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Been a While
.. Since my last post.
Nothing exciting to report really. Been having trouble finding time for photography lately. Well, I shoot stuff, but at an extremely slow rate. I’ll bring the camera out and may only shoot one frame all day. I dont know what it is, but i’m having trouble finding anything visually interesting lately.
For some reason I also have 5 rolls of film sitting in various cameras half finished and another 3 or 4 rolls already shot and waiting to be developed. I’m just not in a hurry to see whats on them.
Saying that though, the other day I got an urge to develop some Neopan 1600 (not so interested in the photos themselves) as i’d never done it before ,so went out to buy some Microphen. At the last minute I changed my mind as i felt like bit of a challenge and decided to use my normal developer – Rodinal. Probably the worst developer you can choose for high iso stuff, but i figured i’d be able to minimise the grain by altering a few developing techniques. I think it worked, i was relatively pleased with the results. Sure they’re grainy, but I dont think any more than what i’d get from another developer, plus the grain is pretty sharp which is nice too.
The roll was an old one I had sitting around, and most were of photos I took on NYE, so things got a little “messy” near the end of the roll/night. I’ll just post one up for now as I haven’t gone through them all yet.
It’s now my mission to develop another roll this week. I need to get back into the routine.
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Olympus OM-3
The Olympus OM-3. One of the most advanced mechanical shutter cameras ever made. It is also one of the rarest OM series cameras around as it was only produced for 3 years (1983-1986). As a result it is often hoarded by collectors who sit them in glass display cases waiting for the market value to gradually increase. It’s a shame, as this is a truly amazing camera which was designed from the ground up by Yoshihisa Maitani to take full advantage of the OM system as a modern professional camera body. It deserves to be used.
The OM3 was released along side the OM4 and OM2SP, so as a result shares some similarities. However, you could probably say it’s in many ways closer related to the OM1 in that they both have a mechanical shutter. Consequently, this is one of the main reasons why the OM3 was only produced for such a short period of time. In 1983, if people wanted a mechanical shutter body they had 2 choices in the OM system – the OM-1n which was an older but tried and tested model, or the OM-3 which was brand new and considerably more expensive. Most people chose the OM-1n naturally due to the price so it was produced until 1987, outliving the OM3.
The OM-3 had a lot going for it though. With it came an increased max shutter speed of 1/2000, iso settings from 6 to 3200, and a brand new advanced metering which included the new multi-spot system (in addition to the regular single spot), which allowed the user to take a reading in the shadows and highlights then combine them both for an ideal exposure. All of this was displayed in a new Viewfinder that featured a LCD display and a light (helpful for night shooting) which displayed detailed information on light readings and shutter speed etc. Besides all of this new technology, there remained the greatest advantage of all; that by using a mechanical shutter the camera could be operated at all shutter speeds without the need of batteries.
Of course, it must be said that with this new metering technology also came issues that worked against the cameras reputation. One of the biggest was battery life. Like the OM-2SP and OM-4, there were many cameras (curiously not all) that chewed through batteries like they were candy. You can usually tell right away if your particular camera falls into this category by the need to replace the batteries after a weeks use. There is a common misconception that all of these models suffered from this problem which is completely false. I know people who have been using them for years without needed to replace batteries. I myself have been shooting an OM-2SP for well over 8 months now with used batteries and it still functions perfectly. I haven’t had enough time to test the OM-3 extensively yet, but after shooting a couple rolls (on yet again used batteries) and repeated use of the VF lights etc, it’s still holding up perfectly. On the odd chance of the batteries draining though I still can thankfully make use of the OM3’s mechanical shutter.
Getting hung up on the technicalities of these cameras can be pointless though. At the end of the day it’s about how the camera performs, and the OM-3 continues or in some ways improves the biggest advantages of the OM’s that proceeded it. This includes the gloriously large and bright viewfinder, compact body and user friendly function, attractive finish ,design and construction, and the ability to use some of the greatest lenses ever created.
I have quite a few cameras now, and the OM-3 is already among my all time favourites. However, I have to say that as good as it is, I think they’re overpriced, especially as a user camera. I’d actually have a hard time justifying paying even half of the current market price for one of these. If you’re just looking for something to get into the wonderful OM system, there are better options available to you such as the OM-1 or OM-2. But, if you’re like me and find one for a fraction of the market value, snap it up and use it!
For further reading you can can check out these links.
I’ve also tracked down the hard to find OM3 instruction manual that I have made available for download here -
Making up a new aesthetic
This style of photo is new for me.
I recently shot some 100iso Fuji Reala Superia on my half frame and it produced some impressive prints. However, my scanner seems to hate C41, and anything I scan looks flat and dull. That means I’m not going to bother trying to post them up for the time being. However, there were some shots I took in very low light that interested me even though they lacked the vibrancy of a proper exposed negative (I had to trick the camera into thinking that I had the flash on otherwise it wouldn’t let me take the shot). They’re dark, grainy and soft, but as an experiment I think they turned out nice, and create a sense of atmosphere or feeling for me. I might develop the concept a little further and get a whole set inspired by the shot/s below.
Oh yeah, one more thing.. I’m waiting on something very special that’ll be coming in the mail soon 😀 -
Some new Books – Araki Bresson
Ok, I never really used to be into photo books that much. I mean, they were nice and everything, but I never understood the big attraction and would rather spend the money somewhere else.
However, over the last year I’ve developed bit of an appreciation for them. Especially when I’m in need of some inspiration, or just want to look at some quality photographs that aren’t displayed on a computer screen (that’s a whole other issue).
I’ve been in bit of a photographic “rut” the last couple of months. Over Christmas, by pure chance i was bought Europeans by Henri Cartier Bresson, and found a very good deal on Araki by Araki: The Photographer’s Personal Selection. Now if you can’t find any inspiration in these books you have serious issues.
Both books have an amazing collection of photographs. HCB is a master, there’s not much more than can be said about him, I love his street and figurative work. The book features some of his most famous works and quite a few I’ve never seen before. A real treat to look through.
Then there’s Araki’s book. I’ve only been looking at his work for a year or so now, but in that time I’ve noticed that people either love or hate his stuff (as opposed to HCB who just about everyone likes). I think you need to have bit of a sense of humour and actively interpret the photos in the context in which they were constructed and as part of an extensive body of work. I find much of his work interesting and so far enjoy his early stuff the most as it feels a little more natural and less constructed than his later work. I also enjoyed reading about his thoughts looking back on the photos he has in the book, what he was interested in achieving at the time, what prompted him to try a particular technique out, etc. It was a nice insight.
Here are a couple photos of the books and some pages. If you see them around, I recommend checking them out, but be warned, Araki’s book probably isn’t for the feint hearted.
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Dollar Portraits
Several months ago, a friend of mine started work on a photographic project based around a simple premise – “For each portrait I take, I donate one dollar to a charity”.
The basic idea itself has been done before, and donating to charity is nothing new, but mixing a passion that is quite often a self centred pursuit and using it to give back to the community is really great in my opinion, and like anyone contributing to a charity/community should be supported.
Armed with a medium format camera, and his newly acquired Letter of Authority from the Cancer Council (his chosen charity), George now roams the streets looking for people willing to contribute to his project. So if you see him hunting around with his Bronica asking for a portrait, don’t knock him back, let him take it, and consider atleast matching his donation.
You can read more about the project and the man behind it on his website : dollar portraits.
I know have my own goal, and that is to get a portrait of George. He’s not a fan of being in front of the camera. Watch out… 😛
