Kiran Bhat Photography

I have to admit, I'm an addict for lenses that produce quality bokeh. Those who are not familiar with the term bokeh, check out this Wiki article. Typically the lenses that produce very nice bokeh have large apertures - f/2 or lower in aperture number. When shot wide open (although not required) the circles of confusion these lenses produce in out of focus areas are a joy to look at. It creates that "dreamy" look at least that's how people with non photographic backgrounds have described it to me. There are some favorite lenses that I have in each format that I shoot with and I call them Bokeh Machines. Small Format - Typically 135mm film size or smaller. It's also known as "full frame" or "cropped frame" in digital world depending on the size of the sensor. Hexanon 57mm f/1.2 -  This lens is amazing and truly affordable compared to some of the other lenses that I own. It can be adopted to 4/3rds or micro 4/3rds format but it's t

Velvia is special for me. Of all the color slides I have shot with, the result Velvia produces amazes me everytime. In Velvia blues, reds and greens especially stand out. It can be a little too contrasty for portraits but for landscapes it is perfect. The results are very consistent even with the home development of E-6 using rapid kits. I develop all my E-6s with using my Jobo CPE-2 either with Tetenal or Arista rapid kits (pictured below). I'll post a detailed development process soon. I don't print from my slides so I just scan them with Epson V700 and digitize. Although scanning doesn't do justice to the richness of the slides but it is acceptable, given my small investment in equipments. I feel every film photographer should experience Velvia goodness at least once!   Velvia development in progress using Jobo CPE-2 Sinar F 4x5, Horseman 6x12, Velvia 50 Mamiya RZ67 ProII, Velvia 50 Hasselblad 500C, Velvia 50 Mamiya RZ67 ProII, Velvia 50 Calumet 4x5

Some of my recent black and white landsacpes. I certainly have shot more black and white pictures than color. First two are shot using my Hasselblad 500C and other two are digital pictures shot using Olympus E-3. Delhi Metropark, Dexter Michigan - Hasselblad 500C, Carl-Zeiss 80 f/2.8, ND3 Little Sable Light House - Hasselblad 500C, Carl Zeiss 80 2.8, B+W ND110 Blue Hen Falls, Ohio - Olympus E-3, B+W ND110

When most people transitioned from film to digital, I returned to shooting film. Like most photographers I started photography with film and was comfortable with 35mm photography. I did get a digital camera when those became affordable and eventually landed in dSLR land. After shooting digital for a few years, I was beginning to get the feeling that I was burning out with my photography. I wanted to do something different, away from pixel world. I got an excellent deal on a medium format camera and bought it. It was a Mamiya RZ67 ProII (pictured below). I loved the big negatives the medium format camera produces. It was a world of a difference from my 35mm days. After looking at some 6x7 slides, I was convinced that film photography is what I need to pursue again mainly in bigger formats. Since then I have acquired several cameras... Hasselblad, Rolleiflex, Sinar F2, Speed Graphic 4x5 and even a Holga.