Tenerife Photoshoot (Polish Model) 2018

Photoshoot Blog Diary (Written May, 2018)

Blog Diary

My first model photography trip to Tenerife was in September 2017 which was just me and Lindsay. I then went again in January 2018 in a small group. After the first two trips I felt the photos were generally better when I worked 1-2-1 with one model and when we were both solely focused on making good pictures without other distractions. 

This Tenerife photoshoot would again be 1-2-1 and this time with Polish model Aneta. We are both very results driven and hard working so I expected non-stop photos for the full 3 days. Writing this blog on the flight home this was an understatement ha. Aneta’s wish list and supply of clothes was endless and even using almost every hour of daylight each day we still probably needed at least 1-2 more days to complete all we wanted to do. 

Rather than split this into three days and say what we did each day I will just talk more about the cameras (as the days blurred together).

>> Follow me on YouTube

*Click images to view full res and see camera/ lens/ film/ developing details

Camera Gear List

• Digital Leica M240 camera body 
• Leica M3 35mm film camera body
• Voigtlander Color Skopar 21mm f4 lens
• Voigtlander Nokton Classic 35mm f1.4 lens
• Voigtlander Color Skopar 35mm f2.5 lens
• Leica Summilux 50mm f1.4 ASPH lens
• Leica Macro-Elmer-M 90mm f4 lens
• LUMIX Lx100 / Leica D-Lux Typ 109 (backup)
• Hasselblad 500CM 6×6 film camera + WLF 
• Acute Matte D Split prism focus screen
• Acute Matte cross hair focus screen
• Zeiss Planar 100mm f3.5 CF lens 
• Zeiss Planar 60mm f3.5 CF lens
• Hasselblad SWC-M 6×6 film camera (fixed Zeiss Biogon 38mm f4.5 CF lens)
• Hasselblad A12 film back (6×6)
• Hasselblad A16 film back (645)
• Mamiya 6 6×6 film camera  + 75mm lens

Film stocks for the trip

• 35mm Kodak Vision 3 50D 
• 35mm Kodak Vision 3 500T
• 120 Fomapan 100
• 120 Ilford HP5 400
• 120 Fuji Neopan Acros 100
• 120 Kodak Portra 160 
• 120 Kodak Ektar 100

Medium format cameras

As you may have spotted from my camera bag list above I brought a lot (and that was after weeks of trying to decide what to take).  For this trip I wanted to focus more on medium format film and just have one 35mm camera for fun photos (or fast snaps or as a colour alternative if the 6×6 cameras were shooting black and white film.

Hasselblad SWC-M

I expected to use the Mamiya 6 camera the most and Hasselblad SWC-M the least.  The opposite was in fact true and I used the SWC-M the most.  The Hasselblad 500CM was somewhere in between.  I’m not sure the results will be any good using the SWC-M but I got a great workflow going and just loved the size of the camera and point and shoot (almost) approach.  My method was to measure the distance with a Leica camera rangefinder then read the distance off the Leica lens then dial it in on the SWC-M lens, copy the exposure setting, compose and click. 

I took the Hasselblad SWC-M instead of a 4×5 film camera believe it or not but it didn’t pan out like that. I planned to shoot carefully composed images on a tripod but it was 99% handheld rushed photos, trying to catch a nice pose before Aneta moved. I found my eyes were naturally seeing wider scenes than the Mamiya 6 75mm lens or Hasselblad 500CM 60mm lens could capture.  I don’t think the wide lens necessarily suited every image I shot but I’m really excited to see the results.  The fixed 38mm f4.5 Zeiss Biogon lens (35mm 21mm equivalent) is extremely well regarded yet I’ve not used the camera as much as I had hoped. Maybe I will going forward now I’ve got my own method of using the camera. Fingers crossed!

The 4×5 Camera Effect

One thing I really noticed in Tenerife this time but also at home is after buying the Intrepid 4×5 camera and viewing a lot of 4×5 film images on Instagram, I find I want to shoot nice light on pretty much any subject. Most often buildings. When Aneta was getting changed I often found myself photographing the hotel – the corridor, the outside of the hotel, off the balcony and even a half cooked approached at long exposure night photography. 

The Hasselblad SWC-M and a 4×5 view camera are obviously very different beasts but the SWC-M feels like my new pocket 4×5 camera somehow (you would need a big pocket but vs. a 4×5 camera and tripod the SWC handheld is quick and easy and portable and yet hopefully still captures quite nice photos for those landscape or building shots.  I will certainly pack the SWC-M as my first medium format camera for future overseas photoshoots and next time I will try to make time to take more non-model photos with it.

Taking a few location shots this trip was better than I normally do and also it provides a nice visual memory of the location I was at rather than a sequence of model faces that could have been shot anywhere (sometimes).  So I guess the bad news for people that follow me for the nice girls is more non-girls photos to come this year but for anyone that appreciates general photography hopefully I will capture a few nice scenes.

