Walking down an alley a few days ago, Iooked up and found this. I struggled to make it look like what I imagined in the camera, and then struggled some more in PhotoLab. I liked the repeating shapes, and the perspective, and the rough texturing on the concrete.
The end result was a compromise. It actually is what I wanted, but it was difficult to make the photo look “balanced”. Color didn’t seem to add anything, just take away from the effect, so it’s back to Fuji Neon Acres 100. Durn, in my B&W film days, I thought Plus-X was all I needed. I wasn’t aware of so much back then, but that’s still true today. It’s like I wasn’t really “aiming” the camera, just trying to get the feeling I had looking up at it in real life. Anyway, four balconies was too many, two were not enough, so I settled on three.
… with the verticals straightened, aspect ratio widened and a 2:1 framing.
This actually screams out to be re-shot with your newly acquired shift lens knowledge. You shot this at 52mm, which left things a bit tight for perspective corrections in PL, so it would be interesting to see it taken with the shift lens to avoid the convergence and compare with the PL-corrected version.
And, talking of another of your good shots that you might like to try with shift, how about using it to retake the theatre that you got so almost right, apart from losing the very top of the facade.
Both would require taking in portrait format of course. And, if I may offer some advice - because the camera will be over to the left side of the tripod centre, make sure that a single leg is positioned in line with the side of the camera body, to provide more stability.
It will be good to see what you can get out of the D780 and PC lens combination now you’ve got the hang of it.
After a quick search, I found a lot of analogue shooters recommending using Ilford FP4+ as a substitute when Plus-X was discontinued. If you like the look and feel better, what do you think of this version with just the rendering changed from Acros to FP4+?
Just stepping back from the screen, with those changes it is a very different photo. I’ll have to think about it some more. I like the “repeating shape” getting smaller and smaller as I move upwards, but your suggestion “flattens” the image. Which version do you prefer, and why?
Both films seem almost the same to me. My eyes aren’t trained well enough to notice the differences. I used to try each film, one after another, to find the effect I enjoyed the most…
Which do you prefer, and why? I think you are the person who first introduced me to Acros 100. As I go through all the selections, I’m usually likely to select Acros 100, but there are times when I don’t like the results as much as with other films. I guess from now on, I should specify which film I am emulating?
Yes, on the next sunny day, I will try this shot with the PC lens in vertical orientation.
Maybe also the theater, but I doubt if 35mm will be “wide” enough, because of my inability to move further backwards.
