Strictly Film (Black & White)

New Blog PLEASE FOLLOW! real blog

2011-02-19T14:42:00.000-08:00

http://visual-drone.blogspot.com/

2009-06-02T21:48:00.001-07:00

I've finally set up an official flash based website which is where most of my new "Showable" work will be presented as newer, better photographs replace the old obsolete Images.

Please visit and let me know what you think.
Thank you!
--Steve

http://www.wix.com/steviespice/steve-shilling-2-photography

My Day

2009-04-28T22:49:00.000-07:00

I happen to really enjoy this picture. It's three exposures on one negative and they are:
-My dining room
-a student standing in the senior hallway
-two kids that sat next to me in my Anatomy and Physiology Honors class

This took a lot of planning to capture cause there was a lot of time between exposures and I had to make sure that I allowed the proper amount of space in the layout of the image. It probably would have been easier if I had made at least a rough sketch.
:-/
Oy, well I love a challenge.

Fascination

2009-04-28T22:38:00.000-07:00

This is a really messy negative that I scanned in, Two kids that go to my high school were working in the art room on some sort of project and I just decided to...click... be a creeper as I am so apt at being and this was tthe result. I wish the girls face was more in focus rather than her shirt though the detail captured in the shirt is kinda cool.

Coughin(g)

2009-04-26T20:14:00.000-07:00

This is a medium format shot I took with an extremely old Voigtlander Brilliant. The camera dates back to circa the early 1932
To be honest I'm surprised anything came out at all.
I also used a very very old type of developer and no scheduling whatsoever for the film processing.
All was done in my basement and kitchen.
The skeletons were projects for my senior year Anatomy and Physiology class. Three groups created human skeletons mostly out of model magic. Me and my two parters decided to take on the challenge of piecing together an old sheep skeleton.
Not so easy...
hahaha I had a lot of fun with it anyway and with how degraded the film appears they look relatively realistic.

The white scratches occurred when I had difficulty advancing the film. I personally like the effect though I'm sure there are plenty out there who believe that the image is technically ruined. To each his own.

Music Club

2009-04-26T20:10:00.000-07:00

Valves

2009-04-06T16:50:00.003-07:00

Valves
Originally uploaded by srtists13

German Medal 3

2009-04-06T16:50:00.001-07:00

German Medal 3
Originally uploaded by srtists13

Filament

2009-04-04T17:02:00.001-07:00

Filament
Originally uploaded by srtists13

Scanned and inverted negative 4x5 direct print from camera.

Shooting Stats:
f/64 @ about 1 min 30 sec - 2 min

I'm disappointed in this shot because I really was hoping to see the filament more clearly. However, as pointed out by a supremely close friend the picture does, at first appear to be of smoke which is kinda cool.
:-)
All in all, it was a cool idea but didn't turn out how i wanted it to.

Jazz

2009-04-02T20:37:00.003-07:00

Jazz
Originally uploaded by srtists13

Scanned and inverted negative 4x5 direct print from camera.

This is quickly becoming one of my favorite pictures. One aspect I really enjoy about it is simplicity of it. It's one of the more centered pieces of mine which I usually tend to stray away from but i feel like there's enough visual interest happening with the scratches on the brass in the lower right corner to offset the balance.
There's a cool little light flare thingy going on in the upper right hand corner. But my favorite aspect of the image is the uniquely focused areas of the keys/valves. Different portions of the keys/valves are focused because of how the front and back plates of the camera were tilted and shifted.

German Medal 2

2009-04-02T20:37:00.001-07:00

German Medal 2
Originally uploaded by srtists13

Scanned and inverted negative 4x5 direct print from camera.

My apologies, I can't recall any of the shooting or printing details for this image. (I neglected to write them down)
This is my favorite pin so i decided to create a little series out of it. Nothing too fancy because the pin is elaborate enough; no need to add confusion, simple texture and lighting would suffice I figured.
I was hoping that the target would be the most in focus portion of the image rather than the metal "Rifle" bar but, so it goes. I still am pleased with the outcome and especially like the stark contrast in the image. For some reason it makes me feel like the image is or the medal is very strict and military-like.

Picture of a Leaf, Old Style

2009-04-02T20:36:00.001-07:00

Picture of a Leaf, Old Style
Originally uploaded by srtists13

Scanned and inverted negative 4x5 direct print from camera.

No written details...

