Dollar Portraits

It is my great pleasure to welcome my first supporter, Vision Image Lab.

They offer a wide range of imaging services including quality traditional processing, proofing, film or digital printing, digital scanning, retouching, display solutions, signage, artwork copying, slide duplicating, laminating & mounting... For a comprehensive list of services or a quote request via an online form visit their site or call one of their helpful staff on (02) 9319 3300. They're located conveniently near the city (Sydney) on 10 Danks St in Waterloo.

I sound like such a marketing snob don't I? Well in all honesty I've been using their services for some time now so I have no problem whatsoever recommending them to a friend. I trust them with my processing and printing and that's all that counts.

I'm happy to report that I've reached my first hundred dollars with your generous support. Whether you donated your portrait or just donated some money, please accept my thanks. I hope to take many more portraits and maybe some of your money too. ;)

Last Sunday I went to cover a social even known as the Zombie Lurch. Throughout the world in major cities people gather, apply zombie make up and walk around the streets looking for brains to eat. Well not quiet but they do walk around the streets and pose for any photographer with their most fear enducing look they can muster. The Sydney turnout this year was lower than normal so they called off the walk but still gathered at Hyde Park and had a ball. I left early and didn't take any photos unfortunately.

I did however walk around Hyde Park and shot 2 rolls. One was a Fuji Neopan 400 and the other a Fuji Astia 100F. I'm really pleased with the Astia colours. Medium Format slide film looks amazing. No scan can do it justice but I tried to represent the natural colours as much as possible.

Ever since I started seriously exploring photography at the beginning of 2008 my father has been my number one fan. One day I took my photo blog offline and he asked me what happened that very night. I knew then that he keeps tabs on my work just as he kept tabs on me and my health growing up as a young lad.

True to form when he heard about this project he was proud and donated a twenty. Today I brought home some medium format slide that I shot over the weekend and seeing my happiness and dedication to this project he donated another twenty. Not only my biggest fan but also my biggest contributor. Thanks dad, I love you.

It's a long weekend here in Sydney and I thought I'd kick it off on Friday afternoon with a stroll around Hyde Park. I had two rolls of Fuji Neopan 400 in 120 format with me and managed to shoot most of the first one on the way there. Mind you, before I left work 4 people were gracious enough to let me shoot their portrait so I did get a nice head start. Thanks guys. :)

On the way to Hyde Park I met two interesting people. One was an MX employee. They're the ones you see all over the city handing out the free newspaper in the afternoons. He took an interest in my project as he has lost a loved one to cancer. I'm sure the further along I get with this project the more I'll meet. He asked me to come past that corner some afternoon to collect a donation as he didn't have anything on him at the time.

A user from a forum I frequent has recommended a film with some rather stern words so I did a bit of research on it and liked what I found. It's Fuji Astia 100F and from what I've read and seen it is a brilliant film with exceptional fine grain and a great range of detail in lights and darks. The granularity is rated at RMS 7 which is extremely fine.

Check out a review with samples here and a datasheet (warning pdf link) here.

I've purchased 5 rolls of 120 and plan to use some on this project. First though I'd like to find a lab that will hopefully donate some development for the slide as it can get rather costly and I'd rather spend the money on donations.