Technique & Approach #22 ~ Europe Special

Just got back from two weeks traveling through Eastern Europe. It was certainly the full of new experiences and meeting new friends. 

This time round photographically, 13 rolls of a mixed bag. Colour (daylight) / cinema (tungsten) and black & white.

Hopefully not too much exposure to x-ray security... 

Hopefully not too much exposure to x-ray security... 

A mixture of street, architectural and some landscapes. Blending techniques such as multiple exposure, light, everyday life. 

Places that often don't rank high on most bucket lists. Such as Nowa Huta in Krakow, Poland. Societal/ historical significance, circa post WW2. The steel works signage nestled amongst the two former administration buildings. With the use of 2x filters - ND for long exposure, R25 for red fiter / contrast. Pictured below - through the finder perspective. A couple of different viewpoints taken as multiple frames for panorama (edit in post). Kodak Tri-x 400. 

TTF - R25 (red filter, creating an interesting effect). Variable ND wide open for framing and focus setting. 

TTF - R25 (red filter, creating an interesting effect). Variable ND wide open for framing and focus setting. 

Soviet dreaming. 

The contraption. Cable release + tripod = essential

The contraption. Cable release + tripod = essential

Cinelux (cine - cinematic) (lux - light), incorporating elements of the surrounding environment and use of available light, for a stylised, relevantly placed photograph. A style I've been working on for a little while now. Inspired by motion pictures. And my analytical nature. Aspiring to create photos unique in approach, diverting away from the typical tourist snaps. 

Sometimes forgetting to reset the ASA mechanism. Push 3+ for 400. From 50, 100 (1), 200 (2) and 400 (3). Woops. Or develop under-exposed and see what happens.

 

400 @ -3 (50) 

400 @ -3 (50) 

Starting in Budapest, then through Romania, Slovakia, Poland, finishing in beautiful Praha, Czechia. A definite fav. 

It's a bit of numbers game all of this, but I hope results are worth it. Spending sometimes a bit more time to create something quite unique and perhaps unusual. Sometimes the odd snap shot can produce a nice result. I guess I obsess a little over the technique, certainly more so after switching to film over 4 years ago.

Praha, Airport.

Praha, Airport.

New friends, new experiences. People, the ones you meet, the others you greet. Rich in experience, full of life. Times spent together in foreign places, sharing. I am grateful for meeting some new people, thanks for the 2 weeks together. Here's hoping to seeing at least some of you again in the not-so distant future.

Film off to the lab soon.

Technique & Approach #10

Pushing film.

Recently I traveled to Europe (you may have heard) and there were a few situations where I pushed my film. By that I mean, instead of setting my camera to the speed (or ISO / ASA setting) of for example 800, I pushed it to 1600. Let me explain, ISO or film speed is the level of sensitivity or rating a film has. Works in a similar fashion to digital, except it's electronic with digital and chemical with film.

Cinestill 800t, is a perfect match for night time photography with lots of artificial, tungsten or fluorescent lighting. 800t is actually white balanced to tungsten light, whereas most other films are balanced to sun light.

Pushing the film from 800 to 1600 allowed me to shoot at a higher shutter speed, minimising (not completely) camera shake and producing blurry photos. The processing time of the film has to be adjusted to suit how many stops the film has been pushed. For example 100 speed film might get pushed from 100 to 800, which is 3 stops of exposure. 100, then 200 (1st), 400 (2nd) and then finally 800 being the 3rd stop. A stop is essentially an adjustment of exposure. Again, working in a similar fashion to digital.

*Please note that learning about the basics of ISO, shutter speed, aperture would give you a better understanding of the different stop instances.

Casino De Monte Carlo, Cinestill 800t, Canon A1. Aug 2015

Casino De Monte Carlo, Cinestill 800t, Canon A1. Aug 2015

Technique & Approach #9

For me I find, since I switched to film I've become much more patient with my picture taking. Be it in part due to the overall cost of film + developing and scanning or a greater appreciation for each moment taken. 

The process of selecting a camera, lens, film, time of day / night (not always possible when traveling with a restricted time frame). This case, was just a 28mm lens, a roll of bw. 

The image, happened to be the right time of day, with the sun in the perfect position, providing the best light reflecting off of the buildings surface. A sort of glow I suppose. The perfect blend of white to black with all the grey in between. My obsession with light, architecture evidently clear. Modern Dutch Architecture.