chaperdonna fashion show

I met ilenia, of chaperdonna hand-made clothes, a couple of months ago, and she asked me if I would be interested to shoot her upcoming fashion show. I told her, yes, as long as I do anything I like. she said, yes, do anything you like. I told her, okay, but have no expectations, I'm gonna shoot film, maybe nothing will come out of it. she said, okay, I get it, okay.
a week before the fashion show we also did a portrait session for fashionism.gr.
the event took place at salon de bricolage on 19/11/2013. there was absolutely no light in the "backstage" area, while the "show" area was lit with a couple of big roof spotlights.
I shot three films with the leica m4 and the voigtlander 28mm/f2 - kodak tri-x rated at 3200 ISO, double-developed with diafine. as a reference, I was shooting at f2 with shutter speeds of 1/4sec-1/8sec in the backstage area, and f2.8 & 1/30-1/60sec in the show area.

backstage

the show

a week in tinos

a week in tinos.starring nikolas, loukas, konstantinos, nancy, orestis and faidra. lots of walking, lots of animals, lots of sunlight, lots of villages, lots of fun, and a little bit of drinking.

the two films were developed in the same tank, using diafine... apart from the light leaks, the likes of which the olympus xa suddenly grew immensely fond of, the difference in the tonal range of the negatives is stupendous... now I understand all about the leica, and I wasn't even using a leica/zeiss lens.

[leica m4 & voigtlander ultron 28mm/f2 | olympus xa | kodak tri-x 400 | diafine | august 2013]

into the surging deep

[...] αὐτὴ δ᾿ ἂψ ἐς πόντον ἐδύσετο κυμαίνοντααἰθυίῃ ἐικυῖα: μέλαν δέ ἑ κῦμα κάλυψεν.
[...] στην κυματούσα μέσα θάλασσα βουτάει ξανά, παρόμοια νεροχελίδονο, και χώθηκε στο μαύρο κύμα μέσα.
[...] and [she] herself plunged again into the surging deep, like a sea-mew; and the dark wave hid her.   ...the camera was leaking water from the first moment it went into the sea. after frame 24, the take-up spool jammed. it wouldn't go to the next frame, nor it would rewind. I had to unload the film in the darkroom. a little bit of saltwater never hurt anybody.
[lomo aqua pix underwater camera | kodak tri-x 400 | diafine | august 2013 | tinos & kefalonia | text by homer's odyssey]  

villa aqua

‘how long were you under the sea?’‘it was almost nine thousand years.’ ‘you mean . . . you just sat there?’ ‘I was not instructed to do otherwise. I heard the song of the whales above me. it was dark. then there was a net, and rising, and light. these things happen.'   [lomo aqua pix underwater camera | rollei retro 400s | diafine | june 2013 | villa averoff]  

aqua pix on land

more shots with the lomo aqua pix, all taken on land. this camera is designed for underwater use and its focus point is set at 1m or something, therefore focused photos are practically out of the question. even when underwater, it is nearly impossible to get a properly focused photo, as I observed in my first outing with the camera. it's no nikonos, but it is a fun camera to use, and dirt cheap (5$ off ebay). the film/developer combination contributes to the grittiness of the resulting images. after four different rolls, I have to say that rollei retro 400s (supposedly the same formula as the old agfa apx 400) does not like my favourite developer, diafine. I thought diafine was the ultimate solution, but I've been getting really foggy results with some films, namely the rollei retro 400s, the fuji neopan 100ss and also the fuji neopan 400. I'm not 100% sure of this, but I know I'll keep diafine away from these films.

[lomo aqua pix underwater camera | rollei retro 400s | october 2012]

roaming

"an agent is a system that is situated in some environmentand is capable of flexible, autonomous action in that environment in order to meet its design objectives."     "agent based modelling of calcium handling in cardiac cells", MSc dissertation, theodoros markou, university of sheffield, 2004/05         [mesogeia | various cameras | various fuji b/w films | november/december 2012]

fotini chan

studio mode

large format meets studio meets fotini korre: an afternoon spent trying to combine large format and a simple lighting set-up in a really confined space (living-room-turned-studio). large format in a studio is a very disciplined craft, since you're bound to a lot of tripods - the lights, the camera, everything is on a tripod. changing the lighting takes time, selecting a new angle of view takes time, framing takes time, focusing takes time... hell, even shooting a frame takes time - spontaneity cannot survive on a tripod. lots of patience is needed, and disappointment can quickly rear its ugly head. still, the results are quite interesting.

fotini had an earlier television shooting for mad channel, so she came around with a wonderful make-up, courtesy of maria pilafa. she was dying for some food and all I could think of telling her was "errr, ok, you can eat, but please do not spoil the make-up and the hair". she is a most wonderful person, smart and laid-back, and she loves linguini, a fact which should not be overlooked. kudos to her patience, both when posing ("now, you must stand still while I put the film in, change the aperture, put a cap on the lens, remove the darkslide, pick up the remote trigger, remove the lens cap, trigger the lights, put the cap back on the lens, ok, you can breathe.") and when coping with my moments of failing inspiration. I owe her a night out at an italian restaurant, during which I will convince her to pose on a second, outdoor, shooting, and then I'll owe her another night out at a restaurant, and... you can see how this goes.

the afternoon's tally was 24 frames - 12 large format sheets with the monorail omega view and a 6x6 medium format roll with the bronica. presented in this post are the best 8 of them - they are separated in three annotated chapters, like journal entries.

part I: static normality

photographer tries to shake rust off   //   decides to start with a casual large format set-up   //   omega view 45d, industar n-51 210mm/f4.5, fomapan 400   //   extra background light   //   rediscovery of college yearbook style   //   model frustrated; cause: receiving instructions like "just stay still and look straight into the lens"   //   removal of extra light leads to rediscovery of rembrandt style   //   normal film, normal lens and static set-up bring about quick exhaustion and slow death of inspiration

part II: mobile squareness

photographer in dire need of a fresh view   //   abandons large format in favour of medium format   //   bronica sq-a with 80mm/f2.8 and kodak t-max 100   //   no longer attached to the tripod   //   new-found mobility brings rejuvenation   //   still hampered by casual, formal viewpoint   //   decision to move closer and change angle of view proves invigorating   //   inspiration levels rising

part III: expired pictorealism

mobility of medium format brought fresh inspiration   //   photographer switches back to large format   //   chooses projection lens to emphasize depth of field   //   chooses expired film because there was none else readily available   //   omega view 45d, leitz hektor 150mm/f2.5, kodak royal pan, expired 1973   //   depth of field really razor thin   //   film's extreme old age results in excessive grain, fogging and staining   //   pictorealism winks an eye

under the sea

"I'd like to be under the sea, in an octopus' garden in the shade.we would be warm below the storm, in our little hideaway beneath the waves."   bought a lomo waterproof / underwater camera for a handful of dollars. it was neither waterproof, nor lightproof. the film survived, albeit with lots of fog and salt. interesting results when used above water - the saltwater might have influenced things a bit.   [lomo aqua pix underwater camera | rollei retro 400s | september 2012]