Art in the City and shooting Kodak TMAX P3200 film – Dayton, Ohio 8.3.2018
Last Friday was downtown Dayton’s Annual Art in the City along with also being a First Friday – this meant a lot of people out on the streets checking out artwork and local downtown businesses. For 2017’s event I had some artwork on display which meant I was mostly stationary, but this year I did not so I was able to walk around and enjoy the ambiance --- and also shoot a few images.
Kodak recently re-introduced their TMAX P3200 film so I took this opportunity to try out a roll in my trusty Nikon F5 coupled with a 50mm f/1.4 lens – to me the ideal combo for street film photography. I’ve never shot this film before it was discontinued the first go-round so I didn’t know quite what to expect. I know it was a favorite of concert shooters, street shooters, and photo-journalists on occasion. The “P” means “push” – it is nominally an 800 ISO film but is designed to be “pushed” to 3200 ISO. For those not wise in the ways of film this means you can shoot in 4x less light than it is rated and develop it longer (“push”) to the proper exposure. This generally results in a lot of grain for most films as they really aren’t designed for that, but this film is. Kodak says. “It is ideally suited for handheld street scene photography, night work, and in dimly lit venues where you can’t use flash.”
I developed the images in Ilfosol 3 at 20c for 10 minutes, then stop, fix, and photo-flo as usual. All were scanned on an Epson V600 scanner with minimal work in Photoshop to remove dust and add the white borders.
OK, enough technical stuff, here are a few shots from the roll with some commentary.
Chalk Artist in the Oregon District - Nikon F5 with 50mm f/1.4 lens at f/2.8 in A-Priority mode on Kodak TMAX P3200 film
The Pedal Wagon - Nikon F5 with 50mm f/1.4 lens at f/2.8 in A-Priority mode on Kodak TMAX P3200 film
Sidewalk DJ - Nikon F5 with 50mm f/1.4 lens at f/2.8 in A-Priority mode on Kodak TMAX P3200 film
Of course while out and about we had to stop at Toxic Brew.
Toxic- Nikon F5 with 50mm f/1.4 lens at f/2.8 in A-Priority mode on Kodak TMAX P3200 film
Skull and Taps in Toxic - Nikon F5 with 50mm f/1.4 lens at f/2.8 in A-Priority mode on Kodak TMAX P3200 film
Renee deep in thought - Nikon F5 with 50mm f/1.4 lens at f/2.8 in A-Priority mode on Kodak TMAX P3200 film
G&T at Toxic - Nikon F5 with 50mm f/1.4 lens at f/2.8 in A-Priority mode on Kodak TMAX P3200 film
This artist was awesome. His Gargoyle spit flames. We spent some money with him on some smaller items. To see more of his work check out www.kiggins-sculpture.com.
Flame-breathing Gargoyle - Nikon F5 with 50mm f/1.4 lens at f/2.8 in A-Priority mode on Kodak TMAX P3200 film
Renee and Flame-breathing Gargoyle - Nikon F5 with 50mm f/1.4 lens at f/2.8 in A-Priority mode on Kodak TMAX P3200 film
The "Scoon Squad" made an appearance in the Oregon District. They put on a great show for the crowd.
Scoon Squad in the Oregon District - Nikon F5 with 50mm f/1.4 lens at f/2.8 in A-Priority mode on Kodak TMAX P3200 film
The Scoon Squad in the Oregon District - Nikon F5 with 50mm f/1.4 lens at f/2.8 in A-Priority mode on Kodak TMAX P3200 film
Old Tech shooting New Tech shooting The Scoon Squad - Nikon F5 with 50mm f/1.4 lens at f/2.8 in A-Priority mode on Kodak TMAX P3200 film
It's a new day.............
It's a New Day in the Oregon District - Nikon F5 with 50mm f/1.4 lens at f/2.8 in A-Priority mode on Kodak TMAX P3200 film
The grain isn’t as bad as I thought it would be for a 35mm film pushed to 3200. Granted, it is grainy, but not in an overtly bad way. I like the “grittiness” that it has and think it’s a great look for street and certain types of photography. For those that shoot digital and like to edit in a grainy fashion, consider picking up a 35mm film camera and shooting a few rolls of this. It’s a look that’s hard to replicate and has its place in certain situations.
Final Thoughts – I think I’ll probably shoot more Kodak TMAX P3200 in the future. I generally don’t shoot a lot of 35mm film; most of my film work is in medium format anymore. But I must admit, I like the look and I also like the freedom of loading the camera, setting the ISO to 3200, and shooting on A-priority. All I need to worry about is capturing the moment, composition, and depth of field.
Thanks for reading! Please let me know if you have any questions, and get out there and shoot!
