Entry 2 - Film developing and more friends in the studio

Hi! It's been over a month I last updated. This is mainly because my computer died and I had to wait for Santa to bring me a new one. So here I am, on Christmas Day at 2:30 AM updating everything I've missed during the couple of weeks...


Film developing and printing

After the course at the photography club (previous entry), I've now been to the darkroom twice: once with a friend and once by myself, though some old man joined me and helped me with some problematic bits later. This was only two days back. So, I developed a film by myself this week. It went a bit wrong, there were some stribes in some of the frames. Hmh! The old man told me the liquids hadn't probably touched the film equally, so the little round roll that I had wrapped the film around must have not been attached properly or something, in the developing can. Better luck next time!

But the frames weren't all ruined and neither were the stribed ones all bad. And wasn't that inspiring! So I printed some of the photos and they turned out pretty nice. Not great, nice. I learnt to add some contrast. Last time I printed photos in the darkroom (it was with the friend and after the darkroom course), I learnt that I'd like some more spice in the pictures, they were all just a tiny amount pale. So this time, I did that and succeeded in it. Well done me! Also, I developed quite good a routine in using the printing machine over the 7 hours I spent there...

Actually, I printed a photo for my Dad for Christmas (he had wished for one). It turned out really nice and he was so proud of me and truly liked the photo. It was an older one, though. One of the best shots I've ever ever taken. Sorry, only on film, so can't put it here (for now)!

The other photos that I printed of the film I had just developed, weren't that special. Practising, practising. Though there was one picturing a cute little wooden Christmas elf that turned out good. I knew it in advance because I took the same photo with my digital camera with the same settings. I did it first on the film, though (I had adjusted the light and shutter speed well in the film camera right away, well done me again!)

So I started fantasizing of a really good print. Then I realized - perhaps I should first take better photos with the film camera! There's some challenge, huh.


More friends in the studio

In the previous entry, I told how I learnt the basics of working in the studio and how I photographed a friend of mine, Laura. This time I'll tell about two other models I had some weeks back. Laura was the head editor of our student organization's magazine and she wanted me to shoot a mutual friend of ours for the cover - the theme was "women's magazine", say, Vogue, Cosmopolitan etc. So the mutual friend of ours came to the studio and I adjusted the lights etc (after first tearing one white paper background, whoops). She wasn't as easy to photograph as Laura was. We were both a bit nervous, didn't really know what the photo should be like. Laura, on the other hand, had had like 100 ideas ready to be photographed. In the end, we managed to get some really good photos. You just need to have an IDEA.

The studio is so "naked" with nothing else than just the person, that you just have to have something to inspire both the model and the photographer. In this case, soap bubbles and an umbrella did that, and the model had actually much fun, too. I told her to do some particular poses and even if it's a bit odd towards a friend, it really did the trick. And the cover turned out GREAT! (I didn't do the layout, just took the photo.)

The other friend of mine came by the same day. She also had various dresses with her, she also makes them herself (just like Laura, my first model). She was calmer, though, whereas Laura is very bubbly. She's really pretty in nature, always smiling calmly, and she's a really warm and lovely person. But still I wouldn't have believed how GORGEOUS she'd look in almost every frame! Like, wow! Some people just are meant to be in front of the camera. And I think she was really pleased with the results herself, too, probably didn't even know she had such talent.

And it's not just that she is pretty, but she looks so very different in every frame and I managed to capture so many different moods in just few seconds and with a smallest hint or change of angle. I really, really enjoyed photographing her and I took hundreads of good photos (at least I think so). Here's one of them.

And I managed to adjust the lights better this time. The background looks better in the photos and the face, too - not so many shadows as last time. I asked some tips from the more experienced photographers at the club. That's always good. I can call one of them whenever I need help with the studio equipment or the liquids in the darkroom.

Next up: I'd like to come up with something new in the studio. I've now photographed one fun cover girl with an umbrella and blowing soap bubbles (the latter I'd like to try once more properly!) and then two dress-makers, one of whom was bubbly and modelly with good postures and loads of ideas, other one steady and stunning gorgeous with good, changing moods. What next? Perhaps a quartet from our choir? They already agreed. That'd be challenge, four at the same time. Or something else? A man? A person with a pet/child/teddy? And who would that person be?

Night views

I went out with my tripod. I hardly ever do that because it's irritating to carry around and it takes time to adjust on the ground and what else, you need to crouch when you use it. Excuses! I really liked it. I'm into long exposures, been a while actually but never really gotten around to do it myself. So now I'm on Christmas holiday and I think I'll go out and experience. I already took a decent photo of streetlamps and some branches. I moved the camera sideways on the tripod (exposure 15 seconds) so I got lamps to look like lines. Fun!

Phew! Congratulations, you're at the end! Thank you for reading! And please leave a comment if you have anything to say, it's nice to get feedback. Though I'm not sure if this is of any interest to anyone, I just like to write. :)