This last week I mainly spent my time editing pictures from October and shooting a few rolls whenever I got the opportunity. I generally only edit pictures at the beginning of the month, which reduces the time I spend in front of the computer every day during the rest of the month and gives me time to focus on shooting. I also took a little break from developing to make sure the superglue with which I re-attached the motorside magnet of my Jobo CPE-2 had time to dry properly. I tested it with a small tank yesterday and the superglue seems to hold for now. I also have industrial strength glue lying around in case the magnet comes off again.
The other day I also started with some new experiments: I built a little 35mm pinhole camera out of a matchbox and played with it a little. So far the results have been … unpredictable and a little mad – I didn’t manage to make it properly light tight yet -, but I think I’ll continue with these experiments and see where I can go with them.
Speaking of experiments, today I’m showing you some of my colour experiments from the beginning of the year. I don’t know where it came from but in February and March I really felt like playing with my Mamiya and some Portra film. The results are obviously quite a bit different from the kind of things I normally shoot, because I’m reluctant to point my Mamiya at people. It’s just so big and people seem to react with wide-eyed suspicion / fear. It’s really more of a camera for static things. It’s definitely a lovely camera though and I tend to pick it up when I don’t feel like taking pictures of people.
Pictures taken with: Mamiya C220, Mamiya Sekor 80mm f/2.8 S, Rolleicord V, Schneider-Kreuznach Xenar 75mm f/3.5 and Leica M6, Zeiss ZM C-Biogon 35mm f/2.8.
Let’s start off with something different though: M6 / Biogon / Kodak Vision 3 250D / Rollei RA4.
Dog walking dog. On a roof!
Kodak Vision 3 50D @100 / Rollei RA4.
I was playing with motion picture film again, this time developing some leftovers from 2015 in RA4 chemicals. I still have to perfect the process a little since I was left with remjet stains that could only be removed with alcohol. I only bothered with the shots I really liked. I also think that I underblixed these a little because I was using RA4 blix which is a lot weaker than C41 blix. Promising results though!
And now to my Mamiya experiments.
Mamiya / Portra 400 / Tetenal C41.
One of the very few times that I pointed the Mamiya at people.
Cropped for a change.
Provia 100F / Reversal process with HC-110 + Tetenal C41.
Some more unusual experiments. I’m trying to make slides with Kelly-Shane Fuller’s process of using HC-110, re-exposure and then normal C41 development. This first roll already came out reversed, but the re-exposure step was probably too short, they were a little too faint and blacks turned out blue. Why am I doing this? Well, I don’t shoot that much slide and Tetenal discontinued their 1L E6 kit, which means that I have to wait too long to see results from my slide film experiments. Still a way to go, but I’m making progress. Currently I’m shooting more test rolls on cheaper Rollei CN 200 so that I don’t ruin expensive Fuji slide rolls while experimenting like this.
Rollei / Provia 100F / Tetenal E6 Kit.
Proper slide development on this roll. This is what I’m aiming for with the BW + C41 chem reversal process.
I had one shot left and was looking for a subject, while my husband was waiting for me to finish the roll. I turned around and realised that I was looking for the last shot in the wrong spot.
Mamiya / Portra 160 / Tetenal C41.
Find the butterfly!
The Mamiya has bellows, so I decided to get a little closer.
Very close indeed.
Rollei / Portra 160 / Tetenal C41.
Bear hug. And yes, somehow these two have 5 legs.
What a photogenic sportsground. I have been there many times since I found this spot.
Mamiya / Portra 160 / Tetenal C41.
On this last roll I was testing how Portra 160 deals with greens. Last one.