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.

A Little "Instant" Gratification

I thought I'd share a few instant images on Fuji instant pack film from my Polaroid 600 SE.  These are from a bridal/trash the dress session from last week.  I photographed Ashli's wedding a few years ago and she was kind enough to be a guinea pig for my film exploration.  We drove to Gordon to her grandfather's farm and it was totally worth it.  The rest of the film is in California, but I'll post it as soon as it is back.  If these are any indication, the film should rock!

And, just in case no one has come up with this, here is a great way to recycle your Fuji pack film cassettes.  I use them as a frame to display my favorite image from the set.  It is, of course, the perfect size!

Analog Isn't Dead

When you start down the path to crazy, you find there are many others on the path with you.  There is a large community of film nuts all trying to save their beloved medium of choice.  Some are even finding new ways to create images using analog technology.  


One such person is Aaron Muderick.  He has created a technique to create negatives from instant Fuji film.  You might wonder why this is important.  Simply, you can create a 3x4 inch negative without a darkroom using only normal household items.  Here is a link to the Inside Analog Photo podcast where he details the process.  You can also see examples here and here.


I'll post some examples once I give it a try.

I Mean Old School

I found this post this morning on the blog of A Bryan Photography.  It is an 8mm movie shot at a recent wedding.  That would have been cool enough, but it shows the photographer shooting the groomsmen with what appears to be a Speed Graphic!  (Look at about the 2:30 mark on the video.)  That is commitment to the analog medium.


Our Wedding from Caleb Chancey on Vimeo.

Brilliant Inspiration

I found this throught Tim Gruber's wonderful blog.  Unfortunately, the link to the original post doesn't work, but I found another copy of it on Frank Chimero's blog.  (Frank includes really cleaver illustrations along with the text.)


It is a list of 10 principles that can either make your work better or worse.  I'm not sure how they could make it worse.  These principles are powerful and I found them very appropriate to my return to film.  Here are a couple of my favorites, but follow the links to read them all.  Then do them all.


8. Being too comfortable is dangerous. Most creatures die in their sleep. Keep moving, or get eaten. The only things you should be absolutely comfortable with in your creative process are your tools.


9. There is nothing keeping you from doing the sort of work that you wish.What do you want? It’s a hard, yet crucial question. We all do creative work to get happy. It’s why we let it beat us up, and it’s why we keep crawling back to it. Figure out precisely what you want, and realize that if no one will pay you to make it, you can still make it for yourself. And you still win, because you’re happy.