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(c)2012 Konstantinos Besios. All Rights Reserved.
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A few new images (and some thoughts)
During the past two weeks, my posts have decreased significantly. It’s a combination of almost no free time at all due to work and other obligations, and to a lack of inspiration. Writers refer to it as “writer’s block” and it seems that the same has happened to me.
The process of creating an interesting photo requires from the photographer to be in the mood to make images. If there’s a lack of inspiration, then it’s very difficult to produce good photos. I had written some time ago about my gradual lack of interest to landscape photography which had been my main subject for almost two years. My second favorite subject was street photography but I don’t have the time to make long walks in the cities I visit in order to find good compositions.
So, the one thing I can do is go back to landscapes which is easier for me since I travel a lot by car. When I bought my first good camera, the Nikon D300, I would shoot hundreds of images every day, since it was a huge step from the compact camera I owned (a Panasonic Lumix FZ-8). Then, I got seriously involved with film and that of course made me more selective since films costs money. It also made me more disciplined with digital cameras since I didn’t like spending my time searching and processing through a workflow of hundreds of photos.
Eventually, I stopped shooting subjects which I knew I would surely delete them instantly when viewing them on my computer. On a full day of taking images, I will probably return home with no more than 30 photos, and when shooting medium format film, the frames shot are not more than 10-15 images.
These days, I will probably shoot no more than 10 images when I got out for making images, even I shoot with a digital camera. I tend to bypass subjects that I would surely try to capture a year ago and only bother to photograph things that really excite me.
Now, about cameras. I have settled to the Sony NEX 5N as my main walk around digital camera. It’s small and light with a great sensor and many automations in case I need them. It also has great ISO performance (also in case I need it). The RMT-DSLR1 remote control allows for long exposures which is something I have been experimenting with lately and the fantastic OLED viewfinder allows me to shoot better.
(Sony NEX 5N, Sony 18-55 lens, polarizer filter)
The above image was a hasty morning shot, which I snapped just before getting into my car. There was good light and the clouds made a difference so I took the shot. I did a levels adjustment and added some sharpness using the Photogene app for iPad (the Retina display on the new iPad ally makes a difference when viewing and processing images). The flexibility of small camera like the NEX allowed this scene to be captured since I wouldn’t have bothered taking the time to setup a larger camera.
(Sony NEX 5N, Sony 18-55 lens, polarizer filter)
Now, the image above is one I should have taken the time to capture with my Fotoman 612 panoramic camera (which I had with me that day). Loaded with Ilford Pan F 50 ISO film and with a red filter attached on the lens, I am sure it would produce a great photo where the strange cloud would appear on a black contrasty sky. Instead I chose to use my Sony NEX which was a few seconds procedure, while the Fotoman would require a more careful process of setting it up on a tripod, get a proper metering with my Sekonic, adjust for depth of field, etc. The final result would be a genuine black and white film image which scanned at 4000dpi could make a huge print. So, that’s to what I am referring when talking about a lack of inspiration and the “consequences” of it.
This is by no means meant to be a pessimistic article. I am sure many photographers will eventually get in this situation and I am sure it’s just a phase. I just wanted to share my point of view for something that it’s natural to occur. By looking at the image with the strange cloud above I will just use it as an excuse next time to overcome my boredom and shoot a good subject properly !!
(Sony NEX 5N, Sony 18-55 lens, polarizer filter)
(c)2012 Konstantinos Besios. All Rights Reserved.
Back to base
Well, it’s been a week since my last post, my work kept me quite busy and had no time at all to make photos or write anything. For today’s post I only have two images to upload.
(Nikon D700, Nikon 28-300 lens)
(Sony NEX 5N, Sony 18-55 lens)
I am still waiting for the Nikon D800E to arrive, maybe this week if I am lucky. I had also my Olympus XA fixed, a wonderful pocket rangefinder camera which is perfect for street photography. Finally, I am also taking out of the closet the Fotoman 612 camera (which I haven’t used for ages). I am planning on testing with it my first rolls of Fuji Neopan Acros 100 b&w film.
