Photographed with a TL-120 using Provia 100F pushed one stop with a Vivitar 285H with a diffusor for fill-flash. I believe it was f16 @ 1/125. The TL-120 seems to do fine with flash sync at 1/125 even though 3D World only claimed 1/30.
It was bright sunny day for the 2014 Mermaid Parade, fill-flash saved lots of my shots from excessive shadow detail.
For me fill-flash is like that commercial for hot-sauce: “I put that $#*& on everything!”
Against The Light
Looking over my earlier efforts at winter landscapes, I decided that my lighting decisions were too conservative and would never capture the feel of a winter snowscape. In February of 2014, I tried to change that by using more aggressive sun angles and shooting into the light. I didn’t want to go full contre jour because so much of what I find engaging are the textures of the surfaces, and MF3D is superb at capturing textures.
Here, I tried to position the camera so both lenses were shaded by the distant trunk, and positioned a flash on the left. I then waited while the earth turned, and tripped the shutter as the shadow-line reached the camera.
The result is the the best representation I’ve been able to make of a Juneau winter day. The sky isn’t blown out, but is a featureless sea with a floating sun. The trees are more than silhouettes and able to contribute to the story.
Standing Proud
This image has been a while in the making. After reviewing my attempts at winter landscapes, I went out to try to do some things differently. I loaded a pack, took the first sunny day off work, and headed out to Cowee Creek where I knew I’d have moderate snow, free-standing trees, and a dramatic backdrop lit by the low afternoon sun. The film was exposed in February of 2014, processed by DR5 in May, and mounted in February of 2015.
To try to force the back of foreground tree trunk out of the shadows, I used a couple of Vivitar 285 flashes. One weak one firing forward (and slightly right) from just below the camera, and a stronger one coming from the far left.
While I think my concepts were correct, I fell short in the execution. This was the last roll of the day. It is a tested characteristic of my camera that the shutter timings start to drift at low voltages. By the time this roll was exposed, the batteries in the TL120 were failing in the cold and the right side was under exposed.
Foliage at Cowee Creek
While this film was exposed in February of 2014, I only mounted this image recently and Boris’s foliage efforts prompted me to include it in the folio. While it lacks the diversity of color most people associate with “foliage”, I hoped the medium would be able to convey the textures and details I found that day.
I have been generally dissatisfied with the winter landscapes I’ve made, so tried to do this session differently. Rather than try to frame with the sun behind or safely off the lens, I shot into the sun or let it come aggressively in from the side. This is a “from the side” shot with at least one Vivitar 285 providing fill against the natural light. I didn’t make a lighting sketch, but I suspect there was one above the camera and a stronger one firing from the right.
Shot with a TL-120, Provia 100F pushed one stop Vivitar 285H fill-flash
The Coney Island Mermaid Parade is a photographer’s paradise. Participants love to have their picture’s taken. I like the way the fill flash brings out the faces here, but I wish I had used a diffusor, it’s a little harsh.
Shot with twinned Yashica-Mat 124s, Provia 100F pushed one stop. Vivitar 285H fill flash
I shot this in 2003. This statue has since been moved so that this particular view is no longer possible. I liked to think of George M. Cohan watching over all the Broadway theaters here.