Still life with Hasselblad 500 C/M

[CosteaM]

<p >When I said I took my Hassy out it was a way of saying because I started using it inside while out-out was kind of too cold. I’m often attracted to still arrangements whether they are objects or flowers perhaps because of the esthetic appeal so I used my living room to improvise in front of the window. Unfortunately my set-up lacks a proper back-drop and my composition is not at its best but my point was to exercise correct exposure and how light plays on various textures and shapes, especially that my bottles echoes the shape of the eggs. I will definitely revisit this subject but I want to know your opinion because I posted same images on a different forum and got no reactions whatsoever. Are they so bad or what seam to be the problem? </p>

<p >About the camera what can I tell you, they are now much more affordable than 20-25 years ago; This model was introduced in 1970, the modular construction is what makes them so functional and great to use. During a photo shoot you can use different films on the same body just by changing the backs. The dark slide on each back keeps the film safe at all times. All parts are interchangeable, lenses, backs, viewfinders and focusing screens. This camera uses 120 film and shoots square 6x6 cm negatives.</p>

<p >Operating this kind of camera is a bit different than TLR or 35mm in the sense that you need to go through few steps before actually taking the picture. In any case this gear is not aimed at the street photogs so rushing is not conducive of good results.</p>

<p >The lenses made by Zeiss have synchro compur shutters with speeds from B, 1 sec up to 1/500 sec. My model has the mirror lock feature, very handy considering the size of the mirror that can cause vibrations. So far I own and use the Zeiss Planar 80mm/ 2.8 T* which is the normal focal for this size and a short tele (called a portrait lens) the Zeiss Sonnar 150/ 4 T* both unbelievably sharp and yielding a fabulous definition.</p>

<p >For below pictures I used the Sonnar with the 21mm extension tube, I measured the light with my Soligor spot meter, shot on Kodak Plus X-125 at ISO 50 and developed in D-76, dilution 1:1 for 7min48sec, printed on Ilford MGIV paper developed on Dektol dilution 1:1. I scanned the actual prints, no PS of any kind. When I said I was exercising correct exposure I mean I used the zone system, for example in the egg basket image I put the neck of the basket on zone III (the print has visible details) so that the highlights on the upper part of the eggs don’t exceed zone VII but still look like glowing. The meter gave me 3 stops luminance between shadows and highlights.</p>

<p >What it really meant is I closed down two stops from what the meter was indicating (the meter will always give you zone V – grey exposure) in order to get a deep shadow with slight texture details. From there I opened up one stop to compensate for the extension tube. Since I needed some DOF I preferred to keep a smaller aperture –F16- and ended up with a shutter speed of 1 sec and even 3 sec. If you think of the exposure process I heavily overexposed the film and under developed but I did this based on previous tests and I knew what to expect.</p>

<p > </p><div></div>

[CosteaM]

<p>Next one</p><div></div>

[CosteaM]

<p>Another</p><div></div>

[CosteaM]

<p>Here is my Hassy</p><div></div>

[Rob_the_waste]

<p>Very nice Mihai. I love the egg basket.</p>

[longname]

<p>Absolutely beautiful, I too like the egg basket.<br>

Thanks for sharing!</p>

[subbarayan_prasanna]

<p>Yes, love the texture and soft glow of the eggs; wonder how you got that in that picture while the others are sharp and crisp. Thanks for sharing, sp.</p>

[subbarayan_prasanna]

<p><em>"...I posted same images on a different forum and got no reactions whatsoever. Are they so bad or what seam to be the problem?"</em><br>

Mihai<em>, </em> I would not worry about the non-response.<em> </em> Sometimes people are just busy; they browse and move on with their work and concerns.<em> </em> Some pictures are so good that they don't evoke a response immediately.<em> </em> Yours are in that category.<em> </em> It is like the feeling "oh what can I say?...the guy is good...."<em> </em> Great job!<em> </em> Regards, sp.<em><br /> </em></p>

[rustys pics]

<p>Lovely B&W prints! Amazing you got such a good scan off the prints. I like the egg and bottle; the contrasting shapes and tones play off each other nicely. The only one I don't like is the one with 2 bottles. There is a line or something running at the top of the photo. For such minimal subjects the background should be minimal too-jußt plane white.</p>

[saintelmo21]

<p>Classic beauty</p>

[CosteaM]

<p>Thank you all for your comments. I appreciate the feed-back.<br>

Subbarayan, most kind of you - the eggs are also sharp but their texture differs from glass so they look soft; this is how light reflects from the egg shells.<br>

Russ, thank you. This was for me more of a technical exercise. I needed to know for myself if I can control the exposure from the camera to the print as the theory says and place the zones where I wanted them. I will definitely improve on the esthetics and composition.</p>

 

[frank.schifano]

<p>First picture. The egg is too dark. Needs just a little bit of controlled light on it. Add light only to the egg, not to the bottle.</p>

<p>Second picture. The handles of the egg basket are too dark. It needs something there, because on my monitor at least, the darks are turning into mud and devoid of detail. If you want them that dark, then lighten up the eggs a bit to distract the eye away from the darker areas.</p>

<p>Third picture. Not bad, but a little dull. Try placing the bottles on top of a white plexiglass sheet, or cover a clear plexigalss sheet with a white cloth and light from underneath. Balance the light with the rest of the ambient light in the room. You won't need much. For even more drama, fill the bottles with some water.</p>

[tony_lockerbie]

<p>Hi Mihai.<br>

Congrats on the Hasselblad, they are very addictive indeed. I love the sharpness and tonality of your shots, still life is a very demanding form of photography, and the lighting can be very critical.<br>

Lighting with glass and white objects is probably the most difficult, so you have jumped in with both feet! As you are probably aware, one can spend hours perfecting a setup, but it is great fun, especially when you are stuck indoors.<br>

I have found with my still life efforts, that I can be very pleased with my results, only to have someone completely pull the image apart. Such is the lot of the still life photographer!<br>

Seems to me that you have a complete handle on your technique, I'm impressed, and the results speak for themselves. BTW, I see that you have a black lens on your chrome camera, I have a chrome lens on a black camera.....maybe we should swap!<br>

Tony</p>

[User_503771]

<p>Yeah, I agree with the above -- people didn't respond because they're too good.</p>

<p>So, I'm not going to respond either. And next time you post photos this good, I won't respond then either.</p>

<p>Meanwhile, keep up the great work!</p>

[Lou_Meluso]

<p>Mihai, my first shots with a Hasselblad were mostly of my feet, crotch and my nose. I'd say you've done a far might better. Your compositions are interesting and the egg basket shot is beautifully seen. As you use an emulsion, you'll make small technical adjustments over time. Well done!</p>

[CosteaM]

<p>Tony, Michael, Louis - many thanks. I'm learning, I'm learning there are many things that I will have to consider next time but I just wanted to have some good feed-back. I'm grateful.</p>

[Andy Collins]

<p>Nice shots, Mihai. I really, really like the "Two bottles" picture. I love the shapes of the bottles and the way you have them arranged and even though you said that you didn't have any good backgrounds for these, I really like the background on that one. It's a very nice and simple shot that I keep going back to over and over. I wouldn't change a thing on that one; it's perfect for my taste.</p>