Tag Archives: Night
Madison Square Park Shake Shack at Night Shot on 8×10 Fuji HR-T X-Ray Film w/ Eastman View Camera No. 2D
Madison Square Park Shake Shack at Night, NYC, 8×10 Fuji HR-T X-Ray Sheet Film
You can click the photo for a larger version. And you will notice the scratches on the film. That’s a big downfall with this film, but I think I can get better/be more careful.
Yestereday I posted this same scene shot on Kodak Tri-X 320. The Tri-X shot was pretty much exactly how I wanted it. The Fuji HR-T X-Ray shot is also acceptable, but the highlights are a bit blown out and the dark trees on the left have less shadow detail. This was also not a fair comparison (nor was it really meant to be), because I shot the above x-ray photograph at f11 and tray developed it in Rodinol 1:100 for 6 minutes 30 seconds. I developed the Kodak Tri-X negative in Kodak HC11o Developer.
If I had to do this shot over, I would develop it for less time to control the highlights. That said, I continue to be impressed by the Fuji HR-T X-Ray film. The metered time was 30 seconds, but I doubled the time to a full minute considering reciprocity failure. If you want to read more about this x-ray film, I posted my first impressions last week.
Film Photography: Prospect Park and Park Slope Long Exposures on Fuji Neopan Acros 100
A break in the rain on Thursday night allowed me to head out to Prospect Park with a tripod for some long exposures. Most of these exposures were between 30 and 60 seconds at an aperture of f11 or f16 as metered by my Digisix light meter.
This roll was shot with Hasselblad 501cm on Fuji Neopan Acros 100 and developed in Kodak Xtol Developer at 21C for 7.5 minutes.
Burst of Light at Night in Prospect Park Lighting a Bench, Prospect Park, Brooklyn, Fuji Neopan Acros 100
Tree and Prospect Park Lake at Night, Prospect Park, Brooklyn, Fuji Neopan Acros 100
I didn’t realize how much that duck was moving around right by the shore. He looks a little scary.
Fallen Tree in Prospect Lake at Night, Prospect Park, Brooklyn, Fuji Neopan Acros 100
Had a couple of fidgety ducks in this shot too.
Tree and Moving Clouds at Night, Prospect Park, Brooklyn, Fuji Neopan Acros 100
The clouds were moving pretty fast after the storm, so I knew this shot would be kind of cool.
Grand Army Plaza Arch at Night, Prospect Park, Brooklyn, Fuji Neopan Acros 100
I took another shot from this spot with traffic lights streaming, but I don’t think the lights look as cool in B&W.
Grand Army Plaza Fountain at Night, Prospect Park, Brooklyn, Fuji Neopan Acros 100
Playing with water during a 30 second exposure…
Four Seasons Cleaners on Flatbush Avenue at Night, Park Slope, Brooklyn, Fuji Neopan Acros 100
Bark Hot Dogs at Night, Park Slope, Brooklyn, Fuji Neopan Acros 100
People moving around during this 15 second shot.
Firo Grocery Bodega on St. Marks and 3rd Avenue at Night, Gowanus, Brooklyn, Fuji Neoapn Acros 100
This is one of my most photographed bodegas, sorry if it’s getting a little repetitive.
Man at ATM of Paul’s Grocery and Fruits on 5th Avenue, Park Slope, Brooklyn, Fuji Neopan Acros 100
Loved the idea of capturing this man’s movements at the ATM during a 3 second exposure.
Film Photography: Long Exposures with Fuji Neopan Acros 100
I’ve had a tripod for ages and, until this weekend, have only used it twice. Despite the bulk and weight of my Hasselblad, I shoot handheld comfortably to speeds of 1/60 of a second and use a 400 speed film to get dusk shots.
For months though, I’ve been admiring the night work of a few Flickr contacts (Daniel Regner, Andrew Mangum, Bryan Vana, and Michael Wriston). With every new night photo of theirs I hit the Favorite button and marvel over that little extra something that a long exposure photo at night possesses. Their night photos are full of mystery and possibility. It’s as if time has stopped and anything (or absolutely nothing) can happen in that frame. And frankly, they also make it look like fun. Often someone else will be there capturing a shot of the photographer taking the shot; this behind the scenes photo will sometimes show up in the comment section.
Inspired by these intrepid nighthawks, Saturday night I loaded up my Hasselblad with Fuji Neopan Acros 100* and grabbed my tripod. I had a cable release (unused until then) in my camera bag already, so with camera, film, light meter, tripod, cable release, and watch I was ready to tackle long exposures.
