Introduction
I had been wanting to try a roll of 35mm Fuji Acros 100 for a while, and being back home in Virginia, there were no stores in my area that carried it. So, as is usually the case with my pro-grade film, I ordered it online.
For this first roll, my intention was to shoot a black and white portrait session with my beautiful girlfriend, Brandy. I also grabbed a roll of Portra 400 for a themed shoot I did with her, which I will blog about at a later time.
This roll of Acros 100 was pushed two stops to 400, as I wanted the ability to shoot in a little lower light, as well as a much contrastier look that I was going for in this particular shoot. Having seen the developed and scanned negatives, I must say that I am very happy with the results. This roll was processed and scanned by my local lab at Mike's Camera in Wheat Ridge, Colorado. I have only just recently moved to Colorado, so it's taken me some time to get these images out to you guys. Enjoy. ;)
Fujifilm Neopan Acros 100 - Pushed +2
For the majority of this roll of film, I used the Canon FD 35mm ƒ/2 S.S.C. lens (breech-lock version). At the time of this shoot a few months back, I had only just acquired this lens and wanted to test its capabilities. I must say that I am quite thrilled with the sharpness and overall image quality. I used the Canon AE-1 camera for the entire roll.
Brandy and I wanted to do something unique, and one day as we were walking through the mall, we came across a Halloween novelty store, where we found this costume mask. We really liked the way it looked, and it went surprisingly well with Brandy's usual attire. I noticed that I had snapped the shutter right as a small gust of wind blew back her dress, making it appear as if she were wearing a cape. It wasn't our intention to do a superhero photoshoot, but I suppose that's what it looks a bit like, huh? My thoughts? Awesome! :)
I'm so glad that I pushed the Acros two stops, as many of the exposures on this roll exceeded my expectations. I really like the contrast and tones. This was a really cool bridge that Brandy took me to back in North Carolina. I remember it being a particularly bright day, even under the shaded bridge.
Unfortunately, we were in a rush, because Brandy had some tattoo work to do--as you will see in the images below--so we didn't get too many photos here by the bridge. I also didn't have my photographer's notepad with me at the time, and I wasn't able to write down my exposure settings for these. Sorry, guys! I'm not able to recall much beyond the ISO setting of 400.
It was just such a beautiful day with a beautiful model, and I tried a few different poses in the allotted time. I'm happy with the results, though. Those of you who are familiar with my work will know that I love black and white photography, and these Acros images are making it rather difficult for me to want to shoot digital for my own personal work. I have just really been loving film so much this past year. The entire process and tactile nature of film is so very rewarding to me.
I actually like this photo a lot, even though we unfortunately had a bit of a problem with the mask rising up the bridge of her nose, obscuring her eyes a bit. Even still, I thought I would share this one, anyhow.
I just really, really love the lighting here. It would appear that the mask is casting a shadow over her eyes, but I think it's somewhat effective here. When shooting film, it's always a surprise as to how your images will turn out. And I, quite frankly, only vaguely remember posing Brandy for this shot. Again, I'm quite pleased with the results. It was a fun day. :)
This image above was the last of the bridge photoshoot before we had to head back to the tattoo shop. I jokingly said to Brandy that, "this photo looks as if you're about to break into Wayne Manor." The cat burglar vibe is real; I assure you that wasn't the original intention, but I'd like to now claim that it was. lol ;)
I told Brandy that she would have to get used to me taking photos of her. And as a photographer, how could I not capture this gorgeous lady on film? I am in awe. Here she is sitting in her personal tattoo space at The Crow's Nest in Chapel Hill, NC. Check her work out @TattooBrandyB on Twitter! ;)
The lighting in here is very dim, and I was going for an artsy sort of photojournalistic style with a stark contrast, as Brandy had begun tattooing a client. I almost didn't post this image since it's a bit dark, but I still thought there was something really cool about it.
This is honestly one of my very favorite photos on this roll. There's something very eery about it, and I mentioned to her that it looked like Frankenstein's lab, or something. lol. This is Brandy at work, and I love it! She's so talented. ;)
It got too dark to finish the roll of Acros in Chapel Hill, and the one above is the first photo taken back in my old home in Virginia. It was taken at a fishing area nearby the house on one of the trails. This one far exceeded my expectations, and I just can't get over how much I love it!
As you can see, Brandy was with me this day, too. I had her pose behind this winding tree branch, as the sun was setting behind me. I remember thinking that it was becoming a little dark, and I was worried about getting a proper exposure. I am happy with this one, also.
I would imagine that any shots such as the above image were shot at either ƒ/5.6 or ƒ/8. I can't recall which I used here, but wow! Look at those tones! I will be very heartbroken if Fuji decides to discontinue Acros film. I must buy more.
This was the last photo of the day, and the last with Brandy. If I had to guess, this was at an aperture of either ƒ/2 or ƒ/2.8. :)
This old van had been sitting outside my mom's place for a long time, and I decided to snap a quick photo one day. I still had a few exposures left on this roll of Acros, and I was trying to finish it off before my move out to Colorado. I believe the next few photos were definitely worth it.
This is the first of a few photos that I took of my friend, Jessica. She had just gotten this new dress, and wanted some photos taken of her on Acros. This little area with the old shed was right across the road from my mom's house. I had been eyeing it for a few days, and thought it would make an interesting photo. I was right! I really like this one.
Here's another photo of Jessica at the same location. I am really in love with the Canon FD 35mm ƒ/2 S.S.C lens, and up until this point, I had been shooting portraits with a 50mm or longer. I must say that I've grown quite attached to the 35mm focal length for most types of photos. My Canon FDn 50mm ƒ/1.4 has seen little use since I got the 35, honestly.
The last photo with Jessica. After giving it more thought, I might just be happy shooting only Fujifilm Neopan Acros 100 for the rest of my life! Haha. ;)
Okay, so... perhaps the photos above weren't the last ones of Brandy. Sorry, guys... but I had to finish off this photo blog with a few more exposures of my beautiful girlfriend. She's so very special to me, and it pains me that we're currently separated by 1,600+ miles. We'll be together again soon enough, though! Miss you, sweetie! <3
Thanks for reading. :)