Ghetto lighting.

Spinning Round

Originally uploaded by tourist_on_earth

Most photographers who are even remotely serious about improving their technique will have heard of Strobist, and may even have it in their RSS feed. Me? I have no idea about off camera lighting and although I have heard of Strobist, it’s always seemed slightly prohibitive in terms of cost.

The word SB600 seems to get thrown around a lot in connection with Strobist; I recently saw the price of an SB200 and figured that there was no way I’d ever be able to justify to myself spending that much on just a flash. (I’d rather buy another camera )

So when a flickr contact recently posted some impressive home brew light painting, it got me thinking about my options. Sure I don’t have wireless flashes and numerous tripods with softboxes and tripods to mount them on, but I did have an ancient Mecablitz BCT4 with a manual firing option. I also had a torch similar to the one used on a recent outing, that had proven that fancy equipment wasn’t needed to get a great shot.

Ideas started floating around in my head.

Generally I go out with mates who shoot digital while I shoot film, so I know pretty soon whether my suggestions will work or not. At least during a full moon….

Shooting at night is reasonably challenging, as to achieve a half decent star trail ideally there should be no moon, with a minimum exposure time starting at 15 minutes. Room for error? Not a lot. Even checking on my mates preview screens doesn’t help as after waiting around for half an hour or more for a single exposure, I rarely have the patience to reshoot.

Regardless, we headed out last night. In true wolf_brigade style I hadn’t set anything up, figuring I’d sort it all out on location, despite this approach causing headaches in the past. With only a quarter moon there wasn’t a lot of light. Great for star trails but no so good for trying to setup something new that required light to construct!

I’d brought along a couple of things:

1 packet of orange/red cellophane
1 packet of blue cellophane
1 pair of scissors
1 torch (12 volt battery style with square plastic body) that was found on a previous noctography expedition
1 torch similar in strength to a mag light, and similar in style to the type issued to the SAS; a remnant of my days as a security guard
1 Bronica SQi as a backup camera
1 roll of expired film in box for above camera
1 Pentax 645n with 6 shots left on 100ISO expired Konica Centuria Super
I gold and silver reflector
I roll of Leukoplast (a medical grade tape in lieu of the masking tape I couldn’t find)
1 (rarely used) digital camera to test lighting conditions
1 Slik tripod - my main one
1 dodgy 1 meter high tripod bought for $10 at an antique store so that I had a sturdy portable tripod for pinhole use
1 Gossen Lunasix exposure meter
1 cable release
1 digital countdown timer

First let’s eliminate the “useless items” for night exposure:

Bronica - sure it was nice to have a backup camera, but a set of batteries for the Pentax would have been a smarter move.
Exposure meter - I know from experience the exposure times now, but this is kind of like a security blanket.
The actual roll of spare film.

That’s it! The rest was put together MacGuyver style to allow my mate to take the above shot. Want to know how? Read on…

First I setup the torch I’d found shining up the tree’s trunk. Looked ok, but the lighting was very direct and didn’t illuminate much. I then tried hooking it on a branch, but it kept slipping down facing the ground. Enter the reflector. The gold side provided the best light as the slightly warm cast would help separate the illuminated tree from the deep blue night sky. However, the light wasn’t very strong as you can see here:

Then I remembered about the other flashlight. But with the heat it emitted, it was likely the cellophane sheet would literally melt after a few minutes. How to solve this? Enter the film box from the spare roll of film. Fashioning a home brew style snoot, I slipped it over the torch leaving enough of a gap so as to allow a buffer for the heat. I then taped a small sheet of orange cellophane over the top, cut with the scissors and secured with the leukoplast. I then taped that to the antique store tripod leg. Like so:

I then used a fork in the tree branches to mount my tripod light so that it was facing up. The complete setup looked like this:

Using the digital camera to document my progress, I felt pretty happy. I then setup the Pentax on the Slik tripod with the cable release and took a 15 minute (or thereabouts) exposure:

But Ben’s looked better, so I put it as the opening photo

Almost all the equipment used right? Well all except for the blue cellophane. We played with that later on, though my shots didn’t turn out too well because I was trying some weird techniques and completely forgot about setting the right focus…So in the meantime I highly recommend you check out another of Ben’s shots in which he used my ghetto style lighting I had set up under the bridge for one of my shots as well as passing car headlights to his advantage.

