Landscape Film Photography - A Forest in the Fog 

Thanks Peter.

Thank you.

It was a lovely morning, sadly though a lot of the location has been cleared for new trees.

Thanks Michael.

Thanks Joe, I'm out again tomorrow with the Bronica so another vlog coming up.

Thanks Vijay, the fog deadens all the sound and does make for a relaxing shoot.

Hopefully we will get more shots like this tomorrow Robin.

Thanks, It's surprising how many shots I've taken in such a small area over the past two years.

Thanks Paolo.

Thanks for the feedback Paul. I must get out to Peckforton soon as it is an area I shot a great deal in previous years along with Bulkely Hill which is my favourite part of the sandstone ridge. Llyn Ogwen is possibly the perfect landscape location with something for everyone and I have another vlog from that location coming soon from a walk I took up Pen Yr Ole Wen. One thing I notice when doing the vlogs is just how good the local landscape is, I used to dismiss it but I can now see shots I'm missing out on whilst editing the clips together!

+Vikas KM Thanks Vikas, it was a wonderful day, mist and fog change everything and make an ordinary location special.

Thanks Vincent.

Thanks Ben.

Thanks Chris, glad you liked it.

Thanks Yon. Enjoy using the GS1 in your local woodland, I have always found medium format cameras perfect for working in these environments.

If you are traveling around this neck of the woods I'd love to join you for an outdoor session. There is a sofa available for an overnight crash.

Hi Steve. I'm not sure if this is place for my question but ; using film, particularly FP4 do you see a difference in a print that has been done in the darkroom, directly from the film, compared to a digitized ( film scan then printed from a digital file ) ?

Hi Yon. I think the answer is 'it depends' but essentially yes, I can see a difference in darkroom wet prints and the equivalent scanned negative. The type of scanner is of course very important as is the light source (which is also true for darkroom work), for example I hated the look of 35mm B&W negatives scanned with the Nikon Coolscan V as it used an LED. I much prefer the technically inferior Epson v700 when scanning traditional B&W negatives as the results are much smoother with a grain structure that resembles a diffuser enlarger. I found that darkroom prints made with a diffuser head softened the grain and there were none of the odd effects some film/developer combinations give when scanned Eg HP5+ in Rodinal - too harsh and gritty. The big advantage of scanning comes when you want to make bigger enlargements such as A3 and above from 35mm negs as you can bring back some of the sharpness that is traditionally lost. You can also add structure and use clarity to open up the mid tones, an area that always challenged me in the darkroom. Hope this helps.

Thank you Federico

Thanks Gaetan, nice to know someone else still shoots with the Bronica. I enjoy film and digital but there is something wonderful about the handling and controls of a medium format camera that is hard to explain as I'm sure you know.

+Ninni Ciotta Thanks Ninni.

Thank you Rachel.

Thanks Gabriel.

Thanks Sammy.

Thank you.

You are very welcome. I shoot on film, too. 135 with my Pentax cameras (K1000, KM, MX and ME) and 120 (6x6) with an old Seagull 203. I intend to purchase a ZB SQ-A, too, perhaps an S2a. I don't lnow yet. However, your photos are very inspiring to me... :-)

You can’t go wrong with any of the Bronicas, great quality lenses and really well built.

I have heard that you can't have them serviced or repaired anymore. Is that true or just a rumour?

I’m not sure to be honest, they are very reliable and I have a second body just in case.

Thanks Prashant.

+Eric Johnston Thanks Eric.

Thanks.

I like the 1:1 format for certain subject such as forests and mountains, less so for coastal work. I also like the 6x9 format but that's another hit to the wallet.

Thank you.

I did a conversion to B&W in Lightroom as I felt the image needed to be simplified.

Indeed Mark, I keep forgetting about the 'original' full frame cameras I own. I've always scanned my own film although I have had a few done on an Imacon and they were very impressive. If I get an amazing shot I might consider a drum scan but it is pricey and I'd need to be making a very big print to make it worthwhile. Even a flatbed like the v700 makes very good A2's from a medium format negative. On your Bronica ETRS you should get either 15 or 16 frames so it sounds like either the spacing is too big or it is wasting a lot of film at the end of the roll.

Steve O'Nions Thanks Steve, I will have a look at my instruction manual to if I can adjust anything on the winder.

+Paul Compton This was near Norley moss, plenty of parking off road only 5 mins away.

Thanks Valley Walker!

Hi Lars. I have been very pleased with the Bronica and has no problems whatsoever. It is better to get the last model, the SQAi if possible as it will be newer and less likely to be worn out. I also have a spare body I carry when I go on longer trips. The film backs are supposed to be the weak point of the system but I’ve never had problems.

Hi Lars. I have been very pleased with the Bronica and has no problems whatsoever. It is better to get the last model, the SQAi if possible as it will be newer and less likely to be worn out. I also have a spare body I carry when I go on longer trips. The film backs are supposed to be the weak point of the system but I’ve never had problems.

Hi Malcolm. Whilst the mist/fog doesn’t make any appreciable difference to the metering I do find that it lowers the contrast and dynamic range considerably. I’ll often meter the extreme highlights and shadows and if there’s little difference, say 3 stops then I just take the middle value.

@@SteveONions Thanks Steve

Hi there. I'm pretty sure that exposure wasn't 30 seconds and I picked up on it not long after I made the video. It must have been no more than 16 seconds as I didn't use bulb and that is the slowest speed the Bronica has. It was darker than it looked though and the video camera always makes things appear a lot brighter than they actually are. On the subject of overexposure I've found it makes almost no difference with colour negative films to add a stop or two but Ektar is interesting in the way the extra light provides greater separation between the yellow and green tones.

Steve O'Nions Thanks! I've shot Ektar before but not in these conditions. I will give it a try, however, when the occasion occurs! Looking forward to the next video :)

I like the way Ektar renders the forest colours but not blue skies which take on a cyan cast - much prefer Portra in this respect. It is a vivid film and quite tolerant of incorrect exposure, very sharp and fine grained too.

Steve O'Nions Can't argue with that. I found Ektar to be a film one would definetely not want to underexpose, it gives the photo a purple-ish tint as far as my experiences go so up and till now I tend to overexpose it a little bit. My favourite film up and til now is probably Portra 160 for colour and Ilford Delta 100 for film. The detail in those two is fantastic.

I did Des, vlogs not only add to the amount of equipment you need to carry but also the amount of walking you do.

+Al Copley Thanks Al. For all 120 colour processing I use Ag Photolab, very quick turnaround and excellent value.

Steve O'Nions ag photo are fantastic 🤙🏼

Hi Paul. Easiest way of describing it is to go to the crossroads by Hatchmere (by the Fortune Palace restaurant) and turn down the main forest road as if heading to Mouldsworth. After no more than 100 yards park on the left or right side of the road and take the well made path on your right which skirts alongside Norley moss (large barrier here to prevent vehicle access). It will be very bright today so you may do better in the heavily wooded area about 200yds along on your left. Hope this helps.

Thanks Steve

Hi Prashant. I scan on an Epson v700 but occasionally use a Crystalscan 7200 for 35mm negs and slides. I used to have a Coolscan V that I foolishly sold a few years ago.