Nothofagus and Richea

mark.darragh
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Joined: 30 May 2013, 14:06
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Nothofagus and Richea

Postby mark.darragh » 13 Nov 2021, 09:18

Deciduous Beech (Nothofagus gunnii) and Richea pandanifolia

Arca-Swiss Universalis/F-Line hybrid 4x5,
Fujinon NW 125mm

Kodak Ektar 100

Image

Velvia 50

Image

Provia

Image

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RoganJosh
Posts: 226
Joined: 29 Aug 2012, 11:26

Re: Nothofagus and Richea

Postby RoganJosh » 13 Nov 2021, 10:15

I think the Provia looks the least natural in this case but it might also be my fav of the three. Nice photo!

Walter Glover
Posts: 1270
Joined: 31 Jul 2012, 22:31
Location: Leichhardt, NSW

Re: Nothofagus and Richea

Postby Walter Glover » 13 Nov 2021, 16:34

Great shot and appropriate research or knowledge of the subject as usual Mark,

I see that there is some costly hedging of the bets going on here. Multiple emulsions on each shot and I dare say at least 2 sheets of each (at the very least). You create well seen and richly considered gems and the costs suggest to me that there is a definite return on outlay factored into this work. To determine which of the submitted alternatives is best begss the quesion: FOR WHAT?

No surprise that I find the Kodak totally believable. It's quite credible, drawing on experience ib such climes , that the Ektar might have been pretty much what the lens saw. If the target market is academia then that would be my go-to choice in a heartbeat.

Gallery or stock agency sales the chocolate-box fanfare of the Fujis might prove to be attention grabbers. There ain't nothing wrong with catering to all possibilities — something at which you display great proficiency.
Walter Glover

"We see things not as they are. We see them as we are."
Emanuel Kant

mark.darragh
Posts: 61
Joined: 30 May 2013, 14:06
Contact:

Re: Nothofagus and Richea

Postby mark.darragh » 19 Nov 2021, 10:24

Thanks, RoganJosh. The Provia is my choice too.

Natural and realistic colour reproduction of film is a black hole of chaos shooting in the wilds rather than the controlled environment of a studio. In this case, the Ektar doesn't really convey the depth of the forest. The colour balance is good but far too light. It's just a straight inversion using Colorperfect, I need to work on it. Is the Provia the most natural, no; does it best convey the feeling of standing in under a dense canopy of Nothofagus in late Autumn? In this case, it does to me.


A good question, Walter. These images are part of the continuing work on the Gondwanan flora and environments in Australia and beyond. Hopefully at the very least one of these might find its way onto a gallery wall or for publication.

I rarely shoot more than a pair of sheets on any one subject, if it’s colour neg often just one. Given the “scarcity” of RVP 50 (at least for my wallet) I’ve taken shooting a sheet paired with a sheet of Provia or RVP 100 which gets developed first. On the last Tasmania trip I shot some extra sheets of Provia of some compositions to experiment with some different development.

The second reason is one that relates to your comment about moving into the world of colour negative film.

In the last 5 years or so real possibility that E-6 processing may well go the way of E-4 and Kodachrome has made me look at shooting colour negative in a serious way, in particular, Ektar 100 and Portra 160. I’ve always carried and shot the odd sheet of colour negative but I’ve never really been comfortable working with it compared to transparency. Shooting Ektar or Potra 160 alongside Provia or Velvia gives me a standard to work toward and has helped to develop a workflow that is starting to give me reproduction from colour neg I’m happy with. All useful knowledge if E-6 chemistry does disappear.

Walter Glover
Posts: 1270
Joined: 31 Jul 2012, 22:31
Location: Leichhardt, NSW

Re: Nothofagus and Richea

Postby Walter Glover » 19 Nov 2021, 21:10

I go along with your summation there Mark. I'm keenly following the line of reasoning because I'm about to start shooting colour neg myself for the first time to compare with XP 2. I feel more secure trusting a dip and dunk at a commercial lab given that I have to function by remote control.
Walter Glover

"We see things not as they are. We see them as we are."
Emanuel Kant


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