Week 1: An auspicious start

Hello  52 Rollers. This is my first 52 Rolls project and I’m super excited to be involved.  I’ve already seen some great work on this site.

This project will be a challenge for me as I’m not a prolific shooter. However, I really feel the need to do more; shoot more and learn more; hence this project.  I also appreciate that some weeks will be better than others…with that in mind, lets get down to my first roll.

This roll was taken on my son’s birthday. While he’s a ‘willing’ subject, I think he was tiring by the end of the session; this was the last shot of the roll. Most of the roll seems to be very under exposed…I used a mixture of window light and constant lighting. This image was lit from above by a soft box while a silver reflector filled in shadows under the chin.

The second image was lit with just the window light – there isn’t much light in January as those that live in the UK will testify.  A reflector would have worked nicely to lift the shadows but I still think the shot works quite well. I used a Sekonic L-358 to meter the lighting – which itself takes some practice and caution to use effectively.

For week 1 I was using an unfamiliar film and camera set up. I could have stuck with something tried and tested but I though what the hell, this is what the 52 Rolls is about, for me at least, to experiment and push the boundaries, produce more and get better. It’s also a great opportunity to bring out some of the cameras that don’t get as much love.

Here’s to week 2 🙂

Bronica ETRS | Ilford Delta 3200 Pro | TMAX Developer