Instant Tilty, Shifty, Swively, Twisty

Calumet Cambo View Camera Schneinder-Kreuznach Symmar 210mm f5.6 FujiFilm FP-100c - A little experimentation with Tilt, Shift and Swivel.

This 1st shot is was not front or back swivel. Note the Depth of field and focus of the forward rear paw.

On the 2nd shot the the lens plane and film plane are swiveled, again not the focus of the foward rear paw.

Aperture on both shots is the same at f8.0, but you can clearly see the paw on the second image is shot is in sharp focus. Obviously this technique is not revelation to experienced large format photographers, but is is uncharted territory for me. Just another destination on this journey.

Scanned using a HP Scanjet G4050 Scanner and HP Scan Pro Software.

Hey Bulldog exposure no. 10

Kiev 60 Arsat Mir 45mm f3.5 20mm extension tube Fujifilm Reala 100 Arista C41 - This stern looking fellow was a gift from my Mother when I was 10 or so, and it has been a favorite shelf siiter of mine ever since. I believe it was a flea market or auction find, and made the perfect treasure for a young boy.

Shot using single studio strobe shooting through a white umbrella. The Mir 45mm's mild barrel distortion accentuates his regal face nicely. Scanning the series was difficult, the red caused a dominant color shift to cyan in Espon's OEM Scanner software, leaving me unable to get an acceptable color balance. HP's Scan Pro software for my Scanjet G4050 faired better especially on the brighter shots of this series. Out of the 12 exposures for the roll 6 were scanned using the G4050 and 6 using an Epson V500 and Vuescan 9.0.96. This image was scanned using the V500.

A Pinch of Salt

Nikon FE2 Micro-Nikkor 55mm f2.8 Orwo UN54 Caffenol-C-M +20g Iodized Salt - Probably one of the few good uses for Instant coffee is developing film, my adventures with Caffenol continue. This is a variation of the Caffenol-C-M recipe found here. My normal Caffenol-C-M mix is as follow:

Start with 1 Liter of water
Add 54g of Arm and Hammer Washing Soda, Stir until dissolved.
Add 16g of Vitamin C Power, Stir until dissolved.
Add 40g of instant coffee (in this case Original Maxwell House), Stir until dissolved.

I usually let the mix stand for 10 to 15 minutes before use to allow any small are bubbles to escape.
A good starting point for for developing time is 15 minutes at 68℉ for an ISO 100 film, with constant agitation for the 1st minute and then 3 inversions every minute there after.

For this image I added 20g of iodized table salt to the mix to act of a restrainer. This helps reduce base fogging and streaking that can be a problems with the normal Caffenol-C-M mix. The addition of the salt worked well with Orwo UN54 resulting in minimal base fogging and great overall contrast. Shadow detail is also outstanding as you can see.
Scanned with a Minolta Dimage Scan Dual III using Silverfast 6.6.2r5 Software

A Homage to Kodachrome - Dandy Point October 1985

Nikon FE2 Nikkor 50mm f1.4 Kodak Kodachrome 64 - I never shot a great deal of Kodachrome in my youth, it was slow, I was impatient, they two of us did not seem to have a lot in common. I was an avid Pre-E6 Agfachrome shooter, which had similar qualities and higher speed, but was never impressed with it once Agfa switch to an E6 Process film. After that I switched to Ektachrome, then Fujichrome, before moving on to shooting primarily negative films. I did shoot a few rolls of Kodachrome over the years and recently found this perfect example of the Kodachrome "Look." Shot is 1985, it could easily be 1965 or 1955, Kodachome's look was timeless. In hind sight I regret not using it more often and it is a shame it is no longer an option today. One of the sad casualty of the digital era.
Scanned with a Minolta Dimage Scan Dual III using Silverfast 6.6.2r5 Software

