Cover image: Facades (2018) Berchem, Antwerp (B) Kiev-10 with 37mm f2,8 and Fomapan 100 Classic. Developed with Fomadon LQR and scanned with an Epson V700.
Welcome to the first issue of Filmdiaries Photozine. Filmdiaries Photzine is an independent, not-for-profit, and uncensored publication showcasing, in this first issue, my personal work. Sounds quite self-loving, doesn’t it? Rest assured, I want to create a space where other film photographers can showcase their work. But before I can invite I need to get some street credibility. I hope to make Filmdiaries Photozine a monthly or a bimonthly magazine, I’m not sure yet. How I came to create Filmdiaries Photozine? Read about it in this issue. I don’t pretend to be a good or even an original photographer. I have a lot of free time that I want to share with you, film photographers. I personally invite you, film photographer, to submit your portfolio’s with a short resume. Simply send me an email for more information. I hope you’ll enjoy this first issue of Filmdiaries Photozine.
Stephan Pot
The OM-System was introduced by Olympus in 1972. Its success must undoubtedly be attributed to Olympus’ chief designer Maitani Yoshihisa and his staff, certainly taking advantage of new technology and increased general 35mm SLR understanding.
The
nucleus of this system is the brilliantly conceived camera body of remarkably compact design, yet with possibly the best viewfinder in any 35mm SLR camera. The first model introduced was the all-mechanical OM-1, with a full aperture TTL CdS exposure meter and a wide bayonet lens-mount, gradually complemented by several quite sophisticated models. The system is also associated with one of the finest ranges of optics ever made available, the OM-System Zuiko lenses
The Olympus OM-system camera range fall into two main groups of bodies, the one-digit model numbers OM-1/2/3/4, and the two-digit models OM10/20/30/40 having more relaxed specifications. Source: camerapedia.wikia.com
Front door (2018) Olympus OM 2n with 28mm f2,8 and Ilford HP5 Plus. Developed with Fomadon LQR and scanned with a Scan Elite 5400.
Symmetry (2018) Olympus OM 2n with 28mm f2,8 and Ilford HP5 Plus. Developed with Fomadon LQR and scanned with a Scan Elite 5400.
How this ʺphotozineʺ started
A few days ago I had a conversation with a colleague about film photography. The guy isn’t interested in photography but wanted to know if the developing process was difficult and or time-consuming. After I explained the development process he wanted to know what I did with the negatives. I scan them and then I choose the best images and process them digitally using Lightroom and Photoshop I told him. “Great”, he replied. “And then?” Good question, dear colleague. In fact, it ends there. I rarely print my photos albeit I do own a high-quality A3+ photo printer. Sweetheart, my wife, would love to see more of my images against our walls. Yet I don’t bother printing my photographs. I post what I think are my best images on Twitter, Instagram, film photography groups on Facebook, and my blog. Like writing messages, putting them in bottles and tossing them in the ocean, and not caring where they end up. To put it bluntly, I enjoy the creation process very much but I don’t really care or cherish the results. A few weeks ago I created a newsletter to run alongside my blog. Sweetheart told me it looked great but found it had no added value because the images and the written parts exist already on the blog. Those who would discover my blog through the newsletter or vice-versa would not find new content. You have a point there, Sweetheart.
Sweethearts’ remarks and the conversation with my colleague made me rethink the newsletter idea. That and the fact I have quite a lot of free time upgraded my project from a newsletter to a small magazine. I’ll be showing only my images and write some articles and when this free kind of a magazine has gained some street-credibility I hope other filmphotographers will be interested in submitting their portfolios. That would be a great thing. I hope this personal initiative will grow in a collaboration with other photographers. After all, we all want to show our work, don’t we? I’ll be showing only my images and write some articles and when this free kind of a magazine has gained some street-credibility I hope other filmphotographers will be interested in submitting their portfolios. That would be a great thing. I hope this personal initiative will grow in a collaboration with other photographers.
