Shooting moody portraits on film with a Mamiya RB67, a window and a Godox SL60

Shooting some moody portraits of Lydia with a Mamiya RB67.
4 film stocks used - Ilford Delta 3200, Kodak Portra 400, Fuji Pro 400H and then end of a roll of 35mm HP5 pushed to 800.
The light is a Godox SL60.

[@zigzee1]

Love the camera, love the model and love the result. Excellent all round.

[@AdjBrown]

Thank you so much.

[@adamm4926]

Exquisite portraits. Great work from you both. I adore shooting with my RB67

[@AdjBrown]

Thanks Adam, it is a fun camera to shoot with.

[@TheJasonGoddard]

The combo of the wall paper, music and the welcome back to Cornwall opener killed me for some reason - cool vid dude 🙌🏻🔥

[@AdjBrown]

Thanks Jay, just trying to keep it real. And that's my kitchen 😆

[@TheJasonGoddard]

Adj Brown love it!

[@luissalazar2021]

I wonder what is going through her mind, she is stunning beautiful, nice job, thanks for sharing

[@AdjBrown]

Her dog had died a few days earlier, so any mention of it would bring the tears.

[@danfloresmusic]

Very, very nice photos and video.

[@AdjBrown]

Thanks Dan

[@KodakBoy]

Stunning photos Really liked the black and white in the beginning Colors came out amazing love how you edit 👍👍

[@AdjBrown]

Thank you so much. Appreciate it 👍

[@zinzi1342]

Stunning shots! Can’t decided whether I like the b&w or colour more, they’re beautiful.

[@AdjBrown]

Thanks Zinzi, it is a tough one. I'm going through moody phase at the moment so anything dark and grainy works for me.

[@argetlamej]

excellent shots !!!

[@AdjBrown]

Thank you so much 😀

[@heinekendell6122]

you just gained a new subscriber/fan my friend. your photos are insane. 👍👍

[@AdjBrown]

Thank you very much Heinekendell more videos soon 👍

[@myahya1987]

Wow!!!!! Great work!!! And what a coincidence!!! I own the RB67, been looking severely into the Godox SL60 lights and just received a pack of 3200 speed film, but a Kodak Tmax instead

[@AdjBrown]

Thanks. For the price the SL60 is pretty good. I’ve never shot Tmax 3200 but I have pushed HP5 400 to 3200 which gave some great results.

[@RAFFIREMAN2]

loving this really well done both some excellent images trying to get one myself to try

[@AdjBrown]

Thanks, it's a great camera

[@NunoAlmeidaPhotography]

Loving these moody portraits. Great work!

[@AdjBrown]

Thanks Nuno, appreciate it.

[@LouisKobetz]

Dayyyyum, I just ordered an rb67 and this confirmed it was the right choice! Fantastic photographs!

[@AdjBrown]

Thanks Louis, for the money it’s an amazing camera. Enjoy

[@Rovertt]

I was very pleasantly surprised by the quality of your portraits. They are stunning! Great composition. You definitely deserve more followers.

[@AdjBrown]

Thank you so much, appreciate it.

[@davidshoukry4065]

Fabulous stuff!

[@AdjBrown]

Thanks David

[@Ry_Gordon]

great shots! my rb67 is coming next week!

[@AdjBrown]

Enjoy

[@rawcodecmedia302]

I’d imagine it’s hard to shoot a bad photo with her lol great video. Love my RB I’ve had it about a month or two now!

[@AdjBrown]

She is a star and a pleasure to work with. Glad you’re liking the RB, the detail you get from such a large negative is amazing.

[@paultaylorphotography9499]

Top work guys lovely shots throughout but that last frame is gorgeous. Love the RB need to shoot mine far more crazy I spent ages doing the light seals then only used it twice since 🙄📷❤️

[@AdjBrown]

Thanks Paul, for such a heavy unwieldily camera, I do love it.

