New55 PN Instant 4X5 - Now Available

New55 FILM: New55 PN Instant 4X5 Film Reviews - Now Available ...: New55 PN film is being made in small quantities and the quality continues to improve. Superb negatives can be seen on flickr, facebook and i...

Impossible Faces no. 5 (Tough Bunny)

Polaroid Macro 5 SLA 1200 Impossible Spectra Black and White Instant Film - Inspired by my Instant Faces post, I decided to do a series of images on artificial faces using Impossible Project's Black and White instant film and my Polaroid Macro 5 1200 instant camera. This is the fifth and final image in a series of capturing faces on various toys and objects around the house, "found" beauty so to speak. This tough bunny has seen better days, but stall has a well worn cuteness.

Scanned using a HP ScanJet G4050 using HP's OEM Software software

Impossible Faces no. 4 (Tenchi)

Polaroid Macro 5 SLA 1200 Impossible Spectra Black and White Instant Film - Inspired by my Instant Faces post, I decided to do a series of images on artificial faces using Impossible Project's Black and White instant film and my Polaroid Macro 5 1200 instant camera. This is the fourth in a series of images capturing faces on various toys and objects around the house, "found" beauty so to speak.

Those of you familiar with the Anime series Tenchi Muyo will recognize the face above as the title character.

Scanned using a HP ScanJet G4050 using HP's OEM Software software

Impossible Faces no. 3 (Ryoko)

Polaroid Macro 5 SLA 1200 Impossible Spectra Black and White Instant Film - Inspired by my Instant Faces post, I decided to do a series of images on artificial faces using Impossible Project's Black and White instant film and my Polaroid Macro 5 1200 instant camera. This is the third in a series of images capturing faces on various toys and objects around the house, "found" beauty so to speak.

Those of you familiar with the Anime series Tenchi Muyo will recognize the face above as the space pirate Ryoko Hakubi.

Scanned using a HP ScanJet G4050 using HP's OEM Software software

The Polaroid Macro 5 SLR 1200

Meet the Polaroid Macro 5 SLR 1200. Definitely one of the odder cameras in my shooting arsenal, this Polaroid Spectra film shooting instant behemoth is a cool niche camera designed for medical and technical photography. The camera has two built in flashes either side of the lens for even illumination and can focus down to .07" or 1.7mm via a turret system if five lenses.

Copyright Polaroid Corporation 

As the name implies the camera is a true SLR (Single Lens Reflex) and framing through the view finder is very accurate. Focus is achieved both visually and by a system of matching light dots projected onto the subject by the camera, when the dots line up, the subject is in focus.

Copyright Polaroid Corporation

My previous posts using the Macro 5 can be found here.

Ivy Guardian

Kiev 60 Arsat 80mm f2.8 Fujifilm Neopan Acros 100 Caffenol-C-M plus Salt - Two columns of Ivy stand guard over this door, with crossed arms barring entrance.

Caffenol always seems to bring a vintage looking tonal range, great for subjects like this.

Scanned with an Epson V500 Photo using Epson's OEM software.

Virginia Creeper

Kiev 60 Arsat 80mm f2.8 Fujifilm Acros 100 Adox Adonal 1:50 - A swarm of Virginia Creeper vines are slowly consuming this building, like a dark spirit in a horror movie.

Meet The Swinger!

Crazy, Hip Swingin' Cool

Hen of Chicks...

Kiev 60 Arsat 80mm f2.8 40mm extension tube Foma Fomapan 400 Adox Adonal 1:25 - A just watered Hen an Chicks plant basking in the mid-day sun. My first experience using Adox Adonal (Rodinal) at 1:25 dilution. Sharpness is great and grain is better than expected. I love the magnifying effect of the water droplets.

Scanned with an Epson V500 Photo using Epson’s OEM Software.

Watch that first step!

Fujifilm GA645Zi Fujinon 55-90 f4.5/6.9 Fujifilm Acros 100 Arista 76 1:1 - A door to nowhere, this one adorns the side of the Academy of Music in downtown Lynchburg VA.. Now a part of Lynchburg Academy of Fine Arts the old theatre has been under active restorations for several years.

Scanned with an Epson V500 Photo using Epson's OEM software.

Deaf Child Area?

Kodak Retina IIIS Schneider Retina-Curtagon 35mm f2.8 Orwo UN54 Arista-76 Stock - I am not making fun on anybody's disability, but is a street really the best place for a Deaf Child Area? Another shot from my first test roll from my newly acquired Retina IIIS.

Scanned with a Minolta Dimage Scan Dual III using Silverfast SE Plus.

Leaves

Kodak Retina IIIS Schneider Retina-Curtagon 35mm f2.8 Orwo UN54 Arista-76 Stock - An abstract of layered trees. The sun backlighting the translucent leaves makes for an interesting effect.

