2012 - Year in Review

It’s December 31,2012,  even though it doesn’t seem possible.  It literally feels like I was just sitting in downtown Sonoma, California, contemplating how my year in photography had ended up and what my resolutions for 2012 would be.  I was proud of my progress over the course of that year, but I was focused on not settling for what I had accomplished to date.  As I look back at my 2012 photo resolution post, I feel like I made some lofty goals for myself.  While I might not have accomplished everything on the list, I can walk away fully satisfied with the year I’ve had and an eye for even better things to come in 2013.

To recap, here were the resolutions I set for myself in 2012:

• Shoot more

• Shoot more film

• Experiment more with Polaroid (Impossible Project)

• Begin working in the darkroom

• Start shooting large format

• Expand my participation in art shows

• Expand my participation in photo clubs

• Participate in another solo show or a joint show

• Start shooting Super 8

• Experiment with alternative processes

Again, as I look at this list, I can’t help but think it’s a lofty list.  Regardless, here’s how I fared in 2012.  When I set the resolution of shooting more, it didn’t mean to shoot more in regards to quantity.  It meant to shoot more in regards to quality and to go on more dedicated photo excursions.  As I look back through my work from 2012, I can honestly say that I didn’t come near the quantity that I shot in 2011, but I certainly increased the quality of my work.  I feel that I’m my own worst critic; however, I would select almost any of my “best” images from 2012 and put them up against what I considered to be my best in 2011.  I really feel like my photography has taken a huge step forward in regards to the conceptual nature of what I create.  Don’t get me wrong, I still have a long ways to go, but I feel as if I’m heading in the correct direction.  In regards to the second part of the resolution, I did set aside more time for dedicated photo shoots/excursions.  In addition to the three vacations we took (Seattle, New York City, Upstate New York), I went to an analog photography weekend event in Cleveland, Ohio and I set up numerous photo shoots around my area for a few projects that I’m working on.  I believe those dedicated sessions were very integral in helping me to create more quality work in 2012.  
The second resolution was to shoot more film and I can say with a certainty that 2012 was most definitely a year of film.  I have already shot more rolls of film than I did last year with a few outstanding rolls to be finished up before the year’s end. I rarely touched my digital gear, only picking it up for a few shoots.  I used it for work, a few small projects and a family portrait shoot.  The rest of my year was spent producing black and white negatives I shot with (mostly) my medium format cameras.  Shooting film has completely altered the way I approach the creation of an image and has given me a finer appreciation for the finished product - a print.  There’s something to be said for the process of using film.  It’s the antithesis of immediate gratification.  You’re limited in the number of frames you have to shoot with and you can’t see the result instantaneously.  There’s a bit of anxiety involved, but the feeling of pulling your film out of the developing tank and seeing the images you took for the first time is something that absolutely can’t be replicated.

The next resolution was an extension of the shoot more film resolution.  It involved my continued experimentation with instant film.  I developed a love for instant photography in 2011 and I looked to continue that in 2012.  This was a resolution that I feel I didn’t fully accomplish.  I shot a lot of instant film over the course of the year, but I didn’t feel that I explored it’s full creative potential like I hoped for.  While I experimented with new types of film released by the Impossible Project, loaded up on their older formula films and started a project that had been in the conception stage for a year with their silver shade black frame film, I didn’t spend a great deal of time doing emulsion lifts, transparencies or reclaiming my negatives.  This is something I hope to rededicate myself to in 2013, but I’ll leave that for my 2013 photo resolutions post.

My fourth resolution involved a different type of experimentation - the traditional darkroom.  For me, this was the most important resolution of 2012.  I felt as if I couldn’t take my photography to the next level until I learned to work in the darkroom.  Darkroom work didn’t start until the third and fourth quarter of 2012, but I’m glad to say that I accomplished this resolution.  I had a lab at my disposal and a willing teacher ready to teach me through my connection with Edison Community College and the Edison Photo Society; however, due to the society’s transitional position with the college, that fell through.  After that, I went on a search for a public darkroom in my area and I came across one in the city of Kettering.  It simply required an orientation session and a small fee per use.  With a facility at my disposal, all I needed was some instruction and I was ready.  Luckily, a friend I met through the Film Photography Project, Mat Marrash, offered one-on-one workshops catered to the individual needs of the student. I  contacted him and he set up a two weekend workshop that would teach me the basics of film developing and the finer aspects of optical printing.  I have now successfully developed four rolls of film and have printed numerous contact sheets and a variety of working prints, all on my own.  I’m constantly learning and I love spending a few hours in the darkroom making my photography come to life.  I look forward to expanding my skills to print quality enlargements for future exhibitions and projects.

