These are the 31 days and 31 articles that made EMULSIVE in October 2020. There’s no fancy countdown here, just my usual recap for those of you who missed the goings-on.
If you read the September 2020 update, I’m still very much in catch-up mode but definitely getting there. As ever, if you’ve got something to share, please drop me a line.
Enjoy!
You might be interested in...
~ EM
Unrequited love: The Fuji GA645 Professional
I’ll admit my bias upfront: I adore the GA. This camera delivers sharp, perfectly exposed negatives with a minimum of fuss and worry.
Reframing The Question: a response to Clay Daly
Back in early January, CW Daly posted an article here on EMULSIVE asking, ‘Where to from here?’. The article generated a fair bit of discussion both here and on social media, with more than a few answers I bought my first SLR towards the end of the 1970s. I’ve kept going with photography ever since, on and off, off and on. I think that probably […]
5 Frames… Of ILFORD SFX 200 Developed in Cinestill’s Df96 monobath with a Fuji GS645S and a red filter
The Fuji GS645S Professional was a camera I had an interest in ever since it was introduced back in 1984. It was a nice medium format camera that’s ready for anything with its “cow bar” that wrapped around the lens. The camera has a fixed 60mm f/4 lens with rangefinder focusing. Holding the camera normally, the frame is in portrait orientation. The camera has a […]
5 Frames… On a Finetta IV D and Kodak Gold 200 (35mm Format / EI 200 / Anastigmat Finetar 1 5/8″ f/4)
I came across the Finetta the same way I have acquired hundreds of other cameras, in a box with another camera that I was interested in. This box had a lot of odd photographic detritus, unused flashbulbs, filters that do not fit anything, the Voigtlander I bought it all for…and the Finetta. I was surprised at what good condition this odd little camera was in, […]
Add to Queue: Interviewing Kyle McDougall
Kyle Mcdougall is a Canadian photographer who has both a YouTube channel and his own podcast, “Contact Sheet” where he has had some fantastic guests right from day 1. He has spent a lot of time in the US on a wide-ranging personal project, a few months in the UK during the lockdown and plans to move there soon. Kyle was happy to take some […]
5 Frames… Around Hamilton on Kodak Portra 400 (35mm Format / EI 200 / Nikon FM2n)
Just before COVID-19 hit Australasia, I was a student starting a 3-month overseas internship in Hamilton, New Zealand. Being 8,500 km away from home, I had dragged along most of my photography gear along with me, 7 rolls of film included. What I didn’t realize then was that those 3 months would be reduced to a mere 2 weeks, due to a mass recall of […]
5 Frames… With a new-to-me Seagull 4A-109 TLR (Kodak Portra 400 / 120 Format / EI 400)
Using a new-to-you camera is always a challenge; this was a specific challenge for me since I had never held a Twin Lens Reflex camera before this one. And, in terms of Seagull TLR’s, this Seagull 4A-109 with its SA-99 75mm f/3.5 lens is also rare. My biggest challenge wasn’t using the TLR itself, it was worrying if the Seagull’s reputation was accurate. The Chinese […]
Consumer motion picture ECN-2 film developer kits from QWD Lab: info and Q&A
Earlier this week Philadelphia-based QWD Lab released a brand new film developer kit made specifically for small-scale development of motion picture film at home in its native ECN-2 process. The new kit, dubbed simply the “QWD ECN-2 Kit”, comes in powder form (just add water) and will process at least 15 rolls of 35mm/36 exposure, or 65mm/120 format equivalent motion picture film such as Kodak’s […]
5 Frames… Of portraits on Fujifilm Superia X-TRA 400 (35mm Format / EI 400 / Canon EOS 50E + Canon EF 50mm f/1.4)
First things first, I have to confess that I am 80% a digital shooter. It’s more convenient because I work mostly with models, and therefore, attention to detail is important, so I like to occasionally be able to check the results on the LCD screen. Recently, I did some cleaning up in my studio and I came across a few rolls of expired film, and […]
5 Frames… From my first roll of slide film and a Minolta CLE + Minolta Rokkor-M 40mm f/2 (Kodak EKTACHROME 100 / 35mm Format / El 100)
These 5 frames are my first try at shooting a slide film. About 5 months ago I decided to start my journey into the film photography. And it was a love from the first touch I would say. The whole process from unpacking the film and putting it into the camera, to cocking the shutter, adjusting the settings, focusing and pressing the trigger, all these […]
