Another version of the “Ghosts” theme that I wrote about the other day. I do not remember the exposure information. Film used was Fuji Neopan 400, developed in Kodak HC110 for 11 minutes at 68ºF. I use a Epson Coolscan 8000 to scan the negative and do post-processing in Lightroom and Photoshop CS3.
Many of you that follow my blog know that I use film for some of my work. Sometimes I get asked if I have a wet darkroom and my answer is no, but I did at one point. I got rid of it when I purchased my first DSLR, a Nikon D70. I also got rid of all my film cameras including my favorite Fuji GW670. But for the past several months I have started building my arsenal of film cameras again and I couldn’t be happier. I however decided not to rebuild a wet darkroom and instead chose to take a hybrid approach. I shoot film but all the post-processing and printing is done using a digital workflow. Here are some details about the hardware and other products I use:
Scanner: Nikon Coolscan 8000 and Coolscan 4000
Scanner Software: Vuescan Professional Edition
Computer: Macbook Pro with 2.5GHz Intel Processor and 4BG Memory
Monitor: Dell E248WFP
Software: Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop CS3
Printer: Epson R2400
Monitor Calibration: Colorvision Spyder Pro 2
Calibration Software: ColorEyes Display Pro
Photopaper: Epson Somerset Velvet, Hahnemühle FineArt, and Ilford Premium Plus
I couldn’t be happier with this arrangement, I get all the benefits of shooting film including access to cameras that would cost thousands for equivalent digital versions. I enjoy the process of manipulating images a lot more than I used when doing the same in a wet darkroom. I however do realize that all my time spent in a wet darkroom have trained me well to get the most out of my digital darkroom. The image you see above is what I envisioned and created in the digital darkroom and what you see below is the actual capture itself. What do you think?
BEFORE
After working on this image in my Digital Darkroom this is what I got. Tools used:
1. Adobe Lightroom 2 – Preset Punch and Sharpen Landscape
2. Photoshop CS3 – Levels, Healing Brush, Selection Tools, Layers and Layer Masks, and Adjustment Layers
AFTER
We all go through life making connections and building relationships. These relationships could be with other humans, animals, and even inanimate things. How many of us haven’t given a name to our car or talk about our electronic devices as if they were a person. This bond is especially strong between humans and animals. We humans depend on them for just about everything – food, clothing, even work.
The above photograph was captured in Downtown Indianapolis near Monument Circle. You will find many of these horse drawn carriages parked around the circle waiting for passengers. Sometimes you see a couple out on a romantic evening and at other times you see kids just enjoying the ride. The passengers change all the time, but the horse and the carriageman stay the same. They enjoy a special bond and you can see it in how they communicate and respond to each other. I took this photograph after walking around the circle a few times. I did not have any expectations as to what I wanted to photograph that day. But when I saw this scene playing out in front of me I knew I had something special.
See other interesting B&W work at The Weekend in Black and White Blog
![Googly Eyes Turtle [Innocence]](http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2659/4246990675_1f1fa4c5cd_o.jpg)
The above image is from one of the first rolls of film that I shot on a used NIkon F4S camera. The lens is a Micro-Nikkor 60mm AF-D lens.
I visited New York City just before Thanksgiving holidays. It was my first trip to the city after 12 years. It was a little over 12 years ago (August 12th 1997) that I first set foot in the United States. I did not get to see anything that day as I had a connecting flight to catch. This time I wanted to take in as much as humanly possible. The hotel we were staying in was right next door to MOMA and naturally was the first place to go see. I was pleased to see quite a few users of film cameras hanging around and one adventurous soul even had his Rolleiflex with him.
The above photo was taken just outside the area where crowds were gathered for a sneak peak of Tim Burton’s Exhibit. It was open only for members and select guests of MOMA so we were a bit disappointed. I did however manage to grab some cool information cards from the exhibit. The chairs were occupied all the time, but when I saw that they were empty for a brief moment I just had to swing the camera around and grab a quick shot. What do you think?
PK loves photography. This blog is a record of his photographic adventures and projects. If you like what you see congratulations - you have a good taste in photography. If you want to commission me for a portrait or just to hang out drop me an email at pk [at] photoindica [dot] com.
