Back when we launched in 2009 Federico Ferrari was the first analogue photographer we showcased. Check out the old post here.
We went to see what he was up to and stumbled across a great series of Cecilia shot both in Madrid and Udine.
The square shots are with his trusted Hasselblad 501cm and the one rectangular was taken with his Contax T2.
When a great photographer finds a muse, then the results are bound to look stunning!
Analogue is old… well actually it’s not old as it’s still around.
Analogue is old and new!
A great thing about shooting on film is to get that “old look” but then you stumble on a pick that really is old and the tones are nothing like modern day films.
Liana Joyce, also know as Golfpunkgirl is so Analogue that anything digital quite literally makes her vomit!
For Analogue Masters she explains what Polagrams are all about and how much fun a person can have locked in a dark room with some props, a couple of torches and a pack of Instant film!
Liana – A true Analogue Mistress
In her words:
I first came across the art of Polagrams via a Flickr contact (Zeus_one) and was instantly intrigued by the technique. A quick look through the images on the Polagram Flickr group was all it took to get me inspired to try some out for myself.
Basically, if you understand how instant film works and develops, the rest is all pretty simple. Experimenting with different light sources and different films (Polaroid vs. Fuji) can give varied results so test some out and see which works best for you.
All you need are the following to get started:
Any type of instant film already inside the camera with protective sheet ejected (preferably slow speed film)
A small LED light, (a lighter can work well too) or a flash with a diffuser
Small objects such as flower petals, buttons, coins, keys etc. (get creative!)
Here is a step by step guide on how to achieve Polagram photos:
1. Make sure you’re in complete darkness – VERY IMPORTANT as instant film is ultra sensitive.
2. Remove the whole cartridge of film from the camera.
3. Arrange the objects directly on the surface of the instant film (no need to remove the shot from the cartridge).
4. Quickly flash the film with light.
5. Insert the cartridge back into the camera and let the rollers do their thing.
6. VIOLA! Polagram goodness.
My first go was a disaster of course. I used Polaroid 600 film and a Lomo Coloursplash flash and completely overexposed the photo – it came out completely blank. My second attempt was much better. I used Fuji FP100-C peel apart film, put a homemade diffuser over the flash bulb and allowed the light to bounce off the wall instead of straight on top of the photo. Much better results (golfpunkgirl necklace & golf tees photos + bens film canister) although still over-exposed (black background). My next attempts were much, much better. Ditching the flash, I opted to go for a small LED torch. It was just the right amount of light so as not to overexpose and I got that lovely stoned washed/peach coloured background (pretzels and leaves photos).
What ever you decide to use, always remember that you need to take into account the speed of the film and the amount of light you use to flash the objects… the rest is down to chance. Experiment!
He has recently released a limited series of books. Each one individually put together and filled with a series of stunning hand made prints by the young printing master.
A unique and abstract look at the capital of the world where Antony lives. As a Londoner and fan of Antony’s work i had to grab a copy.
The Holga 120 WPC may seem a little odd or ridiculous but it actually takes pretty stunning shots as Rob will show (and tell)
The first thing to understand about the Holga 120wpc is that it is wide. Really, really, really wide. So wide in fact that the plastic of the body around the pinhole opening may show up in your images creating a hard vignette.
Some people assume that the protruding plastic flange which acts as the lens cap holder is the thing that gets in the way, but from my experience it’s not. Hack away at the plastic around the pinhole opening with a sharp craft knife to open it up. Check this picture.
The protruding plastic flange may not have any more use than to serve as a sort of hood to shield the pinhole from sideways light and to hold the lens cap, but it also can be used to hold a filter in place. I have shaved away a bit of the inside of the flange and now a 49mm filter fits with a little bit of force. It doesn’t result in noticeable additional vignetting, but stacking two filters will. It would probably be a lot easier to glue a stepping ring to the front of the camera rather than forcing the filter on the flange.
