FishyFish's Contact Sheets for 2020

[sirch]

It won't be to everyone's liking but frame 5 of sheet #70 appeals to me, the canal boat is almost hiding against the wall and I agree with Ian about frame 12

 

[FishyFish]

Contact Sheet #71

This roll is notable for being the first I shot with my new (to me) Zenzanon 50mm lens for the ETRSi, and also to see how a roll of this expired Superia 100 would fare. I bought a couple of rolls of it from an eBay seller. Both of them have now been shot - the other to come in a future contact sheet post - and I've bought another couple from the same seller based on the results of this initial outing. It had a bit of a tendency towards a green cast, but I've managed to recover that I think and the results look very nice. I really wish that there were still consumer grade colour films available in 120 format. The prices of the pro films are detrimental to my shooting too much of them. Even the cheaper Lomography Color Negative films are on the rise now.

I'm glad I was able to catch a nice dollop of autumn colour here, and just as happy that the film did a good job with it.

Frame #12 is my standout.

Bronica ETRSi
Zenzanon 50mm f/2.8 MC
Fujifilm Superia 100 (expired 2008)


2020-10-28 Bronica ETRSi Fujifilm Superia 100 (expired 2008) by fishyfish_arcade, on Flickr

 

[Boots]

Another good set, with some strong images. But I agree with you that #12 is my favourite, lovely light and colour.

 

[FishyFish]

Contact Sheet #72

I'm going to attempt to put some weight on the gas and catch up with these before the year comes to a close (although there's still the possibility I might shoot some more before then - and I have two rolls currently sat waiting to be developed and scanned).

Anyway, this roll was one of two I shot on a trip to Kelham Island (an upcoming former industrial area just to the north of Sheffield city centre which is in the process of gentrification - every time I visit it seems that new apartment buildings are rising or old factory buildings are being converted). It was shot at the end of a week off work I took at the end of October. I'd planned to visit the Peak District during this time but the whole of South Yorkshire being polaced under Tier 3 Covid restrictions put paid to that (although a little bit of the Peak District sits within Sheffield's boundary, so I can go there without breaking the rules. Looking on Facebook, it also seems that many other people are just ignoring the rules anyway).

The weather was nice on the day and the low sun was making lovely, contrasty shadown on things.

Frame #1 is a little squished as, due to operator incompetence, I made the first shot before properly winding the film to the correct place!

Yashica Mat 124G
Ilford Delta 400
Ilfotec DD-X 1+4 8mins @ 20°


2020-11-01 Yashica Mat 124G Ilford Delta 400 by fishyfish_arcade, on Flickr

 

[FishyFish]

Contact Sheet #73

A direct follow on from the previous sheet, this roll of HP5+ was shot on the same outing although featuring more photos from the edge of the city centre. #5 & #7 are my faves here.

Yashica Mat 124G
Ilford Delta 400
Ilfotec DD-X 1+4 8mins @ 20°


2020-11-01 Yashica Mat 124G Ilford HP5+ by fishyfish_arcade, on Flickr

 

[FishyFish]

Contact Sheet #74

A foggy day! I love me a foggy day to make photographs!

I took a tripod out with me for these, but decided to push the film two stops to give me shorter shutter speeds at smaller apertures. I've read Paul Hart's trilogy of photobooks (Farmed, Drained, & Reclaimed) this year, and I think there are some definite (if maybe indirect) influences that I've picked up from his work.

The duplication on frames #1 & #2 is because I forgot to reset the mirror lock-up before winding on, so I was kind of forced to take a very similar shot again. The fact that the mirror doesn't automatically unlock itself when winding feels like a bit of a design flaw on the ETRSi - one that's caught me out on a number of occasions.

Bronica ETRSi
Zenzanon 50mm f/2.8 MC
Ilford HP5+ (@1600)
Ilfotec DD-X 1+4 13mins @ 20°


2020-11-07 Bronica ETRSi Fujifilm Ilford HP5+ (@1600) by fishyfish_arcade, on Flickr

 

[FishyFish]

Contact Sheet #75

More foggy day photos, taken with the same camera and lens as above on thge same day, just a different film - another roll of the expired Superia 100 that I had success with in Sheet #71. I much prefer the film in better light, and it was used here only because I had no other B&W film with me at the time.

