I’m giving you fair warning, this will probably be the least interesting blog post you will read all year, if I don’t write something soon though there’s a real danger of cobwebs forming over these pages! Even the photos are of boring things (although I kinda like photos of boring things).
It’s been raining a lot lately, hasn’t it. Every day this month actually. Every day since they declared a drought and banned us from using hosepipes. Every. Single. Day. Apart from the days when we’ve had hailstones. On the upside though – the clouds have looked amazing.
Big Plan update – there’s good news in that I have lots and lots of notes and ideas and pointers and scribbles and post-it notes and doodles, the bad news is that I’ve realised it’s going to involve a LOT of hard work to pull it all together – this quiet interlude is me retreating for a big run-up. Or maybe I’ll just keep running!
I now have a sort of portfolio on this site! Well, I’ve made a start, anyway – it should work on all browsers (even IE6 – imagine my surprise), all devices and any size screen – I like to be inclusive if nothing else!
I honeslty can’t think of anything else to say. I’m stuck.
As amazing as it is to experience all the pink, wonderful fluffiness of springtime blossom, the next best thing has got to be seeing all those green leaves take over those bleakly stark wintry branches.
Bringing the greenness into the home is always nice too.
Apparently green is the easiest colour for our eyes to look at – it’s slap-bang in the middle of the colour spectrum so maybe that’s why. I wonder if pigs can see green things?
Incidentally - all these photos were taken with my Pentax K1000. I LOVE this camera so much – I think it might my fave ever film camera – I learnt so much about the technicalities of photography through using it. It makes me wonder why I keep messing around with others all the time. I need to show it some love sometime soon – maybe take it on a trip somewhere nice.
When people say to me they are thinking about trying film photography and aren’t sure about what camera to get or where to buy one I tell them this;
Mention to everyone you know that you wish you had a film camera – bang on about it quite a bit – and then sit back and wait for the deluge.
Taken using a LC-A and 35mm film
In the same way that everyone today seems to have at least one digital camera per household, so it was in the day with film cameras – they were coveted and saved-up for just as their digital cousins are today so they tend to get squirreled away in attics and under-stairs cupboards rather than being thrown out.
Taken using Lubitel 2 and 120 film
I would say at least half the vintage/film cameras I own are ones that have been gifted to me by people who think I am doing them the favour by taking them off their hands. They don’t feel ‘right’ throwing them away or donating them to an unknown, possibly cruel fate – but when they realise they’ll be sending them to a good home where they’ll be cherished and used; it suddenly becomes a very attractive proposition. Everybody wins!
Taken with Pentax K1000 and 35mm film
I was recently given a bag full of camera goodies by some friends at work who are (unsurprisingly) trying to clear as much room as possible in their home. It was so exciting rummaging through that big plastic bag – better than Christmas even. The highlights of this particular haul were definitely the Holga (I’ve always wanted a Holga) and a Polaroid (and Polaroid film – you know I love Polaroids)! Squeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!
Taken with Diana F+ and 120 film
So yes – my message to you if you’re thinking of taking up film photography is talk about it incessantly to everyone you know – and even to people you don’t know. The worst that can happen is you’ll be branded a geek and not invited to parties any more, but it’s got to be worth it on the off chance you might hit the camera jackpot!
If my maths is correct (there’s a very good chance it isn’t) we are now half-way through 100 Days of Winter! Half-way!
In 50 days time we will have reached the end of February and be relishing the prospect of daffodils, lambs and an easter-egg or two (or maybe three).
I have been totally gobsmacked by all the amazing photos in the 100 Days of Winter flickr group – they are amazing! When I get in from work I have a look through whilst I wait for my coffee to brew. Here are just a few that have been making me fall in love with winter…
Thanks to everyone who’s contributed so far and helped inspire me through my early-evening coffee breaks.
Talking of winter – here are a few more wintry photos of my own – yes, yet more from that never-ending roll of 35mm film that’s been plaguing you these last fewdays!
Taken with Pentax K1000 and Kodak Porfessional Porta 800 35mm film
If you love winter; we still have 50 days of winter left to enjoy.
If you don’t love winter; there are only 50 days of winter left to go.
