Sigma 50mm 1.4

Speckled fold

*Speckled Fold*
Canon EOS300 + Ilford FP4+
Model: Lia

Since late 2019 I’ve been refining my double exposure process, but was dependent on a single camera, the only I knew for sure allowed me to do what I wanted to. I’ve since discovered another, much cheaper model, with a larger variety of lenses but before taking it with me back to Europe I wanted to test it. So on Dec 31st, Lia agreed to come over and I shot a roll through. The camera mostly works although I have a few kinks to iron. Still, this is one of the photos resulting from that session. I love that asymetrical fold of skin in the back due to her neck being turned…

(Quasi) Naked Goddess

*(Quasi) Naked Goddess*
Canon 7D
Model: Emilie

There is an important figure in the Unknown Armies mythos called the Naked Goddess. The book being a US publication, it was clear that nakedness in illustration was not on the agenda, so I tried to go for sensual without any frontal nudity. I love the softness and slight smile of Emilie’s expression in this shot. A fun edit (with her hands and face blurred, but not her breasts) was used in Book 2 p. 73.

Yellow and Blue

*Yellow and Blue*
Canon 7D
Model: Vanessa

I don’t rely on professional models for my shoots, but rather a group of friends and acquaintances who like to participate in what is quite often a fun shared moment. For the Unknown Armies shoots however I had to warn them that I would likely distort and transform their looks, so that they might not come out looking amazing. A variant of this shot made it into Unknown Armies Book 3 p. 57. I used a filter from Analog Efex 2 to achieve this consistently golden skin.

Cycling on the Bridge

*Cycling on the Bridge*
Canon A2 + Ilford Pan F

In late 2013 I went to Chattanooga, Tennessee for work. I had a half day to walk around town and really loved the feel of the place. I got a few good film shots out of it, including this one of the Walnut Street Bridge. Looking at my old photos recently I realised I’d taken a black and white shot of the same location that was really interesting too.

Crooked Cross

*Crooked Cross*
Canon A2 + Ilford Ortho + 80

One of the things I really love in old cemeteries is those places where nature has blended with the graves. Here, the roots of the tree have shifted the grave and the cross quite significantly to it no longer stands upright. It’s a testament of the power of nature that I find important to keep in mind these days : the trees will be there and grow long after we are all gone.

Mysterious Cherub

*Mysterious Cherub*
Canon A2 + Agfa Scala 200 (expired)

From my first visit to the Hong Kong Cemetery I spotted this Cherub under the trees. The light hits it laterally, which is very nice although its face is always in the shadows. I quite like the way this shot came out although I would like to try it again with a non expired film and a reflector.

Broken Wing

*Broken Wing*
Canon A2 + Agfa Scala 200 (Expired)

Shooting expired film (let alone expired slide) is always a tricky proposition. I shot this one overexposed by +1 (but processed normally) to try and get some oomph back from it. It came out pretty low contrast, but enough that I could work with it. In the end, it’s conveys an old photo quality feel that I quite like and also is very appropriate for cemetery photos.

Don’t Mess With the Law!

*Don’t Mess With the Law!*
Canon A2 + Ilford FP4+

Looking back, I probably did not ever have a single roll as successful in terms of good / meh shot ratio than that single roll of FP4+ I shot in Dublin in June 2013. The weather was fantastic, and I spent a good amount of time walking around the Trinity College campus. One of the things that caught my eye was this copper talking what I assumed was the guard, framed by these two massive columns.

Barbershop Paraphernalia

*Barbershop Paraphernalia*
Canon A2 + Ilford FP4+

A few weeks ago, having been immersed in my xpan shots for a while, I started revisiting older film photos that might benefit from a 65×24 framing like that of the xpan. I found this picture of a barbershop window quite adequate for that framing, that I call fauxpan.

Dublin in a Sphere

*Dublin in a Sphere*
Canon A2 + Ilford FP4+

I can’t for the life of me remember exactly what I shot here. I remember it was a sunny day in Dublin, and I think it was a silver sphere in a shot window but looking at the photo I’m not quite sure. Still, there’s something properly surreal about this (undoctored) photo, so I thought I’d share it.