October on film

November 5, 2016November 5, 2016 sumacandmilkweed10 Comments

Aside from the two rolls of purple film in October, I also ran a roll of Kodak Gold 400 and Agfa 200 through the Minolta SRT 102 and Pen EE3, respectively. Countryside, mid-October colors, the usual (for me) suspects. No edits, other than the addition of a watermark.

I’m still smitten with film. The planning, the composing an image, the waiting, the surprise. It just slows everything down in a super delicious way that I’m finding I’m really okay with.

ldc_20161026_77770002srt102_kodakgc_400 ldc_20161026_77770003srt102_kodakgc_400 ldc_20161026_77770004srt102_kodakgc_400 ldc_20161026_77770012srt102_kodakgc_400 ldc_20161026_77770015srt102_kodakgc_400 ldc_20161026_77770016srt102_kodakgc_400 ldc_20161026_77770019srt102_kodakgc_400 ldc_20161026_77770022srt102_kodakgc_400 ldc_20161026_77770026srt102_kodakgc_400 ldc_20161026_77770030srt102_kodakgc_400 ldc_20161026_77770032srt102_kodakgc_400 ldc_20161026_77770033srt102_kodakgc_400 ldc_20161026_77770034srt102_kodakgc_400 ldc_20161026_77780007ee3_agfa_200 ldc_20161026_77780020ee3_agfa_200 ldc_20161026_77780022ee3_agfa_200 ldc_20161026_77780025ee3_agfa_200 ldc_20161026_77780039ee3_agfa_200

Dreaming in purple

October 27, 2016October 27, 2016 sumacandmilkweed7 Comments

ldc_20161026_77800033srt102_lomo_purple_200 — abandoned farmhouse in Lomography Lomochrome Purple film

A few weeks ago I spent a small fortune on a few rolls of Lomography Lomochrome Purple film on a whim. Because, well, I’m in an experimental phase here and I’m rolling with that. But really, it’s like magic, this film–it turns greens purple (but only sometimes) and mucks about with other colors in weird and wonderful ways and yes, I do know that I can do that in Photoshop but I want to create magic right in my camera with no other faffing around. And I want to be surprised by what I get when my film is developed. And I don’t want to control everything. (I take that back. I kind of like control, but not where film photography is concerned. I am still in love with the surprises there.)

So I put one roll in my Minolta SRT 102 and after that I ran another through my Olympus Pen EE3. Was I surprised? Yes. Delighted? Totally.

Will I use this film again? Yes, oh yes. And I can’t wait.

In the meantime, here are some favorites from those two rolls.

Minolta SRT 102

ldc_20161026_77800029srt102_lomo_purple_200 — sumac in foreground, abandoned barn

ldc_20161026_77800034srt102_lomo_purple_200 — diamond window shed, sumac

ldc_20161026_77800026srt102_lomo_purple_200 — pine needles suspended in web, abandoned car in forest

ldc_20161026_77800024srt102_lomo_purple_200 — pine forest

ldc_20161026_77800016srt102_lomo_purple_200 — forest floor, dried pine needles, mushroom and green (purple) moss

ldc_20161026_77800008srt102_lomo_purple_200 — forest and light

ldc_20161026_77800013srt102_lomo_purple_200 — pumpkins get a deeper orange in lomo purple

ldc_20161026_77800006srt102_lomo_purple_200 — small lake, lily pads and reflections

ldc_20161026_77800005srt102_lomo_purple_200 — lake and reflection through trees

Olympus Pen EE3

ldc_20161026_77790012ee3_lomo_purple_200 — train tracks and vines

ldc_20161026_77790003ee3_lomo_purple_200 — shadows and alleyway

ldc_20161026_77790011ee3_lomo_purple_200 — lines, shadows, and time transport box (okay, probably not)

ldc_20161026_77790020ee3_lomo_purple_200 — foggy woods, road after the fog cleared

ldc_20161026_77790024ee3_lomo_purple_200 — country roads

ldc_20161026_77790025ee3_lomo_purple_200 — orchard

ldc_20161026_77790027ee3_lomo_purple_200 — orchard and plowed field

ldc_20161026_77790032ee3_lomo_purple_200 — multicolored trees and old shed

ldc_20161026_77790033ee3_lomo_purple_200 — fields, trees

ldc_20161026_77790035ee3_lomo_purple_200 — grassy road, more sumac

ldc_20161026_77790026ee3_lomo_purple_200 — sumac and milkweed, roadside

August on film

September 13, 2016September 13, 2016 sumacandmilkweed9 Comments

I know it’s September, but one of the many things about film photography that interests me is that I don’t generally get my film developed immediately. Since I like to save money by getting several rolls developed at once, I have to wait until I have several rolls to develop. Which, depending on several factors, could take a month or so. So by the time I get film developed, seasons can change, new things are blooming (or drying up), etc. etc.

I tried a new lab for four rolls, one of which was shot on a Minolta X700 I recently acquired. The price and timing was right, but the color saturation seemed off, and everything appeared over-exposed and washed out. I may still use this lab as I can muck about with some of that stuff with the digitized image. But one of the other things I really like about film is the fact that you get what you get, and even that depends on who’s processing your stuff–and even the same lab can process each roll different than the next, at least in my experience.

So, I got what I got on these four rolls and I don’t mind that one bit.

These first four shots are from the newly acquired Minolta X700, which after shooting one roll I decided a) to keep, and b) to take in to repair, as it has a “sticky gasket” (that’s what the shop said–I just know the aperture ring sometimes worked and sometimes didn’t). Anyway, this was a cheapo drug store roll of Fuji 800 speed film, which I intended to use in New Orleans at night when I was there last May but didn’t.

And the Pentax K100, with Kodak Ultramax 400 speed film, produced these:

Barely noticeable through the brush

Tomatoes for sale in a little trailer, roadside

Apple orchard

Pear orchard

Wheat or rye, I never know

Power lines and turbines

Wild rose bush

My friend’s planter

Roadside, part of an abandoned compound

These next images were shot with Agfa Vista 200–a cheap film that I love for the half frame. I am crazy about the half frame format. Have I already mentioned that? I used my Olympus Pen EE3, which I’m so excited about because I got it for only $10.50. I don’t know why that makes me so happy, but it does. This is a fun point and shoot, just easier to use than the all-manual original Olympus Pen that I have (but I love that one, too).