New 4x5 & Hassey stuff

Here's some film stuff I've shot over the past few weeks. Now it's warming up the beach stuff should start filtering its way on here. In the mean time here is some 4x5 and Hasselblad stuff. Once again they are all just quick scans for me to start feeling all this stuff out. I really enjoy shooting the 4x5, but I also really love the look from the Hassey.


Aidan & Oran next to the compost pile
Rowely, MA 2009









Chris, Jen, Asher & another baby boy on the way
Amesbury, MA 2009








Dad & Darlene in their backyard
Fremont, NH 2009









Dad testing out his new bike
Fremont, NH 2009







My niece Alia waiting to go to the father/daughter dance
Hampton Falls, NH 2009








Kate trying to stay warm
Hampton Falls, NH 2009

Harbour Island Locals

So as I mentioned in a previous post I was on a gig in Harbor Island and was lucky enough to have about a 1/2 hour to and an hour most afternoons to go and make some pictures. It was a lot of fun and is something that I probably would have not done a few years ago due to the fact that I used to not be comfortable shooting strangers. I've gotten over that now and it has expanded a whole world of possibilities of picture making. Here's 12 proofs from the trip.




Hotel worker on his way to his break.
Harbour Island, Bahamas 2008








Chico hanging out during a break from the shoot.
Harbour Island, Bahamas 2008








Men on their way to the boat dock.
Harbour Island, Bahamas 2008







Painter taking a cigarette break.
Harbour Island, Bahamas 2008






I've learned that kids can be tough. They almost always want to pose and smile but I think this one works.

Children on their way home from school.
Harbour Island, Bahamas 2008







My favorite landscape I've take in a long time. Notice the dead chicken to the lower left of the frame.

A clothes rack and a dead chicken.
Harbour Island, Bahamas 2008









A man on his way home from work.
Harbour Island, Bahamas 2008









Old cemetery
Harbour Island, Bahamas 2008








Sun breaks through after a storm.
Harbour Island, Bahamas 2008











Older man watching the sunset.
Harbour Island, Bahamas 2008









Young girl eating flavored frozen ice.
Harbour Island, Bahamas 2008









A little mixup for myself, a tight portrait. I've been getting tighter lately, something I plan on doing more of.

Portrait of a young man.
Harbour Island, Bahamas 2008


So I am now caught up on proof scanning all my latest processed film. I've shot some 4x5 portraits lately, so new negs are piling up for processing and now that the weather has been nicer I plan on shooting a lot more. I also have a new webpage in the works that I'm pretty excited about. I don't want to talk to much about it but I'll say right now that its not another portfolio site. Stay tuned.

Scannin'

So I've finally finished doing some quick Epson scans of the negs that I got processed a few weeks ago. This first batch is kind of random stuff I've shot and the second post will be stuff from Harbor Island, when I was there for work. I have to say again, I still truly love shooting film for my personal work. I feel like I get something out of the creative process that I miss when shooting digital. I never mean to down on digital, I think there are many advantages to digital over film, especially now with the high ISO shooting cameras that have come out. Also in editorial and commercial shooting digital has become an necessity. We're going to start seeing photographs in low light that could have never been made before, a huge advantage to anyone working in a documentary style. Working with film is just a different experience that I think everyone can learn from. I really like shooting with different formats and cameras which cause you to shoot differently.
Almost all of these are of Kate, god bless her on her being my constant subject. These are some seasonal photos of different times in New England.








Kate & I going shopping at a strip mall
Seabrook, NH 2008





I did a really wide portrait of Derek that I posted a few months ago. I really liked the feel of it so I've been experimenting with that style a bit more. I guess its an extreme version of my usual full length environmental portraits that I make. I really like this one a lot too.

Kate in the dunes
Salisbury Beach, MA 2008








Kate & Shug on a walk 1
Amesbury, MA 2008

Kate & Shug on a walk 2
Amesbury, MA 2008







Kids taking a break from jumps
Fremont, NH 2008









Dunes Motor Inn empty in the off season
Hampton, NH 2008

More Hasselblad stuff...

Finished some quick scans of the rest of the film I had, here's a few more I'm feeling. A mix of strangers and friends I've photographed. I also added that picture of Michelle to my regular site. Check it out when you get a sec. I've edited my site down a bunch, love to get some feedback.



Clay Patrick McBride showing off his gold tooth and trusty Super 8 camera
EAW, Upstate, NY 2008








Revolutionary War Reenactors in front of home
Upstate, NY 2008








Teens with prizes
Topsfield Fair 2008








David Hartman finishing a cigarette
LES, NYC 2008

Film + Hasselblad = some new portraits

It's been a while since I've posted my own work. It's mostly because I am shooting film for my personal stuff and the whole process takes a lot longer for obvious reasons. Here are two that I scanned last night. I'm thinking of adding the one of Michelle to my site, I did a high res scan as well that I'll do a final retouch on tonight. But for the most part it will look like this. As for the other portrait of my brother, I really like what is going on there, I think its an idea to use for the future. I also have some stuff scanned from this summer shooting up at the beaches, I'm on the fence about posting them yet. It's not that I don't like them, I just think I want to hold off on them to be shown within a larger edit or when I have a more concise idea of what I plan to make them into. I have 3 more rolls to get through tonight. Maybe I'll do another post before the weekend is up.

