10 December 2012

snowy portraits.

last thursday was Finland's independence day and we took advantage of the holiday to go out and take some black and white portraits in the snow - it was snowing a lot since the temperature got several degrees warmer than the previous days. I have noticed that I started taking more and more photographs of landscapes rather than portraits - yet I still like to photograph people from time to time and my Mamiya RB67 is really perfect for it. below are some of the prints which I worked on in my darkroom last saturday.
Mamiya RB67 - Ilford Delta 3200:

my favourite darkroom prints of the portraits: 2 photos of Jacopo that I took and 2 photos of me that he took.

this one of me was a bit overexposed - but I still like it a lot anyway.
I am really happy with the way the falling snow stands out in the prints - it had started snowing more heavily while we were taking the photos and the gusts of wind were spreading flakes everywhere. I am also happy to have collected a few portraits of myself that I like: I find it even harder to be photogenic in the winter time. could you please tell me which one of the three is your favourite?

34 comments:

  1. Love the B&W shots - that last one is so pretty!

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    1. thank you, dear Little Bird! :-) I think I like the last one the most too!

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  2. You are so pretty Polly! Love the pictures: the strong contrast is really wonderful!

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    1. thank you, my dearest My! :-) that film doesn't have so much contrast itself, so I had to compensate while printing by using a very high filter - usually the delta 3200 is quite grayish, and if only there was more light I'd go for something with lower grain too! ;-)

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  3. the second one of yours is the prettiest,in my opinion.

    you're right by the way: feeling photogenic out in the cold is hard... but it seems to me you did just fine! 😊

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    1. thank you very much! :-) I am glad you think so!

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  4. That's a difficult choice because all 3 of you are wonderful.
    I think I would pick the 1st one because it is more natural???

    :***

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    1. thank you, dear Charlyn! :-) I am happy you like them all so much!

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  5. Perhaps the second one is the best one, but I like them all. And yes, you really captured the snowflakes (in black-and-white and that makes me missing the darkroom).

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    1. working in the darkroom is the best, isn't it? :-)

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  6. well done! it's never easy to capture the snow flakes in photos!
    (ps your hair is so loooong now! beautiful!)

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    1. thank you so much, Alice! I guess it was snowing so much that they just had to be there! ;-)

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  7. These are gorgeous! I too love how the falling snow flakes stand out. And you are too beautiful! Your hair!!! Of the three photos I like the 2nd and 3rd best, though since the last is a bit overexposed, I'll go with the 2nd.

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    1. thank you very much, Rachel! I am flattered! :-)

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  8. Really beautiful B&W snow photos!
    I think my favourite is the second one of your portraits, because your eyes look especially big and beautiful in it.

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    1. awww, Sirpa! thank you so much for your lovely words! :-)

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  9. I like the first one because the hat gives a nice contrast, and the second because you look directly at the camera. And, yes, you are really pretty!

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    1. well, what can I say? thank you! :-) thank you all so much for your lovely comments! :-)

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  10. the second one i like the most : ) thank you for stopping by i wish you nice lovely winterdays !

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    1. thank you! :-) your blog is beautiful, I will keep on visiting it regularly! :-)

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  11. Anonymous12.12.12

    the snow makes everything look so beautiful! i love the second one of yours :-) you both are so gorgeous!
    <3

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    1. thank you so much, dear Catarina! :-) falling snow is so magical! :-)

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  12. beautiful portraits polly! i really like the constrast you get in the backgrounds with the snow and trees, and specially the softness of the focus on the snow... it makes it extra fluffy!

    i really like the second one... you have a serene look and your hair (and the snow on it)is perfect!

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    1. thank you, dear Joana, for this lovely comment! :-)
      it seems like the second one is really everyone's favourite!

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  13. Aw what a gorgeous set of photographs! You and Jacopo are such a lovely couple! You both look so tranquil against the snow. I always shake and tremble when I'm in the snow hehe, but that's a typical California girl I guess! I think it's wonderful that you have your own dark room? I took a photo class in school and the dark room was so tricky and elaborate. I think the photos came out great the way you developed them! x

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    1. thank you, Valerie! :-) I guess we cannot afford to tremble when there's snow falling around here - it actually means that the temperature are above -5°C, which is way warmer than what we get some other times! ;-)

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  14. I have to agree with everyone else - they really are lovely photos and I can't make up my mind which one I would say was the best, they're all great : ) Makes me want to do some b/w portraits, but we don't have any snow!

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    1. thank you! :-) black and white portraits are always classy and beautiful - it doesn't matter wether you get snow or not! ;-)

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  15. oh gosh, so lovely! the black and white is perfect for these shots. i really adore the second photograph.

    lindsey louise

    hellomrrabbit.blogspot.com

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    1. thank you! :-) now I know that everybody likes the second one best! ;-)

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  16. these are so nice! what gorgeous long hair you have :) it has been a really long time since i was last in the darkroom, but i will be going back in soon, and this makes me extra excited! hope you are having a great holiday polly ♥

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    1. thank you so much for stopping by, dear Geneviève! I am a great admirer of your photographs, so this means a lot to me! :-) happy holidays to you too!

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