Orchids, Smithsonian - Yellow Paph

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  StoneNYC

• Feb 5, 2013

wow this is REALLY nice! just great light and composition, I'm shocked that this is portra, is the blue/pink/lavendar light cast from the museum lights?

 

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  TheFlyingCamera

• Feb 5, 2013

Yes, the odd cast on the background is from the museum lights- this one was in a glass case with an actinic grow lamp on it. The rest of them have a strong yellow/red/magenta undertone that is correctible, from the overhead tungsten lights in the exhibit hall. What's shocking about this being Portra? One of its claims to fame is the ability to handle mixed lighting conditions.

 

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  StoneNYC

• Feb 5, 2013

I think I've just had bad luck with portra, I don't like it, or I don't like any of the shots I've taken with it... and it was never sharp, always blurry edges, I'm thinking now it was the old scanner and the height of the scanner, thanks for making me believe again haha.

 

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  TheFlyingCamera

• Feb 5, 2013

I use film holders from Betterscanning with the anti-newton glass inserts. That helps a lot as well to coax the most out of your scans.

 

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  StoneNYC

• Feb 6, 2013

TheFlyingCamera said:

I use film holders from Betterscanning with the anti-newton glass inserts. That helps a lot as well to coax the most out of your scans.

Click to expand...

yes I've recently been using them for my 120 but I don't own any 35mm yet, though I may just get a large 8x10 piece of ANR as it seems to work perfectly in the "wet scan" holder just placing the film on that and then putting the ANR glass on top.

 

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  TheFlyingCamera

• Feb 6, 2013

I'm also using them for 120 and for large format on my Epson V750. I haven't bothered to get a set for 35mm as I don't shoot much 35mm film. But if I were to shoot more, I would.

 

• Too old to care

• Feb 6, 2013

I like the photo a lot, the background adds to it. Nice to see a flower in the wild, instead if front of a black background. Nice.

 

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  akfotog

• Feb 6, 2013

Nice, good bokeh going on.

 

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  TheFlyingCamera

• Feb 6, 2013

It's not REALLY the wild - it's a glass terrarium in a museum. But yes, it's nicer than a straight-up black background. The bokeh is a result of not only the f2.8 Planar lens being shot at or nearly wide-open, but also the Rolleinar close-focus attachment that really drops off the depth-of-field.

 

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  StoneNYC

• Feb 6, 2013

I think the purple flower above it really adds something, it that weren't there it wouldn't have that punch feel really great.