigma 400mm f5.6 Pre-AI Lens

 

I was pleasantly surprised by the sharpness of this old lens. Shooting iso 400 film, I was able to keep the shutter speed up at 1/1000 of a second, which allowed me to handhold the lens. The lens is a little low in contrast, but I find the result quite nice. Thanks, FPP!

 

(Click Here) to learn more about the FPP.

 

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Fujifilm Instax Mini 90 Neo - Modern, Instant, Analog - My New Toy on the 4th of July

Image Source: http://www.fujifilm.com/products/instant_photo/cameras/instax_mini_90/

 

When I attended the Film Photography Project (FPP) Walking Workshop several weeks back, I sort of got re-energized about instant film photography.

 

(Click Here) to read about FPP. Support them - they're keeping film alive and available for us all, with the help of us all.

 

One of the many nice people I met there at the workshop had a Fujifilm Instax Mini 90 Neo camera, the one shown above (and available from Amazon with the link below - please buy yours with the link!). This camera uses the newer Fuji Instax Mini film, which I hope will be around for a very long time. It produces prints that are about the size of a 6x9 medium format image. They seem to scan pretty well.

 

While most of the Instax cameras are completely automatic and not controllable to a large extent, the Neo has several features for more involved photographers. For example, it as a B setting for time exposures, for example. The following shots show you how I used the B setting to photograph our family fireworks on the 4th of July.

 

In B setting, the Neo has a maximum exposure time of 10 seconds. That proved to be plenty, since Instax film has a speed of iso 800. I also used an external flash to light up my daughter while the shutter was open.

 

 

In the shot above, a car drove by during exposure, leaving the horizontal streaks.

Areas with severe overexposure take on a crazy look, as shown above. I like it.

This shot is my favorite of the bunch.

 

I'll continue to explore the Fuji Neo in coming posts. It's a lot of fun for the money (~$150). In addition to the cool functional features, the Neo is styled after other Fujifilm cameras, and looks like a slightly mis-shapen X100.

 

So, join the modern world of analog instant photography! Buy your Neo and film with the Amazon link below.

 

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Huey Copter Pilot Portrait - Agfa Record III Medium Format Folder, FPP Walking Workshop

Mr. Don Nelson, by Reed A. George

Agfa Record III, Kodak Tri-X Film

This is Don Nelson, who flew this exact Huey copter in Vietnam in 1968, including having to put it down in a rice paddy in an emergency. Mr. Nelson was part of the military event going on in Findlay on the day of the Film Photography Project (FPP) Walking Workshop, and had just that day given his 40-something daughter her first ride in the copter. I shot this with my Agfa Record III medium format (6x9 on 120 film) folding camera, on the Tri-X that came in my FPP goodie bag for the event!

Great memories all the way around! Thanks FPP, for a great event!

 

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Need a Manual for that Old Camera? butkus.org is the Answer!

Image Source: http://imaging.nikon.com/lineup/filmcamera/slr/nikomat_ft3/

 

 

This morning, I loaded up my first roll of film in the Nikkormat FT3 I won in the Film Photography Project (FPP) Walking Workshop last weekend. When I went to set the film speed, I realized that the indicator didn't want to move. I couldn't remember how to unlock it, but was at least smart enough to not force it.

 

What to do? Needless to say, it didn't come with a manual. Simple. There's an incredible resource of scanned manuals for cameras and accessories online at butkus.org

 

(Click Here) to go to butkus.org if you need a manual for (nearly) any old camera.

 

I found the complete Nikkormat FT3 manual there, just as I expected.

 

Whenever I find a manual and download it, I donate (~$3-5) to the site. It's easy, with a Paypal button right there. There's also a mailing address, if you want to send a check.

 

By the way, while the FT3 is simply described as "AI version of the Nikkormat FT2 (1975)" on the Nikon website, I've come to realize that it's truly the best Nikkormat (Nikomat) model for me, as it happily accepts AI lenses, and like the new digital Nikon Df, has the option of flipping the AI lever out of the way so that you can mount and use non-AI lenses. When you do this, you have to use stop-down metering, but hey, that's a small compromise. So, the FT3 is a wonderful camera to always have in your bag as a backup when shooting Nikon film SLRs, no matter which model is your primary or which manual focus lenses you're carrying.

 

Now to see if I can make any interesting images with it!

 

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Film Latitude - Mike B Reports on Overexposing by Seven Stops!

