Lens: A Picture Book Without Pictures -
“Photographs Not Taken,” published by Daylight, is a collection of essays in which photographers discuss why a photo eluded them, or why they decided not to take it.
Ilford HP5+ 400 on Nikon F80, Lensbaby Composer Pro, Sweet 35 Optic
(Ilfosol 3, 1+9, 6.30 mins; Epson V700)
I had a lot of fun during last Saturday’s photo walk! Myself, Yovie Eswark & Laura - our gorgeous model of the day (we were later joined by the marvellous Nad J Mfx - check out her stuff here and follow her tumblr!) decided to brave the heat and head over to this old abandoned Catholic cemetery some along the old Birch Road in Kuala Lumpur.
It was serene and peaceful, and we could hardly believe that it’s smack in the middle of KL! The markings on the headstones were as old as 1830s. There were some headless statues as well, but have been vandalised which was a shame.
Adjacent to the Catholic burial site we’re also in awe when we discovered rows upon rows of unnamed gravestones…imagine all those poor unclaimed bodies, with nothing to mark their passing except numbers…it was quite sad.
We went there in the afternoon in hopes that the sweltering heat would chase away the mosquitoes but no sir, the hungry blighters feasted on us like a bloody banquet! Damn those little winged vampires!
Anyway, I’m very very happy with the outcome of this set, after shooting the Sweet 35 in my last review here, I’m happy to say that I love my Lensbaby and will never part from it! I actually own almost every interchangeable optics they have (bought them with my Micro 4/3 system some few years back) so my next project will be comparison between all the available optics on film! Yes, I’m practically shivering in excitement as I type this!
Also, I must thank Laura for being such a good sport despite the mosquito attack! She also shoots film and has a tumblr so don’t forget to say hi!
Alright, so this has been rather long so let me share with you 3 of my favorite shots. Bathed in light, you wouldn’t believe this was supposed to be a morbid themed shoot. But most of all, Sekonic, thank you for the lightmeter ;)
-delusiana
freebirdgsy asked: In your last post about the polaroid film you titled both sets of photos as the PX70. Was that a mistake or did you only shoot with that film?
It was a mistake. The last 2 shots were of the PX680 Cool film. Thanks for pointing it out!
The Impossible Project PX70 Color Shade (11/12) on SX-70 Land Camera
The Impossible Project PX680 Color Shade COOL (with ND Filter) on SX-70 Land Camera
As you can see in the pictures above, the PX680 Cool film (shot with the ND filter in the SX70) produced softer tones with hints of pastel, even when exposed to bright bright sunlight. My mistake was that I forgot to rotate the exposure wheel all the way into dark! I’m pretty sure the colors would be much “cooler” if I had done that.
Also, the film was supposed to be refrigerated just before shooting but since living in Malaysia nowadays feels like you’re constantly being baked, and the photo shoot location wasn’t exactly nearby so getting the optimum temperature was out of the question.
I’ll try shooting the PX680 Cool film in a controlled environment next and see if there’s any difference, otherwise I’ll probably stick to shooting the PX70 color shade since applying the ND filter could be quite a hassle and you might waste a shot or two as the filter tends to jam up the film expulsion mechanism!
p/s: I’ll be posting a set of B&W portrait shots next, also taken at the same location with my newly acquired Composer Pro & Sweet 35 :)
-delusiana
(Source: Flickr / mello_neko)
Lucky SHD 100 (Film Soup) on Nikon F80
(Ilfosol 3, 1+9, 7.30 mins)
I had the hardest time trying to identify what exactly did I capture on this roll, LOL. I really can’t remember the stuff I added into the soup but whatever it was, clearly it’s too much, heh.
But yeah, I think the smoky swirly effect looked kinda cool.
-delusiana
(Source: Flickr / mello_neko)
Lomography Xpro Slide 200ISO on Diana F+
When I first loaded the film into my Diana, I was really worried that my images wouldn’t develop and I would get over/underexposed photographs. I was fairly new to Lomography at that time, and reading about slide film really interested me. It was famous for its punchy, eye catching, saturated colours, and I was itching to give it a try.
My previous experience with colour negative films and black and white were not that great - only about 8 to 12 of the 16 photographs were developed each time! But when I received my slide film negatives and scans back, boy was I surprised! 16 out of 16 photos were developed!!
I was overjoyed. Exhilarated. And very proud of myself!
In conclusion? I absolutely love using slide film.
Yup, say hi to our latest contributor, Ariel Tan! We’re glad that you love slide film because so do we! Share some love and follow her back at http://peanutshutterjelly.tumblr.com/.
Lomography Color Negative 400 on Fujica ST605N
I thought these looked so awesome when I saw them in our mailbox. I’ve always avoided anything with an ISO above 100 whenever I plan to shoot under the hot sun in fear of overexposure. But in this photo set, they simply worked!
