Experimental

ShadowMask Part 2: Proof of concept 1

After cutting out the first gobo the plan was to test how well the overall concept worked in the studio environment using digital.

Planning diagram

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Studio setup

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Actual lighting diagram

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Result

Conclusion:

The overall concept looks like it will work well with a little bit of tweaking especially with the light not associated with the gobo.

Still need to test using a “negative” gobo and then move onto a full scale test using large format film…

As I think about the overall project more and more I think it might end up being centered around “spirit animals” with each individual choosing which animal they most closely associate with.

More to come 🙂

Simon (@darkhalide)


Greetings… Its been a while

Howdy

If you are looking for more recent stuff try @darkhalide on Instagram

Blog has been a bit neglected of late but I am starting my first real project in quite a long time and thought this was probably the best place to put my thoughts, trials, failures, successes…

Anyway the project is a group of images for exhibition using my large format 4 x 5 Cambo camera which has also been sadly neglected sitting in its box in my garage for longer than I can remember.

The concept is to use cutouts (or gobos) to create shadows or highlights on portraits. This is done by using a snooted studio light so as to not spill too much light around the gobo.

To create a gobo I have been printing out images onto framing matte board and then cutting them out with a craft knife.

So far I have cutout a few gobos…

I plan to play around with both positive masks as well as negative masks so see which one will work best or possibly a mixture of both…

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Feather Scannergram Triptych

Been a while… Playing with my scanner again

Feather

Canon CanoScan 9000F Scanner.


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Demi Half Frame Print

Finally got round to printing a shot from my old Canon Demi S (deceased)

With the 6×6 enlarger mask I made I can only print 3 frames at a time so I might have to experiment with a slightly larger mask and hope the enlarger handles it. Hopefully I can get up to 5 frames printed…

Half Frame Cemetary

Canon Demi S, Ilford HP5+ 400 ISO Film, CanoScan 9000F Scanner


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Darkroom Action

I have been teaching a spot of darkroom lately. Its nice to be back and playing with prints again.

Here go a few print that I used for example for the students…

Tissue

Tissue Paper

Tissue Border

Tissue paper border

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Cellophane

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Cellophane and Tissue paper.


Fire Dragons

No Photoshop involved. Straight form the camera

Dragon-2 Dragon-1

 

Nikon D90, 50mm f1.8 Lens, 3200 ISO. (No Photoshop)


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Enlarger Mask Building

After looking round for a 6 x 6 enlarger mask to be able to print shots from my Rolleiflex I have finally just decided to make one out of matte board.

With less parts being available all the time (especially in little old New Zealand) it seems more and more I have to make this kind of stuff myself. I have even gone as far as buying a couple of enlargers (super cheap) but they were all missing a part or two. At least I will have lots of spare parts or things to build random stuff out of 🙂

I think I may have made a small mistake by using a section of foam core in the middle to make the whole thing thicker and may have to tape up the sides since it seems to let light out…

Its all glued up and will take it into the darkroom for a test on Monday next week…

Fingers crossed…

Its for a LPL 7700 Enlarger if anyone has a spare mask 🙂

Enlarger Mask


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Research

New book came in the post today and had to be saved from the letter box due to heavy rain.

This is my first step into researching Wet Plate Collodion photography 🙂

Book


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The One That Got Away…

Shot of a Kereru (New Zealand native wood pigeon) just taking off… Just missed the end of his beak… Gutted

Such is life

Kereru

 

Nikon D90, Nikon 80- 200 f2.8 Lens.


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Jam

Colour shot from Horizon

Jam

Horizon 202, Fuji Superia 200 Film, CanoScan 9000F Scanner


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More From the Horizon 202

Another shot from the Horizon 202

Waterfall

 

Horizon 202 Camera, Ilford Delta 100 (expired), CanoScan 9000F Scanner.


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Horizon 202

Been playing with a Russian Horizon 202 lately… I really like how it distorts straight things making them look curved 🙂

Horizon-202

Horizon 202, Ilford Delta 100 (Expired), CanoScan 9000F Scanner.