The Beauty Of Light

The most beautiful thing about light, is how it works.  I mean, you take just the word, Photography, which is derived from the Greeks.  Phos, which means light, and Graphe which means drawing.  So technically speaking, it means "light drawing"...  That in itself leads credence to the beauty of capturing the light in just the right way.
This weekend there was the perfect moment of light and time.  My sister has a beautiful front window, in which she has placed a bunch of light hungry plants. 
Not having a 50mm lens handy, at least not in M42 mount, I had a photo that would just have to be attempted with my Polaroid 420.
After getting this odd camera I have gone through about 20 frames of film on it, and now I need more.  It's rather interesting, at least to myself, to know that I have gone from the Instant type of photography with Digital, to a slower process with 35mm, 120, and 4x5 films, to a whole new instant type of photography with Polaroid. 
From TIP (The Impossible Project) film to Fuji Peel-Apart films, I am really enjoying the whole process. 

Well, back to the subject at hand, the hour had reached the pivotal moment in time known as the "Golden Hour". 


Admiration - Polaroid Automatic LAND 420 - Fuji FP100C Film

The window was filtering light so beautifully, with the plants showing some incredible colours. 
I wanted to get a photo where it would show both the beauty of such wonderful light, to the type of loving touch and care one can instill on the caring of greenery around the home.
Sure enough I had the right model, right light, right setting, and it looks like I even picked the right camera for the capture.  I think I got exactly what I was supposed to.   The moment was perfect, with just the right amount landing on the key areas of the subject at hand.
Framing with this camera is never easy at "close" range, as there is no parallax adjustment, so for the fact that I was able to capture this perfectly the first time really makes me feel happy that I might very well have figured out the minor idiosyncrasies of this camera.

Like what you see?  Want to try your hand at some Instant Photography?  Well, by all means, visit our good friends at the Film Photography Project, and pick up your own Polaroid camera.  If you have one, they also sell the FP100C, or FP3000B.

Until next time everyone, support film & keep those shutters firing!

4x5 Instant Film

Okay, so my title is a little mis-leading, as 4x5 instant film is basically defunct.  There is Fuji FP100C or FP3000B peel apart film, and it's roughly Quarter plate sized film.  Needless to say, I am not using that film at all here.  I'm actually using Impossible Project Colorshade Gold PX600 film for this photo.  Now, it's just a proof of concept photo, and nothing more.  I wanted to prove that, yes, you can easily take a frame of INSTANT film and load it into a 4x5 film holder, then expose it, put it back into the Polaroid so the rollers can do their thing and spread the developer across the film so you can get your direct positive print.

So this is what I did, from start to finish.


Recently I was wondering the possibility of this idea to try to get a sharper image out of my Impossible film, and so I started to do some research into this concept of using a frame of instant film in a 4x5 view camera.  Sure enough, this has been done before, unsurprisingly, but I didn't see anything fancy with the results, which started to lead me to wonder about trying a studio shot with strobes, and lighting, and b/gs etc..  So I popped into my darkroom, unloaded my Polaroid 600P, removed a single frame of film, making sure to replace that frame of film with an already exposed and developed frame, loaded up my 4x5 holder, placing a small piece of tape on the film to hold it in place, closed the holder, and reloaded the Polaroid.
Sure enough, I close the film door on my Polaroid and the exposed frame pops right out, lining up the camera to start exposing the next frame of unexposed film.

Not wanting to wait, err, well, after I got home from work that is, I got my 4x5 setup, my AC Strobe with shoot-through umbrella, my SunPAK 622 Pro Auto handlemount flash, and my Chinese flash triggers.
My model, who happens to also be my wife, got up in front of the camera, and struck a pose for it.  I dialed in the focus, using my Loupe of course, tested the flashes again, began the composition of the shot, set the F-Stop and shutter speeds, and prepared to take the photo.
Getting out my trusty dSLR I took a few test shots to check the lighting, and low-and-behold, the lighting was near on perfect.  Probably could have opened up the lens a single stop considering, but I think it was fine for what I was attempting.
My model then proceeded to get back into position, and I rechecked the focus, got the lens, again, setup for the shot, stopping it down to ƒ/11, my shutter set to 1/60s (although I could shoot it at 1/400s for all intensive purposes) and proceeded to load the film holder.
Lens shutter closed, re-test of the strobes, darkslide up, shutter cocked.... 'CLICK'...  And that's it..
Closing the darkslide, and back to the darkroom for unloading of the film..
After only a moment or two in the darkroom, and reloading the frame of film back into my Polaroid, closing the door, and having the Polaroid spit the image out, it was time to wait and see how the photo develops.

