“Load it! Shoot it! Flip it!” I’d heard those words so many times from Michael Raso and the Film Photography Project (FPP) gang on their regular podcast since August 2019, that a year later it had become engrained in my psyche. Raso was referring to his new Double 8 (I prefer to use the term Regular 8, but Standard 8 is also used) film offerings and scanning services, and while it piqued my interest a bit at first, it wasn’t until after a chance notice of a beautiful Regular 8mm Brownie Movie Camera on eBay that I finally decided to bite. What follows is a summary of what my experience was like, including mini-reviews of the 1951 version of the Brownie Movie Camera, and of the FPP’s processing and scanning service for movie film.
Continue reading…Inspiration
The Zone and Scale Focusing Joy of Viewfinder Cameras
When I first started to return to film photography, I sought to shoot with modern, professional gear that I only dreamt of using prior to the advent of digital photography — primarily medium format gear made in the 1990s and later. But when the pandemic started cranking-up, I began to embrace film cameras that not long ago I dismissed as too old and too fussy to bother with. Honestly, it was probably a combination of “retail therapy” and nostalgia for a (theoretically) simpler time that was responsible for driving this, but to my surprise, I discovered that there is both incredible enjoyment (not to mention technical mastery) to be gained from the experience, especially with simple, so-called viewfinder cameras.
Continue reading…Time Capsules: The Voyeuristic Joy of Found Film
I like shopping for classic cameras, I suppose — I must, given how many web sites I frequent, just seeing what I can find, and at what price point. So it was a few weeks back when I was on shopgoodwill.com, the online auction site for numerous Goodwill Industries chapters through the US and Canada. The site has myriad camera listings, but most of the merchandise is, candidly, not that desirable to me. Still, I look from time-to-time, which is how I found an interesting listing, for a not-so-interesting camera.
Continue reading…When Your Camera Gear Reveals Its Story
To me, one of the more fascinating aspects of using old film cameras is that it feels like I’m actively touching history. I’ve written about this before regarding my Rolleiflex Automat MX, which was made in 1951 — making it the oldest camera currently in my collection. But when I received a pack of four 4×5 film holders from an eBay seller recently, I was brought into a similar type of reflection, and it all started with two words hand-written on the bottom of the holder: Graveraet Tatler.
Continue reading…Pandemic Distraction Project: Microcosms
Being trapped in the house during a global pandemic, what with stay-at-home orders in-effect, etc., has put a damper on my photographic endeavors. While I could certainly take a film camera along with me during walks, hikes and other permitted outdoor activities (well away from other humans), I decided this past weekend to instead load a roll of Kodak Tri-X in my Rolleiflex SL35 (my favorite 135 camera), set it to push to ISO 1600, put-on one of my heretofore unused extension tubes, and set about finding photographic subjects hidden in plain sight. Microcosms is what I’ve called the surprisingly satisfying results, and this article is the guide to the series.
Continue reading…Inspiration Found: What to Shoot When You’re Out of Ideas
We all have moments when the creative well seems to run completely dry, moments when you feel like you’ve exhausted every idea you’ve ever had for picking-up a camera, and shooting something.
I have these moments — a little too frequently. I decided to start capturing every interesting idea that popped to mind, and cataloguing each one here, in hopes that it will help others too. This article will be updated over time, so feel free to bookmark it and revisit regularly for new ideas. Last update was September 12, 2021.
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