Resolution number five was to start shooting large format.  This is one resolution that I didn’t get around to.  I’m still very intrigued by large format and I plan on shooting it sometime in the future, it just wasn’t in the cards for 2012.  However, The Impossible Project recreated 8x10 instant film and I was able to secure an old 8x10 Polaroid processor from a friend, so I very well may be heading down the path to shooting 8x10.  If that is the case, Mat Marrash is an avid 8x10 shooter, so I’m sure another workshop could be developed if that’s the direction I want to take.

The next resolution was to expand my participation in art shows and competitions.  I’m proud to say that this was a resolution that I easily accomplished.  I competed in more exhibits (juried and non-juried) than I ever have before.  I exhibited my work all over the region and I even entered a few national and international competitions.  It was a very good year for awards and recognition, but I don’t plan on stopping there.  I already have an ongoing list of exhibits that I would like to enter in 2013; if I keep to that list, I should easily surpass my participation from 2012.  I just hope that I have as much success and luck in the coming year as I did this past year. In addition to my increased participation in art shows and competitions, I resolved to expand my participation in photo clubs.  While I didn’t join any additional clubs this past year, I spent a great deal of time helping the existing members of the Edison Photo Society decide the fate and direction of our struggling club.  A unanimous decision among members led us to break our affiliation with the college and refocus our efforts on the activities and presentations that mattered most to each of us.  We’re still on shaky ground, but the club is still together  and now has a clearer vision of what the future may hold. With that being said, I did participate in a photography critique at one of the local art councils and I met a number of other regional photographers due to my increased competition presence from the past year.  Whether or not I participate in any additional clubs in the coming year, I do look to build on the relationships with the people I met in 2012 to enrich my overall photography experience. 

My eighth resolution was to participate in another solo show or a joint show.  I didn’t participate in a solo show in 2012 and this was mainly due to the fact that I didn’t feel any of the work/projects that I’ve been working on were complete.  I don’t want to exhibit my work in a solo show capacity unless I feel that it’s finished, acceptable and worthy of public viewing.  I have a few projects in the works and I’ll see how the year plays out.  If you count any of the juried shows that I made my way into, those could be seen as joint exhibits, but outside of that, I didn’t obtain this resolution.  

My last two resolutions were also resolutions that I didn’t get around to this year.  One of them was to start shooting Super 8.  While this resolution is something that I do want to achieve, other items took precedent in 2012.  I am throwing around a few ideas for a “moving picture” as part of one of my projects and I recently was given a Lomography Lomokino for Christmas.  I plan on exploring this concept and hopefully it’s something that will come to fruition in 2013.  The last resolution was to start experimenting with alternative processes.  I was unable to achieve this resolution, but that’s mainly due to timing.  I didn’t start darkroom work until the end of the year and once I have a better handle on the basics, it will be natural for me to move to alternative processes.  I have a great network of individuals familiar with these processes and it will be very easy to obtain basic knowledge regarding these techniques.

In numbers, I obtained 4 of the 10 resolutions I set out to accomplish.  Three of the remaining six resolutions were touched on in different ways and three were not achieved.  Overall, I’m happy with my progress, as I mentioned earlier.  I progressed my photography and I look to follow that up with a great 2013.  Stay tuned for my 2013 Photo Resolutions and thanks for following along in my adventures; I really appreciate it.

Darkroom Work Begins!

One of my 2012 photo resolutions was to develop and print my own negatives.  As of September 29, I officially began my journey down the rabbit hole that is the darkroom.  A great photographer friend of mine, Mat Marrash, was my instructor for a two day workshop.  Mat is an amazingly talented analog photographer that specializes in 8x10 large format and alternative process photography.  He’s the co-host of the Film Photography Podcast, completed not one, but two 8x10 one-a-day projects, has dabbled into wet plate and carbon printing, and has created an astounding body of work with his barbershop series.  If you haven’t checked out his site, do so here.

