21 December 2011

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.

15 December 2011

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!

12 December 2011

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.

08 December 2011

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.

07 December 2011

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.