The 52 Project, Week 13: Little Miss Japan

Life really has a way of getting in the way sometimes...

A slew of incredibly cool things have been happening lately, and as soon as I've finished processing them, this blog might start to get back on track. >__>

Leaving this stagnate for over a month has been awful. A six week hiatus while in the midst of catching up an already behind project is a formula for disaster. This blog was established for BOTH the reader and for myself to reflect upon the week by week trials of shooting film. Hopefully busting my ass this month will get me back to such a point. To readers who've stuck by and checked up occasionally through this dead period (you know who you are), Thank You.

*Now back to our irregularly scheduled programming*

Back in August (<__< I know), a very long time friend, near and dear to my heart, came back from her studies in Okayama, Japan to visit friends and family. Though my time with her was short, we certainly made the best of it. There are a couple more rolls and scans waiting in the wings, but Laura's just such an expressive, wonderful girl that the four scans from this one roll should tell you everything you need to know about her.

Yeah, I can't believe this dog is 12 either. Scan 1: Laura and Nick, the Happy Mutt

Laura LOVES dogs, period. Old dogs, inbred dogs, ugly dogs, slobbery dogs, and of course, the cutest of cute puppies; they all manage to make her day. If you start to see an unusually high number of random dog photos on this blog, part of the reason was I shot them for her. ^__^ This particular dog is her old pal, Nick. And although at 12 he's not moving as well as he used to, taking a walk down the street with Laura seems to turn him into a puppy again.

Ah window light, you always go down smooth.Scan 2: Laura at Squire's Castle

Squire's castle, just outside of Cleveland's eastern suburbs, is a great place for anyone to take a photo. During the summer you've got temperate weather, boat loads of window light, and a ton of windows with which to pose pretty girls. So I decided to follow through with all the hype and give it a go.

An imcomparably genuine smile. Scan 3: Happy Laura

The following two scans were both an exercise in Laura's expressions and a testament to the dynamic range found in color negative film. Completely unlike digital, I didn't have to horribly underexpose my subject just to obtain a desirable background. I just metered my shadows, pointed, and shot. Voila! For you hardcore tech geeks, my SBR (subject brightness range) was about 10-12 stops. And considering only a little sky is blow out on this not-so-cold-stored 8 year old film, I'll take it.

Could you tell we were having fun with this?Scan 4: Laura Peace Sign

If Laura's somehow talking with somebody without smiling, it's more than likely because she's in the middle of flashing one of these. Yeah, it's definitely a Japan thing that she's picked up along the way, but we'll forgive her for that. ;)

 Something Good: This old Portra comes to life in the shadows! Just make sure to limit over-exposure of your shadows to no more than two stops; otherwise, we're talking Chernobl-esque highlights.

Something Bad: Like any old, medium to high speed film (yeah, 100 was FAST film back in the glory days of Tri-X and Tech Pan) flare is something that needs to be unscrupulously controlled. Scan 2 was acceptable to myself, but others will argue.

Something Learned: So long as this old Portra 160VC is shot in overcast to shady conditions, the skin tones and saturated landscapes it produces are magical. Try it in direct sunlight or flare, and it becomes just another color film.

Next Week: I plan on catching up, but in no particular order. These updates can be expected to occur at a rate of two to three posts per week, not necessarily all including photographs. We'll see. ^__^

The 52 Project, Week 12: Take Me Out to the Mud Hens

Ever since my mother and grandparents moved out to Northwest Ohio in 1990, my grandpa has had season tickets to the area AAA baseball team, the Toledo Mud Hens. Sound familiar? Probably. The Mud Hens have been "world renowned" thanks to repeated exposure to the team name in the classic television show "M.A.S.H." As a farm team to the MLB team, the Detroit Tigers, the Mud Hens were great in the 80's, sucked in the 90's, and most recently have been a pretty darn good team. In 2003, they relocated from the rustic Ned Skeldon Stadium in Maumee, OH to the brand spanking new Fifth Third Field in downtown Toledo, OH. To sum things up, my grandpa LOVES baseball, and thereby, the closest team he can watch play, the Toledo Mud Hens. And even though he's pushing 80 years old, he goes to nearly every home game, knows practically everybody there, and is the happiest old guy I know for doing it.

80yr olds outside, 12yr olds inside.

Scan 1: Grandpa and Art

Once a group of four retired guys that go see the Mud Hens together, increasing age coupled with health complications have brought this jovial quartet down to a duo. Their spirited expressions towards the camera indicate they plan on going to ball games for the rest of their lives. For both Art and my grandpa's sake, I hope that's a long time.

The one kid not kicking the mascot.Scan 2: Girl with Muddy

One of my fondest memories of the Mud Hens was getting to hug/high-five their friendly fowl, Muddy the Mud Hen. I couldn't help but capture this little moment that definitely made this little girl's night.

Best seats in the house.

Scan 3: The Cheap Seats

As the next few weeks worth of The 52 Project will prove, photographing the elderly and their most candid moments is something that brings me great joy. This retired couple viewing the game from nearly the left field foul line was just "cute".

Something Good: Looks like all this expired Kodak Portra 160NC & 160VC from 2002-2004 isn't so bad after all.

Something Bad: All three of these shots are a little too "left heavy" for my taste. Add to that the tendency of expired film to blow out at the slightest bit of overexposure, it appears as though I've much to learn with these 30+ rolls of expired film stock.

Something Learned: You don't have to shoot the action at a sporting event. Considering my previous job included action, action, and more action, it's nice to kick back, enjoy the game, and snap some real candids when I have the chance.

Next Week: More of this 160VC, used with a little more caution and control, used with my best EVER model. ^__^