Chloe Mae Loop | 4x5
Nathan Kane | 4x5 Portrait
double exposure test
Accidental Double Exposure | Lan and Gino
I was finally able to steal 10 minutes of Lan’s time and take these two shots only to develop them and find they were double exposed with two shots I had taken of Gino that I had forgotten where still in the film holders.
I was so upset the night I developed these that Maeby was worried about me in that way that dogs worry about you; looking very alarmed and pacing the house with you as you yell all the expletives then whining and nudging your head as you lay defeated on the floor.
It’s expected that occasionally, especially when you’re learning, that you’re going to lose some film to accidents or stupidity. I’ve lost enough shots that when it does happen I’m usually a bit bummed but make a mental note not to make the mistake again. Aside from these 4x5’s I took in Kentucky, the image isn’t usually one I’m heart broken to lose.
But these two. These two double exposed images just about killed me when I realized what I had done. First, Gino and Lan’s smile in the top photo is so great, so great! I can never get a real smile out of Lan!! Second, both are properly exposed….and as I touched on in this post I think I’ve been having some shutter issues. Losing two properly exposed negatives where the subject is making an awesome face was really upsetting :P
*chin up*
*moving on*
4x5 Portrait | Gino Roy
4x5 Portrait | Den Lennie
A few days ago I had a brief window of opportunity to shoot a few shots of my roommate, Lan. He’s always on the go, so I took the 10 minutes I had and got two shots. I came to find out later that I had double exposed the two shots of Lan with some shots of Gino that I had forgotten were in the film holders. That disappointment is a whole other post.
I got lucky though because Lan’s friend Den had stopped by and was game for having a few shots of himself. He is not as serious in person as he seems in these portraits; he’s an accomplished DP and also a really nice guy.
On a technical note, it’s obvious he has no detail in his hair. This was not what I was going for. I’m just starting to notice that there are drastic differences in photos taken under the same lighting and exposure set ups. This shot of Mike was taken under the same set up as Den and Gino. The portrait of Mike is properly exposed, the portraits of Den and Gino lost massive amounts of shadow detail. Again, these were all taken under the same set up with the same film (from the same batch). I’ll post the double exposed shots of Lan later, but even though they are not usable you can see that the shadow detail was not lost. Those particular shots were taken minutes before Den’s.
I’m not exactly sure what the problem is, but I’m leaning toward a shutter issue. Because I have to set the shutter to bulb each time I focus, and once the focus is correct I set the shutter to whatever I deem is appropriate, I wonder if sometimes the shutter isn’t really resetting correctly. That’s what I’m thinking and will test that theory out soon.
Michelle Birawer | DTLA
So excited to collaborate with this lady soon!
Mike and Gino at Magic Tree
Griffith Park | Trees
Long exposure under street lamps
4x5 on Kodak 320 Tri-X
Mike Ambs | Light Test
A few weeks ago I met up with Zadi at her office to shoot a few quick shots of her on my 4x5. The night before, Mike and I set up the lights and did a couple of tests. The ring of hot lights looks awesome, but in my excitement I was unaware of how awkward the lights looked when not properly framed behind heads and such. Also, Mike needs a haircut! Otherwise I’m in love with the light, the odd shadows on the face don’t bother me a bit.
