Portraits with One Roll of Kodak Tmax 400 and a Hasselblad 202FA
Portraits with One Roll of Kodak Tmax 400 and a Hasselblad 202FA
June 12, 2020, 12:34 p.m.
About the Film Portrait Photography Shoot
I shot most of this backyar portrait shoot on digital and in color, but I wanted to practice my black and white film developing so I shot two rolls of black and white film. This is actually the lab develope roll, and I am waiting to develop the other roll to compare! These 12 images are all from a single roll of film. I would be hard pressed to say I have ever had a more successful roll of film. All 12 portraits came out beautifully, some amazingly so, I think. Exposure is spot on and with the exception of 1 focus was nailed on every shot...which is pretty rare for me when using the Hasselblad if I am being honest.
Equipment Used for the Film Portraits
I used my favorite portrait camera and lens for this shoot - Hasselblad 202FA and 110mm F2. Honestly, the camera is pretty new to me, and while I have liked the results in the past, these are the images that made me fall in love with the camera. Each film portrait was shot at F2. The film was Kodak Tmax 400 medium format film and developed/scanned by Photovision Prints
Why Kodak Tmax 400?
I have always been pretty loyal to Kodak Trix 400 but recently saw a Tmax 400 medium format portrait that left me in awe. I decided to try the film stock out for myself. Until this point, I haven't really developed a strong preference for it over trusty old Trix. I love everything about the way the film stock rendered in these images. The contrast is beautiful, but Tmax seems to have this softer quality about the way shadows transtition to midtones. It gives the film more of a "quintessentially" large format look, in my oppinion...which, let's be honest, is the real reason to shoot at F2. The images are almost creamy, the contrast transitions are so smooth. I think I just fell in love with Tmax.
Bokeh and Rendering of the Hasselblad 110mm F2 Lens
This lens is so smooth and still plenty sharp at F2. Honestly, its breathtaking and is by far my favorite lens that I have used to date...maybe besides my Leica 50mm Summilux.
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Brian D Smith Photography Portrait Portfolio and Information
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