Critique Welcomed The Illustrated Man

[Chris Dodkin]

Before there was Instagram, there was old-school film photography

Lubitel 166B Twin Lens Reflex with Ilford PanF Plus 50 ASA Film http://www.realphotographersforum.com/film-conventional-cameras/7219-cold-war-wonder.html#post60638

 

[Beth Carter]

haha, the title reminds me of my aunt when i was a kid. she always told me my uncle's tattoos meant he wanted to be a human coloring book. wonderful tones!

 

[Chris Dodkin]

Thanks Beth - and great story

Were you ever tempted to start coloring then?

 

[Beth Carter]

Were you ever tempted to start coloring then?

tempted then and still now.. but you're illustrated man has much more interesting designs on him than my uncle.

 

[Davie Hudson]

great picture chris, and nice ink also...not keen on the neck one, makes me shudder at the thought of the pain involved with neck tattoos

 

[Pete Askew]

Excellent shot Chris and all the better for the circular distortion etc in the background. And you'd pay good money for a crappy mask simulation like that around the image! Superb.

 

[Lesley Jones]

It's a powerful image and I like it. I only ever put Kodachrome through my Lubitel, but I love your choice of film too. If it wasn't for the scanning I would be seriously interested in giving it another go...

 

[Chris Dodkin]

Thanks everyone - certainly an interesting result, the circular distortion effect is very strong and any shot with a close point of focus. Gives each image a strange sense of movement, even when the subject has managed to stay still!

The slow film (50 ASA) made for slow shutter speeds (1/30) and larger apertures than I'd have liked. I had issues getting people to stay still enough.

Not a problem for landscapes, but definitely something to bear in mind for portraits - I think HP5 400 ASA would have been a better choice for portrait work.

The iPhone App I used as a light meter worked superbly - allowed me to dial-in exposure comp for the Yellow Y2 filter, and accurately meter the subjects. No need for my Sekonic!

Given the cost of film, dev and scanning - approx $27 for 12 frames, it's not a low cost enterprise. Your film and dev will outstrip the cost of the camera rather quickly!

Of course you could dev and scan yourself with the right gear - Brian and Pete for example would be able to knock out 12 frames for much less.

The scans were done at 3339x5035 pixels on a Noritsu QSS-3212.

All in all a very satisfying experience - and I can now claim to have experience with hip and trendy Lomo photography

 

[Brian Moore]

Very fine shot, Chris. That circular distortion really is strange. But nice! Does the Lubitel have a glass lens or plastic? Also, did you know the chap, or was he a stranger whom you asked to pose?

 

[Pete Askew]

It was covert Brian. He saw the camera but couldn't believe anyone would actually use it to take a picture!!

 

[Brian Moore]

It was covert Brian. He saw the camera but couldn't believe anyone would actually use it to take a picture!!

My guess is he didn't know it was a camera at all. Perhaps he thought it was one of those modern little handbags.

 

[Chris Dodkin]

I believe the lens is glass Brian - no idea how the OOF areas get to have that swirl

I did know the chap - no way I could shoot covert with the Lubitel on a tripod!

He's now using the shot as his Facebook profile pic

 

[Pete Askew]

A customer of your son's?

 

[Chris Dodkin]

No Pete - this is indeed Son #2!

So all of the ink is by other tattoo artists he's worked with

 

[Pete Askew]

I did wonder. Just don't go out drinking with him. You never know what you'll come home with!

 

[Chris Dodkin]

An empty wallet Pete!

 

[Steve Boykin]

This is a really great photograph. I am moving in two weeks to our Main Campus. We have a really good darkroom set up there. It's huge with two big rooms, multiple enlargers, the revolving door, ect. This photo is so beautiful it makes me want to try out film. I wonder how much cheaper it would be developing and printing as opposed to sending it to a lab for the work.

 

[Chris Dodkin]

Thanks Steve - Brian does a lot of his own Dev, as does Pete and Hamish - maybe they can comment on costs?

 

[Brian Moore]

Thanks Steve - Brian does a lot of his own Dev, as does Pete and Hamish - maybe they can comment on costs?

I think my original set up cost me about $70.00. (Keep in mind I'm doing processing only, then scanning negs on a photo scanner.) Wait, if I factor in the photo scanner I have to add another $150.00 (Epson V500.)

I process only B&W (at the moment).

If I send a roll of B&W film out for processing (negs only, no prints or scans) it costs me about $7 or 8 dollars. I shoot a lot of film so that is a lot of money. (By the way, if I shoot color--just snapshots around town, nothing special--I take the film to Costco. They will do "processing only" if you like for $1.25 or something like that. In an hour or less.)

I use Rodinal (R09 One Shot) as my developer. It's inexpensive (about $6.00 for a 125ml bottle) and the bottle lasts a while at the dilutions I use. (Mostly 1:50 or 1:100.) It also has a long shelf life and because it is liquid its easy to mix.

Sometimes of course I have to buy other chems. Fixer is the only one I absolutely need other than developer. But, by choice and for convenience I also buy and use stop bath and hypo clear as well as a wetting agent.

I haven't done any cost/benefit analysis or anything, but I think once you get the equipment and the chems there is a significant savings to be had through DIY. Its also fun.

However, if you have access to a school darkroom and equipment I am sure there are additional savings (as well as trade-offs).

 

[Steve Boykin]

Thanks!! I think I'm going to get a film camera. The darkroom is pretty impressive. I sat in on a couple of student critiques last year. I'm sort of married in a weird way to Fuji now.... I was looking at their medium format cameras. If anyone knows anything about them I'm all ears. I don't mind that they are one focal length, although I'm a bit unsure how to equate them to 35mm or Full Frame on digital in terms of what the focal length equals/what the F stop is equivalent too). I suppose that's kind of silly but that's my frame of reference. Besides, I find just having one focal length helps me. I usually just take one lens with me. Today I tried out this 20mm Nikon lens I got at a garage sale to see if I would want the Fuji 14mm. I think Fuji just sold a lens. Unfortunately it was really overcast so I didn't like any of the photos but I did like the focal length. You do have to be careful....I ended up with my feet in shot a few times.

The photography instructor shoots a Hasselblad I think. It's a really fancy medium format camera with interchangeable lenses. I think it's what he shot when he was making a living with his camera. That's probably out of my league. I saw some Fuji medium formats on Ebay and I think they still make a folder that might be more appropriate. I would like it to do 6 X 6 since I really like the square format. Ikea makes these very nice square matted frames that are about $16. I did a lot photos with the Fuji cropped at 6 X 6 earlier this year. It helps me if I can see what I am going to print in the viewfinder.

Thanks again for all the info!!!

Steve B.

- - - Updated - - -

Also I just looked at that Illustrated Man photo again. I really like that!!!!!!!!