Cameras and Lenses
Hasselblad 500c/m
A Hasselblad has been my end-game camera since I first shot one my Instructor owned way back in the 90's. There aren't words that can describe the experience over a Mamiya, or other popular medium formats - it's a perfect intersection of Industrial Design, Mechanical Engineering perfection, and Aestetic interface you have to use for yourself. Now, in realty, the three major factors that affect your work as a photography are your skill (most important), your lens, and your film stock. Besides that, a camera is a light tight box that opens and closes a shutter with precision.
But - a good camera makes you want to go and shoot. It makes you practice - which is what is required to increase your skill. No amount of YouTube videos, books, or dreaming about cameras on the internet will top taking photos and getting good feedback. For me, the Hasselblad is that machine.
But - a good camera makes you want to go and shoot. It makes you practice - which is what is required to increase your skill. No amount of YouTube videos, books, or dreaming about cameras on the internet will top taking photos and getting good feedback. For me, the Hasselblad is that machine.
Hasselblad lenses
This one is simple, and rather obvious if you shoot on a Hasselblad. I own a set of Carl Zeiss CF T* coated Planar, 80mm and 120mm. Maybe I'll add a 50mm to that someday, but I haven't seen the need for it yet.
Canon AE-1
Straight out of your local yard sale attic purge, yes, I shoot a simple Canon AE-1 for all my 35mm shots. Is it a Leica M6 or SL2, a Canon F-1, or a Nikon F2? No, and I don't really care. I learned 35mm on the Canon A system, and for me, it's a simple camera that is lightweight, gets out of the way, and you can get parts and lenses easily. Show me a local photo store, and I'll show you any lens I could want for a few hundred bucks. I would love to learn Rangefinder, which I'll probably start on a Canon 7sz, and maybe, maybe... someday, when I've earned it, get a Leica M6. But regardless of all of that, I don't ever see myself parting with the AE-1. It's a camera I can throw in a bag, or over my shoulder, and shoot an amazing array of different 35mm film stocks. It's also the machine I recommend someone pickup if they are just getting into Film. Ok, maybe an AE-1 Program (ever try cleaning the Focus screen on an AE-1... wow). Overall, any of the mechanical cameras I listed above will serve you well shooting and if taken care of, will probably outlive you (if you are handy with a soldering iron and jewelers tools if the electronics die).
Film Stocks
Way back in the 90's, when I wasn't too poor to afford to upgrade from Arista EDU ISO 400 black and white, I shot only Ilford HP5, and Portra 160 and 400. I used to shoot so much HP5 I learned how to bulk roll it myself into cassettes from 100ft spools. I never really gave much of a thought about other films. I did manage to buy a few rolls of Kodak color and black and white infrared, and found that interesting. I don't think I had developed enough of a shooting style to know what to do with it (if I had only known to freeze a few grand worth, I'd be retired now, as the stuff fetches a few hundred bucks on eBay these days!).
But wow, did something happen in the 2010's and onwards when film photographers thought Kodak (and all film with it), would die. It was as if a lightning strike reverberated in the analog photography community, fearing certain death. The only possible solution, if Kodak and Fuji did collapse - or quit making film emulsions, was to stock up on as much expired frozen film, cut, and roll it. Later into the 2010's, Indiegogo campaigns sprang to life, and started this process, scrounging up any cinema films they could find - stripping off the remjet layers and packaging them by the tens of thousands.
Well, low and behold, Instagram filters breathed new life into the younger generation that has _only_ known digital photography. With what is left of any true art on Instagram, real creators began searching for the analog originals that created these fake digital filters.
Well, low and behold, Instagram filters breathed new life into the younger generation that has _only_ known digital photography. With what is left of any true art on Instagram, real creators began searching for the analog originals that created these fake digital filters.
As much as I'd like to complain that vintage photography equipment is now outrageously priced (how in the hell is a Contax T2 point-n-shoot worth $2k!? oh right, Kylie Jenner... THANKS!), I am thankful that we now not only have Kodak back in the full swing of production, but we have more and more new film stock options from the grass roots efforts of the 2010's! It truly does look like Film is here to stay, with a second and more impactful imprint left - not too different from the whole Vinyl Record second-life.
I don't have any works to share yet on these esoteric film stocks, but here are some films I am actively experimenting with, or working on acquiring...
I don't have any works to share yet on these esoteric film stocks, but here are some films I am actively experimenting with, or working on acquiring...
Kodak Aerochrome on 120 format
Kodak EIR
Roellie Infrared
Lomography purple, turquoise, redscale, and metropolis
Atlanta Film Co. Euophric and 250D
Cinestill 400D, 800T
And of course, the good old standards that i shoot with regularly...
Kodak EIR
Roellie Infrared
Lomography purple, turquoise, redscale, and metropolis
Atlanta Film Co. Euophric and 250D
Cinestill 400D, 800T
And of course, the good old standards that i shoot with regularly...
Kodak Portra 160, 400, and 800
Ilford Delta 100, 400, and 3200
Fuji Pro 400h
More on the above to come!
Ilford Delta 100, 400, and 3200
Fuji Pro 400h
More on the above to come!