amoz
Established
I have spent five weeks in Congo, working as a WWF volunteer on a bonobo (aka pygmy chimpanzee) project.
I don't have time to share my experiences with you right now (in a detailed written report, that is), but I thought we could stick to the essentials: the pictures. Furthermore, I forced myself to restrict this post to just a few pictures, thus lots of things are missing --but at least these should give you a general impression.
Shown here are all scans from slides taken with the MP and 35 asph, on Fuji Velvia 100. Hardly any post-processing adjustments. I took a few rolls of Tri-X with me as well, but those have not yet been scanned so check back here if you are interested.
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I don't have time to share my experiences with you right now (in a detailed written report, that is), but I thought we could stick to the essentials: the pictures. Furthermore, I forced myself to restrict this post to just a few pictures, thus lots of things are missing --but at least these should give you a general impression.
Shown here are all scans from slides taken with the MP and 35 asph, on Fuji Velvia 100. Hardly any post-processing adjustments. I took a few rolls of Tri-X with me as well, but those have not yet been scanned so check back here if you are interested.
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
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Last edited:
2XLX2
Established
beautiful series!
btw, what scanner?
btw, what scanner?
amoz
Established
Thanks!
I use the flatbed Epson Perfection 4490 Photo with its scanning software, all automatic settings turned off (including ICE) except for the "unsharp" setting --did some testing and liked the results. Scanned to TIFF at 1200 dpi.
capitalK
Warrior Poet :P
Incredible series, can't wait to see the TRI-X.
capitalK
Warrior Poet :P
Incredible series, can't wait to see the TRI-X.
ChrisN
Striving
Excellent work! My favourite is #8, the man drinking in the shaft of sunlight.
You are getting very nice results from your 4490 scanner. I've not been very happy with my Velvia scans, but the light here is very harsh.
Edit: you have two number 8!
You are getting very nice results from your 4490 scanner. I've not been very happy with my Velvia scans, but the light here is very harsh.
Edit: you have two number 8!
gavinlg
Veteran
beautiful! I'll be checking back for the tri-x too.
Thanks
Thanks
amoz
Established
Thanks. I've straightened it out. You are talking about number 10 as of now ;-)... That day we fell short of water supplies. Those lianas (called Nkekele) contain so much water that if you cut them, in one strong machete move, you can actually drink the water that pours out. Came in handy, and it is even a bit sugary. Taken at 1/15, f2.
Light around the equator can be pretty harsh as well, but inside the rain forest it's sort of leaf-filtered multiple times before it reaches the soil so that softens it quite a bit.
robin a
Well-known
I mirror all the above...............very nice,let's see some more. Robin
b&w
Member
i like #10 too... looking forward to your tri-x captures...
maddoc
... likes film again.
# 3,5, and 10 for me. Excellent photos ! Looking forward to see your Tri-X photos as well (... and read some more about your project / travel there) 
Do you have a blog for this project ?
Do you have a blog for this project ?
Rayt
Nonplayer Character
please post more and also your write up. There aren't enough photos from that part of the world.
stefan_dinu
Established
It is quite mixed. I like 2, 10 and 13 very much. I feel them close, as I use most of the time MP with 35mm. But I prefer Astia for the more neutral color tone.
totifoto
Well-known
Very nice! Looking forward to the tri-x pictures.
papasnap
Well-known
wonderful shots!! you really know what you're doing with that velvia. you must be very proud!
2, 10 and 12 are my favorites - I especially like #2 (the pool).
out of interest, did your gear hold up OK for you?? anything work particularly well or poorly in the field?
2, 10 and 12 are my favorites - I especially like #2 (the pool).
out of interest, did your gear hold up OK for you?? anything work particularly well or poorly in the field?
Florian1234
it's just hide and seek
Great photos! The Velvia gives great colours.
Can't wait to see your Tri-X results, too.
Any problems with humidity down there?
Can't wait to see your Tri-X results, too.
Any problems with humidity down there?
AzzA
Established
i think they're terrific mate.
well done!
well done!
amoz
Established
Thanks for all the feedback. Nice to get this up and see you like them. Don't hesitate to critique the photos, though, I think we can learn a lot from each others' points of view.
@ maddoc, Rayt, and others: I am sorry, I don't have a blog. I am building a website at the moment, just to get some photo work online --not for publishing any written stories (at this point in time, at least). I do understand your curiosity, but it's very hard to start describing my experience in Kinshasa and the weeks I spent in the forest & savanna ecosystems there. As a project wrap-up, I have written a 17 pages long detailed report but that is in Dutch, so it won't be of much help I am afraid.
However, if you have any specific questions I would be glad to answer them. For instance, I got a PM from someone interested into getting into volunteering and shooting documentary. Also, the questions raised about gear problems I can answer of course:
I do not baby my MP, and I do not use a case. I wear it around my shoulder the whole time and it bumps around when I bump around (e.g. in the Toyota Land Cruiser we sometimes used, but also in the forest itself when jumping over creeks, dead trees etc). Of course I am careful enough not to drop or smash it, but that's about it.
My MP was a bit out of (vertical) alignment before I left for Congo but there was no time to get it fixed. As a result my framing is not the way I intended it to be and I have the impression that things got worse in Africa. As I didn't notice this problem in time, I was not able to systematically correct for it --e.g. when framing horizontally I always lose out on the bottom and have more of the sky than intended-- but this should be possible and it's the way I work-around right now. A bit frustrating, I guess I'll just have it fixed.
