Absence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder...

...except when it comes to Blogging.

It's May already and I realized that I haven't blogged since my shoot with Joy back in November 2015.  Looking back at my previous posts, I blogged at least once a month, but now I'm lucky if I blog quarterly.  With that said, here's a summary of my shoots from December 2015 through May 8.

In December 2015, I realized I had not photographed anyone using a speedlight and a modifier.  As I mentioned in previous posts, setting up shoots has been a laborious process which is why I work with models that I have an established rapport.  I was lucky enough to find a "new to me" model and she was willing to shoot, her name is Ka'lulani. These images were shot using a Nikon SB-900 and an Apollo Orb modifier.

On January 2, I photographed local Country Singer Joshua Wade Aigner. He needed some images for his upcoming EP and also for Social Media.  It was a mix of Available Light and an Alien Bee 1600 with the Apollo Orb and no diffusion. Assisting were models Sarah and Erica, which was great having a second and third set of eyes and hands.

On January 9, I had the opportunity to photograph Ka'lulani, again.  This time I used "PRE" mode for white balancing the light in the Hotel room.  Thank goodness for fast lenses and decent ISO.  

On the following day, I photographed Erica and Sarah.  It was all Available Light and the occasional white towel used as a reflector. In addition to shooting digital, I also shot two rolls of film, One roll was Kodak Tri-X pushed to 1600 and Fuji's Natura 1600 Color film.

Towards the end of January, I photographed a co-woker who was expecting her second child.  I shot a mix of Digital, 35mm and 120mm film.  Unfortunately the 120mm film was 4 years old and I had issues developing it, but managed to save a couple negatives.  All images were shot in my studio, similar to our Maternity shoot for her first child.

The majority of February was spent relearning my film cameras and working on my film development techniques.  I also reacquainted myself with color filters and picked up a Pentax Spotter V to brush up my metering/exposure settings. Here are some sample images.

In March, I put my education to the test by shooting Serina.  The day started with partly cloudy skies, but as shoot time approached, the sky became overcast.  Not my favorite lighting to shoot in, but being prepared, I brought a speed light and a mini softball to add some directional light. Again, I shot with my D700 and Nikon F5.

In April, I attended a Meet-N-Shoot with a local photo group and only brought my Mamya 645 1000S with 2 rolls of film, TMAX 400 and Tri-X 400 and mainly shot with a 45mm f/2.8 lens.  The Field of View of a 45mm is similar to 28mm lens for a 35mm camera. Both rolls of film were developed successfully.

At the end of April, I had a Studio shoot with my favorite model Joy. Simple lighting set-up: Einstein strobe 7ft high, 45 degrees from Joy, camera left and an Alien Bee 1600with a  60" PLM, camera right to act as fill.Shot digital and Ilford XP2 Super 400 film (Nikon F5).  It would've been fun to shoot some BTS footage to show Joy working the poses.

As of this post, I have already shot 3 times in May. A majority of the images were shot on film.  The first shoot was with Madison, who I met at the April Meet-N-Shot.  We shot at Hart Park, even with all the people.  I shot with my Dad's 1951 Rolleiflex TLR and my Mamiya 645 1000S.  Aside from using Available light, I also brought a 60" Oval reflector. For the Mamiya pictures ,I used a Green Filter.

The following weekend Mykela and I finally coordinated our schedules and shot Downtown.  Note to self, do not shoot round town in Mid-May, it's Prom Season.  We did manage to find some places that were devoid of Prommies, but not many.  I shot mostly film using both the Rolleiflex and Mamiya. All images were Available Light and the Mamiya pictures were shot with a Yellow Filter.

Last weekend I had the opportunity to shoot with Erika after a two year hiatus.  This time I brought my "New To Me" Mamiya 645 Pro with removable backs.  One back had Portra 160 and the other contained TMAX 400. Prior to the shoot, I burned through one roll of Tri-X and noticed that the focusing was a bit off.  Well once I got home and developed the TMAX 400, all images were out of focus.  ARRRGGGHHHH!!! Thankfully, I shot a majority of the images digitally.

Whew, I'm all caught up with 2016.  Rediscovering film has been a rewarding experience, especially the control in developing your images and then enlarging and printing them. Did I mention I have a darkroom now?  My next post will document my return to Analog Photography.