*Incense & Bokeh*
Canon EOS300 + Lomography Fantome 8
OK, so I plead guilty: I have shot this particular frame many times, and besides being a very Hong Kong thing, I can’t say that there’s anything special about this composition. I do like how the high contrast and shallow depth of field combine here to deliver a moody image.
*Quietly in the Shadows*
Canon EOS300 + Lomography Fantome 8
One of the wonderful (or treacherous) things with Fantome 8 is how dark even a mild shadow comes out. When I shot this I imagined the face of the statue mildly draped in shadows. The zebra look was unexpected and is amazing, I think. It’s just a matter of anticipating it.
*Public Service Announcement*
Canon EOS300 + Lomography Fantome 8
In my quest for tiny details, I stumbled upon this message glued on a duct. I like how the shallow depth of field and the shadows make it look like a pumpkin. And the message, while harsh, is (still) necessary.
*Upwards!*
Canon EOS300 + Lomography Fantome 8
When you’re shooting super shallow, deciding where your focus point is becomes a crucial compositional decision. What you have in the background is also crucially important and can make a difference. Here I tried to capture the verticality of the city in a different way. Let me know if you think it worked!
*Flaky Inscription*
Canon EOS300 + Lomography Fantôme 8
Ever since I first read about Lomography Fantôme 8 I wanted to try it out. I mean, it’s not everyday you get to shoot an 8 ISO film. For this stroll around Central and Wan Chai on a bright sunny day, I shot with my Sigma 50 1.4 and the aperture was set at 1.4 throughout with only one or two exceptions on the roll. I love the contrast and these dreamy out of focus backgrounds.
*Lashed Back*
Canon EOS300 + Ilford FP4+
Model: Lia
Texture: Chlorophytum comosum (?)
In the early stages of this project I struggled a bit with the photos that had these long narrow leaf textures. They looked a bit too chaotic for me. But I’m growing to like them more these days and I really like how they came out on Lia’s silhouette here.
*Flowery Bust*
Canon EOS300 + Ilford FP4+
Model: Lia
I’ve had mixed results with flowers in this project. Most of the time, there isn’t enough of a textury feel to them, and also they tend to convey an excessively soppy feel to the portrait. But with a more subtle lighting, it can work and convey something romantic without it being too sweet. At least I think so in this instance.
*Shadow Hand*
Canon EOS300 + Ilford FP4+
Model: Lia
This is the first successful attempt at something I’ve been trying for a while now. The idea is to have the model in the light, and an outstretched hand or two forward towards the camera in the shadow. It’s a lot harder to pull off than it sounds, and while I would like to manage the full contrasted look with only the hands in the shadows, I still quite like the look of this particular shot.
*Painted Spine*
Canon EOS300 + Ilford FP4+
Model: Lia
Texture: Schefflera
Schefflera is one of those « safe » textures: it rarely disappoints. I had not shot Lia’s back during the previous studio session so I wanted to correct that, and I’m very pleased with the results on this one.
*Bramble Ghost*
Canon EOS300 + Ilford FP4+
Model: Lia
During this last session, I used harsher lights than I normally do. The main reason was that I wanted a more mobile light setup, so instead of having a diffused light on a tripod, my friend David pointed a flash at the model, acting as a movable tripod. One of the side effects of this was sharper, darker shadows, which on this picture has an unexpected impact on Lia’s face, but a really cool effect on her body. The end result is both wonderful and creepy, I find.
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