Impossible Saves the Day

I went out to photograph my friends Danny and Melissa who are the band "Mink.". I shot mostly with my Nikon Df, and got some images worthy of the effort. But, guess which shot was most favored by Melissa - an instant shot on Impossible Project Color 2.0 film in my Polaroid 600 camera. Here it is:

 

Sometimes, many times, simple is best.

 

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Mink at Jammin Java

I haven't been able to make it to a lot of live music events recently. I did get out on a Tuesday night (!) to see my friends Melissa, Danny, and Rudy of the band Mink play at a local venue, Jammin Java, in Vienna, Virginia.

 

I brought out my new Nikon Df and three prime lenses - 24mm f2.8, 50mm f1.4, and 85mm f1.8.

 

Mink, by Reed A. George

Nikon Df, Nikkor 24mm f2.8 AF-D

iso 5600, f2.8, 1/125 sec.

 

Keeping the camera in Auto-ISO mode, was able to set a relatively fast shutter speed (1/125 sec.) and shoot wide open with any of the three lenses. As you can see, iso 5600 is just no problem at all for the Df. Actually, 12,800 isn't too bad.

 

Melissa and Danny, by Reed A. George

Nikon Df, Nikkor 85mm f1.8 AF-D

iso 2800, f2, 1/125 sec.

 

It felt good to get out and see my old friends, even for a quick set on a weeknight.

 

(Click Here) to find out more about Mink.

 

(Click Here) to find out about Jammin Java.

 

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Dreaming in Monochrom(e) - Mink's Miracle Medicine Show

My friends Rudy, Melissa, and Erik, former members of the band Acoustic Burgoo, came together to play a show under Melissa's new band name, Mink. The show was at Cristina's Cafe in Strasburg, Virginia.

 

(Click Here) to find Cristina's. If you're ever passing through Strasburg, stop in for a "Sexi Mexi Combo!"

 

I shot the show with my "Dreaming in Monochrom(e)" camera, the Leica M4-2, and my new favorite black and white film approach, using Ilford Delta 3200 exposed at iso 1600, and processed by The Darkroom.

(Click Here) to learn about The Darkroom, the best film processing service I've ever used.

 

Melissa Finishing Up the Set List, by Reed A. George

Leica M4-2, Ilford Delta 3200 Film

 

I shot with two lenses, the Zeiss C-Sonnar 50mm f1.5, which is a modern remake of the classic Sonnar design, with the latest materials, technologies, and optical coatings. The second lens was my Leica Summilux 35mm f1.4 version 3, from the 1970s.

 

Mink and Friends, by Reed A. George

Leica M4-2, Ilford Delta 3200 Film

 

This was a very laid back show, which is sometimes nice. I got to hang out with my friends, have some excellent Mexican food, and move around and shoot as much as I liked.

 

Erik Burnham, by Reed A. George

Leica M4-2, Ilford Delta 3200 Film

 

We saw various combinations of the three performers, and when not playing on stage, Erik stayed busy playing off-stage, dancing with our lovely waitress (whose name I didn't get, sorry!).

 

Dance, by Reed A. George

Leica M4-2, Ilford Delta 3200 Film

 

Rudy B. and Erik, by Reed A. George

Leica M4-2, Ilford Delta 3200 Film

 

Erik and Rudy are in another band, The Plank Stompers. You'll see images from my frequent attendance at their shows as well here at DMC-365.blogspot.com. The shot below is from behind them on stage. That's Britt in the audience (with the beard).

 

 

Mink and Friends, by Reed A. George

Leica M4-2, Ilford Delta 3200 Film

Here is a shot that took advantage of the stage lights to play with some internal reflections and unpredictable properties of optics. Chance rather than design, I like how it turned out.

Erik and Rudy, by Reed A. George

Leica M4-2, Ilford Delta 3200 Film

 

I think I have a style for many of my concert images now, at least the ones I want to shoot in monochrome.

 

I'm in the process of testing a new color film (CineStill), to see if it can be an equally satisfying solution for color. I shot two 36 exposure rolls of it last night at a house concert; we'll see how that turns out in a week or so.

 

DMC-365.blogspot.com

 

Dreaming in Monochrom(e). I'm Starting to Like This Look for Live Music

I've been using my Leica M4-2 film camera with Tmax 400 film, pushing it to iso 1600 (+2 stops) for shooting live music lately. I'm really starting to like the high constrast black and white look I'm getting.

 

Here are some shots I took recently at the Bright Box, a wonderful venue in Winchester, Virginia.

 

(Click Here) to learn more about Bright Box.

 

This show happened to be opened by one of my favorites, you may recognize Melissa Wright, now in a band called Mink.

 

Mink, by Reed A. George

 

The headliner band this particular evening was River Whyless, who I can add to my list of must-see-again bands.

