Black and White Photography · Color Film · Kodak Film · life · mental illness awareness · Still Life

Still Life and Motivation

I've hit a little dip in my creativity lately, not for a lack of desire, but just simply having too much going on that's affecting me. When I have a lot of of health issues happening at once I tend to get depressed, which understandably affects my motivation to do anything else. It's strange because… Continue reading Still Life and Motivation

Rangefinder Camera · Soviet Camera · Vintage Camera · Vintage Camera Reviews

Kiev 4A – A Contax Clone

The Kiev 4A is the third Soviet camera that I have gotten to try. It is another camera from the extensive collection of Mike Eckman, who was nice enough to lend me this one along with the FED-2 that I previously reviewed. I don't call this camera the Contax copy. I like to call it… Continue reading Kiev 4A – A Contax Clone

Mamiya camera · Still Life

Alstroemeria’s on Portra – A Still Life

As mentioned in previous articles, Kelsey often buys me a bouquet of flowers with our groceries that I use in still life shoots. In particular, she likes to buy Alstroemerias because they last a really long time and come in different colors. This particular bouquet was red and white, so I thought Alstroemeria's on Portra… Continue reading Alstroemeria’s on Portra – A Still Life

Crohn's Disease Awareness · life · mental illness awareness

Creativity and Managing Mental Health

Lately I have been fighting a bout of depression, self doubt, and just an all around lack of motivation to create. The other day Kelsey pushed me to go out and take pictures because she knew it was what I really needed to do. I took my Hasselblad to Tradition, FL and it really did… Continue reading Creativity and Managing Mental Health

film photography · Photo essay · Vintage Camera

The Rolleiflex Automat and a Roll of Portra 400

I am continuously amazed by my Rolleiflex Automat. Not just because it is more than 70 years old, but also because it is an under appreciated model that, despite not having the coveted f/2.8 lens, still produces consistently sharp images. Rolleiflex Automat with Kodak Portra 400 My Automat was the first film camera I purchased… Continue reading The Rolleiflex Automat and a Roll of Portra 400

Pentax Camera

The Pentax 67 – My First Thoughts

I've chosen the Pentax 67 camera for a photo book I'm currently working on. I hope to document what is left of my hometown that existed from my childhood. This project will include mostly buildings and landscapes. This fact quickly made me realize that the 35mm format wasn't going to cut it for what I'm… Continue reading The Pentax 67 – My First Thoughts

film photography · How To · Photo essay

Still Life on Kodak Portra 400 – A Good Practice for Beginners

Since Covid hit I started to realize I needed to get more creative with my compositions if I was going to be able to continue to shoot film while I was stuck at home. Exakta VX1000 Kodak TX 400 I have done still life photos here and there, usually on black and white film. This… Continue reading Still Life on Kodak Portra 400 – A Good Practice for Beginners

Developing Adventures · film photography · Film Processing

Developing Adventures – My First Time Processing Color Film

This past Christmas I received the Cinestill C41 color film processing 2 bath powder kit from Kelsey's grandmother. It came with 3 pouches of powder chemistry, 2 accordion bottles, a tank, and two reels, two 1000ml jugs, and the TCS-1000 water heater; everything I needed to get started finally developing color film myself. I normally… Continue reading Developing Adventures – My First Time Processing Color Film

opinion · Vintage Camera Reviews

The Exakta VX1000 – A Left Handers Dream?

Exakta VX1000 The Exakta is an advanced camera made by a Dutch owned factory named Ihagee Kamerawerk located in Germany in 1936, just before world war 2. That sentence right there says a lot about its history all by itself. There were a series of 8 versions throughout its production. The Exaktas continued to be… Continue reading The Exakta VX1000 – A Left Handers Dream?