Being an optimistic guy, I figured I should keep on trying the Mamiya. First try on Neopan 100 ACROS, and mainly test shots, but it does not mean I cannot get a few nice shots out of it. Sadly, the leaks are still there on most shots. The RB67 is a huge camera and I was still trying to figure out what types of pictures I can use it for. Portrait of the family taken at home still was the target at the time. We will see where it takes me.
I know I should not focus that much on the gear, but this particular camera is a bit special. This is my late grand-father's camera. I got it when he passed away when I was a teen, and it is the very first camera I shot with. Of course, I did not know what I was doing at the time and trial and error with film is a long process. But getting it back and using it again allowed me to see the progress I made over the years. My first title idea for this one was "Camera pr0n", as it focuses on the gear acquisition syndrome I might suffer from, but I feel that the current title, "Weapon of Mass Creation", is a better one, highlighting the awesome tool it really is.
One of the original reasons I got beck to medium format was because of... Instagram. Yes, you read it right. I loved the film scan border look and the square format so I searched for ways to do it for real. And that is how I first heard of medium format. It is sad, I know. But fast forward almost a year and here is another Instagram moment: a good old selfie! It is me, in my bathroom, it is blurry and it wasn't even square before I cropped it but I think it still beats any iPhone version. Next version will feature a tripod and a shutter release cable. Maybe.
As you can see, the light leaks are still very much present and completely random. Most of the time ruining shots that would be awesome otherwise. Well, most of them. This shot was a setup portrait of Max with the blanket in place to get a good background but the foreground white "thing" is a hell of a way to distract from the original subject.
Continuing my attempts to shot the kids with the tank. Still searching for the perfect "portrait by the window" too. The high dynamic range of the Neopan really shines here, allowing to capture my daughter’s face details despite the window being in the frame.
This is exactly the type of portraits I am looking for with the camera. The black and white and soft result from the film as well as the shallow depth of field really gives the dreamy, timeless character to the picture and can hide very well the mess that usually comes with young kids. This is Max, age 6 months, on his mat at home, being his usual happy.