Experiment in Film

So, as I've mentioned a few times on this blog, I've recently begun experimenting with film photography.  Don't get me wrong, I still love my Canon EOS 50D DSLR camera and I believe it's been an amazing tool that has helped me obtain my creative vision with my images.  However, there's something very authentic about film photography.  There's no instant gratification.  With digital, you can immediately react to the image you just shot and answer the following questions:  Did I get the right exposure?  Did I frame the shot as I envisioned it?  Did I achieve the composition I set out to achieve?  Did I waste an exposure or did I take a quality image?  It may be weeks before you receive the answers to those questions when shooting film, but that's part of the fun.  Film photography also allows you to be more selective with what you decide to shoot, where as if you are shooting with a digital camera, you can just fire away and switch out memory cards once the current one is full.  There are so many film cameras available today that were made decades ago; and they still work.  All you need is the correct film and you're off shooting with a vintage camera.  Will we be saying that about our current digital cameras decades from now?  Absolutely not.  Digital cameras are full of the latest electronic technology; technology that becomes obsolete almost immediately.  The cameras today aren't built to last decades.  We have become so consumed with immediate gratification that the fundamentals of photography are now a lost art.  Pictures are sent from a memory card onto a computer; they can be lost in the shuffle with hundreds, even thousands of digital files never to end up on a print.  You can't replace the feeling of getting your negatives and prints back after shooting a roll of film.  It's exciting and it makes me want to go out and shoot many more rolls of film until I produce the results I know I'm capable of producing.  Film is not dead and is currently experiencing a renaissance; if you're interested, go to your local thrift store, hit up a garage sale, estate sale or auction, or head over to eBay and pick up a vintage camera, a roll of film and have fun.

The subsequent post will contain what was my second roll of film ever.  The images do not compare to the standards set by my digital images, but they are a great deal better than my first roll of film.  I shot the images with my Canon AE-1P, Canon FL 50mm lens and Kodak Tri-X 400 black and white negative film.  Feel free to comment and critique and stay tuned for more rolls.  Don't worry digital heads, I'll still be shooting with my 50D and posting those images as well.

Brighton Rock

 

The first place we decided to go after our time in London was Brighton.  Brighton is a very interesting city and is definitely worth at least one visit.  It's ocean side and is very diverse.  Not only in it's inhabitants, but also in it's shops, food and art.  Brighton is filled with art galleries, shops selling custom artisan pieces, and restaurants cooking up some of the best food on the other side of the pond.  Every meal we had was outstanding; even the coffee was top notch.  We found some great finds in the shops and we got caught up in the city's vibrant and creative nature.  It was hard not to be inspired on our visit.  In fact, I felt as if I hit a creative high point in Brighton.  I hope that comes through in the images that I've posted, because anything less would be a shame to this great city by the sea.

Skate Park Blues

 

During one of our strolls through the Thames River Festival, we can across a skate park.  There were so many young skaters and BMX riders that I couldn't pass up the opportunity to photography them in their element.  See, before we went to London, I had been wanting to shoot some skate parks.  They're gritty, they have graffiti, the skaters and bikers are interesting subjects, and some amazing stunts go down.  These elements all make for some intriguing images.  However, the small skate park in Troy, OH isn't that interesting and the individuals performing the tricks are on a beginner skill level (for the most part).  So, stumbling upon this was a dream come true.  My action photography needs some work, but I was very happy with some of the shots I got and I can't wait to try again with some other skaters. The feet are essential to biking and skating; a lot of tricks require some serious footwork.  Because of this, I tried to focus specifically on the feet and the bike/skateboard in my images.  I think it is a refreshing perspective and I look forward to using it again.

London Through the Lens Part 2

New York State of Mind

I've been to NYC a total of two times and I consider myself a savvy traveler.  Booking anything through an agency or travel agent is against my "travel beliefs" and I prefer doing a lot of research and planning the entire trip myself.  With NYC, it's a little bit different.  My sister-in-law has lived in Manhattan for about five years, so visiting is like having your own personal tour guide to the city - a new yorker showing you "their" city.  I'm very grateful for this, as I'm sure I've experienced things that a tourist traveling to NYC would never think to do. 

