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Author Topic: Going backwards...  (Read 133340 times)

Photo_Utopia

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Going backwards...
« Reply #80 on: September 06, 2008, 12:54:29 pm »

I like the shot with the lady and gent, for Portra its quite a rich colour with skin-tones reminiscent of Fuji RDP.
About me;
 Although I use both digital and film, I prefer film for most 'projects' as the whole image making chain is more satisfying for me.
I think that generally the mis-information on some site about film and the use of film are actually quite shocking.
We have people who seem to be out to prove 'digital is better' film has poor colour, lower resolution, is binary with only black specs and clear base etc.

In reality it's all about achieving your personal vision, whatever the chosen medium
P
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barryfitzgerald

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« Reply #81 on: September 23, 2008, 02:26:33 pm »

I agree with Photo_Utopia, many places often mistake image quality as pure resolution. I bet most film users just like the look of the stuff printed, and don't shoot res charts!

I have not done much testing, but film doesn't stack up badly res wise compared to digital. Only once did I take my 6mp DSLR out and film. I just used up some bog standard ISO 200 print film, and it thrashed the pants off of the DSLR in just about every dept. Rather goes against the thinking of some places when they do testing on stuff like this.

And I have yet to see a digital shot show the uber fine levels of tonal variations, that film does. Despite the so called tech experts suggesting digital colours are better and more accurate. In my own experience, the real world, leaving aside the cost and time element of film, digital files require far more work in pp to even attempt to get near the level that film is at already.

It is IMO easier to just pick film for some subjects. Digital has a place, so does film, both are great in many ways.

But what I mostly like about neg film is the good highlight headroom, which is pretty poor on digital. I spend more time working the composition, than worrying about highlights shot to bits. This is the bane of digital, so poor in the highlight area, it isnt very funny.
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SecondFocus

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« Reply #82 on: September 23, 2008, 03:13:35 pm »

Barry I agree very much. Shooting res charts and newspapers just strikes me as missing the whole point of photography. Does anyone think Helmut Newton ever shot charts to see what copy of what lens was the sharpest.

And since I have been shooting more film I have indeed rediscovered the print. I have a hard time not filling wall after wall with 17x22 prints from 50mb drum scans. Some of them I just stare at, disbelieving that I actually created these photographs.

Anyway here is another, and this is just from an under 10mb roll scan. Mamiya 645AFDII, 80mm AF lens, Tri-X 400. The drum scan should be pretty spectacular.


[attachment=8453:attachment]
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Ian L. Sitren
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Rob C

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« Reply #83 on: September 24, 2008, 03:59:43 pm »

I don´t know if it can still be found anywhere or processed, but if you can get your mits on some Kodachrome 64, shoot your usual subject(s) and then scan and convert to black and white through channel mixer, you will be stunned by the magnificent sense of beauty that the skin tones take on.

By far the best skin tones I ever got, even compared with the results from the many years when I shot b/w film almost every day. Having said that, a lot depends on the material you use for printmaking... No easy answers, ever.

Rob C

Photo_Utopia

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« Reply #84 on: September 24, 2008, 05:21:12 pm »

Rob
 Kodachrome is a black and white film that has the colours added at the development stage, the correct term is non substantive as it has no colour couplers but rather uses 3 layers of mono emulsion sensitive to different parts of the visual spectrum.
If you can't find a mono film that gives you a good skin tone it may well be that you need to try a different film/dev combo.
I get pretty good skin tones with most films in Rodinal at 1:50


This is with T-Max 400 although I feel Ilford Delta is just a good, strange as Rodinal is not first choice for tabular grain films by conventional wisdom.

PU
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SecondFocus

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« Reply #85 on: September 24, 2008, 05:29:01 pm »

I think the quality of skin tone is very subjective especially in black and white. It is also your vision, what do you want it to look like?

For me anyway, that is why I might use Tri-X for some shoots and some films for others. I do shoot Kodak and Fuji films and some Ilford, but lately I seem to be leaning back to Kodak more and more.

But this one is Fuji...


[attachment=8479:attachment]
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barryfitzgerald

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« Reply #86 on: September 24, 2008, 05:55:50 pm »

This is a very interesting thread. I guess it is down to taste, if you should convert colour to b&w, I don't see a problem with that, done it a few times myself.

On the other hand, something very unique about real native b&w films. Whatever make or type you pick.

Some nice shots guys..enjoyed looking at them
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SecondFocus

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« Reply #87 on: September 24, 2008, 06:44:00 pm »

The issue of converting color to black and white is something I am comfortable doing with photos shot in digital however for film I would rather shoot the black and white film.

But for sake of comparison, this is a photo shot with a Canon 5D in RAW. I must tell you that I don't remember if I did the conversion in PhotoShop or Capture One.


