Dear friends of analog and instant photography,
Today I would like to show you some portraits I did back in 2019 with my favorite analog camera the Optimet TLR.
TLR stand for twin lens reflex camera. The most known is probably the Rolleiflex or the Yashica TLR. The Optimet was made in Germany and the lens they used was done by Enna Werke München, who later on developed the very first zoom lens for photography.
The hardest part about taking photos with this gem is to get the focus right. Also it is not the typical point and shoot style photography and you need to take some time and consider how you adjust the settings. Also you have only 12 pictures per roll and this makes it a challenge since it is not a fast thing to change rolls in this cam.
Also you have to measure the light to be able to determine shutter speed and aperture.
I usually use my digital cam when on hand I just adjust the speed of film and shutter speed take a picture and have a look at the outcome.
I also have an app called light meter which is for free but it is not as accurate as a real one.
The film was developed by my favorite mini small lab in Budapest called Analog Café. They also sell tons of old cameras usually at a very good price. The best about that photo shop is that they have a bulk of expired film rolls.
Also they sell their very own rolls of film they spool them by hand. Next time I will be showing some of that films. They do magical pictures. It is a cinematic film from the 70ies with an ISO of only 50 you need to open up your lens completely or adjust shutter accordingly. The cool thing is you buy the film that has at least 36 frames but sometimes more and the price is hefty about 7 € in Hungarian Forints BUT the cost of developing is already included so that's a freaking bargain.
(Once had a batch where every roll had like 44 frames on them!)
I am planning to buy a lot of these next time I go.
So without further ado enjoy the photos! They where taken on expired Kodak Portra 400
All models have been styled by my love and make up artist @tinty.art
