First foray: Street and Horizon Perfekt

DavidTO

I've been just digging into shooting film in my swing-lens panoramic camera, the Horizon Perfekt. It shoots a 120° view.

I'm learning a lot of new things: shooting with this camera means I have to think differently, shooting film means I'm not chimping or getting immediate feedback, no meter on camera means I'm learning more about how to expose properly without one, etc.

Anyway, here are some of my first color street shots with this setup. I'm still not where I want to be in the composition and catching fleeting moments aspect.


1




2

bdcolen

I like the first one, David - weird color, but...I might convert it to black and white and black around with it. But I like the contrast between the left half of the scene and the guy in the suit with his dry cleaning - and the utter sterility of the exterior scene. The second one, to me, just looks as though you tripped as you were tripping the shutter. :-)

B. D.

DavidTO

Thanks, B.D. Yah, the right side of the frame was a bit over exposed, and I had a hard time recovering. I'm shooting the negs with my 5D and converting the negative image. These are among the first frames, so I have a lot to learn about the process and how to optimize my color.

And I guess that second one just doesn't do it for ya! I'm still working on how to fill that wide view this camera shoots.

schmoo

I really like the first: the subject, comp and especially the action behind the glass and on the street. I think the funky color also gives it a cool vibe that is often imitated but never duplicated in digital.

Joco

Shooting this style to me looks like a challenge, but a very promising technique.

DavidTO

Joco wrote: »

Shooting this style to me looks like a challenge, but a very promising technique.

Thanks.

Yes, aside from seeing street in pano, which takes some getting used to, here are the other roadblocks I've set up for myself:

• No metering in camera. I carry two apps with me, an exposure table and a light meter, but usually I'm not gonna stop and meter a candid street shot, so I use my best judgment.
• Inaccurate viewfinder. Even if it were accurate, it's really hard to see to the edges of a 120° view. Again, I'm often winging it.
• I'm not using a traditional scanner, but shooting the negs with my 5DMKII via a Bowens Illumitran slide copier. Steep learning curve for me when it comes to color. Overcoming the orange mask in color negative is not always easy. Add onto that the reduced latitude from black and white, and I've got a lot to learn.
• It's film, so there's no immediate feedback on composition, exposure, or anything.

I've put another up, here.