[attachment=8485:attachment]
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Rob C

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« Reply #88 on: September 26, 2008, 05:53:02 pm »

With respect to a previous post, I´m not saying that I can´t get good results from original b/w film at all; I´m just saying that though I was perfectly happy using them when I was in the business, using Kodachrome slides of original colour subjects from the same era has given me skin texture that I find wonderful. That´s not to say that the same shots, had they been done on b/w material wouldn´t have looked as good as I wanted, it´s that the shots I´m working with are already in colour and will never happen again. And they still give me everything I´d have expected from b/w material too.

However, it´s academic: I no longer have a darkroom and never again will. Life, you see, has it´s own way of imposing on the person and his choices.

Rob C

SecondFocus

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« Reply #89 on: September 26, 2008, 06:08:15 pm »

Rob..

For sure, what you said about Kodachrome is really interesting and I would have liked to have tried it!
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Photo_Utopia

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« Reply #90 on: September 28, 2008, 06:50:03 am »

Quote
With respect to a previous post, I´m not saying that I can´t get good results from original b/w film at all; I´m just saying that though I was perfectly happy using them when I was in the business, using Kodachrome slides of original colour subjects from the same era has given me skin texture that I find wonderful. That´s not to say that the same shots, had they been done on b/w material wouldn´t have looked as good as I wanted, it´s that the shots I´m working with are already in colour and will never happen again. And they still give me everything I´d have expected from b/w material too.

However, it´s academic: I no longer have a darkroom and never again will. Life, you see, has it´s own way of imposing on the person and his choices.

Rob C
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=224746\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]

Sorry Rob for the misunderstanding, my point is that Kodachrome IS a B&W film, when you load it and use it to all purposes you are using a mono (with narrow latitude) emulsion.
I have been working on a series of colour images from B&W film here is an image taken on Agfa APX 100:


With the right subject, you can get pretty accurate colour not unlike KR64. It is a time consuming process and one that doesn't lend itself to fast moving subjects I call it a Trichrome.
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Rob C

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« Reply #91 on: September 28, 2008, 04:00:54 pm »

Just think of the wonderful pics you could get from that beautiful area of rust at the front of the barge. Close-up heaven... but I´d go with Velvia on that one!

Rob C

Photo_Utopia

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« Reply #92 on: September 28, 2008, 05:26:22 pm »

Quote
Just think of the wonderful pics you could get from that beautiful area of rust at the front of the barge. Close-up heaven... but I´d go with Velvia on that one!

Rob C
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Yes I took quite a few shots but as I was making trichromes at dawn -5°c I shot back home for a hot coffee and porridge before my fingers dropped off.

I like working when its warmer like last week..


Mark
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SecondFocus

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« Reply #93 on: September 29, 2008, 11:25:06 pm »

I really do like Tri-X...
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Ian L. Sitren
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SecondFocus

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« Reply #94 on: September 29, 2008, 11:25:27 pm »

I really do like Tri-X...


[attachment=8601:attachment]
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Ian L. Sitren
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SecondFocus

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« Reply #95 on: October 09, 2008, 11:12:35 pm »

Pro sales rising, Kodak in it for another 10 years, new camera from Fuji.

Photokina Film Report on APUG

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Ian L. Sitren
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SecondFocus

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« Reply #96 on: October 11, 2008, 03:48:32 pm »

There is a fabulous portfolio of photos of famous personalities in the magazine shot by photographer Dan Winters. It is all shot on Kodak Portra 160VC.

Here is a link to it online...

http://nymag.com/anniversary/40th/50659/

But I must tell you that the online photos do not come near the quality and detail in the print edition.
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Ian L. Sitren
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SecondFocus

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« Reply #97 on: October 14, 2008, 08:54:12 pm »

Along the line of this topic, there is a brand new online "radio" show about shooting film at...

http://www.insideanalogphoto.com/

I listened to an episode this morning and thought it was excellent.

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Doug Peterson

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« Reply #98 on: October 19, 2008, 01:44:09 am »

I just poked my head into the thread for inspiration since I'm printing cyanotypes the traditional way (though from digitally created negatives) tomorrow.

Quote from: SecondFocus
Does anyone think Helmut Newton ever shot charts to see what copy of what lens was the sharpest.
[attachment=8453:attachment]

No, but I would bet dollars to pennies that Ansel Adams did. Different styles of photography demand more or less attention to underlying technicals.

Photo_Utopia: LOVE that tree root shot.

Doug Peterson,  Head of Technical Services
Capture Integration, Phase One Dealer
Personal Portfolio

SecondFocus

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« Reply #99 on: November 09, 2008, 10:03:28 pm »

There is just something about these I like. Ilford 3200 120 film in a Mamiya 645AFDII in mid day sun...


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