Driftwood Tree Trunk

                                                                            ©PN Parsons

Driftwood tree trunk photographed near Conrads Beach, Nova Scotia, October 2014

Mamiya C220
55mm lens

Ilford HP5
D76  1:1
12mins, 20C

My Camera Bag

< Domke F-2 Original Bag, black


I have just read a Facebook quote from actress Keira Knightley in which she says film photographers are much better at seeing their subjects than digital photographers. She went on to say that one of the reasons she agreed to be photographed topless for Interview magazine is the images not be Photoshopped.

http://www.interviewmagazine.com/fashion/keira-knightley-by-patrick-demarchelier

Keira Knightly is #1 on my list for Mama Mamiya of the Year

I meant this blog post to be about what's in my camera bag, my camera and lenses of choice,  not blow on too much about why. This does not see to be the case and I apologize for the digress.

As a former professional photographer, I am often asked how much equipment a person should have to do good work....to consistently produce good pictures.

Mostly I reply "a serious photographer needs only one camera and two lenses: a medium wide angle and a short telephoto. Since most consumer cameras come with a wide angle to telephoto zoom  anyway, this is all you really need."

Extras such as a flash, a longer or wider or faster lens can expand your capability but do not in themselves make one a better photographer.

If you can not create decent pictures with a minimalist camera,  film or digital, all the equipment in the world is not going to help. ( I am not talking about specialist areas like wildlife or macro work, but in more general work like landscape or people photography) The problem is not the camera, it lies with the user's inability to see and feel the subject.

There are a few more things to ponder when selecting camera.... Like, why you want to take pictures anyway? What exactly are you going to do with the pictures? What's your motivation?.....

...I assume anyone involved in black and white film photography has more than a passing interest in the craft...

I will add it is more difficult for the film photographer to consistently produce good pictures as it requires a unique mindset: one must see, think and visualize the end result before the shutter is released. Luckily a skill which can be developed, improved and nurtured over time.

A digital capture is somewhat the opposite of that. All the creativity is after the fact, in front of a computer using Photoshop. Click...click...click and you're a master. Easy, but in some circles has led to a backlash against digital in favour of  traditional film techniques.

Visualization is even more difficult when using black and white film. It becomes important to see tonal qualities as well as subject, lighting and composition. The choice of camera, lens, film and final print become very important and reflect the subject through the photographer's vision.

Also important is getting enough different views of the subject from different angles to do justice to the subject itself. With a 35mm the photographer can easily jump around shooting to eventually arrive at the best angle. Not so with the TLR's waist level finder in which the image is backwards anyway and no auto exposure or autofocus to help you out.

Using a TLR  slows the photographer down and makes her concentrate on the subject, slowly and often over a longer period of time.

So there you have it, my disgress.

But what's is most important to many photographers?

Without question it seems to be.........their stuff.

Now on to my stuff....

The range of equipment for the TLR photographer is most extensive in the Mamiya C series, where the availability of changeable lenses is unique in the TLR world.

The following is a list of 35mm equivalents for the C series lenses:

55mm  >  36 mm 
65mm  >  42 mm
80mm  >  52 mm
105mm >  68mm
135mm  > 88mm
180mm  > 117mm
250mm > 163mm

This impressive range of what now would be called vintage lenses is still limited on the wide end, the 55mm has a 35mm equivalent of 36mm. The 250mm is 163mm on the telephoto end. The 250's bellows extension make it all but unusable except for tripod and studio work and the 180 only slightly better. Since all C cameras came with the 80mm normal lens it is a good chance you will have one of these anyway and a great lens if you are content with the normal focal length equivalency work.

That leaves the handheld or monopod using landscape/streetscape/ portrait photographer with a working 35mm equivalent range of 36mm to 88mm. Not much, but all you really need.

So if you choose the Mamiya C series film system as your camera along with the 55 and 135mm as everyday lenses a good question would be what would be a good camera bag to carry your stuff around and reflect the cool film user hipster dude you have now become.

During my years as a professional photographer the only camera bag I ever really liked was the Domke F-2 original, black canvas version. I briefly used the sand colour F-2 until a friend asked me why I had a pink bag?

The F-2's simple old school design molds to your side and does not bounce off the hip when walking fast or running. Over time it becomes a very comfortable bag, stylish yet discrete.

Although original designed for 35mm photojournalists, the F-2  is also ideal fit for the roaming Mamiya TLR photographer. Its depth is just about right on for the camera with flip finder closed, plenty of room for lenses, meter, film etc. It comfortably hangs off the shoulder and fits nicely behind the seat of a car.

I have two C220's but only keep one in my bag along with a 55mm,  80mm and 135mm lenses. Add to that a Minolta incident flash light meter, which I still have from my studio days, yellow and  red filters and a 46-49 step-up ring.

