6.03.2012

Oh Dear God, I Need The Latest Camera...

Renee Zellweger. ©1992 Kirk Tuck.

Shot on Kodak Panatomic X, 32 ISO black and white film (no, I did not leave off zeros..) using a 500 Watt Light Bulb shining through a translucent (and battered) 40 inch white umbrella using a Canon FTb camera and a Manually focused 135mm lens. Hand processed film. Enlarger print. No digital post processing.  No digital "enhancement."  How did I ever survive?

23 comments:

John Taylor said...

… was that the ƒ3.5 or the ƒ2.5 135 FD? I still have my FTb and a couple of those lovely FD lenses. Along with a recently replaced 135 ƒ2.5 FD i'll be using a 50 ƒ1.4 FD on my future Olympus M43 (yes i've succumbed to the OM-D). Lovely portrait by the way, how ever did we survive indeed!

Kirk, Photographer/Writer said...

May have even been a nasty old Vivitar lens. Does it matter?

Richard said...

For me, this is one of your most remarkable portraits. (I have admired this in earlier posts). I never really thought about the camera you used, or the lights or the lens. All I could think about are the beautiful tones, her eyes and those lips! Wow.

Did I miss something? ISO 32? Yes, Pan X. Nothing quite like it. You processed it in the darkroom? Then it is truly "one of kind" and a precious object d'art. Please treat it with care.

Photograph as 'precious object?' Interesting thought.

Martin G said...

Such a great image. And it's not the kind of camera or kind of film that makes it great but man, I sure miss Pan-X.

Michael Ferron said...

By far my favorite photographic target of yours. Damn.

wjl (Wolfgang Lonien) said...

Not a tiny bit!

cidereye said...

That shot always sticks in my memory. Not because of WHO it is, but HOW it is. Ain't that what photography is supposed to be about after all?

Going to a country fair today and think I'll give my old F2AS a run out today as you put me in a retro Nikon mood yesterday. Or maybe an OM even? As said, camera doesn't matter one jot.

hugo solo said...

This guy make most of flickr photographs with a canon 350
federico erra
isn´t matter about cameras film or digital.

Patrick Dodds said...

Hi Hugo, Federica appears to be a gal but you certainly have a point, she produces stunning pictures.

Kirk, Photographer/Writer said...

I think I'm trying to make the point that what you select to put in front of your camera is the "killer app" of photography and really, nothing else matters.

Avram said...

her beautiful eyes and lips come out so well, pops right in front of me, almost like 3D. excellent portrait of a truly beautiful woman!

NJTrout said...

Excellent point!

Frank Grygier said...

I think you need to ask Ms.Zellweger to come in for another portrait session. Can't hurt to ask.

hugo solo said...

First sign federico erra and now federica but its a guy.

hugo solo said...

100% ok.

Dan Fogel said...

Hey, I still have a 135/2.8 Vivitar (sadly not the close-focus model) in OM mount and it works great. Have used it on Canon DSLR and look forward to using it on a G3 soon.

Brad Burnham said...

I like the follow up idea! It would be fun to see what you would come up with.

Libby said...

Beautiful portrait and the simplicity is wonderful, both in aesthetics and execution.

The film thing has been eating at me for about the past year as I used to do my own darkroom stuff many years ago. Sold all the gear back 1982 or so when I got a real job and was on the road most of the time. But like many friends who started off as I did, the feeling sort of never goes away. It may go dormant for a long while, but it's always there, lurking. I'm going to do something about it.

Frank Grygier said...

OH, If she does agree can I do the the BTS? Just askin!

Kirk, Photographer/Writer said...

Thanks Ohnostudio. The easiest way to get back to film (at least it was for me..) was to buy a beautifully worn Nikon F and a 50mm 1.4 and just start shooting color negative film. I could get it souped and scanned inexpensively and when I felt like I was ready I started shooting black and white again. I spent $149 on the camera and $100 for the lens. Neither is perfect and both work fine. It was an easy commitment back to the path.

Matthew Miller said...

I clicked to enlarge the image and saw dust spots. This image is totally ruined. Sorry.

(Just kidding; I hope that's obvious!)

dolan said...

How did you ever remember the details (film speed, exposure, lighting, etc) so well? Is it fair to assume before EXIF you took notes?

Kirk, Photographer/Writer said...

I remember reading the edge print when I went to make a print. That told me what film I used. The rest is just a memory of the step by step working through of the shoot. I always like using continuous light when I use an adjustable soft focus lens so I can fine tune the effect with the aperture. I used that camera and lens combination a lot back then.

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