[@paultaylorphotography9499]

@@AdjBrown it’s a beautiful piece of hefty kit mate

[@sdroberts3183]

Hi Adj. Thanks for the great video! Really beautiful pictures! I wanted to ask your opinion re: the Mamiya RB67 Pro SD. I’m on the verge of buying one with a 90mm 3.5 KL lens. It’s between that or the Mamiya 7. The RB67 Pro SD sounds to be amazing and amazingly versatile for various types/genres of photography, and as good, of not a better, camera than the Mamiya 7, and is (at least) half the price of the Mamiya 7! But I’m really bugged by every review I read that mentions it’s weight. My plan is to use it mainly out and about, even on travel trips. How heavy is it?! Do you find it easy to carry around, hand-hold etc.? Or is it so heavy that it’s not comfortable/easy to use? Do you think it’s be easy to use the RB in a kind of street photo scenario (requiring faster image capture etc).? I’m trying to judge whether it’s worth spending double for a potentially slightly worse camera in the Mamiya 7 just to be able to carry it around my neck like a 35mm and also shoot more rapidly like a 35mm. I’d be grateful for any advice. Many thanks Adj! Also, if anyone from the community also has any advice, I’d appreciate it. Many thanks.

[@AdjBrown]

There's no hiding the fact that the RB is big and heavy and i would say not a camera for carrying around. I use it for landscapes but mainly portraits where I can control the environment. I borrowed a Mamiya 7 from a friend a few years back and found it a lot lighter (I think the body is plastic) and perfect for carrying around. The Mamiya 7 is definitely not a worse camera, in fact for the type of shooting you're describing, it could be perfect for you. Being a rangefinder it's a completely different way of shooting compared to the RB and one that certainly suits an everyday camera. I hope that makes sense.

[@sdroberts3183]

Thanks very much Adj. Yeah, it makes perfect sense. A quick question: you mentioned that you use it mainly for studio where you can control the environment - do you find that there’s any issue with RB67 in an uncontrolled environment (I.e. out and about)? Are are you just referring to not having to lug it around?

[@AdjBrown]

It's just the size really. I know it comes with lugs for a strap but realistically the RB is totally impractical for carrying round your neck.

[@sdroberts3183]

Ok thanks Adj. I really appreciate your experienced advice.

[@AdjBrown]

This just came up on my feed - kzbin.info/www/bejne/larZgYeDnZ2Biqc

[@jeongdenis4091]

Awesome portraits! I ususally prefer black and whit but your portraits in colour are stunning, espectially the one at 4'52". Don't get me wrong the B&W are also great ^^ just a preverence at this moment. I got a question about your scanning process. To scan my 6x7 from my Pentax, I use an Epson V600, but your images seem more detailed and I wonder why. Thanks again for this great video.

[@AdjBrown]

These were scanned with a V600 so not sure why mine would differ from yours. The shots in the video with my daughter were photographed on a light box which is certainly a quicker way of digitising film.

[@jeongdenis4091]

@@AdjBrown thank you very much for your answer 🙇‍♂️ i will have a closer look to my images. Take care.

[@blainemarcano]

Excellent.

[@AdjBrown]

Thank you! Cheers!

[@drewsleyy3836]

Magnificent

[@AdjBrown]

Thank you very much

[@vanodyssey1659]

Nice shots, were they all natural light? Or a constant fill light on the left hand side?

[@AdjBrown]

Thanks Van, it was a constant light in a softbox.

[@CaVvyOne]

The black and white 👌🏽 how do you like the Godox? Is it worth it.

[@AdjBrown]

Thanks CaVvyOne I really like the Godox and for the price it’s a no-brainer. It’s bright enough for my needs (at the moment) but depending on what you’re shooting you may need to consider a more powerful option.

[@filmniyom]

Cool camera👍

[@AdjBrown]

Thanks 👍

[@slimpickins70]

Great portraits! Thinking of getting the SL60. what kind of shutter speeds were you getting? I try to stay above 125 on the RB/RZ

[@AdjBrown]

Thanks Scott, I was shooting handheld so I didn’t drop the shutter below 125 and shot the Portra and Fuji H at box speed (400).

[@slimpickins70]

@@AdjBrown thanks

[@jeangerardlabarre2591]

Hello from Paris ! Greats Portraits i should like Buy an RB 67 ! Wat use from lens for this portraits please ? Thanks

[@AdjBrown]

Merci Jean Gerard, the lens is the Mamiya 90mm f3.8

[@jeangerardlabarre2591]

@@AdjBrown many thank's Thanks for the speed answer !

[@Neritoandres]

Hi! Thanks for the video. Question, how you connet your Mamiya with Flash (strobe - Studio Flashes). Did I need to have any consideration? Thank u!

[@AdjBrown]

I was using a continuous light on this occasion but you can use a sync cable plugged into the sync port on the lens if you wanted to use a flash.

[@christophsauer2857]

Great work! So you shot natural light and in addition with flash?

[@AdjBrown]

Thanks Christoph, everything up to about 4:11 was natural light then continuous light (not flash) for the rest.

