EMULSIVE – Week 01-05 2016 update

Hello one and all!

It’s been some time coming but I’m ready to share my 52 Rolls work to date. Hope you’re in a forgiving mood.

I made a resolution this year to not shoot anything aside from some slide and infrared film at box speed. What I should have said, is that I wouldn’t be either shooting or developing those films at the manufacturer’s recommended speeds but that’s a story for another post.

I’m pleased to say that the approach dictated by this resolution has translated rather well for me thus far. For one, it’s allowed me to return to my uncertain roots; known results with color negative film are for the moment, once again unknown. Furthermore, I’ve been afforded some space to explore techniques I’ve been hovering around, in order to try and develop a low-level mastery of my black and white photography.

To date, I have explored overexposure combined with overdevelopment (or “cooking”, as I like to call it) for color negative and slide films, as well as the occasional “XPRO push” and more importantly, expanding my use of the Zone System for better control of my black and white images through more effective previsualization and complementary development…I’ve even drawn up a little exposure tracking guide to aid the process, which I’m having printed as a peel-off book.

Anyway, I digress.

Here are selected images from the five rolls I’ve decided to share for these first five weeks of my involvement with the 52 Rolls project. As I’m not shooting specific rolls just for the project, I have selected images from those shot during appropriate weeks, which I think will be interesting.

Here we go.

 

Week 01 2016 – Kodak Ektar 100 (35mm) – EI50 + 1-stop over develop

I’d begun experimenting with combining overexposure and development pushing of color 120 films at the end of 2015 and thought it would be a good way to kick off the new year in 35mm. The weather had been pretty dull and grey, with flat, uninteresting light, so I was rather pleased with the outcome, even with the softness of the lens wide open.

This roll was all shot on my little beau: a 1950’s Canon Serenar 50/1.5 lens.

 

Week 01 2016
Kodak Ektar 100 (35mm) – EI50 + 1-stop overdevelop

 

Week 01 2016
Kodak Ektar 100 (35mm) – EI50 + 1-stop overdevelop

 

Week 01 2016
Kodak Ektar 100 (35mm) – EI50 + 1-stop overdevelop

 

Week 01 2016
Kodak Ektar 100 (35mm) – EI50 + 1-stop overdevelop

 

Week 02 2016 – Ilford HP5+ (35mm) – EI1600

Week two had me hankering for Pushed black and white film. Whist I’ve taken Kodak Tri-X 400 to 1600 many times in the past, I felt I had been neglecting Ilford HP5+ for the same treatment. This roll was shot within the space of about 30 minutes with my Tele-Elmarit 90/2.8, a wonderfully contrasty piece of glass, perfectly suited to black and white film.

 

Week 02 2016
Ilford HP5+ (35mm) – EI1600

 

Week 02 2016
Ilford HP5+ (35mm) – EI1600

 

Week 02 2016
Ilford HP5+ (35mm) – EI1600

 

Week 02 2016
Ilford HP5+ (35mm) – EI1600

Week 03 2016 – Kodak TRI-X 400 (35mm) – EI1600

Continuing the theme of pushed black and white film, this is another roll shot on my Tele-Elmarit and is Kodak Tri-X shot and processed at EI1600. As with the previous roll, I literally burned through this one on a coffee break in about 20 minutes.

 

Week 03 2016
Kodak TRI-X 400 – EI1600

 

Week 03 2016
Kodak TRI-X 400 – EI1600

 

Week 03 2016
Kodak TRI-X 400 – EI1600

 

Week 03 2016
Kodak TRI-X 400 – EI1600

 

 

Week 04 2016 – Fuji Velvia 50 (120) – EI100 + XPRO

Week four had a little sun forecast, so I had planned to shoot pushed Velvia 50. Unfortunately, it was not meant to be, so I made the most of it and cross processed the roll. I love the halo/bleed-through effect on cross processed films and this was no exception. This roll was shot using a Planar F 80/2.8 lens.

 

Week 04 2016
Fuji Velvia 50 (120) – EI100 + XPRO

 

Week 04 2016
Fuji Velvia 50 (120) – EI100 + XPRO

 

Week 04 2016
Fuji Velvia 50 (120) – EI100 + XPRO

 

Week 04 2016
Fuji Velvia 50 (120) – EI100 + XPRO

 

Week 05 2016 – Kodak E100VS (35mm) – EI100 + XPRO

Finishing off the month, is this roll of Kodak’s E100VS. It’s sadly no longer made but is hands down, one of my favourite slide film emulsions for shooting normally, pushing, or cross processing. Get ready for blues, greens and gold. This roll was shot using my Canon 50/1.5 and Voigtlander 21/4, a wonderfully crisp wide angle lens.

 

Week 05 2016
Kodak E100VS – EI100 + XPRO

 

Week 05 2016
Kodak E100VS – EI100 + XPRO

 

Week 05 2016
Kodak E100VS – EI100 + XPRO

 

Week 05 2016
Kodak E100VS – EI100 + XPRO

 

That’s me done for (approximately) January 2016 and I’ll be back at the end of February with another multi-week post. Whilst I wish I could post weekly, I need to be realistic with my time but I won’t be giving up any time soon!

I’m outta here.

This article is also featured on the EMULSIVE website, go give it a read 🙂