Big and Blank

I'd driven by this building along Brand Boulevard in Glendale a number of times and loved the unusual window arrangement and the way this south-facing wall took the light.  I thought it would be a good Holga candidate, but the Mamiya is back form the shop and so I was happy to have a chance to test it on such a monumental structure.  The building is a block from the new Americana "lifestyle mall," and it will be interesting to see how much longer this view lasts.

Back to B&W

One from the not-too-distant archive of the El Rancho Market on Alvarado just above Sunset in Echo Park, shot along with the other recent black-and-whites during the half marathon with the Mamiya. I still have a stockpile of Plus X film (125 ISO) and some 220 Tri-X (320) I've got to work through, and while I like the contrast and grain in those images I'm going to pick up some Ilford Pan F, a 50 ISO film that is supposed to render much finer grain and detail on these sorts of exterior shots.

Details

From that same excursion along Sunset with the Mamiya. I think the problem I have with people, at least one ones in photos, is that I can't control them. Some people have a knack for catching a look, a glance, the juxtaposition of bodies at just the right moment. I prefer taking angles and light and thinking about them, either waiting for the light to be right or moving myself to accentuate some aspect of what I see.

Some People Like It

I've always been drawn to details, far more than to people (there's a lot there, but let's just leave it at that). On that excursion along Sunset the day of the half marathon, I came across this empty parking lot. Along the rear was a chain link fence with a handful of guys and their shopping carts, all loaded up with cans and bottles. They were eyeing me, and I figured it had to do with this clean kinda guy and a big camera poking around. I took a couple shots and moved on. When I came back about 15 minutes later, I realized it was a recycling center I'd been staring at, and those guys were there to make some business, probably wondering all along what I was up to.

On the Run

The other Sunday I got up early, hoping to catch a quiet Sunset Boulevard in Silver Lake/Echo Park. What I didn't know was that thousands of others were getting up early to run a half marathon along Sunset. Disappointment at not being able travel as I wanted, I soon realized that they'd blocked off all the streets for me. Not ideal, with all those people running through the shots, but then again I didn't have any pesky cars to deal with.

Details, Details

Well, first it appears that the new Blogger Beta takes liberties with images that the earlier version did not. This image of a tree somewhere on Ventura Boulevard, shot with the Mamiya, should appear full-frame. *

In any case, here's a shot of a tree somewhere on Ventura Boulevard, shot with the Mamiya. Have yet to have any of the big camera's images enlarged, but am excited to see the clarity the large format and crisp lens offer.

*A note - if you click on the image, it will appear in full frame.

Something About a Train

Many years ago, in another city in another life, I worked with a photographer named David Plowden. Extraordinary landscapes and images of decaying Americana - barns, factories, small towns and trains. A PBS affiliate in Michigan, I think, did a documentary on him that showed how painstaking the construction of great images can be - should be. I thought of him as I tried my best to be patient waiting for this train, waiting for the positioning to be just right. Also shot out in Riverside. This image, too, will look better smaller - it was scanned from the contact sheet.

Film vs. Digital*

The color rolls came back from processing, and since it was the first one I'd shot I didn't ask for much - machine prints only - so the reproduction is not the finest. That said, I wonder how easy it is to discern between the two. To be fair, I'm posting images at a reduced dpi, so none look as good as they could. But still - any guesses? *Edited - the side-by-side style was messing my format...