Lately I have been having fun experimenting with different cameras and different film. I find that when I am shooting with an older camera I am less concerned about getting a “good shot” – whatever that means – and I get absorbed in the moment being more aware of the process of taking photos rather than producing them.
Testing, Testing…
A couple of weeks ago, during the trials and tribulations of pinhole camera design I was concerned that the problem I was having was not really the camera design, but the developing process. So I loaded my camera up with a roll of film and went out to see how quickly I could shoot a roll of 36 exposures; of course the goal was to test the fixer, but the secondary challenge was to see what I could get without thinking too much and without a clear subject. I like some of the results. All were taken in Boston’s South End between Tremont and Shawmut Streets and West Springfield and W. Newton Streets (4 Square Blocks).
All photos taken with Carl Zeiss Ikon ZM Rangefinder with Jupiter 3 50mm, f/1.5 with Ilford Delta 100 Pro developed in HC-110 dilution “b” for 6 mins @ 68F.
Quintessential South End.
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I went for a walk around Park Slope in Brooklyn with my sister, my Yashica-mat 124G, and a couple of rolls of expired Fuji slide film (Fujichrome RMS 100/1000 and Provia 100). This camera is so much fun.
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A couple of weeks ago we put on our dancin’ shoes and headed to Cambridge for Susu’s birthday party. The party had a 70’s and 80’s theme. So for those of you who know me, you understand that there is little chance I would get dressed up in a “costume”, but I figured I would bring an 80’s themed camera. I broke out the Polaroid Spectra System and a pack of Impossible Project film. It was a bit dark in the restaurant, so I had to rely on the flash, but hey the final product looks a lot like… well, Polaroids from the 80’s.
Susu and Tammy.
Last weekend I went down to Brooklyn to see my sister and a few of my friends who have ended up living either Brooklyn or Manhattan. I had a great time. It is always nice to see my sister and spend time with friends that I have not seen in way too long. And since I was in Manhattan I felt obligated to make a few stops at the many photography shops: the new Leica boutique and the Impossible Project Space in SoHo, and the Lomography Shop in the West Village. I didn’t buy anything at Leica – too expensive – but I did walk away with some film from Lomography and Impossible.
This is a scan of a photo that my sister and I took at the Impossible Project’s photobooth in their SoHo Store.
I also acquired a Polaroid Spectra System camera from my parents who came into Brooklyn on Friday night for dinner. I remember the camera being around our house when I was a kid, but it has not been used in ages. Thanks to innovative companies like Impossible they are “useful” again. I plan on loading it up with the Impossible film soon and taking it out around my neighborhood – stay tuned for that and some photos with the Lomography films too.
One other fun thing that came out of the weekend is something my sister and I are going to coin the Lomography High-Line Challenge. We have been wanting to walk the High Line Park the last two times I visited, but thus far we have not had enough time, or it has been too cold, or… well it just hasn’t worked out. So we decided that next time I come down to visit (maybe in April or May) we would go to Lomography and each buy a camera – most of their cameras are <$100 – and some film and walk the High Line Park all day long taking photos. Should be a fun day.
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A couple of weeks ago I saw a video on Vimeo (http://vimeo.com/39578584) about Ian Ruhter, a photographer who built a delivery truck-sized camera. I think he did it because he he wanted to do something different and unique with his photography. What he came up with is quite amazing. I found myself thinking how I can do something that unique with my photography. I started reading about make-your-own pinhole cameras, and decided I would give it a try. First I started reading about “matchbox” pinhole cameras that are small/simple box cameras made from matchboxes. They are pretty simple and dare I say a little boring. I was going to make one, but alas I could not find a box of matches.
(Below) The Dartmouth Street entrance to the Boston Public Library. This was the last shot that I took and thankfully the sun was starting to go down so I could actually get some better detail in the photo. I was only standing about 20 ft. back from the steps and I was able to get both of the statues in the photo. Wow that is wide.
A few weeks I went out for a walk with my new (to me) TLR camera; I have not written about it much yet. It is a 1970’s TLR that uses medium format film and produces 6×6 negatives (or positives if you prefer slide film). I will write more about the camera later, but for now lets just agree that it is a lot of fun to use.
On this day the sky was quite clear and then all of a sudden clouds rolled in and the sky became quite ominous. I noticed this group of birds chaotically flying back and forth from building to building. I am not sure what prompted them to fly from one building to the other, but it was hypnotic. I stood for about ten minutes watching and waiting for the next move.
Group of birds flying back-and-forth from “580” to an abandoned building in the SOWA part of Boston’s South End. (Yashica-Mat 124G on expired Fujichrome Astia 100)
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Early in January I went on a short photowalk in Boston’s North End. I decided to make things interesting so I didn’t bring my digital camera and just shot with film. Of course the problem with that strategy is that I didn’t finish the roll, and it took weeks for me to get it developed. Finally I finished it up last week, got it developed, and scanned it. I took these shots in the Haymarket, which we walked through at the end of the day.
A few photos of the produce vendors at Haymarket. The colors here are pretty vibrant even on cold gray days like this one. (Olympus OM-1 w/ M-Zuiko 35mm f/2.8 on Rollei Digibase CN 200)
Continuing on the “better late than never” theme, here are some more photos from our Christmas vacation in St. John.
Not only do you have to drive a car with the driver’s side on the left on the left side of the road, but you have to look out for all sorts of things crossing the road. There were donkeys, chickens, and goats everywhere. This was a bit of a traffic-jam situation caused by a group of goats crossing the street. (Leica M9 with Summicron 35mm f/2, edited in Adobe Photoshop Lightroom)
You know what they say, right? Better late than never. Well here goes…
This Christmas my family decided to do something completely different. Rather than spending the holidays in NJ like I have done for the past 30-something years, we went on an adventure. We rented a villa in Coral Bay on St. John in the U.S. Virgin Islands and we did what you do on vacation: rest, eat, drink, hike, snorkel, relax on the beach, and take photos. It was a great time. Here are some of the scenic views.
This is the view from the villa that we rented. The house was called “la mer” and it was perched on the top of Bordeaux Mountain overlooking Coral Bay with views of the British Virgin Islands. The color photo is a stitched panoramic of the view during the day and the monochrome is of the same view at night. (1st photo w/ Leica M9 and Summicron 35mm f/2, 9 frames stitched in photoshop; 2nd photo Leica M9 with Voigtlander Heliar Super-Wide 15mm f/3.5 lens, edited in silver efx pro)
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