Contax G2 with Phoenix 200

Sabrina was photographed with a Contax G2 so I had to get one. I don’t know how much of this is a joke: I think I was directly influenced, but I would like to think that I wasn’t. I at least managed to pick it up prior to any associated increase in price. In a sense, I was saving money… The lies we tell ourselves are often the most telling, I’m told.

I think the grain structure and tendency towards red of Phoenix 200 really works well with the non-Brutalism of the Barbican estate: the textured concrete coupled with the tendency of the area around the arts centre to produce harsh shadows on account of the density of the estate allows the sometime harsh contrast that Phoenix 200 exposed at ISO 200 produces to shine.

I think the above photo is a real exemplar of what I like about Phoenix 200: the tendency towards warmness and redness led to an incredible saturation in the orange beanie in the frame that I wasn’t expecting. Again, the grain works with the textured concrete of the Gilbert Bridge; the film’s favouring of reds working with the orange frontage of the flats of Gilbert House.

Golden hour is always so orange with Phoenix, and I do love seeing the way that the sides of buildings end up rendered because of that. The colouration of the spray of the fountains from the winter evening light (it took me a while to get this film processed) is also a highlight in this frame: the positioning of the bands of light in line with the rear four fountains illuminates them wonderfully.

Phoenix 200’s psuedo-halation in high-contrast frames is something that I feel in two minds about: it’s a striking effect but a little unpredictable. Admittedly the frame above is very obviously going to cause it: high sun and a very contrasty scene are just asking for it. I should probably in future focus on the range of scenes a little more when using the 20 rolls of Phoenix 200 when I realised Harman had stopped production in favour of Phoenix II. Yes, a more mature emulsion might save me some thought, but it would also look dull by comparison.

They do render dark, but I have an appreciate of greens on the film as well: again, perhaps it’s an indication of the general high-contrast of the film, but the slight red wash of the film doesn’t really mute greens. I think packing some 120 Phoenix and going landscape hunting might be on the cards.