- pumpkin fest 2024
at the end of this day, i was considering two options for my rolleiflex:
- never bringing it out in public again
or
- using only this one from now on and putting all the others in cryosleep
but why, you ask?? well, let’s back up a bit…
see i had spent the day at pumpkin fest 2024…
this is a weekend festival all about the harvest season, pumpkins, music, beer, crafts, food, train rides, etc. and i couldn’t make it down one block without having no less than three folks catch a glimpse of my camera and ask me about it.
“ohhh does that still work?”
“that’s so cool, so do people still shoot film?”
“awesome camera! does it work still?”
“hey cool camera! is that like a modern replica or the original thing?”
etc. etc.
i was surprised by how many people asked me about it. the rolleiflex is usually a crowd pleaser, but never like that…perhaps people in this town are naturally curious and social??
but hopefully i converted a few more people to the cause…one person even asked for a recommendation on a beginner TLR, so I hope they google what i gave them and then fall deep into the rabbit hole that is film photography and never come up for air again…mwahaha!!
anyways, i wanted to share some of the photos because a couple of them came out so darn cute!
like this mini human and a pet duck that came onto the scene, totally stealing the show.
there were also witches…lots of witches…
and one very odd crow (or raven?) that wandered into my shot here…
i shot a roll of expired agfa optima film that film friends had given me, thanks @photoprendie and @serenasnapped (instagram handles).
i wasn’t sure how it would come out and the negatives didn’t look great after development (which i added extra time to), but they aren’t too bad!
i even shot this one above at 1/15 of a sec at f3.5!
this woman above had an incredibly cool business where she used electrical currents to burn lightening-esque designs into wood.
every time i get a roll developed and scanned from this camera, i think to myself…i really should use this MORE!
it was a lot of fun, but perhaps i will carry it behind me at a busy place next time so i can actually get down the street in a timely fashion…
- the best point & shoot film camera: sure shot u90ii
the canon sure shot 90u ii (aka prima zoom 90u ii) is without a doubt, the best point-and-shoot film camera i have used to date *for me*
i took it with me on my trip to croatia and i’m so excited to share the images with you as well as talk about the camera.
of course, there is a youtube video for this as well so head on over there to check it out if you like watching yt in addition to reading!
this is the last film camera that canon made. it came out in april 2005, which means it has some of the most advanced features and refined designs that can be found in film point & shoot cameras available today.
it has a 38-90mm 2.4x zoom lens. there is a fancy name for the autofocus system called the “passive 3-point aiaf (artificial intelligence automatic focusing)” system. it incorporates an integrated af/ae (auto-focus/auto-exposure) cmos sensor unit ensuring fabulous exposure control and auto-focus that doesn’t fail.
there are a few “modes” on the camera that users can select to help them shoot a variety of scenes such as sport, macro, portrait, etc.
the manual says there is an exposure compensation function and a built in doptric adjustment but i have yet to figure out how to engage these functions.
my favorite thing about this point-and-shoot is that it has one of the quietest shutters i’ve used. it’s not silent, but it is more subtle than other point-and-shoot (or even all film cameras for that matter) cameras.
so, while i was on my trip, i used it for some street photography and was blown away by what this camera can do!
the autofocus never missed what i was aiming at and the quality of the lens is beautiful.
it also was picked up at a charity shop for $5. lol
if you can find one of these, i highly recommend them. i’ve also had the 115u (not ii) and there are a couple other versions where the numbers correspond to how far the zoom extends.
i’m not a telephoto shooter so i didn’t use the zoom too much but it’s there if you need it, which is handy.
so, that’s it for today, let me know what you think about this little point and shoot!
see ya in the next newsletter/video soon!
