Film Impressions

Richard Avedon at the SFMOMA

2009-08-26T17:29:00.000-07:00

Richard Avedon's photographs are on exhibit at the SFMOMA

It is a must see... his portraits that he took out west of coal miners, carnies etc are literally larger than life!

The museum store has a book about this portrait project that shows Richard Avedon using a 8x10 view camera to create these pictures.

Of course my favorite images were from his fashion work.

My all time fav is the image below with the model and the elephants.

I definitely encourage you to see such spectacular black and white prints.

Photographer Ulrica Wihlborg

2009-08-26T17:21:00.000-07:00

I came across Photographer Ulrica Wihlborg's work in the recent Rangefinder Magazine.

I love her work and yes she uses film! Her camera of choice is a medium format Contax and she also uses Cannon 35mm cameras. So check her out!

See Ulrica's work at her website Axel & Moa

Read the entire Rangefinder article

Holgas ~ not just a toy

2009-08-01T19:44:00.000-07:00

The Holga is an inexpensive, medium format 120 film "toy camera", made in China, appreciated for its low-fidelity aesthetic.The Holga's cheap construction and simple meniscus lens often yields pictures that display vignetting, blur, light leaks, and other distortions.

They are so much more than a "toy camera"!

To learn more about holgas visit this site by lomography. For a great how to use holga manual check out the one created by Freestyles.

Here are a few of Edie's Holga images.

Have fun holgaing...

Jose Villa + Holga

2009-08-01T18:14:00.000-07:00

photos by Jose Villa

Jose is happy to share some of his images that he took with a Holga while in Mexico. He encourages everyone to try out a Holga if you have not already.

To see more of his work visit Jose's blog. Get back to basics and have fun with your very own Holga!

Artist ~ Hugh Shurley

2009-07-09T10:31:00.000-07:00

My friend Joan invited me to the lecture by artist/photographer Hugh Shurley, part of Looking Glass's Summer Lecture Series.

He uses multi-layered photographic prints and objects to create rich in depth pieces that tell a story literally layer by layer. He prints his own images in his darkroom with his large collection of film negatives. It was quite an inspirational lecture. Here are a few of his images, to find more of his work and to learn more about his process, visit his website.

Blogs About Film

2009-06-21T22:52:00.000-07:00

Film is alive and people are talking about it. I recently came across two great blogs written by photographers who use film.

The first one I came across was Keep Film Alive blog by photographer Tanja Lippert. Tanja interviews various photographers who talk about their background with film, their experiences and share a little about themselves and why thy love film.

The second one is Richard Isreal's blog I Love Film. It is a great resource for getting inspired and learning about various types of film, printing techniques and alternative processes.

They both offer great info and insights and definitely worth adding to your list of good reads.

New member ~ Kevin Chin

2008-07-30T22:09:00.000-07:00

Images by Kevin Chin

Kevin is devoted to film. Here are some of his images, note the first one was created using Infra-red film.

Welcome Michelle Pattee

2008-07-27T19:35:00.000-07:00

Images by Michelle Pattee

Robert Cavalli ~ Rangefinder Magazine

2008-07-10T12:04:00.000-07:00

Profile of a Hollywood Printmaker
by Sharon Dawson

Robert Cavalli, owner of Still Moving Pictures, a custom black and white lab, has been helping photographers create outstanding photographs for 20-plus years. The first thing that strikes you about Robert when you first meet him is his deep love for the art of image making.

Robert helps bring to light special moments in printing, and I found that having a conversation with him is equally as illuminating: One incredible thought quickly melds into the next. Ideas brought up seem new but familiar at the same time. You want to shout, "Wait! Go back!" But it is too late, he has already moved on. Its almost too much to hold on to. Creative thoughts remain etched in your ind to sort out later. You walk walk from the conversation in awe.

"The whole world inspires me. Photography is about the play of light on the world, capturing the deep emotions we feel and what matters to an individual. Photographs are as much about the photographer as they are about the image," Robert says.

Surprises

2008-06-29T09:43:00.000-07:00

by Misti Layne

I love surprises and some of the best are when I get proofs back from the lab and go through the images of the wedding that is now a blur in my mind. I've been shooting film since I was kid and typically know what I'm going to get when I snap the shot. But I never fail to get surprises that make me smile.