Scanned with a Minolta Dimage Scan Dual III Using SilverFast SE Plus Software.

First Baptist Church Lynchburg Virginia

Kiev 60 Arsat 45mm f3.5 Kodak Tri-X 400 Adox Adonal 1:50 - From Wikipedia "The First Baptist Church, a historic Baptist church located at Lynchburg, Virginia. It is built of hard-pressed red brick on a rough granite foundation. The main facade of the church, facing Eleventh Street, and the two sides are centered with large rose windows framed within Gothic arches covered with hood moldings. Construction began in 1884 and the church was dedicated in 1886. In the 1920s, Lynchburg architect Stanhope S. Johnson designed the complementary Sunday School annex. In 1941, the interior of the sanctuary was modified by Stanhope S. Johnson, with the creation of a divided chancel. It is home to the oldest Baptist congregation of Lynchburg, established in July 1815"

Scanned with and Epson V500 Photo using Epson's OEM software.

Gotham

Kiev 60 Arat 45mm f3.5 Kodak Tri-X Adox Adonal 1:50 - Walking around downtown Lynchburg, Va. reminds me of Gotham City in the old Batman TV show, everything tilts at odd angles and nothing seems to be square. In this image the inherent barrel distortion of the Arsat 45mm accentuates that feeling. I want to return to the doorway and shoot it at night. It has a light inside the stairwell above the top of the arch, giving the entryway a great film noir in the dark.

Scanned with an Epson V500 Photo using Espon's OEM software. 

Instant Gargoyle Human Stew

Polaroid Macro 5 Instant Camera Impossible Project PZ600 Silver Shade UV+ Instant Film - A playfull shot with instant film from the The Impossible Project. I love instant film, as it is the true essence of capturing a moment. Unedited, unfiltered and unmanipulated, it is light captured in media. For some, it is a starting point, but with this series the raw image is what is presented, all flaws intact.
Scanned with an Epson Perfection V500.

                                                     

Hollin's Mill Water Moccasin

Pentax Auto 110 50mm f2.8 Lomography Orca 100 Arista 76 1:1 - Thanks to Lomography Society's new Orca 110 Black and White Film the Pentax Auto 110 has a new life. This was shot at the Hollin's Mill Dam in Lynchburg Virginia's Blackwater Creek Trail. If you look closely you can see a water moccasin hiding among the rocks. A great example of the quality the Pentax Auto 110 was able to achieve from 110 film.

Caffeinated Angel

Minolta Hi-Matic 7s 45mm f1.8 Rokkor P-F Lens FujiFilm NeopanSS 100 Caffenol-C-M - More caffenol experimentation, this time with Fuji NeopanSS. 15 minute development time at 68°F, agitation constant for the first minute and then 3 inversions every 3 minutes there after. I am using water for stop bath and Arista Standard Fixer to fix. Since I am using an acid hardening fixer instead of the recommended Alkaline Fixers from most sites, I may be losing some of the desired staining from the coffee. All in all though, the tone gradation is excellent and the base fogging I am getting seems to a plus. Scanned with a Minolta Dimage Scan Dual III, using Silverfast SE Plus 6.6.

Icy Fingers

Kiev 60 Arsat 250mm f3.5 Fomapan 400 F3.5 - Winter's Ice Fingers show themselves in a Black Walnut tree.

Finally Snow Exposure no. 3 and 4

Kiev 60 Arsat 250mm 3.5 Fomapan 400 Adonal 1:50 - The first snow of 2012 in Lynchburg, Virginia, and my first to use my newly acquired Arsat 250mm f3.5. The lens is a metal and glass monter, but feels good on the bulky Kiev 60. Also my first use of Fomapan 400. As expect the Adonal (Rodinal) plays up the grain. I deliberately shot a little under exposed to avoid blowing out the whit snow.

CAFFENOL!!!

Kiev 6c Arsat 45mm f3.5 Kodak T-Max 400 Caffenol-C-M - Developing film with Instant Coffee?  Somethings you just have to try to believe. I first heard of Caffenol about a year ago and finally got around to trying it. Basic starting points can be found here Caffenol-C-M, recipe. The mix is pretty straight forward:
1 litre water
54 grams washing-soda
16 grams vitamin-C
40 grams coffee
Add the ingredients in the order listed above with constant stirring. Fully dissolve all of one ingredient before adding the next. I mixed with water around 70˚F and all  mixed without much trouble. After adding coffee it is suggested you let the mix stand to 5 minutes to let the bubbles disperse and the coffee fully dissolve. I stirred once more before use. Just a warning the smell is not pleasant, image an full ashtray with a cup of coffee poured into it. I shot the T-Max 400 at 100 as Caffenol-C-M is suggested for medium Fast Films. Development time was 15 minutes, but judging from the density of the negatives, 10 minutes may have been fine, but I and still more than pleases with the results.
For further information check out these sites Caffenol and caffenol.