This was a sunny spring break afternoon spent walking around Graceland Plaza. We didn’t go to the mansion itself, but this served as a way of introducing my niece to Graceland. She loved it. She held my hand, asked me questions about Elvis, picked out TCB items she wanted from the gift shop, and talked of planning a trip to the mansion with her Papa (my dad.) These photos are memories from one of our perfect days together. ♥
Pentax ZX-7 • Kodak Elitechrome 200 (expired), Cross-processed
This one will be short and sweet. These were the first Hasselblad photos I’d taken in 3 years, and I admit that there was a bit of a re-learning curve to shooting with it. Why’s that? The image you see in a waist-level viewfinder is reversed left-to-right, people! It can be tricky and take some getting used to…
But I digress.
I just love the feel of “homey” pictures taken on medium format film, so shooting in Kat’s home during a recent Muddy’s menu photo session was the perfect opportunity to break out the Hassy. The draping fabric of our photo backdrop and the charming details of the decor in Kat’s house were perfectly suited for what I had in mind for this set of photos!
Hasselblad 500 C/M • Carl Zeiss Planar 80mm/2.8 T* • Fuji Pro 400H
More Hassy photos to come…I’m ’bout to kick it into high gear with this thing!
I love Twin lens reflex (TLR) cameras. I do. They’re one of my favorite “genre” of cameras. But most TLRs only focus down to about three feet. While that might be close enough for some people, it’s just not close enough for me! That’s one reason I was pretty happy when an old photo buddy of mine sent me two close-up filters for my Yashica D TLR in 2010. I admittedly haven’t used the filters that often, so last year I loaded my Yashica with the express purpose of shooting the entire roll with the close-up filters attached. Finishing this roll took months, because I didn’t exactly use the most versatile film for this little project of mine – Fuji Velvia, which expired in 1999, shot at 25 ASA, with the intention of having it cross processed. This might just sound like a bunch of photog “mumbo jumbo” to most folks who run across this blog, but some of you will know that the technical details about the film I’ve just listed = “Yikes!”
This roll of “close-ups only” film was another one which I finished and didn’t have processed until months later. I’m bad about that when it comes to 120 film, I guess! I’m quite happy with the results though, so this is a good reminder that I need to slap one of the close-up filters onto my Yashica D and take that bad boy for a spin on a more regular basis!
Yashica D TLR • +1 or +2 Close-up filter
I am DYING over here.
I just told you about how great The Impossible Project’s new and improved Silver Shade film is. You thought I was stoked then? Well, baby, look at me NOW! (Pretend you can see a big ole smile across my face here. Because there definitely is one.) I’ve just shot a pack of NIGO edition PX 70 Color Shade film, and it was so good that it made my face melt!
I had never ever tried TIP‘s color film before. The times, they are a changin’ though. The Impossible Project folks have been allowing Pioneer members test what they call their “12/11 batch” – a magic batch! I’ll give you a couple of specific examples of what made me want to try it at this particular moment in time. Please click here and here and here to see what’s been catching my eye (more awesome examples can be found in their online shop’s sample gallery.) On top of all those pictures piquing my interest, TIP then one-upped themselves by marrying that new formula with a really cool colored frame edition of their PX 70 film. In their own words (ganked from their online shop’s product description):
PX 70 Color Shade by Nigo Film Edition not only features our latest Color Shade film formula, but also varying colorful frames – yellow, orange, red, pink, lilac, dark blue, light blue, green, black and white featuring the logo of Nigo – ®. One film pack contains eight images as usual, and the occurrence of the colors varies randomly in each pack.
I jumped on board and ordered a pack of my very own. I mean, it’s spring and time shake things up with some color! Am I right?? I think so. So, here, I present to you, 8 6 frames of Impossible Project NIGO edition Color Shade film.
Conclusion: The “12/11 batch” film is excellent! I was amazed at how bright the film’s colors were, yet the photos have a “vintage” quality. And as far as at the colored frames on this particular edition of PX 70 are concerned, I thought they were so fun! I can think of lots of applications for such an added touch in my photos. To my knowledge, the NIGO film is a limited edition. But, honest to goodness, I’d be very happy if they said, “Due to popular demand and Amanda’s heartfelt pleas, we are happy to announce that NIGO edition film is a permanent fixture in the Impossible Project line-up.”
