yet another photogblog

Sunday, June 26, 2011

restart

After so many months without blogging I decided that it might be about time to write some new articles about what I like and what concerned me lately. Since I am not used to write so much at a time anymore (it should change soon, if I'd like to finish my papers, essays and start writing my thesis - 120 pages don't get filled by themselves) I think I start slowly.

Well, I had to return my dad's beautiful Hasselblad some time ago already but since then got sticked to medium format: I now almost exclusively shoot in medium format. Back then though, after returning the Hasselblad, there was a lack of medium format cameras in my possession and I had to help myself. I tried to find a good but not expensive one.

After doing some research I realized that a lot of people recommended the Yashica MAT 124(G). It is a copy of the Rolleiflex, where the G - as they stated in the forums and websites about medium format - must stand for glass lenses. The relation of price and quality was the best. So I took my decision: A Yashica it will be. But where to find? After doing some search via ebay and Google I found that very camera for 190€ - which in this condition is a very good price. Since the day I met with the seller and bought the camera I started using my lovely Nikon FM less and less frequently. Just as an example: The last time I brought 6 roll films and only on 135mm film to the development.

Even though the quality of the lenses in the Yashica are dimensions away from what you could see in the Hasselblad-photos it still has, besides the "woah, cool-effect" on people around you, some advantages: It is lightweight, compact and silent: Because it is a twin lense reflex camera it has no big mirror inside. That means for long time exposures that they still deliver convenient photos for a 1/30 second. It also means that it is perfect for street photography and you can carry around the camera in almost any situation. Plus: it has a built-in light meter that is connected to exposure and time value. The disadvantage of the camera - besides the lower quality of the lenses, of course -, is the quite dark matt screen (like in the Rolleiflex), the non-changeable lenses (oh, I would love to use some wide-angle) and some minor things like more plastic inside.

I am pretty sure that the Yashica won't be the last medium format camera I'll own in my life (my aim will always be the Hasselblad 501C or 503C - but first finding a well-paid job, right?). I definitely would hardly sell it again. It is just too perfect to take a quick shot in medium format.

The picture is taken from the internet. I simply have been too lazy to take a photo myself.

Here are some examples:

Thursday, May 26, 2011

tumblr

Just got a tmblr-blg. Yet I'd like to start blogging again soon... after I got all my stuff done for university. Becoming a scientist takes a lotta time.

Thursday, January 27, 2011

Let's go swimming

I just discovered this and suddenly my room felt humid:

Sunday, January 23, 2011

My top 3 flickr streams

#1: Click

#2: Click

#3: Click

Thursday, January 6, 2011

Hasselblad

I am so happy... One or two months ago my dad gave me one of his most precious toys to play around with: His Hasselblad FC/M 2000. Since I never tried medium format film before it was a very big and new thing to me... and that is also how the first results looked like: Shot by a newbie. Anyway, I tried and tried and spent a lot of money on films and development and in the end the last two attempts came out to be not that bad. To understand the camera itself it is important to know that it comes along with four parts: The lens, the body, the magazine and the viewfinder. The lens explains itself. The body consists of the shutter, the mirror and the rest of the mechanical stuff, while the magazine carries the film (either 6x6 or 6x7, etc). I am neither in the mood nor very good at explaining some technical details so I just leave this part out... besides there is one thing I would like to mention: The problems with the viewfinder. Due to my preference for classical stuff I like to use the viewfinder delivered with the camera where you look from the top into the camera and adjust the image like that:

Actually it looks very easy but I definitely can say: It isn't that at all. First you have to get used to the left/right-altering. The picture you see in that viewfinder shows on the right what in reality is on the left and other way round. That means if you move the camera to the right, in the viewfinder the picture moves to the left. Quite confusing if you ask me, especially when it comes to adjusting the horizontal axis. After you adjusted the photo like this you have to set the focus. It is very important to adjust it correctly, otherwise it just looks like crap. Unfortunately the big "screen" of the viewfinder doesn't help so much so what to do? There is a small slider on the upper side of the viewfinder. Pull it and the magnifying glass snaps out. Now you also can adjust the focus - and you will be very surprised how different the results are: Whilst you thought before your focus is correct, the magnifying glass proves you wrong. Well, after adjusting everything (the first times it takes quite a long time - Hasselblad is hardly made for snapshots) you need to shoot. But be careful: 1/60 seconds might be too long for a Hasselblad of this format due to the huge mirror inside. Rather take 1/125. Here are some of the last shots taken with this wonderful piece of photography:

Saturday, December 18, 2010

Ara Güler

The expected phase of procrastination moves on and keeps me away from the really interesting but complex issue Constructions of Europe. In order not to miss the best person in the world too much or to get lost in the endless spheres of TV shows I decided to publish one post after another... naaaaa, just kidding, only some. In fact, I actually wanted to see one entry on this page that represents my high regard for one of the best photographers in the world: The award winning photographer from İstanbul Ara Güler who is very famous for his photos about İstanbul.

Since the moment I got into photography I knew about him - and from this first moment his astonishing photographs enchanted me. They are different, they are special, they catch every single moment in a way that no other might be able to catch like. Unfortunately I am not the only person who thinks about him that way and so are the prices of the books about him insanely unaffordable for a student's budget like mine. But in times of the internet and the Google imperium at least it is possible to "like" his work on Facebook or find his photos via the Google Image Search and use Wikipedia to gather any knowledge available - just to survive till I either move to İstanbul (besides some other very important advantages no expensive flight tickets anymore) or win the jackpot in the lottery.

Here are three of my favorites (click on the pictures to get to the official Facebook fanpage):

Friday, December 17, 2010

Update

Two weeks ago I - again - was able to drop by at my favorite photo lab in Sirkeci/İstanbul and leave some of my latest 35mm films. After in the last weeks I had so much shit to study for I now found the time to procrastinate properly and upload the developed photos until the next load (yea!) arrives. Well, here it comes: