Film Advance

(Camera: Pentax Espio Mini; Film: Kodak T-MAX 100)

I shot this on the ferry one morning in August during a voyage from Vancouver Island to the mainland. The car decks are usually deserted but for a few people slouched in their vehicles texting or talking on their cell phones, and an occasional dog-walker. But most everyone else heads up to the passenger decks for the view or a bite to eat. Most everyone, that is, except for loners who prefer to wander the car deck and avoid the noise and the crowds. And on this particular sailing, there were two loners: the guy with the camera, and this fellow being photographed watching the world slowly sail by.

(Camera: Nikon FG; Lens: Nikkor 50mm f/1.8; Film: Kodak T-Max 100)

One of the aspects of black-and-white photography I enjoy the most is that, with the slightest adjustment in composition, you can turn the most ordinary subject into something beautiful. And what could be more ordinary than a bunch of dried grass that had sprung up in a neglected flower pot? Yet, framed this way and photographed in full sunlight against a dark background, the subject becomes abstracted just enough to begin to part ways with “reality.” Continue reading →

(Camera: Nikon FE; Lens: Nikkor 50mm f/1.8; Film: Kodak T-MAX 100)

I pulled this negative from my archives and decided to have a go printing it the other night. It was a relatively straightforward print to make since the limited tonal range that initially attracted me to the image didn’t need a lot of massaging to come through. As a result, my darkroom decisions were mostly limited to a little cropping and selecting the correct level of filtration on the enlarger to preserve the muted contrast. Continue reading →