~m
- holga week 2024
holga week 2024 was a blast.
an ode to the fantastically cheap medium format camera, holga week is run by mr. holga and headquartered at don’s used photo equipment in dallas, texas.
check out more information about holga week from the horse’s mouth here:
in short, every year on october 1-7, anyone from around the world is welcome to shoot their holga camera.
then, submissions open to the competition the month following holga week, so oct 8 – november 8.
there are a few categories like street, portrait, nature, pinhole and each participant can submit three photos.
the categories are judged and winners announced later in november.
there’s also a grand holga champion who wins a gold holga!
and i believe there is also a people’s choice award. so if you submitted photos, you can vote for the holga select winner (aforementioned people’s choice award).
fun, right?!?!
my holga week 2024
i shot way too many rolls this year, but i was in a good place with my holga, having chosen it for my frugal film project this year, with good results.
there were the two rolls of harman phoenix 200, one kodak gold 200, and one fpp wolfman!
most of the film was shot in two days, but i did take a few more on the others (bloody work getting in the way of my holga fun!).
first day, i headed up to western new hampshire, finding beautiful lakeside stops and interesting scenes across several small towns.
the other day, i found myself at one of my favorite festivals in autumn, the apple fest!
this is where i shot the two rolls of phoenix, quite easily with all the activity there.
most of the images were experimental double exposures.
i haven’t included my top three images i submitted in this post though. i’ll be doing another post after the competition is over on those!!
i need to scan these rolls of phoenix again because i believe i can get results i like better. these images are fun and punchy, but they are on the garrish side as well.
scanning is SO important with phoenix and quite a few photographers have had better results scanning at home than at their labs. it’s not the labs doing a poor job, it’s that their scanners are not set to scan phoenix which is a brand new film.
the holga week team created merch this year and i couldn’t have been more excited about it.
i promptly secured myself a t-shirt and coffee mug.
check it out here!
https://holgaweek.printify.me/products
so, tell me, how was your holga week?? what did you shoot, what are you submitting, etc?!
-m
- flic film’s new doubleshot half frame camera
if you ever wondered what it’s like to shoot a cheap plastic ‘reusable’ camera and for some reason have not watched the endless amounts of youtube material on these types of cameras yet…well, i can tell you it’s a lot of fun!
don’t pay attention to the naysayers behind the internet curtain, at least not until you’ve tried on of these cameras for yourself…
this post is all about the new flic film doubleshot half frame 35mm camera and it’s a great option if you are looking for a very cheap camera that will also essentially half the cost of any film roll…
this camera above took this image below…
flic film is a company based in canada that produces loads of different products related to film photography…film, (now) cameras, chemistry, paper, accessories, and more.
honestly, i don’t know how they do it all.
i do know though, that Dave, the fearless leader at the charge has a great team behind him and himself, an experienced and knowledgeable photographer and business individual.
they did kindly send me the camera along with their new film, UltraPan 18, repackaged fomapan that comes with 18 full frames, leaving you the usual 36 on half frame. created with the doubleshot in mind as many folks have trouble finishing the 72 shots you would have otherwise on a 36-full-frame-exposure roll.
i made a video for youtube as well, but this post is for the written word lovers in the crowd.
doubleshot camera settings:
- lens: plastic 28mm f/8 lens
- shutter: 1/120s
- minimum focus distance: 1.8m
the doubleshot is super lightweight and ‘jacket’ pocketable.
it’s a stylish black and white design, similar in ergonomics to the agfaphoto half frame.
flash is included and is powered by a double aa battery, my favorite. easy to find most places!
in typical plasic lens fashion, the images are sharp in the middle and slightly blurry around the edges, an aesthetic i fell in love with on the holga gcfn.
this type of look isn’t for everyone, as the internet keyboard warriors have let us know, but i love it.
in the image below, on the right, i used flash in the daytime as this scene was in a dark shaded corner. it’s one of my favorites on the roll.
the most impactful benefit of shooting a half frame camera is getting more frames for the dollars you are putting down for those chemical miracles we call rolls of film.
very quickly, film photography becomes extremely affordable with a half frame camera and a cheaper roll of film. if you tack on home developing, it’s miles away from the crazy expense that is lamented via reddit and social media.
expensive v affordable are relative terms and film photography can either be low cost or outrageous depending on what you shoot, how you shoot, how you develop, scan, print, etc.
i had a lot of fun with the Flic Film DOUBLESHOT, really enjoyed the images that came out, and want to thank Dave and the team for sending me one to try with film without strings!
let me hear your thoughts in the comments below 🙂
cheers,
m