Hasselblad 500CM, 30 December 2011

Hey look…more color film I processed at home!

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Photo Information:

Camera: Hasselblad 500CM
Lens: Carl Zeiss 80mm f/2.8 Planar (Photo 1); 50mm f/4 Distagon (Photos 2 & 3)
Film: Kodak Portra 160 (120)

Photo 1:
Location: Chicago, Illinois; Edgewater Neighborhood

This building is located at 1055 West Bryn Mawr in the Edgewater Neighborhood; I am not aware of any historical significance to the building, but I like the rounded corner and polychromatic cladding.

Photo 2:
Location: Chicago, Illinois; Uptown Neighborhood

As with the building in the previous photo, I am unaware of any historical significance to this building, which is located at 5020 North Sheridan in the Uptown Neighborhood; this is, of course, unsurprising in a city of Chicago’s size and age – there are plenty of interesting buildings around town that are not historically significant in any way other than being reminders of past styles of building. In this case, there’s a definite mid-30s Art Deco feel to the building, with its clean geometry and polychromatic cladding. I especially like the corner on the left-hand side of the photo.

Photo 3:
Location: Chicago, Illinois; Chicago Loop

This is the former Oriental Theater, now the Ford Center for the Performing Arts (completed in 1926 and designed by Rapp & Rapp) in the Theater District of the Chicago Loop. The theater is one of many around the city designed by the firm, Rapp & Rapp, for Balaban and Katz; though it is now used for live touring Broadway plays, like many other local theaters, it was originally designed as a movie palace – early in cinematic history, there were both fewer movies made each year and the viewing of them was a much more “formal” affair.

Enjoy.

Hasselblad 500CM, 29 December 2011

Yes, I know…I’ve been away a while…holidays and such. To make up for it, here are some holiday-themed photos for y’all!

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Photo Information:

Location: Chicago, Illinois; Chicago Loop
Camera: Hasselblad 500CM
Lens: Carl Zeiss 80mm f/2.8 Planar
Film: Kodak Portra 160 (120)

All of these photos are of the annual Christkindlmarket that takes place in Daley Plaza in the Loop – and yes, these are also from one of the rolls of C41 film I processed myself.

Enjoy.

Hasselblad 500CM, 15 December 2011

Recently, I decided to learn how to process color film (C41 process); I already process my own black and white film, and one of the main reasons I do so (apart from, y’know, just enjoying it so very much) is that it costs less than half what a lab would charge for the service. The same is true of color processing, and I found that the procedure itself isn’t that much harder than black and white – different, of course, in terms of temperatures and such, but not difficult (kinda messy, though, what with the water bath and such). Below are some of the first results I got from doing so…I think they worked out well.

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Photo Information:

Camera: Hasselblad 500CM
Lens: Carl Zeiss 80mm f/2.8 Planar (Photos 1 & 3); 250mm f/5.6 Sonnar (Photo 2)
Film: Kodak Portra 160 (120)

PHoto 1:
Location: Chicago, Illinois; Streeterville Neighborhood

This is one of the side entry doors to 999 North Lake Shore Drive (completed in 1912 and designed by Marshall & Fox) in the Streeterville Neighborhood. This building is part of the East Lake Shore Drive Historic District; as an added bonus, it’s subtly decorated for the holidays (yes, that one wreath next to the door).

Photo 2:
Location: Chicago, Illinois; North Loop

This is another of my favorite buildings in the city, the Carbide & Carbon Building (completed in 1929 and designed by Burnham Bros.) – one of the few Art Deco designs in the city that isn’t just plain concrete / limestone and bronze panels.

Photo 3:
Location: Chicago, Illinois; Lakeview Neighborhood

This is the Salt ‘N Pepper Diner in the Lakeview Neighborhood, shot during early evening when their sign is lit up. As I’ve probably mentioned before, I like these sorts of old-faashioned signs.

Not bad for my first efforts at processing color film, eh?

Enjoy.

Leica IIIf, 06 December 2011

Yes, I’m back in business with a computer, so now I can get back to playing around with my film scans and such. No, it isn’t a new computer, but it works, so I’m not complaining.

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Photo Information:

Camera: Leica IIIf
Lens: Leitz 50mm f/2 Summitar (Photos 1 & 2); 35mm f/3.5 Elmar (Photo 3)
Film: Kodak TMax 100 (135)

Photo 1:
Location: Chicago, Illinois; Lakeview Neighborhood

Yup, another view of the underside of the CTA elevated tracks. I love these old tracks!

Photo 2:
Location: Chicago, Illinois; Streeterville Neighborhood

This is one of the lanterns next to the main entrance to the Drake Hotel (completed in 1920 and designed by Marshall & Fox) in the Streeterville Neighborhood (a few blocks north of the John Hancock Building). Given the name of the hotel, the motif of the lanterns sure is appropriate, ain’t it?

Photo 3:
Location: Chicago, Illinois; Edgewater Neighborhood

Now part of the Chicago Parks District as an indoor recreational facility, the building was originally built as an indoor ice skating rink (completed in 1916 and designed by Carpenter & Weldon; formerly the Winter Garden Ice Skating Rink, then the Broadway Armory); considering that the building was completed during the height of World War I, it is not known whether or not the building was ever used for its original intended purpose. Following the WWI, then Illinois National Guard modified the building into an armory and training facility, though it was also opened to the public as a recreational facility.

Enjoy.