Tag Archives: shoot film

Behind the Shot

Walking on the beach with some 35mm Kentmere 400 (and a little Tri-x)

In the summer of 2022 I made a quick trip to Wilmington, NC. I was there to help some family members pack up and move out of town. It was a quick in and out over a weekend. I knew I would have one evening to myself so I planned on going down to Kure Beach to make some black and white photographs of the sand and surf.

Kure Beach, NC
Rippling sands in between the grass on Kure Beach, NC. (Nikon N90s, Nikkor 24-35 AF, Kentmere 400, Xtol 1:1)

After a long hot couple of days of packing and loading I grabbed my gear with about 2 hours before sunset and headed out to Kure Beach. I knew there was a pier on the beach and some vehicle access but I had not been there before, so I didn’t really know what to expect. The sky was clear so there was no hope of getting a moody sky over the ocean. I had to work with what I had. I wasn’t disappointed when I arrived.

Kure Beach, NC sand ripples
Ripples in the sand at Kure Beach (Nikon N90s, Nikkor 24-35 AF, Kentmere 400, Xtol 1:1)

The sun was long and golden, but setting pretty fast and getting softer and softer as my time on the beach went on. I started out with a roll of Kentmere 400. I had not shot this film before and wanted to give it a try to see how it held up. I normally shoot Kodak Tri-X, but I was looking for a new film to switch to because the cost of Tri-X has gotten a bit high for me to just throw in the camera and shoot.

After looking at the spec sheet of Kentmere 400 and the curve that Ilford provides I thought it could be a promising replacement. I love the way Tri-X has some separation from the mid tones from the blacks. Something about it is just fantastic. I was hoping Kentmere 400 could get close. All the other films I have tried up to this point were either too even (flat) in their tonal rendition or too expensive.

Kure Beach, NC sand ripples
Sand ripples in the grass at Kure Beach, NC (Nikon N90s, Nikkor 24-35 AF, Kentmere 400, Xtol 1:1)

I started shooting the sand and the grass as the sun started heading down casting long raking light across the ripples revealing wonderful patterns and texture. I had to keep in mind to make sure I didn’t just walk over the sand and leave footprints all over, ruining any possible compositions. Metering was tricky for sure but I used the matrix meter on the shadow areas of the beach and decided to let the Kentmere 400 put the highlights where it wanted. I have to say I was pretty pleased with how this film handled it.

kite boarder Kure Beach, NC
Kite boarders race across the surf at Kure Beach, NC. (Nikon N90s, Tokina 300 f4 AT-X AF, Kentmere 400, Xtol 1:1)

Once I was done with the sand and grass I started down the beach. There were a dozen or so kite surfers out jumping and carving the waves. What cool thing to watch. I stopped and pulled out my tripod and swapped my lens for my 300mm Tokina prime. Once I got set up these guys saw me and started showing off. What a treat. I was loosing some light as the sun kept dropping and my shutter speeds were just on the edge of too slow but I managed to get a couple acceptable shots.

kite surfer jumping in the air
Kite surfer jumping in the air over the waves at Kure Beach, NC. (Nikon N90s, Tokina 300 f4 AT-X AF, Kentmere 400, Xtol 1:1)

There wasn’t many people on the beach that evening but I wanted to test the limits of the Kentmere with a backlit silhouette shot of some people walking on the beach. I am a sucker for back lit black and white photographs. I hung out a little, while the kite surfers were starting to come in for the day. Up the beach, with the sun almost at their backs, was a family doing some beach combing. Perfect. I kept the 300mm on and swiveled my camera around on the tripod and made a few exposures. I metered for the sky and stopped down one stop and took some shots.

beach combers Kure Beach, NC
Family of beach combers on Kure beach, NC. (Nikon N90s, Tokina 300 f4 AT-X AF, Kentmere 400, Xtol 1:1)

I knew I wanted to head down the beach to the Kure Beach Pier for some minimal long exposure shots. It was a little bit of a walk so I packed up and started down the beach. I remembered seeing some amazing wave photographs by some photographers I follow on social media and thought I would try to get some images of the waves on my way down to the pier. The waves weren’t much to look at compared to the giant ones I have seen but why not… So I shot a bunch of frames as I walked. It was fun.

waves at Kure Beach, NC
Waves rise and fall onto the beach at Kure Beach, NC. (Nikon N90s, Tokina 300 f4 AT-X AF, Kentmere 400, Xtol 1:1)

By the time I got down to the pier I shot through all of my Kentmere 400. I had to reload with Tri-X. With my Nikon reloaded I started taking stock in what the pier had to offer. The sun had set, and the last of the light was fading. Lights on the pier came on and it was a beautiful evening on the beach. I made some images on either side of the pier but nothing that excited me. Then I decided to go under the pier for that long look down the pylons.

Kure Beach Pier
Soft long exposure under the Kure Beach Pier. (Nikon N90s, Nikkor 24-35 AF, Kentmere 400, Xtol 1:1)

I set up directly in the middle of the pylons looking down the pier out to sea. I just loved the way the pier made a little house shape at the very end. Nice piece of interest to direct the eye. Directly behind me were some teenagers hanging out in some hammocks they strung up between the pylons. Right behind me… like 3 feet behind me. I made my meter reading in camera, calculated reciprocity and started shooting with my cable release. I wanted something smooth but still some view of the waves instead of the totally flat ghosting of the water so I kept my shutter speed on the shorter side. The image above is my favorite of the series I captured.

