Tag Archives: Sputnik

Claybank, Saskatchewan

by Ian Andvaag

Thank you so much for welcoming me into your group. I am struck by the great variety present in the folio. There are cha-chas, long night exposures, extreme hyper stereos, multiple exposures, homemade cameras, handheld shots, flash and more. All these different methodologies are used with a vast array of subjects. There is so much to explore with MF3D, and I can’t believe my luck that I’ve stumbled upon it when slide film is still available and this small but dedicated user group exists to support one another in our craft.

Thanks, I’m very grateful!

Claybank, Saskatchewan is home to North America’s best preserved brick making site. The Claybank Brick Plant was operational from 1914 to 1989 and made bricks for many building projects, including the Château Frontenac in Quebec City. The national historic site is open for tours during the summer, but you are able to visit the clay hills any time.

Shortly after receiving my Sputnik, I tried to think of locations near me which would provide good stereo photographic opportunities (a somewhat challenging task on the bald Canadian Prairies!) Claybank occurred to me as a unique place to photograph with its derelict brick-making plant and its eroded hills. I hoped that using black and white film would communicate a kind of neglected feeling about this old place.

All images taken in the Spring of 2016 on PanF+ except for Kilns which was Delta 100.

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Foliage (aftermath)

by Boris Starosta

We have a number of trees on our property.  Last year we were very busy with our jobs, with Jet, late summer and fall, and so we kept having to postpone raking leaves… or we just didn’t feel like it.  foliage-aftermath_MFT-folio28AThe more they accumulated, the less we’d feel like it!  Sometime in December, we just had to do it.  It became a huge chore taking us the better part of two days.  I think we hauled two dozen TARPfulls to the curb, I bet close to a ton of leaves, no joke.  Only a 3D picture can properly convey the mass, the heaps and mountains of leaves collected.

Shot with Sputnik, f22 probably, 1 sec. on Provia I guess.

Xmas 2014

by Boris Starosta

xmas2014_MFT-folio28A“Candid” tripod shot on Christmas eve, when (according to German tradition) the tree is lit for the first time.  Boris and Michele on the left, then Jet, and Sarah, his godmother.  Probably shot on Kodak E200, 1 second exposure, f8?  Focus variable throughout – not the best situation for the Spud’s optics.  Lighting is tungsten and a bit of window light. Jet’s godfather, Travis, released the shutter.

 

2 Close 4 Comfort

by Boris Starosta

Just a few houses down from us is an intersection that I’ve always judged to be hazardous. Melbourne Avenue intersects with Kenwood Lane in a “T” in such a way as to invite sleepy or otherwise impaired motorists onto your property. Melbourne goes over a little rise right before meeting Kenwood on a little steep downhill. The rise prevents a motorist from seeing the stop sign until about the last hundred feet before the intersection. If you don’t know the roads, and you’re going too fast, chances are you’d not be able to stop – especially because coming over the rise your car would be “lifting,” and your traction would be reduced.

To make matters worse, DIRECTLY in the path of Melbourne, i.e. exactly opposite Melbourne, is a house, 1321. When I first saw this arrangement, I immediately thought: I would not want to live in that house; but if I was forced into it, I’d always park some kind of large, heavy, junk car in front of the house. Well, of course the current owners never do that (and amazingly, STILL don’t do it).

So, coming home at night last winter, we noticed a lot of flashing lights just down the road from us. Jet is totally into emergency vehicles, so we went to have a look. I had a peculiar suspicion. Sure enough, an automobile was lodged in the living room of the house opposite Melbourne Ave. Upon coming closer, though, I noticed that it was not 1321 – the house right opposite the intersection – but 1323, the house next to it. The car had come over the rise much too fast and could not stop. The driver had tried to make a left turn, but came nowhere near completing the turn. They jumped the curb, plowed through some bushes, and ended up as you see in the picture, entering the house at a diagonal angle.

2-close-4-comfort_MFT-folio28ATo their great fortune, the family was not at home. I ran back to our house and grabbed the Spud and a tripod. With a policeman’s permission I set up at the corner of the property. I shot a roll exposing between 15 and 30 seconds onto RXP (fuji 400ASA). Local TV and newspaper reporters were there too. In the aftermath the story circulated: this driver had been running from the police, all the way from interstate, outside the city. They had come into town at high speed, taking random turns, ending up at this very unsuitable intersection.

