Tag Archives: retro
A tour of the Neon Museum in Las Vegas was the first reservation I booked when I found out my husband was taking me to Sin City for my birthday. Located off the strip, it’s home to many iconic neon and electric signs from Vegas’ sparkly past. The goal of the museum is to preserve these beautiful signs and tell the story of historic Vegas. In addition to the signs on their property, the Neon Museum has restored and placed a handful of vintage pieces throughout the downtown area.
I knew my Holga with Fuji slide film would be the perfect medium for capturing these relics and I was not disappointed.
The beautiful vignetting and crisp center focus of the plastic lens provided all the drama I wanted. I should really call this post “A love letter to my Holga and Neon Signs” because I can’t imagine a more perfect combination of film and subject.
As our tour guide explained the rich and fascinating history of neon signs in Vegas, I and a few other photographers snapped away. I had my Holga, Fed 5 and iPhone while they sported fancy DSLRs. My husband was my patient and faithful assistant, holding empty spools as I furiously rewound my camera and reloaded film.
I also got some fantastic shots using my vintage Fed 5 and Lomography Tungsten film, but nothing compares to this roll. Holga, I love you!!!
If you’re ever in Las Vegas, the Neon Museum is a MUST SEE!! While you capture some fantastic pictures you’ll also be learning some history and helping this group preserve a dying art form.
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1 comment | tags: "Las Vegas", "Neon Museum", "neon signs", "slide film", analogue, callard, camera, cheap, fi, fidelity, film, history, Holga, ipdegirl, jenni, lightbulbs, lo, lo-fi, lomo, lomography, low, photo, photography, plastic, retro, vintage | posted in My Adventures
Hipstamatic’s new Tintype SnapPak has me feeling like I’ve taken a trip back to the early days of photography. It’s Tinto lens gives a selective focus that can be haunting and beautiful, especially when combined with either the D-Type or C-Type film filters.
This newest pack gives your pictures the look of an old tin-type photo. It’s fun to see modern subjects juxtaposed with the antique format.
James M lens, C-Type Plate film
I used my favorite new combo one foggy day in Annapolis, MD and got some beautiful, moody shots around City Dock and the Naval Academy.
Today we took a cold walk on the beach at Cape Henlopen State Park. Here are some of those images.
Currently, I’m in the middle of editing some Revolog film pictures I took in Las Vegas, Nevada. I’m going to post them very soon. My spring semester starts in a few days and I’ll soon be back to studying and writing.
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Leave a comment | tags: "Cape Henlopen State Park", Annapolis, Beach, C-Type Plate film, callard, city dock, D-Type Plate film, Delaware, fi, fidelity, foggy, Hipstamatic, ipdegirl, iPhone, iPhoneography, jenni, lo, lo-fi, lomo, lomography, MD, photo, photography, retro, review, sailboat, Tintype SnapPak, vintage | posted in App Reviews
“I smell a Smena 8″: those were the first words I heard from Anton Orlov as he emerged from the darkroom of The Photo Palace bus. Yes, THE Photo Palace bus of Kickstarter fame. You’ll recall, Anton and his former partner in this photographic adventure were raising money to take the bus around the country, putting on workshops and spreading the word that analogue photography is NOT dead. The Kickstarter project did not raise enough money and Anton’s original partner Ryan Kalem moved on, but the Photo Palace bus is touring the country, nonetheless.
My family was visiting Salem, MA, just like we do every year, as part of our annual summer vacation to New England. After a great lunch at Salem Beer Works, we turned a corner near the Peabody Essex Museum (which is currently hosting an Ansel Adams exhibit) and spotted the familiar shape and color of a school bus. It took me two seconds to realize it was the Photo Palace Bus and another minute to actually believe I was seeing it in person. I broke away from my family and explained it was a bit of photo geekery that I had to experience for myself. Fortunately, my oldest daughter Phoebe was just as excited.
After spying my Smena 8, Anton explained it was one of the first cameras he’d owned. After showing him my other camera, the Olympus XA4, I had to get a photo with the man who was responsible for this mobile monument to photography. It’s not the most flattering picture of my mid-section, especially considering I’m training for a triathlon, but I was so excited!