 

River Whyless, by Reed A. George

 

The third shot is my favorite from the evening. I love how each band member comes across quite individually, yet makes up a part of the whole. I'm pleased with it.

 

I shot three lenses with my M4-2 on this evening: Leica 35mm f1.4 pre-aspheric Summilux, Zeiss 50mm f1.5 Sonnar-C, and Leica 90mm f2.8 Elmarit. I'm really beginning to like the combination of this very light, easily maneuverable kit and the look of pushed black and white film. Of course, it wouldn't work for everything, but in already harshly-lit stage settings, I think it does just fine.

 

Continuing on the path of learning how I may like the new digital Monochrom rangefinder, I do wonder how it would be to shoot at iso 1600 or even higher and get the wonderful low contrast, high dynamic images that camera is capable of. Maybe I'll have to borrow a Monochrom and see!

 

DMC-365.blogspot.com

 

 

 

My First Experience Shooting in the Studio - Headshots For A Friend

So, one of my friends and favorite local musicians, Melissa Wright, inquired about my interest in shooting headshots for her. Having never done any studio work before, of course I was excited to give it a try. It took a couple of weeks to find a rental studio and get our schedules in sync, but we finally pulled it off.

 

(Click Here) to see all the full resolution images on my site, creativeobjective.com

 

We met at 9:30 on a Saturday morning, at which time I was still fooling with lighting setup. Both a little tense, we jumped right in and started shooting. I think the tension shows in the first shots.

 

Melissa, by Reed A. George

Nikon D700, Nikkor 85mm f1.8 Lens

iso 100, f8, 1/250 sec

 

Melissa, by Reed A. George

Nikon D700, Nikkor 85mm f1.8 Lens

iso 100, f8, 1/250 sec

Melissa, by Reed A. George

Nikon D700, Nikkor 85mm f1.8 Lens

iso 100, f11, 1/250 sec

I've known Melissa for a few years now, so it didn't take long for us both to loosen up. With headshots, by the conventional definition, your main goal is to show a person's face, what they really look like, without cheesy grins or fake expressions. Once we both felt that we had that covered, my goal was to experiment a little, and see if we could capture a range of expressions. As I've read many times, the trick is to get your minds off of being on both sides of a camera, and capture the model in her own mind, thinking of things. I think we did that pretty well. You be the judge.

Melissa, by Reed A. George

Nikon D700, Nikkor 105mm f2.5 AiS Lens

iso 100, f16, 1/250 sec

 

Melissa, by Reed A. George

Nikon D700, Nikkor 85mm f1.8 Lens

iso 100, f9.5, 1/250 sec

Melissa, by Reed A. George

Nikon D700, Nikkor 105mm f2.5 AiS Lens

iso 100, f16, 1/250 sec

Melissa, by Reed A. George

Nikon D700, Nikkor 85mm f1.8 Lens

iso 100, f9.5, 1/250 sec

Melissa, by Reed A. George

Nikon D700, Nikkor 85mm f1.8 Lens

iso 100, f9.5, 1/250 sec

Melissa, by Reed A. George

Nikon D700, Nikkor 50mm AF-D f1.4 Lens

iso 100, f5.6, 1/250 sec

Melissa, by Reed A. George

Nikon D700, Nikkor 50mm AF-D f1.4 Lens

iso 100, f5.6, 1/250 sec

 

Melissa is a very talented singer and strummer of many instruments. Her latest effort is called "Mink."

(Click Here) to see the Mink page on Facebook, and determine when and where you can see Melissa perform.

 

Melissa, by Reed A. George

Nikon D700, Nikkor 50mm AF-D f1.4 Lens

iso 100, f5.6, 1/250 sec

 

As you can see, I chose to shoot with my Nikon D700, 50mm/f1.4, 105mm/f2.5, and 85mm/f1.8 lenses. The studio was set up with multiple backgrounds (we used black and white only), two large light boxes, and a somewhat improvised hair light. It was also setup with a wireless trigger system. It took me a few minutes and tries to get everything right, but once that was done, I could leave it as-is and worry only about composition and getting the right expression. Focus was pretty quick and easy, even with the manual focus 105mm AiS lens. Because there was so much light, setting f5.6-11 for appropriate depth of field worked well.

I took a few shots with my medium format TLR, the Minolta Autocord, but it was really more of an afterthought, far into our session. I haven't gotten those processed yet, but my expectations are not that high. The Nikon really pulled through for me.

 

I found that I really enjoyed shooting this way. It is quite different than my normal shooting experience. I liked having full control of the lighting, and the challenge of capturing who Melissa really is. I'll do more of this as opportunities arise.

 

Thanks, Melissa! I hope the images are useful to you.

 

DMC-365.blogspot.com