Bronica ETRSi
Zenzanon 50mm f/2.8 MC
Fujifilm Superia 100 (expired 2008)


2020-11-07 Bronica ETRSi Fujifilm Superia 100 (expired 2008) by fishyfish_arcade, on Flickr

 

[Boots]

Some cracking shots there - and quite a splurge on the processing and scanning.

#72 frame 12, #73 frame 3, #74 frames 3, 11 & 15 catch my eye.

 

[FishyFish]

Some cracking shots there - and quite a splurge on the processing and scanning.

#72 frame 12, #73 frame 3, #74 frames 3, 11 & 15 catch my eye.

Thanks Paul. These sheets had already been processed and scanned, I just hadn’t gotten around to making and uploading the contact sheets. I’ve got four more contact sheets to upload here later, another couple of scanned rolls to make sheets from, and then the two aforementioned rolls that I still have to dev and scan. So eight more to come (unless I shoot any more before the year’s end - which I might ).

 

[FishyFish]

Contact Sheet #76

This was my "experimental" roll of HP5+ to see how well it would fare when pushed three stops to 3200asa. The ability to shoot handheld in dimly lit locations is a useful one - churches and so forth spring to mind as examples. The results here are, I think, very nice in terms of how well the film responded to the push and the subsequent development in DD-X. Grain is noticable, but not obtrusive, and contrast is still well controlled with detail in the shadows and highlights. The only real downside was the fact that I had to stand developing it for twenty minutes before even getting onto the stop, fix, and wash stages of the process.

Frames #3, #7, and #15 are my favourites from this roll.

Bronica ETRSi
Zenzanon 50mm f/2.8 MC
Ilford HP5+ (@3200)
Ilfotec DD-X 1+4 20mins @ 20°


2020-11-22 Bronica ETRSi Ilford HP5+ (@3200) by fishyfish_arcade, on Flickr

 

[sirch]

I'm going to attempt to put some weight on the gas and catch up with these before the year comes to a close

About time you put some shots up, come Nige, stop slacking

TBH it's hard to know where to start. Superia and a misty day is always going to get my vote, the birch trees in #74 look good as does the barbed wire. Lovely tonality and architectural details in #73.

 

[Harlequin565]

Someone is *not* happy about 20 minute dev times....

I listen to podcasts while I'm developing. It's like on-demand radio for various interests... Music, photography, strategy gaming... 20 minutes isn't long enough! Hence my latest 35mm test of HP5 at 6400 (which may see soup before 2021 as it's great for shooting the cats)

That's quite a catchup there Nige. Realy like the architecture work in the first two with 72 (frame 3) & 73 (frame 5) standing out for me. The misty woods in B&W is right up my street and there are many on there I'd be happy to have taken - esp frames 3 & 6 where the mist is hinted at.

Not so keen on the colour stuff. I just don't think it's as strong as the B&W. Nice to see a return of the pylons in the last sheet though, and I really do like the tyre(?) in the lake. Very nice.

As we approach the end - do you have any thoughts on your "year"? Was it useful, or just a pain in the bum to update the thread? There was an element of the latter for me and with a 52 attempt coming in January I may well continue with contact sheets for the various themes. Hopefully much less testing next year for me!

 

[FishyFish]

About time you put some shots up, come Nige, stop slacking

TBH it's hard to know where to start. Superia and a misty day is always going to get my vote, the birch trees in #74 look good as does the barbed wire. Lovely tonality and architectural details in #73.

Thanks Chris. I much prefer my Superia photos from the previous sheet (#71). The sunlight brings it to life and maked for more appealing photos, I think. It might just be the subject matter here though - I love misty days, anc misty colour shots can be beautiful. These all feel a little too green though.

Someone is *not* happy about 20 minute dev times....

I listen to podcasts while I'm developing. It's like on-demand radio for various interests... Music, photography, strategy gaming... 20 minutes isn't long enough! Hence my latest 35mm test of HP5 at 6400 (which may see soup before 2021 as it's great for shooting the cats)

I have thought about having something on to listen to, but I always forget until it's too late.

That's quite a catchup there Nige. Realy like the architecture work in the first two with 72 (frame 3) & 73 (frame 5) standing out for me. The misty woods in B&W is right up my street and there are many on there I'd be happy to have taken - esp frames 3 & 6 where the mist is hinted at.

Not so keen on the colour stuff. I just don't think it's as strong as the B&W. Nice to see a return of the pylons in the last sheet though, and I really do like the tyre(?) in the lake. Very nice.

