Tag Archives: Slide Film
9/11 Tribute in Lights on Color Slide Film
Last week I posted a 9/11 Tribute in Lights photograph taken on Fuji Neopan Acros 100 black and white film. Here are two shots from the same evening, one taken with the Olympus using Fuji Provia 100 slide film, and one taken with the Toyo 4×5 also using Fuji Provia 100 film.
The 35mm picture was a shorter exposure (only 60 seconds).
New York City 9/11 Tribute in Lights, Lower Manhattan, and Brooklyn Bridge, 35mm Fuji Provia Slide Film
This was the same exposure ( 120 seconds) as the Neopan Acros 100 black and white film.
New York City 9/11 Tribute in Lights, Lower Manhattan, and Brooklyn Bridge, 4×5 Fuji Provia Film
I much prefer the black and white image. In fact, I just had this black and white version scanned (605MB file!) to make prints.
NYC Tribute in Lights, Brooklyn Bridge, and Lower Manhattan, Fuji Neopan Acros 100 for Prints
Happy Fourth of July – Sparklers and Slide FIlm
So everyone likes sparklers right?
On our recent St. Michaels vacation, Kate and I teamed up for this admittedly kind of corny shot. This was after cocktails on the dock and I already had my 4×5 camera set up to capture the sunset. I used Fuji Provia 100 slide film and the meter reading told me the exposure should be one minute at an aperture of f11. The sparklers only stayed lit for 45 seconds so I had to cut the exposure a bit short. It worked perfectly though. Kate held her legs still and did an amazing job at keeping the repeatedly drawn hearts in a tight pattern. You can see a larger version of this picture at my Flickr account.
In the Flickr comments a few people were curious about the “not as successful outtake” of this shot. Here it is.
It was obviously much more difficult to try to repeat K-A-T-E so she just spelled it once and then added these little flourishes at the end as the sparklers fizzled out. I was laughing too hard to ask her to stand still.
Hope everyone has a good fourth. We are hoping to hit the beach tomorrow.
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: St. Michaels, Maryland Shot with Hasselblad
For my birthday Kate and I decided to spend a week at her parents house in St. Michaels, Maryland. Besides New York, it’s probably my favorite place in the world. Since we’ve moved to the city, St. Michaels has been the perfect compliment to the fast paced life we normally lead. On Maryland’s Eastern Shore you don’t hurry. You don’t feel rushed, you don’t feel like you have to do this or do that. You relax. We read, take pictures, nap, eat, drink, then repeat.
I took a fistful of film, my Hasselblad 501cm, Nikon FM2n, and the new Polaroid 400 Land Camera with me for our weeklong stay. As I look at my pictures, I realize that Fuji films are definitely better for pictures of water and boats. Kodak Portra is still perfect for people and things on land, but there’s something about Fuji films and water that look better to my eye. Fuji slide film (like the Astia I used) does have a tendency to shift to purple, but you can correct that in post processing if you want.
The Selina II sailing on the Miles River, St. Michaels, Maryland, Fuji Reala 100
The Selina II is a beautiful sailboat that offers cruises. We haven’t taken advantage of one of their trips, but we will one day.
Dock, St. Michaels, Maryland, Fuji Astia 100
Kate in Adirondack Chair on Lawn, St. Michaels, Maryland, Kodak Portra 400
Crab Trap on Dock, St. Michaels, Maryland, Fuji Astia 100
On Wednesday evenings, they have sailboat races on the Miles River. Wednesday just happened to be our last night and our neighbor and friend Bob invited us to go out on his boat for an amazing view.
Red Sail on Miles River, St. Michaels, Maryland, Fuji Astia 100
The Selina II Blocking the Setting Sun, St. Michaels, Maryland, Kodak Portra 400
Blue Sky and Clouds Above the Miles River, St. Michaels, Maryland, Fuji Astia 100
Film Photography: Standing in the Waves
To fully embrace summer, we’ve been taking the A Train out to Rockaway Beach on Saturdays for the last few weeks. During those visits, I’ve been obsessed with photographing the waves. I took my Polaroid Land Camera one weekend and squeezed of a few shots on Fuji FP100C Instant Film. The Polaroid 420 Land Camera totally captures the colors and feeling of a summer day. The 420 uses a plastic lens, which gives you a good, if not super sharp, image. That’s part of the appeal of Polaroids.
This past weekend I took the Hasselblad, which sports an almost frighteningly sharp Zeiss 80mm f2.8 lens. I loaded the Hassleblad with my favorite slide film – Fuji Astia 100 and dialed my light meter in at 80 ISO. The combination of the Zeiss glass and the slide film gave me realistic colors and depth, but the maximum shutter speed of 1/500 on the Hasselblad doesn’t result in super sharp “freeze” photos of something that moves as fast as a wave. Still, I’m happy with these shots. The movement and power of the water is obvious. And these waves are just short enough for me to hold the camera up above my head as the waves come crashing against me.
