I haven’t shot a roll of film in months. I shot some back in February I believe, and I was really unhappy with how they turned out. Work and life changes also took up a good deal of my time; I suppose it was a creative drought in regards to my photography too. Film is also just really expensive, and recently I’ve found the process of developing and scanning more frustrating than anything else. However, I recently moved back to Toronto and I always feel particularly inspired during the late Spring / early Summer. The trees start to reveal themselves and create a stunning contrast to the diverse architecture of the city, and the long evenings provide lots of opportunity for beautiful lighting.
Kodak Gold 200
The first half of this roll, I shot up north in the Haliburton Highlands, but those photos will be shared at a later date. I still had half a roll when I returned to the city, so over the course of the last two weeks I’ve spent a couple of evenings wandering around looking for great photos. I think I learned my lesson with the roll previous to this one, in which I was rushing through it, always a step behind the lighting conditions, and just not confident in the compositions. That previous shoot was a failure, largely because of the pressure I put on myself. It’s difficult; I really didn’t want to ruin two rolls of 120 film. With this roll I really just tried to enjoy my walk first and foremost, and let the images present themselves. I was still very selective with when I would fire off a shot, but it paid off. I feel like with every roll I’m taking note of the ratio in relation to number of exposures to number of usable photos, and the more selective and patient I am, the better that ratio is. There were still a few exceptions on this roll that aren’t great, but there’s far more that I’m happy with than those that I’m not.
The Smoking Man and the Green Window - Kodak Gold 200
After editing the scans (developed and scanned by C-41 Film Lab) I noticed that the colour red is present in many of the buildings I photographed. This wasn’t intentionally done while I was shooting, but I do think the red colour of old brick is particularly interesting to photograph. Because of the trees in full bloom, the reds are very nicely contrasted by earthy green hues (luckily not Christmas green), which work very well together.
Skeleton in the Sun Room - Kodak Gold 200
Before I wrap this up, I’ll share a mildly embarrassing story that could have been far worse. After finishing the roll and going to wind it inside my camera, the take up reel was getting jammed and something was definitely wrong. The exposure counter was stuck at 6 and I couldn’t wind any more, so I figured I had finished winding up the roll. You can tell it’s been a long time since I shot, because when the roll is fully wound, the take up reel spins free. In my case, there was still tension. Unfortunately I cracked open the camera to see the film out in the open, and that was enough to burn some of my photos. Luckily, the leak only affected a couple photos from the beginning of my roll, which were probably the least valued to me. I would have been really upset if I’d ruined these images because I am very happy with some of them. I don’t think I’ll make that mistake again.
Underneath the Bridge - Kodak Gold 200
I’m doing a terrible job with staying consistent on this website, but I just haven’t quite figured it out yet. Regardless, check out these new photos. Have a good night. - Ben