Yesterday I had the most amazing photo shoot with a very creative and photogenic couple, Peter and Alexandra. They hired a punt and we all travelled slowly along the river Cherwell while the sun was setting. It was pretty much perfect and felt like I was in a movie. I first met Peter and Alexandra while I was photographing the Oxford Union Society summer ball back in May and I knew that I wanted to do a photo shoot with them but the idea of doing it on a punt was all Alexandra’s. This is a little taster of some of the images I made because I haven’t processed the film yet. These shots were made with Fuji instant pack film (the same as Polaroid) but for these I scanned the negative part after bleaching the black backing off. I can’t wait to see the film shots. Please note that none of these images have been retouched in any way, they are all straight scans. More to come.
[Tech info:] Mamiya RZ67 with 110mm and 150mm lenses. Fuji FP100C instant pack film.
First frame
We are all still in the punt for this shot. The Willow was overhanging the river. Zero Photoshop effects, this is a straight scan.
Looking at the setting sun.
Leaning back.
These are simply stunning! Jaw dropping stunning! I am already fan of your BW work, but these top everything. The colors, the sharpness, the lack of sharpness, the posing, the mood every image has … gorgeous!
Thanks for your kind comment. This really was an amazing experience and these images are just the first taster. There will be some more to come.
these are superb – can you say a bit about the bleaching
Thanks, Andy. Here’s a video showing you how I bleach my negs. I use household bleach gel which is thicker than regular bleach. If you search for videos on reclaiming pack film negs you’ll see tons of people taping the neg down onto glass before bleaching. I started off doing that but it’s much more time consuming than with this method. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N9n6GI-LgSM
After you’ve removed the black backing with bleach, rinse under warm water making sure you don’t get any bleach on the other goop side. The wash off the goop soften it up with warm/hot water and slowly rub it off. Be careful not to scratch or damage the emulsion.
Beautiful work, Nasir. The second photograph is stunning.
Thanks, Bruce. Lots more still to come from this photo shoot.