hp5
A short video where I try to clarify the process of making long exposures with film. Remember that I wrote a whole book about this topic that you can download for free. I also have a few articles about Long Exposure Photography on this blog. Please don't hesitate to drop me a line if you still have any questions.
I finally had the chance to try CineStill's monobath solution, Df96. This product promises to do the job of three chemicals, all in one: developer, bath stop and fixer.
While I could see how that would save a lot of time, I wasn't so sure about the results I could get.
I've only developed 2 rolls of Ilford HP5 with this solution, but so far, I'm pretty happy with the negatives. And the best of all: I was able to do it almost twice as fast.
I love shooting film, but developing it isn't my favorite thing to do. That's why I welcome anything that makes it easier and faster, like CineStill Df96.
These are some of the images from those 2 rolls, shot with a Bronica SQ-Ai and a Holga (this one was in the camera for over a year and still turned out mostly ok).
I made this image with my Bronica SQ-Ai. It was one of those special moments when you can't believe what you are seeing through the viewfinder. Something so beautiful that you fear your image won't do it justice.
After this shot, I took a bunch with my digital camera (the fog was moving really quick and presented a lot of different compositions), but this is still my favorite.
What a beautiful morning.
In this video, I push my favorite film to the limit. I expose and develop Ilford HP5+ for an ASA of 51,200. Will it work?
Camera and Lens: Bronica SQ-Ai, Zenzanon PS 150mm f/4
Film stock: Ilford HP5+
Exposure: 1600
Developer: Ilford Ilfotec HC
I made this image on my first day in the Picos de Europa National Park. I didn't get to shoot much film those days because the Bronica would be left behind on my hikes due to its weight. I like how this one turned out, though.
I had a few rolls sitting around for a while, with a few shots left in them, so I decided to go out and finish them. This is what it came out of that morning out... and of those rolls.
Camera and Lens: Bronica SQ-Ai, Zenzanon PS 80mm f/2.8
Film stock: Ilford HP5+
Exposure: 1600
Developer: Ilford Ilfotec HC
I made this image during my recent trip to Portugal. It was a beautiful morning up in the Serra da Estrela, at an elevation of some 2,000 meters (6,500 feet).
You can't see the warm, pink colors of the sky. You can't see the green tones of the tower. But you can tell this is not mid-day light. I love shooting black and white during sunrise.
The Image of the Month for October is now available: Moonrise over Mt Hood.
Watch the video where I made this image: "Moonrise".
What a beautiful evening at the Mt Hood National Forest this was! I had only recently started shooting with my Bronica SQ-Ai when I found out about the full Moon rising behind the always stunning Mt Hood.
I spent almost three hours there, sitting in silence, first enjoying the sunset and then waiting until it was dark and the Moon high in the sky.
This image is the result of those three hours there, trying to capture what I saw. The interaction between the mountain and the Moon, the calmness of the moment, the beauty of it, the fragility of nature and the insignificance of humans.
A new image will be released every month and offered at a reduced price during that time. After 30 days, it will be sold at full price. They will never be on sale at any time in the future, the rate during the first month will be the lowest, ever.
You can find more information about how I create my images and all the details about pricing on The Art and Craft behind my prints.
Light begins
For this week's Artist Interviews, I had the pleasure to interview Darren Kelland. I absolutely love Darren's B&W work, his images resonate with me.
Darren is a film photographer, and creates his images using a Hasselblad camera and Ilford HP5+.
All images in this post were made by Darren Kelland.
Read MoreCamera and Lens: Bronica SQ-Ai, Zenzanon PS 50mm f/3.5
Film stock: Ilford HP5+
Exposure: 800
Developer: Ilfotec HC
What a view. Enough said about this place.
Camera and Lens: Bronica SQ-Ai, Zenzanon PS 80mm f/2.8
Film: Ilford HP5+
Exposure: 800
Developer: Ilfotec HC
They weren't. They hadn't for a while.
