Fuji FP-3000B Negatives - Editorial with Ashley

Monday night I got the chance to get back in the studio and shoot a couple different set-ups with Ashley. She's someone I've worked with quite a few times before and if you browse back through my archives you can probably find a few photos from those shoots as well. 

It's been a while since I've done a shoot with anyone. Looking back through my posts here, it appears that my last was probably around mid to end of October. It's been even longer since I've been in the studio. Whenever nicer weather rolls around I'm so tired of being in the studio that I go almost exclusively to shooting on location. Of course, by the time the weather turns again I miss being in the studio... having lights and control. 

These images were taken with a Polaroid 250 and Fuji's FP-3000B film pack. I've always enjoyed shooting this film, but I think these might be some of my favorite images to come from the 3000. Where a lot of people think the high ISO of the film gives them the ability to go out and shoot a lot of low light photos (which I've done from time to time) I still like to bring it into the studio when I get the chance. With a lot of light the dynamic range and sharpness of this film is really spectacular. While these negative scans are pretty accurate, they still don't really hold a candle to what the tones look like when you are holding the final exposure in your hand.

Also, to reference something I've talked about before on here in regards to light-leaks with this camera and with pack film in general - I think I have solved that problem with my Polaroid 250. I believe what I thought to be light leaks before, is actually just an uneven development caused by inconsistent pressure when the film is being drawn through the rollers. Recently I've been mindful to squeeze my camera's body and apply extra pressure in the area of the rollers when I am pulling these pack films through. So far, I've noticed far fewer (if any) wasted shots that used to plague me with pack films and specifically with the Fuji films. 

There will probably be a few more posts from this shoot in the upcoming days. Besides Fuji pack film, I shot a couple images with the new Impossible PX 100, some great digital stuff, and played around with an Instax for the first time. All of that and some thoughts regarding shoot locations throughout the winter months should be coming your way relatively soon.


Until then, Happy Holidays to everyone.

Impossible Project PX100 Test Film - Photos & Features

Here are a couple more shots on the new Impossible Project PX 100 Silver Shade UV+. I took these just last night after work since I still had four shots left in my camera. Just a couple photos of cameras, books, etc. that I have sitting around my place.

Again, this film really does have some great dynamic range to it. Just like my first shots with this film, I also notice how sharp it can be, and how well it can handle shallow depth of field. Also like my first couple photos, these were taken with the lighten/darken wheel about two notches towards darken as the new PX 100 seems to shoot a bit fast. You'll also notice a bit of blur in these, but I was shooting handheld and lighting with nothing more than a pole lamp.


If you want to check this film out yourself, the Impossible Project just announced its official release today. You can read a little more about it on their newsletter (which I might just happen to have a photo in) and you can also find it as the featured deal of today's Impossible Advent Calendar.

Thanks once again to Impossible for selecting one of my photos to use in their newsletters, and of course for producing yet another great new instant film. I can't wait to see what's next!

Dredgers Union - Video Follow-Up

the Dredgers Union from Dredgers Union on Vimeo.


As promised, here's the video we (Uppercut Motion & Sound) put together for Dredgers Union. If you missed my earlier post and you have no idea what I'm talking about, you can check it out right here.

Impossible Project PX100 Test Film - Nutcrackers

Today is a very exciting day. My shipment of the new Impossible Project PX 100 Silver Shade test film arrived this morning and I was lucky enough to find some time this afternoon to take a few photos with it. For the sake of being in the holiday spirit, I decided to do a series of portraits with a couple nutcrackers that were sitting around the office.

So far, I'd have to say this film is just what you've come to expect from Impossible - Quality product, and a beautiful next step in their ongoing production of integral films. There is a lot of beautiful contrast and the film overall seems to be very sharp. I've taken four shots now, and this post displays my best three of the afternoon. The first was really my only problem shot, and that was only a minor overexposure that could very well be due to the early SX70 that I took these photos with. I've really never run a pack of film through this particular camera myself, but since my normal SX70 Sonar still has some Black Frame in it I figured I'd give this one a go. After that first photo, an adjustment of two notches on the darkness wheel resulted in the photos you see displayed here.

