Tough Decisions Towards Better Photography

Good morning, afternoon and evening everyone!

Hope all is well with you all

I have a very interesting circumstance to speak to you about

The first couple of months of this year have been a bit hectic for me

My birthday passed, i took a break from shooting film, i finally got settled in at my new home, moved some stuff around at job and worked on some things with family

And also….sold off all my digital photography gear..

Caffenol CL vs. Kodak HC110 😵

Hello Everyone,

My apologies on the time between posts lately as I’ve just moved to a new place and also got a quick mini-vaca in recently (more on that later) from work

As mentioned in my previous post, I’ve been developing ALL my black and white film with Caffenol (specifically Caffenol CL) in place of all the chemicals I used to use

I mostly shoot Kodak Tri-X, ilford HP5 and also the Lomo Earl Gray films these days. All have been developed in Caffenol mixtures

I was very serious about being happy (also a bit shocked) about the results I was seeing

But is it really as good as I’ve been viewing it or has the romance between this developer and I finally ended?

Rangefinder Love: Fuji GW690III

Today I’d like to tell you about a camera I’m slowly beginning to fall in love with

I think in part due to the fact it reminds me of my time with the Leica M when I first really started to delve deep into film photography but in a much larger format

It’s definitely not a camera that can fit in your pocket, but what you sacrifice you portability, you gain in image quality and resolution

The camera I’m speaking of is the Fuji GW690III, a fixed lens medium format film rangefinder

If you’ve never seen what one looks like, it’s basically a Leica M on steroids with some differences since it was designed by Fuji and not Leica

My Venture into Micro 4/3rd Territory

For a long while I never gave it a second thought..

Never thought about reading all of the reviews..or taking it as a serious medium

Micro Four Thirds technology seemed ok and I know a lot of photographers use it from time to time, but for some reason I saw it as just something that was shot on the side in between serious work

It’s totally my fault that I neglected these cameras/lenses/sensors and I’m glad I took the time to take a second look

My Trip to New Orleans with the Holga 120, Leica M2 and M8

Hello everyone!

Not long ago I was fortunate enough to have saved enough $$$ for something I’ve been planning on doing for a long while.

A trip down to the “Big Easy” New Orleans, Louisiana!!

Once I felt comfortable with funds 🙂 I went forward and made reservations for the flight and hotel stay

Now, this trip was not just for vacation, but also to spend some time solely dedicated to photography.

During my planning for the trip, a couple things went through my mind..

The Leica M8 and I

Hi everybody,

Recently I had the opportunity to purchase a used Leica M8 for a reasonable price..well…reasonable by Leica body standards, and in pretty good condition too!

I had never shot a digital rangefinder before, I mean aside from a quick tryout at a photo store I pass by frequently, so I decided to purchase this cam and add to the collection 

I am very excited to put this camera through my regular “street walks exercise” that i usually do with my film cameras most of the time.

Now as many of you know, this was Leicas first attempt at delving into the digital market..so it had its fair share of issues.

Oh, How I’ve Missed You Tri-X (and Leica M3!)

At a photography show a couple days ago in Hasbrouk Heights, NJ i found a seller with a couple rolls of Tri-X for a great price.

I decided to purchase some since i haven’t shot it in a long while

I’ve been shooting Ultrafine Xtreme 400 film almost exclusively for months now and decided i wanted to switch it up

As I’ve been watching numerous documentaries on both digital and film photography the feeling of inspiration has had my “trigger” finger ready to hit that shutter button 😉

So i put a day aside to take a number of rolls out with my Leica M3 and 50mm Summicron DR (oh how I’ve missed this combo too!)

What was planned as a casual day where maybe 1-2 rolls were shot ended up being 4-5 rolls lol

Film Stand Development

Recently during my studies on film photography and development techniques, i came across the technique of “stand development”

Apparently, doing this allows you to push your film (depending on which you use) much more easily and increases the sharpness and shadow details of the images taken.

So of course, i sought more info on this subject and came across a video done by Chuck Jines who runs a YouTube channel i frequent from time to time called Chuck Jines Photography

He calls his style “Grit Street Photography” and using his stand development technique, he gets the gritty look and feel of his film photography.

I love the type of photographers and photography that instantly make you get up and want to elevate yourself.

To me, this is what it’s all about

Keep seeking the knowledge where you can find it, and put it to practice.

You’ll find your way with hard work and dedication

Checking out the Voigtlander VC Meter II with Leica M2

Hi Everyone,

Lately i’ve been reading the back and forth conversations (arguments?) between street photographers and the light meters that they prefer (or if they use one at all!)

Particularly those conversations between people who work almost exclusively with Rangefinders cameras, like the Leica M or Canon 7 for example.

My experience with my Leica M2 (as i have mentioned before) has always been without the use of a light meter.

I guess i just like making things more difficult for myself or i just truly didn’t think i was a real “Leica Shooter” if i didn’t know how to meter in my head when i first purchased.

In a way, i still do feel this way..but i’m not against the use of a Light Meter if one chooses to use one.

Results of the Cross Processing Development

Hello Everyone out there in Photography land

Well..the experiment has been completed and the film has been developed, fixed, dried and scanned 🙂

Before i show you the results, let me tell you a little bit of the procedure i went through.

So i had first heard about this tactic through a bored night in some Flickr discussion forums.

Everyone had a routine and posted some pretty good results, so i immediately wanted to take a crack at it.