With that being said, I can say that my second visit was dramatically different than the first.  The first visit to NYC was in 2008.  As soon as I stepped out of the apartment building on our first morning, I was in utter awe and was out of sorts.  The city is so massive and it's very tough to get your bearings.  I'm not used to that - usually I just start going and work my way around the city and I feel very comfortable.  It took me a good day and a half to get adjusted.  I was shooting with my Sony Cybershot camera on that trip and I was taking shots of everything.  That was my first shoot, so I like to think I've become more picky about the things I shoot. 

As I said, the second visit was much different than the first.  I was there for a few days at the end of May.  My wife (then fiance) was picking up her wedding dress and I had the pleasure of accompanying her on the trip (though I didn't see her dress until the wedding day).  I felt more at ease with the city and I was able to slow down; if that makes since.  I feel like I got a better picture, no pun intended, of how the city really is.  I created images much different from my first trip, I hit a creative sweet spot on the third day, and I had a really nice time.

The first day was filled with exploring the High Line, which is an elevated subway line that has been converted to a park.  When it's completely finished, it will be a mile and a half elevated park that will run through West Side districts like the Meatpacking District and Chelsea.  The park is very serene and is an elevated Oasis above the craziness that is the city.  Definitely worth checking out if you're in the neighborhood.  The second day I walked the Brooklyn Bridge and explored Brooklyn a bit.  Brooklyn has become a very trendy borough; we walked around an area that had a ton of one-of-a-kind boutiques and restaurants.  The third day, a very creative day, was spent at Grand Central Terminal, Central Park and Washington Square Park.  I took a ton of images and I hit a creative high by the time we arrived at Washington Square Park. The final day was spent at the Guggenheim Museum, where we saw the "Haunted" exhibit.  I've said it before, but Frank Lloyd Wright was well ahead of his time and still is.  The Guggenheim is such an amazing structure; it's worth the price of admission just to see the building.  It was a short trip, but one that included a mix of touristy and non-touristy activities. 

This was the third time I was out with my Canon EOS 50D and I really began to use some of the features on the camera. I came away happy with the images I created and I look forward to my next visit to the city.  I will post images as usual in the upcoming blogposts.

Columbus EPS Shoot Day 2

After a day of shooting nature, it was time to turn to the concrete jungle of downtown.  Recently, I've taken an interest in abandoned, graffitied and forgotten structures - urban decay.  I figured that I might be able to find a few interesting locations in downtown Columbus.

I got a later start than the previous day and the weather wasn't as optimal.  I started at the edge of the Arena District, behind Huntington Park.  There are a few old buildings by the Buggyworks complex.  The buildings are very interesting, with some graffiti, peeling paint, rusted doors, etc.  I enjoyed photographing them and then I moved on.  I headed down towards the Short North.  For those of you who don't know, the Short North is one of the most vibrant areas of Columbus.  It's a huge arts district that's home to numerous art galleries, wall art, street performers, boutiques, antique shops and fabulous restaurants.  I wandered around for awhile taking a number of shots.  I then walked back the way I came, to insure that I didn't miss anything the first time.

I didn't shoot as long as I did the day before and I was a little preoccupied with switching back and forth between my Canon AE-1P film camera and my Canon EOS 50D SLR camera.  This was the first time I used my film camera, so I was essentially learning how to use it while I shot.  I didn't get as many shots as I wanted and I was hoping for a bit more "decay."  However, I was in the thriving part of downtown, so I guess I should have expected less.  I need to do a bit more research and look into truly decaying areas and decaying "off-limit" buildings to find the right subject for the type of urban decay shots that interest me. 

With that being said, I still enjoyed the solitude of shooting by myself as well as the weekend trip overall.  I got some good images, I am getting used to my new digital and I got to experiment with film.  So, it was a good trip overall and I look forward to improving my photography skills and shooting more material on my next visit to Columbus.

Troy, Ohio

So, as you all know from my last post, I used my new camera for the first time at "Historic" Loveland Castle. That experience was not what I hoped for, so I wanted to go on another shoot to get better acquainted with the Canon EOS 50D. For me, the easiest thing to do is to go on a "walk-about" of downtown Troy, OH. On a Sunday morning, I got up early and went downtown and took about 50 to 60 images.

