Tag: Black and White Film

34 Year Old Kodak T-MAX Negatives

I was bored. There was nothing on Netflix or Amazon Prime, Apple TV or Hulu, or HBO Max that I wanted to watch. To distract my mind from boredom, I rummage through a set of negatives from my early college days with 35mm film photography.

In college, the chemistry for developing a 35mm colour film was expensive. As a student on a limited budget, black-and-white photography was an attractive option. I had access to the darkroom at the Media Centre at Drew University, spending hours experimenting and developing Kodak Tri-X Pan, Ilford HP5 and Kodak T-Max.

Kodak T-MAX Professional is a black-and-white film known for its high resolution, sharpness, and fine grain for decades. It has a nominal sensitivity of ISO 100 or 400, making it a versatile choice for various lighting conditions.

One of the key features of T-MAX Professional is its T-Grain emulsion technology, which produces extremely fine grain and smooth tonal gradations. This makes it a popular choice among photographers who want to achieve a high level of detail and sharpness in their images.

T-MAX Professional also has a wide exposure latitude, allowing for greater flexibility in various lighting conditions. It can be pushed to higher ISOs without sacrificing image quality, making it a useful tool for low-light situations or for creating dramatic effects.

In addition to its technical features, T-MAX Professional is known for its classic black-and-white look, with deep blacks and bright whites that create a striking contrast. It has been popular among fine art photographers and documentary, portrait, and landscape photography.

November 1988 | Pentax P3 | SMC Pentax-A 50mm f/2 | Kodak T-MAX Professional   ISO 400
November 1988 | Pentax P3 | SMC Pentax-A 50mm f/2 | Kodak T-MAX Professional   ISO 400
November 1988 | Pentax P3 | SMC Pentax-A 50mm f/2 | Kodak T-MAX Professional   ISO 400
November 1988 | Pentax P3 | SMC Pentax-A 50mm f/2 | Kodak T-MAX Professional   ISO 400
November 1988 | Pentax P3 | SMC Pentax-A 50mm f/2 | Kodak T-MAX Professional   ISO 400
November 1988 | Pentax P3 | SMC Pentax-A 50mm f/2 | Kodak T-MAX Professional   ISO 400
November 1988 | Pentax P3 | SMC Pentax-A 50mm f/2 | Kodak T-MAX Professional   ISO 400
November 1988 | Pentax P3 | SMC Pentax-A 50mm f/2 | Kodak T-MAX Professional   ISO 400
November 1988 | Pentax P3 | SMC Pentax-A 50mm f/2 | Kodak T-MAX Professional   ISO 400
November 1988 | Pentax P3 | SMC Pentax-A 50mm f/2 | Kodak T-MAX Professional   ISO 400
November 1988 | Pentax P3 | SMC Pentax-A 50mm f/2 | Kodak T-MAX Professional   ISO 400
November 1988 | Pentax P3 | SMC Pentax-A 50mm f/2 | Kodak T-MAX Professional   ISO 400
November 1988 | Pentax P3 | SMC Pentax-A 50mm f/2 | Kodak T-MAX Professional   ISO 400
November 1988 | Pentax P3 | SMC Pentax-A 50mm f/2 | Kodak T-MAX Professional   ISO 400
November 1988 | Pentax P3 | SMC Pentax-A 50mm f/2 | Kodak T-MAX Professional   ISO 400
November 1988 | Pentax P3 | SMC Pentax-A 50mm f/2 | Kodak T-MAX Professional   ISO 400
November 1988 | Pentax P3 | SMC Pentax-A 50mm f/2 | Kodak T-MAX Professional   ISO 400
November 1988 | Pentax P3 | SMC Pentax-A 50mm f/2 | Kodak T-MAX Professional   ISO 400
November 1988 | Pentax P3 | SMC Pentax-A 50mm f/2 | Kodak T-MAX Professional   ISO 400
November 1988 | Pentax P3 | SMC Pentax-A 50mm f/2 | Kodak T-MAX Professional   ISO 400
November 1988 | Pentax P3 | SMC Pentax-A 50mm f/2 | Kodak T-MAX Professional   ISO 400
November 1988 | Pentax P3 | SMC Pentax-A 50mm f/2 | Kodak T-MAX Professional   ISO 400

Terra Momo Bread Co.

The fog and dim light seemed like a good day to use Kosmo Foto Agent Shadow.

A few weeks ago I completed a virtual workshp on the Zone System, led by photographer Ossian Lindholm. It's part of my efforts to nreak out of my pandmeic rut.

Ansel Adams developed the Zone System, a technique for translating perceived light into specific densities to allow better control over finished photographs. Though he lived well before the time of megapixels and monitors I think he would have embraced the creative possibilities of the digital age.

Witherspoon Street

The fog and dim light seemed like a good day to use Kosmo Foto Agent Shadow.

From The Kiosk, I walked over to Witherspoon Street. Things were different on this street. There was more activity. I stood outside the Princeton Public Library on the corner of Witherspoon Street and Paul Robeson Boulevard, observing this part of the downtown come to life.

Despite the eerie surroundings, people walked confidently, their feet moving along the familiar pavement with a sure-footedness born of frequent repetition. Some walked with purpose, while others meandered slowly, perhaps taking in the strange and mysterious beauty of the fog. As I looked up Witherspoon, the buildings that lined the street disappeared into the mist.

bicycle rack outside the Princeton Public Library
Outside the Princeton Public Library · Monday 26 December 2022 · Minolta XD-11 · MD Rokkor-X 45mm F2

The bicycle rack with the jumbled bicycles looked twisted and mangled like a dead animal's entrails. The metal frame that was once straight and sturdy was now bent out of shape, contorted into grotesque angles that seemed almost unnatural. The scene was made even eerier by the dense fog.

Near the bicycle rack, a man sat, his phone in one hand while he warmed the other inside the pocket of his hoodie. The man seemed lost in another world, engrossed in whatever held his interest in his electronic brick.