So, 10 minutes later, after waiting very impatiently for the photo to develop,  I sneaked a peek at the picture to see how it came out.  Well, other than a slight framing issue, which I can easily correct for next time, I now have a photo that was taken on a 4x5 Camera onto a frame of Impossible PX600 Colorshade GOLD.

As I said, a slight framing issue..  I intended on the photo being above the belt-line with her looking like she was trying to take a selfy with the Polaroid Camera.

Proof-Of-Concept works, and I will be trying this again, only this time with a slightly more sophisticated alignment of the film in the holder so I can make sure that I get a more accurately framed photo.

Until next time, stop by our friends at the Film Photography Podcast and say hi, or buy a pack of Impossible film, or even a Polaroid Camera.

Keep those shutters firing!

Long Light... The Perfect Time Of Day

Sadly, I was working when I took this photo, but there is one time of day when the light is just perfect.  There is no better time to go out with a camera and start shooting.  Although that could be said about any time of day, the Golden Hour is ultimately the best.
The light is at the right angle to give everything a warm glow to it, whether in the winter, or summer.  It's just the perfect time! 

Even indoors with the light slipping through the windows in a garage, you can't help but be in awe of the majest of such a beautiful moment.  The best time to shoot is when the sun is at its warmest tone, and sadly, before you know it, the moment is gone, and the sun has set.

LONG LIGHT - Kalimar A (Welmy II) - 45mm ƒ/3.5 Terionon Lens - Polypan F 50 - MELONAL STOCK 10:00

Polaroid Adventures

Polaroid P600 - Exakta VXIIa - CZJ T* 50mm ƒ/2.8 -
ADOX CHS 20 @ ASA20 - Diafine 3+3 @24°C

Recently I picked up a Polaroid camera.  A Polaroid 600P, which is a folding (sort of) instant camera, which gives some very nice results.  It has two settings, which are 8' to INF. and 4-8 feet (close up).  The lens is a very basic single element Meniscus lens, but produces some nice results.  I believe it's a 1/60s shutter speed, supposedly it has a automatic shutter that is micro controlled, but I seriously doubt that.  The lens, I believe, is ƒ/11.  The flash is pretty decent, and works rather nicely, over all, in daylight works as a "FILL" while inside it is actually not as harsh as I was expecting.
This is my very first Polaroid camera, but not my last.  I put a bid, and won, a Polaroid Auto 420, which is a PACK FILM camera that FUJI still makes film for, which is a PEEL APART type of film.  This way you get a wonderful print, and a negative that you can actually use to create more prints later on.

The frame for the photos is actually "SQUARE" format, which is really simple to compose, as I'm used to shooting 6x6 frames.  I like the square format, because it has a whole different challenge to composition.

