Dead eyes

[focalintent]

Ilford HP5 with a Hasselblad 500c, 80mm f/2.8 lens - found while I was taking shelter from the rain under an awning. I didn't even notice the dead eyes graffiti until i developed the film!

Newest camera in the fold. The Hasselblad 500c. The one that I have is 3 years older than I am, but it feels and looks like it's still in great condition (barring what appears to be a minor light leak in the film carrier - easily enough fixed). I'm still learning my way around this camera, as well as paying more attention to film and results in diafine. I think i'm slowly starting to see what i do and don't like about various films with diafine, and have a better understanding for what i'm going to do in the future.

The biggest complaint i've had with my home developed film of late has been the grain structure. I think some of that is just what one gets with 400 and 3200 speed film. I also think that some of it is my developer of choice, diafine. Diafine works really well with slower ilford films - like panf (50) and fp4(125). With hp5 (iso 400), i go back and forth on whether or not I like the grain structure. I think my next few rolls of hp5 i'll have developed by a lab, and see what I think of the output. Diafine also works really with with kodak's tri-x family of films - and because of its properties, allows me to shoot those films at nearly iso 1600!

After spending most of the past few months shooting with ilford films, I think I should play with kodak a bit more. In the meantime - some more shots from my test roll:

Found behind a Farmer Joe's store in oakland


One of the trees in our apt. complex


The fire control valves outside of our apartment complex

Comments

[devina.livejournal.com]

My parents have a bunch of pictures of me taken with a Hasselblad when I was a kid. It was my dad's favourite camera, and he still talks about it as if it were legendary.

[sol3.livejournal.com]

he still talks about it as if it were legendary.

I've known a number of people who have done that over the years - and I have to say, having one and working with it - I can understand why they feel that way - (and I have 4 other different types of medium format camera, as well, so it isn't just a case of first use 'ooh big negative pretty' - i already went through that a year ago :)

It really feels like/seems like swiss watch-making applied to cameras.

[moominmolly.livejournal.com]

Wow -- #1 is fantastic.

When I grow up, can I have a Hasselblad, too? :)

[sol3.livejournal.com]

Thank you!

It turns out dead eyes is a local graffiti artist - (found out when someone named "Ojos sin vidas" favorited the dead eyes picture :)

And yes, you can have a hasselblad!

[longueur.livejournal.com]

Regarding home development, I still think it might be over agitation that is causing large grain--if that is what you are concerned with regarding the grain structure. It is amazing how little some folks agitate. They do a twist and roll--gentle and quick, ever 30 seconds or something. Your developer is fast, if I recall, which might prohibit this. True?

[sol3.livejournal.com]

Yah - i agitate far less these days - after having read similar things on the apug forum, and that seems to help. I also need to remember that iso 400 is a grainy film. I think i'm going to shoot my next few rolls with 50 or 125 film.

My developer is 3 minutes for bath A then another 3 for bath b.

Also - I have a handful of shots from yesterday (only got a chance to do a quick review of them last night) that i really like - mind if i post up some of them?

[mooflyfoof.livejournal.com]

Oh, very nice! What a gorgeous range of contrast... I miss film!

[sol3.livejournal.com]

Thank you! And yah, i'm really enjoying film. (Don't get me wrong, i love my digital - but i really like working with film, still, too).

If you miss film, why not get back into playing with it? Film medium format cameras are dirt cheap - I develop using Diafine, which means I can be sloppy with timing and don't have to pay perfect close attention to water temperature - and i'm not printing at home, I'm just scanning - and going from there. (I figure if i want to do darkroom prints, I can always rent darkroom time at looking glass)

[mooflyfoof.livejournal.com]

It's more just that film itself is expensive, and developing & printing it is time consuming (and expensive)... Plus I don't have a scanner (negative or otherwise). Not to mention the fact that I just haven't been taking many pictures lately. Haven't really been wanting to. I dunno, though! The ASUC darkroom here at UC Berkeley has always treated me well. Maybe I'll pick up a membership sometime again when I'm not trying to save the hell out of my money...