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| Kodak Ektar 100 |
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| Kentmere 100 |
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| Kodak Technical Pan |
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| Rollei Infrared Film |
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| Ilford 3200 ISO 35mm |
While I am a product of the 20th century, particularly in my profession as a photographer, I have found that the distant technology of that century can be nicely combined with that of this one.
Around 2007 I photographed the beautiful Ona Grauer for approximately one year. In my effort to tie up loose ends I have been contacting my subjects and friends in my past. I connected with Grauer who was most enthusiastic as she was going to be 49 on Saturday 16 November. She came to my house on the day before. She instructed me that she wanted to look her age and that I was not to use any kind of softening filters.
Photography, particularly portrait photography, depends on the dependable pattern of consistency and routine. I broke that rule by deciding that I was going to photograph her with my medium format Mamiya RB-67. This camera has individual and removable film backs. I used 4 backs with four different films. To make it even more complicated I loaded a Nikon FM-2 with very fast 3200 ISO film.
Because my medium format film had ISO speeds of 100, 80 and 25 this meant that I had to be aware in how I looked at and set my two hand held Minolta meters. A further complication was that my 80 ISO Rollei Infrared Film necessitated the use of a deep red filter. I had to remember to take it out for other films and to use it when I shot with the Rollei.
Add to all that the used of a flash softbox for some of the photographs. Disaster perhaps? Not quite even though I tripped over flash cords. There was one embarrassing moment when I lifted the Nikon to my face and Grauer said, “Alex, you have the lens cap on.”
Those who only shoot with digital cameras often tell me that they can make any one picture they use into high contrast, mimic different kinds of films, do it in colour and then convert it to black and white. My argument is that a group of those different versions of the one picture are really one picture.
When I use more than one camera or different film backs the similar photographs are all unique.
To show off (just a tad) I picked two negatives from each of the five films I used and sandwiched them in a technique that I call “scanner sandwiches without mayonnaise”.
And here they are.
Post Data: One of the 120 format film for Mamiya that I shot is the now discontinued Kodak Technical Pan. It is the sharpest and least grain film ever made. I have quite a few rolls in my freezer. No local photo lab would be able to process it. I processed it! That exclamation point is appropriate as I had not processed film in 6 years. Luck was on my side and the roll developed nicely.