Polaroid 600P - Impossible PX600 Silver-shade

There's only one problem with the 600P, and that is the availability of film.  There is ONLY Impossible Project film available for it, which is a really nice film, but is not similar to Polaroid or Fuji films, where you cannot watch the film develop.  The film is ejected from the camera still sensitive to light, which must be shielded from light immediately, or it'll wash out, and you can even lose the exposure.
Over time the image will also fade, and there are suggestions to take said photos and place them in a box with Silica Gel packs to help them dry, or get a IMPOSSIBLE DRY AGE kit to put on them to help keep the photo from fading.  I will definitely be getting this kit to try it out on the photos I truly intend to keep, not to mention I'll also put those photos in a binder.
The wonderful thing about this film is that it really is an "INSTANT" print film.  You get the print right there within 5 minutes, and can have an actual print, not just a negative or a digital film.  I found Polaroid film, ages ago, to be rather expensive, but after using this Impossible Film for the first time, I understand.  It gives you a print that you can hold, and don't have to send the film in for developing and printing.
It's still a bit pricier over-all, but it's a decent print, and looks good.
I have definitely caught the Polaroid Bug, thanks to our friends at the Film Photography Project.  Through their constant banter about Polaroid, and the fact that my friend John G. Meadows picked one up, and has been running amok with his Polaroid Pack Film camera, whether shooting for fun, or shooting his portraits with it, I just had to pick one up.  Sure enough, I have fallen in love with my Polaroid 600P and with a Polaroid AUTO 420 on its way, I think I'm going to enjoy this format even more...

Until next time, cheers!

Polaroid Land 95a - Taken on Polaroid Land 600P - Impossible PX600 Silver Shade Cool

Back To My Roots

The first developer I ever used was TMAX Developer.  It's toted by some to be a very poor developer, for reasons that I do not know.
Well, I wanted to give it a try again almost 1 year later.  I learned how to develop my own film last year, September on the Labour Day weekend, by my friend John Meadows.
That same day I went to Henry's to purchase the bare necessities to develop film, such as Developer, Fixer, Cylinders, Thermometer, and some containers.  Well, the Containers ended up being purchased from Walmart instead, which were just 4L jugs of Distilled Water (tasted pretty damn good too!).  For $1.49, for a 4L resealable jug, and distilled water, which tastes great, I couldn't go wrong.  Considering the Datatainers are $6.99 for a 1L container, or $11.99 for a collapsible, it was a little more than I was going to spend for initial investment.
Well, that same night I developed my first films, Arista Premium 400 (Tri-X) and some Polypan F 50, and my choice of developer was TMAX Developer.  I didn't know any better, and honestly, I wasn't very good at using it at first.
Now, after a nearly year long hiatus from that Developer I decided to try it again.  First film to try it on, was Fomapan 100 film.  A film I had never used before, but wanted to get the chance to try something that no one else had yet done, at least, not published that I could find.

One of the dilutions for TMAX Developer is 1+4, which is to make a STOCK solution.
Personally, I do not do this, and mix it 1+9 instead from the Syrup to make a one-shot developer.  I am not worried about taking a longer time to develop, considering I have pushed 50ISO film to 800ISO with actually alright results.

Well, since I was in near uncharted territory, I had to figure out what would be the best time to develop the film, and so I decided to go ahead and try some test strips.  Unfortunately, this also ended up causing me to cut out a frame of film, not the end of the world though.
So I mixed up the solution of 28mL of TMAX Developer, and 222mL of water for a working solution of 1+9 @ 250mL 20°C.
I took my test strip and began to submerge it into the developer, 2cm at a time, and every minute dipped it further and further into the developer.
Once I was out of my film test strip, it had about 11 minutes worth of information on it, which showed that the best times were in between 8 minutes and 9 minutes.  10 and 11 minutes showed that I would be getting too much in the way of dense negatives, where as 6 and 7 minutes would end up with the negatives being a little too thin.  So after a little bit of deliberation, I decided on aiming for 8:15.
Sure enough, after the session was over, and the film was in its washing stage, I decided to have a peak at the negatives.  I was nothing short of impressed with what I saw.

But I think I'll let you be the judge of that......

Rusted Chainguard

Kodak Signet 35C Rangefinder - Kodak 44mm ƒ/3.5 Ektar Lens

Fomapan 100 @ EI 100 - Developed in Kodak TMAX Developer 1+9 8:15 @ 20°C

PHO Restaurant - Delicious Delights!

Not to make a plug for a restaurant that doesn't pay me to do so, but I must admit, this little restaurant in Vaughan, Ontario, is just wonderful.  The service is great, the food is hot, tasty, and arrives quickly to your table. 
And the atmosphere in the restaurant is very relaxed, and just such wonderful food.  I have tried different PHO soup across the city of Toronto, from Mississauga, to Scarborough, including some in Markham and Vaughan.  Even ones with rave reviews in the paper, which I found to be mediocre at best.
This one, on the other hand, located just North of Vaughan Mills Shopping Mall, off Rutherford Rd, is just amazingly good!

