pushingfilm

[pushingfilm]

Hi, I watched your Retro7 'unbagging' on YouTube and noticed the L plate on your A7 with grip. Can you yell me which L plate you were using please? Thanks

I’m sure this is a crazily late response, but I have a whole video on that L plate.  I can’t for the life of me remember the name of it, but it was a generic fit.  I’m now using a Really Right Stuff one, which is truly superior.  I suggest you invest in one.

[pushingfilm]

Hello really love your photography. I had a question on pushing film. I shot portra 400 and set my iso to 800. do you suggest developing it as 400 or should i develop it 800 (1 stop)? Thanks in advance.

Sorry for what is surely a late response, but generally I’d try to develop like I shot, esp if underexposing with color neg film.

[pushingfilm]

Hello. I found you on YouTube and was wondering if you give lessons for using a hasselblad. I have a 501c and various lenses to go with it. I live live in Fort Morgan and I’m willing to drive to meet you.

I don’t have a habit of giving lessons, but I can show you the ropes.  Hopefully muscle memory will come to the rescue because it’s been a few years years since I last shot a Hasselblad.  There are just some basic things.  There are lots of good YT videos, though, including (hopefully) a few of mine.

But I’d be happy to spend a half hour walking you through “the moves”.

[pushingfilm]

How did you make your avatar on YouTube?

Sorry, just seeing this.  I found someone on Fiverr.com.  There are lots of avatar artists there!

[pushingfilm]

university of denver campus, university hall and mary reed building by Mike Thomas Via Flickr: Arca Swiss F-Field 120mm Schneider Super Symmar f/5.6 1/2 @f/32 Rodinal 1+50, 7 minutes Video coverage of this shot: youtu.be/CziMpQJ4hcw

[pushingfilm]

chamonix on-site by Mike Thomas Via Flickr: Chamonix set-up on nice site along Bear Creek Rd between Morrison and Evergreen. I completely blew the metering due to being half-braind because I was also recording video for my YouTube channel (I always get stupid when doing that). But I know which way I screwed up, so I hope to compensate in development.

[pushingfilm]

(via https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IkQgRDCX-90)

Sometimes you go out and come back with nothing other than the experience.  That’s OK.

[pushingfilm]

seeds by Mike Thomas Via Flickr: Arca Swiss F-Field 120mm Schneider Super Symmar f/5.6 1/8 @f/32 Rodinal 1+50, 7 minutes Video coverage of this shot: youtu.be/_thU1h0AZoA The shadows and tones of this old building caught my eye. Used gobs of rise (both direct and indirect) to get the building composed as I wanted, and to leave out details I didn't. Huge trade-off was the vignetting at the top. Oh well.

[pushingfilm]

creek and cascade, cherry creek state park by Mike Thomas Via Flickr: Arca Swiss F-Field 120mm Schneider Super Symmar f/5.6 1/2 @ f/32 Rodinal 1+50, 7 minutes

Nice little creek and cascade in Cherry Creek State Park near Denver, CO. I hiked around for a few hours here and enjoyed myself immensely.

Companion video here: youtu.be/6m_wnd2DvaI

[pushingfilm]

community banks of colorado branch, designed by charles deaton by Mike Thomas Via Flickr: Arca Swiss F-Field 90mm Caltar f/5.6 1/125 @f/32 Rodinal 1+50, 7 minutes

This bank building was deigned by Charles Deaton (of “Sleeper House” fame) in the 1960s. I’ve sketched this building before, and now it was time for me to shoot it. I decided to just do an incident reading since the majority of the subject was in its own open shade. Exposure was good, but I somehow managed to get a light leak (probably not during the exposure itself, but when I constantly forget to protect the film holders when I’m shooting). I have to say I do like the dramatic angle on this one. Too damn bad about the light leak!

[pushingfilm]

creek and cottonwoods, walnut park neighborhood by Mike Thomas Via Flickr: Chamonix 045F1 180mm Fujinon f/5.6 Formatt yellow filter #8 1/15s @ f/22 Rodinal 1+50, 7 minutes

This is a case of very selective shooting. It might surprise you to know that this scene is on a public trail that runs between neighborhood streets, and right by a school. The school is just off-frame to the right, and the backs of a row of houses are off-frame to the left. This spot is about a 5 minute walk from where I work. I had scouted it on previous walks, and used the “Artist’s Viewfinder” app to pre-determine that the 180mm would work best. Then I observed the best time of day for the shot based on the way the leaves would be lit. I managed to get this shot just in time, since the trees on the left were almost totally bare today when I walked by.

[pushingfilm]

big dry creek bend by Mike Thomas Via Flickr: Chamonix 045F1 75mm Rodenstock Grandagon f/4.5 Slight front forward tilt Formatt yellow filter #8 6s @ f/22 Rodinal 1+50, 7 minutes

This scene was really beautiful in all the yellow fall color, both in the trees and on the ground. Came off pretty nicely, though looks a bit other-worldly here. Perhaps the yellow filter was too much?

I'll just add that reciprocity falure with Fomapan is a bitch. Motion blur in leaves in this sort of photo is a real issue.

[pushingfilm]

chamonix -- fall colors in b&w by Mike Thomas Via Flickr: Putting my new Formatt/Hitech filter kit to good use (hopefully) on a mid-morning walk near where I work. If you're considering this brand, I can say that the machining on the holder and adapters is very nice, and the parts have a nice heavy feel (but not too heavy). The filters slide into the holder very positively. No chance of them slipping out.Used the Chamonix today in the interest of light weight, as I had to walk a bit to the place I'd scouted for this shot. It's a fiddly camera, for sure, but really nice to fiddle with, fortunately.

[pushingfilm]

creek near littleton courthouse by Mike Thomas Via Flickr: Arca Swiss F-Field 120mm Schneider Super-Symmar Fomapan 100 @ 80, Rodinal 1+50 6s @ f/22 Rear back tilt for DoF Rear rise for composition

Not a particularly successful shot. I didn't consider the wind blowing the foliage around during this long exposure. I also recognized that the shot was pretty high-contrast, but chose not to underdevelop -- which I probably should have. Thus, the photo is pretty hard to "read", IMO.

[pushingfilm]

My latest camera review and tutorial:  the Arca Swiss F-Field compact monorail camera.

[pushingfilm]

littleton town hall by Mike Thomas Via Flickr: Arca Swiss F-Field 120mm Schneider Super-Symmar Fomapan 100 @ 80, Rodinal 1+50 1/2s @ f/22

Pretty old building in downtown littleton. Good opportunity to see how much detail is available from a Foma 100 negative (I've been shooting 400 until now). I think I managed to miss focus ever so slightly (probably during "scanning", to be honest), so I guess we won't find out how much detail can be captured.

I also managed to get the camera slightly un-level horizontally, even though I double-checked, so this is a minor rotational crop.

[pushingfilm]

garage and planters, littleton, co by Mike Thomas Via Flickr: Arca Swiss F-Field 120mm Schneider Super-Symmar 1/4s @ f/22 Fomapan 100 @ 80, Rodinal 1+50

Alleyway shot in downtown Littleton. I love wandering these alleys for interesting subjects.