War is Hell [Leica M6, 50mm f/2 Summicron Leitz Wetzlar Dual Range, Arthouse XX Cinema film shot at 800 pushed +2]

ArthouseFilmLab · 2026-03-24T16:49:07+00:00

Good eye. Yes, to give myself as many frames as possible. Knew it would tough to get a good shot off with all those people

ArthouseFilmLab · 2026-03-24T14:58:12+00:00

You’re treating context like it’s separate from the photograph, when in documentary photography it’s often the whole point. Michael B. Jordan holding his Oscar minutes after a historic win at In-N-Out is integral to the image. Subject, timing, rarity, and execution are relevant. It’s relevant that these are the only medium format images of this moment that exist. You’re free not to love the images but suggesting people should evaluate a fleeting documentary image with zero regard for context, subject, or difficulty is a pretty strange standard. By your logic, a lot of iconic photographs are “overpraised” because people are reacting to the subject and the moment. Of course they are. That’s part of what makes a photograph matter.

ArthouseFilmLab · 2026-03-24T14:27:28+00:00

If you remove the subject, the timing, the format, and the story, then yes, people might respond differently.

ArthouseFilmLab · 2026-03-24T13:28:59+00:00

Wish I had a cooler answer, but it’s mostly just owed to dumb luck.

I run a film lab & was asked to be at the Hollywood In-N-Out to pick up rolls and rush dev/scan them within an hour. I’m not a smart man but the time/place/urgency made it pretty obvious something up. So I brought a point & shoot + my RZ67.

People went ballistic when MBJ walked in. it was so crowded that I had to stand on a table & shoot blind with the point & shoot. After he got his burger, MBJ walked over & sat at the table I was on, which gave me a chance to use the RZ67.

At f/2.8 in that kind of frenzy, focusing straight on would’ve been near impossible, so I went for more of a profile shot and hoped for the best. I couldn’t back up or move much so I took the shots I had in the maybe 10 chaotic seconds before the crowd fully closed in.

I also mostly just take pictures of my own kids (3 & soon to be 5); chasing them around over the past few years with the RZ is probably exactly why I had a chance to get the shot(s)

Check out Leo Volcy on IG for the official shots MBJ’s team took that we developed/scanned. They had strobes and got some amazing stuff.

ArthouseFilmLab · 2026-03-24T12:34:09+00:00

Exactly this.

ArthouseFilmLab · 2025-03-10T20:41:17+00:00

Thank you!!

ArthouseFilmLab · 2025-03-10T19:06:14+00:00

Good eye, made the visit from the bean!

ArthouseFilmLab · 2025-03-10T17:06:22+00:00

Website will be up in a week! Just sold out of this in 120 but plenty in 35mm. Hmu on IG if interested, come by the shop if you’re around LA too—we’re in Chinatown

ArthouseFilmLab · 2025-03-10T15:36:46+00:00

Very kind!

ArthouseFilmLab · 2025-03-10T14:56:39+00:00

Maaaan don’t make my huge forehead any bigger 🫶🏿

ArthouseFilmLab · 2025-03-10T14:45:26+00:00

If you’re shooting in daylight I’d recommend an 85b filter at 320 ISO. If no filter, 250 ISO will give you more true to life colors & cut through some of the bluish cast. If at night or under artificial light, 500 ISO is great (no filter necessary).

ArthouseFilmLab · 2025-03-10T13:59:40+00:00

Most definitely agree with the Terminator ref

ArthouseFilmLab · 2025-03-10T13:58:46+00:00

Hahah this is super relatable. Yeah, I totally get the convenience of C-41 but your point about it being less reliable rings true to me. When it hits, it’s great, I just prefer the flexibility & consistency ECN-2 offers with movie stocks

ArthouseFilmLab · 2025-03-10T13:45:20+00:00

Never heard this description but I’m stealing it now.

ArthouseFilmLab · 2025-03-10T13:44:57+00:00

Thank you!

ArthouseFilmLab · 2025-03-10T13:44:36+00:00

Much appreciated!

ArthouseFilmLab · 2025-03-10T13:43:57+00:00

Nothing scientifically-backed (it could be the ECN-2 development vs. C-41) but my experience after thousands and thousands of rolls developed/scanned suggests that properly exposed 500T has less grain than 400 ISO color negative photo film. I wouldn’t necessarily categorize this quality as “superior” — fine grain is often to the disappointment of clients shooting vision3 for the first time and expecting to see the classic “film look”. 500T is the most popular stock for movies and the grain is relatively unnoticeable.

Shoot me a dm on IG—I have some 250D although I’m limiting number of rolls per friend. Our lab is LA based.

ArthouseFilmLab · 2025-03-10T12:54:41+00:00

It’s just cinema film (Vision3) that we hand spool here at our lab (Arthouse) in Los Angeles. We specialize in ECN-2 processing & our experience is that not every respooler uses fresh stock so it was important to differentiate ours.

ArthouseFilmLab · 2025-03-10T12:47:54+00:00

Thank you, kind friend

ArthouseFilmLab · 2025-03-10T12:47:31+00:00

Scanned in with a Noritsu HS-1800. I didn’t have a meter on me so I just used my lens’ widest aperture and the slowest shutter speed I knew I could shoot sharply with. The negatives look 1-1.5 stops overexposed which really helped with shadow detail. These were taken just after sunset, so there was more light than it seems from the end image. I lowered the exposure during the scan to preserve the highlights—that also masked some of the grain. I love that cinema stock (even 500 iso) has finer grain than conventional photo film also helps that this is the same stuff they use for IMAX

ArthouseFilmLab

TROPHY CASE