I think I'm a fair-weather photographer when it comes to colour stuff. Good light really lifts it up whereas dull weather tends to make flat looking colours that don't really do it for me as much. I've seen lots of nice colour photographs shot in gloomy conditions though, so it might just be the way I personally find colour shots that doesn't suit those conditions.

As we approach the end - do you have any thoughts on your "year"? Was it useful, or just a pain in the bum to update the thread? There was an element of the latter for me and with a 52 attempt coming in January I may well continue with contact sheets for the various themes. Hopefully much less testing next year for me!

Having the contact sheets hasn't really added anything in terms of how I make photos, but it's been really good to see what others are doing (including the misfires) and be able to receive and offer feedback on them. It is getting to be a bit of a PITA as the year comes to an end if I'm honest - mostly due to my letting them pile up though. I felt similarly when I did a Photo 365 thing a few years ago. By late autumn the enthusiasm for it had ebbed away and it had become a chore. I might continue with it next year, but I may just make sheets for rolls that standout in some way.

 

[sirch]

There were some great shots on #71 and whilst I'm not normally a fan of lots of green I do like the way Superia renders green, especially in soft light.

 

[FishyFish]

Contact Sheet #77

I think that this roll, above all others, was my biggest pleasant surprise of the year. The camera was a car-boot find earlier in the year that I rescued for £1. I got a roll of 36exp Fuji C200 with it and then noticed it also had a roll of Kodak Colorplus already loaded. With no idea how long the Colorplus had been sat in the camera, or if it had already been partially used (or, worse, that back had been opened or something), I decided to shoot it to see if the camera worked ok. In the end I got 33 shots from the roll (counting the two burn frames). The camera is your standard, "Christmas, birthdays, holidays" point and shoot compact than was probably owned by the average person in the pre-digital, pre-phonecam days and works perfectly well to meet these requirements. The lens is ok, but not as sharp as some other compacts I own - still not a slouch though.

The photos though, well, they're probably some of my favourites from the whole year. The roll has a whole clutch of pictures that leapt out at me as soon as the scans appeared on the screen before my eyes.

There's a bonus image in the guise of #11. I didn't know that moving the negative holder on the Plustek when it was set to multiple passes would result in this sort of double-exposure and it was a complete accident caused by my not paying attention. I do quite like it though.

Fuji DL-270 Zoom Super
Kodak Colorplus
Grain2Pixel conversion


2020-12-01 Fuji DL-270 Zoom Super Kodak Colorplus by fishyfish_arcade, on Flickr

 

[Harlequin565]

Really nice contact sheet, and good to go out with a bang

13 & 14 look really nice. Reminds me of Haas' work (very hard to tell at this size though). Also I actually clicked on frame 15 because I wanted to see it bigger.
26 looks really nice too.

How do you find these P&S cameras in gloom? I have my MInitec loaded with 400 speed film and I'm loathe to take it out because of the flash going off all the time. Do you turn the flash off somehow?

 

[FishyFish]

Contact Sheet #78

And, in the blink of an eye, we jump from a pleasantly surprising roll to a big disappointment.

This was the first roll I put through my newly acquired GW690. The film - some Velvia 50 - was already in the camera when I received it with just a single shot made by the previous owner(frame #1). In my eagerness to try the camera I rushed out first chance I got and shot the remaining seven frames. With only eight frames per roll, this doesn't take long...

Instead of waiting for a blue-sky sunny day that would have worked well with the Velvia, I went out on a bright but somewhat overcast day and basically wasted the roll. I didn't expose well and most of the frames have blown out skies, frame #6 being the only one that is veering towards something ok.

I've still been burning through film with less care than I should be taking when using this camera, but I'm hoping the novelty will wear off soon and I can get down to using it with more purpose and paying more attantion to my technique and composition.

Fujica GW690
Fujichrome Velvia 50


2020-12-01 Fujica GW690 Fujichrome Velvia 50 by fishyfish_arcade, on Flickr

 

[Boots]

Set 77. Yes, a nice set of images, and that chance discovery was very nice. Very Monet-esque.

Set 78. I like frames 5 & 6.

 

[FishyFish]

Really nice contact sheet, and good to go out with a bang

13 & 14 look really nice. Reminds me of Haas' work (very hard to tell at this size though). Also I actually clicked on frame 15 because I wanted to see it bigger.
26 looks really nice too.