What to I think about Kentmere 400 along side of Tri-X? I have to say that I really liked it. I wanted to find a black and white film that would fit in with my existing development process that gave me similar results. Kentmere 400 in Xtol 1:1 is pretty close to Tri-X in my view. Contrast and tonal range is very similar. The grain structure is very similar too. I was happy enough with my results I ordered a bulk roll of the Kentmere 400. I will do some more experimenting on development times with the Kentmere 400 to see if I can get a closer look to Tri-X but I think if I were to put two images side by side, one Kentmere and one Tri-X, it would be hard to tell the difference.

If you are wondering if Kentmere 400 is worth adding to your creative workflow I would say it is absolutely worth it. Your mileage may vary, but I wouldn’t hesitate. Load it up and get out and shoot.

Uncategorized

Back in the Swing of Things

Black and White photo of Union Station in Denver Colorado

It has been a while since my last post… a long while. In the last few years I have had some very distracting life interruptions. Yes, Covid-19 has affected us all, and many have been greatly impacted. My thoughts and prayers are with all people who have suffered in this time. Beyond Covid-19 I also moved twice, once in the same town and then across two states. I have started a new job as well. Needless to say with all of that happening my photography, and this blog, have suffered from neglect.

Now that I am settled into the new job, I have picked up my cameras again and hit the keyboard. I have a few ideas that I want to implement this year too. Some ideas on subjects to photograph etc. One of them is to start a monthly newsletter. It will contain special content that is not on my social outlets or this site. If you want to get more details on what I am up too and the new work I am producing, sign up below in the Email Newsletter form at the footer of each page on the blog.

Creativity

Street Photography on a Budget

Now I am the first to admit that I am not a very good street photographer. I do enjoy it and I am getting better each time I go out in search of that “decisive moment”. I have read a lot of other “how to” and “best gear” blogs and articles about shooting street photos and there are some really great tips and tricks out there. One thing I have learned over my course of photography experiences is that there is not a hard rule on much of anything in photography. (Except exposure. A bad exposure means a bad photograph no matter what else is going right in the photo.) So I take every “do this” or “use this” tip with a grain of salt.

Many of the things you may find online about street shooting is focused around the gear. It seems that the holy grail of a street shooters bag is a Leica of some sort. I don’t know about you, but I can’t really justifying the cost of a Leica to do some occasional street shooting. Of course many street photographers use their phones, which is a good option, and others use mirrorless systems. It seems that what ever you end up using you must like and be proficient at using it. My point here is that you don’t have to spend a lot of money to be able to make great photographs. The best camera is the one between your ears.

Monica's Pizza, one of the best pizza places in the North End of Boston
Monica’s Pizza, one of the best pizza places in the North End of Boston. Shot with Canon AF35ML and Kodak Tri-X 400

I am partial to traditional film photography methods, especially Kodak Tri-X 400 for street photography. So, when I was planning a trip to Boston last year I wanted to find a film based camera that I could use to make some walk around town photographs. I wanted something small, easy to use and cheap. I have a few 35mm cameras I could have used like a Pentax ME Super, or a couple of Nikons and even an Yashica Electro rangefinder. All of those, except the ME Super, are too big and imposing on the streets when you want to photograph strangers on the street. I needed something smaller and less intimidating.

Unfortunately my Olympus XA just bit the dust and quit working on me. I loved that camera. So with that, I decided I was on the hunt for a high quality point and shoot film camera. With this in mind I kept my eyes open anytime I went into a thrift store or an antique shop. In the 80’s and 90’s there were some stellar point and shoot cameras made. Many of them are still highly sought after even today. Cameras like the the Olympus XA, Contax T3, Yashica T5 and others are stellar examples of great point and shoot systems. The fun part about looking for one is that many people think they are out dated and are “no good” any more because of the new digital systems out there, and they just give them away. I found my Olympus XA for $2 at a thrift store because someone gave it away!

Canon AF35ML point and shoot camera for street photography
Canon AF35ML point and shoot camera for street photography

My efforts didn’t turn up a Contax but I did get my hands on a pretty capable camera at a thrift store. I picked up a Canon AF35ML in almost perfect condition for $10 bucks. It fit my requirements perfectly (almost, I will talk about that in a minute). It was cheap, small and was a “full frame” 35mm camera. I could slip it in my pocket and use it whenever I needed. Even better, my family that was traveling with me, didn’t have to put up with the “wait while I get the camera out” moments. I could just pull it out, point, shoot and be on my way.

Now, for some film. I wanted to use a bullet proof black and white film that could handle any funny exposure issues I might run into with this little point and shoot rig. One of my go to films is Kodak Tri-x 400. I knew I didn’t have much control over what the camera was doing so I needed a film that had a lot of exposure latitude. Another film I could have used was Illford HP5. It is very similar to Tri-x.

One International place boston
One International place Boston. Night shooting was no problem for the point and shoot with Kodak Tri-X loaded.

Once I had some film loaded I gave the little camera a spin… The auto focus was fast and smooth and the shutter has a nice quiet “click” when you hit the button. However, the film advance sounded like some sort of electric grinder, “grrr…ick”. So, there was no way I was getting away clean from some street shot of someone walking by me on the street. Bummer. The noise aside, the images this camera produced were fantastic. With a little practice I quickly understood where this camera excelled and where it falls flat on it’s face.

Puddle reflection
Puddle reflection

I still use this camera for street snaps and general travel/walk around shooting. My whole point here is that you don’t need to spend a ton of money to make some great photographs. I spent a total of $10 for the camera and about .20 cents a frame to shoot some fun street images. No Leica needed.