5 Frames… And a bit of luck with a Mamiya 645 PRo and Kodak Portra 400 (120 Format / EI 400 / Mamiya Sekor C 80mm f/2.8)
I wouldn’t say I’m a completely skeptical person. Superstition isn’t really my thing too. But when it comes to giveaways and raffles, sometimes I like to play the odds. With my Mamiya 645 Pro, that was the case. I saw a raffle online with three prizes and a few numbers at a reasonable price. The first prize being a medium format camera, a system I […]
5 Frames… Of ILFORD Delta 400 Professional (120 Format / EI 400 / Yashica Mat-124G)
There was a time in my life when I shot nothing but film, never professionally but only for my pleasure. My weapons of choice were Nikon F3 for 35mm, a Yashica Mat-124G for 120 film and a Graflex Press 4-¼ x 3-¼ sheet film cameras. Then, came the digital age and like almost everyone else, I used a digital camera exclusively. My film cameras were […]
5 Frames… Of Type 103 H-Alpha Kodak Spectroscopic Film with a Canon EF + Canon FD 50mm f1.8 SC (35mm Format / EI 100)
I received a 100-foot roll of fifty-one year old Type 103 H Kodak Spectrographic Film in June 2020. Like the 1978 Canon EF with stock 50mm lens I used to shoot it, it was a gift. Having a reputation for loving old cameras and weird film means that sometimes people you barely know will send you the odd spool or SLR found in their basement […]
5 Frames… Of Polaroid 600 + SX-70 film on a Mamiya RB67 and a Rezivot Instant Film back
My Mamiya RB67 and I go back a long way, beside a dumpster at a Tim Horton’s (a donut and coffee shop for those of you not from Canada) where I bought her off of a guy who was selling cameras he picked up from studios that had gone bankrupt. She was heavily used and in rough shape, but it was love at first sight. […]
Visualising the Unspeakable: Exploring Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder with wet plate photography
Even when the camera is focused on a single subject, photographic portraiture rarely, if ever, speaks with just one voice. It is this multifaceted layering, be it intentional or otherwise, that generates intrigue and keeps us coming back for another look, drawn to some inexplicable detail that refuses to sit quietly on the page. Historical portraits are an obvious example, that despite the subjects of […]
5 Frames… With Lomography CN 400 on an uncoated lens (35mm Format / Leica M6 + Voigtländer 35mm f/1.4 Nokton Classic SC)
When it comes to print film we all have our favorites, be it for aesthetics, latitude, how they handle some (intentional) abuse (over/underexposure, pushing, pulling), e.t.c. And I have narrowed down my list to Kodak Ektar 100, Kodak Ultramax 400 and CineStill 800T as, from my own experience and preferences this specific trio covers all lighting scenarios I enjoy making photos in with consistent results. […]
The second round of 2020 price increases rises for ILFORD and Kentmere products come into effect
Per an update notification issued in September, an increase of at least 5% on all photographic film and paper products will be passed from HARMAN Technology, producers of ILFORD, Kentmere and HARMAN products to the dealer/distributor chain effective October 16th 2020. Today’s increase is the second for 2020 and follows an (upto) 15% hike on May 11th. Unlike this year’s first price rises, this most […]
5 Frames… Of Kodak Ektar on a Horseman VH + Nikon Nikkor 210mm f/5.6 (120 format / EI 100)
Like many, I started taking pictures using my father’s old camera, a hefty Nikon F2 and a super-fast Nikkor 55mm f/1.2 back in the late 90’s. And again like many — drawn by the instant gratification of seeing the results right away -– soon I switched to a digital camera (Leica Digilux 1). While stunned by all the technological advancements the digital world had to […]
The CAMERADACTYL Mongoose: A modern full-roll 35mm film scanner
A few months ago I was catching up with CAMERADACTYL’s Ethan Moses when we got to talking about projects that would have the most impact on the film photography community. I happened to mention my pet peeve: the lack of a modern equivalent to the Kodak Pakon, an automated full-roll film scanner. Fast forward to a month or so and Ethan let it be known […]
5 Frames… In Lima, Peru on Kodak Portra 400 (35mm Format / EI 400 / Canon AE-1 Program + Canon FD 50mm f/1.8)