This final photo does have a bit of an issue at top of frame, but that would be my fault not the films. Being that the early SX70's lacked a tripod mount, I had this camera propped up on a music stand and leveled with a sweatshirt. This last frame just happened to get caught in the sweatshirt when it was coming out of camera, which I imagine is why there is a little issue along the top of this photo.


Overall, I think this is some great film and I'm pretty glad that I got the chance to test it out early. I look forward to running the rest of what I have through the camera to see what else I can come up with.

Impossible Project PX100 Orange Flash - Alphabet Blocks

Just some old wooden alphabet blocks. I shot these at my parents house a couple weekends ago with some Impossible Project PX 100 Orange Flash using an SX 70 sonar. Not much else to say - I just thought this turned out kinda cool despite not being able to make out much of the letters on the  blocks. The shapes and tones are interesting.

Impossible Project PX100 Orange Flash - At Dredgers Union

At work we are producing a little video piece for a local retail store called Dredgers Union. Dredgers considers themselves a "lifestyle store," that has men and women's apparel, home goods, kids and just about everything else in between. It's a great store located right in the hustle and bustle of the E. 4th Street neighborhood. Co-owners Danielle and Sean have done a great job in bringing a little retail back to the city and have done so in a way that feels like a big, national chain... and I don't doubt that someday it will be. If you happen to find yourself in the area, I definitely recommend checking out their beautiful store.

Now, these photos probably aren't what you'd expect from what I just described, and rightfully so. Being that we are producing a longer format piece with them I was fortunate enough to get to check out their offices/design space. Dredgers is highly focused on "Domestically Produced Values," and in that vein they have a domestically produced private label of apparel and home goods. The photos in this post were taken in that design space and focus on a few of the dress forms that were sitting out. Both were shot on a Polaroid SX-70 using Impossible Project's PX 100 Orange Flash... a film that I've given up trying to predict, but enjoy either way.


If you'd like a little more insight into Dredgers Union stay tuned to their website and blog over the coming weeks and you should find the final video piece we've put together for them.

Impossible Project PX 600 Black Frame PP - Wrigleyville

I think these are the last of my photos from Chicago. At least, the last of my photos that are on instant/integral film. There are a few more floating about on 35mm Ektachrome slides, and, some yet to be developed ones on 35mm Rollei ATP that I'm pretty excited to see.


These photos were taken the last day of our trip to Chicago. We were actually entirely packed up, large coffee's in-hand, getting ready to hit the highway. There was one last thing I wanted to see though, if only for the sake of seeing it, and that was Wrigley Field.


What you see at top is (obviously) not Wrigley Field, but an eatery within walking distance in Wrigleyville. I ended up liking this photo better than the one I took of the actual stadium - though that photo is great for what the subject matter is, I personally find it very uninteresting. The photo of the 'EAT' sign down the road though... I rather liked.


However, for the sake of posting it, here is that shot of Wrigley as well.

Both shots were captured on an SX 70 Sonar with Impossible Project's PX 600 Black Frame "Poor Pod."

Kodak Professional Porta 160NC / Yashica D TLR / - Covington Bridge

Yesterday I mentioned that I had gotten two rolls of film developed and posted a few of the scans of my 35mm slides. The other roll was a Kodak Porta 160NC 120, and above is a scan of one of the photos that was on that roll (run through a Yashica D TLR). This bridge, which you might remember from an earlier post, is a suspension bridge that spans from a little neighborhood called Covington, in Kentucky, over to Cincinnati, Ohio. I really like all of the images of this bridge that I ended up with.

