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5 frames with a Kiev 60, a Volna 80/2,8 and a Ferrania Orto
Working on a ‘project’ or ‘series’ is a well-known way of giving meaning to the act of taking photographs. It serves many purposes, such as training in a particular technique, familiarising oneself with a camera and/or lens, or exploring stylistic options. A project is usually planned in advance, though not necessarily in great detail. However, as in the case of these images, sometimes the idea of a common thread linking different images just happens. I was wandering around the suburbs of my home town with a Soviet-era Kiev 60 and its ‘kit lens’, the Volna 80/2.8, and a roll of Ferrania Orto when I noticed the oddity of a worn-out…
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National Road Running Championships 2023 – Portraits
These portraits are taken from a reportage made at the 2023 National Road Running Championships. These sample images are a good example of one possible way of ‘seeing’ sporting action. In some cases, the portrait is completely isolated from the background, revealing a particular ‘moment’ experienced by the athlete, such as extreme physical exertion, rest and recovery after the race, or enjoyment of the location. In other cases, a single person is still at the centre of the image, but the surrounding environment completes and enhances the overall meaning of the photograph. The ability to superimpose different layers of meaning, and to adjust the camera and lens accordingly, is what…
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5 Frames with a Praktica MTL5B, a Pentacon 50/1,8 and a Roll of Portra 400 (expired in 2011)
An afternoon of urban exploration looking for derelicted places gave me the chance to test a Praktica MTL 5b with its standard (pun intended) lens: the Pentacon 50/1,8, which I had never used before. To make things more complicated, I also took out from the basement a roll of Portra 400, expired in 2011. Net of the limitation of a (poorly maintained) roll more than 10 years old, the shooting experience was not that exciting. Loading the film proved to be more complicated (at least for me) than with my Pentax ME Super, Nikon F3 or Voigtlander Bessa R2A, and I lost the first three frames. Maybe more training will make…
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The Real-Life Lens Test Series – Episode 1: Viltrox XF 56/1,4 AF
This is a series documenting the real-life use of various lenses. The first episode features a Viltrox XF 56/1.4 AF mounted on a Fuji X-T4.
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The Expired Film Series – Episode 6 – Kodak Portra 400 – November 2016 shot in Sept. 2023
This is the sixth episode in a series documenting the use of expired film in various contexts. Episode 6 features a Kodak Portra 400 shot with a Nikon F4 and a Nikkor 105 F2 defocus at the dock of Pescara. The film was not overexposed, was processed with Affinity Photo 2.