My current favorite film is Ilford HP5+ and usually carry 5-10 rolls

So there you have it. A great and capable film camera, a limited but superb line of lenses in a hip and discreet shoulder bag. All you need are inspiration and motivation, the two things even more important than equipment needed to consistently produce good pictures.

Thanks Jena!

Jena                                                            ©PN Parsons

Recent photo of my daughter Jena taken with Mamiya C220 and 135mm lens.

I have many 1000's of pictures of Jena since the moment she was born over 34 years ago. To this day, along with my younger daughter Heather,  she is one of my favorite and most sympathetic of subjects.. Thanks Jena!

Ilford HP5 developed in Kodak D-76 1:1, 12 minutes.

Exposure 1/125 second  at f8.0

BLUES BROTHERS

                                               Jonah and Cohen with 3D Glasses

 

 

 

 

 

My two grandsons 

Jonah, 5, and Cohen, 3,

wear 3D glasses from

 the movie Planes II

Mamiya C220, 135mm lens

Exposure 1/125 seconds, f8.0

Ilford HP5, D76 1:1, 12 minutes

Epson 4490 scanner

The Lowly Monopod

                     C220 Mamiya TLR attached to a Gitzo monopod*

I dislike having to carry a tripod.

The bigger they are the more I dislike them.

I dislike the bulk and cumbersome size of the
beasts.

Lighter, carbon fiber models don't seem to help. I will never like using one.



What I do like however is a good monopod. The lowly one-legged accessory which as it turns out is perfect for general photography on a TLR.

Not only is it unobtrusive it can be carried over the shoulder comfortably for many hours. Try that with a tripod.

The following is my list of reasons for using a monopod:

1. Cheaper than a tripod.
2. Ideally suited for use with a TLR
3. Comfortable on shoulder
4. Doubles as a walking stick or extension tool in the right hands.
5. Formidable weapon if needed.
6. Takes up hardly any space.
7. Makes you look serious.
8. Holds TLR steady down to 1/30 second with shorter lenses.
9. A good one like a Gitzo will last forever.

*my daughter Jena holds Gitzo monopod with C220 attached. 135mm lens, 1/250 second at f8.0
 Ilford HP5 film developed in D76 1:1 for 12 minutes. Negative scanned on Epson 4490

Why, Why, Why, Mamiya!

My favorite subject for many years is the Nova Scotia seacoast

A bit of an observation.............

Why do so many photographers, me included, spend hours at the computer looking at photo websites and blogs when they could be out making new pictures.

Bad weather is an easy excuse. Trolling the internet is something to do on a rainy day. If you can't get out and take pictures looking at other people's work is the next best thing. Taking pictures takes effort, sitting does not.

Besides, it has been a long time since I looked through a viewfinder and saw something new. This is my biggest excuse for being lazy. That and lack of self-motivation.

Lack of inspiration and motivation can lead to discouragement or boredom with one's own pictures and the inevitable slide to the desire for new equipment to fill that void, often short lived.

Modern equipment allows for technically good images from both novice and advanced photographers, however it is my opinion that the selection of subject matter, use of effective lighting  along with an eye-pleasing composition is far more important than the camera and lens being used.

That others may be a better or more experienced photographers is often forgotten. What is easiest to justify to oneself  is that others may have better equipment and therefore are creating better work.

The equipment pre-occupation comes from the relentless marketing of the camera industry equating newest equipment to better pictures and the subsequent lack of contentment with one's own stuff.

The result is the never ending pursuit of gear which one hopes will help to improve their work. A trap many fall into and never emerge. The pursuit of getting and using new lenses, cameras, software and printers or in our case developers, papers or films has become the mainstream of photographic interests.

...The problem is that cameras, lenses, filters, lights, computers and software are only the tools....

The eye, brain and heart are tools far more important to the creative photography process than any amount of equipment.

Another problem is the inability for many photographers to clearly judge their own work  jumping back and forth from being a serious photographer to a serious experimenter to a serious equipment collector and never really creating a serious body of work which reflects an artistic path.

Most non-professional photographer lean toward subjects to which they can become emotionally attached, such as family, friends or a personal interest. Their feelings, circumstances, happiness or even joy during those moments of original photography become a part of their pictures, good or bad.

Their pictures can become clouded by the memories of the original photography event. The photographer's feelings, to which they may not sometimes be aware, becomes transferred to the pictures and may become just as important as the pictures themselves....." I was in seventh heaven photographing that rock concert," for example.  Never really seriously judging their own work at the subjective level.

Some photographers, happy and pleased with their own work, rarely rely on the opinion of others. This too can become a trap. Often using the mantra  "it worked before, so it will work again." these photographer's work can become repetitive and stagnant over time without them even being aware of the lack of a fixed plan, direction or clear photographic goals.

This attachment to one's own images can often cloud judgement. Where it is easy to accurately and fairly critique another photographer's work, the evaluation of your work, often with mixed emotions, can create problems. Especially if you desire the approval of others, such as a friend or relative, or even an editor or a gallery owner.

