Medium Format

16Feb

Medium format back on my 4×5 camera

I don’t use my Horseman 6×9 medium format back on my large format camera enough. I really love the results I’ve gotten from it in the past even though on this roll I only got 4 out of 8 shots that I think were ok. The 6×9 aspect ratio feels really natural for a lot of types of shots and at times I miss having my Fujifilm GW690 camera still too. Despite it only being a fixed lens range finder with no meter, the results were always extremely sharp and it made it very quick to setup and grab shots that I can’t do anywhere close to as fast with the 4×5.

These few photos from the roll still came out well enough, though I still want to get the next results sharper or with perhaps better control over the depth of field. I have a roll of Kodak 500T in the back now that I’ve been waiting for the right nights to bring out and shoot with. Hopefully I can get some good semi-foggy nights and car stuff shot with it. In general I haven’t been using my 4×5 enough for the past few months, but that should change as I have some projects and travel lined up this year.

Downtown Los Angeles shrowded in fog at night

Downtown LA at dusk on a rainy day

Guy stands on part of Vasquez Rocks which dwarf him in size

Skies rapidly turning pink in Joshua Tree National Park

16Nov

Around Manila on Fujifilm Pro 400H

These are some photos from a few rolls of Fujifilm Pro 400H from my trip with Zab to the Philippines earlier this year that I finally developed. My developing has been a bit slow since I’ve been waiting until I have enough rolls to maximize the useage of a batch of chemicals. While we were there I mostly spent time shooting slide film, which I posted in this blog post, but I ended up shooting a couple rolls of 400H when I wanted to get shots in low-light situations and of her and I. Generally, I find negative film to be more flattering in color to people than slide film since it handles various lighting conditions better. It didn’t really help me in hiding my kind of out of shape figure though, what can I say though, the food was really good.

Macro photo of a stack of magazines in a cafe

All different kinds of meat at a night market

People getting different kinds of juices at a night market

Looking down the row of all the food options at a night market

Cheese and Meat Dynamite Rolls

Outside in the redlight district at night

Zab and I standing outside the main walls of Fort Santiago

Zab and I sitting on a ledge near an inner wall at Fort Santiago

Zab and I standing in one of the garden areas at Baluarte de San Diego

Random intersection on a quiet day in Makati

Interesting building that is being torn down or built, I'm not sure

People walking around in Makati

A pile of Filipino Pesos

Another new building being built in Makati

A pedestrian bridge going to the mall in Makati that has art painted by different artists all across the ceiling of the walkway

28Jul

First time in the Philippines

First time in the Philippines

Back in April this year I had the opportunity to go to the Philippines for the first time with Zab. Despite it only being April it was already hot and humid compared to what I’m use to with days usually being in the 90’s (Fahrenheit) with over 80% humidity. It also went to show me how out of shape I am when it comes to hauling my gear around, but even still it was a great time as we adventured around Manila and shot and ate a lot of great food. I think I still managed to gain weight while there even though I was sweating all the time just because there was so much to try eating. Hopefully next time we’ll get out to see other regions or islands.

Prior to this trip I really hadn’t shot much in the way of slide film in a while, but the colors there I feel really complimented the film tonality. I ended up shooting a few rolls of Fujifilm Velvia 50 with my Rollei and I am really happy with how they all turned out. Below are shots I ended up getting and some are duplicates because I wanted to test different shutter speeds or filters with the film. They’re also the first shots I’ve scanned with my DSLR and lightbox combo, since I’m trying to maximize my image resolution, but more on that another time. Perhaps I’ll end up printing some of these in the near future.

Walking through the heat in Makati in Manila in the Philippines.

Brightly colored building of Andy's Canteen in Makati Manila in the Philippines.

Almost sunset looking out over Metro Manila in the Philippines.

Blue lights reflecting off the buildings in Metro Manila in the Philippines.

The oranges and purples come in for sunset over Metro Manila in the Philippines.

Sun is almost completely down looking over Metrol Manila in the Philippines.

Decaying buildings at Fort Santiago surrounded by trees.

Terrace at Fort Santiago

Looking toward the old church at Fort Santiago

Decaying brick walls at Fort Santiago

Grates over the jail cells at Fort Santiago

Tugboats moored on the side of the Pasig River

Interior wall in Fort Santiago

Near the cell of Jose Rizal at Fort Santiago

Looking up at San Agustin Church

One brightly colored building next to a drab building in Intramuros

Beautiful old colorful wooden building in Intramuros

The windows and surrounding details of a colorful old building in Intramuros

Beautiful old colorful wooden building in Intramuros

The windows and surrounding details of a colorful old building in Intramuros

Old stone center of Baluarte De San Diego

Part of the fortifications at Baluarte De San Diego

Looking out of the wall at Baluarte De San Diego at the Philippines flag

An orange sunset among the clouds over Intramuros

Deep oranges fill the sky as the sun is almost gone

Skyscrapers are all over central Manila

High rises in Manila for as far as you can see

What is the purpose of the triangle roof

Traffic all the time in downtown Manilla

Clouds are building up far in the distance of the city at sunset

Intense sunset colors blocked by a building near me

Long exposure shot of cars and people rushing by in the red light district