Hasselblad A16 (645) Film back

What caught me out the most in Tenerife this time was juggling a 6×6 standard Hasselblad A12 film back with the crop 645 Hasselblad A16 back between the Hasselblad 500CM and SWC-M cameras. So many times I forgot I was using the 645 crop back and composed for the 6×6 square view I saw on the focus screen.  I think I will lose a few shots sadly with chopped off head and feet but hopefully not to many. (My fault for trying to work fast with 3-4 cameras at once). 

The 645 back also gave problems where I wanted to shoot vertical crops so had the Hasselblad 500CM on it’s side using the WLF ‘cack-handed’ (feeling upside down and back to front while trying to compose). A 45 degree Hasselblad prism finder overcomes this but adds bulk and weight to the camera so I had to leave it in the UK.

I was using one Hasselblad back with 120 B&W film and the other film back with 120 colour film to start with but at one stage both backs were shooting black and white. I was using two different B&W film stocks so again I got myself confused and metered the wrong exposure for some photos. I shot all the colour 120 film I took and a lot of black and white too so hopefully I will get some nice ones even after all the errors I know about. 

Use a Hasselblad H camera instead for 645

*Update – I would now use my Hasselblad H2 for 645 format film portraits. Autofocus and much easier for vertical orientation portrait format.

Hasselblad 500CM

My Hasselblad 501c camera was out of action awaiting repair so I took a Hasselblad 500CM body instead. My 501c is my most modern Hasselblad V series camera but the older 500CM does exactly the same job. Having 2 film backs with your Hasselblad, whether different film formats (6×6 and 645) or 2 different film stocks loaded, gives it an advantage over the Mamiya 6.

I took the Hasselblad 500CM mostly to work in close  to the model (using the cross hair focus screen) but also a few shots from a distance with the split prism focus screen. I find neither screen works as well in reverse (for the mentioned styles of photography, for me). Ie. split prism screen up close I struggle with and cross hair screen from distance I can’t see to focus accurately. 

Mamiya 6

For me, the Mamiya 6 camera is better than a Hasselblad to carry around all day as it is smaller and lighter, especially if fitted with the 75mm lens.  Being a rangefinder camera, the Mamiya 6 is also faster to focus and can be used at slower shutter speeds from my experience.  I prefer a Hasselblad for close up portraits but enjoy the Mamiya 6 for wider scene/ environmental portraits

I shot many rolls of 120 film in total which is good for recent times (and 4 rolls of 35mm film).  It was great to have a good model that I enjoyed shooting with to ‘invest’ in shooting 120 film with. I’m getting picky in my old age so it now needs to be deemed portfolio worthy in my eyes to shoot 120 film.  It is too expensive and time consuming to develop to shoot photos that I will never use. 

Leica M3

Originally, I planned to take two film Leica bodies but then realized I only have one pairs of hands so didn’t need to take even more cameras.  I wanted to shoot mostly 120 film and I only shoot film when I think a digital photo looks worthy of shooting on film.  (This can result in very few film images or it can result in lots of film photos like on this trip.  It depends on the model and the available light).  

As I shot most of the colour 120 film quite early into the trip I was glad to have 35mm colour film as a backup.  The Leica M3 was without doubt the fastest film camera to operate and is always a joy to use.  It has 50mm framelines but I shot a lot with wider lenses too (35mm mostly) and used an external viewfinder to focus (or just guessed).  Hopefully even if I screwed up a few 120 film shots I got others on 35mm film.  (By shooting the same outfit / location on 2 different film cameras it gives some protection from accidental errors).

Leica M240

The digital Leica M240 was my primary camera for Tenerife.  I packed a few different Leica M lenses as they are all relatively small and gave me options for different styles of photos.  The most used lens was the 35mm Voigtlander Nokton 35mm f1.4 I think so I must of being seeing the world as a wider scene. I did use the 90mm Macro-Elmer more on the last day too. 

No Flash / Available Light Only 

For once I packing no additional lighting at all. Not even a single speedlight.  I didn’t even use a reflector (not once). (That is probably why I had the extra luggage capacity to take so many cameras!). The weather was not blue sky sunshine much of the time and we even had a little rain one day but I enjoyed working just with available light and it was bright most of the time.  I think these Tenerife photos may have a slightly different look to my norm as I normally use a lot of lights in my photography. I enjoyed the simplicity and speed of working with daylight and I think it makes you work a location harder when using exiting light rather than just making artificial light wherever you want it.  Both lighting scenarios have there pros and cons of course but for me different is interesting and fun. 

Model

I have worked with Aneta a few times now after she first approached me via email. We work well together and she knows how I operate and I know she is there to get the results she needs.  Aneta did an amazing job bringing lots of nice clothes after weeks of me email her suggestions and photo ideas (plus her finding her own ideas too).  Aneta always looks good to me but she put in the additional physical training ahead of our shoot to look at her best for Tenerife.  That meant that pretty much every item of clothing looked good, very good or just made your eyeballs pop out on stalks!  I was so happy I made the choice to shoot higher resolution 120 medium format film as some images I think I will look back on forever.  Hopefully timeless classics and where only a few models I know could produce the same image. 