Essentials for film.

Apparently “World Film Photography Day” happened on the 20th March 2008. I forgot, and did not participate. But, I shoot film most days anyway…

Being still relatively new to film, I thought I might share what I’ve learnt so far in regards to the essentials required for successful and fulfilling film photography.

First off, a light meter. Often old cameras have faulty lightmeters, or sometimes they don’t even have one at all. A light meter like the one above can be bought for a reasonable price from ebay and measures both reflected and incident light. If you’re particularly interested in exact values you could always look for a spotmeter (which measures a smaller portion of a scene from a narrower angle), but the more you shoot in varying light conditions, using your lightmeter as a guide, you’ll often find that you can predict the readings anyway.

Secondly, a notebook will be handy (and a pen). I like to record all my exposures in a diary with notes on the camera used, the lens,the frame number, the ISO I shot it at, f stop, shutter speed and subject, as well as any extras such as filters. By doing this I can look back once my film has been developed and evaluate the results. If something didn’t work quite as intended, I can review the exposure details and use these to plan the next similar shot. For the most part it comes down to not a long enough exposure, but occasionally I might aim to get back to the same location with a different camera, or at a different time to change the lighting conditions. By having a record of your exposures you can learn to predict even more what settings will work best, in conjunction with your lightmeter.

What happens if you’re taking “happy snaps” and don’t have time to record the details in your diary? I recently bought the cheapest mp3 player with recording capabilities ($38.00) that I could. While I might look a bit silly talking into it after each shot, there have been many times in the past where I wished that I’d taken the time to write down the details.

A tripod. This is going to vary according to your needs. A pocketable one, like the Gorillapod is great, though I find these unstable occasionally. Of course their flexibility more than makes up for their shortcomings. A larger more solid tripod is also a good investment. The type depends on your shooting intentions. I initially went for a fairly compact one as I was only shooting 35mm at the time. Now that I’ve moved into medium format with a Pentax 6×7, I’m wishing I bought a slightly heavier duty one. Think carefully about your future intentions before rushing out and buying the cheapest one you can. A good tripod should last you at least 20 years, so invest wisely.

If you start making heavy use of the tripod, then a cable release is going to come in handy. None of my film cameras are particularly recent, so all require an actual cable release rather then a remote. I’ve often wished for an air type bulb release, though the standard length cable release has served me well so far.

Spare batteries are a must, as is spare film. Some cameras run through batteries quickly, and while in some cameras the battery only runs the lighmeter, others such as the 6×7 won’t work at all without a battery or start playing up when the battery begins to fail. The 6×7 occasionally locks the mirror in the up position, making me think I’ve lost a frame. Curiously the shutter still works fine even when the battery starts declining…

Your film requirements will depend on your budget, your subject choice, lighting conditions and your personal preferences. I don’t develop my own just yet so I still shoot about the same amount of colour as I do black and white. While I’m still working my way through stock that was given to me for free, I like to have at least one camera loaded with colour film, and another with black and white. It’s a bonus if both cameras can accept the same lens mount, as it means if you need to pack light only one set of lenses needs to be packed. Sadly, I’m rarely that organised. I just tend to grab the camera I feel like using for the day, without a thought for interchangeability…At the moment I have only some 35mm loaded, with Ilford XP2, Kodak 400CN and Konica VX100, but given an option Neopan 1600 and a red filter would never leave my camera.

Finally, a bag. You could of course use that bag you bought for your digital, but what would be the fun in that? Hit up ebay for one of those old skool (faux)leather cases…

I’m always open to suggestions for essential film related items.

Street tips.

I know this topic has been covered extensively before, so my aim here is not to give a definitive guide to street photography but rather to share my recent experiences. I strongly believe that failure is the key to success, and it is with my recent failures in mind that I undertake this post.

To begin with, it would be inappropriate to write a brief on street photography without mentioning Chris Weeks. His guide would certainly appear to be the definitive in this genre. A fair bit of what I plan to share has come about through my interpretation of his work.

I’m not really interested in providing a definition, but it is fair to state that essentially street photography takes place on the street, with candid unposed shots for which permission has not been asked. Most countries laws protect the photographer in this sense, implying that people in a public space where there is no expectation of privacy are fair game. An exception to this is if you plan to market the end product in a commercial sense, in which case you need permission and a model release form. In this case the product can no longer be classified as street, but rather an impromptu photo shoot.

