Then There Were Three
Another in my incipient series of half-frame triptychs, this one taken in the Chinese Cemetery.
Once again this is a single digital image scanned from three frames on the negative.
(Click on the picture for a bigger version)
It was a chilly day, can you tell? But my granddaughter did not seem phased in the slightest, even without mitts. We had a nice walk!
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Olympus Pen, half-frame camera, ca 1961. Ilford Pan F Plus, ISO50, 1/50th, ~f8.
burnt embers 
These are so great. The texture of the background, and the light! Fantastic portraits.
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Thanks Karen. I have struggled over the years to get good exposures in this kind of situation, but using the sunny 16 rule, I got exactly what I was looking for. Funny that.
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I love how the little one is looking at the camera in the middle shot, and at her mom in the last one.
I am having a hard time articulating the way this series – especially when there are people in the shots – makes me feel. “Uncomfortable” isn’t the right word, but nearly. Perhaps it is because my photos are most generally of more static subjects, where there are only the tiniest of incremental changes from day to day (or, year to year), which makes me think that things DON’T change. Even though I know they do. And then these shots come along, with a series that’s got a whole person and a half a person and no person, and a series with a mom, a dad and baby, and the whole family. Disconcerting – that’s the word I wanted. What an odd reaction to these shots!
But the other thing is that my feeling disconcerted means you are doing YOUR job, as a photographer, to push me to see new things or old things in new ways. That’s never bad, so I thank you for the nudge….
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Hi Melinda, and thanks for your great comment. I am pleased to disconcert you! And the idea that the shots are illustrating change is not something I had considered, but there is a lot of change in some of these series, and so it is an interesting comment for me to ruminate on. The kind of comment that might sharpen some of my thoughts when looking through the viewfinder, so thanks!
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Do you think it’s possible that the changes in your professional life have crept into your photography? (Hint: I think the answer is Yes.)
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Possibly. For instance, on the change front, this is the first time I have viewed my blog and replied uding a cell phone. I did not own such a device until a few hours ago. Boy is it slow typing…
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Yes, it is a slow way to type. Beware of autocorrect – it’ll say things you don’t mean to say! What phone did you decide on? (BTW – I typed this on my phone.)
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Samsung Galaxy S4. Toss up with iPhone.
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Speaking, as we were somewhere, of change! This is a big one for you, no?
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It is a change – I have resisted having an electronic leash for as long as I can get away with it. But no choice any more. I am sure in a few months I won’t be separated from it. RIght now the learning curve is pretty steep…
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Nice!
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Thank you Mark!
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Was there an external lightmeter involved, or Kodak’s guidelines for exposure without a light meter? Nice exposure. On an old pentax I have, the higher shutter speeds seem to be a bit iffy and its use definitely labor intensive. Do you miss many shots forgetting to advance the film, I do.
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Thank you Joseph! The exposure is estimated using the Sunny 16 rule.
I took this camera in to Camera Traders and they checked the shutter for me. Turns out that 1/25=1/60, 1/50=1/60, 1/100=1/125 and 1/250=1/125! Also, when shifting down from 1/100 to 1/50 (as it reads on the dial) it takes one frame for it to actually change. I am sure you could get useful information if you took your pentax in there too – they are very happy to help out. And besides, Market Square where they are located is worthy of photographs while there.
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I stop for a visit at Camera Traders every time I’m in the neighbourhood. So far I’ve never done any business there, but the place is too interesting to pass by without checking it out. My stand by film camera is a small fixed lens Minox (old with everything still spot on) but I really oughta spend more time behind that Pentax. It has way more lenses with it than my ep3 Olympus pen my socalled workhorse. And you are right also about the photographic opportunities in Market Square, but so far I have not been able to get anything overly exciting out of that place. I think I read that your camera is from 61 which makes it more than 10 years older than my Pentax, an antique so to say. It actually sounds like it is in good shape. Anything before mid seventies, what I see of it, is prone to light leaks focussing and lens problems, the stuff that makes up old age. Of course being able to edit the negatives in a modern way rather than in a dark room is so much more efficient. That final statement comes from a guy (me) with a fair amount of black and white dark room experience and disliking every minute of it. Haha!
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Hi Joseph. I ended up in there today – I found a filter adapter and some filters that will fit the Pen (small miracle really, but there were actually two adaptors that fit, one that holds on by pressure and the other that threads in). I was hoping for an ND filter so that I could shoot some of the faster film I have, but did end up with a couple of blue and a yellow, which will be potentially useful to have around. $2 each. He checked the Pen’s shutter again too – it has all the same problems except it no longer hangs for one actuation when switching from the shutter speeds that don’t work. The Pen is in very good condition and I am tempted to get it serviced so that the shutter works and gives me a bit more latitude with film speeds. I have never got a great shot in Market Square either – it is a matter of timing with just the right light, which I think is a rare situation it being a bit like a well in there.
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