That I Like

Today I brought a roll to the film lady, Juliana at Shoppers on Portage in the West End. She called me ten minutes after I had left her counter to confirm my initial hesitation. The roll I had dropped was not C41 but indeed contrast film and was now ruined. Crap. Bulk rolled film stored in mix 'n match cassettes is confusing as hell. In the process of ruining yet another roll of film to light, I learned to trust my instincts and always process for contrast when the gut says so. I forget every shot taken on the roll from the partycam (probably because majority were inebriated attempts with flash while riding in a thick bicycle pack) but I was sorry to lose one shot of a wooden rocking chair sitting on a stoop in the dark.

Flash is a beautiful thing. The recent addition of a flash kit on my Kiev is a new and exciting avenue. Creme lent me his and I spent the weekend at the Rainbow Trout music festival experimenting with light and subject in the dark! It was exciting to process to say the least. Besides a few minor misfires and soft focus shots (irritating), the lot of four turned out pretty nice. Characters galore. If your roving eye can spot them, my favorite shot from the Trout weekend was of a wonderful Franco Manitoban couple who caught my eye at Magic Hour. Flash added warmth to the composition and a lucky twinkle under Buddy Guy's bucket hat. Bonus!

Enjoy some fruit of this week's darkroom labor. Come this time next week I will be a studio student once again. Stencil meet Color, Color meet Stencil. I anticipate a happy relationship to come. Color film, get out of my way. We are experiencing a BREAK. The love/ hate affair with the stuff makes me laugh.

Contrast vision. Besides, there is nothing better than developing contact sheets of 120 negatives. Giant preview! That I like.

Enjoy. No fuss contact sheets shot over the course of summer. From shows at Negative Space to Andrea's patio, Folk Festival to St. Malo. All over the map essentially; hauling the Kiev along for the ride.