Tag Archives: Hasselblad 501cm
Using a Dark Orange Filter with the Hasselblad and Fuji Neopan Acros 100 Film
Since I discovered that my Tiffen dark orange filter fits perfectly on my Hasselblad’s Zeiss lens I’ve been experimenting with getting a nice, dark sky effect (without using post-processing). First, you need a deep blue sky to get a dark and dramatic tone. Second, the filter factor seems a bit too extreme for this #21 filter. Most guides have recommended giving 1.5 to 2.5 extra stops of exposure when using this filter. My experiments have shown that one stop is enough to compensate for the filter placed on the end of your lens. For instance, two extra stops on my 8×10 setup seemed overexposed. Over the weekend, I shot a roll of Fuji Neopan Acros 100 film in the Hasselblad. I bracketed my shots and have found that I’m happiest with just one stop of extra exposure when using the filter with Fuji Acros. I developed these in Rodinal 1+50 at 20C for 13.5 minutes.
The midtown sky behind the Chrysler building was a bold and clear blue for this shot and this is the exact effect I was looking for out of a dark orange filter.
The Chrysler Building, NYC, Fuji Neopan Acros 100 Film
The sky was less of a dark blue here and there were wispy clouds framing the building. Still an improved look over a bland, white sky I would normally get with no filter and B&W film.
The Chrysler Building and Lampost, NYC, Fuji Acros 100 Film
The sky surrounding the Untied Nations building on the East River was an intense blue and I waited a bit for the thin clouds to line up with the building. Another good effect.
The United Nations Building, NYC, Fuji Neopan Acros 100 Film
This shot is just me goofing around while deciding if I wanted to walk over to the UN building or not. The orange filter provides a nice contrast boost on the buildings here, but very little darkending of a light blue sky.
Midtown NYC Street at an Angle, Fuji Neopan Acros 100 Film
The bottom line is that I need less extra exposure than the manufacturer suggests and if you want a dramatic sky and properly exposed buildings, it helps to have a nice deep blue sky day. Now I’m just waiting for another fluffy cloud day in the city…
The New York by Gehry Building and Fuji Neopan Acros 100
Yesterday I realized that the Tiffen Orange Filter that I bought for the back of my 8×10 Schneider lens also fits on the Zeiss 80mm f2.8 lens for my Hasselblad. I had the filter in my bag when I was in Lower Manhattan yesterday, so I thought I would try it out on the New York by Gehry Building.
New York by Gehry Building in the Sun, NYC, Fuji Neopan Acros 100 Film (this shot was without a filter)
New York by Gehry Building and Street Light, NYC, Fuji Neopan Acros 100 Film (this shot was with an orange filter)
There’s very little difference, but I’m sure it was because the sun was very bright, which really lightened the blue of the sky. A darker blue sky would have resulted in a much darker sky on the second shot. Anyway, I love the building and especially love these two compositions of it. I’ll go back on another day when the sun is a bit lower in the sky.
These shots were developed in HC 110 Solution H for five minutes at 20C.
The Standard Hotel, NYC, Shot with Hasselblad 501cm on Fuji Neopan Acros 100 Film
One Minute Exposure of The Standard Hotel, NYC, shot with Hasselblad 501cm on Fuji Neopan Acros 100 Film
*clicking on photo will take you to a larger image.
I reunited with an old friend last night. For months, my Hasselblad has sat on a shelf, watching me play with the 8×10. In fact, I have only shot the Hasselblad twice since getting the 8×10 in working order. I’ve been more than a bit obsessed about getting everything right with the larger format, and as a result I had forgotten how much medium format film is the perfect sweet spot for photography. Medium format cameras are super portable and easy to carry around the city, yet MF negatives yield so much more information than 35mm negatives.
Last night when Kate and I were walking to the sub I remarked that my small bag and tiny carbon tripod (compared to my wooden Berlebach tripod for the 8×10) felt like I was carrying a point and shoot in my pocket after dragging around LF gear. But the Hasselblad is no point and shoot. It’s a great camera that takes no time to set up and the results are fantastic.
I had been wanting to take a good 8×10 night shot of the Standard Hotel in the Meatpacking District, but hadn’t really checked out which spots I wanted to shoot from. So rather than drag the 8×10 outfit over there and not find a nice angle, I decided to test it out with the smaller camera. Not too bad for test shots…
And moving just a bit further back I was able to get some nice headlight trails:
The Statndard Hotel, NYC, shot with Hasselblad 501cm on Fuji Neopan Acros 100 Film
*clicking on photo will take you to a larger image.
Oddly, I had to stop and think about developing times for 120 film after being so used to developing sheet film in trays. I developed the Acros 100 in HC 110 Solution B for at 20C for five minutes. I don’t quite have the hang of scanning 120 film with the V700 however. This was the first roll of 120 film I scanned with the new scanner and it was a bit of a pain to align correctly.