Anton had travelled from Maine, where a witch told him he needed to come to Salem. Check out his blog post about his Salem experience and you’ll see what a great adventure he had. Our personal tour of Gilli began in the darkroom, located in the rear. Anton covered the back windows with a very well-designed fabric and wood contraption that allows him to display pictures through the windows as well as block out all the light. Here is his printing area.
Three metal trays sit in a large plastic sink, supplied with water from 75 gallon tanks mounted beneath it all. Next, he busted out some insane glasses that were a cross between bifocals and a jeweler’s loupe. These he uses when hand coloring his prints.
Anton’s two enlargers are opposite the sink.
There’s also a door on the back right side of the bus, which is a good thing because it was HOT in that little room. Back in the main part of the bus it was revealed that a sink and stove were hidden beneath a table displaying old cameras and prints.
Near this area is a cabinet that holds a few batteries. There are others beneath the bus. They can’t be stowed in the main are because, in Anton’s words “they leak hydrogen”.
A little transistor radio perched atop a beautiful wooden table supplied some background music. The tabletop came from a guitar manufacturing place and the little Polaroid radio runs on the battery pack from the film cartridge.
My unexpected discovery of the Photo Palace bus was one of the highlights of my vacation. It was a thrill to meet Anton and see what he’s done to Gilli. Lots of folks visited the bus while I was there and to see them get excited about Polaroids and old film cameras was really cool.
Many people from the Peabody Essex were there as well. One man was giving out cards advertising a project called “A Year of Photography”, in which you can participate via their website. It’s worth checking out.
Anton was so friendly and answered all my questions with enthusiasm. I’ll continue to follow his adventures and who knows? Maybe I’ll run into again in another part of the country.
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1 comment | tags: "The Photo Palace", analogue, antique, callard, camera, fi, fidelity, film, Gilli, ipdegirl, jenni, lo, lo-fi, lomo, lomography, low, MA, Peabody Essex Museum, photo, photography, postaweek2012, retro, Russian, Salem, tour, vintage, visit | posted in My Adventures
I took a stroll in my yard to capture these images. I held a +10 diopter in front of the top lens when composing the shot, then moved it to the lower lens to take the picture. Shutter speed was at 125 and the light was bright and beautiful.
The picture of my daughter Zoe is a double. I tried to capture a macro shot of some pink flowers as one of the layers of that shot, but it just ended up overexposed. Oh well. It’s still a great shot of my girl.
I really love the third shot of the pink tulip. The light was really nice and the composition was good, too. It’s a kind of crap-shoot when you use this technique, especially when the wind kicks up and starts blowing everything around. Once the lens is moved from the top to the bottom, there’s no way of knowing what the shot will look like. I just hold my breath, press the button and hope for the best.
While not a particularly inspiring shot, the next picture of little pink flowers on a tree branch is nice for the little pentagons of light that appear in the middle left and bottom right areas of the frame. My favorite is probably the last one, the dandelion. Other than being a little dark, it’s just what I hoped it would be!
Has anyone else used a similar technique? Any recommendations for Yashica filters? I’m going to try some color IR film soon and need to figure out a way to affix a filter to the lenses. I’m thinking that holding the filter in front of the lens may be the easiest way, but any suggestions would be appreciated.
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2 comments | tags: "Yashica 635", analogue, antique, callard, camera, Delaware, fi, fidelity, film, flowers, format, jenni, lo, lo-fi, lomo, lomography, low, macro, medium, nature, photo, photography, postaweek2012, retro, TLR, Velvia, vintage | posted in My Adventures
I am solidly in love with my new Yashica 635. This TLR beauty, made in 1958, is actually a dual-format camera TLR. A film adapter kit was made to work with these cameras so you could use 35mm film in addition to 120 medium format film. Mine didn’t come with one, but that’s quite alright with me.
I’ve been wanting one of these cameras for a very long time and it was worth the wait. For my first roll, I took it on a walk in the woods on a foggy day. I got some nice, moody shots that were taken on Ilford XP-2 iso 400…it’s a C-41 processed B & W film.
Looking through the viewfinder was a little challenging. The image was pretty dark (that may have been the product of the diffused lighting that day) but otherwise, I have no complaints. I’m going to try some macro shots of tulips and flowers today using my diopters.