Street vendor. Istanbul, Turkey (1987) Nikon F2 loaded with Kodak Gold
The Petri 7s was introduced by Petri in 1963 as a variant of the Petri 7 which was introduced in 1961. The main difference being an improved film advance lever and frame counter. It took 35mm film, had a coupled rangefinder, and an around-the-lens selenium cell light meter. Production ended in 1973. Compared to its predecessor, the 7s is very advanced. It has ATL (around the lens) selenium metering with a match-needle visible both in the viewfinder as well as the top of the camera. From the 7s came the compact Petri Color 35, which was wildly popular when released in 1968. The 7s was available with either a 45mm f1.8 or f2.8 lens. The shutter had speeds up to 1/500, and the viewfinder used Petri's Green-o-Matic system. Source: camerapedia.wikia.com
My photography workflow I mainly shoot black and white. Yes, I have the necessary equipment to develop colour but I haven’t tried it yet. Don’t ask me why. I don’t know why myself. I try to choose the right tool, camera and film, for the right adventure. 35mm works fine for your everyday use. The Olympus OM would be my first choice. If there is quick action I’ll choose a Nikon F5 or the less bulky F100. When shooting alone and time isn’t an issue and hiking is the main activity I’ll take my Bronica ETRS system. I’ve several lenses, two backs and both the prism and waist-lever finder. Mostly I’ll use the Bronica on a tripod and take my time composing the shot and measuring the light. I’ll use a regular light meter but in some cases I’ll check it with a 1° Pentax V Spotmeter to get an even more interesting ranges of black and whites. When time ceased to exist and I’m able to get as near as possible to my subject with my car then the Sinar Norma 4x5 is my absolute choice. Setting the thing up, measuring light and interpreting it, working with the possibilities a Sinar offers, I’m spending quite some time before I make the final shot. The Sinar is, for me, photography in its purest form. I develop black and white film at home. It is not very difficult. I develop 4x5 with a Jobo CPE. When I first started developing film, 3 years ago, the amount of white spots on my film drove me nuts. It took some time before I understood it was the tap water that caused this problem. Since I rinse a few times at the end of the developing process with demineralised water. I scan my 35mm film with a Minolta Dimage Scan Elite 5400 and Silverfast software. Everything else I scan with an Epson V700 Photo scanner also using SIlverfast. I save my negatives iin TIFF or PSD and scan without sharpness and as flat as possible.
The scans go into Lightroom for basic adjustments. The few good images go into Photoshop and I can easily spend an hour or more on one image in order to get what I saw before taking the image.
Bronica ETRSi with 200m f4,5 and loaded with Fomapan 100 classic. Scanned with Epson V700.
How to submit your work? I recently started "Filmdiaries Photozine" as a hobby in a hobby. It is a project I want to share with other film photographers. Do you have a something you want to share with "Filmdiaries Photozine" that can be educational or interesting for other readers? Maybe a review of an old camera or lens? Your experience, tips and or tricks for shooting, developing or scanning film? Do you have a portfolio or reportage you want to share? A project you are thinking about? If so, submit your article and/or photos and help me, help us, give “Filmdiaries Photozine” a voice on the Internet. It must be related to film photography. Images should not be larger than 2048 pixels wide and in 220ppi JPEG format. Don’t forget to include links and or graphics you want to include in the article. A self-portrait would also be great. Please specify the personal info you want to share with the article. We’ll use only your (full) name and/or your website. We won’t publish any other personal information. We will put together your article, edit anything that may be needed but we will not alter or touch your photos unless it is to make a title image/ graphic. When posted your name will be in the headline title and any links you submit will be in the article. That’s it! We’ll send you an email thanking you for your submission and we’ll try to
tell you in which issue your contribution will find a place. Please note Filmdiaries Photzine does not offer you money for your submission. Also, don’t forget coverage will be limited for some time while we try to get
Windmill (2016) Olympus OM-2n with 28mm f2,8 and loaded with Afga Vista 200.