mediumformat

Waiting for the Ferry

*Waiting for the Ferry*
GW690iii + Ilford Delta 400 (Expired)

When I first started film photography about a decade ago I bought a lot of old, cheap cameras including a couple of medium format folding cameras. I couldn’t make much of anything with them at the time, so I focused on easier to handle 135 cameras. When I recently purchased my GW690iii I noticed I had a couple of rolls of expired 120 film in my stash, including this roll of Delta 400. I exposed it at 200, and while there’s some clear extraneous texture on the film, I quite like the effect and the result, particularly on this shot taken inside the Wan Chai Ferry Pier building.

Night Signs

*Nights Signs*
Fuji GW690iii + Cinestill 800T

At the very end of Lockhart road when it enters Causeway Bay there’s a section of the road which is pedestrian at night. There’s a lot of signage there that glows in the night but I couldn’t find a decent composition. When I turned around though these two signs jumped at me. It’s not neon, but it’s bright and interesting nonetheless.

Peel St. Shrine

*Peel St. Shrine*
Fuji GW690iii + Cinestill 50D

At the top of the lower portion of Peel St. just below Staunton Rd. there’s a little shrine that I’ve always found beautiful. I took advantage of a decent afternoon light and a tripod to shoot this photo. I took a couple of shots, one at f/4 and one at f/11. As an illustration that my 135 reflexes are still strong I assumed f/11 would be end to end sharp, but as you can see it wasn’t. I do like the slight blur on the foreground though, it makes the wisps of incense more of a central fixture.

Fighting Mold

*Fighting Mold*
Fuji GW690iii + Cinestill 50D

Somewhere in the mid-levels, my friend Matthew showed me a small area of narrow stairwells and streets where the sun does not his in the late afternoon, sadly. Still, there were a few rays of golden light here and there although not on this mural. Matthew believes there used to be a martial arts school there, but there no longer is and the mural is slowly getting eaten by mold. I think that makes it look all the cooler…

Eating Flowers

*Eating Flowers*
Fuji GW690iii + Kodak Portra 400

There a number of interesting murals in the narrow streets of Central, but I’d never seen this one before I went on my first walk with the new 6×9 camera. When I spotted these two girls, I knew I had my shot. It’s the only street shot I did, and then only because I had time to measure my exposure before shooting. I’m really super slow with the GW so far.

Temple Guards

*Temple Guards*
Fuji GW690iii + Cinestill 50D

I’ve taken many photos of Tin Hau Temple in the years that we’ve lived just around the corner. There’s a certain charm about it at dusk, when the lanterns are lit and the doors are closed. I thought it would be a good trial of the new camera with Cinestill 50D which gives subdued, pastel colors. What I hadn’t anticipated is that the (fixed) focal length of the 690 wouldn’t let me take the whole scene in. All that’s left is the doors, which still look very cool (I find) but obviously I’ll have to revisit that shot with a different camera.

Olympic Stairs

*Olympic Stairs*
Fuji GW690iii + Kodak Portra 400

A few weeks ago I became aware that the Fuji GW690iii camera was both highly rated and comparatively affordable. When looking at entering Medium Format, that is not a given (to say the least). I had a pending birthday present from my wife, so I went out and got this beast of a camera. It shoots huge 6x9cm negatives. I proceeded to walk around Hong Kong and give the camera a trial run. This is the Olympic Stairs in Causeway Bay, where each step marks where an Olympiad happened. It’s a place I really like, close to where we first lived in Hong Kong. I love the amount of detail as well as the subtle drop off in depth of field.