I walked down to Brooklyn Bridge Park, set up my gear, and realized it’s really not that much work to do long exposures. I set the lens on the Hasselblad to Bulb setting, took a meter reading (between 2 and 3 EV), calculated a 30 second exposure at the tick between F11 and f16 and then hit the plunger of the cable release. I hadn’t brought a flashlight so my watch was useless. Luckily, I had my cell phone, which has a timer function on its clock app.
For my first experience with long exposures, I’m pretty happy with the results. These were developed in Kodak Xtol at 22C for 6.5 minutes.
Brooklyn Bridge, 3o Second Exposure, Fuji Neopan Acros 100
Mercedes at Night in Dumbo, 12 Second Exposure, Fuji Neopan Acros 100
Empire State Building, 30 Second Exposure, Fuji Neopan Acros 100
Watchtower Sign and Clouds, 30 Second Exposure, Fuji Neopan Acros 100
One World Trade Center Building Rising in Lower Manhattan, 30 Second Exposure, Fuji Neopan Acros 100
WTC Tribute Lights on 9/11/11, 30 Second Exposure, Fuji Neopan Acros 100
*I chose Fuji Neopan Acros 100 to use because it has no reciprocity failure until 120 seconds.
Film Photography: B&W Paris at Night
When I started thinking about what film to take for our trip, I immediately thought about my standard B&W film – Kodak Tri-X 400. I knew exactly what it would look like at night and I wanted those strong, ink-black images. Maybe I was looking at too much Brassai or something.
The weird thing is that I shot mostly color on this trip. We were blessed with perfect weather all four days and Paris really seemed better in color. I used Portra 160 NC or Portra 400 depending on the brightness and time of day. On two nights though, I loaded B&W film into the Nikon FM2n and took several pictures. Then I’d wake up the next morning with a bright sky and a yearning to shoot color. And of course there was still B&W Tri-X 400 rated at 1600 ISO in my camera. I probably should have taken a second Nikon body, but I didn’t want to drag around three cameras. What I ended up doing was quickly firing off some random shots on the way to our destination to use up the rest of the B&W and then popped in a color roll. I don’t normally do this, but we only had a long weekend.
That’s one of the limitations of film, you’re stuck with shooting what you have in your camera at the time. Digital does makes it so much easier, but then again digital will never look like this.
A Dark Corner, Paris
Series of Arched Doorways, Paris
A Waiter Smoking on Place Saint-Germain-des-Pres
I was really more interested in the corner of the building in the light than the waiter, but he wouldn’t leave.
Saint-Germain-des-Pres Metro Sign at Night, Paris
The Seine River at Night, Paris
Paris Street at Dusk
Busy Sidewalk and Paris Metro Sign at Night
I took a lot of pictures of Metro signs. I mean a lot. What the hell was I thinking?
All images were developed at home in Kodak Xtol Developer for 9.5 minutes.
Short Relationship with the Voigtlander Nokton 50mm f1.1 Leica M Mount Lens
Since I rarely used my Nikon 85mm f1.4 lens or my Nikon D90, I decided to trade it in for something I had been lusting for…
It’s a Voigtlander Nokton 50mm f1.1 lens for the Leica M mount camera. I’m kind of a sucker for fast lenses, since I shoot in low light and hate to use flash. On the surface it gives you exactly what you would ask for – slightly more than an extra stop over an f2 lens. But it also gives you incredible bulk and weight on a camera system that’s supposed to be light and nimble.
All of these images are shot on Kodak Tri-X 400 film pushed to 1600 ISO and developed at home in Kodak D-76 (stock solution) for 9.5 minutes. The Nokton allowed me to use a little faster shutter speed than an f2 or f1.4 lens, but not really enough to justify the extra bulk. Most of these images are fine.
Jim Campbell’s “Scattered Lights” in Madison Square Park
Empire State Building from 17th and Broadway
Empire State Building and Tree
Night Foosball in Herald Square
Victoria Secret Window
Paying for Water
Ultimately, here’s why I decided to part with this lens. Sure, it’s heavy and bulky, but I absolutely hated the distorted lights in the corners. I know it’s a lot to ask of a lens not to give you these seagull looking lights in the corners, but I noticed these on two night time rolls with this lens.
There’s a happy ending though, the Voigtlander got traded in for a 1982 Nikon FM2n SLR with a Nikon 50mm f1.4 lens. Pics from that coming soon.