Kodak Ektachrome Elite 200 Slide Film - Chicago Architecture

I just recently got back a couple different rolls of film - one 35mm and one 120. I generally don't shoot entire rolls at once, so there really is a variety of things on each of them. I usually don't send things out to be developed very often either, so the things on each roll are from really can date back quite a ways.

These images are some from my Chicago trip back in early October. This is all very city oriented, much of it in fact coming from the architectural boat tour that we took the last day in the city.

These are, as you can probably tell, from the roll of 35mm that I was talking about - some Kodak Ektachrome Elite 200 iso slide film. I ran this roll through one of my favorite cameras that I rarely end up using. It's an early Canon FTb with a 55mm f/1.2 lens. Both the camera body and the lens were my Dads before he handed them down to me, and, if I remember correctly he bought this outfit when he was in the navy. It's what he used to shoot film on when he was out on the aircraft carrier, and luckily, it made its way back in extremely good condition. 

Fuji FP-3000B Negative - Ashley K

Since my post the other day on finding a misplaced, forgotten photo I've been wondering what other things might be laying around that I've forgotten about, never scanned, misplaced or otherwise. So, I decided to go through some things to see what I might find. The first thing I grabbed was a box of older Fuji FP-3000b negatives, many of which I have already scanned or posted along the way, and that is where I found these two images of Ashley that I had yet to scan.

If I remember correctly, these were taken sometime right in the beginning of spring when it was still quite chilly outside. We had picked a bunch of wardrobe for the day, but because we were planning to shoot outside and it was still pretty early in the morning (AKA to cold for me) we decided to do a couple photos in the studio with available light. Fuji's 3000 iso film is pretty good for this kind of thing. It lets me shoot on the fly, with minimal light, and still get some decent results. These are simple, almost the type of polaroid you'd submit to an agency, but I kind of like the way they turned out. Just another example of why you should go through your old work every now and then to see what you might of missed.

Impossible Project PX100 Orange Flash - Chagrin Beverages

Another quick update today between the many jobs I'm engrossed in. Today's photo was taken in the Chagrin Falls area about two weeks ago while out meandering through one of the last nice weekends. Chagrins a fun little town with a lot of old charm like this, and, this just happens to be a great store to pick up any number of wines or beers that you can't find a lot of other places.


Taken with an SX70 sonar and Impossible's PX 100 Orange Flash. The temps were still a little cooler than normal, so there is a hint of the black and white tones, and where I warmed the photo a lot more of the oranges and browns. I still have a few packs of this film left... it might be great for cold weather shooting.

Lost Impossible Project PX 600 Black Frame PP - Erie's State News & Variety Store

I came across this photo yesterday sitting on a shelf in my office. Someone had pulled it out of the bottom of a camera bag while packing up for a shoot and left it sit. I completely forgot that I had taken this. It must have been overlooked in the bottom of the bag when I got back to Cleveland, and there it sat unscanned until today. It appears to have been battered and bruised a bit along the way, but I just consider that a little extra character.


The shot itself is of a State News & Variety Store in the older parts of downtown Erie, PA. I believe this was taken in early September, probably during the Labor Day weekend. There was a big car show stretched across the downtown area of Erie that we were attending and along the way I took this photo. Shot on an SX 70 Sonar with Impossible's PX 600 Black Frame "Poor Pod."


It's kind of a nice surprise to come across a photo you've forgotten about... I guess it's just another thing to love about instant films tangible nature...

Polaroid Type 100 Sepia - Natali

Things have been kind of busy as of late, so I've not really gotten much time to post new photos here (or take new photos for that matter.) So, I will quickly throw this photo up from a couple weekends ago when I headed down near the Columbus, Ohio area to work with a model there named Natali. This was the first location that we shot at, somewhere behind an old factory building that may or may not still be used today. I shot mostly digital that day (and some 35mm yet to be developed), but this is one of the few instant shots that I did end up taking. Shot on a Polaroid 250 with expired Polaroid Sepia.