Gowanus Canal, Brooklyn Long Exposures with Fuji Neopan Acros 100 Film
Last week I posted some long exposures from a roll of Fuji Neopan Acros 100 and the Hasselblad shot during a night shooting in Gowanus, Brooklyn. Here are a few more from the same roll.
The shots below were developed in Kodak Xtol Developer (stock solution) at 20C for 8 minutes.
Night Long Exposure of Gowanus Canal with Downtown Brooklyn in Background, Fuji Neopan Acros 100
This was a difficult exposure, because the canal itself was so dark and the sky was lit up brightly in the background. I split the difference and chose to properly expose the dark canal.
Long Exposure of Random Office Chair and Street Art by Gowanus Canal, Brooklyn, Fuji Neopan Acros 100 Film
This was an almost 3 minute exposure, because there was very little available light and I really wanted to bring out the detail in the shot.
Long Exposure of Gowanus Canal Boat Sign, Brooklyn, Fuji Neopan Acros 100 Film
“Welcome to the Gowanus Canal, Brooklyn’s Coolet Superfund Site”
You can see the bushes moving about in the wind right behind the boat sign on this shot. If I recall it was a short exposure (30 seconds) because of the strong street light just above it.
Gowanus Long Exposures with Hasselbald and Fuji Neopan Acros 100 Film
On Wednesday night, I met up with good pal Barry Yanowitz in Gowanus for some night time shooting. He had his Rollei loaded with Fujichrome T64 color slide film (of which he gave me a roll and I can’t wait to try out) and I had my Hasselblad loaded with Fuji Neopan Acros 100 black and white film. It was nice to catch up with him and also to discover that the canal waters had receded to their normal levels after Hurricane Sandy’s rude visit. We each shot one roll of film during the evening.
The shots below were developed in Kodak Xtol Developer (stock solution) at 20C for 8 minutes. I’ll post a few more next week.
Coignet Stone Company Building, Gowanus, Brooklyn on Fuji Neopan Acros 100 Film
Gowanus Canal Graffiti with the Williamsburg Savings Bank Tower, Brooklyn on Fuji Neopan Acros 100 Film
National Building on Union Street, Gowanus, Brooklyn on Fuji Neopan Acros 100 Film
Film Photography: Brooklyn Early Morning on Kodak Portra 400
Haven’t shot a lot this week, so here are a few pictures from last week. It’s been so beautiful this Spring. I don’t know why, but every year I’m surprised when the trees start to bloom and then even more surprised to see leaves popping out.
I took these first four shots early in the morning on a walk to meet Kate after her long training run. At this time of the morning, the light is perfect. These were all shot with Hasselblad 501cm on Kodak Portra 400 film.
Looking Straight Down Park Slope Street, Kodak Portra 400
One Hanson Place (The Clocktower), Brooklyn, Kodak Portra 400
My Favorite (or one of my favorite) Bodega, Brooklyn, Kodak Portra 400
Lee Brothers Auto Body and Repair Shop, Carrol Gardens, Kodak Portra 400
This was taken later in the day on the way to the Brooklyn Flea in Fort Greene. This is the Koadk Portra look that I always hope for…
Brooklyn Music School and Playhouse, Kodak Portra 400
Fim Photography: Brooklyn Navy Yard, Admiral’s Row
I took these shots almost two months ago and promptly forgot about them. It’s a shame, because just recently I read that the Brooklyn Navy Yard’s Admiral’s Row was finally turned over to the city and seven of the nine buildings will be bulldozed (if they are not already) to make way for a supermarket. They are in severe disrepair and have been for many years, but it’s a shame to see such beautiful old buildings neglected to the point where they are decaying husks overgrown with weeds and vines.
No one has lived in the houses since the 1970s and the Navy Yard was closed in 1966. Thankfully, the Navy Yard complex itself is home to many industries, artisans, and artists these days. The Navy Yard Museum is a fascinating (and free) museum; definitely worth a weekend visit.
All of these photos were taken with my Hasselblad on Fuji Reala 100 film.
Admiral’s Row, Brooklyn Navy Yard, Fuji Reala 100
Admiral’s Row, Brooklyn Navy Yard, Fuji Reala 100
Admiral’s Row, Brooklyn Navy Yard, Fuji Reala 100
Admiral’s Row, Brooklyn Navy Yard, Fuji Reala 100
Admiral’s Row, Brooklyn Navy Yard, Fuji Reala 100
Admiral’s Row, Brooklyn Navy Yard, Fuji Reala 100
Long Exposures on a Rainy Night: Brooklyn Bridge Edition
Last night I took my Hasselblad and Toyo 45AII to the Brooklyn Bridge. It was cold and rainy, but my new camera bag made it much easier to carry all that gear.
