This Week:
What: One out of a Hundred
11.30.2015
Classic Kodachrome Monday #66
Every Monday, I'll be spotlighting a different classic Kodachrome slide that I've picked up, and trying where I can to detail the who, what, when, where, why, and how (much) of the image:
11.27.2015
Film Fun Folio #14 - Autographic 3A and Velvia 100F Double Feature
Periodically, I'll be posting scans of some complete rolls of film on here, showing both the good and the bad, and giving some basic information as well a little write up of the shoot as well as the reasons why I selected each camera and film. Enjoy the trip!
Feature #14:
The thought of what could be done with huge 120 exposures as panoramic scenes taken in a 122 camera was sooo appealing, and I'd gotten a few promising results from some of my first rolls in the Autographic 3A, only to be disappointed in a follow up roll. I tried to take a few lessons learned from these experiments and feed the massive camera two more rolls of film to see if I could find something encouraging and useful among the exposures.
All photos were taken at 1/100, with real apertures set between f/22 and f/32. These "settings" however are not accurate for the light levels in the scenes, but are an adjustment due to the tendency of previous attempts to shoot at normal settings on this camera that came out looking overexposed. I tend to suspect a slow shutter or an odd aperture iris that causes these overexposures, so I tried to properly compensate.
Feature #14:
Camera: ca. 1928 Kodak Autographic 3A Camera with f/7.7 Bausch & Lomb Rapid Rectillinear Lens.
Film: Fuji Velvia 100F
Locale: Frederick County, MD.
The thought of what could be done with huge 120 exposures as panoramic scenes taken in a 122 camera was sooo appealing, and I'd gotten a few promising results from some of my first rolls in the Autographic 3A, only to be disappointed in a follow up roll. I tried to take a few lessons learned from these experiments and feed the massive camera two more rolls of film to see if I could find something encouraging and useful among the exposures.
All photos were taken at 1/100, with real apertures set between f/22 and f/32. These "settings" however are not accurate for the light levels in the scenes, but are an adjustment due to the tendency of previous attempts to shoot at normal settings on this camera that came out looking overexposed. I tend to suspect a slow shutter or an odd aperture iris that causes these overexposures, so I tried to properly compensate.
1 - Feagaville, MD - Off the bat, the exposure compensation has worked wonders for the exposure. The result is one with vibrant colors and very natural looking contrast and toning. The only problem is that the scene, focused at infinity, fails to really render fully focused. Not sure if this is an issue with the film plane or the focus of the camera.
11.23.2015
Classic Kodachrome Monday #65
Every Monday, I'll be spotlighting a different classic Kodachrome slide that I've picked up, and trying where I can to detail the who, what, when, where, why, and how (much) of the image:
This Week:
What: Along the Boulevard
Kickstarter Project: The Galaxy Photographer Planner and Handbook
It was not even a year ago when I found myself in the predicament of having to improvise a way to jot down my exposure information while taking analogue photos. My solution was the creation of cut-out "exposure notes" that I freely shared from a blog post in late January.
The need to do this stemmed from a lack of any tailored way among a readily available product to handily do this, neither in the print world or even by means of a mobile app. Generally, my improvised solution has worked fairly well, but has a few hiccups to accompany it. I may not always have a printed "slip" available to tape to the camera back when loading a new roll of film, or I may not have a piece of tape at the ready to stick it to the back of the camera. Similarly, some of my older cameras have rather delicate coverings, and the tape tends to pull a bit from this covering when it is later removed. Also, the format I devised did not allow me to venture beyond simply using 120 format or a similar roll film format with limited exposures.
But alas, there may well be hope, with a product listed on the popular crowdfunding site Kickstarter, that will remedy some of the issues I have encountered while using my sticky "notes" that I print myself. It is called the Galaxy Photographer Planner and Handbook. Comprised of 256 printed pages, it serves as a photo diary and almanac of sorts, and is inspired by a number of photographic diaries dating back to over 100 years.
The need to do this stemmed from a lack of any tailored way among a readily available product to handily do this, neither in the print world or even by means of a mobile app. Generally, my improvised solution has worked fairly well, but has a few hiccups to accompany it. I may not always have a printed "slip" available to tape to the camera back when loading a new roll of film, or I may not have a piece of tape at the ready to stick it to the back of the camera. Similarly, some of my older cameras have rather delicate coverings, and the tape tends to pull a bit from this covering when it is later removed. Also, the format I devised did not allow me to venture beyond simply using 120 format or a similar roll film format with limited exposures.