Waves and Foam on Rockaway Beach, Queens, Fuji Astia 100 Slide Film
Waves and Algae on Roackaway Beach, Queens, Fuji Astia 100 Slide Film
Waves Up Close, Rockaway Beach, Queens, Fuji Astia 100 Slide Film
Film Photography: Weekend Slides from Williamsburg, Greenpoint, Tribeca, Midtown
Nothing special here, except a handful of Fuji Astia 100 shots from last weekend. I’ve been consistently exposing this film at 80 ISO instead of 100 and this setting is giving me much brighter slides. And I’m trying to be more careful about what I shoot. If it’s something that too much contrast from light to dark, I just walk away. I know I won’t be happy with range that the slide film gives me. These were taken with the Hasselblad 501cm last weekend. I’ve also switched over to Vista Imaging Group on 22nd Street for my color development. The negatives were coming back so dusty from Luster that it was taking me ages to get rid of all the dust spots. Vista Imaging has done a great job so far and they have a four hour turnaround, even with slide film.
Dog Wearing a Cone, Tribeca, Fuji Astia 100
Flowers on the High Line, Fuji Astia 100
Kate at Beer Parc, Midtown, Fuji Astia 100
Manhattan Skyline from Williamsburg Waterfront, Fuji Astia 100
Metal Garage, Williamsburg, Fuji Astia 100
Stacks of Pallets, North Williamsburg, Fuji Astia 100
Water Tower, Fire Hydrant, and Smoke Stack, North Williamsburg, Fuji Astia 100
View from the Roof Top of Berry Park, North Williamsburg, Fuji Astia 100
As always, you can click on the images for a larger version.
Film Photography: The Little Red Lighthouse
I finally made the trek out to the Little Red Lighthouse (actually known as Jeffreys Hook Lighthouse) made famous by author Hildegard H. Swift and illustrator Lynd Ward’s book “The Little Red Lighthouse and the Great Gray Bridge.” The lighthouse was constructed in 1920 to aid the navigation of shipping boats on the Hudson River. Popular lore (and Wikipedia) says the Little Red Lighthouse, after being deactivated in 1947, was saved from almost certain demolition because of the popularity of the book depicting the little red lighthouse under the bridge (the George Washington Bridge).
After a longish, but pleasant subway ride from Wall Street to 181st Street, it’s a bit of a hike to get there. You cross a foot bridge to get over the looping roadways that cut through Fort Washington Park, then meander down a hilly path to the bank of the Hudson River. The lighthouse is so small that you don’t really see it as you are winding down the hilly path. Then suddenly you see a shock of red with the George Washington Bridge towering over it right by the water. It’s a beautiful sight on a nice day.
I had my Hasselblad loaded with new Kodak Portra 160 film and only had a few shots remaining.
The Little Red Lighthouse Up Close, New Kodak Portra 160
The Base of the Little Red Lighthouse with a Red Sailboat on the Hudson River, New Kodak Portra 160
After running out of the Portra, which I’m glad I had to get a true representation of the colors, I loaded a roll of Fuji Astia 100 slide film. I’ve been rating the Fuji slide film (whether Astia or Velvia) at 80 ISO on my Digisix light meter to give a little bit of extra light. I find it helps me lighten the shadows and even then I might need to open up 1 or 1.5 stops depending on the scene. The colors here on the slide film are almost obscene. The sky was not this blue really, but I knew the slide film would give it that extra bit of blue to contrast with the brilliant red.
The Little Red Lighthouse Dwarfed by the George Washington Bridge, Fuji Astia Slide Film
Approaching the Little Red Lighthouse and the Base of the George Washington Bridge, Astia Slide Film
The Little Red Lighthouse and the Span of the George Washington Bridge, Astia Slide Film
The Little Red Lighthouse Framed by Rocks on the Shore of the Hudson River, Astia Slide Film
The Little Red Lighthouse with the Manhattan Skyline in the Distance, Astia Slide Film
You can see here that if the lighting is off or there is shadow, then the saturation is much deeper.
And I had a roll of Fuji Velvia 100 on me as well. Here’s one picture from that roll. This is the tamest of the Velvia shots and the one that looks most like Astia. I really prefer Fuji Astia or Velvia. Astia is plenty contrasty and saturated for me. I’ll reserve my Velvia stock for when I want insane color.
Film Photography: Coney Island on Slide Film
Last post, I promised you that I would include all 12 shots from the roll of Fuji Astia 100 slide film taken at Coney Island last week. A few of these are kind of similar, because I wanted to make sure I got a decent beach shot with the birds, but I’m pleased with how they turned out. It’s not often that I don’t mind sharing all 12 photos from a roll of film, especially finicky slide film!
