1/04/2009 – New "Big Film" Gallery
A new gallery at last! I've been trying to get started on a project that involves photographing points of interest around the Yokohama area on large-format film for ages, and the holiday season provided the opportunity I needed. The first few images have been posted in "The Big Film Gallery" in the "Images" section.
You can click on the "Images" button to the left, or if you can't be bothered moving your mouse that far, simply click ... here ....
Welcome to kent-media.com, website of media creator* and long-term far-east observer/resident Kent Ibbott.
* Media creator? In this case that somewhat nebulous moniker refers to the crafting of words, sound, and/or images in the service of communication, for commercial purposes as well as good old entertainment and philosophical enrichment. Much of that communication occurs across the cultural boundary between Japan and English-speaking countries. ... more ...
There's nothing quite like large format film when it comes to capturing the detail and depth of
cityscape and landscape scenes. Particularly in the city, using a view camera with movements also
makes it possible to keep vertical lines vertical and avoid the woozy convergence that is the norm
for less flexible cameras. The drawback is slower setup and operation, but for me the results are
well worth the extra effort and time spent.
To see what I mean click on the image to the left to jump directly to the "The Big Film Gallery."
Click the pic to go to The Big Film Gallery.
The road in front of the Kanagawa prefectural government offices – Nihon Odori – is lined with ginkgo trees that, while relatively subdued for most of the year, bust out in a brilliant, eye-catching yellow in November. That's when the amateur photographers and watercolorists mobilize in droves to transform the fleeting spectacle into more permanent works of art. But it's not only artists who come out to take advantage of the vibrant foliage. The turning of the leaves also means that the trees are dropping ginkgo nuts all over the road. The image hunters are joined by the nut gatherers who collect the nuts, wash them, and either take them home for use in domestic cuisine or sell them to local eateries where they might be served in chawan-mushi, roasted on skewers, or simply fried and salted as a snack. Lots of value in these trees.
Click the pic for a larger view.
Fuji Velvia 50. This is a difficult film to use well, and it is absolutely unsuitable for some
subjects, but when it works it works very nicely. It delivers super-saturated color, but the
falloff into complete oblivion in the shadows is quite rapid. There isn't much latitude for
exposure error on either end of the tonal scale. But in some ways that makes it all the more fun.
Challenging, to be sure.
Be sure to take a good tripod (ISO 50, you see).
The photo to the left was taken with Velvia 50 using a Hasselblad 503CX and a circular polarizer to
get some serious green in the greenery.
Click the pic for a larger view.
Wandering around the backstreets of this enigmatic country with a camera has been one of
my favorite pastimes for many years. Once outside the tourist zone one begins to see snippets
of culture that, when perceived in the overall context of the country, function as sort of a
conceptual glue that holds the seemingly contary fragments that float on the surface together.
The "Shy Side" gallery consists entirely of such snippets, as I see them, photographed on
35-millimeter B&W film.
Click here to go to the galleries.
An article on how medium-format film stands up to current digital imaging is now available in the "Photo Gear" section. This was a most enlightening project for me, and I expect the results will be interesting to others who are undecided as to the merits of using film in this adamantly digital age, as well as those who simply need some substance to back up their faith in film.
You can access the article either via the "Photo Gear" button on the navigation bar to the left, or go to it directly via this link --> here.
