I've been using Kodak Gold 200 for quite awhile and I'm sure I don't
have to tell anyone on this list that it's not exactly flattering on
skin tones. I knew I was about to make a trip to Buffalo to see my
newest granddaughter who's only a month old. Newborns tend to be
flushed looking and I knew that the Kodak Gold would probably make her
look like she was sunburned. So, I finally sent off to B&H for some
Portra 160 NC. Never used it before but I was finally gonna do it
right.
Soon after arriving in Buffalo, I pulled out the OM2s and attached my
normal flash/portrait configuration... T-32 on the BG2, Vivitar 515FD in
the hot shoe and Kiron 70-150 set wide open at f4 and focal length
ususally at 135-150mm. This setup gives me good head and or
head/shoulder shots at from 6-8 feet. I always set the flashes to
bounce: the T-32 typically up and to the left about 45 degrees; the
515FD usually up about 45-75 degrees. I find that, in a modest sized
room, this setup pretty much floods the room with reflected light and
gives fairly even illumination with no harsh shadows or red eye and
gives good exposure when set for Auto/TTL.
Apart from sleeping most of the time the subject was quite cooperative
and it didn't take me long at all to whip through 36 frames. Time to
change to the next roll. Rewound, inserted the next roll, closed the
back and then reached for the mode switch to put it in manual to fire
off the first couple of blank frames. PANIC! It was already in manual
and had been so ever since I loaded the first roll.
Next came the rationalization stage. Hmmm. It's probably OK. The
shutter was set to 1/60 and it didn't really seem to me that the flashes
were doing a full dump since recharge didn't seem to take very long.
Must be that the OM2s could somehow sense that, although the camera was
set to manual, the flashes were set to TTL and it would behave
accordingly. Hmmm. But could it know that with just 3 flash contacts?
Worry, worry, worry. No OM2s manual with me in Buffalo. Son's computer
being worked on. Can't get to the web. Where's the ESIF when you need
one?
Worry, worry, worry the 450 miles back from Buffalo. Rush into the
house and grab the manual. Worst fears realized: "...the exposure mode
on the flash automatically switches according to the camera's exposure
mode." Well, of course, how could it be any other way except in wishes
and dreams.
All is not lost. I did realize the problem before starting the second
roll. However, there are probably some good shots on the first roll if
the exposure problem can be worked around. If the T-32 and or 515FD had
been used individually and straight-on rather than bounced the exposure
for most of the shots would have demanded an aperture of f/16-22. While
I did shoot a few frames with a 28mm at f/8 the majority were with the
zoom at f/4. If it weren't for the very indirect lighting from the
bounce I think the exposures would be off by about 5 stops. My guess is
that the bounce is probably taking off 2-3 stops so that the actual
overexposure is probably 2-3 stops.
Anybody got any guesstimates and/or suggestions for how this film should
be processed and by whom?
Thanks,
Chuck Norcutt
Woburn, Massachusetts, USA
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