I love the deep tones and contrast of black and white film and usually use available light when I can or bounced flash. I'm pretty much self taught so I know the basic rules but like to break them. You know the ones-don't shoot into the sun, Sunny 16, Rules of Thirds, etc, etc. I guess because I haven't had them fully explained to me I just don't care to live by them and actually play with them.

So I recently got back some film and a couple of the shots just made me smile because first the bride was just a joy and you can see it on her face and second the play of light was just fun and cool and added to the element of getting ready which is also one of my favorite parts to shoot in a wedding. So here are my two fave latest "surprises".

The War Photographer

2008-06-29T08:55:00.001-07:00

by Misti Layne

I recently saw this movie again and just had to recommend it. It's a documentary about James Nachtwey. He's been a photojournalist for over 20 years and this movie, The War Photographer, really takes you into his world. First you are struck by his calm, soothing, even demeanor. Then you are just amazed when you see him this same way in horrible situations. He takes you to conflict and war zones, sulfur mines where he needs to be led out when he gets overcome with the fumes and in the midst of pain and anguish. You see a family who live between train tracks in I believe Indonesia. The father had gotten drunk and was missing an arm and a leg because he fell asleep on the tracks and was hit but still bathes his kids and tries his best. James takes you right there and you just wonder if you could do what he does.

The part about this that is amazing is that you see it from his viewpoint. He attaches a film camera to his camera and you see what he sees through the lens--almost. You see when he takes a photo, some of the settings he uses, the fact he uses 400 TriX and has no problem reloading film while bullets are flying overhead.

Another amazing aspect of this movie was watching him and a printer develop one of his prints. They go over and over it again getting more and more details and matching it to his vision.

This is photography and a photographer at his best.

"I attempt to become as totally responsible to the subject as I possibly can. The act of being an outsider aiming a camera can be a violation of humanity. The only way I can justify my role is to have respect for the other person's predicament. The extend to which I do that is the extent to which I become accepted by the other, and to that extent I can accept myself." James Nachtwey

Catch this movie when you can but at least check out his website and his work. It will take your breath away and make you appreciate every last thing you have.

Jose Villa joins Film Impressions

2008-06-17T11:54:00.000-07:00

Creating the New Old School in Wedding Photography
by Jose Villa

People often ask me how I developed my style, and how I create images that stand out in today’s highly competitive wedding market. Well, I am a fine art wedding photographer. My approach applies fine art photography to the living, breathing, fast-moving phenomenon that is a wedding. Yes, I do some documentary photography—you need to capture the important moments at a wedding—but I also compose and direct. For me, it is all about making something beautiful, even if I have to insert myself into the situation and recreate a moment. Ultimately, my goal is to craft vibrant, energetic, fine art images that are as unique as the people in the photographs.

The origin of my style traces back to my time working for commercial photographer Marcy Malloy. Shortly after graduating from Brooks Institute of Photography, I spent some time with Marcy at her San Francisco studio. Her work is very active and playful. She produces bright images that portray a happy, vivacious lifestyle. Later, when I opened my own studio in Solvang, Calif., I decided to apply the same type of look to my wedding photography. I wanted that active, playful feel. I wanted to focus on positive emotions—people laughing and smiling and having a good time. That is, after all, how couples want to remember their wedding!

With the emotional component determined, I set about forming a specific artistic look. I came up with an avant garde fine art approach that combines progressive shooting with a vintage feel—all captured on film. Film that has amazing grain, and soft pastel color.

I do as much as possible in camera. First, I set my camera so that I’m overexposing my images by a stop to a stop-and-a-half. This produces a nice, soft glow. I want light wrapping around my subjects and giving off a sense of warmth. Typically, I expose for the shadow. I use a variety of Fuji films, which are all forgiving enough to give detail in the black of the groom’s tux without washing out the bride’s white dress. I also like to shoot with an extremely shallow depth of field. The shallow depth of field works well with the overexposure to create that soft, wrap-around glow.

Next, I compose. I don’t just take pictures as things happen. I capture moments, but I do it with more of an artistic perspective. Beauty to me is elegance, simplicity and clean, white spaces. So I look for compositions where I can take advantage of beautiful blue skies, blank walls or stunning but clean natural backgrounds. If necessary, I will recreate a moment, framing the subjects with an ideal background and putting them in perfect light. Throughout the wedding, I direct lightly. When I see something attractive, I jump in and help turn the moment into a memorable image. It’s more of an editorial style, as if I was conducting a fashion or lifestyle photo shoot.

