Pushing Tri-X to the Extreme (ASA25600)

Back in July during a photo trip to Kelantan with Eddieputera and Sarip, I've had the chance to shoot a scene that is pitch black. It was a scene at the fishing dock where a fishing vessel stopped by for a rest after being in the sea for about 1 month. That night there was a storm brewing so super dark clouds engulfed the skies. There's no other light source around except a couple light bulbs on the vessel itself. It was raining heavily and that made the shot even tougher. I wanted to capture this shot at a fraction of a second. Putting it on long exposure would've made the vessel blur. Yes, I could probably get away with a 1-2 sec shot at a lower ASA, but I figured, might as well hit the extreme just for the sake of trying and testing out the pushing capabilities of this film.

This shot was metered at ASA25,600. Having a Tri-X on my Hassy back, I've decided to give it a go. After doing some research on the flow to push the Tri-X up 6-stops, I've settled with the following..

Rodinal 1:100, 3 hours semi stand development with 2 swirls to the tank every 30mins. After 1 1/2 hours, I replaced the developer with a fresh batch (to avoid the risk of exhaustion).

What I got was a muddy negs. Putting it onto the scanner, here's what I got. No tweaking on this scan. I kinda like the look.

I did played around in Photoshop, where I set the black for the tones. Here's what I got.

All in all, I think I prefer the original look better. It looks classical and seemed very special, considering the circumstances that I had to go thru to shot this scene, plus the darkroom processes afterwards. I will remember this shot for a very long time.. will be printing it and framed it on my wall.

Away from the bustling city....

....lies a very peaceful fishing village in the state of Kelantan. Kampung Canggung, located in Bachok, Kelantan where the source of income for most of the villagers comes from the sea.

A local walking towards his hut to prepare for the next trip to the sea. This is where they spend most of their day if they're not out in the sea. Repairing the nets, fixing the boat, resting, drying the fish and a whole lot of activities goes here. Here are some photos of their tools of the trade..

Part of the preparation before they go out to sea is inspecting the fishing nets before being put onboard the boat.

Once they have loaded the net and other things on the boat, they're set to go.

In the old days, fishermen use logs to roll their boat from the shore to the sea. In the modern days, they use a carriage to assist them in pushing the boat until the boat floats on its own. These type of fishermen goes out to the sea for several hours. Those in bigger vessels go out for days, weeks or even months.

During my visit there, I realized that the villagers are very helpful. When the boats come back from the sea, they'll queue up and take turns to be landed and pulled back to the shore. Everybody lends a helping hand, regardless of who owns what boat. It's good to see how they worked together in a group.. sincerely helping out each other in their community, a vanishing trait especially in the city, where a lot of people just care about themselves and don't even know their neighbors, let alone lending a helping hand!

It was a very memorable trip for me. Thanks to Eddieputera who brought us here, I have learned so many things, witnessed in some places, people trust and help each other without any prejudice. I have also learned to be thankful to Allah for what I have, as there are people out there who are struggling just to make ends meet. I hope to be able to visit them again next time..

The End of a Journey

I went for a photo roadtrip to Kelantan with two buddies - Eddieputera and Sarip sometime in July this year. We went to a fishing village (Kampung Canggun) in Bachok and spend about 1 1/2 days there. Armed with my Hasselblad 553ELX and a bunch of films, I spotted a shipwreck on the beach. I've been wanting to shoot a shipwreck for sooo long, so I'm not gonna miss this opportunity.

The End of a Journey



Hasselblad 553ELX, Zeiss 50mm Distagon,
Fuji Acros 100
Rodinal (1:50) 13mins @20C

I like this shot because there's two subjects in the frame that shows a full cycle of a fishing vessel. The main subject (the shipwreck) shows that it's at the end of its journey, no longer needed, left alone letting nature to take its course, while on the far end, you can see another boat still in good shape, in its prime giving its fullest service to the fishermen.

There's more shots from the Kelantan trip. Will be sharing 'em on the other entries very soon.

Perhentian Island IV - Serenity

My trip to Perhentian (Kecil) Island this year proved to be a fruitful one. Having shot both in film (mainly) and digital medium, I have managed (my personal view) to capture the essence of beauty, serenity and tranquility of the island. For those who haven't gone to Perhentian, you need to go at least once in your lifetime. It's a beautiful place, a place where it's exactly the opposite of bustling city atmosphere. Take a break, go on a short holiday, head off to Perhentian. I know I'll be going there again in 2011.

Serenity, Perhentian Kecil, July 2010
Hasselblad 553ELX | CZ 50mm Distagon
Fuji Acros 100 | Rodinal (1:50) 13mins @ 20C

This shot was done on film medium, on a long exposure (~8-10secs), low tide, sunset (more like a hidden set, the sun decided to descend behind the clouds). I loved this shot. I've printed it and framed it.

KL Sentral Urbanscape

I frequently go to or pass by KL Sentral for meetings or hanging out with buddies, but I haven't really brought my camera to shoot those awesome architectures there. One fine day, I took my Hassy together with me, and with a fellow photographer, Sarip @ Guillotineman, we went for a quick scout with our cameras.

I love this shot with the train passing by in between the high rise buildings. Very modern look.

A shot looking up the tall buildings. I love the lines and the curves in the shot. Some gave feedback that they prefer some details of the skies as in this one the skies are blown. I personally think that the skies details does not carry any significant meaning to the shot as the key elements are the two buildings, colored in shades of grey. IMO, the blown skies contributed to a simple yet elegant look to the shot. Skies with details would've distracted viewers' eyes from concentrating on the lines and curves of the buildings. That's what I think. Others might have a different opinion. Either way, I appreciate the view.

This is another shot on the other side of KL Sentral. The building where the train came out from is the city's main transportation hub, linking up 5 train lines and services, including an express rail service to the airport in Sepang, city bus service as well as taxi services. I also like this shot because as you can see on the background to the right, there's massive building construction going on. In a couple years, this shot will be appreciated even more because another shot from this angle will have buildings (which will probably be taller than the KL Sentral itself) surrounding it, not like what can be seen today..

All shots were shot with a Hasselblad 553ELX with CZ 50mm Distagon on Kodak Tri-X400, developed with Rodinal 1:60, 14mins @ 20C.

Passing By triptych

I was working on a project to capture the life at the KTM station at Jalan Sultan Hishamuddin with a group of PhotoMalaysia.com members. The project was shot entirely with film. A lesson learnt during the execution of this project. Visit the site repeatedly. There will always be something new to be captured. Always look from a different perspective on the subsequent visits. Try to live the life. Be the workers, be the passengers instead of being the tourist.. if you see the place from a tourist's point of view, then what you'll get are tourists' shots.

For this particular trip, I brought my Linhof Technika V (which I have sold off recently) to the station. At this time, the station was dimly lit. I resorted to a ASA3200 to limit motion blurs. A 3 stop push during developing process was required.

On to the triptych shot. I saw a man and a elder lady waiting for the last train to come on the platform they're facing. Between those two, there were very little activity done by them. They were just waiting there patiently, very less movement. I knew there will be a train coming on the platform behind them, and there will be activities happening behind them, adding a dynamic element into the almost static shot. A triptych of a train passing by would definitely show how time passes by as opposed to waiting. See it large on flickr.

Passing By, Triptych, KTMB KL station, February 2010
Linhof Super Technika V | Kodak Tri-X400 pushed to 3200
Rodinal 1:100 for 120mins @24C semi-stand development. Slow inversion first minute, 10sec gentle swirl every 30mins.
Ilfostop 1 min 30 sec
Ilford Rapid Fixer 4 mins 30 sec