Demon in an Eyecup

Kiev 60 Arsat 80mm f2.8 40mm extension tube Rollei Digibase CN 200 Pro Arista C-41 - In my previous post Liquidambar Styraciflua Fruit I notice a sinister face peering back on me from the "Gum ball" at the lower far right while I was scanning the film. Such and evil looking character deserved its on portrait, so I present,,,, A Demon in an Eyecup. This is my first roll of  Rollei Digibase CN 200  and I am truly impressed. The film has great sharpness, nice fine grain and tremendous latitude. Digibase scanned beautifully, with my Epson V500 getting very close to accurate color on the prescan. A test on my HP Scanjet G4050 using Hamrick's Vuescan 9  yielded similar results. Contrast is moderate and held well even when the film was over or under exposed. About the only complaint I have about this film is its excessive curl once dry, making it hard to hold flat for scanning.
Processed by hand using an Arista C-41 Kit and Scanned with an Epson Perfection V500 Photo.

Open Shutter. Full Speed Ahead!

Pentax ME Super Takumar 50mm f1.7 Kodak VR 100 - Set the camera on Bulb, hold it out the window of a moving care and open the shutter for several seconds, this is what you get. This is the frame before my Electric Glass image in the previous post. I was just finding my way in photography in a mid 80's, and thinking back I wish I had focused more. Photography took a back seat to music in those days, little did I know the it would be photography that would end up paying my bills.
Scanned with a Minolta Dimage Scan Dual III.

Electric Glass Co. Phoebus, Virginia

Pentax ME Super Super Takumar 50mm f1.7 Kodak VR 100 - Pulling from the archive on a cold snowy day. This is one of my favorite images, simple with a retro feel. Shot in Phoebus, Va. in 1982 on a nighttime teenage photo safari, the Electric Glass Co. was a lamp and lighting store. A Phoebus landmark for many years, the sign is gone the building is now an art gallery.
Minolta Dimage Scan Dual III.

Liquidambar Styraciflua Fruit

Kiev 60 Arsat 80mm f2.8 20mm extension tube K2 Yellow Filter Efke 25R Adox Adonal 1:50 - My wife brought these home, feeling they would make and interesting subject. Having grown up in Illinois, she has never been exposed the dreaded, foot torturing "Gumballs" of Southeastern United States. They are the fruit of the Liquidambar Styraciflua Tree, better know as the American Sweetgum, and are the Bane of bare feet everywhere in Virginia. "Gumballs" ares slightly smaller than a Golf or Ping Pong Ball and covered with spiked, bird beak like openings. They are sharp, skin piercing sharp. The tender arch area of the bottom of your foot always seems to find them hiding in grass, bringing a sensation similar to stepping on a cluster of upturned needles. I grew up hating these things, but in the end, my wife was right, they did make and interesting subject. Scanned with an Epson V500 Flatbed Scanner.
                                                 

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.

                                                     

Lonely Playground

Beauty Lite III Biokor-S 45mm f1.9 Fujifim Neopan SS 100 Adox Adonal 1:50 - Riverside Park Lynchburg VA., Christmas Day 2012. Scanned with a Minolta Dimage Scan Dual III using Silverfast SE Plus 6.6.2r4a Scanning sofware.

Non-Hazardous Materials

Beauty Lite III Biokor-S 45mm f1.9 FujiFilm Neopan SS 100 Adox Adonal 1:50 - Somehow I suspect this is a misnomer, these materials look more than a little hazardous to me. A few more images from my Christmas "Beauty," I love this impressive little rangefinder. Scanned with a Minolta Dimage Scan Dual III using Silverfast 6.6.2r4a scanning software.

"Beauty" Exposure no. 4

Beauty Lite III Biokor-S 45mm f1.9 FujiFilm Neopan SS 100 Adox Adonal 1:50 - Another frame from my 1st roll shot with they Beauty Lite III. At its best photography can make us look at common objects in a different way, bestow beauty onto the everyday scenes or items. As a photographer I like to explore for the less obvious subject, the ignored element of a site. The camera. film, light and the photographers decisions all play part is celebrating the subject.