Portfolio of the Week: Marc von Martial

Dear Readers,

This week we feature another German photographer from Bonn, Marc von Martial. Marc is a freelance graphic designer by profession. He, as many others, started with digital equipment (not counting the snapshots from the film era), but got »infected« soon with analog, starting with lomography, when he fell in love with the images made with a Holga. Now, he primarily shoots on film, and he also develops all the films by himself. He likes to experiment with film very much, including expired film. His main focus is on people/portrait photography, some landscape, and also some street photography. He is working on a few photographic series, developing them over time. He describes himself  mainly as a medium-format-and-polaroid kind of guy, since he mostly uses his beloved Pentacon Six TL, with the CZJ 80/2.8 and 180/2.8 lenses (the same lenses he uses also on his DSLR, by his own words better lenses than Canon L series lenses!) and the Polaroid Land 350 and SX-70 Alpha cameras. He also makes great use of various Holgas, yet he also has other cameras in his arsenal, among them a Hasselblad 500CM, various 35mm cameras, and some other plasti/toy cameras. Please, take also a look at his bio just below his photos. I think Marc makes a very good argumented description why film rules for him, even though he is tech junkie otherwise. Marc's work can be found on Flickr, Marc's blog and his webpage. Enjoy his work!

Silver regards

Mitja

 All photos copyright: Marc von Martial

Portfolio of the Week: Anna Gawlak

Dear Readers,

It's a pleasure to be back after a hiatus! This week we feature a young self-taught Polish photographer, Anna Gawlak, from Krakow. Her analog photographic journey is relatively short, time-wise, but nevertheless, her talent is so obvious. She works in both 35 mm and medium format using her Canons T70, T90, AE1, and a Kiev 60.

By her own words: »I really don't know why I take a pictures. I suppose that is for me like a spinning a tale: spooling a film, snapping photographs, composing them... The narrative about calmness and naturalness. Calmness is more than lack of movement - I cannot stop searching it everywhere I am. Searching the naturalness means trying to pick out what is true and simple in the world - I cannot stop doing it.
But, first and foremost, my own story is about big, big love. I love the world: light, colour, contrast, symmetry, trees, tasty food, buildings, doors, feet, ankles, eyes. I love the human being. Everywhere I am - I cannot stop searching.
And all that makes the simple pleasures of life.
I like a film because I like learning new things. And learning to be patient belongs to them. 36 photos... it is very much!:) Besides, when I have to do 36 images I must be and I want to be more sensitive.«

It's just so good to hear over and over again how people get sentimental when using film, and Anna's position is also very philosophical, I think. I think also that her photos are very much zen-like, a celebration of simplicity in the best sense. Anna's work can be found on Flickr and Thumblr.

All photos copyright: Anna Gawlak

Portfolio of the Week: Alessandro Bocchi

Dear Readers,

This week we feature an Italian photographer, Alessandro Bocchi from central Italy (Padua). Alessandro sent me both a very comprehensive portfolio of photos and biography. He works primarily in medium format, 6x6 and 6x7, with his Mamiyas and uses a variety of films, among them also instant (Fuji) films, mastering very well the reclaiming of the peel-apart negatives from these films. He's another guy who describes himself as an amateur or apprentice, but his work shows much more than that.Nonetheless, he has been also featured in Italian Vogue. Although he only recently dived in the wonderful darkroom world, his photographic technique is far from this. Moreover, Alessandro is yet another photographer who made a happy return to the analog world. Alessandro's work can be found on Flickr. Enjoy his work!

Silver regards

Mitja

Dragoncello (MN) - Christine in the Creepy House - Mamiya RB67 Professional SD with SEKOR K/L 127 1:3.5 L at 5.6 and 1/30. Polaroid Land Pack 100 Back loaded with Fuji Instant Color Film FP-100C.

Castello Tesino (TN) - Christine - Mamiya RB67 Professional SD and Ilford FP4 100.

Castello Tesino (TN) - Vegetation under the woods - Mamiya C330 Professional with SEKOR 80 1:2.8 Blue Dot and Kodak Portra VC 400.

Burano (VE) Italy - Christine with a Night Dress - Mamiya RB67 Professional SD with SEKOR 90 C 1:3.8 at 5.6 and about 15 seconds. Polaroid Land Pack 100 Back loaded with Fuji Instant Color Film FP-100C.

