So, I had an idea to use close up filters for a possible photo project. The other option was to buy a very, very expensive new lens, so thought the filters were worth a try. I used close up filters on my film Rolleiflex twin reflex camera in the dump back in 2015-16, to good effect. The lens/image quality was quite good, the negs sharp, allowing me to do closer portrait work. Thought giving some Hoya close up filters a try on the new Hasselblad X1D digi cameras was worth a go.
I was looking to buy 77mm Hoya close up filters and found some on eBay. New price for the filters (+1, +2 and +4) was around $116 USD. I found a used set that would cost $63 CAD (including shipping). I bought them, waited a while and they arrived. The filters were good quality, in decent shape but the wrong size! The close up filters were 72mm not 77mm. I complained to the seller, and they offered to let me have the filters for free (international return shipping not worth it for them), They gave me a full refund while allowing me to keep the filters. Very kind of them!!
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| 72mm Hoya close up filters. |
Today I went online and found another 77mm Hoya close up filter set. These filters were a bit newer and a bit more expensive $78 CAD (including shipping). I went ahead and bought them.
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| 77mm Hoya close up filters. |
The end result is that I got both the 72mm Hoya close up filters and the 77mm Hoya close up filters for $78CAD.
Hope my idea works. I am still haunted by what I saw in 2003 in Cambodia. Ever since then I have been thinking of a portrait series called "LOST INNOCENCE". The project would be a series of very close headshot portraits (what the filters are for) made on the medium format Hasselblad X1D. The X1D would create high resolution RAW image files sizes. I would then print the photos, probably digitally in color (metalic paper?), very, very large for exhibition.
I want to humanize the subjects as much as I can. I would also record, name, age, location and possibly do interviews. I want to hit the gallery viewer in the gut with the realness and importance of the lives photographed. The viewer could see the large faces staring back at them, learn about that person's life, and hear their stories in the subject's own words. The sound of their voice would be a key component, their voice and their eyes together, would be a gut punch. How can you not have empathy for the people in the pictures after that? It might lead to ways to help the subjects in need.
Once again, photography being a force for good, a force to help those in need.
I am unsure how the portraits up tight would look?
Note* The 77mm filter would fit on the 21m mm XCD lens I have for the Hasselblad X1D. Not sure how the distortion from that lens when shot up close would factor in. It might be distracting, or it might be very visually effective.
Note** The 72mm will fit my 45mm XCD lens with an adaptor to downsize the72mm close up filter to the 67mm filter size of the lens. This lens is a more standard focal length (still a bit wide) and would show some distortion as well.
