Taking Cambo Jumbo out to play!

I've recently managed to figure out how to mount my 9-stop filter on my large format lens. The front end of the lens is too big to be fitted with any filter, so the other option is to mount the filter on the rear of the lens, carefully tho. I bought a 77-67mm step down ring, then step it up again to get back to 77mm as I couldn't mount the filter directly to the lens due to the curvature of the lens rear element. Now that I've managed to mount the big stopper, it's time to take the 8x10 camera out to the coastlines :)

Cambo Legend 8x10 with Caltar S-II 300mm f5.6 on Ilford Delta 100. Fitted with Hoya ND400 filter. Scene was metered at f45, 4mins. Calculating the compensation for Delta 100's reciprocity failure, the corrected exposure was determined at 9mins 30secs. The sheet was developed with Kodak HC110 Dilution E (1:49) for 7 mins 30secs @ 20C.

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.

Perhentian Island II - Fuji Velvia 50

Aside from the Canon EOS5D, I've also brought along my Hasselblad 553ELX to the island together with a bunch of color positive films and B&W films. Here's some shots taken with Fuji Velvia 50, which used to be one of the most preferred films by most photographers. Honestly, this is the first time I've ever shot with this film, and oh boy, I really did fell in love with it.

Hasselblad 553ELX | CZ 50mm Distagon
Fuji Velvia 50
Lab developed

Amazing colors, don't you agree?

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.

Beautiful Provia!

Since I started playing with film camera, I've always wanted to shoot with slides or color positive films despite the higher processing costs. Tested a roll of Provia 100 and boy was I happy. Here's a detailed shot of the Chin Swee Temple in Genting Highlands demonstrating the beautiful colors of Provia.

An architectural study,
Chin Swee Temple, Genting Highlands, January 2010
Yashica MAT 124G | Provia 100

Vacancy For Two - Charcoal Factory, Kuala Sepetang

Had an opportunity to visit again the Charcoal Factory in Kuala Sepetang, Perak a couple months back to make some photos using my Yashica MAT 124G. Shot about 2-3 rolls of B&W film there. One of the shot was taken then I saw a chair and a bicycle parked next to each other, with some light from the outside. There was something special about this shot. Went back home, developed the roll and scanned the shot. Was very happy with the outcome.

Vacancy for Two, Kuala Sepetang, January 2010
Yashica MAT124G | Ilford HP5+ 400.
Ilford LC29 1+29, 6mins 15sec@24C, agitation continuous first 30sec, 10 sec every subsequent minute
Ilfostop 1 min
Ilford Rapid Fixer 4 mins

Several months later, a very good friend has offered to print it for me. Here's a scan of the print that he did. There's 2 versions of the print.

Version 1 - Paper - Ilford MGWTFB, Lith Printing and Selenium toning



Version 2 - Paper - Ilford MGWTFB, Lith Printing, Selenium toning, Bleached and Redeveloped

Thank you Morpheuse for the prints =)

Going larger than 35mm..

A couple months back, I took the plunge venturing into film photography. The chosen format, medium. My first medium format camera is a Yashica MAT124G that shoots in 6x6cm format.





Yashica MAT124G is the last model of the Yashica TLR. TLR stands for Twin Lens Reflex where it uses 2 lenses, one for viewing, one for shooting. Made between 1970 till 1986, this camera is basically a copy of Rolleiflex, hence similarities in controls configuration. Equipped with a built-in lightmeter, Yashica MAT124G is a perfect tool to start your journey into the medium format world.

Lovely camera, takes both 120 and 220 type films be it. Market price is around RM650-850 for a used unit, depending on condition.

I've been shooting for a couple months now with my Yashica MAT124G, and I'm loving it!
Will share some of the works soon =)