In addition to Mat’s photography, he has a wealth of knowledge in regards to traditional darkroom work and photographic chemistry and he offers to share that knowledge through classes and one-on-one workshops.  Since I wanted to learn the basics of film development, but spend more time on the printing process, I decided to contact him regarding a one-on-one workshop.  He enthusiastically created a two day workshop agenda spread over the course of two weekends.  So, on September 29, I made a trip up to Findlay, Ohio and spent four hours in the darkroom learning from one of the youngest and talented working photographers today. 

Mat’s enthusiasm for photography and the darkroom is contagious, which makes him a great teacher.  We covered the basics of developing tanks, film reels and loading film for development.  We quickly moved onto basic darkroom chemicals and actually developed the two rolls of 120 that I shot for “homework.”  While waiting for the negatives to dry, we took a quick trip to see Leslie at Imagine That! After blowing an hour or so geeking out about cameras and film, we headed back to get working on the negatives.  We cut and sleeved the negs, loaded them into a contact printer and printed contact sheets.  We were now getting to the part of the process that I was really excited about - creating a silver gelatin print from a negative that I exposed and developed by my own hand.  Even though the final product is the same (only in the sense of the word), scanning a negative and printing digitally is nothing compared to exposing a negative with an enlarger onto photographic paper and then watching the image appear before your eyes.  It’s absolutely magical.

"Faceless"
Camera:  Hasselblad 500 c/m
Lens:  150mm
Film:  Kodak Tri-X 400

After evaluating the contact sheets, we chose three images to create working prints from.  We used 8x10 Oriental RC paper and went about the enlarging process.  The output ended at a total of five prints.  Mat taught me the basics of dodging and burning and we used that short lesson to make a few adjustments.  I can’t tell you how exciting it was to see the image emerge after a short time in the developer.  That feeling is taken to a whole new level after the print has been fixed, washed and dried and you’re holding it in your hands in daylight.  To know that what you’re holding was hand-made and you had control of the entire process from exposure to finished product, is a great part of photography that is generally missed from the today’s typical photography work flow.

The second session was more of the same, but with much more time spent on final prints.  I shot two more rolls of 120 for “homework” and then I attempted to load the film for the first time on the reels in the darkroom.  It took a little while, but with a little help, I was finally able to develop the film.  A little more practice on a dummy roll at home and I’ll have this process down in no time.  After developing and waiting for the negatives to dry, we went through the working print process again.  We made contact sheets, decided on two images and made some working prints.  After evaluating those, it was time to enlarge them and make final prints on 16x20 fiber based paper. 

"Wounded Wood"
Camera:  Hasselblad 500 c/m
Lens:  150mm
Film:  Kodak Tri-X 400

Last time, I spent the majority of my time souping the prints in the chemistry as I watched Mat operate the enlarger.  For these prints, running the enlarger was my job, so that I was comfortable with the entire process from enlarging to developing the test and final prints.  I’ve already mentioned that Mat is a great teacher, but I can honestly say that I walked away from the two session workshop confident in my abilities to walk into another darkroom and start hand producing my work.   

Watching these enlargements develop before my eyes was more exciting than the first session.  I was staring at a large print that may be hanging in an exhibit or competition and it’s something that I made with my own two hands.  The fiber based paper gives the print an entirely different feel and even though it’s a bit harder to work with (due to curling and longer development time), the finished product is more archival than RC and it just has a unique hand-made feel to it.  After going through an archival washing process, we toned the images with selenium toner.  This provided additional archival stability to the image as well as adding a little bit of punch to the final print (in terms of tonality). 

"Lost"
Camera:  Hasselblad 500 c/m
Lens:  150mm
Film:  Kodak Tri-X 400

Of the final two prints, I definitely have a favorite.  I can’t stop admiring the beauty of the silver gelatin and I know that I’ll never tire of producing them.  I want to send another thank you to Mat Marrash for giving up two weekend days to help me out in the darkroom.  Mat’s a brilliant photographer and teacher and is very willing to pass along his knowledge and help others develop their photographic skills to achieve their photographic dreams.  Besides that, Mat’s also a good guy that I consider a friend.  I’m glad I decided to make the initial trip to the FPP Midwest Meetup for his first gallery show.  If you’re interested in learning more about developing, printing, alternative processes or large format photography, Mat Marrash is your guy.  I’ll be getting back into the darkroom soon, so I’ll be posting more work on this blog in the near future.

