Lamp Lit Portraits.

Sep 20

Hi, I am Daniel Grant a film photographer out of Massachusetts, but born and raised in Kingston, Jamaica! Wah Gwaan? Portraiture is my thing, and I am still finding what my niche is. All I know is “A jack of all trades is a master of none, but still better than a master of one” shooting any and all things it’ll fall into place soon.

After realizing I can push Ilford’s HP5+ 3 stops to iso 3200 and still get very useable images on 35mm, I wanted to see what would happen if I attempted to push it 4 stops to iso 6400. If you checked in with me when I initially started shooting film in late 2018, I always thought Ilford’s HP5+ was the flattest of the popular black and white 400 iso film stocks and would always avoid shooting it. I was a Tri-X guy - contrast and grain at box speed and even more when pushed what more would I need? That was until I accidentally fell in love with HP5+ and its latitude. I fell in love with HP5 when I was searching for high iso film to take a few snaps at my friend’s wedding and thought Iford’s Delta 3200 and Kodaks Tmax P3200 was too costly per box. I couldn’t afford to shoot multiple rolls of these, well I maybe I could I was being cheap if I am going to be honest and decided to google then and there in my local camera store Ilford HP5+ shot at 3200 and saw that there you could get super usable images out of these shots. Ever since shooting and liking my results at +3 stops, I have been itching to shoot this stock at that ISO and finally I have been able to – only this time on my Mamiya C330 with the 80mm F 2.8 Lens to help spread the grain out a bit.

Keep experimenting, keep shooting all that matters is that you are shooting!

Instagram: www.instagram.com/visionsofajamaican

I recently watched the Women’s US Open Tennis Finals, and watch two young women basically 18 years of age respectively – granted Leylah Fernandez just turned 19 on the 6th of Sept. While watching I joked with my friends that at this stage in their lives, they would have accomplished way more than I have and potentially would ever in my existence on this earth. They both at such a young age would have made it to the mecca of their sport and their names especially Emma Raducanu the winner would be solidified for the rest of time; sweetheart story or not.

… But here is the thing with all good stories, and all good jokes I kept saying it to myself, for a chuckle until I realized with all good jokes there is a hint of truth within. They shouldn’t have made it to that point in the tournament and it’s not to say they aren’t good, or won’t get better, but its honest they shouldn’t have. There is no reason why I should enjoy photography, I don’t think I am the best, my techniques can be better, but why am I counting myself out? Why couldn’t I be the sweetheart story that made it to the finals in my competition? Quite frankly I have, and I am because I keep rising every day, and I keep going out to make more images. I am sure Emma or Leylah never thought to themselves that they would have made it to the finals in the Womens Us Open, at best maybe the round of 16 and $265,000.00 richer hahaha…

Here’s the thing though, the more you keep winning – it’s also the more you start believing in yourself and the more confident you get. Then your fears kind of wash away because if you’ve beaten your own expectations, anything after that you’re basically playing with house money. For those of us who aren’t familiar with the phrase it basically means – You are gambling with the winnings and not your own money. There is no fear in losing because you have already set aside the money you came in with. Both Emma and Leylah were playing with house money. My greatest wish for myself is to gamble with house money, my greatest wish for all creatives is that once we have made it pass the goal line that we have given ourselves is that we don’t move it. We tend to move the goal line before we have lost, but with each advancement through the rounds…

Move with wild abandon and excitement. Swing for the hills because now when we lose and drop flat on our asses, we would have beaten our own expectations. We dust ourselves off, get up and try again with a new goal line. Bigger goals yes, but now that we have tasted it and now, we can move the goal line. See this started out as a joke of how both Emma and Leylah would have accomplished more in their lives than I would have with this one moment in their life, and while they would have on a public level on a personal one, I think we all would be the same. We all “aren’t” supposed to be here, but if we do happen to start playing with house money – enjoy the moment with wild abandon and excitement. Maybe we will make it to the finals, maybe we won’t, but you just never know how it will all play out. Shoot with confidence, aim for the hills and wherever it stops it stops. Just enjoy it all for what it is a moment.