Astia is a 100 speed film, but I rated it at 80 ISO on my Digisix external light meter to give the slides more light. Most people say to underexpose slides slightly to give more contrast, but from my experience the shadows were way too dark. Besides, slide film by its very nature already gives you nice contrast. I see no need to give more contrast. And lastly, I did not try to compensate for any blue color shift of the film. The intense blues are the reason I chose this film for the beach.
Deep Blue Sky and Lifeguard, Coney Island
Man Running on the Beach, Coney Island
Women Walking on the Beach, Coney Island
Giant Hamburger Man on Roof of Clam Bar, Coney Island
And… on the other side of the building… Giant Hamburger Woman
The Wonder Wheel from the Beach, Coney Island
The Wonder Wheel Up Close, Coney Island
Seagulls on the Beach, Coney Island
Wood, Rocks, and Bird, Coney Island
As much as I love the the boardwalk and the beach, I’m a huge fan of the signs at Coney Island. The side of this building is typical.
All of these images were of course taken with the Hasselblad 501cm and the regular Zeiss Planar 80mm f2.8 lens. This kit definitely keeps you working to get the proper shot, but I’m finding the limitations of an 80mm lens (about 50mm equivalent for a 35mm camera), only 12 shots, and a square format really slow me down.
Film Photography: Red Hook Letter Blocks
Maybe because we live right in the middle of the concrete canyons of the Financial District, we have developed a serious Red Hook habit. It’s such a contrast to Manhattan. At first we would just hop on the IKEA ferry once in a while. It started out so innocently. But now, it’s serious. We count a few Red Hook establishments as our favorites – Dry Dock as a favorite wine liquor store, Fort Defiance, Good Fork, and Home Made as favorite chill restaurants. And the trip on the IKEA ferry (free on the weekends) is a 10 minute joy ride that starts two blocks from our apartment and ends up at the Erie Park Basin, right by the big blue and yellow box.
Lately, we’ve ventured over there for the Red Hook Food Vendors (twice in the last two weeks) and our once a week Jackrabbit speed workouts are held at the gorgeous Red Hook track.
When Kate’s brother was here last weekend, one of the places we took him was… Red Hook.
And lastly, when I had some time to kill one evening after work I wanted to go somewhere and try out the new-to-me Fujichrome Astia 100F slide film. I was attracted to its vibrant slide film characteristics that seemed to have slightly less saturation than Velvia and other slide films. From shooting a couple of rolls, I definitely like the Astia. It’s finicky like any slide film and doesn’t handle a wide range of tones or lighting, but with the right subject it shines.
So, despite our multiple trips to Red Hook in the last few weeks, I hopped on the ferry to Red Hook and shot a few rolls.* I’ve always been fascinated by these letter blocks that spell out “Red Hook” on the shore. They look like some giant toddler has tossed them haphazardly on to the rocks. The texture and color were perfect to try out the Astia.
All images (except the fourth) were shot with Hasselblad 501cm on Fuji Astia 100 slide film and scanned on an Epson V500 flatbed scanner. The fourth image of the old letter blocks was shot with the Hasselblad on Kodak Ektar 100 film.
*I worked up a powerful thirst carrying around that beast of a camera, so I stopped into Fort Defiance afterwards for a couple of drinks.
Fishkill Farms on Kodak Kodachrome Slide Film
On December 31, 2010 Dwayne’s Photo, the last place in the world to process Kodachrome film, will cease processing Kodachrome. I’m sure it’s not financially feasible to continue to process it and what stock that’s out there is on the second hand market and auction sites. No one has actually walked into a store and purchased Kodachrome film in years. And to be fair Kodachrome is notoriously finicky. It has to be exposed just right or it’s a dim, flat mess. I wasted two rolls earlier this year just trying to figure out how to properly expose it. Someone told me that you had to expose it at 80 ISO instead of the box speed of 64. Wrong, too dark. Unfortunately I had to get my slides back from Dwayne’s to learn this.
So, I started shooting it at 50 ISO and have been happy ever since. This is my second to last roll and I liked almost every shot of the 36 exposure roll. You lose a bit in the translation from the actual slide to digital, but you can still get the idea of how vibrant a Kodachrome slide is – and not that make you sick to your stomach vibrancy that an overly saturated digital file gives you – just beautiful color as only film can give you.
Here are a handful that I liked the best. All shot with Leica M6 and Zeiss 35mm f2 lens at Fishkill Farms just north of NYC.
A row in the apple orchard against a deep blue sky
Ready to buy pumpkins
Kate has hers all picked out
Golden Delicious Apple Tree
Perfect little golden delicious
We bought some eggs from these very happy chickens
The pumpkin Patch
Graveyard just north of Fishkill Farms