Analog's Pulse

I have a number of blogposts on the horizon and I thought I would start them off with an overview of a great event that I attended last week.  The event was a three day film photography extravaganza (digital shooters were welcome too) in Cleveland, Ohio.  Analog's Pulse was coordinated by Scott Meivogel, photographer and owner of Aperture:  A Photography and Variety Store in the Tremont neighborhood of Cleveland and was sponsored by A and A Studios, Film Photography Project and Old School Photo Lab.

As the title of the event implies, this event was focused on film photography.  While digital technology has been flooding the photography landscape for the past decade, there has been an increasing number of shooters switching to film or rediscovering film.  There is a movement taking place and there is a clear energy behind it.  It's a very exciting time to be a photographer, especially one that loves to shoot film.  Regardless of your personal opinions, it's clear that Lomography and The Impossible Project have helped to foster this rejuvenation; all which led to an event like this being held in my home state of Ohio.

The event kicked off on Friday night with a "social hour" opening reception at Aperture.  A group of approximately 20-25 people attended from different areas of the U.S. (even Canada), enjoyed some frosty beverages and listened to opening remarks by Scott, Michael Raso of the Film Photography Project and Jake Bouchard of Old School Photo Lab.  After we went over the itinerary for Saturday and purchased our film, we went our separate ways.  I had the pleasure of having dinner with a few individuals at Prosperity Social Club.  Jared, a relatively new photographer from Point Pleasant, West Virginia (home of the "famed" Moth Man) and Chris and Katie, two amazing photographers from Milwaukee, were my company for the evening.  We enjoyed great food, beer and conversation.  Chris and Katie regularly travel Route 66 and document it with the help of Polaroid cameras and film.  In fact, they just released a book, six years in the making, entitled Polaroid Photos from Route 66.  In addition to that, they run a site entitled "Fading Nostalgia," they're Urban Explorers and Chris is an amazing night photographer.  It was a pleasure to meet these great individuals and it was the perfect kick off to the weekend.

Camera:  Canon AE-1P
Lens:  50mm
Film:  Fuji Provia 100 (XPro)

Saturday was a jam packed day with three themed photo walks, with the first set to start at 8:30 a.m.  We were to meet in between Gund Arena and Jacob's Field (now Quicken Loans Arena and Progressive Field) and start out on a street photography themed walk.  While the numbers weren't to the level of RSVP's received on Facebook, there were still a good number of people that showed up for this event and we added individuals as the day went on.  We made our  way through the Gateway District, E. 4th Street and ended at Public Square.  The walk was very informal, with Scott pointing out various landmarks as we walked.  Shooting took place sporadically, with different groups forming and advancing along the path.  For the first part of the day, I decided to keep my shooting pretty mindless and went with two "point and shoot" film cameras.  I broke out the Olympus XA2 loaded with Ilford HP5 Plus black and white film (I'll post those results once the roll is developed) and my Holga micro 110 camera loaded with Lomography's new Orca 110 black and white film.  I was able to finish my roll of HP5, but didn't shoot my 110.  The morning started out hazy with drizzle and the fixed aperture and shutter speed of the micro Holga coupled with the 100 speed of the film didn't lend itself to being used.  By the end of the first walk, the haze and drizzle lifted, the sun came out and the heat began to intensify.  I enjoyed the walk, but after attending several meet-ups, I've come to the conclusion that this type of event doesn't lend itself to my style of shooting.  I'm a solitary photographer that takes a lot of time to line up a shot, using my exposures sparingly and prefers to shoot with a tripod versus hand held. However, it's fun to meet new like minded people and geek out about cameras, film, photography and beer :)

Camera:  Canon AE-1P
Lens:  50mm
Film:  Fuji Provia 100 (XPro)