[@KulchurKat]

Love these shots. They were an influence on my decision to buy a medium format camera. I've just bought an RB67 and am returning to film after a 15 year digital absence. As a fellow Cornwall-based photographer, where do you get the 120 film processed?

[@AdjBrown]

Thank you so much. I usually develop my own black and white but colour I send to - www.peak-imaging.com/ They do a decent job and are usually pretty quick.

[@hunterhikesky]

Man, beautiful work. Also what is this song, it’s been stuck in my head for 2 days.

[@AdjBrown]

Thanks Colt appreciate it. Haha, it's just a royalty free track from Epidemic Sound.

[@xxmtfkxx]

My jaw dropped and hit the subscribe bell icon..😍😍😍

[@AdjBrown]

Thank you so much 👍

[@ludwigp7571]

great video! loved the bw shots so much! did you meter for 3200 or something around 1000? would have loved to hear how you direct the model to get those great shots, i could sometimes hear that you said something but the music was too loud:D

[@AdjBrown]

I believe I metered at box speed (3200) but metered for the highlights as I didn't mind the shadows falling into black. For me in situations like this (just 2 of us in quite a small space) it's about making the model feel comfortable so most of the time i'm just talking to them. I'm not shooting 1000 images so I watch how they move and when when something jumps out I get them to pause and we take a shot. Very rarely do I go into a shoot with poses planned.

[@hgrgrnd1206]

Those are excellent! Were they all simple window lighting? Also did you just meter for the highlights?

[@AdjBrown]

All window light but then everything from about 4:15 onwards was lit with a Godox SL60. Yes, I normally meter for the highlights.

[@nick.reuper]

This is absolutely brilliant, it's my reason for buying an RB67 to be honest. When you were metering, were you metering for the highlights? A lot of film photography channels seem to have an overexposed/light&airy look to them that I'm not fond of.

[@AdjBrown]

Thanks Nicholas, because it was quite a moody shoot I was metering for the highlights as I wanted the contrast and didn't mind if the shadows were too dark. To get that light airy feel which is quite popular with a lot of film shooters (especially fashion photographers for some reason) they purposely over expose the film. If you're shooting a 400 speed film just set the meter (or camera) to ISO 320 (for example) and then develop it normally at 400. This will give a slightly overexposed feel to the images. It depends on what you're after but for this particular shoot I wanted the contrast.

[@willf.5403]

beautiful portraits! I love my rb67 as well, especially with the 127mm lens. Also, what artificial lighting are you using ?

[@AdjBrown]

Thanks Will, I was using a Godox SL60

[@uniqueqorn]

really love the one at 4:05😍

[@AdjBrown]

Thank you

[@soulstart89]

Really really solid shots. Your head and shoulder shots are top! I have a rz67 and I struggle to get that frame with the 110mm. The framing, lighting and expression of model was class. As you used strobes I take it you shot around f8-11?

[@AdjBrown]

Thanks soulstart89 all those images were shot with the 90mm f3.8. I actually used a Godox SL60 which is a daylight balanced continuous light which allowed me to shoot (as far as I can remember) everything at f3.8

[@soulstart89]

Adj Brown oh really Everything was pin sharp in focus. You have a good model who keeps still lol. I didn’t know about this light. Thanks for the heads up. Is it powerful? I’m glad I found your channel.

[@AdjBrown]

For the price it’s an amazing light. It’s powerful enough for shoots like this where the light is fairly close. Next time I may get one with a bit more power just in case.

[@yavuzmertyarar]

Which bag do you use for your cameras ? Including RB67 and DSLR,lenses etc?

[@AdjBrown]

My RB is in an old Think Tank Retrospective 30 and all my digital kit is in a Think Tank Streetwalker Harddrive.

[@andersbergmann4741]

Amazing shots! I love the mood! Do you meter for the highlights to get those deep shadows or are they pulled down in post? I’ve been looking at that Godox light for a while and after seeing this I’m definitely getting one. I would love to know how you set it up. Looks like you’re having it pointing straight downwards in front the model?

[@AdjBrown]

Thanks Anders, appreciate it. I do usually meter for the highlights as I find the shadows are always a little easier to lift if necessary. If you watch the video closely at about 4:40 you can see the light pointing is straight up into a 120cm Phottix Premio silver umbrella. I probably should have used a white umbrella as the silver was giving some pretty bright spots on her forehead where the water was. The edge of the umbrella was placed pretty much in line with her so she had no or very little direct light on her. Does that make sense?