My mother cranked out family photos that would feel as at home in a gallery as they do in their cardboard box in the attic. If she never took a certain portrait of me in a diaper, cowboy boots, a ten-gallon hat, and a badge, the world might have forgotten how good of a sheriff I was. Film photography has always enamored me, whether it […]
5 Frames… Of island life on Kodak Gold 200 (35mm Format / EI 200 / Leica M4-2)
Photographic film prices have been on a steady climb in Canada for the last few years. Not a reasonable climb, either. Some of my go-to emulsions have gone up as much as 30-40% at local retailers in the last year alone. It’s now cheaper to purchase colour film from the US and ship it up here, which sucks, because I love supporting local businesses — […]
5 Frames… Along London’s Regents Canal and West End on Svema Color 125 (35mm Format / EI 125 / Canon EOS 300 + Canon EF 28-80 f/3.5-5.6)
Having been sucked into digital in the early naughties and bled dry by four-figure kit purchases it was time hail out the modest EOS 300 I had in my 20’s and see what further damage I could do to my bank account now all these wonderful and obscure emulsions have appeared on the market. Leaping off the screen at Analogue Wonderland was Svema. I remember […]
5 Frames… Of West End Brisbane on Fuji Pro 400H (EI 200 / 120 Format / Fujica GS645 Professional)
5 Frames… Of West End Brisbane on Fuji Pro 400H (EI 200 / 120 Format / Fujica GS645 Professional) – by Zhan Teh West End, Brisbane is a quirky little inner-city suburb with a strong history and culture if you care to look. Here you can always count on seeing a plethora of characters every day of the week. One can argue the only thing […]
5 Frames… Of trichromes with ILFORD FP4 PLUS (35mm Format / EI 125 / Canon EOS 1n + Canon EF 24mm f/2.8)
When my local Max Spielmann closed for lockdown, I lost my go-to for colour film processing. I couldn’t face going cold turkey, and haven’t got the sous-vide needed for colour processing at home. I can process black and white film though. So I started making trichromes. A trichome is a colour photograph made from three black and white photos taken using red, green and blue […]
5 Frames… With Lomography Potsdam Kino 100 on a Mamiya 645 AFD (120 Format / EI 100)
I have been wanting to try this film for a while now, ever since it was announced. I loved the look, the tones, the grain, just everything about the film. Well, I finally bought a roll, loaded it up in my Mamiya 645 AFD with my 150mm f/3.5 AF (because I need to use this lens more often) and here are my thoughts on it. […]
Add to Queue: Interviewing the Negative Positives Podcast
I am guessing that there won’t be too may people reading this who need much of an introduction to these three! Negative Positives is a long running film photography podcast that has been coming at us live from the Gutterman-cave for well over 300 episodes now. Mike Gutterman, Andre Domingues and Roxanna Angles are the dream team that bring us this slice of film-pie from […]
5 Frames… Of my first time trying Kodak EKTACHROME E100 on a Yashica Mat-124G
From the start of my “film shooters career” I was shooting either negative color film or BW negative film. My favorite emulsions were and still are Kodak Portra 400 for color and Kodak Tri-X 400 for BW shots. It’s staple, one of the most forgiving and beautiful films for my taste. Slide film on the other hand – I knew about it, but there were […]
5 frames… With 11-year expired Era Pan 100 on a Richard Ritter 7×17 ULF View Camera
Many lifetimes ago but mainly before family, I did a lot of film photography. I had a small darkroom, shot 35mm, medium format, large format and even ultra large format film. Lith printing was the most fun. I didn’t do it professionally, I did it to escape. Stuck in front of screens all day as a Software Developer, film photography and the whole process allowed […]
Blood-red Witchery: Portraits on Kodak AEROCHROME III color infrared slide film
I spent a year preparing to shoot a roll of portraits on Kodak AEROCHROME III Infrared 1443, the false-color infrared-sensitive film manufactured by Kodak for aerial reconnaissance and scientific purposes in one shape or form between the early 1940s and 2010. There are some informative articles on the web about the film and how to shoot it correctly, including this interview here on EMULSIVE with […]
Thanks for reading!
~ EM
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