Tag Archives: Film

Photographer’s Choice – Martin Seelig

The Challenge? Capture Motion With Still Frame Photography.

Martin Seelig - Atlantic Collegiate Cycling Conference in West Jefferson

Martin Seelig – Atlantic Collegiate Cycling Conference in West Jefferson

Marti not only collects vintage film cameras but is a dedicated film user, with no thought of “going digital”. He also enjoys a challenge, using his equipment and skills to broaden his reach into different facets of the photographic art. A recent bike race sponsored by the Atlantic Collegiate Cycling Conference provided such an opportunity. He chose a position in W. Jefferson near the Parkway Theater at the corner of Main and 3rd Streets. His camera du jour was a Minolta Maxxum 9 loaded with Ilford HP5+ (ASA 400) film and fitted with a 35-105mm lens. As the bikers raced by, he realized that the autofocus was too slow to react so he chose to manually pre-focus and position the shot so that the bikers would be in focus and well framed at a pre-selected distance. He used a panning motion and a slow shutter speed of 1/125 sec, attempting to blur the background while maintaining focus on the riders. For adequate depth of field, he chose f/11 as the aperture. Another challenge was the strong backlighting making it necessary to set the exposure for the shadow areas to prevent the riders’ faces from being underexposed.
All the planning and calculating culminated in the above successful portrait. The framing is excellent with “front” room for the riders to occupy. The overexposure of the foreground provided a very light gray pavement to add to the dark riders and the shadows, foreward of and leading the bikers, add depth and interest.

Member Favorites From “Still Life” Assignment

A “Still Life” gives the artist perhaps more freedom to convey a specific message in a visual presentation than other categories such as portraiture or landscape. Every element of the work is under the direct control of the artist, from the objects chosen, to the arrangement of the objects, to the lighting and background. There’s no rush to catch the perfect time of day or a fleeting light or changing weather. Elements can be removed or added over an extended time until the artist is satisfied with his arrangement. Or, in the case of photography, multiple shots from a different perspective or different light sources can be attempted, until a finished work reflects the artistic intent. The ACC members who participated in this assignment took advantage of this freedom and produced some excellent results, making the voting a very difficult choice to determine the member’s favorite.
The overall favorite below was created by Kim Hadley, a very simple but powerful composition of times past with a pocketwatch and pair of glasses, all set in a warm environment of soft light and a muted, wqrm sepia color. The handwriten paper makes an ideal background. The shallow depth of field is perfect.

Times Past - Kim Hadley - Member Favorite

Times Past – Kim Hadley – Member Favorite


The second place winner goes to Sandy Pinto for an autumn themed look at an artistic and colorful arrangment of objects typically associated with that lovely time of year. Set in a weather beaten and peeling chair and in a somewhat muted light, the feeling of the end of summer, the coming winter cold and the passage of another year is conveyed to the viewer
Sandy Pinto - Fall Scene - Voted 2nd Favorite

Sandy Pinto – Fall Scene – Voted 2nd Favorite


Only one vote behind Sandy is this work by Martin Seelig successfully portraying his love for film photography using vintage cameras. It’s obvious that he selected the various pieces carefully and arranged them exactly as he wished. He included not only the Ciro-flex twin reflex camera but all the items that would come with the purchase. The addition of the lightmeter completes the story. It’s only natural that he would choose b&w for his presentation.
Martin Seelig - 3rd Place Favorite - CiroFlex Still Life

Martin Seelig – 3rd Place Favorite – CiroFlex Still Life