Candids. One of the main purposes in street work is to capture ordinary people doing ordinary things. By singling them out for art, we not only celebrate life, but we recognise that each of us thrives as a result of interaction with each other. To ask permission for a shot merely ruins that naturalness that exists in all the great shots from the masters. If you feel uncomfortable not asking for permission, this is a pretty big sign that street shots aren’t for you. Keep in mind that the best cure for this is to get out and shoot. Start small with a specific goal in mind.

Homeless people are not fair game. Keep in mind this is my personal opinion, though the sentiment seems to be shared by seasoned photographers in the Flickr community.

Jim Graham left a comment on the only photo of a street person I’ve ever taken, and it sums up how I feel about shooting street people:

Shooting homeless people well deserves the emotional investment you describe.
A photo taken during or after an actual conversation gets you the individual rather than the mere social statement.

Shooting homeless people for the purpose of creating a photo essay in order to raise awareness of their situation without emotional investment is hypocritical. Shooting homeless people with emotional investment becomes an impromptu portrait session between new friends.

Anyone else on the street is. As long as the previous mentioned privacy concerns are kept in mind (only shoot where people have no expectation of privacy), then this statement is true. More to the point, the main limiting factor is what you feel comfortable with capturing. Sure that kissing couple looks great in the rain, but do you feel comfortable sharing the moment? Would you feel comfortable if someone took a candid of you in the same situation? How close do you dare go to create your art?

Technique is important. Or not. There is divided opinion on this. The Lomo crowd would have us believe that shooting from the hip is the way to go. Great shots can be obtained this way, (for the obligatory shameless self promotion, see the above shot of the barista), however it is very much down to hit and miss. If you don’t think before you shoot, it is highly likely that you won’t get anything worth wasting film on. If however you plan your shots, and practice a technique you feel comfortable with - be it shooting from the hip, or through the viewfinder - you’ll end up with some winners.

Know your equipment. This is of the utmost importance. Especially when shooting from the hip.

Cameras. The Leica is often touted as the street camera, however, the truth is that many aspiring street photographers are not going to have the finances for this. Generally a rangefinder is the socially accepted tool for street work. There are reasons for this, ones I wish I’d read in Chris Week’s guide before I tried street shooting with a Pentax 6×7. I figured that with such a large camera, no one would bother me as they wouldn’t be able to comprehend anyone would be stupid enough to walk around with such a large camera. It also gave me a certain amount of bravado carrying around such a large toy. Stupid me.

While I got two decent shots out of the roll (one contained in the previous post), my street shots were rubbish. The subjects were there in perfect form but none were close enough to give that intimacy that is the key to street work. The main cause of this was the lens. I was using a 105mm lens which effectively translates to a standard lens (50-55mm) on a non medium format SLR.

Secondly the size was restrictive. Touting round such a large camera may have improved my bravado, but not to the point where I could happily stand a meter away and snap of a shot. Adjacent to this is the size of the mirror. With such a large mirror, the sound produced by taking a shot is huge. I heard it even through the music I had blasting in my ears.

The mirror cause more problems than just noise. As many of you are aware, when an SLR takes a photo, the mirror must flip out of the way thereby causing the photographer to lose sight of the situation. This is problematic particularly with film as there is no way of knowing whether someone walked in on the scene and spoiled the shot, as is the case with this shot:

So, how to rectify the problem? Rangefinders. They’re quiet, and there’s no mirror to move out of the way so you never lose sight of what’s going on. However, even when using a rangefinder it is vital to know your equipment inside out. Know your field of view, if you don’t your subjects will be too far away - ruining a potentially good shot. Like this one:

Know your parallax lines. Know how your camera will react in different lighting. Unless you know this, you’ll fail.

Film. Often overlooked, but quite possible more important than your camera. You must know your film intimately. Know how it reacts in your camera and the lighting conditions. Knowing its reaction to light is no good if you don’t know that your camera always underexposes by a 1/3 stop. If you use a filter, make sure you factor this in on the ASA dial. Know how your film will react with that filter. And it must be your film. I can’t stress that enough. Experimenting with film is great, but for that defining shot, you need to know that you’ve got in the bag before developing and a major part of this is knowing your chosen film as intimately as the rest of your equipment.

Anything I’ve missed? Leave a comment.

Faceoff.

Faceoff.

