Flashy...

  As my new flash (a vivitar 285) had been sat in my bag unused for weeks i finally managed to get my wife to pose for some portriats for me.  This was my first venture with proper flash photography and it was highly enjoyable.  Mistakes were made though, i need to use my reflector better as most of the shots had a great big shadow off to one side.  But we learn through mistakes so it didnt bother me too much.  I like some of the shots that came out though:

  Portra is such a good film.  I hadn't used it for portraits before but the skin tones have come out great, ill be using it a lot more in future.  I had a fiddle in photoshop with one of the images, turning it into a cyanotype.  I can't decide whether i rpefer this or the original, what do you think?

Our House Party

  Last Friday my wife and i had our first house party.  About 40 people showed up so the house got pretty packed.  I decided to load up some Polaroid 600 film and take a few shots of friends.  Don't ever host a house party.  Stains, broken kettles, lots of recycling and very little sleep.  Looking back though, it was worth it!

Instant Gratification II

  I recently came into possession of a Polaroid 640CL camera which has built in flash, auto exposure and also a macro lens fitting.  I also came into 19 boxes of twin pack expired Polaroid 600 film for a ridiculously low price.  I shot the first pack with my new camera and these are some of the results:

  I'm rather pleased with how they came out as i was a little worried the expired film would result in poor colour quality.  I'm looking forward to shooting the next pack now.

Jess

  Time again for some more portraits with my wife.  Unfortunately i once again had some messups during processing and the negatives didnt come out perfectly, but i  guess we learn by trial and error.

Parklife

  I am very fortunate in that I live about ten minutes walk from a park bound by a large river which leads directly to the city centre.  This is my route to work (when its dry enough to walk) and a convenient shortcut to the town shops. But on the hot humid days we have been experiencing lately its also a great place to take an evening stroll with a mandolin, a wife, some cider and a camera...

  Now go find a park near you and get snapping...

Portraits of Jessica

  I mostly shoot objects and things, its very rare that the portrait mood strikes.  Although saying that, one of my best shots is a portait!  A few nights ago my wife and i decided to use the spare room as temporary studio and try some portraiture using my recently acquired Lubitel 166B.  I decided black and white would work best and due to lighting conditions i loaded my Lubitel with some 3200 iso Ilford Delta Pro (rated at 6400 iso).  I also decided to use a red filter to maximise contrast.  And then it was just a case of moving the lamp and making Jess change outfit every so often.

  As you can see they came out a little funny.  I developed in Rodinal with a 1:25 mix but i think the problem was with the reel i had loaded my film onto.  Its seems as though parts of the film were touching so the developer couldnt penetrate all areas it.  But i dont know, i quite like how some of them came out. 

  I want to shoot some more photos like this, using this film.  I like the large grain, contrast and 'old-look' of these shots.  Hopefully next time i will get a better development.