But alas, there may well be hope, with a product listed on the popular crowdfunding site Kickstarter, that will remedy some of the issues I have encountered while using my sticky "notes" that I print myself. It is called the Galaxy Photographer Planner and Handbook. Comprised of 256 printed pages, it serves as a photo diary and almanac of sorts, and is inspired by a number of photographic diaries dating back to over 100 years.
11.19.2015
Restoration Baltimore: 1947 in Color (Part 1)
Anyone who follows this page with any degree of regularity knows that I completely love vintage color slides of scenes taken around the 1940's and 1950's.
And many know that I've a certain fondness for scenes in and around my hometown of Baltimore.
But what few people may know is just how tough it is to find original color slides taken in the Monumental City amid the heyday of these decades. It seems one can readily find original color slides of big cities such as Chicago and New York, while one can also find many scenes of small town life with some searching. I've managed to assemble an interesting collage of images spanning all the way from California to Florida, and from Montana to Texas.
But still, original scenes of my hometown in color have been terribly elusive. I've managed at times to find a few, such as from atop Federal Hill, near the Harbor Tunnel, and along the city's streetcar lines, but slice of life scenes of Downtown in color have been all but non-existent.
And then there they were. Five scenes taken in Baltimore on original color slides, and available for auction. I dug in, placed my bid and won these rare images. Finally, I had some shots of Charm City similar to those I'd feature weekly on my Kodachrome features.
But the only problem is that they weren't Kodachromes. These were taken on much more unstable Ansco stock, and the color had shifted pretty drastically. In addition, the emulsion had signs of serious damage from the decades. Making these images into something presentable would require me to try to use most of the tricks I had learned about scanning and restoring images. These would require significant time and effort, but I felt they were worth it.
But the only problem is that they weren't Kodachromes. These were taken on much more unstable Ansco stock, and the color had shifted pretty drastically. In addition, the emulsion had signs of serious damage from the decades. Making these images into something presentable would require me to try to use most of the tricks I had learned about scanning and restoring images. These would require significant time and effort, but I felt they were worth it.
Below are two of the results of this restoration project, showing an unrestored original scan, and the final results below, as well a street view inlay to show what the viewpoint looks like today. I hope you feel these were as worth the effort as I did.
11.16.2015
Classic Kodachrome Monday #64
Every Monday, I'll be spotlighting a different classic Kodachrome slide that I've picked up, and trying where I can to detail the who, what, when, where, why, and how (much) of the image:
This Week:
What: Hill Climbing
11.13.2015
Film Fun Folio #13: Franka Solida and Fuji Velvia 100F
Periodically, I'll be posting scans of some complete rolls of film on here, showing both the good and the bad, and giving some basic information as well a little write up of the shoot as well as the reasons why I selected each camera and film. Enjoy the trip!
Feature #13:
Working with this camera is like being in a bad relationship that you keep going back to. It's arduous, grating, and often results in disaster, but you work within the perilous confines of its many laborious rules, it can deliver some great results. I'd almost given up on this camera, as its shutter sticks like crazy, and seemed to be out completely, when after some tinkering, it began to work once again. Thing is, once you get out there and try to shoot it, it is back to its old tricks. I finally worked around this by bringing a spare lens cap to cover the lens and coercing the shutter to fire a few times before uncovering it for the actual photo. This usually worked, and the results are below.
Feature #13:
Camera: ca. 1951 Unbadged Franka Solida with Schneider 75mm f/2.9 lens.
Film: Fuji Velvia 100F
Locale: Central Maryland.
Working with this camera is like being in a bad relationship that you keep going back to. It's arduous, grating, and often results in disaster, but you work within the perilous confines of its many laborious rules, it can deliver some great results. I'd almost given up on this camera, as its shutter sticks like crazy, and seemed to be out completely, when after some tinkering, it began to work once again. Thing is, once you get out there and try to shoot it, it is back to its old tricks. I finally worked around this by bringing a spare lens cap to cover the lens and coercing the shutter to fire a few times before uncovering it for the actual photo. This usually worked, and the results are below.
1 - Columbia, MD - f/2.9, 1/200 - At the same time I was undergoing my trials with the troublesome Praktica FX3, I took this shot on the Franka. The sad thing is that it looks little different from the washed out shots on the 35mm camera. Now I know I took a hasty exposure reading given this result.