"Humber Light" - Bronica ETRs - Zenzanon 75mm ƒ/2.8 @ ƒ/11 1/8s

Image Source: http://blia-yof.blogspot.com/

 

I found this image and related post on Mike B's "A Year on Film" blog. In this post, Mike writes about the incredible latitude of film, in this case Rollei IR400 IR film. While this shot above was exposed, I would say, perfectly, Mike shares an image that was overexposed by seven full stops, and still rescued. Yes, you can tell it was overexposed, but there's quite a lot of image information there.

 

(Click Here) to read Mike B's post.

 

I like a lot of things about this post. First, I'm intrigued by Mike's blog in that he is part of a "52 Rolls of Film" project, which equates to one roll per week for an entire year. I could do that. So far in 2014, I'm averaging about twice that rate. Second, Mike writes about how his digital cameras are taking the backseat to film cameras. He writes that he no longer buys film cameras, but his collection continues to grow through gifts from others. Having just returned from a trip to Ohio where I won a new Nikkormat FT3 at the Film Photography Project (FPP) Walking Workshop, and received a wonderful Konica FC-1 film SLR from my uncle, I can appreciate that. Finally, I like that Mike is using the Bronica ETRS. I have a full ETRS kit (including the 35mm panoramic back) that has not been out in ages. I must fix that.

 

Be sure to check out the FPP website if you're into film by (Clicking Here).

 

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Super Quick, Super Positive Post about Film Photography Project (FPP) Walking Workshop!

I attended the FPP Walking Workshop in Findlay, Ohio today. Twelve hours of photographic fun, discussion, and practice. We got to sit in on recording a session of the FPP podcast, had two separate amazing equipment raffles, had two walking tours, opportunity to develop our own films, an instant photography extravaganza (with everything from small Instax images to 8x10 Impossible Project film!), and much more... All for the amazing price of ZERO DOLLARS!

 

(Click Here) to check out FPP. Listen to their podcast. Importantly, buy your film from them; they match or beat the big stores' prices.

 

Here's part of what I won in the first raffle, a Nikkormat FT3 body and 50mm f2 AI lens. The FT3 is unique in the Nikkormat line, in that it supports the use of AI lenses; earlier models are for pre-AI lenses.

 

Raffle Prize!

 

This lens is somewhat interesting. Only marketed for a couple of years, it is unique in the Nikon line in that it has six aperture blades. Most (all?) other Nikkors have an odd number of blades. This six-bladed model produces a characteristic star pattern when used to shoot bright points of light. I'll demonstrate this when I get a chance.

 

For now, I'd like to say thanks to all the FPPers who made the event a lot of fun!

 

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Preparing to Travel to the Film Photography Project (FPP) Walking Workshop!

Image Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nikon_F

 

I've had a crazy busy week, between too many simultaneous efforts at work, and my wife being out of town. I don't know how you single parents do it. Hats off to you.

 

Anyway, my daughter and I are headed out to Columbus, Ohio, tomorrow (5/17/2014, remember my delay in posting). She'll visit with family on Saturday, while I drive up to Findlay to take part in the FPP Walking Workshop. I'm really looking forward to it.

 

Here's what I've packed in camera gear: Nikon F (plain prism and waist level finder), Nikon F2, Nikkor 28mm f3.5, 50mm f1.4, and 135mm f3.5 pre-AI lenses, Agfa Record III 6x9 medium format folding camera, Leica CL and Rokkor 40mm f2 lens. Mini flash (Nikon SB30), light meter. Seems like an awful lot for one day of workshop, but what the heck. It's a film camera workshop, after all.

 

I'll be in Findlay by 10AM on Saturday, and will spend the night, heading back to Columbus very early Sunday morning to spend some time with my Mom, my 94 year old grandfather, and lots of other family. Sunday night, we'll be back on the plane headed to Dulles.

 

I hope to have plenty of nice film images to share in a week or two! I'm carrying my prepaid mailer for The Darkroom, so I can send my film off for processing directly from Ohio, avoiding one trip through airport security.

 

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I'll Be Adding This to my Photo T-Shirt Wardrobe

Image Source: http://filmphotographyproject.com/store/fpp-t-shirt-k1000

 

The Film Photography Project has issued their first t-shirt, with the venerable Pentax K1000 on it! I'll be buying one of these.

 

(Click Here) to see it on the FPP site.

 

I've already got several classic camera Ts from Dodge & Burn. (Click Here) to check them out.

 

Yes, I'm a camera geek. No need to try and hide it any more.

 

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