I love the warm, bleached out tones that made them look oh-so-vintage, it’s great! Good job May Rodrigo!
Dammit, I so need to go to the beach…like right about now!
Oh, before I forget, here’s the camera used in this set. I “google-imaged” it from The Camera Site.
Lomography Xpro Chrome 100 on Beier Beirette
You gotta love the many photographic relics of the past. Here’s an interesting photo set by our reader hailing all the way from Italy,Elisa Bastianello aka tagliatelelatesta on Flickr using the Beier Beirette. Here’s what she had to say:
This camera had a great story, my boyfriend chanced upon it in an old drawer and after some digging, we found out that it belonged to my grandmother-in-law’s late uncle. He was a Catholic priest and bought the Beirette maybe in the 70s or 80s.
I shot these photos in January when me and my boyfriend took a walk at the World War 1 territories somewhere near the north of Italy. We had to cross the wild woods to reach the Tagliamento river and once there, I told him to jump up and down…and he did! It was so funny, lol.
For more info on the Beirette check out this link here.
Well, you know the drill…don’t forget to visit Elisa’s Flickr stream and say hi!
Fujichrome Sensia 100 on Vivitar Ultra Wide Slim
It’s really simple. Just shoot at an angle where the sun is partially obscured by a large object. It could be a tall building, a canopy of trees…anything! I especially like the 3rd photo, the flare almost resembled a waterfall!
You can see several different pallettes than can be produced with cross processed Sensia 100, ranging from indigo, dark reds & dusty greens depending on the light intensity.
And sometimes, the roll decided to surprise you and you get something like this! Amazing huh? That’s the magic of film for you ;D
-delusiana
(Source: Flickr / mello_neko)
Anonymous asked: what are you looking for in regards to submissions and do you only take submissions from identified female at birth 'girls'?
You can send anything you fancy to us, and if you’d like to share more about your photography (ie: a write up etc) feel free to do so. And yes, if you’ve read the “How To Submit” page, you’ll notice this:
“YOU SHOOT FILM TOO? SEND US YOUR PHOTOS!!
(p/s: Contrary to popular belief, we welcome submissions from GUYS too!! LOL)”
[video]
angelisantina asked: hello! How we contribute and get published to your page?
Hi! You can check out this link here http://coolgirlsshootfilm.tumblr.com/submission. Feel free to write whatever you fancy regarding your shots :)
Be waiting for your email!
Lomography Xpro Slide 200ISO on Holga GCFN
I shot these during a short trip to Ipoh, the historical capital of Perak, one of Peninsular Malaysia’s northern states. Besides being famed for its local delicacies and coffee, one can also appreciate beautiful colonial architecture.
I chose to play with light and multiple exposures in this set and I think the results are quite pleasing to the eye. I’ve been shooting with many new cameras that I’ve forgotten the magic of the plastic fantastic Holga - the camera that made me fall in love with analogue photography.
-yovie eswark
(Source: Flickr / yovie_eswark)
Kodak Elitechrome 200 on Vivitar Mariner
We’ve never had any reviews on waterproof cameras or even underwater shots of anything! Luckily May Rodrigo of The Philippines, one of our regular contributors had kindly furnished us with these awesome sunset shots! A consummate surfing lover, May had been contributing shots after shots of the surfing paradise Zambales, always with different cameras & films.
We have 2 more sets from May, and I promise you they’re gorgeous so be sure to check them out!
Well, you know the drill - follow her tumblr at http://mayprodrigo.tumblr.com!
p/s: Here’s the Vivitar Mariner. It accepts any 35mm film, has a built-in flash, needs 1 AA battery and is waterproof upto 10 feet thanks to it’s housing. Also, it has a 28mm lens but according to some reviews it’s so wide that it could have a focal length of 21mm instead.
Apparently this camera shoots well with a 400ISO film if you plan to use it underwater but on land, it’s best to use a slower film ie: 100ISO as it tends to get overexposed with a faster film.
For more reviews, check out this awesome blog http://janneinosaka.blogspot.com/2010/10/vivitar-mariner.html
-delusiana
Kodak T-Max 400 on Holgamod 120N
Just going through my old scans and found this set of pictures discarded in the ‘No Good’ pile. They are from a crazy trip across the globe on work last year where I was spending 40% of my time in transit or flying across a whole continent, and not enough time shooting on land. Most of the pictures shot on film from my window seat came out super blown-out, as the sun was just too strong up there. I was hoping to be able to capture something good, something better as the shots I randomly snapped on my iPhone turned out lovely. All 5 pictures above were taken in different parts of the world, in the air upon lift off from Kuala Lumpur, over Japan, over California, over Russia, and finally in Mexico. Pretty cool when I see it from that perspective ;)
Next time, I hope for more time on land! Yes, on land where the action really is!
-eleanorrigby236
(Source: Flickr / eleanorrigby236)