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Combo #140 (Kathleen Magner Rios)

By on July 3, 2013
Lens:  Madalena 
Film:  Robusta 
Flash:  Cadet Blue Gel 

"I fell hard for the Sao Paulo Hipstapack the moment it was released. I adore the smoky blues and how the image is washed in a café hue. I also like how the whites become antique and the darker areas fade into a smoky blue-brown haze. Typically, I do not use the flashes that Hipstamatic offers, but with Eric’s suggestion, I spent several days experimenting with how the Cadet Blue flash, found in the Williamsburg Hipstapak, would affect the Sao Paulo combo. I was pleased to find that the Cadet Blue had a subtle boosting affect to the blue tones of the images. It seemed to also slightly enliven greenery.

At first I thought it would not be suitable for portraiture; that the flash would be too cool and cast a sickly pallor to skin. While it does have a cooling affect to warm tones, it is gentle and pleasing. Also with portraiture it is a great bonus that dark areas block out, giving a great warm black backdrop to a front lit portrait. As the weather here has been stormy and difficult to navigate, I did not have much opportunity to shoot in sunshine. The hour or so that I did, I found the combo and flash to wash-out in bright sunlight. While I did not mind this, I prefer the juxtaposition of light and shade that a gentler light source provides.

I enjoyed shooting around my hometown of Wilmington Delaware, known for its blue rocks, rusty trestle bridges crossing the Brandywine River and historical architecture, which all lend to the antique sense of the combo. It is also incredibly green right now due to record rainfall, which works well with the lushness the combo creates. I am looking forward to shooting with the combo in a more urban setting, when I head up to Chicago for a few days."
Kathleen Magner-Rios

This combo is part of the series "Flash Effects with São Paulo".

This post is also available in: French

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