Tag Archives: Medium Format
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 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
Film Photography: Kodak Xtol Developer 1+1 Dilution
Happy 2012, everyone. One of my informal resolutions for 2012 is to spend/buy less. In that spirit, I’ve started diluting my Xtol developer with one part water instead of using the stock solution. I’ve noticed a little less contrast, but I could probablyneed to develop for another 15 seconds rather than the recommended time.
These are all on Kodak Tri-X 400 in my Hasselblad camera. I have some Fuji Neopan Acros 100 loaded in my 4×5 film holders, so I’ll see how the Xtol 1+1 works with that next time.
Trucks, Dumbo, Brooklyn, Kodak Tri-X 400, Xtol 1+1
Horn Paint, Dumbo, Brooklyn, Kodak Tri-X 400, Xtol 1+1
Overgrown Alley, Dumbo, Brooklyn, Kodak Tri-X 400, Xtol 1+1
Abandoned Chair, Fort Greene, Brooklyn, Kodak Tri-X 400, Xtol 1+1
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
Film Photography: Backstreets of Tiny St. Michaels, MD on Fuji Astia 100 Slide Film
I took a short walk in St. Michaels, Maryland over the Thanksgiving holiday. It’s a beautiful town and I’ve spent most of my time on the river side of things, since that’s where our family lives. But once you cross Talbott Street, it’s a different town. And you can also find some neat things (luckily the anchor was too big for me to carry home) behind the Cheasapeake Maritime Museum if you poke around a little bit. Here are a handful of shots from a roll of Fuji Astia slide film.
I also shot a roll of Fuji Reala that I’ll post on Wednesday.
Red Leaves in the Wind, St. Michaels, Maryland, Fuji Astia 100
Huge Rusting Anchor, St. Michaels, Maryland, Fuji Astia 100
Fading Red Door, St. Michaels, Maryland, Fuji Astia 100
Busted Old House by the Cemetery, St. Michaels, Maryland, Fuji Astia 100
Busted Old House by the Cemetery, Front View, St. Michaels, Maryland, Fuji Astia 100
Shots taken with my Hasselblad 501cm and a Zeiss Planar 80mm f2.8 lens.
Film Photography: Saturday Morning, Kodak Portra 400
Most of the Kodak Portra rolls that I just got back are from a trip to Hudson, NY, but about half a roll was taken here in the city. On a Saturday morning Kate and I went to the Union Square Greenmarket, which is one of my favorite places in Manhattan.
On the way to the Greenmarket, DeMartino’s Fish Market Truck, Park Slope, Brooklyn
Union Square Hotel Sign, Kodak Portra 400
Peppers, Union Square Greenmarket, Kodak Portra 400
Berries, Union Square Greenmarket, Kodak Portra 400
Puddle in Parking Lot, Kodak Portra 400
All images shot with the Hasselblad 501cm and Zeiss Planar 80mm f2.8 lens