Originally uploaded by the_wolf_brigade

So last night I loaded my Pentax 6×7 with some Kodak Tri-x Safety Film. It had written on the paper leader to expose for 200 ASA in daylight, and 160 in Tungsten.

“I always thought Tri-x was 400 ASA?”

Could be because this roll expired in November 1961. I got it for $2 at a local antique store.

“Ah well, I guess I’ll meter it at 50 ASA instead of 100 to compensate for the age.”

I was pretty excited about heading out to Manly today to try and emulate my utmost favourite Escher image. I had packed a Circular polarizer, a R25A filter for increased contrast, and an ND8 to allow long exposures.

It took me about 2 hours to get to Manly. I took a walk, spotted this location and jumped the fence.

So I setup my tripod, screwed the filters on to the 6×7, screwed in the cable release, mounted the camera on the tripod, focused the image, work out the math for a photo at f22 with adjustments for a 9 stop decrease in shutter speed (filter compensation), waited for a nice wave…and pressed the cable release.

Slap, a sound like thunder.

“Hang on, that sounded too fast!”

Get up, check the shutter dial.

“Crap!” 1/500 second. Move the dial to bulb mode, advance the film.

Wait for the waves….slap…slap. 40 seconds at f22.

At this point in time I’m so excited by the fact that finally I have a chance to pay tribute to my childhood hero, that I’m shooting with potentially 50 year old film, and at this point it looks like everything is going to plan.

One more sweet exposure passes.

I try and advance the film for a fourth. It jams. I can’t believe this! I try and force it a little bit, mindful of the fact that I’ve only fed two rolls through this camera since the film advance was repaired.

So what was I to do?

While the film meant a lot to me, as well as the exposures so far, there was no way I was going to force it even more and risk damage to the camera.

I give up and open the back. There is a kink in the film, which has somehow caused a portion of the film to appear on top of the paper leader of the 120 spool, meaning that when the shutter opens, the image is trying to imprint itself on the leader, which is “protecting” the film. Some film is close to the shutter, on the correct side, but has not made it to the take up spool.

I pull the film out in disgust. I only had one roll of black and white with me - I didn’t want to taint my purpose by using the Fuji 160s Pro that I had also brought.

With a heavy heart, I begin to pack away my gear, then figure I may as well shoot off a few digital snapshots so that I know what to look for next time.

It is then that I spot the above composition.

In no way does it make up for my loss, but it does give me hope that my trip may not have been in vain.

This captured, I pack up my gear, but pull out my Yashica GTN which has a roll of Neopan 1600 and a red filter attached - meaning I’m telling the camera to expose at 400ASA, as the meter is not TTL . The roll needs using up, and my street skills need sharpening.

I head back to the city, after loading the Pentax with the Fuji colour.

I stop at Museum station to try a few long exposure train shots with the 6×7. Happy with my captures, I move on. Tripod packed away, but Pentax in hand.

A thought occurs to me.

“Ok, rangefinders are the king of the street, and someone’s really going to notice me grabbing a candid of them with this beast…but maybe if I have my ear phones in and act like a tourist?”

I pump up the metal (Demon Hunter) to a volume that cancels the background clutter.

It works.

Elated I meet up with my brother, confident I’ve got some awesome street shots with the king of SLR’s.

I get close to home and realise I forgot to compensate for the Polarizer on my street shots. Still, having shot most of them wide open at f2.8 in daylight, they should be usable.

I drop the Fuji 160s and Neopan off for processing.

I get home and find I’ve won the Pentax P30n and Samsung zoom I was bidding for on ebay.

Sweet!

I arrange to go and pick it up.

I get it home and load it with batteries. The film advance lever is stuck. I’d noticed this when I looked at the camera when picking up a previous win from this ebayer. I figured it just needed film and batteries. Guess not

The film won’t auto load, and the zoom is sloppy. Guess I lucked out on this one - good thing I didn’t pay too much.

Well, I have placed a few bids on “dud” cameras recently, with the intention of teaching myself to fix them. Sure it’s more that what I would have spent, but it seems I got my wish.

And thus ends my day of highs and lows.

While I have gone on a self imposed photography fast recently, I was hoping to make a comeback with some 50 year old vintage.

While this photo may not have been the original outcome I had in mind for today, it is good, even if I’m still slightly too emotionally down to appreciate it.

Tomorrow is another day.