Crappy photos from crappy cameras
When photographic inspiration is low there is a small and quite inexpensive way to rekindle the urge to shoot photos - pick up a Holga camera and start using it! Or in my case, choose two of them, in bold colors!
The 365 Project Mark VI - Month Eight
The year is two thirds done and the air has a certain crispness to it at night. No doubt that fall is approaching, but we’ll get to enjoy warm days for a little while longer (hopefully anyway!). The eighth month of the year brought some previous types of photography and locations back to me, topics and places I’ve not had much contact with for the duration of the pandemic, so that was a lot of fun!
Ridiculously wide images...part two
This is my second blogpost with images in a unique format from the Hasselblad X Pan II camera I’ve got on loan for a month. I haven’t shot quite as much as I thought I would, since the whole world pretty much descended into Corona territory…but I did squeeze in a few rounds with it before we were all told to stay far away from each other, and I have a few rolls still yet to both shoot and develop, so my guess is that there will be a few more posts with images in this ultrawide format in the future!
Ridiculously wide images!
When you start going down the rabbit hole of analog photography you can develop what is known as G.A.S. (Gear Acquisition Syndrome), where you want to buy ALL the cameras of ALL the different types out there because they’re just so cheap! At least they used to be. Nowadays analog cameras are going up in price at a somewhat alarming rate (for those who want to buy new stuff all the time). Personally I am quite happy with the cameras I have at the moment so I don’t feel the need to hunt for any new gear…except perhaps a lens or two for my medium format camera. But that is for a later date.
Shooting with a new film stock
Through the 3 years I’ve shot film in earnest I’ve tried a few film stocks, but mostly shot on Fomapan 400, HP5+ or Kodak Tri-X. A little while ago I shot my last roll of Fomapan 400 which meant it was time to get started on the most recent acquisition, my supply of Rollei Retro 400 S, a film stock that I heard about from Ted Vieira when he was a guest on the Negative Positives podcast. I shot a roll of that stock in my medium format camera a while back and enjoyed it so I figured I’d give it a go in my 135 cameras too.
Photowalking is fun!
A little while back I went on a lot of different group photowalks, both in my photo club, in various Facebook groups as well as through Instawalks with the IgersMalmoe group/collective/heap of photographers (whatever noun fits). Lately I’ve done more solo meanderings through cities with my camera; not because I find anything wrong with group photowalks, it’s just something that’s evolved over time.
The 365 Project Mark IV - The Fourth Month Summary
Another month done, so it is time for a monthly wrap-up post. This makes for my fourth such post, making this a third of the year done already. It doesn’t feel like I’ve done 120 days of this project, but when I do look in my 365 folder on the computer there are indeed over 120 images there…so it must be true.
Anyway, spring made its full and complete arrival during the month of April, and there were even hints of summer temperatures right around Easter, which made for an enjoyable couple of days right around that holiday.
Creating more analog photographers
This weekend I had the privilege of teaching the first part (of three) of this semester’s analog photography course at my photo club. It’s the second time I am in charge of this course (I took it myself back in 2016) and it is definitely a lot of fun! I do enjoy bringing the knowledge of this aspect of photography to more club members, and it’s encouraging to know that we’re attracting more new members, both to the club as well as to analog photography as a whole.
Car Nerdery
Unlike many middle-aged men I am not a very car-obsessed person. To me a car is more a means to an end - a way to get from point A to point B, preferably in one piece - than an interest or a hobby. However, I do appreciate cool designs and people who are into a particular interest, because in a way they're the same kind of nerds/geeks that us photographers are...only aimed at another specialty field.
Lights of the Night
One of the trickier things to do in photography and getting right (at least it's been that way for me) is night photography. The hit to miss ratio is so much lower than in daytime photography, because you're dealing with such long exposures that things can go wrong in mid-process in countless number of ways. Yet, it's fun to do...partly because you get such unexpected results sometimes.
Photowalk in Monochrome
At long last I've gotten around to processing my negatives from the Scott Kelby Worldwide Photowalk in Copenhagen, Denmark on October 7th. As I wrote in my previous blog post from the day after the event it was a VERY wet affair, so I decided very soon after we arrived at the starting point to only shoot analog photos (and a few cell phone snaps here and there) since my DSLR isn't particularly weather sealed and I didn't want to risk losing it or have to send it in for repairs. So analog it was from there on!
Does it always rain in Copenhagen?
As I write this it is the day after the Scott Kelby Worldwide Photowalk and I haven't felt any urge to head out today to take pictures even though there was good light for parts of the day at least. For the entirety of the walk through the streets of Copenhagen yesterday it rained, rained and then it rained even more! I don't think I've ever had to pour water out of the front of a camera before, but there definitely was some in my old Canon 50mm lens after the walk was done!
I'm on the way down the analog rabbit hole...
During 2017 I have shot more and more film, all on Tri-X 35 mm film and I have enjoyed getting better and better at it. I am still not at the level where I am confident that I won't accidentally get an entirely black frame on the roll here and there, but I am getting there...slowly.
I've been asked why I shoot film when there's digital available and my answer to that has several parts. I do it because it forces me to slow down and think before I shoot. It's VERY easy to snap away like a lunatic with your DSLR and ending up with 700 pictures to go through (done it many times!).
New year...now what?
At the start of a year you're supposed to write a "this is what I will try to achieve" post (at least that's what seems to be the consensus among many bloggers), and I did one of those last year, where I stated that in 2016 I would do two things photographically that year; an Instagram 365 project (which I finished) and I would do more analog photography (which I've at least I've begun to do). So that's great for 2016...but that makes me think of goals for 2017.