On Film I Saw High ISO

These days, in the age of modern digital cameras, when you consider ISO800 as high ISO, people would laugh at you. The advancements in digital photography has been light years away from film. But despite all the advancements, noise is still an issue to most cameras, and you're gonna see it in your camera unless you're using really expensive fancy ones (Looking at you, flagship cameras!)

Crossing Burgos Circle.

But there's this sort of charm in high ISO films. Instead of a ghastly noise like what's on those cheap cameras where you see specks of different colors and a lot of smudging, what you get instead is fine grain. This is by no means a fine ouput, but it's appealing to some, and even I admit, it's preferable to digital noise - at least for me.

To The Top And Back!

The previous entry, was just getting half way there. That wasn't the destination. That was the halfway point in our long walk. Things get even more interesting after that.

This wasn't the destination. This was the respite; This is the relief - the extraction from that tiresome endeavor. Beyond these planks is our ride that brings us back to the familiar. Leaving behind the tedious adventure -  and our footprints. But we bring back with us the dirt in our shoes from this, along with the pictures, the memories and the sense of accomplishment. Taal has been kind to us in this.

 

This is the second of the two parts. In case you missed the first one, it's in here. As what our guides would say to fellow hikers we come across along the way, "Keep it up! You're halfway there."

The Other Side Of The Comfort Zone

August 5, 2017.  I went to climb a volcano to jump off the crater. Then I remembered that I have acrophobia and was too tired to even jump when I got there so I just enjoyed the view and took pictures instead. The end. Okay, not really. There's so much more to it. I am now here. Looking out to the scenery - searching for the places where I used to stand while looking at the place I'm standing in right now. So, this is the view from the other side...

This journey I took knowing it will be an ordeal, chasing the shadow of what's now a distant memory - a fantasy that was once reality. Nonetheless, the die is cast, I find myself on the edge of what I've only looked at from afar before, and there is no other way but forward. For plans and promises made, ones I intend to keep from my end regardless of how everything else went awry. Because I promised them. Because I planned them. Now from the outside looking in, I find myself in the company and kindness of amazing strangers I never met before. Under the scorch of the cruel sun and intermittent respite of the clouds, each heavy step I take, off to tread where I've never dared before. Halfway getting there I look back to see this. So this is the view from the other side of the comfort zone. This is worth risking for. Safety and fear never helped me through the worst; This adventure is worth risking for. This is the first of many - I'll be back for more.

This read might get as long as the journey...

A Week With The Beauty From Belarus

Exotic title aside, this is about the week shooting with the Belomo Vilia. This may not sound like much, but the compact dimension and the very useful focusing scale makes it a joy to use. I loaded it with a Fujifilm C200 and it was a joy to use during the day.

Fun And Sand Under The Monochrome Sky

When one says the beach, people often imagine the blue seas, the white, brown or multi-colored sand, white clouds and cerulean skies above; Green palm trees and the different colors on people's faces... But what if there's none of that?


All the beauty of the beaches but without the vivid colors. That is exactly what happened here...

End Of June

June of this year has been quite a month for me. It has, for some time, been quite busy, and other times, I dare say turbulent. I'm thankful that I somewhat still get the chance to go take pictures at my leisure time. Here are some random knickknacks from the month.. A lot of these are from our recent company outing and some sights around the office- Namely my favorite Starbucks branch.

 

Came Across The Fuji Acros

Excuse the bad pun. Today I'm sharing something different, definitely a first. This is the first monochrome film I ever used - The Fujifilm Neopan Acros. For starters, it's interesting.

Walking The Dog. Monochrome images remain timeless for me.

But how was it? Well...

Rolling With A (Belo)Russian

I went crazy yet again. I chanced upon this interesting plastic gem. While the Minolta I borrowed is superior in every way, I still got enchanted with this Belorussian beauty. Maybe because I really just have a thing for rangefinders. It has a kind of subtlety that calls less attention than the average SLR.

Maybe it's #sentimentalism of older days, but I'm quite attracted to #rangefinders. From Leicas to Olympus to Fujis, there's a charm about them I don't see even in the best of D/SLRs. I've long lusted to get my hands on a #rangefinder camera, but the prices I saw were absurd. Then my path crossed this #russian - it's #cheap but #cheerful... And was at a price that screamed at my common sense that was trying to silence the urge to get me a rangefinder: "cyka blyat idi nahuiii!!!" - alrighty then, comrade... A lotta folks are screaming for Fuji X-Pros, X100s, and X-Ts ... And I got this. It's not a proper rangefinder by any means but at this price, I won't complain. This is one itch scratched. Lovely. Shoutout and appreciation to #sovietcamerastore for this fix for my #vice and to @filmfolk_ for supplying my #film. I'm gonna bother them again soon to send some goodies. But not until after I share some thoughts about the experience in using this sweet thing. Teach your kids to love #film photography- they'll have no money to buy drugs. . . . . . . . . . . #rnifilms #filmfolk #lostwanderingdrifter #sovietcamera #filmisnotdead #filmphotography #buyfilmnotmegapixels #filmcamera #istillshootfilm #filmstill #filmphoto #film35mm #35mm #135film #belomo #vilia #belomovilia

A post shared by Rowe Lee (@lostwanderingdrifter) on May 19, 2017 at 1:01am PDT

This is the Belomo Vilia. I've recently acquired this beauty and finished shooting a roll with it. So what do I think about this beauty? Well...

Blowouts, Blurs, Grain, And Flaws That Remain

You'd think that with continuous use, you'd obtain mastery of something. While that is true in many cases, it isn't so for my film photography endeavor. That van that gives away free coffee is in town so I dropped by and had a few good pictures along the way.

Free Coffee! This is among my better shots in the roll. Cool van in a cool place on a lovely Sunday!