I know they’re not brilliant but they never will be unless I practice. All I’ve done so far is talk into my webcam – all in one take – and do some very basic editing (literally just adding frames to the beginning and end of the video). It looks like I have a whole new discipline to master in 2012 if I want to pursue this – it’s quite exciting to have a new project to sink my teeth into though. Have you made videos before? Do you have any tips or advice for a newbie?
Anyhoo, here’s some more photos following on from yesterday’s post…
All photos taken with Pentax K1000 and Kodak Porfessional Porta 800 35mm film
There’s a teeny tiny bit of brightness left in the sky and it is well past 4.30 – wonderful!
Not this sky though – I took this one a few days ago when the sun was setting at about lunch time! (Exaggerating. About 4pm).
This is definitely the time of year to invest in the higher numbered ISO films – I’m using Kodak Pro Porta 800 ISO here which is great for low light. Yes, the graininess is noticable, but film graininess is something to be celebrated and treasured – unlike digital “noise” which never looks quite right.
It also means you can shoot indoors without a flash – though without a tungsten filter images will appear yellowish and I will admit the one below was tweaked a bit in Photoshop to correct the white balance.
I love the ‘bokeh’ in this one, although that’s down to the magical camera, not the film.
And finally – it was only after seeing this photo that I realised that yes, these jeans are too big for me now and look awful! I need to get a full-length mirror at home.
There’s more to come – I managed to squeeze 38 photos out of this roll of film!
All photos taken with Pentax K1000 and Kodak Porfessional Porta 800 35mm film
UPDATE
I’ve come over all brave – must be the new year or something, I’ve made a vlog! It was very spur of the moment – the web cam was sat there staring at me so I just started talking! What do you think – should I do more of these or just stick to typing?
Whenever I shoot photos with a digital camera I do it knowing at least 25% will get deleted; the weakest compositions, the out of focus, the eyes shut, they all go in the bin.
With film it’s a bit different though – for starters my whole approach with a film camera tends more towards careful composition and taking time to get the settings just right, and death threats if anyone blinks (only kidding). I know I ought to do have this approach all the time wheteher it’s film or digital, but that just doesn’t happen all the time. So, this means that with film I have far fewer rejects and duplicates in the first place. Also, I feel more attached to the film photos, even the ‘not so good’ ones. Silly, I know.
Whether it’s film or digital though, my hard-drives are mainly filled with [hotos that didn’t quite make the grade, and looking back over them I can’t help feeling some of them aren’t too bad really and deserve a little attention.
So, to kick things off, here are a few rejects and outcasts taken with my Pentax K1000 – a basic but beautiful 35mm film camera from the 60s…
Have you found any rejects recently that you actually kind of love now?
I would seem that the colour of the moment here on my website is purple! Here is some more, though tending towards the pinker side of the spectrum this time.
All these were taken with my film Pentax K1000 – I love this camera, it’s actually difficult to take a bad picture with it – even when you get the settings a bit wrong it still makes ordinary, boring things look extra special.
It is innate in us all to want to record the wold around us; to paint a picture, to take a photograph. Don’t you think?
film – Pentax K1000 and some Fuji 200 Superia film
For some it is the compulsion to record in detail precisely what is before them; for reference. For others it is the desire to express emotion, to tell a story and allow the world to experience a moment in time, to see what you see when you close your eyes and remember.
digital – Canon 5D MkII + 50mm f/1.4 lens
For everybody in the first camp, congratulations; you are well served with what the digital photography world has to offer – convenience, precise detail and instant results.
film – Pentax K1000 and some Fuji 200 Superia film
For everyone in the second camp – oh my goodness, you are even luckier! Not only do you have the aforementioned, exciting world of magical pixels to play with but you also have access to the millions of discarded and unloved film cameras, that are just waiting to pick up where they left off (somewhere around 1992). They are there, waiting patiently for you in under-stairs cupboards and lofts across the land. They are waiting for you to explore their incredible hand-crafted lenses (or their quirky, cheap plastic lenses) and introduce you to the complex yet simple beauty of film emulsions and chemical reactions. You get to play with it all.
film – Pentax K1000 and some Fuji 200 Superia film
That’s right; digital and analogue. You’re allowed to enjoy both! I hope I’m never put on the spot and made to choose.