Now about the climate. Not surprisingly, it is quite hot (30 degrees C/ 86 F is pretty average) and very very humid. Around noon, the savanna vegetation gets dryer (down to 60-70% relative air humidity), but inside the forest itself RAH is always around 85-95%. In the evening, at night, and in the morning it is 100% everywhere. During the four+ weeks spent in very rough terrain and without any dry shelters other than my small sleeping tent, this never posed a problem to my gear. In the morning, when I had left the MP on the floor next to my sleeping mat (so inside the tent), it often was just plain wet underneath, with water dripping of when I picked it up. [I should mention that we camped at the forest edge and mostly got up before sunrise, at 4 or 4:30. We then marched for about one hour to be inside the forest close to the apes when the sun came up.] I learned to put it on a bag or so, but sometimes forgot. I have also slept in a hammock for several nights... that was even worse (you wake up feeling cold and completely wet around 2 o'clock at night). Anyway, humidity-wise the MP or lens did not complain. I never hesitated to change films or use the camera under any circumstances. Sweat on it continuously, took it out in a tropical rain storm once, no problems whatsoever.
Dust can be a problem in dry regions, but mud and dirt is its cousin in more humid environments. I never cleaned the outsides of my camera, except for the UV-filter I had always attached to the 35 (my one and only M lens). The relief in the summicron is now full of tiny particles and I am not sure how to clean it out (nor am I very worried about it damaging anything).
Alright, this should do for now --notice how I still have not written anything about the project/research/animals themselves...
Have not gotten to scanning the Tri-X, I promise I'll free up some time in the next few days. Thanks again.
@ maddoc, Rayt, and others: I am sorry, I don't have a blog. I am building a website at the moment, just to get some photo work online --not for publishing any written stories (at this point in time, at least). I do understand your curiosity, but it's very hard to start describing my experience in Kinshasa and the weeks I spent in the forest & savanna ecosystems there. As a project wrap-up, I have written a 17 pages long detailed report but that is in Dutch, so it won't be of much help I am afraid.
However, if you have any specific questions I would be glad to answer them. For instance, I got a PM from someone interested into getting into volunteering and shooting documentary. Also, the questions raised about gear problems I can answer of course:
I do not baby my MP, and I do not use a case. I wear it around my shoulder the whole time and it bumps around when I bump around (e.g. in the Toyota Land Cruiser we sometimes used, but also in the forest itself when jumping over creeks, dead trees etc). Of course I am careful enough not to drop or smash it, but that's about it.
My MP was a bit out of (vertical) alignment before I left for Congo but there was no time to get it fixed. As a result my framing is not the way I intended it to be and I have the impression that things got worse in Africa. As I didn't notice this problem in time, I was not able to systematically correct for it --e.g. when framing horizontally I always lose out on the bottom and have more of the sky than intended-- but this should be possible and it's the way I work-around right now. A bit frustrating, I guess I'll just have it fixed.
Now about the climate. Not surprisingly, it is quite hot (30 degrees C/ 86 F is pretty average) and very very humid. Around noon, the savanna vegetation gets dryer (down to 60-70% relative air humidity), but inside the forest itself RAH is always around 85-95%. In the evening, at night, and in the morning it is 100% everywhere. During the four+ weeks spent in very rough terrain and without any dry shelters other than my small sleeping tent, this never posed a problem to my gear. In the morning, when I had left the MP on the floor next to my sleeping mat (so inside the tent), it often was just plain wet underneath, with water dripping of when I picked it up. [I should mention that we camped at the forest edge and mostly got up before sunrise, at 4 or 4:30. We then marched for about one hour to be inside the forest close to the apes when the sun came up.] I learned to put it on a bag or so, but sometimes forgot. I have also slept in a hammock for several nights... that was even worse (you wake up feeling cold and completely wet around 2 o'clock at night). Anyway, humidity-wise the MP or lens did not complain. I never hesitated to change films or use the camera under any circumstances. Sweat on it continuously, took it out in a tropical rain storm once, no problems whatsoever.
Dust can be a problem in dry regions, but mud and dirt is its cousin in more humid environments. I never cleaned the outsides of my camera, except for the UV-filter I had always attached to the 35 (my one and only M lens). The relief in the summicron is now full of tiny particles and I am not sure how to clean it out (nor am I very worried about it damaging anything).
Alright, this should do for now
--notice how I still have not written anything about the project/research/animals themselves...Have not gotten to scanning the Tri-X, I promise I'll free up some time in the next few days. Thanks again.
amoz
Established
One more thing. I bought a small and cheap tripod before I left. I had a big and heavy Manfrotto one, but that would have been impossible to lug around.
Well, quickly found out it was a bit too light for steadily balancing the heavy-weight MP, but it worked out and was an absolute necessity in the forest. I could not have taken pictures #5, 8, and 13 without it. (For the last-mentioned, I submerged the tripod almost completely in the river water.)
Well, quickly found out it was a bit too light for steadily balancing the heavy-weight MP, but it worked out and was an absolute necessity in the forest. I could not have taken pictures #5, 8, and 13 without it. (For the last-mentioned, I submerged the tripod almost completely in the river water.)
krishilife
Member
Hi,
Isn't Velvia + 35/2 ASPH the most contrasty combination you can find? I like the colors on these pics, but shadows are lost in my opinion, expecially no 9 and 10. I'm curious how they would be with Astia 100F, or Reala?
Did you use any other color film on this trip?
BTW, how do you like your 35 ASPH? I think about this lens.
Kris.
Isn't Velvia + 35/2 ASPH the most contrasty combination you can find? I like the colors on these pics, but shadows are lost in my opinion, expecially no 9 and 10. I'm curious how they would be with Astia 100F, or Reala?
Did you use any other color film on this trip?
BTW, how do you like your 35 ASPH? I think about this lens.
Kris.