I hope to get some more things scanned soon, so, hopefully new updates will be a bit more frequent in the days to come...

Polaroid Type 100 Sepia - Wrigley Clock-tower & Sears/Willis

Just a couple more images from Chicago. Both shot on a Polaroid 250 with Expired Polaroid 100 Sepia. Above, the Wrigley Building's Clock-tower, and below, the Willis (Sears) tower shot from the water.

Impossible Project PX 600 Black Frame PP - Congress Hotel

For some reason, this is one of my favorite buildings that I saw in Chicago. It's not one of the big sky scrapers, just one of the older buildings along the oldest part of Michigan Avenue. Maybe it's because it is not only a great looking building, but also appeases my affinity for signs. Either way, here is the Congress Hotel - Shot on an SX 70 Sonar with Impossible PX 600 Black Frame Poor Pod... my favorite Impossible film.

Impossible Project PX 600 Black Frame PP & Expired Polaroid Sepia - 57 Ford Fairlane

Taking a reprieve from my Chicago photos, though I do have a few more to post, I thought I would share a couple images of a really beautiful '57 Ford Fairlane convertible.  This little car is one that we just recently used while shooting a commercial, which I unfortunately can't share yet. Luckily though, I had a few of my cameras in my truck that morning and was able to snap two shots between takes. 

The top image is Impossible Project PX 600 Black Frame "Poor Pod," shot on an SX 70 Sonar using an ND pack filter. The bottom, an expired Polaroid Sepia Type 100 shot with a Polaroid 250.

Enjoy.

Impossible Project PX100 Orange Flash - More of Chicago

Here are a few more of the Impossible PX 100 Orange Flash images that I took while in Chicago. You'll notice quite a bit of difference in some of the images in respect to how much of the orange is coming through.

These two top images were taken the last day downtown, which happened to be one of the nicer days. It was a little warmer out than the previous couple days, and that brought up a little more of the orange color in the photos. Below,  are two of the images I took on the first day in Chicago... which happened to be pretty cold and slightly rainy at points. You can see the orange is less, and, I noticed with these that for quite a while they took on a strange look right out of camera. They looked like solarized images, all of the darks were bright blue as if they were not developing. What I thought was a waste of a frame, though, ended up continuing to develop over time and came out closer to a black and white image.

And finally, just to wrap up with the Orange flash images from this trip, here are two more  from the architectural boat tour... including the Willis Tower, which, some of you might still refer to as the Sears Tower.

Impossible Project PX100 Orange Flash - Marina City

Here are the first two images from this past weekends trip to Chicago. Both are of Marina City, two towers that take up an entire Chicago city block. I've always loved the look of these buildings and it was very cool to stand there and see them in person after having seen them in so many movies, TV shows, album covers, etc.

Both images were taken with my Polaroid SX 70 Sonar and the Impossible Project PX 100 Orange Flash, which, I get wildly different results from every time I shoot depending on available light, temperature and the amount of time the film has been loaded in the camera. The top image was taken from the opposite bank of the river, and the second taken from a boat during a Chicago architectural tour (which if you've never done, I highly recommend as a great way to see the city.) 


More from this trip soon, including some sepia, black frame and sooner or later my 35mm scans...

Impossible Project PX600 BlackFrame PP - The Warner Theatre

One of Erie PA's oldest, most historical buildings - The Warner Theatre. Originally opened in April of 1931 with the showing of the movie The Millionaire. Seen here on Impossible Projects PX 600 Black Frame "Poor Pod." Shot with an SX70 Sonar.

Impossible Project PX100 Orange Flash - U.S. 26

Just a few orange flash shots from this past weekend. I didn't get a ton of shooting in, but I got a few decent shots. These three were all taken with an SX70 Sonar and Impossible's PX100 Orange flash along U.S. Route 26 in Fairview, PA., just outside of Erie.