(c)2012 Konstantinos Besios. All Rights Reserved.
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Long exposures with the new Kodak Portra 160 Professional film
The Kodak Portra 160 Professional is the latest film from Kodak, which replaced the NC and VC versions. I have shot the new Portra 400 (medium format) and found it to be an excellent film (although I prefer the VC version).
For the Leica, I chose to use the 160 version, since 35mm film at 400 ISO will show much more grain than medium format. At f5.6 I can get pretty much most of my subjects so the 1 1/2 stop difference is not important (with my medium format cameras I have to choose f8 and above to get a decent depth of field).
The new Portra looks more like the NC version but with a finer grain. It requires some boost on contrast and saturation to emulate the results of the VC version, and if Kodak continued to manufacture both versions, I would still choose the VC. But overall, it’s a great film for travel (and with f1.4 lenses i can even shoot at available light in many situations).
Lately, I have been experimenting with long exposures using ND filters like the B+W 110ND (10 stops). With digital, it’s easy to preview the image and compensate, but with film you don’t have this luxury. I don’t like bracketing a lot, so a new emulsion like the Portra 160 with its better reciprocity characteristics sounds ideal for long exposures.
(Leica M7, Voigtlander 21mm, Kodak Portra 160, B+W 103 ND filter, two seconds exposure)
At two seconds exposure of course needed not compensation, and this scene looked better than my digital one (which I accidentally erased). But what about a longer exposure ?
(Leica M7, Voigtlander 21mm, Kodak Portra 160, B+W 110ND filter, 12 seconds exposure)
For the scene above I trusted the meter on my Leica M7 which showed 12 seconds. It came out just fine, while when bracketing at 18 and 24 seconds, the sky was too bright to fix. So, even at 12 seconds I didn’t need to compensate for reciprocity failure. That’s a great thing !
Of course I have to mention here that I shot this roll at 125 ISO instead of box speed. I will always overexpose color negative, even with modern film like the new Portra series and I am very happy with the results.
(Leica M7, Voigtlander 21mm, Kodak Portra 160, no filter, 15 minutes exposure)
Now, the above image is the real test for reciprocity failure, a 15 minutes long exposure at night. I metered the specific scene using my Nikon D700 as a guide and with the proper calculations, i got a predicted exposure of 8 minutes. This time I doubled that time since it was very dark and the needed exposure was minutes and not seconds.
It came out better than I expected, the digital file of the D700 had more clarity and very little noise but of course that’s something everyone expects (even a slow film will have more evident noise than digital, which of course is grain, and I happen to like grain !!). Both images were very similar (I can’t show the digital file since its also been accidentally erased, that’s the good thing with film, you will always have the negative if something goes wrong before you backup !!)
So, I found the Portra 160 to be an excellent film for long exposures and I will definatelly shoot some more very soon.
(c)2012 Konstantinos Besios. All Rights Reserved.
Posted in Analog, Long Exposure
Tagged analog, film, Kodak Portra 160 Professional, leica, leica m7, long exposure, rangefinder
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Sony NEX 5N with Leica Tele-Elmarit 90mm f2.8
The Leica Tele-Elmarit is a wonderful small and light lens that fits perfectly to the Sony NEX 5N. Due to crop factor it becomes a 135mm equivalent which is a perfect focal length for portraits and close ups. The mirroless cameras allow every kind of lens to be used (with the proper adapter) and it’s a joy to see how a 1972 lens can be mounted on a modern and hi-tech camera like the NEX and have an excellent performance.
(Sony NEX 5N, Leica Tele-Elmarit 90mm f2.8)
I often use this setup for close ups at f2.8 and f4, this lens has a fantastic smooth bokeh, and even at these apertures has plenty of sharpness. As I have written before, the OLED viewfinder combined with the focus peaking system makes focusing a breeze (much easier than my Leica which at 90mm can be tough to nail focus even with the 1.4x magnifier)
The Tele-Elmarit is prone to flare more often than modern lenses, but except for that, is a superb lens for the NEX.
