Death Valley/Zion Winter 2019 Film Reveal

[@mattdayphoto]

Spitting on film is the new alternative process.

[@BenHorne]

For sure! Always gotta be on the cutting edge. :-)

[@kieranelson4874]

32:50 is my favourite, feels so three dimensional with the mud cracks and the colourful sky. Great work as always!

[@BenHorne]

Thanks Kieran!

[@stephenlloydco]

"No fake moons" - can't help yourself haha

[@zenrand688]

Hi Ben - love your videos! It would be really cool if you could document the locations that you shoot - perhaps not the specific spots, but the general areas. I have been to Zion and Death Valley and love both locations so these videos really resonate with me. That first composition with the moon is just wonderful.

[@andrewsimpson5436]

A great set in there and the wider frozen mud looks awesome.

[@jimioutback]

5:20 "This is Velvia", pointing... lol, to all us who load Fuji Velvia in the dark, the feel of that smooth little cutout is very familiar and strangely comforting, filling us with a warm glow that we are about to spend some precious Velvia on a worthy scene of nature's beauty ;)

[@BenHorne]

Very well said!

[@markmcmullan3351]

Such a treat to view your superb image . Thanks Ben .

[@BenHorne]

Thanks Mark! It sure was great to see that the photos turned out the way I had hoped. I always go into these videos expecting the worst, but hoping for the best.

[@ashvarma2486]

Great collection of images Ben. Thanks for sharing

[@BenHorne]

Thanks Ash! It sure was a wonderful trip. I'm looking forward to getting back there again early next year.

[@lindahenderson2113]

Thank you, Ben. You came away with a lot of good work! Your patience and perseverance are “reflected” in your photos. I can’t wait to see what you choose for the box set.

[@BenHorne]

Thanks so much Linda! 5 photos from the winter trip made it to the box set, and I have already started making the prints. :-)

[@PeteMiller]

Great series of images Ben! Very interested to see the differences between Velvia & Provia!!! That 3rd image is an absolute masterpiece IMO. Well done!

[@joshuafagans7534]

Thank you for all that you do. To see your unvarnished process and hear your detailed first impressions is frankly amazing. Your detailed analysis of the different light and how it interacts with the scene is master class material. Simply can't thank you enough. Well done.

[@BenHorne]

Thanks so much Joshua! I'm glad you enjoy seeing the entire process!

[@Shepard4711]

I'd call this a really successful trip, you came away with some very good pictures! I especially love the mud cracks scene at 21:02. You have this strong s-curve leading in and then in the centre there's a spirally shape that reminds me of the petals of a nerium oleander flower. The ones you show of that scene later with the shadows at the edges are cool too but this one puts more emphasis on the shapes I think and it has a nice warm, calm feel to it.

[@BenHorne]

Thanks so much!! The winter trip was quite draining for me for whatever reasons, but I'm glad I was able to walk away from it with some decent work. My spring trip was quite enjoyable by contrast, and that will be a topic for a future video.

[@thomaspopple2291]

My favorite is the one with rocks, snow, and a bit of the river with reflected light. Looks like molten copper. Very cool.

[@BenHorne]

Thanks! That is a fun one to look at with a loupe. It looks downright 3D.

[@TimKirkPhotos]

Excellent and very inspiring. Love the frozen mud ripples abstract. I'm sure some of these will be in the upcoming box set.

[@BenHorne]

Thanks Tim! I have already selected 5 photos from my winter trip for the box set. I'm hoping to get a few more from my spring trip. I still haven't seen the film from that trip though.

[@tedsmith_photography]

I'm a big advocate of Provia. I use it a lot, due to its generally more versatile abilities. I even use it for portraiture sometimes. But your examples show a stark contrast as to how Velvia works so well for landscapes like this. At about 7 minutes in, when you go from Provia to Velvia of the same scene, you can really see the difference (assuming camera settings were not changed and light shift minimal of course). Obviously that's what Velvia was designed for but hey. As for that ice photo....really like it but how you dared position your heavy LF camera on recently melting ice...you are a braver man than I am!!

[@BenHorne]

Thanks Ted! It really is quite interesting how Velvia and Provia treat the same scene differently. There are times when they both give good results, but they are just different. I found it quiet interesting how on this trip, I really preferred Provia. As a result, I used more Provia than Velvia on the first part of my spring trip that I just returned from. When it comes to placing the camera to shoot the ice. It was definitely a tricky setup. That's part of the reason why I didn't want to mess with doing video that day. It would have been too much to juggle.

[@luxinterna3370]

I view my negatives with my smartphone and use the ,,negative filter"of the camera. very handy

[@jameslane3846]

Is that the name of the app? That would help my reviewing of my film so much easier

[@luxinterna3370]

​@@jameslane3846 Its my pre-installed camera app. Its called Camera :) I´m using an older Samsung. Under special effects is the option ,,negative filter". I dont know if every smartphone has this feature pre-installed. sry for my english

[@stuartbaines2843]

Still like that very first image from first day in death valley it has a "Look" 👌 Look forward to seeing the scan later

[@johnjay6935]

Spent a fortune on film 😳. Totally worth in in my book. Nice!

[@BenHorne]

Thanks John! Yeah, it definitely does add up, but overall the price isn't too bad just so long as I get some decent keepers in the mix.

[@andydreadsbmx]

Always good to see what you came up with, love seeing the different versions of the same shot.

[@BenHorne]

Thanks Andrew! It's definitely a learning experience to see how each photo changes as the light changes.