I would HIGHLY recommend this camera for your vintage collection! If you can get your hands on one, it’s worth the money.
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2 comments | tags: "Yashica 635", analogue, antique, callard, camera, Delaware, fi, fidelity, film, foggy, ipdegirl, jenni, lo, lo-fi, lomo, low, moody, photo, photography, postaweek2012, retro, review, TLR, vintage | posted in Camera Reviews
My parents, who so generously got me the Yashica 635, arrived at my house last week with two more vintage beauties for me. This Konica C35 was purchased at the same time as my Yashica.
I know next to nothing about this camera but am excited to play around with it. The other camera came from my Mom’s cedar chest. It was her camera back in the day….a Polaroid Land Camera Automatic 103
This one I am familiar with. It’s the relative of another Polaroid Land Camera that I own, the 220, and just like my 220 (which I affectionately refer to as Aunt Bertha’s camera because it came with EVERYTHING in the case, including a little lace hankie, and smelled like the top of a moth-ball-filled closet), it included the case, manual and a flash unit. Once I get a battery for it I’m going to give it a try. I’m hoping the roller functions better than the 220 so I don’t get gluey rollers half way through my film pack. What a pain it is to clean.
I’m still waiting for my first Yashica roll to come back from the developers. I took it out last week on a foggy morning as we took the kids and dog for a walk in the woods. I’m hoping for some moody, misty shots. Until then, I will share some iPhone photos I took while at the Philadelphia Museum of Art.
Curators are masters of using light to highlight the best parts of an exhibit. Whether the lighting is very low, casting gorgeous shadows on the walls, or warm and inviting, everything is beautiful and begging to be captured by an intrepid photographer. Whenever I visit a museum I treat it as a workshop in lighting. I push myself and try new techniques to see how my camera best responds. This first shot was taken through my Holga Lens Turret’s blue filter.
This last shot was in the cafeteria. I used the Salvadore 84 lens on all the pictures that look doubly exposed.
Museums are also great places to test out your camera’s macro abilities. The iPhone is phenomenal at close up shots and even better with the Holga Lens Turret’s macro lens.
The rest of these pictures are taken without the macro lens.
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Leave a comment | tags: analogue, antique, art, callard, camera, cheap, Delaware, fi, fidelity, film, Hipstamatic, instant, ipdegirl, iPhone, iPhoneography, jenni, Land, lighting, lo, lo-fi, lomo, lomography, low, macro, museum, photo, photography, polaroid, postaweek2012, retro, study, vintage | posted in My Adventures
Being less-than-thrilled by the results of a film photo shoot is a bummer, but that’s the life of an analogue photographer. When this happens to me I always try to find out a) what went wrong and b) what went right. The results on this roll from my Canon AT-1 are a prime example.
My camera was loaded with Fuji Chrome, iso 100 slide film and had the 28-80mm zoom lens attached. The first few shots of this roll were taken indoors. I tried to do some light painting using Christmas tree lights. I also took a macro-type shot of an orchid.
Both unexciting shots, but they help to tell this story. Next, we went for a walk on the beach. It was a beautiful and unseasonably warm January afternoon. Also on this expedition I took along my Fuji Natura Classica and shot some of the pictures in this blog post. When I didn’t have to worry about light metering with the Fuji, my results were really nice. With my Canon, it was a different story.
I completely forgot there was a light meter on the camera. I suppose that’s what happens when you work with simple cameras most of the time.
The exposure isn’t the greatest on any of these, plus my film must have been expired, which helps to explain the bluish tint. Look at the first picture again and you’ll see a lovely little element entering the picture from the middle of the top…those lovely sunbursts. I continued to get them in these pictures and really love the way they look.
There were a couple of shots which made this roll worth it, namely these two that I took from an odd angle.
Clearly what went wrong here was my exposure time. In almost every shot, I completely forgot about light metering. Slide film always needs a little more light and the slow speed of the film I was using didn’t help. On the positive side, I love the sunbursts and the unusual POV I took in the last few shots.
