My world in black & white

[Araner]

My true love


The life of a nomad wino


I’ve been walking these streets so long…


Singing the same old song


The door swings both ways


Silhouettes on the boardwalk of life






When steam ships ruled the waves


And, when a promenade was the place to be


Walk, don’t run


Ride, don’t walk


The road to Asakusa


Shall we dance?


Homeward bound


Fuji Acros film, Contax G2 camera, Contax 28mm, 45mm and 90mm lenses
Best regards,
Mike

[TheMonk]

Another set of beautiful pictures from Japan, Mike.

[drmoss_ca]

Lovely! The reputation of those Zeiss lenses for the Contax is well deserved.

Chris

[Araner]

Another set of beautiful pictures from Japan, Mike.

Hi Monk! Thank you for taking the time to view and comment.

Best regards,
Mike

[Araner]

Lovely! The reputation of those Zeiss lenses for the Contax is well deserved.

Chris

Hi Chris! I bought the G2 and lenses used over a period of time one item at a time. Fortunately the 28mm, 45mm and 90mm are reasonably easy to find in excellent condition at what I consider a fair price. Strangely the matching lens caps and hoods are harder to find. Used G1 bodies are plentiful, used G2 bodies in excellent condition are a little harder to find and the rarer black G2 bodies are almost impossible to find and when one does find one it's almost double the price of the champagne gold ones.

Regards,
Mike

[brothers]

I just want to say you gents are making this particular topic one of SMF's most popular, at least for me. Makes me regret never having taken an opportunity to delve into photography. Much obliged!

[ichabod]

The boardwalk ones are fantastic, nice work.

[Araner]

The boardwalk ones are fantastic, nice work.

The boardwalk scenes are my favorite too.

The first time I shot the boardwalk I used Fujifilm’s Neopan 400 ISO Presto film and a Bessa rangefinder camera.



After seeing the printed results I thought there was great potential but I wanted something a little less grainy and harsh so I returned with Contax G2 and the Acros film.

What’s hard to tell by the images is that where the pictures are taken is the top of the Yokohama International Passengers Terminal for commercial passenger ships. Entrance to the terminal is unrestricted and free and there’s some great views of the city from there.

The terminal is on the right side of the ship. It was designed to be unobtrusive, to make the visiting ships standout as the sight to see. I think that objective was achieved.



Regards,
Mike

[ichabod]

Less grainy works well, I agree. I like that you've taken something made of straight edges and angles and produced images with a more organic, flowing feel.

Also, the use of boards like that serves as a reminder of ships of yore, in contrast with the (frankly rather terrifying looking) behemoth in your picture.

[Araner]

...in contrast with the (frankly rather terrifying looking) behemoth in your picture.

Hi Dominic, that ship is so big it can only enter and depart port at low tide otherwise it wont clear the Yokohama Bay Bridge.

Regards,
Mike

[Squire]

I gotta vote for the feather headress.

[brothers]

I get a sense of how cool it must have been that day, and the black and white seems to enhance that feeling.

[drmoss_ca]

I have been experimenting with pulling Tri-X. Leica MP, Summarit 35, Tri-X @200, HC-110(E), X1 scans:







Chris

[Squire]

I'd say you succeeded. I particularly like how you captured glistening Sunlight on rippling water.

[Gene]

Mike - great images, as always. I am fascinated that the women in Japan feel equally comfortable with western or traditional clothing. I notice in all your works that there seem to be almost as many ladies in kimonos as there are in other clothes.

Chris - I understand pushing as a term for Tri-X - I shot many rolls of high school football games from the sidelines with ASA "pushed" from 400 to 1200...but pulling is not a term I recognize. Can you explain?

[CMur12]

Mike, I especially like the boardwalk scenes, also. They really work well with B&W.

Chris, I like the effect of the pulled Tri-X. From what I can see on-screen, grain appears to be significantly reduced, resulting in a smoother image and more detail.

- Murray

[Araner]

I notice in all your works that there seem to be almost as many ladies in kimonos as there are in other clothes.

Gene, it's very simple, a woman in a kimono is a camera magnet! The kimono is usually worn as formal attire for thinks like weddings, and there is a less formal version that is worn at things like festivals. Whenever any serious photographer sees a woman in a kimono he will normally try and get her picture.

A couple of candid shots.





Regards,
Mike

[Araner]

Mike, I especially like the boardwalk scenes, also. They really work well with B&W. - Murray

Murray, thank you for the kind comment.

Regards,
Mike

[drmoss_ca]

Mike - great images, as always. I am fascinated that the women in Japan feel equally comfortable with western or traditional clothing. I notice in all your works that there seem to be almost as many ladies in kimonos as there are in other clothes.

Chris - I understand pushing as a term for Tri-X - I shot many rolls of high school football games from the sidelines with ASA "pushed" from 400 to 1200...but pulling is not a term I recognize. Can you explain?

Pulling means you overexpose it, and develop it for a shorter time. In practice I took a 400ISO film and exposed it as if it were a 200ISO film. This ought to mean less grain, greater dynamic range, and in the case of colour film more saturated colours.

Chris

[Gene]

Interesting, thanks Chris. Never heard of it, but I did notice a lack of grain in your images.

I recently went to Nikon for my digital gear - I guess I ought to look for a nice film body to go with my lenses.