I got the #468 item on the Menu, which is grilled Pork and Chicken with Vermicelli noodles, topped with Peanuts.  I also got an order of #007 Banh Cuon, which is probably one of my favorite dishes!

The Pork is tender, soft, well cooked and seasoned, and just melts in your mouth.  The Chicken is very flavourful, has a nice smoked flavour to it from being grilled, the seasoning is very liberal, without being overpowering.  The noodles, well, they are Vermicelli noodles, or "Rice" noodles, which are always good!  The peanut topping really sets the dish off, as the nutty flavour truly compliments the entire meal.  A wonderful dish that I will definitely get again.

On the other hand, though, Donna got #402 on the menu.  Essentially something very similar to what I go, except it's Grilled Pork & a deep fried Spring Roll.  Having had this meal myself, before, I can honestly compliment on the food here.  Again, the pork is just wonderful.  Cooked to perfection and well marinated without being overpowering, with the perfect hint of smokey flavour from the grille.  The Spring Roll is flaky, flavourful, and hot!  Not Spicy, but hot.  The Vermicelli noodles are perfectly cooked, and just work so well with this meal that it's almost a shame when it's all finished.  Again, this is a dish I would definitely get again, as would Donna.  It is one of my favourite Vietnamese dishes, second only to the Banh Cuon.

Green tea is served upon entering, and seating, which is free of charge, flavourful, and a great choice when coming in from a cold winter day.  The tea here, in this instance, is actually chilled, to compliment the hot and hazy summer days we have been experiencing here. 

The Tea is always available, and if you should finish your pot of Tea, the server will quickly replace your empty pot with a full one.

Great service, and great staff!

One more item that really sets this restaurant, in my opinion, apart from many others, are these little bowls, plus the fact that there are bottles of Hoisen (Black Bean) sauce, and Red Hot Chili sauce on the table for your enjoyment.
Chop Sticks are a staple at most Vietnamese restaurants, but I have been to a couple where the chopsticks are the usual Plastic Ivory looking variety, but actually cheap wooden Take-Out type which I loathe.

Look forward to more reviews of different restaurants across the city, as I try out different places from time to time.  Any place that really catches my interest will definitely garner a review on my blog.  Hopefully the place will gain some more business this way.

Pho Mi 99 is a small family owned and operated Vietnamese Restaurant.  I am, in no way, affiliated with this restaurant, nor have I been paid to give this review on this restaurant. 


Pho Mi 99

3255 Rutherford Drive
Suite 5
Vaughan, ON L6A

(905) 532-0599


See you there!

C-41 Developing..

Late last year (September) I discovered developing my own B&W film, and got some great lessons from John G. Meadows, who in turn has his own blog called My Third Eye.  His blog is truly a lovely read, as he describes the photos that are most special to him, his method to creating the image, the model, and how he developed it.
His lessons for me was actually showing me how to develop film, which has now become something I just consider second nature to me.  Just a wonderful experience!  I started learning with commercial developers, but last month I finally developed some film in Caffenol.
What is Caffenol?  Why, it's Coffee developer!  Yes, Coffee!
My mixture is Washing Soda, Coffee Granules (Instant), Vitamin C and Table Salt.  It works brilliantly! Has softer grain than Rodinal, contrast like XTOL, and almost the same soft grain like D-76, but not quite.

Kodak SIGNET 35 - 44mm ƒ/3.5 Ektar - Kodak HD400

Kodak SIGNET 35 - 44mm ƒ/3.5 Ektar - Kodak HD400

Well, just last week I finally decided to mix up my C-41 JOBO Press Kit, and started to develop C-41 film for the first time.  It's super simple to do!  I'm actually rather upset I didn't do it sooner.  It's so simple to do that I really don't understand why I hesitated like I did..   Really upsetting indeed!

Well, now I have gone from not knowing how to develop film, to developing both B&W and C-41 film.