Engaged by Richard

As part of my ongoing testing, I sent some recent rolls to Richard Photo Lab.  They are considered by many to be the best film lab in the country.  I'm very pleased with the results.  I guess you get what you pay for.

These images are from a recent engagement session.  All were shot with my Mamiya 645 AF on Fuji 400H film.  All images are the original, uncropped scans.

Where It All Began

My love of photography began with a camera given to me by my aunt as a graduation gift.  It was her old camera, but it was the world to me.  It was a simple 35mm camera made by Sears.  Well, I think it was actually made by Ricoh, but it was sold by Sears with the Sears name on it.  It used the K mount lens mount.  I had a couple of lenses for it and used it for a year or so before starting my love afair with Canon.  It was the beginning.


Thanks to ebay, I found one tonight.  We'll see if I win.  It would be nice to have it again.

The Lasting Nature of Film

Film reigned for more than 150 years.  During that time, many iconic images were created with it.  Now, you can own a very nice (and not inexpensive) print of some of those images.  


Conde´ Nast, publishers of Vogue, Vanity Fair, and GQ among others, have an online store where they offer high quality prints of images that have appeared in their magazines.  These are not the images you typically find in magazines.  These are works of art by some of the luminaries of the photographic world captured on film.  These images capture writers, actors, athletes and musicians that have shaped our culture.  


These images are amazing.  They are perfect.  They are a source of inspiration.


Take a moment to find a favorite.  Mine is the portrait of Alfred Hitchcock.

10 Rules To Live By

Lomography is a wonderful concept devoted to analog photography.  They provide great info and inspiration.  Best of all they sell unique photographic equipment and specialty films to aid in the pursuit of the happy accident.  Not mired by the need for perfection, Lomography celebrates the unexpected and unusual.


They have created 10 rules to help anyone understand the aim of Lomography.  These rules actually apply regardless of your equipment.

Take your camera everywhere you go

Use it any time – day and night

Lomography is not an interference in your life, but part of it

Try the shot from the hip

Approach the objects of your lomographic desire as close as possible

Don’t think (william firebrace)

Be fast

You don’t have to know beforehand what you captured on film

Afterwards either

Don’t worry about any rules

Now I have to figure out how to incorporate this in my professional work.

A Podcast For Like Minded Crazy People

Host, Scott Sheppard, produces a weekly podcast, Inside Analog Photo, in which he interviews analog (film) photographers and manufacturers.  He has interviewed everyone from a rep for Mamiya to Kodak film engineers to Jose Villa.  The interviews usually last 30-60 minutes and Sheppard asks questions ranging from "how did you get into photography?" to "what gear are you using?"  It is part inspiration and part instruction.  I have learned so much.  It is absolutely the best place for information on analog photography.

I am so glad I have found so many like minded photographers and have even had the pleasure of speaking with a few.  I am constantly amazed by the giving nature of some photographers.  

Bridal Show Season

I wanted to share the images that make up the backdrop of my current bridal show booth.  Each image is a 30x40 poster in the booth.  I unveiled them at the Macon's Wedding Ring Bridal Show and they will again be on display this Saturday at the Gallery 51 Grand Opening. Drop by to see them in person.

Film Camera or Defender of the Universe

Is it a mid 80s 110 camera or a robot?  It's both!  Even better (according to the comments), there were several different models.  I'll be on the search for one of my own.  Thanks to Gizmodo for finding it.

The Way Back Machine Strikes Again

Here are a couple more images from my original portfolio.  I don't remember the cameras or films I used, but I do love these images.  The first is my godson about 7 years ago.  The second is a beach near my grandmother's house in Florida.  

Wild(s) Bridal

I had the great pleasure of photographing a former bride in her dress once again.  Many call them trash the dress sessions, but I just think of them as bridals without worrying about the dress.  Ashli chose her grandfather's farm in Gordon for her session.  It was perfect!  It had open fields, old fences and even a very old car.  And for those who ask, this is why I like shooting film.  Here are a few of my favorites.  


Photographer's Note:  The color images are from the Mamiya 645 AF with the 80mm lens on Fuji 400H film.  The first B&W image is from my Zeiss Ikon Nettar 6x9 camera (made about 1950) on Kodak Tmax 400.  The Second B&W is from my Nikon FM with 50mm f1.8 lens on Ilford SFX 200.  The Ilford film is near infrared.  I used a R72 filter to enhance the effect.  The scans were done on a Epson V500 I borrowed from a friend.  

Specialize

You might know Jeff Bridges from The Big Lebowski, but I bet you didn't know he was an avid photographer.  That wouldn't make him special, though.  Photography is one of the most popular hobbies in America.  What makes Jeff Bridges special is his devotion to a single camera.  If it were a Leica or a Hasselblad, he wouldn't be special.  Jeff Bridges camera of choice?  

The Widelux

Widelux made several versions of their swing-lens panoramic cameras, but Brides uses a 35mm version to capture behind-the-scenes images from movie sets.  He as even released a book of the images.  His website includes information about his film career as well as his love of the Widelux.  There are examples of his work as well as information about using the Widelux.  It is very interesting to see someone so committed to such a special area of photography.