Medium ALICE Pack
I remember using an ALICE (All-Purpose Lightweight Individual Carrying Equipment) pack back in my military days and thought it just might make a good bag to carry my gear in. It’s actually perfect (and super cheap!). I put two lenses in two of the three outside pockets. The other pocket held my focusing loupe, light meter, and flash light. Inside my Toyo 45AII, five film holders, and my Hasselblad 501cm fit perfectly. Now I just need to find a better way to carry my tripod.
The bridge still had a good amount of pedestrian and bike traffic, but the rain held off most of the usual crowd. Using the 4×5 camera on the bridge was interesting. I had a lot of onlookers and people asking questions. I let a German family look through the ground glass and they got a kick out of that.
I developed the film last night in Kodak Xtol Developer 1+1 solution. I haven’t noticed much of a difference between undiluted Xtol solution and a 1+1 solution, so I’ve switched to using the 1+1 to make my developer soltion last twice as long.
Long Exposure of Flowing Traffic on Brooklyn Bridge, Fuji Neopan Acros 100
Long Exposure of Brooklyn Bridge Tower, Fuji Neopan Acros 100
There was a woman walking very slowly with an umbrella, so she did show up as a ghostly image on this exposure. I kind of like it.
Long Exposure of Brooklyn Bridge Tower in Mist, Fuji Neopan Acros 100
Same shot, but without the woman with the umbrella.
Long Exposure of Traffic Flowing on Water Street from the Brooklyn Bridge, Fuji Neopan Acros 100
Film Photography: Bergdorf Goodman Holiday Windows on Kodak Tri-X 400
It’s rare for Kate and I venture up to Midtown. The combination of the crowds, nondescript buildings, traffic, and chain restaurants makes for my least favorite NYC experience. If I only knew Midtown and Times Square, I would never choose to visit or live here. There are exceptions though. Maybe two or three times a year, something will push us north of 23rd Street. Probably my favorite exception is the Bergorf Goodman holiday windows. Sure, you will find gorgeous, imaginative windows at Bloomingdales or Saks, but for an absolute knock-your- socks-off, gasp-inducing session of window gazing, park yourself in front of Bergdorf’s. I know their team must work year-round on these windows and I can’t even imagine the budget. I don’t even want to know.
On Wednesday night, Kate and I met in Midtown, she with her Nikon D90 and me with my Hasselblad and two rolls of Kodak Tri-X 400. For stunning, full-color pictures visit her blog Embarrassment of Riches. Her pictures truly do the displays justice. Mine, however… Let’s just say that a hulking medium format, manual-focus, non-metered camera with B&W 400 speed film is not the proper tool for shooting windows in Midtown during an evening rush hour. But I made the best of it.
Since it was dark, I set my handy pocket light meter to 1600 ISO and decided to push both rolls of Kodak Tri-X to 1600. This allowed me to shoot at a reasonable aperture of f5.6 or f8 with a decent speed of 1/125th a second or 1/60th of a second. Not ideal settings, but not horrible either. The challenge came when I had to stop an average of 23.5 times an exposure while someone popped up in front of me with an iPhone to take their own pictures. I say pictures, not picture, because each person took approximately 47 photos as I waited to take my one shot.
I consider the evening a success, though, because I didn’t yell at, shove, or punch anyone. I did gently nudge one particularly prolific iPhone shooter out of my way once.
These pictures are okay. If I cared to go back, I would go later in the evening with a tripod and a few rolls of Fuji Neopan Acros 100. The shots would be well-framed, longer exposures, of course – a huge improvement over these. But did I mention that it’s in midtown? I’m not going back until next year.
All pictures were taken with Hasselblad 501cm, a Zeiss Planar 80mm f2.8 lens, on Kodak Tri-X 400 pushed to 1600 and developed in a stock solution of Kodak Xtol developer for 8.75 minutes.
Film Photography: St. Michaels Maryland on Fuji Reala 100
Following up on Monday’s post, here are a handful of shots from St. Michaels, Maryland that were taken on a roll of Fuji Reala 100. Reala is a more natural film, but I’m not always happy with the way it renders reds in bright light.
These pictures were taken in the area around the Chesapeake Maritime Museum just off of Talbott Street.
White Boat Tied Up in Harbor, St. Michaels, Maryland, Fuji Reala 100
The Crab Claw Ice Cooler, St. Michaels, Maryland, Fuji Reala 100
Boat in Lift, St. Michaels, Maryland, Fuji Reala 100
Rusting Anchor up Close, St. Michaels, Maryland, Fuji Reala 100
Faded Crab Claw Delivery Trucks, St. Michaels, Maryland, Fuji Reala 100
Little White House, St. Michaels, Maryland, Fuji Reala 100
