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The last time I collaborated with a model was back in 2020, so I was delighted to have the chance to work with the amazing Alice Crowe last weekend. I had two main objectives for this shoot: (1) get the rust out of my system and remember how to shoot a model; and (2) start building a collaborative relationship with a good local model for future wet plate work.

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Ms. Crowe was an absolute delight to shoot: She was professional, communicated clearly, and was willing to brave a chilly and rainy February day with a smile. It was great to brainstorm the shoot concept with Alice, and I chose a few props and accessories based on our conversations. 

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In my experience, I break at least one piece of photographic equipment every time I shoot. Last weekend's shoot was no exception, and I was bummed to realize that my trusty Minolta SRT-101's meter wasn't working. No problem, since I tend to prefer using a dedicated incident light meter. I also discovered that the eye-viewfinder on my Fuji X-T2 was no longer working. This was more of a problem, since I rely on the excellent focus-peaking aide on the X-T2 to nail focus with my fast 58mm f/1.4 Rokkor lens. I simply could not see the main LCD well enough to reliably focus my manual focus lenses, so I had to rely on the (excellent and affordable) Fujinon XF 35mm f/2 R autofocusing lens instead of using my preferred manual focus vintage lenses. A new Fuji X-T5 is not in the cards for me right now, so I'll be looking for a viewscreen hood to make using the X-T2's back panel easier in bright light.

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I am delighted with how the digital shots turned out: the trichromie shots look cool, and I've really found myself enjoying the look of the X-T2's Neopan Acros + Green Filter and Astia film emulation modes. Don't get me wrong: I still prefer shooting film for people, but the X-T2's film emulation modes do a decent job taking some of the "cold and clinical" digital look out of my photos.

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So, what's next? I can't wait to collaborate with Alice again! During our brainstorming, I had some ideas that we just couldn't execute last weekend. Ms. Crowe was wonderful to work with, and so I know we'll have a chance to try out more looks and concepts in the future. Working with a talented model really made me wish I were up and running with my wet plate setup, so this shoot lit a fire under me to get confident enough with that process to be able to use it on "real" photoshoots!

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In addition to using my digital camera, I also shot several rolls of Revolog Kolor (a special effects film I enjoy using) with my 35mm camera. I'll be processing and scanning those photographs over the next couple of weeks, and I'll be sharing them in a future blog entry.

Cheers,

iggybug