ƒ= {ƒ equals}

I'm going down to see Chloe for the weekend. There's a gala for the art dept at SLO so we're going to that, and I should be doing some studio work with her. mostly helping set up but i might get a few shots in. forecast is for rain, but hopefully it'll blow through today and tonight. I just don't wanna be stuck inside all day. There's some lovely hills in the back of SLO and I'd really like to shoot there more, weather permitting. We'll see tomorrow. 

Anyways, I just wanted to take this time to talk about what to pack. Don't pack what you don't need. Let me rephrase. Don't pack what you ABSOLUTELY don't need, or if its something you might end up needing then make sure you have it available to you at your destination. I'm bringing the kitchen sink, just because that's how I roll. 

Nikon N8008s, Nikkor 28mm f/3.5 (technically, I don't need this, since chloe's got a 28mm that's a stop faster, but I really like this lens). I left my 50 at home since Chloe's got one and I can borrow it whenever. The E-500 is coming too along with the 14-45 and the macro. because I like wide and I like tight (two concepts that go together as much as Nazis at an Annie Liebovitz gallery, if you're talking about something besides photography). Bringing both my flashes too, wireless triggers, and extra batteries. if you have a bag that has memory card/battery holders, USE THEM. They are so helpful. ive got all mine full of AAs, some assorted AAAs, and the BLM-1 for my E-500. the nice red tags let me know which batteries are dead. I'm going to miss this bag. maybe.

oh yeah, if you're traveling, I'm of the opinion that a dedicated camera backpack trumps EVERYTHING. especially if it can carry a laptop. I looked into getting a messenger bag, but the lack of space (I need [read: like] lots of it) turned me off. so I'm getting a backpack, ditching my Tamrac Pro8 and my North Face Recon. shoulder bag + backpack = no bueno on the shoulders. I need something that can carry 2 bodies with lenses, an extra lens for each body, 2 speedlights, wireless triggers, a laptop, hard drive, and assorted knick nacks. A 'weather proof' backpack beats my thin north face bag and my [fairly substantial] tamrac bag any day of the week. consolidation FTW. you might like the ease of a shoulder bag to get at your stuff, but i normally have a camera slung around my neck anyways. besides, I'm talking about travel here, not going on day jaunts around the city. I'd probably prefer a messenger for that, but for travel, id rather carry a small bag with my clothes along with the backpack. it just seems more convenient to me.

Nikon N8008s + Nikkor 28mm f/2.8 + Kodak Portra BW400CN.

Saves bland monochrome conversions!

Use it!

Nikon N8008s + Nikkor 28mm f/2.8 + Fuji Pro400H

Also known in the past as T400CN, Portra BW400, and now as Kodak Professional BW400CN (professional my ass, I can find this shit in the local walgreens). 

Anyways, it's a monochrome C-41 film that you can get processed at any drugstore minilab. I really think it's a hidden gem in the film world. Ilford made (makes?) a similar film, its name escapes me at the moment (XP2?), but I don't think it gives you as creamy of a texture as the Portra. I'm calling it portra because it's what it was called when I first shot it. to my eye, the emulsions are more or less the same throughout the name changes, so get over it. I've shot every the T400, Portra, and professional versions, so I can testify.

moving on, it's a great film. Lots of dynamic range, though not as good as a silver-halide film developed and printed yourself, and the contrast is right in the middle so you've got the leeway to play with it in post if you have a hybrid A/D workflow like I do. if I didn't have so much neopan, I'd probably be shooting this a lot more. as it stands, I've got 15 rolls of 1600 to burn through, and I don't get out enough at night. 

when developed by a lab that knows what they're doing, it looks a lot better than from your drug store minilab. yeah yeah, i know they probably use the same machines to do it, but pro labs definitely take care of theirs better. I'm tellin you, it's worth paying twice the price for a much better negative. 

The only downsides to the B&W portra? well, if you're obsessed with Fuji, you're out of luck for an equivalent in their line (maybe acros 100, but that's not C-41. in fact, Acros is a much nicer film, it just doesn't really fall into the same category, and it's cheap at my local lab so i guess I could call it another hidden gem) The fine grain of BW400 is also deceiving—yeah, it's great, but the film itself isn't a high-resolution film. I mean come on, it's sold in drugstores. Think of it as a nice companion to some NPS160 or Portra NC.

Nikon N8008s + Nikkor 28mm f/2.8 + Kodak Portra BW400CN

Nikon N8008s +28mm f/3.5 + Fuji Velvia RVP100F.

sorry. I just don't understand how people say Velvia is so ridiculously oversaturated. i had to ADD saturation/vibrance to this, along with many of my other slides, just to get them to look like the actual scene that i remember through the lens. 

Maybe it's the 100.  RVP50 seems a bit more saturated, but only marginally.  I still have to add saturation/vibrance to most of those shots, and I scan the two films identically.

could it be the scanner? possibly. but a look at the slides reveals that the scanner only has minimal exposure issues, generally erring to overexposure. so that would make colors lighter and appear more vibrant. again, I just don't get it. and i probably never will until i shoot things other than Velvia. but I get Velvia for free every now and again so I'm really not going to make this a final statement until i shoot something else side by side with it. Maybe some Astia or Ektachrome.

I could just remember things in technicolor or something though.