11.09.2015
Classic Kodachrome Monday #63
Every Monday, I'll be spotlighting a different classic Kodachrome slide that I've picked up, and trying where I can to detail the who, what, when, where, why, and how (much) of the image:
This Week:
What: Welcome to Sunny California
11.06.2015
A Tale of Three 50's
Maybe not so much a tale, but a test, and even then not so much a test, but a comparison. There have certainly been any number of retellings of the history of lens makers such as Zeiss and Schneider, as well as decades old testing of their lenses.
But when I happened to acquire not one, but three 50mm lenses in a roundabout fashion, I couldn't resist taking a roll and shooting the same shot through all three to see which one I liked the best. In most cases, the answers are subjective, but that is to be part of the fun.
So, included within the test are three reasonably common lenses available for the Exkata VX. The first is my Meyer Gorlitz Primotar 50mm f/3.5 lens. Adorned in a slightly jaded coat of chrome, the lens is perhaps the gaudiest looking of the batch, and as well it is the slowest of the three. The f/3.5 maximum aperture won't win any speed awards. However, it does have the graces of generally good color renditions and pleasing bokeh,
The second lens was acquired almost by accident. It is a Schneider Xenon 50mm f/1.9 lens. It looks quite similar to the common manual focus lens designs of the 1960's onward, adorning a basic business black. Though I managed to acquire it and a camera for a remarkably good price, it seems to be the priciest of the batch, routinely commanding more than double what I paid for it and the camera. This is likely in part because it is the fastest of the three, edging out the Meyer lens by nearly two f stops in speed due to the wider aperture,
Another lucky pickup that I snagged with a camera win is the Zeiss Tessar 50mm f/2.8 lens. Of the three, it is the only one lacking the automatic diaphragm coupling to the Exakta system, However, by foregoing this feature, it is also the most elegant looking lens of the three, with a gleaming, yet simplistic panache to its appearance. The Tessar formula is one of the most revered in 20th century photography, and the lens has a capable reputation. Still, despite being so lauded, the lenses are remarkably common, and are not too painful on the wallet to acquire. Also, unlike the other two lenses, it has a 14 bladed aperture iris, resulting in a nearly perfect circular opening as opposed to a hexagonal opening from the other two lenses.
But when I happened to acquire not one, but three 50mm lenses in a roundabout fashion, I couldn't resist taking a roll and shooting the same shot through all three to see which one I liked the best. In most cases, the answers are subjective, but that is to be part of the fun.
So, included within the test are three reasonably common lenses available for the Exkata VX. The first is my Meyer Gorlitz Primotar 50mm f/3.5 lens. Adorned in a slightly jaded coat of chrome, the lens is perhaps the gaudiest looking of the batch, and as well it is the slowest of the three. The f/3.5 maximum aperture won't win any speed awards. However, it does have the graces of generally good color renditions and pleasing bokeh,
The second lens was acquired almost by accident. It is a Schneider Xenon 50mm f/1.9 lens. It looks quite similar to the common manual focus lens designs of the 1960's onward, adorning a basic business black. Though I managed to acquire it and a camera for a remarkably good price, it seems to be the priciest of the batch, routinely commanding more than double what I paid for it and the camera. This is likely in part because it is the fastest of the three, edging out the Meyer lens by nearly two f stops in speed due to the wider aperture,
Another lucky pickup that I snagged with a camera win is the Zeiss Tessar 50mm f/2.8 lens. Of the three, it is the only one lacking the automatic diaphragm coupling to the Exakta system, However, by foregoing this feature, it is also the most elegant looking lens of the three, with a gleaming, yet simplistic panache to its appearance. The Tessar formula is one of the most revered in 20th century photography, and the lens has a capable reputation. Still, despite being so lauded, the lenses are remarkably common, and are not too painful on the wallet to acquire. Also, unlike the other two lenses, it has a 14 bladed aperture iris, resulting in a nearly perfect circular opening as opposed to a hexagonal opening from the other two lenses.
11.02.2015
Classic Kodachrome Monday #62
Every Monday, I'll be spotlighting a different classic Kodachrome slide that I've picked up, and trying where I can to detail the who, what, when, where, why, and how (much) of the image:
This Week:
What: The Bridges of Madison Fairfield County
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