I didn't get any "show-stopping" images, but I worked with aperature, got to know my camera a little better, and generally had a good experience. Troy is a quaint little town and there are some interesting things to photograph. It was a good second experience with my camera and there's something comforting about walking around your neighborhood; for me, the goal is to always find something unexpected in something that's so familiar.

I've posted some images below with a few descriptions. You can see more from the shoot via my Flickr account.

The BREW 1831

I've recently begun experimenting with the deconstructing of a whole as the focus of my image, especially with signage. Let's take this shot for example. I actually hate the Brewery, but the historic and vintage nature of the sign is perfect for an image. So, instead of photographing the whole sign, I split it in two sections. I also added a sepia tone to give it a truly vintage feel. I have a B&W version over at Flickr as well.

ERY 1831

This is the second part of the Brewery sign. Again, I used a sepia tone to give it a vintage look. When I view these, I seem to think of Cheers. I did not shoot these as one image and crop them; they are two entirely separate images.

Aged Paint

If anyone is familiar with Troy, there is a brightly painted wall on one side of the small Mayflower Theatre. The paint has begun to peel, so I chose to highlight the paint peeling from below. This is my view looking up; I used aperature priority to get a shallower depth of field.

Is That a Cone?

I found this configuration on a side street. I liked the colors and the fact that the "?" was "pointing" towards the cone.

In Bloom

I'm not sure what type of tree this was, but I loved the texture of the blooms and the greens of the leaves, the pink blooms and the blue sky. Again, I used aperature priority for this shot. There is another version on Flickr.

Active Lifestyle

I saw this image on a porch as I was getting ready to get back into my car and drive home. I couldn't resist taking this shot and it was one of my favorites of the day. I posted a cropped version on Flickr, so head over and tell me what you think.

Recent Shoot - Historic Loveland Castle

The first photo shoot that I used my Canon EOS 50D took place Saturday, March 27 at Historic Loveland Castle in Loveland, Ohio. For those of you who don't know, Loveland Castle or Chateau Laroche, was built by one man: Harry Andrews.

I was anxiously awaiting this shoot. For starters, I had a brand new camera that I hadn't used yet. I was also going to shoot a castle. I admit, I had grand visions of English and Scottish castles; picturesque views of structures that we don't see everyday. However, Loveland Castle was anything but picturesque. The structure itself is a sight and especially since it was built by a single man. However, that's where the intrigue ended. The castle was filled with random artifacts and pictures, providing the visitor with a cloudy picture of what they were walking through. The lighting was horrible, the landscape around the castle was shabby, and the "Renaissance" individuals in costume sat around and chatted among themselves. They didn't perform or offer any sort of insight into why they were there.

Overall, the shoot was disappointing. The subject matter was dull and I didn't walk away with many shots worth a second look. At the end of the day, I'll have to go to the source if I want to photograph a castle with character. Using the camera for the first time was exciting and I did manage to capture a few images that were worth posting, if nothing else, for a look at my work.

Harry Andrews, you may have been brilliant, but you were also odd. I don't believe your residence is worth the price of admission, because the so-called castle and museum lack cohesiveness.

RAW - JPEG No More

As most of you know, I started experimenting with photography in 2008 when I received my first digital camera. It was a Sony DSC-W80 and I took it on my first trip to NYC. That small point and shoot only created JPEG images, so when I joined the Edison Photo Society in 2009, I had no idea the difference shooting in RAW makes.

I do now! I've been on three shoots now with my new Canon EOS 50D and for the last two I've been shooting RAW + JPEG. I'm still learning the camera and trying to learn how to adjust settings, set white balance, etc. I was shooting in downtown Columbus on a cloudy day. When I was reviewing the photos on the computer, I felt like the colors were a bit washed out. If I had the knowledge to properly set the white balance and adjust the aperature and shutter speed, my colors on the image would have been truer to what I saw.

When I loaded them into my Canon photo utility and started experimenting with the camera RAW tool, I was blown away. The colors instantly came to life just by changing the lighting setting. With a few small tweaks to shadows, saturation and contrast, the colors looked like they did when I was taking the shot. I am fully converted and I will never go back to shooting only JPEG. Now, I just need to work on my in-camera settings so I can spend even less time editing.