Dunn State Park

I took these shots with the Canon AE-1, almost completely wide open, with Portra 160, and the 50mm and 135mm FD lenses. I took two weeks off in between jobs in May, and took a few day trips. This one was at a beautiful little park in Gardner, MA, at the beginning of The Mohawk Trail. I had never seen Dunn State Park before. It has beautiful little hiking trails. The lighting was very diffused from the trees, and quite contrasty. However, mid day still yielded some spectacular results. Landscape does not always have to be shot at f/16. Some of these were at about f/2 or so. Maybe it is a personal preference, but I don’t think everything needs to be at a consistent large depth of field. The lighting, and film speed, made achieving that impossible. So, I made due.

Branch

I love the bokeh of the FD glass. It may not be up to, say, Leica characteristics. But, I like it better than, even, my beloved Nikon Nikkor glass.

Pathway

The cool thing about shooting this way, too, is that you can shoot even at mid day, and get some great colors and contrast. Portra really worked extremely well for this setting.

I think this one was at f/4 or so.

An old photography cliché used to say something to the effect of “f/8, and be there”. Be where? Guessing f/8 likely would have resulted in some blur here. Thrilled with the results. I’m no longer afraid to shoot landscape scenes wide open, when conditions call for it.

Ektar And People

“The best camera is the one you have with you.” -Chase Jarvis

I’d take that a step further, and say that the best film is what you have loaded in your camera. A few weeks back, I loaded up a roll of Ektar 100 into the Canon AE-1, and brought the 28mm, 50mm, and, the 135mm. The 135 ended up seeing the most use on this day, as I came across a 6K benefit road race to raise money for the Worcester Fire Fighters Association. The film was already loaded into the AE-1, with the goal of taking full advantage of the fine grain and colors of this gorgeous emulsion.

Shot at 1/30th of a second, and panning left to right.

In selecting shots for the blog, and to post up on the Flickr groups, it truly was hard to narrow down them down to a favorite, select group. These truly are my favorites. I know the above was taken at 1/30th/sec (Shutter Priority once again to the rescue), but I do believe this next one was taken at 1/60th, as evident by the reduction in motion blur.

Much less behind the runner is thrown out of focus here.

Finally, at the finish line, I decided to match the lens length with a more appropriate 1/125th/sec. It also made for some great results, as after the finish line, no one really seemed to have the strength on a hot summer morning to run any further.

Time to cool down.

Ektar really is not that bad for skin tones, if you maybe reduce your saturation slightly after scanning. Also, if you give it some light, a good amount of it, when you shoot, it really does tend to look much better than underexposing. But, a lot of this is really subjective. Of course, I would have had Portra 160 if I had a choice. but, the best film really IS the one you have with you.

A New Look

In keeping with the visual trends driven by software such as Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom, as well as social media such as Flickr, I have decided to give the blog a virtual makeover. Going forward, this visual theme, with grays and blacks in the background, photographs should not have a more crisp look, with higher contrast. The fonts are also new. This is long overdue, and well worth the wait. Loving the new layout, for now.

Hasselblad Hiatus

Obsessed with Adirondack Chairs.

The Hasselblad 500c/m has had a long rest. Too long. I had not shot with it in maybe a year or so. As I took a couple of weeks off before embarking on a new job, I decided to lug the camera, a couple of magazines loaded up with expired, cold-stored Ektar 100, and the Carl Zeiss 80mm T* up to Mt. Wachusett. The summit was closed, until Memorial Day. However, the ski lodge at the bottom was open, and quiet. There was a lot of still life that lends itself beautifully to the 6X6 square format.

Honda ATV

Interestingly, it was the first time I had shot with the Hasselblad and did not meter with the trusty Gossen Luna Pro F. This time, rather than to lug an extra piece of equipment, I decided to meter using something I already have, my iPhone, and the Pocket Light Meter app. It is spectacular. Not only is it accurate, it allows you to spot meter and preview exposure in real-time, giving you a pretty good idea on how your exposure will look, be it exposed for the highlights, or the shadows. And, it’s free.

Mountain Mascot

The Carl Zeiss glass is spectacular, Insanely sharp, yet dreamy looking, it is like a Lomo look on steroids. Depending on the choice of aperture, it can produce a rich, creamy bokeh, without having to open the aperture all the way. No doubt, in part, due to the crazy large focal plane of the medium format. What also helped here was use of the non metered prism finder, as opposed to use of the waist level finder. It made hand holding steady much easier, and also made focusing a breeze.

Drag The Shutter – Back On The Merry-Go-Round

Canon AE-1, 50mm f/1.4 FD SSC, Kodak Portra 400

I have seen countless definitions of what this phrase has meant over the years in photography. Of course, now, in the digital era, this is a technique few are willing to try, as they have been incorrectly taught that all images need to be “tack sharp”, with no noice or bluriness. By photographing a fast moving image, at a show shutter speed, while panning the camera, you can create a combination of blur and sharpness that conveys movement, and as seen here, on the merry-go-round near Boston Common, pure joy as well.

I love the color contrast here. The slow shutter speed of 1/30th/sec. seems to do something to the saturation.

I used this technique at a road race a few years back, with my Nikon D40. While an unintentional effect, I was reaching into the bag quickly, not even realizing I had the camera set at a slower shutter speed. Expecting total blur, I was pleased to discover the shot captured motion, with that quite pleasing look of blur and sharpness.

Maybe I could have used a faster shutter speed- but I don’t think it would have yielded these results.

I love the way the mother’s smile shines here. The shutter priority mode of the AE-1 is perfect for these types of shots. Mix it up a little. They don’t always need to be tack sharp.

Chinatown

Boston’s Chinatown, near the Theatre District, has some amazing opportunities for street photography. While waiting for a musical to start, I took the AE-1 down the Chinatown streets, near the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), and off of Kneeland Street. Once again, the glass was the 50mm f/1.4 FD SSC, and the film was Portra 400.

Texting

Even shot at box speed, Portra never looks overexposed or washed out in the afternoon sun. I was fearful that might be the case. In fact, at first glance, I thought this might have been 160.

Underexposed at ISO 1600

Of course, Portra really rocks when you take advantage of its wide exposure latitude. Resetting the film speed knob on the AE-1 on the fly is a little painful. But it is well worth the effort and patience. I will take the above shot, at ISO 1600, over any low light scenarios I’ve shot with my D300. Fantastic results, with no pushing or pulling necessary in development.

True High Dynamic Range, Without The Need For HDR Post Processing

I loved the supermarket above as a subject. Closed for Sunday, it made a great test for Portra’s unbelievable shadow detail, and true high dynamic range. If all of the bad HDR photographers want real results, well, just shoot Portra 400. HDR without the wonky color extremes.

One could spend days taking in Chinatown, and what it has to offer. It really is a photographer’s paradise. I really do need to get back there soon.