I will try to update my blog weekly so stay tuned....
Showing posts with label film. Show all posts
Showing posts with label film. Show all posts
08 August 2010
Back in action
I am sorry... I know I have not updated my blog recently. I was busy with something else. But it doesn't mean I have not been taking photos. By the way, my Plustek scanner is no longer functioning so these are scans from my Epson v300 flatbed scanner so the quality is not great =( So here's a few of what I have shot on film...
I will try to update my blog weekly so stay tuned....
I will try to update my blog weekly so stay tuned....
03 June 2010
Adjusting colours when scanning film
Most digital cameras have AWB (Auto White Balance). This ensures our pictures are neutral, meaning no visible colour casts. And in digital, we can always use the camera white balance presets or dial the temperature manually in tricky lighting conditions.
Well, in film, it is a different story. Most films are rated for daylight use, around 5000K (the temperature rating), so colour cast is always there, nothing can be done except to put a warming or cooling filter on the lens. However if you are scanning your films, you can adjust the colours accurately in Photoshop using the curve tool.
I use a Plustek 7600Ai film scanner for my scanning needs and although it comes with presets for negative films, colour casts are inevitable. I used to tweak it in the scanner, but adjust each pictures individually took to much time, I need a better solution. I tried the Auto Adjust function in Windows Photo Gallery, which was alright, but the colours seem dull.
Recently, I found out that I can use Curves in Photoshop, you can use the presets, the auto function or the white, grey or black balance dropper tool which adjusts the colours of the whole image based on the selected point that resembles closest to the colour white, grey or black.
Here's a comparison between the colour balance dropper tool and the Auto function.
It is difficult to set the colour balance using the dropper tool, because they gray is often not the middle gray. As seen in this picture the gray in real life it is slightly warmer, so it makes the overall picture slightly cooler. Of course you can tweak the colour balance from here to get the best results but this requires a lot of time, finesse and experience of the trained eye...
The Auto function adjusts the colours that feels just right, just by looking at the green we know that this is a much more balanced picture and it is easy to achieve, just click on the Auto tab in the Curves tool and there you have it...
Well, in film, it is a different story. Most films are rated for daylight use, around 5000K (the temperature rating), so colour cast is always there, nothing can be done except to put a warming or cooling filter on the lens. However if you are scanning your films, you can adjust the colours accurately in Photoshop using the curve tool.
I use a Plustek 7600Ai film scanner for my scanning needs and although it comes with presets for negative films, colour casts are inevitable. I used to tweak it in the scanner, but adjust each pictures individually took to much time, I need a better solution. I tried the Auto Adjust function in Windows Photo Gallery, which was alright, but the colours seem dull.
Recently, I found out that I can use Curves in Photoshop, you can use the presets, the auto function or the white, grey or black balance dropper tool which adjusts the colours of the whole image based on the selected point that resembles closest to the colour white, grey or black.
Here's a comparison between the colour balance dropper tool and the Auto function.
It is difficult to set the colour balance using the dropper tool, because they gray is often not the middle gray. As seen in this picture the gray in real life it is slightly warmer, so it makes the overall picture slightly cooler. Of course you can tweak the colour balance from here to get the best results but this requires a lot of time, finesse and experience of the trained eye...
The Auto function adjusts the colours that feels just right, just by looking at the green we know that this is a much more balanced picture and it is easy to achieve, just click on the Auto tab in the Curves tool and there you have it...
Bessa R3A and Leica 50mm Summicron with Fuji Pro 400H
I recently took more photos from this combo...
This batch went through a different processing which makes the pictures more true to life and punchier in colours...
This batch went through a different processing which makes the pictures more true to life and punchier in colours...
02 June 2010
Repetition
Do you like to be different from everyone else? Or are you the type that blends in with everyone...?
Interesting that some of the house owners opt for a different door design in the picture above
I like to be different sometimes and shooting film does not replace digital, nothing can replace digital, but it does make you and your art different from others...
Do you want people to look up to you?
Do you like to stand tall or lay low?
Is your life like a road that goes like a loop?
Or do you prefer to stand out like the red balls??
All shot with Bessa R3A with Leica 50mm Summicron, Fuji Pro 400H film... =)
Interesting that some of the house owners opt for a different door design in the picture above
I like to be different sometimes and shooting film does not replace digital, nothing can replace digital, but it does make you and your art different from others...
Do you want people to look up to you?
Do you like to stand tall or lay low?
Is your life like a road that goes like a loop?
Or do you prefer to stand out like the red balls??
All shot with Bessa R3A with Leica 50mm Summicron, Fuji Pro 400H film... =)
27 May 2010
My first true Leica product
As we all know leica is famous for the ridiculous price tags imposed on their products and purists will claim leica lenses give the best quality and 'magic' look. So, I recently acquired the current Leica 50mm Summicron ASPH f2.0 in a used condition.
This is a lens used for M mount rangefinders, be it film or digital. Of course, I do not have the latest Leica M9 digital rangefinder, but what I have with me is the Voigtlander Bessa R3A film rangefinder. It probably would give a different look in digital but for now, let's see what this lens can do for film. I used the Fujifilm Pro 400H for all the images below...
Nice skin tones are rendered with the Fujifilm Pro 400H... Love it
The focus is on the eyes, and the focus is nailed... just look how sharp the eye is...
Lots of good detail in this picture here...
The bokeh is smooth and dreamy and pretty shallow at f2.0
Just look at the punch of the colours... sure's pack a punch...
Again, nice, not overly saturated colours...
The colours of the sky in this picture reminds me why I'm shooting with film... you also get more dynamic range...
Look at how the film renders the red...
The green is often rendered quite dull in most digital renditions, but this film favours green and it gives a bit of punch to it.