Gorino (FE) Italy - Hope and Christine - Mamiya C330 Professional with SEKOR 80 1:2.8 Blue Dot and Fuji PRO 400H

Vigonza (PD) Italy - Model Valentina - Mamiya RB67 Professional SD with SEKOR K/L 180 1:4.5 L at f 8 and 1/125. Polaroid Land Pack 100 back loaded with Fuji Instant Color Film FP-100C.

Stra (VE) Italy - Model Laura -Mamiya RB67 Professional SD and Mamiya HP701 Polaroid Land Pack Film Holder, SEKOR K/L 127 1:3.5 L @ f 8 - 1/125 s; Bleached negative of a Fuji Instant Color Film FP-100C

Padua (PD) Italy - Christine and our bunny Weizen-Mamiya RB67 Professional S and Mamiya Press Polaroid Land Pack Film Holder, SEKOR C 90 1:3.8; Polaroid 125i Silk Instant Color Film

Montegrotto Terme (PD) Italy - Dania jumping in the water from 6 meter- Mamiya C330 Professional and SEKOR 80 1:2.8 Blue Dot; Kodak T-MAX 400

Padua (PD) Italy - Net Center Tower at Night-Mamiya RB67 Professional SD and SEKOR 50 C 1:4.5 (at 3 minutes - f 8.0); FUJICHROME T64

All photos copyright: Alessandro Bocchi

Alessandro's Bio

My name is Alessandro Bocchi and I am from Italy. I was born in 1970 in Mirandola near Modena in the center of Italy. Now I live in Padua, near Venice with my wife, 6 rabbits, 2 Guinea pigs, 2 cats and 1 dog. I work as a computer technician all days and for this reason I started to hate the latest technological equipments.

I started taking pictures during one summer at the sea in the south of Italy. I was a 14 years boy and I was with other friends in the swimming pool of the camping. There was a very beautiful girl of my same age and I started taking pictures of her (you can see the pictures I am talking about on my flickr page). I immediately discovered the pleasure of taking pictures. Portrait of person. The camera I used was my fathers camera, a wonderful Rollei 35 TE. I still have that camera and I still use it once in a while because its still really compact.

After my fathers camera I had the Fujica STX2, the Nikon F 301 and many many others like the Nikon FM2, F3, F100 and also the F4s. When I moved to the digital with a Nikon D300 I sold everything for a very cheap price. But very soon I felt that the digital photography was missing something.

One day in a little old shop I came across a Mamiya RB67. It was love at first sight. I could never take that camera out of my head. I finally got that camera and then a series of lenses from the 50 mm to the 180 mm and other accessories. I discovered again the pleasure of taking pictures. Taking pictures with a camera that doesn't have any batteries. A camera that is completely mechanical and that will not take any kind of decision by herself. The only little problem of this camera is that its a huge camera to take with you around the city. For this reason I came across to a Mamiya C330. This is my definitive camera. I really love this camera. I can have interchangeable lenses, there is no mirror that slaps and makes vibration and noise, and finally it works with the square format that is the one I like most.

Taking pictures with this two cameras gives me lot of satisfaction and lot of attentions too. Everyone is looking at me when I walk with one of this cameras hanging from my neck. Everyone wants to see, to know and to look trough the finder. But the most eye popping thing is the instant film back. I love to take pictures of people on instant film and than give than the picture. They are always very happy and usually they let me take more pictures. I also keep the instant film negative that i bleach and than put in the scanner to get back the picture that I gave to the subject. I really love that reclaimed negatives. It's really amazing to see how many details you can take out from that thing that usually I throw away.

Recently I found myself to use more and more black and white film. I like very much the Ilford HP5 and I began to use the Kodak TRI-X just from few months. I just finished a dark room course and I loved the developing and the printing so much. I am just a beginner and I describe myself an apprentice photographer.

The more I go on, the more I discover that I don't know anything and there is much much more to learn. I still make a lot of mistakes and I waste film most of the time, but when you took a nice picture and you develop it and then print it, and it will magically appear on the paper in the dark room, it is an amazing satisfaction.

Here you can see some of my pictures that I like  most.

