I have been trying to photographically capture the essence of Honey, since she entered our lives in December. The closest I’ve come with my M9 (digital camera) is with this shot, taken 3 months ago.
The image below represents my latest attempt.
Now,
…it may be because this time I was using a more than 50 yr old camera with no back LCD screen, no meter, no battery, not even an on/off switch…
…it may be because I then fumbled with the film in a changing bag, trying to blindly load it into a spool…
… it may be because it was then lovingly bathed in a series of mystery chemicals and finally in distilled water, before being hung in my basement-turned-sauna as the hot water ran in the sink, generating steam to get rid of dust in the air…
…it may be because I then delicately handled each strip and spent minutes scanning each frame into my computer…
…it may be because all of these things make me better appreciate the act of image creation…
…but…
…I believe this image has come close to capturing Honey’s soul.
If you don’t see it, that’s OK. I can’t explain it.
But if you do see it, then you know:
that’s why I love film.
—Peter.
(please click on the image to view)
↑Leica M2, Kodak Tri-X 400, and Leica 75mm Summilux @ f/1.4.
Prosophos 
I completely understand.
🙂
I bet you do…. 🙂
Super great photo Peter. Love it!
Cheers,
M.
Thank you Mark…. appreciate you taking the time to say so….
Wonderful photo, the reward for your efforts!
Thank you “38jumbo”! I know you understand too…
Peter.
yep, it sure is good. M3?
Thanks! It’s an M2 (look beneath the photo, I always post the camera and lens used).
I get it – posted from the middle of a catch up scanning session…
That 75 works well with TriX, and the very pretty hound helps too, of course.
Mike
Thanks Mike. The 75 works surprisingly well with the M2 too… this was my first time trying the two together.
I’ve been shooting with my M6/50 cron and HP5+ lately. Long live film!
Good combo, and good (Ilford) film, Ben! I don’t know how long film will live, but the support for it has pretty much dried up… hence the in-(my)-house developing and scanning. I know there are places that still do these things, but they charge quite a bit (unless you’re looking for low-res scans) and I’ve not been impressed by the quality.
Hi Peter, essence indeed, it resonates from the image!!!! I won’t go as far as to say you won’t better that because quite clearly at some point you just may!!!
As a side note, I too have had my blind fumbles in the dark bag, but lately i have been using the Rondinax 35U which I reviewed on my site here – http://aperturepriority.co.nz/2012/02/23/agfa-rondinax-35-u/
How brilliant is that! Just had a read of your (well-written) post, Jason. I laughed when I read the part about you losing your cool with a roll that just didn’t want to load… been there, done that!
Thanks so much for pointing out the Rondinax 35U – I had never heard of it before.
Peter.
Thanks, its refreshing to hear I am not alone in this experience, I sulked for several days after that episode….
Great shot…lovely exposure and tones. There really IS something about film that digital can’t touch.
Thanks Trevor! I know it’s an often contested point, but like you, I tend to trust my eyes.
Agree fully, film is just special. Been shooting Medium format for about 2 years and love it, and now I find it hard to even like shooting digital. The process is great and the product speaks for itself, lovely photo.