Aneta is very body confident and for some photos I need that confidence combined with the amazing physical form. Helmet Newton came to mind when I was shooting some of the photos. I’m not one of these photographers that lies near naked girls on a car bonnet or straddling a motorbike (I can’t think of anything cheaper looking) but like Helmut Newton, sometimes some nudity can look amazing and I think it celebrates the female form. I hope Aneta can look back on some of the photos when she is old and enjoy seeing herself at her physical peak. Equally I never saw myself shooting nudes or mostly nude photos a few years ago!  I just seem numb to it now so that might be why some of my Flickr or Instagram photos are racier than they once were. Hopefully still tasteful though. 

Location Shoot

Aneta and I did well in trying to use as many different backdrops as possible during the 3 days. A polar opposite to some of my past shoots in Poland where many girls were shot up against a white hotel wall (often due to rain outside and limited daylight).  Hopefully that will add to the interest and variety in the photos even with the same model.  My brain is a bit fried after 3 bust days but I think from memory the balcony shots might be the ones I am most likely to print. I want to start printing more of my work so I hope I got the results I needed. Coming soon.  

Next Time – What would I do differently?

If I think positive and the photos are as good as I saw through the film cameras, next time I won’t change my setup too much. I will leave the Mamiya 6 camera behind and the Zeiss 60mm lens and use the Two Hasselblad cameras both with A12 6×6 film backs. I would take the Leica Summarit-M 50mm f2.5 for the Leica M3 as I rarely shot the Summilux wide open at f1.4. The Summarit is a smaller lens and balances much nicer on a film Leica. Lastly I would take more colour film as I enjoyed shooting some colour for a change (I shoot mostly black and white film on grey days in the UK and in the studio).

Whatever the film photo results, thanks Aneta, I think we both gave it our all and some of the digital photos we’ve taken looked amazing on the Leica M240 LCD.  Aneta pushed me by giving me scenarios she wanted me to photograph (that I may not have thought of) so I think I come away a stronger photographer (and I never stop learning using my various film cameras).

Film Developing Mistake

I was developing some of the 120 colour film late at night while multi-tasking and I got the chemicals and Paterson tanks mixed up. The times, temperatures and chemical mix were all wrong but I still got something. More of a lomography look. Luckily I had shot enough film that most negatives were not affected.

*Update – Does the camera really matter?

As I’ve now covered in some of my YouTube videos, the cameras matters much less than the subject/ scene and the light.  I can have the “best” / most expensive cameras and lenses but if I don’t like what is in front of the lens then I will never use the images (or possibly not even be inspired enough to take the photos).  Luckily, in 2018, Aneta approached me after finding me on Google as she wanted to get back into modelling.  She even paid for the nice apartment in Tenerife so that we could make the best photos we could.

Similar to the example I share in my video, I would say that most people (including myself – note to self!) would be better to spend £1000 as; £200-£400 on a camera + lens(es) + film and the rest on travel (flight and hotel) + a professional model, if that is your interest, rather than £1000 on a new camera or lens.  (Or on a model photography workshop if that is your interest)

Over that last 10 years I have been guilty of spending 90-95% of my budget on camera equipment and 5-10% on cheap travel.  I still enjoyed it but the nice cameras had less impact on the final photos than the models I recruited for the shoots.  For my next trip I might take the budget Nikon FG-20 + Nikkor 50mm f2 AI to try to prove this idea.

18+ Images from this trip

A body confident model in a hot country results in nude and semi-naked photos. I can’t share them here as I try to keep this a family-friendly-ish site but I do post them on Patreon. These photos are not supposed to be the main reason to join Patreon but it is nice to be able to share the images I make.

Need a Mentor? Join Patreon for support, tuition + more content!

Related Posts

• Tenerife Photoshoot Trip 1 – UK Model
• Tenerife Photoshoot Trip 2 – 3 UK Models
• Tenerife Photoshoot Trip 4 – Local Models (To follow)

–

Would you like to photograph beautiful models?

Now you can! I show you my end to end process in this FREE eBook

More Info

> Workshops/ Photowalks Mailing List – Receive info on future events specific to your city/ country/ interest.

> Zoom Consultations/ Mentor – Not sure what camera or lens to buy or need help with your photography? Act today and book a 1:1 Zoom call!

> YouTube Monthly Giveaways – Follow me on YouTube channel for a chance to win the monthly giveaway!

> Join the family on Patreon! Instant access: 200+ exclusive posts including 100+ videos, 2 group Zoom calls/month, Friendly private Facebook group.. *Sign up to Patreon for 12 months and get 10% off!

> Recommended Photography Gear? MyKit lists all my recommended photography equipment and the links let you price check items.

> Free YouTube Search Tool – Keep up to date with the monthly Newsletter and receive a free copy of my YouTube video search tool. Search my 200+ videos by lens manufacturer, lens mount, focal length, film format and other filters.

> Wedding Referrals for Cash! Know someone getting married? If they book my £1K or higher wedding photographer package I’ll send you a £50 thank you!

> Written reviews and sample photos – Follow the blog so not to miss them.

LEICA. LENSES. CAMERAS. WORKSHOP. WEDDING. PRESETS. FILM