As you can see one of my preferred subjects are portraits. I always ask my wife, my daughter and also my friends to pose for me. My wife has been a model since she was 6 months old, starting with advertising baby nappies. Now she is no longer a model, by the other side, she became a much better photographer than me. I use every occasion to take portrait pictures. Recently, there was a rabbit fair and i shot a portrait to everyone holding his own bunny.

Alessandro Bocchi

Monday Column: Your Bathroom Can Be Also Your Darkroom

This is not a column dedicated for seasoned analogue photographers. I will describe my own experience, how I developed my first roll of film. This column is for those photographers who think that analogue photography is something very difficult and complicated and that you need a special equipped room for it. In fact it is not.

In the last column I described that I was attracted into the analogue photography by finding my grandfathers camera. It uses 120 format films. I bought some. I think it was Fuji Across. I enjoyed photographing with that camera. And then, when film was exposed I was before dilemma. Where the hack I could develop this film? In local quick labs they don’t develop B&W films any more. So I informed myself how I could develop B&W films, what do I need for doing that and then I made a decision that I will do it myself. In the bathroom!  I bought a developing thank and borrowed chemicals needed for developing film (thanks to Vlado). You only need two of them, developer and fixer.

The only thing the bathroom must not have is a window. Primary requirement for developing film is that you have a place with total lack of light. It’s needed when you open your camera and transferring film into the developing tank. So I prepared a place for all the action (transferring film from the camera in the developing thank) in the bathroom on washing machine. I prepared chemicals, for developing agent you need some accuracy on dosage and temperature, take a big breath and turn off the light. The most challenging thing in developing a film is when you are putting film into the reel of developing tank. Into complete darkness! You could do it into changing bag, but you don’t see a thing also. You can rely only on your preparation, memory, touch and skill. Practice is also helpful. I complicated for myself with couple of 120 format film taped one after another. My first try to wound the film into the reel was complete disaster. You could not turn on the light and see what went wrong and then correct it. So, after two or three tryouts I succeed and then put the reel into the developing tank. The lid was on and then I could open the light. At last! Afterwards was easy. You simply put developer first, then you wash out then you fix, and then wash again, open the developing tank and dry the film... Ok. Now I’m on slippery territory. If you want (and you want it) to have film developed OK, it’s not so easy after all. You need right dosage of chemicals at right temperature at right time. You need to agitate properly... and so on. But I succeeded.

Now what could I do with developed film? I went to local quick lab to scan it. The result was disappointing. That’s another story.
Matjaž

Portfolio of the Week: Rolland A. Flinta

Dear Readers,

This week we feature another photographer from Germany, Rolland A. Flinta. Rolland is a Hungarian-born photographer and director currently based in Bonn, Germany. He has been keen about photography since the adolescence and it was about three years ago that he made a serious decision to dive deeper into it. His re-entrance into analog photography is relatively late, but nevertheless, he shows good mastering of the medium. He mostly shoots in medium format. Below the portfolio, there is Rolland's bio, describing his own points of view and photo-lifestyle.  All I can say is: it's never too late to (re)enter in the magic analog world, and Rolland's work is an exquisite example! Enjoy his work! Rolland's work can be accessed through Flickr and his website.

Silver regards

Mitja

 All photos copyright: Rolland A. Flinta

Rolland's Bio

The plan for my future is to enhance more and more in photography. What pushes me on most is: perfection. There is so much to explore and I have the strongest feeling in me that I haven't reached the end of that discovery process for a long time yet. This is what keeps me occupied in the near future. 

I was definitely inspired by Richard Avedon exceptionally, by Sally Mann and Herb Ritts. But there are several famous photographers who inspire me again and again. 

Taking pictures for me means thinking thousands of thoughts running through my mind, it means escaping the real world and diving into another. With my work, I generally try to bring out the best in my models. Very frequently, pictures turn out to be inspired spontaneously because shooting one picture means having the following one on my mind. Especially daylight is an important factor for me due to the fact that I love shooting without flashlights. Playing with light and shadow fascinates me. 

In summer 2011 I discovered my enthusiasm for analogue photographing. I learn from shooting to shooting and the analogue photos amaze me more and more. The complexity and the effort of analogue pictures is much higher on the one hand, on the other hand it is worthwhile since you have to take care of every cinch, you have to take time, and in the end you are excited by the mood and the patina of each picture. 

