Considering Color

I shot the last roll of color film I had on hand this past weekend. It was Kodak’s ColorPlus 200 which I bought for about nine dollars earlier this year. I like ColorPlus, but not as much as I like Portra 400. I’ve made some of my most satisfying color photographs on Portra 400, setting my camera to meter at 200 ISO to coax a little more sizzle out of the film.

Portra 400 sells for about $15 a roll as I write this and I think that is a lot. Processing and scanning costs another $15. That’s nearly a dollar a frame!

I see that Kodak’s Pro Image 100 is available again for $8.99 a roll and I like that film, but not as much as Portra. Fujicolor 200 is about the same cost. It’s just me, but I like the flexibility of 400 speed color film.

Right know, I am pondering using my Fujifilm X-T1 digital camera for color photography and shooting black and white exclusively in my film photography. I have a nice supply of Kodak Tri-X, T-Max, Plus-X and Ilford in the chiller. Maybe by the time I shoot that up, color film prices will come down a bit. If not, I’ll be content with monochrome analog photography.

The author shooting Portra 400 in his Olympus OM-2, Marin County, CA.

The image on Kodak Portra 400


One Photograph: Found Faucets

For 6 months or so, in 2013, I rented a little cottage on Salmon Creek just off the Bohemian Highway in Freestone, California. The Freestone cottage sat on about an acre along the creek, mostly in the shade of oak and redwood trees. Shafts of sunlight would poke down through the canopy providing me interesting light to play with at all times of the day. In the sunny spots, apple and pear trees flourished.

In addition to the cottage, various businesses operated from the property over its long life. Freestone was originally a lumber town and I was told that the old foundation near the back of the property was once a blacksmith shop to serve the nearby stagecoach line. Near the creek, I found the remains of a large brick oven.

One of the most interesting features of the property to me were the outdoor faucets. They were everywhere! A few of them, closer to the cottage, worked. Most did not. I was shooting a lot of medium format while I lived at the Freestone cottage, mostly my Hasselblad 500cm and Mamiya 645Pro. As I wandered the property with my cameras, some of these found faucets became subject matter.

Two faucets, Freestone, CA, Mamiya 645Pro, Kodak Ektar 100


Downsizing

I am beginning to downsize my collection of film cameras and regretfully parting ways with a few that I do not shoot enough. They need to go to good, loving homes. If you have followed my blog for any length of time, you know I go to great lengths to find nice cameras and then invest in a service if necessary. These are all nice cameras and ready for you to enjoy.

If anything interests you, please contact me. Prices do not include shipping and in most cases, everything will fit well in a USPS Priority Medium Flat Rate for about $18 shipping cost in the US.

Nikon FM2n Black Body: Excellent +++ condition. 1/4000th of a second in a fully mechanical marvel. Lens not included but I can kit you out if you want. $425

Pentax K2 with 50mm f/1.7 SMC Pentax-M Lens: Excellent ++ condition. Includes OEM UV filter and after-market lens hood $205

Nikon F Chrome w/eye level prism and 50mm Nikkor-H Auto f/2 non-ai lens: Nice condition Nippon Kogaku logo version. SOLD

Canon A-1 with 50mm f/1.4 Canon FD Lens: Recently CLA’d. Excellent ++ condition with Canon UV filter and red soft release. $265

Nikon F100 with 50mm f/1.8 Nikkor AF-S special edition lens: Like new condition. SOLD

Nikon FE Chrome: Excellent ++ condition, fully CLA’d. SOLD