(c)2012 Konstantinos Besios. All Rights Reserved.
Leica M7 with Fuji Velvia 50
Today I am publishing the last images from my recent bunch of slide films. This is the only Velvia roll I shot with a 35mm camera, the Leica M7. Actually, it was my last 35mm Velvia roll in stock and I will probably stick to medium format for slide film.
(Leica M7, Fuji Velvia 50. Location: Edessa,GREECE)
After viewing and scanning medium format slides, it’s really very difficult to appreciate a tiny 35mm frame even when shot with a Leica. It’s all about size when it comes to film and the differences are enormous in favor of medium format.
One other thing I noticed in this roll, was that I didn’t manage to nail down exposure in many shots. Velvia requires absolute precision when metering and that showed up in the images.
(Leica M7, Fuji Velvia 50. Location: Edessa,GREECE)
Of course, shooting with a 35mm camera is easier and faster, furthermore you have 36 frames per roll, so for travel photography it’s more suitable, but since I have lately tried the new Portra films, with good results, I will use them with the Leica. Furthermore, color negative has a much wider dynamic range which is very helpful in many situations.
One good thing with 35mm slides is that I can view them with my slide projector. Now, that’s a total different experience, the slides really shine there. Of course I rarely project my slides anymore, but the few times I do, I enjoy it very much.
That’s all for today, enjoy the rest of the images.
(c)2012 Konstantinos Besios. All Rights Reserved.
Posted in Analog
Tagged film, Fuji Velvia 50, leica, leica m7, rangefinder, slide film
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Contrast
There are times where images with slide film (or color negative) don’t turn out the way you want, so converting them to monochrome is one way to change the look of a photo. I did some shots against the light to produce dramatic contrast and silhouettes, but in color they didn’t seem right.
So, I experimented with some of the presets in Lightroom and ended up with the following images (much better than the originals). They were shot with the Leica M7 and Fuji Velvia 50.
(c)2012 Konstantinos Besios. All Rights Reserved.
Posted in Analog
Tagged Contrast, film, Fuji Velvia 50, leica, leica m7, monochrome, rangefinder
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Flowers images with Sony NEX 5N and Leica Tele-Elmarit 90mm
I enjoy viewing images of flowers but I rarely shoot any, it’s not one of my favorite styles of photograph. I have made a few images in the past with the Tamron 90mm macro lens for my Nikon (an excellent macro lens by the way) but nothing special.
Since I had some free time today and I was enjoying a cup of a coffee in a garden, I did some hasty shots with the Sony NEX 5N and the Leica Tele-Elmarit 90mm f2.8
It’s a great lens and very small for a 90mm. I consider the Elmarit 90mm to be a better lens, but the Tele is so small that it earned its place in my bag.
It’s small size makes it a perfect match for the NEX, and the OLED viewfinder combined with the focus peaking system did a great job in nailing focus. All shots were at f4, since I opted for a greater depth of field.
One great disadvantage of the Tele-Elmarit is its minimum focus distance which is 1 meter. I would prefer something like 0.70cm, but at that price (used) and size, I can live with 1 meter.
Shooting with the NEX was as always a breeze. Its a fantastic small camera for everyday use and although lately I have almost exclusively returned to film, I enjoy a lot using it.
I am also shooting some image later today of the same flowers with two different setups, the Leica M8 / Tele Elmarit 90 and the Leica M7 / Tele Elmarit 90 loaded with the new Kodak 160 Professional, so it would be an interesting comparison.
Enjoy the rest of the images.
(c)2012 Konstantinos Besios. All Rights Reserved.
