4×5 Roses: HP5+ vs. FP4+

A couple of months ago, I loaded up a bunch of film: 3 holders full of HP5+ and 2 of FP4+.

I shot one holder of HP5 maybe a month ago, but they were horribly mis-focused and not correctly exposed.

The rest have been sitting, wrapped in zip lock bags, not refrigerated, just waiting, waiting. Continue reading “4×5 Roses: HP5+ vs. FP4+”

Ansco Super Hypan (Compania Imago)

There’s not much out there about this film, just a few images on Flickr and some random posts and remembrances on various message boards. Oh, and some expired/sold auctions and sales of old advertisements for it: General Aniline and Film (GAF) used an Irving Penn photo in an add for it back in 1961…

According to Compania Imago, the batch they rolled expired in 1964, and they recommend an EI of 100-200 for it. Now, depending on storage conditions, and depending on who you ask, film loses sensitivity at around 1 stop per decade, and the various message boards above indicate that Ansco/GAF Super Hypan was rated at “the old 320, which I think corresponds to 400” and about which I have absolutely no idea, and if you just guesstimate, rate the Super Hypan at 400 and lop off .66 stops/decade, then you can get to something like ISO 100-200, though the lone recipe filmdev.org pulled from flickr suggested 50.

Anyway.

I exposed it at 125, and developed using my times for FP4+ and D76 1+1 with 1 minute added just for grins, and because I saw some indication that maybe the film should be developed as if it was still a 400 speed film… But I did something wrong: the negatives came out very dense, with virtually no bright white highlights and totally crushed blacks.  Continue reading “Ansco Super Hypan (Compania Imago)”

Polypan F 50 (Compania Imago)

It’s been so long since I shot and developed this roll that I don’t remember much about it… I got busy with all the rolls that I shot over Spring Break, and then it was all the birthday gift stuff (and there’s still stuff to share from that too). Apologies.

Of the black & white films I’ve shot thus far, the Polypan F is by far my favorite. Continue reading “Polypan F 50 (Compania Imago)”

Rian Dundon – ‘Fan’

Fan: Following Fan Bingbing around is the product of the 9 months Rian Dundon spent traveling around with Ms. Bingbing as an informal English tutor and candid, slice-of-life photographer. He had no clue who Ms. Bingbing was, and neither do I, really.

Mr. Dundon was in China on assignment for Time when he took the job, and for 9 months jet-setted all over mainland China with Ms. Bingbing, photographing her as she went about the business of being one of the biggest film and music stars in China.

https://youtu.be/wrmBgynAxZE
Continue reading “Rian Dundon – ‘Fan’”

Will Steacy – ‘Deadline’

From 2009 to 2014, Will Steacy photographed the Philadelphia Inquirer as it passed from one investor to another and slowly descended into bankruptcy. Deadline is the result of that effort: news stories, photographs, advertisements, a whole newspaper edition about the death of the newspaper, printed as the last run of the newspaper printer…

It’s a masterwork.

Continue reading “Will Steacy – ‘Deadline’”

Imation Scotch, Square Frame

So after I finished a whole roll at half frame, I wanted to see how the Diana Mini handled in square format, and slapped in a roll of Labeauratoire’s Scotch Imation Color HP 100. In hindsight, I probably should’ve shot half frame with the Scotch Imation, since it’s rolled with merely 12 shots per roll vs. the Hawkeye’s 20 frames. Oh well, next time maybe. Continue reading “Imation Scotch, Square Frame”