Walking around Gloversville, NY with some black and white film. (Arista Premium 400)

My Dad worked in a Loblaws warehouse when I was just a kidlet. I’m not sure how many of them are still running, This one in Gloversville on Fulton St sure isn’t. Looks like a great zombie headquarters. G-Ville has been a fertile environment for my kind of photography, so there is more to come from this area.

This is a tone-mapped digital HDR photo with some lens distortion correction done in Lightroom. I really love the Sigma 12-24mm lens.

Happy Birthday to Scott “UncleScar” Hevener up in Montana. He’s an inspiring photographer you should check out. Here’s a slideshow of some of his recent darkroom prints:

Check him out on Flickr: Uncle Scar (MT)
Join his “retro photographic” group on Facebook

Is when someone finds themselves in one of my photos. It just happened where the curious eyes in the photo above commented on Flickr. That’s so great, I get goosebumps.

Sunset Fans at Devendra Banhart @ Coachella 2009 on Flickr – Photo Sharing!.

Play this now: “Satan Polaroid” – Idlewild

My sense of timing is impeccable. I figured now that Polaroid has stopped making any kind of instant film, now would be an awesome time to get a Polaroid back for a toy Holga camera when I saw it for cheap on Craigslist. A “back” allows you use Polaroid film with an existing camera.  I knew Polaroid film would start getting scarce. What I didn’t know was how scarce. The Holga+Polaroid (or Holgaroid) takes a slightly older format of Polaroid film called Type 80.

Type 80: It’s a delightful little “square” three and a quarter by three and three-eigths inches. It’s been called the size of perfection. For every twenty examples of Polaroid 600-series instant film, I’ve found only one source for Type 80. The last batch was made in 2007. No wonder the back was so cheap.

I picked up a measly six packs of film. Sixty possible photos. And, I wrecked two whole packs while I was fumbling around figuring out how it worked. I cursed the seller for dooming me. My friends can attest to how whiny I was as I muddled through, I cursed Polaroid for being so esoteric. Of course, that’s secretly why I wanted to try it at all.

So now, I’ve got it working. I love it, of course I do. Of course I do. I can even do double exposures with it.

I’ve got thirty-five Polaroid pictures left to take.  That’s a difficult concept to wrap my head around. I’ve taken thirty-five pictures in ninety seconds before. Will they be good? Will any of them be keepers, these blessed thirty-five? Who knows. Will I even have the guts to pull the trigger on my last pack? The thing about Polaroid peel-apart films is that they won’t last. They go bad quickly. There’s no point in saving it.

I can be sure of one thing: Shooting these last photos will be an interesting experience. I should learn something about finding the key moment. I should learn a little something about myself. Let’s go!

P.s. Just don’t shake it!

Just because I like graphs, especially ones with huge spikes: Here’s the effect on my Flickr stats for when one of my photos got featured on LAist.com and subsequently in Flickr’s Interestingness archives.Superstar!

Now, it’s back to obscurity for the time being. But, it’s a good excuse to play this old classic…

Song of the Day: “I’m In Love With A Girl Named Spike” – Skankin’ Pickle

Play this “We Gotta Get Out Of This Place” – The Animals

Every click of the shutter is a moment shared between three people: The subject, the photographer, and ultimately the viewer. Every party in this exchange must give up something. Is the transaction mutually beneficial? Should it be? I suspect that every deal has a winner and a loser. Yes, every deal. In most cases, if you’re on the wrong end, it’s just a matter of how you can mitigate your loss, or use that loss to balance a strength in some other deal so that you come out ahead in the long run. The best deals do end up being mutually beneficial over time.

I think that the common photographic interaction is unfairly balanced in favor of the photographer. Because of this, I need to be prepared to sacrifice more. Only then will there be a balanced and harmonious end result.

And, I need to develop this thought a bit more.

LAist: Add This to One of Our Favorite Photos of LA.

Just noticed that LAist.com liked my photo of Los Angeles. That’s so great. I’ve always liked those peeps.

View it large and on black, too.

I took this photo a couple weeks ago when I walked up to Griffith Observatory. I developed the film and scanned it this past weekend. Such a great feeling!

Play this: “People Get Ready” – The Frames

Listen now: “Blacknuss” – Rahsaan Roland Kirk

“The piano has fifty-two white notes, thirty-six black notes. On this tune we feature nuthin’ but the thirty-six black notes.” – Rahsaan Roland Kirk, Blacknuss

The first thing I did when I got my Mamiya was drag it out at night to Venice, CA. I shot some poorly-metered snaps in the dark. This is a rad building that has a hostel and a bar/restaurant (Danny’s Deli). Since this pic was taken, a new contact, Miscellaneous Bill, has helped be understand metering a lot more. I’m not sure it could have helped this photo, as a proper exposure would have then required a tripod.

This pic, as is, made Flickr’s “Interestingness” archives. I guess the minimalist blacknuss resonated with a few viewers. It was still more accidental than anything.

Black and white. Film. I’m getting deeper in.

Play while reading: “Mamma Mia” – Abba

I kill time by browsing craigslist for all the things I can’t get: Jobs, cameras, casual encounters. (Kidding). I’m not looking for those things per se, I’m just feast on distraction. But, it can be risky.

FOR INSTANCE:

I saw a post for a Mamiya 645E. No pics, $200. In Long Beach. Now there are so many things wrong with that. $200 is way too low. Look online and you’ll find people have purchased this medium-format film camera for $400-$1200 dollars. Plus, I’d never in a million go to Long Beach to buy something. I really couldn’t tell you why I replied to the ad. But, I did. I said something like “This is a fantastic price. Why are you selling? And, can I see pics. I’m in L.A. and I rarely get down to Long Beach, but I’m tempted.”

I got a fast reply with some very clear pics and an offer to drop it off in Santa Monica. Wow! They seemed really eager to dump the camera, so I was suspicious. But, I sent the pics to a friend of mine who knows a little something about Mamiya cameras. $200? Is this insane deal too good to be true? And, randomly enough my friend was actually acquainted with the seller! A wholehearted recommendation followed. All the stars aligned, known seller, insane price, delivered right to me.

A day later, it’s a deal that’s done.

So, just like that, I’m the proud owner of a professional medium-format film Mamiya 645E. I’m in over my head on it a little bit. What’s medium-format? It’s film that creates a larger image than 35mm. It’s great for a) vast landscapes, b) creating poster-sized prints with no grain. Great for glossy magazine covers also. c) Wider-than wide angle shots d) it takes a whole different kind of portrait than a 35mm or digital camera, due to how close you can get to the subject and still fit them in the frame. The angles are more more intimate. All these things intrigue me.

And this camera? The 645E?

It’s manual focus. it takes 120 film. It usually uses a tripod, though can be hand-held. It looks strange and badass. It costs more to get the film developed. It’s complex. I don’t have a bag for it.

Ahh! I’m overmatched! But, I’m excited by it.