So I went to the beach today.

And amongst the cigarette ends and condoms, it was quite nice.

I wish I didn’t have to mention the litter. But oh well.

The cat’s out of the Instax bag

Back in March I was approached by Fujifilm Canada to be a part of a new project featuring Instax photographers from around the globe.  I said no.  Just kidding, I jumped for joy. What an amazing opportunity.

They sent me a package with a brand new Instax Mini Neo-Classic and a tonne of film to shoot with.

So I shot a tonne of film 🙂

There was a catch, I only had a week to shoot the photos for the project. Normally that wouldn’t have been an issue but this was March in Edmonton, Alberta and the forecast that week wasn’t all that great.  I ended up having about three hours of sun and warmer temperatures one day that week so I went out and shot like a man possessed. Ok, I ran around like a lunatic over-thinking things and worked up quite a thirst 😉  Here’s a link to the photos they used for the project and while you are at it, I would recommend checking out the other photographers work as well.  There are some amazing shots on this site and I’m sure there are more to come.

Here is a gallery of some other shots from that day that I did not submit to the project but I think they are worth sharing anyway.

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A big thank you to Fujifilm Canada for including me in this project.  It was a lot of fun.

Cheers!

Views from the Roof(s)

It started innocently enough.  The photblogs and pro’s (and so did Robin Williams in Dead Poet’s Society) always say change your perspective.  Try looking at things from different angles. Put the camera on the ground, above your head etc. Anyone who has seen many of my photos know I already do this, it’s something of a mantra for me, something I’ve tried to teach to my kids.  Look at things from as many angles as possible. It opens up a world of possibilities.

Oh No! John is complaining about the weather again.

You would too if this was your view this time last week.

The Results from Yesterday’s Scans

So yesterday I raved about how much I love scanning slide film.  Today I’ll share some of the results from the roll.  As I alluded to yesterday, shooting slide film in my neck of the woods often results in a painfully long wait for processing.  I shot these through September and early October and only got them back yesterday.  It is what it is.  We live in an age of instant gratification through digital means and while that has its benefits, it can be frustrating for us film shooters.

What’s better than scanning Slides?

Not much.

I love Colour Positive or Slide Film.  There’s just something about it that I can’t quite describe. The downside for me is where I live, it usually takes me three weeks to get a roll developed. The cost of developing it is quite prohibitive as well.  I wish I shot more of it so I could justify developing it at home.

Have I mentioned how much I love the Fujifilm Instax Mini 90?

Especially the long exposure mode?

Lots.

Come Back October, All Is Forgiven

If you’ve been reading these posts lately, you might have noticed I’m having a hard time acclimating this winter. It gets worse every year it seems. I know I really need to suck it up and get on with life but days like today make it hard. I was sorting out some photos from the last month and well..

…this sucks!

Oh, so you’re a web developer…

… said the man with a smirk as I poured him a drink at 10:00PM on a Saturday night.

Why I shoot film

It’s a question that gets asked a lot in the photography world.  There are entire websites whose comments are filled with people on either side of the analogue vs. digital camp.  At the end of the day it’s about personal preference.  I’ve said it before, I shoot both formats.   I prefer the look and feel of film.  I don’t like spending hours in photo editing software and that’s my choice.  I would rather spend hours shooting.  I have seen many incredible images taken in both formats.  Could I always recognize a film photograph over a digital one?  Probably not.  But I do know from my personal experience with my own photos, I like my film ones best and before I got back into film, I spent hours manipulating digital shots to make them more film-like.