The top two are what looked to have been an old school house at some point, but oddly enough he awning actually say's something about it being a floral shop. The one below is from one of the many, many fascinating motels that surround Erie.

More updates coming soon. I'll be off to Chicago this weekend for the first time to attend a wedding. Considering I've never been there I'll be taking quite a few cameras and look forward to updating upon my return.

Impossible Project PZ680 & Expired Polaroid Sepia - Kinzua Dam

While in Pennsylvania for Labor Day weekend we made our way up to Warren, PA., and the Kinzua Dam for a few hours. I had been to the Kinzua before, but from a different access point. Kinzua damn was completed in 1968 and is one of the largest dams in the US east of the Mississippi River. It provides flood control, power generation and creates the largest lake in Pennsylvania - the Allegheny Reservoir or Kinzua Lake. 

The photo at top was shot on a Polaroid Spectra with Impossible Project PZ 680. I love this film, this camera and how great the colors are coming along... The bottom two photos were taken with a Polaroid 250 using some of the expired Polaroid Type 100 Sepia that I picked up from one of Impossible's big film sales. The film originally expired is '09, and, so far I am getting many different results from just one pack. These specifically are very warm/sepia toned while others have been much closer to a black and white.

Impossible Project PX600 BlackFrame PP - Presque Isle Motel

It's pretty crisp and cool around Cleveland as we creep into the middle of September. It's hard to believe it's already been more than two weeks since a Labor Day weekend filled with oddly high temperatures. 


This year, I spent my Labor Day up in Erie, PA... which at this point probably shouldn't come as too much of a surprise to anyone who has followed my blog recently. Tiffany and I spent a couple nights out at her family's cottage near the lake. We had a few cookouts, rode our bikes, drove around town. Once or twice along the way, I got out one of my cameras and took a photo or two.

These two images are from of the old Presque Isle Motel. It's an old, dilapidated building that appears to have been shut down years ago. I've been dying to shoot this place since we drove past it a couple months ago, but, despite the number of times we've been in Erie there just hasn't been time. Labor Day, however, finally gave me the opportunity and the storm clouds that threatened all day couldn't have worked out any better.


These were both shot with an SX70 sonar using some of my favorite film from the Impossible Project - PX600 Black Frame Poor Pod. Unlike most of what I've shot from the Poor Pod batch, these actually show the signs of the Poor Pod. But, like I've said many times before, it's these uncontrollable aspects that really make analog photography what it is. Considering the content and composition of the images... I think it worked out perfectly.

Impossible Project PX100 - Orange at Night

I've been exceptionally busy with work lately and haven't had time to update as I would like to. I have some great photos to post from my Labor Day weekend, but I haven't had time to get all the images resized and the post written yet.


So, instead, I will quickly share this photo. This is the Impossible Project PX100 Orange Flash that I recently got, and the first of the shots that I've taken with it. For those who don't know, here's how Impossible describes this film: 


"Experimental, alternate chemical components were used in this limited production batch of PX 100 Silver Shade film creating unexpected characteristics. The color of these images will be orangish/brownish and light sensitivity is very low resulting in rather dark tones"


Low light sensitivity with rather dark tones.... so of course, I figured why not shoot at night. Well, really, that's the only time that I had free and I couldn't wait any long to take a few photos. I wasn't sure that I would even get any results at night, but I think this turned out alright all things considered. Definitely orangish in tone, but pretty well exposed. 


I think these limited, experimental runs are great. I love the odd results, the unknown aspects of the film and the fact that I can get great deals on multiple packs. Keep on keeeping on Impossible Project.

Photograph Info:

Location: Cleveland Ohio 

Camera: Polaroid SX70 Sonar

Film: Impossible Project PX100 Orange Flash

Canon 5dMII - Ashley

I said I would post some digital, so here's some digital.


Also, I should have a few updates next week, as I hope to be taking many photos over this long weekend. Enjoy your Labor day!