Bill Smith's Photography

 After the last real snow but before the melt has finished.  Camera: Canon FTb, FD lenses.  Film: Ilford HP5 400, Ilfotec HC 1+31. 

We only got snow recently, the first half of January was pretty mild, and wet, hence no snow in the shots. Quebec photographer Jess Hobbs has been doing a standing series on documenting her hometown of Granby in the Eastern Townships. I'm taking inspiration from her and another friend to document my own backyard. With this series I pulled out my Canon FTb, the camera that got me back into the Canon FD system, slapped on my chrome nose FD 35 F2 lens for most of the shots, but I also wanted to try out my FDn 85 F1.8 short telephoto lens I got along with my Canon New F-1 AE. My long time friend Dave Headon and vintange lens enthusiast was the subject of a portrait session to give the 85 F1.8 a workout. Oh wow, this lens shines for portraits, like the Nikkor 105 F2.5, only a wee bit shorter in focal length. The FTb did remarkable job metering considering it was made in 1972. I also took an opportunity to shoot again in Tannery Park which the Town of Oakville did a great design ...

Canon FTb's I love them, I even wrote an article on the Film Shooters Collective regarding this body. I never really bonded with Canon A-series bodies, I learned on a AE-1, sold it, bought another one years later, sold it again. Canon FTb's and F-1's stick around, both are built like tanks and easy to work with. Camera: Canon FTbn, FD 50 f1.4 SSC lens. Film: Ilford HP5 400, HC110 B.

This was my only roll of colour film I shot in the Beaches during March Break. What I found with Agfa Vista 400 or the Fujifilm stock used, when it's bright and sunny, it pops. When you get cloudy skies, it looses it's sizzle compared to Kodak Ultramax 400 and Lomography 400 (pretty much the same stuff) which I've shot in utterly dismal lighting in the past. I do have some Lomography F Squared film coming my way which is cold stored expired Film Ferrania Solaris 400, and I heard really good things about that. Camera: Canon FTb, FD 50 f1.4 and 28 f2 SSC lenses. Film: Agfa Vista 400