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Masked and Protected
Fuji TX2, 90mm, f/4, 1/125s, ISO 400
(Film: Portra 400)
Though not quite as bad as in Beijing, particle pollution in Shanghai is bad. I personally have a hard time believing these little face masks make a difference, but the Chinese (and most of the expats) seem to think they do. This is a daily scene here.
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Fruit Emporium
Fuji TX2, 45mm, f/4, 1/60s, ISO 400
(Film: Portra 400)
Honggu Lu is just nearby, and it’s a very busy street with lots of shops. At the very end of the stretch I walked is this large (for hear) fruit vendor, and I wanted to test the camera in lower light. I liked the signs a lot too, and I quite like the end result.
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Life On Wheels
Fuji TX2, 45mm, f/5,6, 1/60s, ISO 400
(Film: Portra 400)
In the West most people still imagine Chinese cities swarming with bikes, but the reality is that for the most part the bikes have been replaced by scooters. Still, heavier loads are carried by three-wheel bikes with rigged batteries. The two you see here are fairly lightly loaded, sometimes these guys carry loads three of four times the size of their vehicle! I hope to capture that soon.
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Walking the Dog
Fuji TX2, 45mm, 1/60s, f/8, ISO 400
(Film: Portra 400)
The lane just outside of our building block is always lined with cones. I wanted to capture the perspective, and one of the great things about the TX2 is that people don’t realise how wide it shoots. The guy walking his dog was looking at me like I was crazy, but he didn’t think he was in the frame.
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The Pink Scooter
Fuji TX2, 45mm, f/5,6, 1/250s, ISO 400
(Film: Portra 400)
I have recently acquired a fabled film camera, the Fuji TX2 also known in Europe as the Hasselblad XPAN 2. This camera has the particularity of shooting panorama shots with no distorsion (other than that of the lens, obviously). Which means that unlike the Horizon 202 (which I tried briefly last year before it broke down) it doesn’t bend straight lines. Anyway, this week I decided to share with you highlights of my first roll. It’s given me the urge to shoot street shots of Shanghai again, so expect to see more. The pink scooter is what attracted me to this shot in the first place (although the chairs are somewhat puzzling too) and the two passers-by were just cherries on the cake.
Nostalgie de Paris
Canon A2, 50mm, f/8, 1/250s, ISO 200
Film: Agfa Scala 200
Just before the summer I finished a roll of one of my favorite slide film: Agfa Scala 200. I remember walking back to St Lazare, past Trinité and thinking the alignment of the Metro sign with the Trinité Church bell-tower would make an interesting composition. Months later, after scanning the film, I have to agree with my past self. I’m in two minds whether the slight aperture blur of the Church is too much, just right or not enough, but I guess it’ll give me an excuse to experiment further next time I’m in Paris.
The Softer Side of Eric
Canon A2, 50mm, f/2.8, 1/100s, Agfa Scala 200 film
Eric is not only a good friend and a super-talented writer, he’s also a fantastic model. Every time I go to Dublin, his beard has grown longer and bushier and I cannot help but do a few shots. Last time I was there I shot Eric (The Viking) with my x100s, but I also had my film camera with me, and my favourite B&W film, the Agfa Scala. I’ve only managed to scan the results recently, and I absolutely love this portrait of his, a much softer one than the digital version.
Put Your Junk In Your Trunk
Canon A2; 50mm, f/5,6, 1/125, ISO 100
Film: Adox Color Implosion
This is a sign inside a parking lot in Cleveland that really made me laugh. I briefly spoke to the Parking Manager who told me that there was one night a couple of years ago during a Superbowl match when dozens of cars were forced open to access electronic gear that was lying on seats or in the glove boxes. That’s when they put up this sign.
Figures of Tech
Canon A2, 50mm, f/8, 1/250s, ISO 200
Film: Fuji Experia 200 (Expired)
A nice mural on Chattanooga’s North Side…
Curvaceous Southern Belle
Canon A2, 50mm, f/5.6, 1/250s, ISO 100
Film: Adox Color Implosion
This is another photo from Chattanooga, something I didn’t expect to see there (I guess the Simpson episode where Michaelangelo’s David is censored for being naked gave me the wrong impression on US prudeness). It’s very grainy, like all the pictures I took with the Adox film. I have another roll, but I’m not convinced I’ll ever use it…
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