The 52 Project, Week 32: Hasselroids & Polablads

Pro tip: get a GOOD used Polaroid back.

 As little as 8-10 years ago, when you were going to take a picture that needed to be absolutely, positively, sharp and well exposed, you couldn't look at the back of your camera (also known as "chimping"), you needed to take a Polaroid. Not the boxy, point and shoot style, integral film eating Polaroid 600 that we all know and love, but one made to take pack film (click the link for more info). On my Hasselblad, taking a test exposure is as simple as attaching the film back, taking the picture, and pulling out the instant film tabs. If you've never taken an instant picture with pack films before, I highly reccomend getting an old Polaroid Land Camera or Polaroid back and trying it. It's a thrill to peel apart the positive from the negative, held together by a thin layer of gooey, unused reagent (dont' eat this please). This is infinitely more fun than looking at the back of some glare-ridden LCD screen.

Save the model of camera used, this video perfectly illustrates the process of using pack film in a Polaroid back to proof your exposure:

Now, some of you that follow the news may be wondering, "where the heck can I get Polaroid film? Didn't they stop making film?"

The truth of the matter is yes, Polaroid no longer makes their signature product, Polaroid 100 series pack films. Thankfully, the guys over at Fujifilm in Japan have come up with their own phenomenal pack films, Fuji FP-100C and FP-3000B. The 100 speed is lower speed, vivid color film, and the 3000 is an incredibly fast B&W film. Each are great under a variety of condtions, and include self-terminating development. You can literally shoot all day, and peel your film when you get home.

 Considering the quick nature of instant photography, lessons can be learned quickly and to little cost to the user, leaving little for me to discuss in the typical good, bad, and ugly format. Instead, we'll talk about some things that can go wrong with your instant film, with examples from yours truly.

Lesson 1: Light Leaks - never, ever open up your pack of film after it has been loaded

 

Lesson 2: Overexposing is the Devil! - instant film responds to overexposure much like slide film and digital, by crying, blowing out highlights, and fogging your positive. >__<

 

Lesson 3: Don't Expect Expired Film to Perform - if it's more than 4 years old and hasn't been cold-stored, consider any kind of image a miracle. The images below are Polaroid 669 film from 1992!

Reagent is a liquid, it can dry up and do this.The background is more yellow than black.

Sometimes you get really lucky. ^__^

And that pretty much does it for this week. Instant photography is fun stuff, and the only way it'll keep being made is if somebody is out there to shoot it. So pick up that Polaroid Land Camera or Polaroid back today and get shooting!

Next Week: More fun times with the Hasselblad.

The 52 Project, Week 27: Winnie the Pooh & Katie Too!

The last of the series of Hasselblad images from my little two week excursion, this week features one aspect of film that I've really yet to embrace...grain. If you can't tell what I mean from the thumbnails, just click them to see a bigger size, it should then become much more apparent.

Tigger, Piglet, and Winnie the Pooh...kind

After hanging out in NYC with Mike and Duane from the Film Photography Podcast, I made my way out to Amherst, MA to visit a good friend of mine, Katie O'Neil. She's a jack of all trades: horse trainer, rider, pre-vet student, film photography enthusiast (you're welcome Katie), and even a licensed Zamboni driver. As of Feb. 2011, she's in Ireland interning with a horse stable having the time of her life;color me jealous. During my brief visit with her, I managed to stay over for a fun Halloween party at her hometown employer, Lonebirch Farms.

For Halloween, horse enthusiasts pull out all the stops. Not only do they dress up, but so do the horses. Katie herself dressed up as Piglet, with her dog Maggie as Winnie the Pooh, and her horse as Tigger. Its all cute and fun, until you get roped into painting a horse. >__<

A witch, her horse, and jack-in-the-box hubby.

Increasing grain = decreasing sharpness :(

Did I mention what my biggest pet peeve was?

A maiden/damsel and her trusty steed/unicorn.

Something Good: For ISO 3200 film shot at 3200, the shots are more than usable, with decent shadow detail and well controlled highlights. These even look good optically printed as 10x10's.

Something Bad: Ilford Delta 3200 isn't cheap, and at times is more expensive per format than even high speed color film. Also, it's available only in 35mm and 120, sorry older and large formats.

Something Learned: Diluted XTOL is the way to go for sharpness in very high speed shooting situations. Its ability to keep the grain patterns tight and shadow detail present are phenomenal! Be sure to check out the scans at full size to see for yourself.

Next Week: The large format side of this trip. To call these shots a fresh persepective is an understatement!

The 52 Project, Week 26: Visiting My Sister

Westpoint Academy overlooking the river. This week's post will be short and sweet, pretty much like my mini-trip to Poughkeepsie, NY to visit my sister. The few days I spent with her I managed to snag some cool images both in medium and large format. But while scanning remains on hold, the Hasselblad negatives will have to do for now.

The only day I managed to shoot anything was the afternoon my sister used her military access, marine wife (^_^), to get us a fun little tour/hike around Westpoint. It was a very classy place with a very "Ivy League" feel around some of its older buildings. And considering my only previous knowledge of Westpoint came from watching Patrick Swayze in "North and South", I really had no idea what to expect.

I now present to you some pretty basic scenics, most of which were taken while waiting for the light to shape up a little bit more for the 8x10.

A pretty cool inscription, click for larger size.

There was a suprising amount of traffic on the river!

My sister (right) running 8x10 guard duty. ^__^

Just something about gnarly trees over the water.

Something Good: Well, Portra VC films are supposed to be "vivid", and even Portra that's 10+ years old managed to come out as saturated as ever.

Something Bad: I'm by no means wow'ed by any of these shots. I'm not sure if it's the very odd grain structure apparent in 160 speed film, or just the lack of a favorable subject matter.

Something Learned: Color negative film grows unpredictable each year it goes beyond its expiration date. This roll was a shining example, filled with unexpected grain and "wonky" shadows.

Next Week: Taking a look at the grainier side of life, Ilford Delta 3200 style. ^__^