One can argue that all art is emotional. If you are not emotional attached to your work and why bother to create at all if the process is unemotional and not fulfilling.

A painter, for instance, normally does not dwell on the different brands of paint, brushes and techniques available. What is important is visualization, technique eventually leading to the finished painting. How they got to the finished painting is not important. The process is only a means to and end.

In photography the process or technique has become as important as the work itself. How the photographer arrived at the finished work has become just as important as the work itself. A photographic image can be described more accurately by the technique used to create it. Eg. silver gelatin, inkjet, bromoil, dye transfer.

From this comparison it follows that one should not dwell on equipment but only on the finished results. If a camera, the lens, film and process, however humble, works well and creates a good picture, self-approval from the photographer and the reinforcement of others is met, and the artistic desire is satisfied.

That humble camera and lens, however ancient, can be used until a particular artistic endeavor runs its course and the body of work, large or small, is completed by choice.

It is for this reason why I stick with my Mamiya C220 loaded with Ilford HP5. The goal being equipment being use is not important. The subject and how it is to be photographed is the number one concern. I do not get out as much as I should, but my gear is ready and needs no updating.

A body of work which parallels advances in technology is in itself a reflection of technology and not artistic in nature. True art springs from the mind and soul of the artist.

It is my belief that a photographer should remain in one area of expression and fully explore that particular genre until he has just nothing else to say visually before moving on. Becoming a craftsmen in an applied technique such the making of silver silver gelatin prints allows for a great amount of artistic expression something every photographic artist should strive toward.

The Mamiya TLR was built to last a photographer for many years, perhaps a lifetime. It works very well for the purpose for which it was intended. A well-rounded, easy to use professional camera for everyday use by anyone who takes the time to learn its controls and parameters.

When by choice a photographer chooses to stay and work within the boundary of the TLR, or any well made mechanical camera for that matter, he is liberated from the desires to obtain disposable state-of-the art equipment and can concentrate on his own work, not seeking the approval of others and confident the artistic path will be its own reward.

The only problem becomes one of equipment repair or the potential demise of emulsion products like film, chemistry and paper.

The so-called and inappropriately named analog arts.

Maybe time is running out for film photography and it behooves us to get busy.

But that is a rant for another day.....

5 Reasons for TLR Film Photography

What would make a photographer want to use a twin lens reflex film camera, a throwback from the 20th century, when more technically advanced film cameras such as the 645, RB67, Mamiya 6 & 7 are still easily available on eBay, Kijiji etc? By extension I also include the Rolliflex, Yashica  and other TLR's which were popular during the period but lacked interchangeable lens feature of the Mamiya. To this I also add current digital technology.

In my case I am emotional attached to my first C220, the first professional camera I owned, purchased during a Labour Day weekend trip to Boston in 1969. Still works great but spends most of its time on a tripod in my living room. It cost near $200 CDN at the time. An inflation calculator says that's around $1200 in today's money. Not a whole lot for a professional grade camera, but big money for me at the time.

At the risk of sounding repetitive here are my 5 reasons:
 
1. An emotional attachment to film and a camera from one's youth. Although my career as a professional photographer has spanned over 40 years, mostly as a news photographer, it was when I was young photographer that I had the most enthusiasm. Trying to rekindle or re-live the past. Pathetic in a way, but reason enough.

2. Nostalgia is always in style. I often see skateboarders with a 35mm camera slung over their shoulder, especially Nikons and Pentaxes. Maybe they think it is just cool to zip around with dad's old camera. A lot of photo websites use film cameras in there marketing. Photoshop Elements 11 has a Mamiya TLR on its packaging. Traditional photography opens up the world of film products and all the nostalgia that accompanies that genre.

3. Cool people ( especially women) are often attracted to film cameras users. At worst it is the attraction people have for an oddball. At best they see a person with an artistic nature. An individual both creative and visually sensitive. Someone worth knowing.

4. A negative or transparency is an non-manipulated image from the moment of exposure. It is a documentary proof of the scene in front of the camera interpreted by the eye and mind of the photographer. Because it physically exists, a picture from film has more intrinsic value than the billions if not trillions of mindless images taken with smartphones and digital cameras which we see ad nauseum on social media.To get a b&w image many digital photographers use software to create pictures which to my eye are often garish and overly artsy. These manipulated black and white images are interesting but to me a dishonest approach.

5. Since TLR film cameras (as far as I know) are no longer being produced, the photographer is no longer subject to the new equipment trap perpetrated by the photographic industry. The continual marketing thrust, in which the newest equipment takes the best pictures, has become a belief of almost everyone. Film photographers do not need to fall into this trap and can concentrate on their work, not spending hours drooling over new equipment specs. A list of all the Mamiya TLR gear which was ever produced is available at: http://grahampatterson.home.comcast.net/~grahampatterson/grahamp/mfaq/m_faq.pdf