I also got a 4x5 camera again. This time its not a frankencamera like the last one. This is a real deal Toyofield camera and has been really fun working with. I'm getting some sheets processed this week. I'm really enjoying shooting from a tripod again, which was something I was trying to avoid with that last nightmare of a 4x5 camera I had tested. In college I shot 99% of the time on a tripod and tried to break that habit and loosen up once I was shooting 35mm digi, but lately I am realizing it is a better way to work with how I make my photos these days. I swear its always a push in a new direction that in the end brings back some aspects of my past, especially right now with the 4x5 and tripod.






Michelle Clark on her birthday
Boston, MA 2008






This one of Derek almost takes to an extreme the environmental portrait style I've been doing the past year or so.

Derek Amengual with a glass of milk
Newbury, MA 2008
He's been showing some great landscapes on his blog lately.

Ipswich, MA

I'm doing some scanning, some beach stuff and some personal. Here's one I shot at a friend's party. They had eloped and it was their one year anniversary, they had a party in Ipswich, MA and asked me to shoot some photos at the party and do some portraits of them. I shot mostly digital except a few portraits at the end. Here's my favorite.
On a side note I've been trying to shoot more couples. Holler at me if your interested.



Nick & Allison
Ipswich, MA 2008

I'm back in action, some hassey stuff

Feels good to get some scans done. Here are some quick stuff I shot with my Hassey. I don't plan on shooting anything (w/the hassey) but the project from here on out.
I just scanned these super low res, just wanted to get a feel for how things were looking. So I apologize for the dust and imperfections.



Clay "Cleezy" Patrick McBride ATL 2008
exhausted after a very long day







Josh "Dust La Rock" Prince. Brooklyn 2008
The man, the legend, the brains behind much visual intrigue. Check out his work here.







Kate. City Hall NY, NY 2008







Hanksy. Prospect Park, Brooklyn 2008







Jen Sesma. Prospect Park, Brooklyn 2008







Jon Mildenberg. Prospect Park, Brooklyn 2008









Kate blowing in Shug's ear. Prospect Park, Brooklyn 2008








Syd & Buddy. Prospect Park, Brooklyn 2008









Tim & Betsy. Prospect Park, Brooklyn 2008

Its fun shooting film again, almost a novelty. So sharp, its amazing. Once I get some decent images together from the project I will be posting them here, same deal, rough scans, just to get an idea of where I'm going.

The other Amengual Photographer

Some of you know some don't that my younger brother Derek is a photographer as well. He's got about a semester left at my old stomping grounds Mass Art. He's really starting to develop as a photographer, particularly shooting landscapes. He's just started a blog himself, check it out here.

Not so much new in other news. Laptop hard drive failed again, this time for real. God bless apple care 'cause this is my second drive and they also replaced my battery as well. I've also been shooting with that new Hasselblad lens and am dropping off some rolls early next week. Hopefully I'll post some scans then.

I added a few more blogs to my blog link section.

NY Magazine and the end of my camera search

So my issue of New York Magazine is out. Click here for a link to the web version. The issue is this week's with McCain on the cover. I was pretty happy with the print quality, and the lighting matched up pretty well. What a hard assignment but I think I earned my stripes, hope it turns into more work. Love for people to check out the print version, but here are some jpgs. A little on the cleaner side than my usual steez, but besides that, I'm really happy with them.



3 Portraits for New York Magazine 2008


On another note, my on going battle with the 4x5 polaroid conversion camera has come to an end. I got a refund. Really sucks, but I've decided, due to multiple reasons, that I'm not going to use that camera. I got the camera back and the same issue was there, I also noticed this time that the film plane wasn't straight either. Michael, the guy who made the camera was super helpful and willing to continue to try to fix the problem, but I couldn't wait any longer. So my next decision was what camera would I use now, I thought everything from using my 5D, buying a Mark III, buying a Toyo field camera or even going back to shooting my old faithful, my Hasselblad. But if I was going to shoot my Hassey, I'd need a new lens, a 60mm (the equivalent of my trusty 35mm on my 5D). In the end I decided to go with the Hassey, besides being the 2nd cheapest choice investment wise, I would be able to shoot a lot more for a lot less money. My sometimes overly opinionated friend and talented photographerYoav asked me why was I shooting 4x5 and why not medium format. My reply was the depth of field fall off and that I wanted to really analize a photo before I snapped it, but my problem is that I didn't really want to commit to a tripod. Also, to really explore this project, it will only help me to shoot more, especially because I've never shot anything in this manner before. I will still get a decent short depth of field with the medium format and I will be able to shoot so much more. It just seems like the natural choice and that is what Yoav was getting at.

So I just ordered the new lens and treated myself to a better focusing screen.