Holga 120 WPC pinhole panoramic camera
The Holga 120 WPC is a pinhole panoramic camera capable of taking 6×12 frames with medium format film. I had purchased it a couple of years ago, to experiment with the unpredictable results that a pinhole camera can produce.
The procedure is of course, plain simple. Take off the cap, use a cable release and hold it for as long as you have metered to make the image. The aperture equivalent is f133, which means that even at broad daylight with 100 ISO film, you will need several seconds exposure to get a properly exposed shot, so a tripod or a steady surface is a must.
As any respectable toy camera, there are leaks in the plastic body construction, which in order to prevent them, I use black electrical tape, so the whole experience with this camera is quite adventurous.
For my last session with the WPC, I used a Lomo 100 color film. Out of 6 frames, only one was worth keeping. I overexposed too much the rest of the film, so in my next session I should be more careful !!
The one and only survivor frame is the one below, a five seconds exposure. It sure has its own distinctive look which almost looks like a painting to me.
(c)2012 Konstantinos Besios. All Rights Reserved.
Posted in Analog
Tagged 6x12, film, Holga 120 WPC, Lomo 100 Color film, medium format, panoramic, pinhole
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Plaubel Makina 67 with Fuji Velvia 50
I managed to scan the whole bunch of my seven developed Velvia rolls during the weekend. A long process (scanning medium format film at 4000dpi) but always rewarding. One very important thing when shooting lots of slide film rolls, is the quality you get from the lab. During the past year, I have been very fortunate to have my slides developed at a great lab with consistent high quality.
The slides arrive crystal clear, no dust or scratches, and that’s very important when scanning, since it can take a vast amount of time to mess with cleaning marks. I know it very well, because when I develop my black and white films, there many times when I have to deal with scratches and spots (I don’t always have the time or patience to make a perfect developing and I pay the price of it when scanning !!). In the case of medium format this even more time consuming, since you are dealing with a huge file and you have to inspect very carefully each part of the image.
(Plaubel Makina 67, Fuji Velvia 50. Aperture: f8 Shutter speed: 1/125, handheld)
Today’s images were shot with the Plaubel Makina 67 camera. You can search through my previous articles to find out details about this camera, since I have repeatedly written about the great Makina and why I consider it to be the top travel medium format camera.
(Plaubel Makina 67, Fuji Velvia 50. Aperture: f11Shutter speed: 1/125, handheld)
I almost always use the Plaubel handheld, although there a few times when I have put it on a tripod. Although it has a kind of stiff shutter button (when you compare it to a Leica M or the Mamiya 7), it’s easy to shoot it at low speeds and still get a good image. Of course when mounted on a tripod, you will get the best out of it, especially at f8 and f11 apertures.
As I have written before, I have a very small tripod which fits in any camera bag, and when extended it reaches about 60cm height. Mounting the Makina on it can improve the image quality (as long as I hold the tripod, since on its own cannot support this camera). Add a cable release to this setup and you can even shoot at Bulb mode.
I have also noticed lately that when I shoot with the UV filter on the lens, I get better images (especially at tricky light conditions). Now, that’s not a mind blowing discovery, even a top quality filter like the B+W I use, is just another piece of glass between the film and the light. The point here is that since this is a fixed lens camera, you don’t want to risk a damaged lens. For example, when I did some images on a beach yesterday, the UV stayed on the whole time for obvious reasons.
(Plaubel Makina 67, Fuji Velvia 50)
My next tasks with the Plaubel, will be night long exposures and experimenting with flash. I have already tried a Nikon SB800 flash with a PC sync cord and it worked great (since its a leaf shutter camera, I can use the flash with all shutter speeds). For long expsures shots, I will probably test the recently introduced Kodak Portra 160 and 400 films, and see how they are doing with reciprocity failure.
For now, enjoy the rest of the images, all taken with the Makina 67 and Velvia.
(c)2012 Konstantinos Besios. All Rights Reserved.
Posted in Analog
Tagged film, Fuji Velvia 50, medium format, Plaubel Makina 67, slide film
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