The house has just been repaired, some nine months later. I guess it took a while to get the insurance money straightened out. I’ve not yet talked to the homeowners about the event – I might give them a stereoview sometime as a conversation starter. But I have talked to the neighbors at 1321, where I always thought such a mishap would be the most likely: they were surprised by the event, but remain otherwise not much more concerned than before, still not parking their car in front of their house.

Construction

by Boris Starosta

For the past year or so there’s been a hotel going up across the street from my studio.  Though I swore some years ago that I was “done” with “clear buildings,” the proximity and thus convenience of this building stimulated me to make one last one.  It’s the reason I bought a Sigma (DP-1 Merrill) camera: this last Clear Building will be shot with some decent resolution, so that I can make truly large prints.

construction_MFT-folio28A

That work has been digital and is ongoing.  But on a recent early morning, I found the building looking quite attractive, complex and mysterious.  I shot it with a Sputnik, shooting cha-cha to obtain a larger baseline – maybe 12 inches – to give it more depth and interest.  I did not record exposures but I think I shot thirty seconds at f-11 onto Kodak E-200.

 

What’re YOU Lookin’ At?

by Bob Venezia

Goat in the Enchantments

Mountian goat in the Alpine Lakes Wilderness, Washington State

My wife Mandy and I did a backpacking trip into the area of the Alpine Lakes Wilderess known as The Enchantments. High winds prevented my photography until this day. Mountain goats were around our tent when I returned from exploring. Shot with a Sputnik modified by Don Lopp.
This shot has been in another folio so you may have seen it before.

Reflections on Lake Chapala, Mexico

by dorothy mladenka

folio-2Lake Chapala is Mexico’s largest fresh water lake. It is located 45 km southeast of Guadalajara, Jalisco, and is situated on the border between the states of Jalisco and Michoacán, at 1,524 metres (5000 feet) above sea level. It is a shallow lake, with a mean depth of 4.5 metres (14.9 feet) and a maximum of 10.5 (34 feet). The lake is also a critical habitat for several species of migratory birds, such as the American white pelican, and home to thousands of indigenous plants and animals. It is also home to a large contingent of expats from Canada and the United States. It is a gorgeous place and I can see why people retire here.

Global Geometry

by Ray Dillard
GEOMETRY

GEOMETRY

GLOBAL FOCUS

GLOBAL FOCUS

IMPLOSION TO NORTH

IMPLOSION TO NORTH

APPARITIONS

APPARITIONS

Thanks to Steve Lederman for scanning these images for me!

Steve also developed the film for me in his home-basement-lab.

Metal sculpture by Canadian sculptor Roy Hickling.

GEOMETRY

This series of photographs all feature circular sculptural pieces set against various items, creating some interesting geometry.  I especially liked the circular globe set with the squares, rectangles and triangles of the mid to late 1800’s barn.

GLOBAL FOCUS

Again, this image places several shapes throughout the stereo image.  I was also interested in the challenge the shadows brought to this shot.

IMPLOSION TO THE NORTH

This image features a complex globe with an interesting movement of its structural pieces towards what I imaged as “north” in this piece.  This image was actually quite difficult to mount for me.  I am still trying to get the hang of mounting certain images.

APPARITIONS

This was a triple exposure – on purpose – where I was trying to not completely blow out the exposure.  It isn’t a great shot, but it was a great experiment I wanted to share.  To be honest, the more experimental approach is where my heart is – and where most of my shots land.

New Mexico Moods

by Jon Hoggatt

Kitch Gitten Place

This Sante Fe shop keeper agreed to have this environmental portrait done in the doorway. The Open shade made Velvia the choice – interior light balanced well by luck.

Crown Jewels

I like shooting store windows – reflections vs. transluscence. Thi one is more about the stuff, the sunflowers, and signage.

Abandoned Adobe

Velvia worked wll for this lighting scenario – side sun. I love how it saturates the colors.

One Man’s Junk

I was absolutely awestruck when I came upon this scene. The picket fence, the metal barn, the broken glass, even the wires in the sky… and wow, what a sky.

 

The Outer Defenses, Kingston Ontario

by Timo

OuterDefenses

This image is of 3 of  the “Martello” towers which are part of the Fort Henry complex in Kingston, Ontario. These towers date back to the War of 1812.

This image is the third MF image I ever shot. It was my test reel of my first Sputnik camera. The day was so bright and clear that it was almost impossible to take a bad image. This shot, taken hand held, sold me on MF. The light that came from the clear sky was so bright that even full shadow was well illuminated.