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

Sepia Lobster Pot Buoys

Lobster Pot Buoys                                           ©Peter N Parsons

I scanned this black and white HP5 120 negative as a color image and transformed it into a sepia toned picture in Photoshop Element 8:

Enhance>Adjust Color>Remove Color>Color Variations>Adjust Color Intensity slider 2 clicks to the left (not all the way)>Decrease blue one click>Increase red one click.

In this picture at Eastern Passage, NS, the dark sepia border is 33230d in the Photoshop color picker.

Eastern Passage, NS                                       ©Peter N Parsons

Another shot with the 55mm on the C220. This  one of my favorite locations, the fishing village of Eastern Passage near Dartmouth, Nova Scotia.

I used a yellow filter which darkened the blue areas in sky at top of frame. Ilford HP5, 1/125second around f8.0

Developed in Kodak D-76, 1:1, 20C for 11 minutes.

Dories

 Northwest Cove                                         ©Peter N Parsons

A string of dories is seen in Northwest Cove, Nova Scotia in October 2013. The dory is now mostly used for recreational events such as rowing races.

Photographed with Mamiya C220, 135mm lens,
Shanghai GPS100, 1/250sec @ f5.6 - F8.0

Film was developed in D76  1:1 for 12 minutes, Kodak Powder Fixer for 10 minutes.

Gulls on Wharf Pilings

                                                              ©2013 Peter N Parsons

Gulls sit on top of old wharf pilings at Tiverton,
on the Bay of Fundy in Nova Scotia in July 2013.

Mamiya C220, 55mm lens, Ilford HP5.
Exposure was around 1/125 second at f8.

Developed in D76, 1:1, 12 minutes at 70 degrees

Testing 55mm

I have been testing the new to me 55mm lens which I acquired from Mamiya user James Clark in June.

 The lens has is equivalent of 36mm and is fast becoming my favorite lens.










The picture of the driftwood log was taken on the sandy shores of the Lawrencetown River near Conrad's Beach, Nova Scotia in July. 1/250 at f16. I slightly underexposed the image to retain detail in the highlights. Tri-X, D76 1:1

Old Tree Trunk

  An old tree trunk rests on the shores of Second Lake, Nova
  Scotia in August 2013. (Mamiya C220/55mm/Shanghai GP3
  1/125 sec./f8.5/ Y2 filter/D76 1:1)             ©Peter N Parsons

James Clark

Barbara and James Clark                                                         

I recently had the good luck to meet  fellow Mamiya TLR user James Clark who lives   along the Wallace River in Middleboro, Cumberland County, Nova Scotia.

Good luck in that he sold me a 55mm lens which I have long coveted but never gotten around to purchase.

I took a picture of James holding his C330 with his wife Barbara and asked him to write a brief bio of his photography history.

"Photography has been a fascination for me since taking a snap-shot of “Old Faithful” geyser, at age 9 using a pre-war Kodak folder.  As an adult complete satisfaction was found using Nikon gear.  At least until a couple of gifts arrived.  First came a Yashica "A" TLR, followed shortly by a Davis & Sanford Redi-Tilt tripod.  The camera was frustratingly poor, but the TLR design was pleasant in use and the large negative, sensational.  A knowledgeable friend suggested Mamiya, and the C330S soon arrived.  Again, satisfaction.  

The foray into roll film continued with another gift, a Zeiss Nettar folder, conveniently portable and capable of wonderful pictures.  More recently, and less limited in that contrast filters are readily available, a Rolleiflex 2.8E has found a place in the kit.  The adventure continues."

-James Clark 

(photo: Mamiya C220, 65mm, Ilford HP5, exposure not recorded, D76 1:1)

Subject, Lighting and Composition

                                   Woman with Basket, Sherbrooke, NS

      


















Equipment aside, for me, the three important things to look for while actually taking pictures are:

 - interesting subject
 - good light
 - effective composition

When these three elements are present a good  picture normally results. Pictorial photographers are always looking for good light. More often than not good light (sunlight bursting through an overcast sky for example] is fleeting/ frustrating and difficult to deal with for the film photographer, both with  filter selection/ exposure and the possible need to make film processing adjustments in the darkroom later on.

Earlier this week I headed to a remote beach which I had not been to for a number of years and had never shot in black and white. Much to my dismay it was blanketed in a thick fog, but still quite bright. My incident meter registered 1/500 at f16 set at ISO 400. I waited well over an hour for the fog to clear. It never did. I shot a roll of HP5 with my Mamiya 220, the 65mm attached. Mostly beach stones, to justify my trip. 

This happens to me all the time. Subject matter is located. Composition is fairly straight forward. Good lighting is usually missing. I have adjusted to this by mostly shooting under overcast conditions, hoping a good subject and a good composition will carry the picture. Avoiding good lighting altogether. My pictures may look dull, but I like them and in the end I shoot for myself anyway.

In the picture of a woman at historic Sherbrooke village in Nova Scotia, the strong s-curve composition and subject placement carries the image, even though the lighting is flat and overcast. The picture also has a good range of tones from the highlight on the woman's back to the blackness of the background.

The picture was taken with a Zeiss Nettar 120 folding camera and Tri-X. No data recorded. By cropping into the center of the negative it gives the illusion of a telephoto effect even though the Zeiss has a fixed normal lens.