About Me – ReelArgentik

behind the lensAbout me

Balance and harmony, its what we all seek in life. My name is Steve Cornick and my day job is an immunologist. I love what I do but my work is incredibly analytical and niche. Ive always been intrigued by art and fashion, so I use photography as a medium to find balance in my life. Shooting exclusively film is not only a stylistic choice but also allows me to reflect on the moment I will capture when I shoot. With film, we are limited to a finite amount of frames we capture which allows one to focus deeply on why are we taking this photo. Composition, exposure, framing; on film you have to get it all right, offering a greater challenge but also satisfying reward. The result is a photography that is tangible and physical, forever preserved on acetate.

ToolsMy Equiptment

Photography is much more than the tools you use however when you work with the best tools life is easier. For the highest quality products, I work with my Hasselblad 203FE in medium format. The negatives yield file sizes of 300-500Mb each and the quality is far superior to anything digital. The lens are manufactured by Carl Zeiss and resolve incredible detail, far greater than film can realize. For street photography, I use the most reliable camera in history, the Leica M3. My example was made in 1957 and functions fully mechanical and is bulletproof, it has never failed me.

How does this happenFilm Development

Each film stock imparts its own character on the final photo, so choosing the stock before shooting is part of the creative process.

For black and white photography, the contrast and prominence of the grain can be controlled in the film stock and development; because of this I develop each roll personally and adjust development using my years of experience.

For color photography, the C41 and E6 processes are carefully optimized and I use a trusted lab.

All film is scanned with a DSLR digitalization platform. Resulting images are 250Mb (35mm) and 200Mb (Medium Format). Imacon Flextight scans are also available for the highest quality possible.