Tag Archives: Park Slope
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
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: Photo Walk in Gowanus
Last Sunday I went on a photowalk in Gowanus with pals Joel Zimmer and Drew Shannon. We meandered around in Gowanus, Carroll Gardens, Cobble Hill, and ended up back in Park Slope. Joel had his trusty Nikon D7000 and Drew had a bag of cameras including an old Minolta film cam and the super sexy Fuji X100, which Joel and I both got to play with for a few shots. The X100 is a sweet little camera, but doesn’t feel as solid as older film cameras that it emulates. The autofocus seemed a bit slow to me as well, but you can’t argue with the pictures that Drew is getting out of it. The X100 gives you stellar pics.
I also loaned Joel my little-used Nikon F3 to see if I could entice him over to the film side. I put a roll of the new Kodak Portra 160 in the F3, but forgot to check the battery until I was heading out the door. Since the F3 sits on my shelf unused (MUCH prefer the Nikon FM2n) the battery for the meter had died. Not a very good start to Joel’s film experience, but hey how often do you have to charge the battery on your DSLR?
I only had my Hasselblad 501cm on me and a bag full of Fuji Reala 100 film (and two frames of Fuji Neopan Acros 100 on a roll). The Reala is fast becoming my favorite 100 speed film in medium format, because it renders colors very naturally. The only exception is that the greens tend to be a little strong sometimes. With no scanning software, the Reala scans well and you don’t have to do any post processing to remove color shifts. On these I didn’t even bother cropping out the borders I scanned them so fast.
Gowanus Canal and Iron Bars, Brooklyn, Fuji Reala 100
Water Tower and Graffiti, Gowanus Canal, Brooklyn, Fuji Reala 100
Gowanus Canal Superfund Sign, Brooklyn, Fuji Reala 100
Magic Touch Cocktail Lounge Sign, Gowanus, Brooklyn, Fuji Reala 100
Alkamar Travel, Gowanus, Brooklyn, Fuji Reala 100
Bond Deli and Grocery, Gowanus, Brooklyn, Fuji Reala 100 (Wow, I scanned this one crooked…)
Sanitation and Repairs Sign, Gowanus, Brooklyn, Fuji Reala 100
Cadillac, Park Slope, Brooklyn, Fuji Reala 100
Bill Payment Center, heading out of Gowanus and into Park Slope, Brooklyn, Fuji Reala 100 (Totally underexposed this shot as I was in a hurry to not get hit by a cab)
Karmann Ghia, Park Slope, Brooklyn, Fuji Reala 100
JR Stairs on Bergen Street, Park Slope, Brooklyn, Fuji Reala 100
Film Photography: Signs of NYC
It’s been some time, since I’ve turned my lens to capturing signs as we walk around the city. Old signs always grab my attention, but I realized a lot of them popped up in my last roll* of film. It’s probably because we are exploring new neighborhoods so much.
These were all taken with the Nikon FM2n and shot on the new Kodak Portra 160.
This sign for the Paul Robeson Theatre in Fort Greene is awesome. Look at that beautiful font!
Luis TV Repairs is on 5th Avenue. I actually like this storefront better with the doors down like this. The yellow of the guards matches the sign. I love the little dude in the right hand corner.
This sign for 24 Hour Roses is in Hells Kitchen, Manhattan. Can’t remember what street I was on at the time. It’s a great old sign though.
This is a VERY common sign in the city; yet, it’s a beauty. I love the red and green, the “everything you need” in one place aspect of it, and the two glasses on the left. This one is on our block at Flatbush Avenue and St. Marks. I like how it’s right next door to the overpriced joke of a store – Brooklyn Larder.
Uni-Sex Sign in neighboring Fort Greene, Brooklyn. That’s me in the window wearing red pants.
This sign on Flatbush Avenue has clearly seen better days. I totally expected it to fall on me as I was taking this picutre.
This simple, but effective sign over a real estate office in Ditmas Park was calling to me as we were eating in the window of Mimi’s Hummus across the street. After our meal, I zipped over to pay it a visit.
I think I rmember this exact sign from when I was a kid. Composition Notebooks, check. Crayola, check. Krazy Glue, check… Wait a minute, Krazy glue for back to school? Elmer’s Glue, of course, but Krazy Glue? I wold have been so busted taking Krazy Glue to school.
*which I realized is my 180th roll of film shot this year.
Film Photography: Polaroid Skies
I’ve been kind of hooked on these Polaroid shots lately. Maybe it’s a function of the move or the season, but I haven’t been as driven to be out everyday with the Hasselblad or FM2n. I’ve shot a few rolls of 120 and 35mm color film that are sitting here waiting to be developed, but I haven’t been as impatient to get them developed as usual.
I think some of this has to do with the fun I’m having with the Polaroid Land Camera. I’ve shot several packs of instant film since the move and have a growing stack of photos by my desk. Last week, I posted a dozen Polaroid shots for Film Friday at Kate’s blog, Embarrassment of Riches. There I mentioned that “This week features probably one of the most fun cameras you could ever shoot with: the 40-year-old Polaroid 420 Land Camera.”
The Land Camera certianly has its limitations for someone used to shooting manual cameras, but there are things that the Polaroid does so well that you forget those limitations. I learned this last night when I wanted to take a picture of a beautiful tree that was kind of lost in shadows against a perfect sky. The tree came out a big, black, blob while the sky was perfectly exposed. With a manual camera, you could have chosen to meter the tree or split the difference between the tree and sky. Not with the Land Camera – it chooses the exposure for you.
But when you shoot something simple with a less latitude in color, it’s pretty much perfect.
Clouds, Prospect Park, Brooklyn, Polaroid 420 Land Camera and Fuji FP100C Instant Color Film
Plane in Blue Sky, Prospect Park, Brooklyn, Polaroid 420 Land Camera and Fuji FP100C Instant Color Film
I was underwhelmed with this image at first, but the more I look at the it, the more I love the idea of that plane lost in blue. I think it’s one of my favorite picutres that I’ve taken this year.
US Open Sky Writing, Redhook, Brooklyn, Polaroid 420 Land Camera and Fuji FP100C Instant Color Film
I took two pictures of this, but prefer the one with the power lines. It kind of grounds the scene. One thing here to note is how the photo is more saturated in the lower right hand corner. Instead of peeling this after 90 seconds, I let it sit for over an hour until I got home. I had read that the FP100C is “self-terminating,” meaning that you can peel it hours later and still get a good exposure, but that the photo will be a little darker or more saturated. That is certainly the case here.
Prospect Park Lawn and Sky, Brooklyn, Polaroid 420 Land Camera and Fuji FP100C Instant Color Film
This is getting a little difficult for the Polaroid to render properly as the dark green of the huge lawn and the light blue of the sky are almost too different for the camera/film to capture correctly.