I'm not much of a fan of this picture. It just seems too staged to me. I took it so I know it's not staged but it's got this feel that it is.

Winter

2009-04-01T18:30:00.001-07:00

Winter
Originally uploaded by srtists13

Scanned and inverted negative 4x5 direct print from camera.

Shooting Stats:
f/16
approx 4 min (evening w/ poor artificial light)
Bellows: 19.5 in.
Dist. from Subj. 13 in.

Developing Stats:
D Time: 35 sec
S-B Time: 45 sec
F Time: 2 min.

This picture gives me the chills. It's really contrasty so the whites almost look like ice, or at least realistically it should look metallic. I'm a huge fan of the texture of the metal and how the dynamic light is caught on even the slightest of changes in the surface.

German Medal

2009-04-01T18:22:00.001-07:00

German Medal
Originally uploaded by srtists13

Scanned and inverted negative 4x5 direct print from camera.

Shooting Stats:
f/22
2 min. 30 sec
Bellows: 21 in. Front: 10 in. Back: 11 in.
Dist. from Subj: 10.5 in.

Developing Stats:
D Time: 1 min. 25 sec
S-B Time: 35 sec
F Time: 2 min

Just a shot of my favorite pin. The way it's lit looks like a photograph taken with a flash; and this is weird because I like this image, but I strongly dislike most images that use a flash except the old pictures of Arthur Felig (a.k.a. Weegee)

Skull 2

2009-03-29T14:00:00.001-07:00

Skull 2
Originally uploaded by srtists13

Scanned and inverted negative 4x5 direct print from camera.

Shooting Stats:
Shutter Speed: ???
Aperture: F/8
Bellows: 11 1/8th in.
Dist. from Subj: 22 3/4 in.

Processing Details:
Developed: 15 secs (yikes!)
Stop Bath: 1 min. 30 secs
Fix: 2 min.

The story with this print is that sometimes the shutter release cable gets a little stuck halfway to closing... well this time that happened and i didn't notice until looking into the lens and noticing the open aperture. So I'm not even remotely sure what the shooting speed is haha.

Skull 1

2009-03-29T13:57:00.001-07:00

Skull 1
Originally uploaded by srtists13

Scanned and inverted negative 4x5 direct print from camera.

Shooting Stats:
Shutter Speed: 2 secs
Aperture: F/5.4
Bellows: 13 in.
Dist. from Subj:21 in.

Processing Details:
Developed: 15 secs (yikes!)
Stop Bath: 1 min. 30 secs
Fix: 2 min.

This was my first real photograph from my 4x5 camera. (just getting the hang of it so far.) I was really worried when i put it in the developer and in less than 20 seconds it was rapidly getting darker and darker. There are a few chemical markings on the print but other than that and its being centered I'm pleased with it. :-)

Sub-Urban

2009-03-25T17:36:00.001-07:00

Sub-Urban
Originally uploaded by srtists13

7/17/2008
Scanned Print

Film type:
Ilford HP5 400 speed

Print on fibre paper

For this image I chose to make a diptych that contrasted the urban setting with the suburban setting. My favorite aspect about it is the shallow depth-of-field in the lower picture and the texture of the road’s surface.

Vacation

2009-03-22T17:19:00.001-07:00

Vacation
Originally uploaded by srtists13

Scanned negative.

Film:
Ilford Delta 3200 speed film

Shot @:
Aperture: F. 16
Shutter: 1/500

Patco Ride

2009-03-22T13:20:00.001-07:00

Patco Ride
Originally uploaded by srtists13

Scanned negative.

Film:
Ilford Delta 3200 speed film

Shot @:
Aperture: F. 11
Shutter: 1/125

This was my first time shooting with Ilford Delta B&W film and I absolutely loved it!
I know a lot of people who would prefer to shoot down around an ISO of 50 or even 25 because they absolutely hate grain. I, on the other hand believe there is always a place for any type of film out there, otherwise why wold they make it. Personally I enjoy taking shots in the city with higher speed films because i think the slightly visually unsettling qualities that accompany large gain work really well with my idea of the city. I grew up in a small town in the suburbs and ya know how they like to keep those areas as clean and pleasant looking as they can, well for me cities are the opposite. They've got this really down to earth, tough, dirty, nitty-gritty, appearance to them, and I love it! So whenever I go for a photo shoot in the city I always try and make sure i've got some 3200 speed film with me.