One Light In Time

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I’ve never been a photographer that gets incredibly fancy with my lighting setups. Sure, when I was in college taking advanced level photography classes I learned a few complicated lighting setups. I’m familiar with strobes, and light boxes, and beauty dishes, and barn doors, etc. etc. But for some reason the more complicated my lighting setup becomes, the more inauthentic the final photograph begins to feel.

I suppose my philosophy would be different if I were a commercial photographer, but I’m not. Photography has always been a practice that I do for myself and only myself.

Photographed with a Hasselblad 500c/m and Kodak Tmax 400 speed medium format film.

All of that being said, I’m really proud of myself for the fact that I managed to keep a lot of details in the shadows of this image, despite the fact that there was only one single light source directly at the model’s back coming in from the window. I honestly didn’t expect this image to turn out great at all but through a combination of careful metering and some handy stand development with Rodinal the exact opposite happened.

It was tempting to pull out some artificial lighting and give some illumination either facing the back wall or facing directly toward the model. I’m really glad I followed my instincts and just relied on the natural light available to me.

Journey To Northern California

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I recently found myself on a trip to North California to visit family and like every time I journey outside the comforts of Portland I brought a camera with me. It was fitting I brought my Minolta SRT-101 with me on this particular trip. The Minolta SRT-101 was the first “professional” camera I ever used as it was gifted to me by my parents on my 16th birthday. Just a few short weeks ago I turned 46, which means the Minolta has been going strong in my life for exactly three decades. That is quite remarkable when you think about it. I can’t recall of many things that stay consistent in one’s life for that long.

Photographed with a Minolta SRT-101 and Ilford HP5 film.

During that time I’ve only sent it in for repair once, a good old fashion CLA, and quite frankly it didn’t even need it. I only did so because a local shop was holding a discount and I figured why not?

Photographed with a Minolta SRT-101 and Ilford HP5 35mm film.

I traveled to an area just outside of Nevada City California. It’s an area of the Golden State that still feels like a bit of a boom town, attracting people who want warm weather and who want to forge their own path with maximum autonomy. It’s a different vibe than I’m used to in the Pacific Northwest, but it’s good to be in a new environment every so often. I can appreciate the fresh air to be found there, the horses that trot around fenced pastures, and the rivers with shallow shores that were once lined with panhandlers searching for gold.

Photographed with a Minolta SRT-101 and Ilford HP5 35mm film.

I only went through a couple rolls of film while on the trip because I had other business to take care of. Still, some pictures are always better than no pictures at all and it was refreshing to just wander about a bit capturing whatever caught my fancy.

Reflections On The Columbia River

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Typically I associate the summer months here in the Pacific Northwest as a time with bright light that can be a challenge in the best of times to work with. I’m spoiled in that for most of the years I get to work with nice subdued overcast lighting that looks good from pretty much any angle at any time of the day. For two or three months in the summer however, I actually have to be careful when selecting the time of day I go out because the light can become quite harsh, bright, and full of unflattering shadows or highlights.

Photographed with a Hasselblad 500c/m and Ilford HP5 medium format film.

Earlier this week however I had a stroke of luck and found myself doing a photo session on a day with nothing but overcast and mild temperatures. Perfect!! I wish I could say I planned it, but really the weather just worked out in my favor by complete accident.

Photographed with a Hasselblad 500c/m and Ilford HP5 medium format film.

To take advantage of the day I traveling out to Rooster Rock which is a stretch of beach along the Columbia River to the east of Portland that is officially sanctioned as clothing optional. On a weekend when the weather is nice I tend to avoid this spot at all costs because it can get incredibly crowded. However, on a weekend morning when the temperatures are mild the entire place is nearly deserted. It’s the perfect environment where Floofie and I could take our time, work on poses, explore the best angles to get a solid reflection in the water, and not at all worry about looking over our shoulders the entire session.

Photographed with a Hasselblad 500c/m and Ilford HP5 medium format film.

As if I wasn’t lucky enough with the weather, it also happened to be low tide along the Columbia River which meant we could walk out quite a ways into the river and the water was only up to our ankles. Seriously, I’m not sure I could have asked for better conditions.

Isolation at the Oregon Dunes

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I’m planning another trip out to the Oregon Dunes in the next few weeks. It has quickly become one of my favorite places on earth to make photographs, whether I’m there by myself or with someone who is posing in the photographs. It’s a bit of a journey from Portland which can be a pain, but the road trip is worth it. If I take the long way along the coast the scenery is breathtaking so I really can’t complain.

Photographed with a Hasselblad 500c/m and Kodak Tmax 400 medium format film.

This photograph is from a few years ago on my very first visit. It was probably a bit later in the day than I would have liked it be as far as lighting goes, but since it was my first time making the trip I didn’t really know what to expect and I was just happy to be experiencing the Dunes for the first time. I like the way the results turned out anyway. I had my Hasselblad 500c/m with me and only a few rolls of Kodak Tmax 400.

Blind Cats and Street Photography

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I’ve always admired people who are good at street photography. I absolutely do not count myself as one of those people. I think it takes a certain kind of bravery, an ability to be in a singular world where you are an observer totally unaware of the way people are in turn observing you. For better or worse, when I take a camera out in public, I can feel eyes looking at me. The reality is, most, if not all, people really aren’t, and even if they are it shouldn’t matter. But I can’t help feeling a tad bit of discomfort about it every single time. The best street photographers probably don’t get this feeling. Or if they do, they turn that energy into great photographs. I haven’t quite figured out how to do that.

I’m sure it takes practice and perhaps part of my problem is I haven’t invested the time to get good at it. Very few things in this world come naturally after all.

Photographed with a Hasselblad 500c/m and Ilford HP5 120 film.

It’s because of all of this that my personal street photography tends to not be about people. Buildings, plants, flowers, random animals, old cars, that sort of thing are more my speed.

For this image I noticed a random cat just chilling out on the sidewalk. It wasn’t until I trained my camera on him that I noticed he was completely blind. It didn’t seem to bother him. He was friendly, purring on the warm concrete, only a few steps away from a porch with a cat door. Clearly he was well cared for so the scene didn’t make me sad. In fact, I envied the little guy. He seemed quite relaxed when I made a little portrait of him.