How do you find these P&S cameras in gloom? I have my MInitec loaded with 400 speed film and I'm loathe to take it out because of the flash going off all the time. Do you turn the flash off somehow?

They don't tend to play nicely without flash in low light. A couple of these frames had the flash go off because I'd forgotten to disable it. In bright conditions though they tend to be ok - I still always disable flash though, just in case...

Some bigger versions of frames #13 & #26. #15 suffers from camera shake sadly.


Rainy day in town by fishyfish_arcade, on Flickr


Sunrise tree by fishyfish_arcade, on Flickr

 

[FishyFish]

Thank

Yes, a nice set of images, and that chance discovery was very nice. Very Monet-esque.

Thanks Paul.

 

[Harlequin565]

with just a single shot made by the previous owner(frame #1

And I was just going to say how frame one looked pretty good to me

That post did make me chuckle because earlier in this thread you told yourself to shoot slide film only on sunny days and I remember thinking. "Yep. I need to take that advice too". To err is human

 

[sirch]

There's a bonus image in the guise of #11

That's a really good effect, who needs photoshop

As you said that's a good set of photos

 

[FishyFish]

Contact Sheet #79

My first roll of Cinestill 8--T (thanks @Harlequin565 !). We had a foggy evening a few weeks ago, so it seemed rude not to take advantage and go shoot a roll. I learnt a number of things on the evenong.

1. The 50mm lens flares quite a lot without a hood when under LED streetlights.
2. Focussing can be difficult without well defined and lit objects beneath the split prism.
3. Don't assume that you've moved the shutter speed dial correctly without checking. You might find you overexposed many of the photos by a full stop!
4. Based on the above point, Cinestill 800T has forigiving latitude.
5. I felt curiously guilty, like I was doing something wrong, when making these photos at night in populated areas. I know I wasn't doing anything wrong, but the feeling persisted while I was out.

The results are ok for a first attempt, ~3, #11, & #12 are probably the best three, and #11 is a fave because of the swoosh of red taillights.

And, yes, #7 IS a petrol station. It's the Cinestill 800t law I believe.

Bronica ETRSi
Zenzanon 50mm f/2.8 MC
Cinestill 800T


2020-12-11 Bronica ETRSi Cinestill 800T by fishyfish_arcade, on Flickr

 

[Harlequin565]

I liked frame 3 too.

And I think you'll find only Gas Stations are Cinestill law. Petrol stations are fine. The shot reminds me of the wonderful 24 Hour Garage People by the heroic Half Man Half Biscuit (link)

Also, I really like 12. Makes me smile.

 

[FishyFish]

Contact Sheet #80

Still a few 2020 rolls yet to stick up here. This is the second - and more successful - roll through the GW690. It's still pretty much me testing the camera, but this time using a film that I knew I should have a decent chance of success. I missed focus slightly on a couple of these (or, more likely it was camera shake - this is a big, heavy beast to handhold!), but when it hits, the lens is sharp.


Fujica GW690
Ilford Delta 400


2020-12-15 Fujica GW690 Ilford Delta 400 by fishyfish_arcade, on Flickr

 

[Boots]

I like the church and the hut in the woods, but there may be several others that work in a larger size.

 

[Harlequin565]

Having just rewatched Cabin In The Woods, frame 5 appeals muchly.

 

[FishyFish]

Having just rewatched Cabin In The Woods, frame 5 appeals muchly.

More like Shed in the Woods in this case.

 

[FishyFish]

Contact Sheet #81

Further shots from the GW690. I'm still in the "new toy" phase with the camera to an extent but am quickly realising that that's an expensive place to be with the paltry eight shots you get to a roll when shooting 6x9! I think I need to aim on being more deliberate and considered with this camera or it's going to cost me a lot of money if I get too snap happy. But then, whwere's the fun in that (at least for a little longer).


Fujica GW690
Ilford HP5+


2020-12-20 Fujica GW690 Ilford HP5+ by fishyfish_arcade, on Flickr

 

[Harlequin565]

Like the look of frames 2 & 7.

If it's a hobby, and it doesn't hurt anyone, and you can afford it - enjoy! That's my motto.

 

[Boots]

There is some nice light on frame 4 by the look of it.

My problem has returned to the "not getting out to shoot anything" here. I'd say to hell with the cost and use as much film as you can, while you can. Who knows what's around the corner.