As I mentioned already, I shoot everything on film. During the course of a wedding, I’ll shoot fast-paced documentary images with a 35mm Canon EOS-1V, artsy selective focus photos with a Holga camera, and broad panoramas with the Hasselblad Xpan. But my Contax 645 medium format camera is my most important tool. Using a Carl Zeiss 80mm f/2.0 lens, I can engineer a really shallow depth of field while keeping the subjects in tack-sharp focus. When I overexpose images on Fuji color films like Pro 400H or 800Z, the colors come out almost pastel. To augment this look, I back light and let the light wrap around the subjects for beautiful color that’s reminiscent of a painting. A lot of my clients book me specifically because of this approach to color.

The Contax 645 is pretty fast for a medium-format camera. I treat it a lot like a 35mm SLR. I put it on aperture priority, hand hold everything, and just let it go. I use this camera for most of the detail shots (flowers, place settings, rings, etc.) and for the editorial-style images with the bride and groom. It’s especially useful for a couple-only portrait shoot as the sun is going down. With the excellent Zeiss glass, I get the couple in very sharp focus and then let everything else go soft. Also, when I set the aperture to f/2, I can create a little motion blur, which gives a sense of activity. Brides love this style because it reminds them of a fashion spread in a magazine.

To properly execute my approach, I must develop a strong rapport with my clients. I let them know that I’m going to direct them, but it’s going to be a relaxed process. I don’t just tell them to “walk over there and act naturally.” Instead, I get them to have fun. I laugh a lot and joke around, and I encourage them to do the same. I promote a lot of motion. I like to have them running toward the camera, jumping off things. This helps produce those energetic images that couples love. It’s a tweaked real-life look, instead of static images where people just stand in one place and smile.

I feel like wedding photography is moving away from strict photojournalism and toward a more editorial, magazine-type look. Today’s couples want their wedding images to look like they’re out of a fashion spread. They want a more artistic influence. They want stylized imagery that promotes happy memories from a beautiful day. I provide this by merging progressive shooting techniques with the vintage look. The result is fine art weddings—and a very busy schedule of high-end weddings!

Impressions

2008-06-12T13:36:00.000-07:00

by Edie Fogel

Misti of Images by Misti Layne, approached me awhile ago about creating a website or blog dedicated to California photographers who are passionate about film based photography. I was so excited because I just love using film and wanted to connect with other film photographers.

As we brain stormed about possible names for the site we came up with Film Impressions. The dictionary defines impressions as:
• an idea, feeling, or opinion about something or someone
• an effect produced on someone
• a difference made by the action or presence of someone or something

Since the site would be a place for various photographers to come together, it seemed appropriate to have a name that honored their unique vision. During the process of making a photograph, that moment a photographer presses the button, becomes the defining moment. These moments become our images/impressions of how we see or interpret the world.

Impressions also brought to mind the Impressionist Art Movement. The Impressionist painters of the 1860s, Degas, Monet and Renoir, were interested in "romanticism and the visual impression of the moment, esp. in terms of the shifting effect of light and color." These painters were influenced by early photographers and and they in turn have influenced many modern day photographers, including myself.

The name "film impressions" seemed to be indeed a great title choice for this blog dedicated to such a beautiful craft, film based photography. I hope this site will make an impression on you.

Inspiration

2008-05-10T18:41:00.000-07:00

by Misti Layne

A couple of weeks ago I went to a seminar held by Joe Buissink and Yervant. Two very well internationally known wedding photographers. I was looking for a shot of inspiration and to see my friend Joe. I got inspired and I got a big hug from Joe. I highly recommend seeing them in the next few weeks if you can. I had dinner with them that night after the event along with Bambi Cantrell. She promised with the name Bambi she wouldn't make fun of my name after Joe swore when he introduced me that Misti Layne really was my name. This site was finally accomplished and numerous other things are in the works because of that day.

The idea of this blog/group happened almost two years ago and is now an actual work in process. I've been doing weddings for over a decade now and love it. I took my first photograph at 4 and haven't stopped since. I hope you get a dose of inspiration from the beautiful photography of photographers who are dedicated to film, the art of photography and the passion they have for what they do. Currently Edie and I are working on expanding this blog with other photographers with a penchant for film, links, articles and posts to great images and resources for film photography. We expect this group to become a great reserve of information and an outlet of what inspires us.

Always remember that whatever the question, love is the answer.