Shadow Detail With Film

Fine Art NudeBlack and White FilmPhoto SessionsStudio Photography
Written By Alexis Kennedy

Phew!! I just got home from a very long hike in the sunshine in the Columbia River Gorge and now it’s time to rest my feet, and my back, and just write out a relaxing blog post. So yeah, ok, I realize this image has nothing at all to do with hiking, or the outdoors, but it does have to do with a lot of sunshine.

Fine art nude model Devi photographed with heavy shadow using a Hasselblad 500c/m and black and white film near a window.

I’m not going to deny I was hoping for a bit less contrast and a lot more detail in the shadow areas of this image when I exposed the frame. I think ultimately I underdeveloped the negative a bit too much which in turn kept details out of the shadow areas and makes the image appear to be very contrasty. Just outside the window on the right side of the frame there were a lot of flower bushes which is the shadow patterns you are seeing across the model’s body.

This image is from my second session working with Devi and we lucked out having a lot of very strong natural light in the house we were using as a studio for the day. I’ve said it before on this blog that sometimes when I’m working with strong natural light my brain sort of short circuits a little bit. Being in Oregon, where the light tends to be more subdued and overcast I’m just not used to it and my regular exposure techniques when working with film just no longer apply. Plus I get really excited because the light is just so beautiful! Put those two things together and I sometimes forget to slow down and think about what I’m doing.

Still, so long as I walked away with some frames that I’m happy with then I would say the experience was a positive one. Heck, any day that I have the opportunity to run some film through a camera is a good day as far as I’m concerned.

Camera: Hasselblad 500c/m with 80mm f/2.8 lens.

Film: Kodak T-Max 400 in medium format. Developed with Rodinal.

I support my photography in part with fine art print sales. All prints are limited edition and printed using traditional darkroom techniques on fiber based silver gelatin paper. If you like my work, consider supporting the arts and buying print via my Saatchi Store.

Alexis Kennedy

My name is Alexis Kennedy, welcome to my site! I have a passion for making images wherever and whenever I can. I seek to capture humanity and the world around me with a focus on the figure. Film, digital, pinhole, and instant photography are all fair game for me.


I grew up in the California Bay Area and started taking photography seriously in High School. I was one of the lucky few who had a chance to go to a high school with a working darkroom and a teacher who understood that making images was an art form – care and patience was a necessity in the image making process from start to finish.


Later in life I attended the University of California in Santa Cruz where I received a Bachelors Degree in the History of Art and Visual Culture. After having my fill of the California sunshine I packed up my life and moved to the Pacific Northwest. I quickly found the overcast skies, lush forests, cooler temperatures, and creative communities to be a perfect match for my work.


Over the years I have exhibited my photographs in several galleries and art shows including the Seattle Erotic Arts Festival and Cascade AIDS Project. I’ve published a few books and taught workshops up and down the west coast of the United States. Through this site I’m hoping to share my work and perhaps inspire others along the way.

http://www.alexiskennedyphotography.com
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Getting Back To 4x5 Large Format Film