[@GavinHayhurst]

Enjoyed watching this and browsing your website galleries at the same time to see what eventually made the cut! 😄

[@GreenhornPhototaker]

What a great trip, excellent work Ben, thanks for sharing.

[@BenHorne]

Thanks so much Lou!

[@HV71851]

It’s very nice work, I really enjoy watching this reveal! Would love to see you explain a little bit your process of camera movements and focusing. Thanks!

[@BenHorne]

Thanks Hernan! That's something I will likely cover in a dedicated video at some point.

[@gregkent3748]

Great work....you nailed it on this trip! Great videos!!

[@BenHorne]

Thanks so much Greg!

[@billhughes5736]

Hi Ben, I live in Southern California. Do you have recommendations for photo labs?

[@BenHorne]

I use North Coast Photographic in Carlsbad, Ca. I’ve used them over a decade now and they’re fantastic.

[@apkeedle]

Love the videos and images. All the sheets seem to have a slightly darker band at the bottom. Is that from the sleeve or actually on the image? If so is it bellows or development issue? I'm shooting 7x17 and have constant issues with bellows management... 🙄

[@BenHorne]

Hi Andrew! Those dark lines are from the film sleeves. They're designed to be able to remove the film without having to slide it lengthwise into the sleeve. It's a pretty clever design really. I definitely see how the 7x17 camera can have issues with bellows sag. That must be tough at times!

[@apkeedle]

Ben Horne I thought it must be the sleeve. Thanks for responding. As for bellows sag on 7x17 it’s a constant thing especially when doing vertical. Just need to make checking/fixing a habit! 🤗

[@richardcofrancesco7509]

Nice to catch up on all your 2019 trips, great work as always. Richard Cofrancesco

[@BenHorne]

Thanks for watching Richard! Always great to see your comments.

[@aassra]

I like how hard film photographers work, I wish I could do that but I am stock on digital

[@BenHorne]

You can still have that degree of limitation, but it will have to be self-imposed, which is tricky. Perhaps working with a prime lens, not letting yourself shoot too many photos of the same subject, or maybe even using a small card. I know I would have a really tough time self-imposing those limitations though.

[@sanjeevmraman]

Hi Ben: great video reveal as usual. I’m curious about your lightbox- it looks to be the Fujifilm brand. Could you please tell me what model and if you like it and/or have any recommendations for lightbox(es) that you use or have used? Thanks- Sanjeev

[@BenHorne]

Hi Sanjeev! This light box is one that I received as a promotional item from Fuji many years ago. It's pretty decent, but honestly not the best. If I was in the market for one now, I would probably buy a Kaiser slimlite plano. I have seen those in person and they are quite nice. Unlike the one I have, the Kaiser has an adjustable brightness.

[@sanjeevmraman]

Thanks!

[@ericburke3223]

Which lab in Michigan did you send it to?

[@BenHorne]

AgX Imaging: www.agximaging.com/

[@johnhoughton7794]

Excellent work

[@unityoc]

28:31 is excellent

[@BenHorne]

Thanks! That was a favorite of mine from the trip.

[@aassra]

I am interested if you ever try to blend two different films together for same shot, get the best of both worlds

[@BenHorne]

That's a good question. I haven't tried it, but it is certainly possible!

[@yuxianwang3238]

Just wondering. Do you use the same loupe for viewing film and doing focusing on a view camera?

[@BenHorne]

I use different loupes. The one I use for viewing the film is quite large and heavy. It is a "Peak Anastigmat Lupe 4x." The one I use on the ground glass is made by Wista, and it is a 5x loupe. It is quite small and light, and I can wear it around my neck on a string.

[@icanhaspizza616]

I’m in Michigan and would love to know who you got this processed through, if you don’t mind sharing.

[@BenHorne]

I used AgX up in the UP. www.agximaging.com/

[@kristianlildholdt7234]

I LOVE these photos! One question... Why are the negatives not negative? Is it different from 35 mm film, and how?

[@punkskaphil]

They are shot on slide film (aka reversal or transparency). The image quality is often very sharp with vibrant colours, and unlike with negative films you don't have to put it through the extra printing or scanning process to see what it looks like. You can get it in all the standard formats (35mm, 120, etc, as well as large formats). The down sides are that it has less exposure latitude compared with negative film so you have less margin for error with your exposures, it tends to only be available in slower ISO sensitivities, and it is often more expensive to buy and to have developed. A lot of photographers will shoot scenes on both slide and negative films (Ben brings out some negative sheets near the end).

[@kristianlildholdt7234]

Thank you for the great in depth answer ​@@punkskaphil. Despite holding my first disposable camera at the age of 5 back in 1993, and being convinced that I am the last generation who have processed film, I have never heard of this type of film till this day.. So thank you - i will geek out further on this subject for sure :D

[@terrywbreedlove]

Oh that looked so cold On the snow

[@yogid21]

Geezz I wish I could exposed that much film on each scene. Exposing two large format films on a single scene is not an option for a poor guy like me :D. But, nice work Ben.

[@BenHorne]

Thanks Albert! The cost really does add up, but when things are changing quickly, I also have to be mindful of the expenses it took me to get there at that point in time. It would be a bummer if I didn't do everything I could to make sure I got at least a few keepers.

[@Noealz]

awesome images, i like the ice one that looks like a middle finger lol

[@BenHorne]

It sure does, doesn't it? 😂

[@diatomsaus]

1th?

[@johnnyloco11]

that one around 15.30 is er a little rude