All this makes the photo as much as the model, who has to sit still for so long, adorable. It is a fantastic and an amazing world.

Well, I did have requests for several exhibitions but due to the lack of time I unfortunately had to decline all these offers because the locations were too far away. Up to now I was very happy to be published in various papers, magazines and on the internet. 

With reference to my work, I am dreaming of publishing a photo book with my pictures.

Rolland A. Flinta

Monday column: How did I Get Into the Analog Photography

None the less that I’m old enough to start with photography in analogue times, I waited the time that digital cameras was good enough and cheap enough, so I could afford one. Before that I didn’t know how to begin. Black and white photography, with your own developing and printing seemed to me too complicated, colour photography without intimacy and too expensive.  At that time (in the nineties) actually I was photographing with my parents “focus free P&S”. But only sunsets, home cats and dogs. So this time I don’t count as my photographic experience.  So I waited the time when I had enough money to buy my own photographic camera. It was a P&S, and digital. But it was mine own photographic camera. And with it, I could get some photographic experience. But my photographic years (for me) began to counting only when I get a DSLR. Only then, for me none the less, I start the learning of the photographic way.

Agfa Isola 1, a frame from the first roll of film

Then deep into the photography, I started to look at my grandfather’s legacy in different way. I’d remembered that we have an old camera in the cabinet.  I remembered that as a child, from time to time I was taking it from the cabinet and played with it. But wait. It seemed to be in working order. Could possibly be still working? Only film was odd format. The camera was very old, and I wondered could I possibly still get the film for the camera? At that time I have already heard about medium format photographic equipment. But for my surprise when I was taking measures for the opening in camera where the film plane it should be, it was 56 mm in both directions. It was hard to believe it. The camera was too simple to be a medium format! At that time I did not know, that 120 format film was a standard in past times, because of low resolution of film around WW2. Yes Leica format was in use, but at that time (before the war) the only advantage of 35 mm film was portability (and number of frames of course). So when I learned all about 120 format film, I bought some, put it into the camera and start to do some true analogue photography. The camera was Agfa Isola 1. And of course I had to learn how to develop the film after exposure. But this is another story.
Matjaž

Portfolio of the Week: Margus Sootla

Dear Readers,

This week we feature an Estonian photographer, Margus Sootla. Margus is a photographer-world traveler who works primarily with medium format. He began with digital, but soon converted himself to film photography. Regarding films, he works with a great variety of them. He defines himself as an amateur, but based on his portfolio, I can only say this is an understatement. Personally, I am particularly impressed by his work done with IR films. However, I was equally impressed by his biography, as I was by his photographic work. Therefore, I made no excerpts of his bio. His full, uncut biography is posted just below the portfolio-just scroll down please. Margus' work can be accessed via Flickr and this link. Enjoy his photos (along with very descriptive captions)!

Silver regards

Mitja

Nightlife under Khaju bridge, Esfahan, Iran. This is where the local muslim young come to meet their future partners. (Kiev 60, 80mm f2.8 / Maco TP64c)

Persepolis guardian - the symbol of Iran. (Kiev 60, 80mm f2.8 / Maco IR820c IR)

An abandoned ship in Magellan Strait, Argentina. (Pentax 67, 35mm f4.5 fisheye / Fomapan 200 Creative)

Motorcycling Dream, Estonia. (Pentax 67, 75mm f4.5 / Kodak Aerochrome colour IR)

Portrait of Raúl, the friendliest person we've ever met, Argentinian Patagonia. (Pentax 67, 200mm f4 / ADOX CHM400)

Calm before the thunderstorm in my backyard, Estonia. (Linhof Technika 69, 90mm / Maco IR820c IR)

Shades of Time, Estonia. (Pentax 67, 75mm f4.5 / Rollei Infrared shot in -28C )

The Ride, UK. (Arax 60, 30mm f3.5 fisheye / Kodak T-MAX 100 )

Sublime. (Pentax 67, 35mm f4.5 fisheye / Rollei Retro 400)

Hamer tribe is having fun with my small Sigma PS camera, Ethiopia. (Pentax 67, 35mm f4.5 fisheye / Kodak T-MAX 400)

All photos copyright: Margus Sootla