[@andersbergmann4741]

Adj Brown It sure does. Thanks a lot! And again, fantastic portraits and a great video!

[@luissalazar2021]

That’s is a beautiful girl, thanks for sharing

[@AdjBrown]

Thanks for watching

[@chriswarzenski8652]

Gorgeous images! subscribing for sure. Were you shooting with the 90mm or the 127mm?

[@AdjBrown]

Thanks Chris, this was the 90mm 3.8

[@gerardusvanleer3602]

Great shots! What light setup did you used?

[@AdjBrown]

Hey Gerardus, I used a Godox SL60 which is a daylight balanced continuous light firing into a 120cm umbrella.

[@gerardusvanleer3602]

@@AdjBrown Thanks!

[@cloudsilver1]

This is absolutely amazing. May I know what lens did you use for this shoot?

[@AdjBrown]

Hi Franklin, glad you like the video and shoot. The lens was the Mamiya 90mm f3.8

[@cloudsilver1]

Adj Brown thanks for your reply! Did you get ur light seals replaced by any chance?

[@AdjBrown]

I did. I found some online and did it myself.

[@SamsonArnettRoughley]

Great stuff ! just uploaded my latest using my pentax 67 :)

[@AdjBrown]

Looks good. The Pentax is a definitely more travel friendly than the Mamiya

[@MyJuancho2010]

Why not use a 180mm portrait lens or 250mm..?

[@AdjBrown]

Simple reason, I don't own those lenses

[@579LOOPYLOO]

Was it a continuous light with the light head or did you use flash?

[@AdjBrown]

It was a Godox SL60 continuous led

[@mamiyapress]

" a couple of hundred pounds " you must be joking, are you having a laff, is he having a laff ?

[@AdjBrown]

Someone else commented on this a while back. That's what I paid for mine which admittedly was about 5 years ago and a lot has changed since then.

[@AndreLieberher]

Hi! When shooting portraits on B&W, do photographers tend to underexpose, overexpose, or shoot at box speed?

[@AdjBrown]

Hi Andre, it really depends on the film and the situation. I love the look of Acros 100 shot at 400 and HP5 looks great at 1600.

[@a1551x]

any tips for learning composition?

[@AdjBrown]

Hey Aldair, studying the greats should be top of the list but having a model that knows her best angles and doesn't have to be "placed" in every pose always helps.

[@LukeSciberraschannel]

which shots are portra and which are fuji pro?

[@AdjBrown]

3:50 - 5:00 (ish) are Portra the ones with the much wetter hair are Fuji. Portra skin tones are a lot warmer.

[@LukeSciberraschannel]

@@AdjBrown Thanks! The portra looks a lot cooler than I expected, they look almost the same to me. I'm guessing both was shot and metered for ISO 400.

[@AdjBrown]

Yes, both shot at box speed. I promise you, the Portra images are warmer :-)

[@CipherZer000]

who is the model? and how to find her?

[@AdjBrown]

@lydia_cooke

[@Грозоваятуча-н9ш]

+ fotoshop?

[@AdjBrown]

Only for a bit of dust removal

[@andretim75]

B&W photos were way underexposed and lacked tonality and subtleness the color phots were much more convincing to my eye , though sometimes still too underexposed ! I learned one should overexposed film which is old stock -- perhaps some of these should have this .

[@AdjBrown]

I did want it dark but maybe I went a bit too far.

[@Blackmind0]

..i have seen the banana.. 😁

[@AdjBrown]

Lucky you

[@81springbrook96]

interesting to see this is one of your top viewed videos! =) #filmisnotdead I just started my own channel about film photography~ come by and say hi if u have time =) Cheers mate!

[@AdjBrown]

Film photography geeks love a BTS video so it doesn't surprise me that it's had a few likes and loads of comments. Your channel is looking good, people like a real world perspective on things... especially cameras.

[@sfinnera1]

£100 lies haha where? Haha

[@AdjBrown]

Oh my god, I just looked on eBay. I can't remember exactly how much, but I bought mine about 4 years ago for under £100.

[@Paul-fm3cf]

Please drop the music while you're talking, it's totally distracting and unnecessary.

[@AdjBrown]

I did try it without but felt it needed something underneath. I'll try it again next time.

[@davidventura1424]

Need to spot your images... makes like you don’t care for quality

[@AdjBrown]

Sorry David, what do you mean “spot the images”?