This lens is sharp with a lot detail, no doubt. What's more, the bokeh is smooth and creamy and shallow for creative subject isolation. Now I wish for M9 to be cheaper... that's all...
This is a lens used for M mount rangefinders, be it film or digital. Of course, I do not have the latest Leica M9 digital rangefinder, but what I have with me is the Voigtlander Bessa R3A film rangefinder. It probably would give a different look in digital but for now, let's see what this lens can do for film. I used the Fujifilm Pro 400H for all the images below...
Nice skin tones are rendered with the Fujifilm Pro 400H... Love it
The focus is on the eyes, and the focus is nailed... just look how sharp the eye is...
Lots of good detail in this picture here...
The bokeh is smooth and dreamy and pretty shallow at f2.0
Just look at the punch of the colours... sure's pack a punch...
Again, nice, not overly saturated colours...
The colours of the sky in this picture reminds me why I'm shooting with film... you also get more dynamic range...
Look at how the film renders the red...
The green is often rendered quite dull in most digital renditions, but this film favours green and it gives a bit of punch to it.
This lens is sharp with a lot detail, no doubt. What's more, the bokeh is smooth and creamy and shallow for creative subject isolation. Now I wish for M9 to be cheaper... that's all...
10 May 2010
Visual Journey: Stanley
My wife and I visited Stanley last Sunday, which is a small town in Tasmania, two and a halhours away from Launceston. It is famous for the Nut, a rock plug that for an extinct volcano. Tasmania has one like in the mainland, only smaller and surrounded by sea not the desert, hah...
The Nut, Stanley
We had some surprises with the weather because when we head out from Launceston, the weather was fine, but it soon changed as we are getting near to Stanley. The rain poured heavily but there were occasionally glimpses of clear skies and the sun. However, they did not last very long, before we knew it, the dark clouds reappeared and it rained heavily again.
My film rangefinder camera was equipped with a colour film, Fuji Pro 400H, hoping to capture Stanley in colour with fluffy clouds, like when I was in Wetlands. Obviously this wasn't the case. So I learnt the lesson to check the weather before hand and to equip my camera with the film when I reach there. This is because on cloudy days, black and white photos look better than colour as they can be rather dull.
Our first stop, the toilet of course... after two and a half hours...
Sorry, I can't show you how the ladies toilet look like, but you have an idea right? Pretty neat toilet if you ask me, with the clever use of daylight to save electricity and very spacious...
When we reach there, it drizzled and the sky, well cloudy and grey...no sun at all. I took some shots just in case, after all it took me two and a half hour to reach here. So we decided to have some lunch in the local town cafe. Initially we wanted to dine in a restaurant but it was Mother's Day, so it was fully booked for lunch. When I say the town is small I really mean it. The other place we could find food was a homely cafe just opposite, that's pretty much it... The cafe was very cozy and the menu is down to earth, very much homemade like. We both had scallop pies with salad and as expected, it was good, but it will cost you, AUD $ 13.50... Ouch...
As we had lunch, the skies cleared up, so we headed to the beach...
After we had enough goofing around at the beach, we head to the Nut, or rather up the Nut. You can either hike up ( it is pretty steep though) or simply take the chairlift up, Being us, we took the chairlift, only AUD $10, pretty cheap compared to the chairlift at the Gorge, Launceston. The scenery was good, but not breathtaking, if you know what I mean.
Breathtaking or not... you be the judge, but worth to just come and see it for yourself if you ask me. On the Nut, the walk will take you approximately 45 minutes, worth a stroll around on the Nut.
Hope, you readers enjoy my journey to the Nut, that all for now...
The Nut, Stanley
We had some surprises with the weather because when we head out from Launceston, the weather was fine, but it soon changed as we are getting near to Stanley. The rain poured heavily but there were occasionally glimpses of clear skies and the sun. However, they did not last very long, before we knew it, the dark clouds reappeared and it rained heavily again.
My film rangefinder camera was equipped with a colour film, Fuji Pro 400H, hoping to capture Stanley in colour with fluffy clouds, like when I was in Wetlands. Obviously this wasn't the case. So I learnt the lesson to check the weather before hand and to equip my camera with the film when I reach there. This is because on cloudy days, black and white photos look better than colour as they can be rather dull.
Our first stop, the toilet of course... after two and a half hours...
Sorry, I can't show you how the ladies toilet look like, but you have an idea right? Pretty neat toilet if you ask me, with the clever use of daylight to save electricity and very spacious...
When we reach there, it drizzled and the sky, well cloudy and grey...no sun at all. I took some shots just in case, after all it took me two and a half hour to reach here. So we decided to have some lunch in the local town cafe. Initially we wanted to dine in a restaurant but it was Mother's Day, so it was fully booked for lunch. When I say the town is small I really mean it. The other place we could find food was a homely cafe just opposite, that's pretty much it... The cafe was very cozy and the menu is down to earth, very much homemade like. We both had scallop pies with salad and as expected, it was good, but it will cost you, AUD $ 13.50... Ouch...
As we had lunch, the skies cleared up, so we headed to the beach...
After we had enough goofing around at the beach, we head to the Nut, or rather up the Nut. You can either hike up ( it is pretty steep though) or simply take the chairlift up, Being us, we took the chairlift, only AUD $10, pretty cheap compared to the chairlift at the Gorge, Launceston. The scenery was good, but not breathtaking, if you know what I mean.
Breathtaking or not... you be the judge, but worth to just come and see it for yourself if you ask me. On the Nut, the walk will take you approximately 45 minutes, worth a stroll around on the Nut.
Hope, you readers enjoy my journey to the Nut, that all for now...
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