The extreme wideness means that you need to get in closer than you might think to your subject. Experiment and get close and then closer than you think you should be. As with all pinhole cameras, the depth of field is massive, so everything in front of it will be in focus.
Exposure will be something that you will be able to start guessing after a while in given situations.
In Australia in bright sun, I found that 1/2 sec is around about OK for ISO100 film. It might sound obvious, but meter off the scene using a light meter or camera with a light meter in it and go from there. To work out the reciprocal shutter speed, simply work out the difference between the f stop you metered with and f135 (or so). For example using f16 will require a 6 stop adjustment (count f22, f32, f45, f64, f90, f128 close enough to 6 stops). Just remember to meter off at f16, take a note of the shutter speed and calculate +6 stops. Alternatively, print off a table from www.mrpinhole.com
To get good cloud streaks, flatten out the sea, make waterfalls smooth and make people and moving vehicles disappear, you may want to slow down the exposure time by using a neutral density filter. I use an ND08 (3 stops) and ND1.8 (6 stops), but find I use the ND1.8 more often to get into the 1minute + exposure times. For anything more than 1/2 sec, remember to compensate for reciprocity failure if required.
A general rule of thumb is to keep the camera totally level using the spirit level in the camera. However, sometimes the scene may call for something else like having the horizon in the top or bottom third of the frame. Sure, the images are so huge from this camera that cropping is no problem, but it can be done in camera as well with the help of a tripod with angle markings. Set up the camera so it’s level and then simply angle the tripod head up or down 20 degrees. This should theoretically get your horizon somewhere around the top or bottom third. If it doesn’t, then crop or try again.
What I like about shooting analogue is the accidental “mistakes” that can just make a shot. I don’t think someone would have a clean digital underwater photo and decide to add a super ray of red light in the middle.
But here we have one perfectly placed by accident giving the photo such a great feel.
Not sure why but I love square portraits. Maybe it’s because we’re so used to “Portrait” mode that it’s nice to have a change.
Shooting square forces us to frame differently while the cameras that shoot in square format also make the subject react differently as they are usually different to rectangular framed cameras.
Here’s a few beauties i picked out from our flickr group
Helene “Eleni” Barrette has been traveling and living abroad for over 19 years and is originally from the Ottawa region in Canada.
I fell for her pinhole shots taken with a Pinholga and asked for a guest review. She said yes!
In her words:
“I’ve always been a fan of B&W. So much one can do with it, so many results
you can achieve. I like to be in control of the final result from the start.
B&W offers me that but color doesn’t.
“I’ve been using my PinHolga for a little over a year now. I’m far from being
an expert with it or in pinhole in general….but I love it. Since every
Holga is unique, I assume that every PinHolga has the same attribute.
“I’ve learned though that a pinhole camera is very wide angle so get really
close to your subject. When you think you are close enough, get closer!
Also, the most unusual the camera’s point-of-view, the more interesting the
photo. In my experience, what works best for me is 8 sec on a sunny day.
Then for other situation, I bracket, increasing by one f/stop at a time.
(8-16-32-64-128…)”
Favorite film? Kodak TRI-X girl, not others match it for me.
Top 3 cameras? Nikon FM2 (like to be in control!), Agfa Isolette (a 1940 something medium format camera.), PinHolga (obviously!)
Why analogue?
For me, I prefer the imperfections of films to the “perfection” of a digital
photograph. I dislike the artificial look of added textures and distress
look .
Ultimately, it’s a matter of choice. I much prefer to be in a traditional
darkroom than in front of a computer! Nothing like seeing a photo emerge in
the dev!
Analogue masters is a showcase corner on the web for all things analogue. Inspiration is from photography but we want to stretch the blog into the field of music and film-making while reviewing cameras, other analogue groups, photographic societies, shops, analogue thinkers and even camera repair people! We would love other people to contribute especially as we're based in London and don’t want the content to be too UK-driven. So if you have a shop, band, photographer or exhibition to showcase email us! All the best and we hope you enjoy!