If there's a place in the US where you can feel like being in a western, that's probably Monument Valley.
Camera and Lens: Bronica SQ-Ai, Zenzanon PS 80mm f/2.8
Film stock: Ilford HP5
Speed: 800
Developer: Ilfotec HC
This unreleased image is part of my project America Untitled that is being exhibited this month.
I made this image on a very, very cold day in Michigan City, Indiana. The beaches along the shore of Lake Michigan looked like anything but sand beaches where people get tan or children play, and all the equipment used during the summer by visitors and staff were like out-of-place artifacts.
This lifeguard tower stood out to me, and I think it made for a compelling image.
Another video where I show all 12 shots from a roll of Ilford HP5, this time roll number #219. Taken with the Bronica SQ-Ai, shot and developed at ASA 800 (+1 push stop) with Rodinal (1+50).
Read MoreCamera and Lens: Bronica SQ-Ai, Zenzanon PS 80mm f/2.8
Film stock: Ilford HP5+
Exposure: 800
Developer: Ilfotec HC
I wasn't expecting to find a tower like this in Grand Canyon National Park. I loved the way it looked, and the birds flying around gave it an almost creepy feeling to it.
I knew I had to make an image.
In this video (and contact sheet), I show all 12 shots from Roll #218. Taken with the Bronica SQ-Ai on Ilford HP5 film, shot and developed at ASA 400 (box speed) with Rodinal (1+50).
Read MoreCamera and Lens: Bronica SQ-Ai, Zenzanon PS 80mm f/2.8
Film stock: Ilford HP5+
Exposure: 800
Developer: Ilfotec HC
This image is part of America Untitled.
The Grand Canyon is a breathtaking place, but I found it hard to photograph. I got just one image on my first morning there, and I wasn't sure I was going to make any on this second day.
Then, we visited the Desert View Watchtower and I started to see a lot of images from there.
I was composing one of this view of the Grand Canyon, and the mirror that reflected part of it, when a bird flew by. I quickly pressed the shutter withouth knowing for sure if it'd be in the photo, or if it'd be blurry or not.
It came out perfectly, and it adds that extra element to this image.
A bit more than a year and a half ago, I had no idea what it meant to push or pull film. When I started shooting film, I experimented a little bit with Ilford HP5+. I really loved the way HP5+ looked when shot (and developed) at ASA 800 and 1600. I absolutely loved the grain and contrast!
In the end, I settled on 800. Here’s why.
Read MoreCamera and Lens: Bronica SQ-Ai, Zenzanon PS 80mm f/2.8
Film stock: Ilford HP5+
Exposure: 800
Developer: Ilfotec HC
I finished the second day of my trip to Oregon in Astoria. It'd been a rainy day but the sky gave me a break long enough to take a few long exposures along the boardwalk.
This was the last one, not only because it was the last of the roll but also because I was in a not very pretty area of town and some people had been staring at my camera for too long.
Yet another reason why I prefer to shoot in the wilderness.
Camera: Holga 120N
Film stock: Ilford HP5+
Exposure: 800
Developer: Ilfotec HC
I didn't shoot much during the month of March. The end of winter hasn't inspired me enough to get out and create new images.
It was a necessary break though, as I had many videos and images to work on. Now that I'm mostly done with older work, I'm ready for the next adventure.
While I didn't get out much this last month, I did manage to make a few images, almost all of them with the Holga. This one was one of them, of rental boats waiting for busier times this summer in Chain O Lakes State Park, in Northern Indiana.
Camera and Lens: Bronica SQ-Ai, Zenzanon PS 80mm f/2.8
Film stock: Ilford HP5+
Exposure: 800
Developer: Ilfotec HC
While walking on this frozen beach along the shore of Lake Michigan, I ran across this crack on the ice that I, of course, had to photograph.
I wanted to show some context and not just an abstract image from above. So I placed the crack on the bottom left of the frame and left plenty of empty space between it and the background, in this case the frozen dunes.
