The past two Riding in Cars with Film entries that I have shared were made using black and white film. This entry I’ll share some photos from a roll of Fuji Superia Xtra 400 film that I shot from the car.
Spring in Florida seems to be pretty short before temperatures start to feel like full on summer. This spring was no different. However, in that short time, we often see a boom of colors sprouting up rapidly everywhere.
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There is a very old cemetery next door to my chiropractors office, and we like to drive through sometimes to look at the beautiful trees located there, and to photograph the solemn stillness.
Then on the way home, we usually pass through the downtown area where the buildings are as colorful as the trees.
Final Thoughts
Like I have mentioned in a previous entry, I am still trying to decide on whether I will again make two separate zines, one color one monochrome, or combine them somehow. These are just samples of what I have so far.
I hope you’re enjoying this series. I’ll be honest, I’m having a hard time lately, and have been very down. I’m questioning whether or not people are enjoying my work and if I should continue to share it. I have a constant feeling that I am not good enough. I fight it all the time, but lately I’ve just been having a hard time. I’d love to hear from you all down in the comments.
Please consider supporting my work by clicking any of the links below. Purchasing a zine or even just subscribing to get my articles in your email helps me out. Either way, thank you so much for reading.
Until next time, stay motivated and keep shooting.
Aly, don’t be discouraged. I like your work, especially the floral shots. I’ve also learned a lot from your film development posts. I’ll be buying a zine. Hope you feel better soon.
Thank you Jerome. I really appreciate that.
I know that when you put something out there on the Internet, it can feel like you’re just throwing something out into the void, and you often don’t have a good sense of whether or not anyone is even looking at it. It’s worse when most of what you hear comes from Internet trolls, and still worse when you publish books and sales aren’t what you expect. But remember that most people lead very busy lives. Chances are that thousands of people see your work, but only a few find the time to respond. On this, I can only speculate, but the one thing I can tell you for sure is that your photos always add a splash of color to my day, even when you’re shooting B&W !
Back in the late 1970s, I was living in a small town in NY, and we traveled often to visit relatives in Rochester and New York City. We usually stayed with my aunt and uncle when we visited Rochester, but on the visit in question, they didn’t have room for us for some reason, so one of my brothers and I were housed with one of their friends. The brother in question was the one who, like me, was a photography hobbyist, and, as luck would have it, the friend we were staying with was a Kodak employee. At the time, my brother and I were shooting Fuji color film, and we had a discussion about it with the Kodak employee. We were a bit apologetic at first, but it turned out this guy wasn’t a fan of Kodacolor film, because he felt it was too biased towards green. I don’t remember what film he preferred, but while he acknowledged that Fuji made great film, that wasn’t his favorite. It, too, was too biased towards green for his tastes.
From what I can see in your photos, Fuji Superia Xtra 400 retains its predecessors’ love for green, particularly brighter greens. The greens in the photos you posted today kind of steal the show. They look more abstract in the photo with the lamppost, edge out everything else in the Kibbey Wagner photo, completely dominate the cemetery photo and bring out the greenish cast to the building photo. Please note that those aren’t criticisms, just observations. These photos, like all the other ones you’ve posted, are beautiful. And green is great. It’s an optimistic color, and because of its association with spring and life, it expresses promise and joie de vivre. The fun thing about film photography, especially nowadays, is you get to try out all kinds of different films and equipment to learn how to deliver whatever message you want to convey. So, Fuji Superia Xtra 400 is just another tool in the box, and learning to leverage it to best advantage is motivation to keep shooting! (See what I did there? )
Yes Fuji is definitely greener than the others. I think it suits the very green surroundings we have here in spring. I wonder which Kodak film your friend was referring to.
I certainly enjoy your post. I also understand how hard it is to be creative when you feel “off” … hang in there and keep up the great work!!!
I totally understand the feeling like you’re not good enough. I’m still trying to figure out my Yashicamat 124G and I just got a couple rolls back that didnt turn out. I was able to fix some of them in Lightroom but it’s disheartening to spend all the money and effort only to realize that you didn’t meter properly, or that the shot wasn’t framed how you envisioned. BUT I know I’ll get better and move on and I know you will too! I’m so glad that I found your YouTube, Instagram, and blog. I love seeing your work and interacting with you. Thanks for your diligent efforts!
Thank you Lance
Great pictures with Great color! By all means keep going-you are more than ‘good enough’ ! Rest for a while – you’ve got time-even when you feel like it is running away. I liked the other two books a lot because they show your individual style very distinctly.My vote is for 2 books- or one divided into a b/w section and a color section. But whatever you do- my bet would be that it will be good!
Thank you so much Kurt. Your support hasn’t gone unnoticed.
Don’t give up. I liked your previous zines and will buy your next one(s). I like seeing your posts on Facebook and watching your videos.
Thank you. Your support really means a lot.
Keep it up! You’re doing great!
Thank you 🙏