Category: Techniques

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How I went back to the origins (and tardiness) of analog photography.

Back in September 2017 I bought an Intrepid 4×5 camera, a wood-made modern version of the original view camera – the kind of camera that has been around for more than a century, and that is as simple as it gets: a lens, a base to hold the entire structure and a ground glass where to frame and focus. Many companies still make them (e.g. Toyo, Linhof) and, although developments in technology exploded since the first daguerreotype in the first half of the 19th century, the concept behind them have not changed much.

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How I shot pictures (sometimes on request) underwater.

One month ago I had the chance to exchange a lens that I was not using anymore for an underwater camera – the Minolta 35DL – in a camera shop, and I took the deal. I immediately used it a few days later during a pool party that a friend threw in his house on Elba. Before that, I never used an underwater camera – at least that I can remember – and the results enchanted me. Once I got back in Milan I immediately developed the two rolls of film that I shot in such occasion.

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How I walked around Tōkyō (twice) for unusual pictures.

During my latest trip to Japan I decided to make a small photo-project based on infrared pictures of brutalist buildings around Tōkyō. I previously did much research on which buildings to photograph, and Blue Crow’s map really helped me. I ended up drawing a sketch map of the route I would have taken, to understand whether it would have been possible to make it in just one day – also considering that I would have been able to make it only during the first few days in Kyōto, since they were more relaxed. Luckily I managed to plan a round trip around the city starting from outside the Tōkyō station and ending a few train stops from it, and taking the shinkansen back in the evening proved to be easy.

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How I always end up having more and more pictures (and thoughts) to share.

By developing and printing pictures in the weekends and spare hours at the end of the day, I noticed that more and more extra pictures are piling up – waiting for some recognition. Single pictures that don’t fit into any themed article I share on this blog, but still portray a moment of everyday life – which i mostly spend with a camera around my neck or in my pocket. Some of these pictures even date back years, while others are more recent and just were previously underappreciated and only now noticed.  Since sorting through sleeves of negatives is time consuming – as much as setting up the dark room is – I need to focus on discipline and consistency. And I have to accept that I might not ever be able to print all the pictures I take. Luckily, this thought does not frighten me: I believe that such acceptance of the incomplete power that all of us have over the events of life is an underlying element of any aspect of life itself; accepting the limits of what can be done. Therefore, time management and satisfaction. I have tons of hobbies and interests, and I’m happy even with the little I can get out of any of them. Having at least some pictures to look at, to remind myself of the moment I took that picture – in a visually appealing photograph, giving me the chance to see, or at least imagine, the life of the people portrayed in it –  is enough.

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How we filmed two trailers (and I shot instant pictures for backstage).

Back in March this year me, my girlfriend and some other cinema-loving friends filmed a teaser trailer for the new theatre show produced by the amateur company iBirbanti – company founded by some high school friends  and in which I also help  as a technician. This is the second year since attending the Civica ‘Luchino Visconti’ cinema school in 2016 during which we have the chance to write, produce and shoot a short movie. Satisfied with our previous results, we attempted an even bigger challenge: making two different trailers, with different tones and styles, in order to fit them into the promotion campaign. Giuditta and I were in charge of the first one, and I decided to test out during the shootings both my vintage Polaroid instant cameras (i.e. Spectra Full-Switch and SLR680) for some backstage candids.

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How I managed to print pictures in my bathroom (against all odds).

Feel free to advance any critique, as all the images included in this article are taken by me. Only two are not, and the author is cited.

It’s been more than two years since I first decided to only shoot film [ITA], and things are yet to be completely mastered. On my way to pursue a personal creative style, I started developing film in bigger batches, and on a steadier routine. I experimented with more developers (i.e. HC-110) – and more will come (i.e. Caffenol C-H) – while I moved to another home. Until the day one thing came: a Durst M605.

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How I have been experimenting with (and through stashes of expired) instant film.

I recently bought the ImpossibleProject I-1 camera, the company’s attempt to provide an instant camera updated to 2010s’ technology: a Bluetooth-connected app can give access to manual controls over an otherwise extremely simple and fully automated handheld camera.

Although having some minor technical issue – it doesn’t expel the black cover, so I have to remove it myself – I am genuinely loving this camera. Such issue is restricted only to my camera, and the customer support has proven kind and available at all times.

UPDATE (July 13th 2016) The customer support had me send the camera back and immediately sent a new one. As expected, they are extremely keen and competent.

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Convenience and spontaneity of zone-focusing.

All the images included in this article are protected by copyright on behalf of each respective author.

Many thanks to Gillian Bowman, who reviewed this article.

When turning the pages of a photography volume, whether it is by Yosef Koudelka, Lee Friedlander or Alex Webb, one can immediately identify how these photographers have made sapient use of the two major technical elements of photography itself: focal apertura and the effect that it has on depth of field.

Although I am fascinated by the expert use of a shallow depth of field to isolate the portrayed subject, every situation requires a careful evaluation of the specific technical settings that might harm the final outcome. The presence of several elements in focus predispose the viewer to interprete the space within the bidimensional medium in which it is located, enabling the imagination to expand the dimensions of such space beyond the physical limits of the real world: the subject is plunged in and absorbed by the background, embedding itself within in and enriching it. The eye is not fooled, but the perspective is only secondary to the narrative function of that is portrayed.

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