After a bit of a break and some rest, the instant cameras came out to play and the instant photo walk began. Most attendees were shooting multiple cameras, with a mixture of Polaroid pack film cameras and Polaroid integral film cameras being used.  I sported my original Polaroid SX-70 loaded with Impossible Project PX70 Cool film and my Polaroid SX-70 Sonar One Step with ND filter loaded with PX600 Silver Shade UV+ Black Frame.  This walk featured a contest for the best instant photo submitted (with three wonderful prizes at stake as well as pride) and spanned through the Warehouse District and the Flats.  It was a great walk, hearing the beautiful Polaroid sound coming from many integral cameras and other individuals pulling and peeling pack film.  I have a number of images from that walk that I'll also post once I have them scanned.  After the walk, we all chose our one best shot for the contest and headed back to E. 4th Street for lunch.  We decided on Flannery's Pub at the corner of Prospect and E. 4th.  I had a wonderful Reuben sandwich, enjoyed some beer and wonderful company.  We had about a total of two hours before the next walk was set to start.  I had a brief issue with my Hasselblad back (which seems to be fine now) and so instead of shooting a roll of slide film for the next walk in my medium format beauty, I had to switch it up to a roll of 35mm slide film in my Canon AE-1P with 50mm lens.  Since my hotel was right down the street, I switched out cameras, unloaded some gear and grabbed an iced coffee at the Erie Island Coffee Company before we headed out for the third and final walk of the day - the cross process walk.  We headed out to the theater district of Cleveland and snapped away using film provided courtesy of A and A Studios.  Jake Bouchard from Old School Photo Lab gave us a few pointers on shooting the film for cross processing and we trekked across the theater district and ended up in an old cemetery right behind Jacob's Field.  I had fun on this walk, but I had to change gears as a shooter, seeing as how I had to get through 36 frames within two hours.  Anyone that knows my photographic style and how I shoot knows that the task set before me is a tough one.  However, I was able to finish, although I had about 10 "throw away" exposures and candids at Panini's, which was where we ended the day.  Scott said a few words, announced the winners of the instant photo shoot, and we all drank and enjoyed each other's company.  After awhile, everyone began to go their own way and soon the night was over.

Camera:  Canon AE-1P
Lens:  50mm
Film:  Fuji Provia 100 (XPro)

Even though a few attendees headed out on Sunday for a large format walk, my Analog's Pulse experience was over.  It was a great time and I'm glad I could take part in the event.  I met a lot of great photographers and people for that matter, enjoyed great food and company and got to shoot the cameras that I love so much.  It was the second time that I've been to Cleveland in the past few months and I'm really beginning to dig the city.  I want to return to shoot some of the areas by myself; where I can set up my tripod and just take my time.  Regardless, I would participate in this event again.  I know something is brewing for next year,  so stay tuned to Scott's website and get excited for F8 in 2013.  Until then, cheers and keep shooting!

Camera:  Canon AE-1P
Lens:  50mm
Film:  Fuji Provia 100 (XPro)

In the media!!

I haven't posted a great deal lately because I've been tied up with a few other things, namely my solo show that I announced about a month ago.  So, I hope that's rectified in the coming months.  Anyway, I've ran two rolls through my Hasselblad 500 c/m and I will be posting my thoughts on the camera, a few images and my upcoming projects with it by the end of this week.  Until then, I was featured in a few things this past week and I wanted to pass those on to you. 

First off, I attended the FPP Midwest Meet-up and Mat Marrash Gallery Show on July 15.  As I mentioned in my review, it was a great time.  During the meet-ups, Michael Raso typically interviews the individuals and I was lucky enough to sit down and chat with him a bit.  The new Film Photography Podcast is live and it features a recap of that event.  During that recap, my interview with Michael Raso is featured.  My interview comes in around the 1:02:44 mark.  Check out the Film Photography Project and download the newest podcast to hear my interview here.

My solo exhibit is now hanging in the gallery space at the Amos Memorial Public Library in Sidney, Ohio.  It will be up the entire month of August and I'm having an opening reception on Thursday, August 4 from 6-8 p.m.  So, stop by, check out my work, grab some refreshments and chat it up with me.  Before then, check out the article that was featured in the Sidney Daily News yesterday here.

Thanks for reading and stay tuned for my Hasselblad images and post later this week!