So you see, just because you think a roll is a disaster, you may be mistaken. It’s always important to learn from your mistakes, in photography and in real life, and appreciate the beauty that was actually captured.
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2 comments | tags: analogue, antique, Beach, callard, camera, Delaware, exposure, fi, fidelity, film, ipdegirl, jenni, light, lo, lo-fi, lomo, lomography, low, philosophy, photo, photography, postaweek2012, retro, sunburst | posted in Lo-fi Philosophies
Funny things happen when you start to clean up your office, like finding rolls of film that you thought had been developed. Remember that cool FlashFun camera my friend Pam gave me?
I can finally share with you the first roll of film I ran through it. It was taken in the summertime on a hazy day at the beach. One of my best friends and her husband were visiting for the weekend. Brad is probably going to kill me for posting these pictures, but he’ll have to drive two hours to do it first!
This is Brad. My BFF Loretta just doesn’t trust him to put on his own sunblock. He burns in 5 seconds outside and she didn’t want to take any chances
Elias getting buried in the sand by Emme, one of Loretta and Brad’s daughters
Four of the kids tentatively going in the ocean. It was a little chilly that day.
Ruby, one of my favorite little people and the second of Loretta and Brad’s daughters
Random shot that I forgot I took with the camera. We were in Gettysburg for a soccer tourney.
Overall, I’m totally digging this camera. The light leaks are very cool and so is the overall exposure level. I wasn’t sure those beach shots would turn out, since the light was so grayish, but they look rather nice. My roll of 127 film should have yielded eight exposures but I only got five. That very well could’ve been my fault, but I can’t be sure until I run another roll of film through. If it is indeed a flaw of the camera, I’m going to have to try some microclick-type action with it.
Speaking of which, I also got a roll back from my Art of Waiting project from September. I ran some Fuji Velvia through my Holga (minus the 12 or 16 mask that usually fits in the back) got some wicked-cool melded-together pictures, but you’ll have to wait until next week for that 
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Leave a comment | tags: "Flashfun", analogue, antique, Beach, callard, camera, cheap, Delaware, fi, fidelity, film, Hawkeye, ipdegirl, jenni, Kodak, lo, lo-fi, lomo, lomography, photo, photography, plastic, postaweek2012, retro, review, toy, vintage | posted in Camera Reviews
Over the holidays I decided to try my hand at some light painting while walking along the streets of my town at night. For these shots I used my Smena 8 with Kodak Gold iso 400 film.
I was getting warmed up here. As you can see, it’s just a hand-held long-exposure shot, but I like the composition.
This one is zippy! I moved the camera in circles near a bare tree lit by LED lights.
The lights in this tree were further up in the sky. I must have used small, circular motions because the shapes made by the lights look like little snails.
These lights were at the top of a lamppost. They were the old-fashioned kind of lights with giant colored bulbs. You can really see the difference in color temperature between these and the LEDs.
I have more light painting shots on the way. I loaded my Canon 70′s film SLR with Fuji slide film (which I’m getting cross-processed) and am eager to see what I captured.
Remember the Photo Palace bus? Well I got this email from Anton, one of its creators:
Hi Friends,
Well with two weeks left in the funding campaign I really am hoping for a miracle. We are only 20% funded and somehow we are supposed to raise the rest in just 14 days.
I was going to make a video update talking about the educational component of the venture, but with 30 minutes left at my job (which is where I edited the last video because my computer is not powerful enough) my Final Cut file crashed and the info got lost so there’s no time to start over…
In the update I was going to say how many wonderful things we will offer to the film community at large: art shows where people can see a gum print and a tintype and a bromoil print, workshops on pinhole cameras and cyanotypes for kids, more involved classes for adults, lectures on the history of film and how it affected the developments in photography, setting up community dark rooms all over the country…. there was a lot there, but now it’s all lost in the digital realm (if I was working with film this would not have happened…). In any case – imagine me looking rather desperate in my packed-up darkroom pleading for help 
It was going to be a good movie…
I really hope that this goes through and we’ll be able to get on the road by summertime. PLEASE help us out by doing another wave of postings here and there and everywhere about this project with a link to it. If you tell the people – ‘hey, I support this!’ they may listen closer and support it as well, right?
Below is the photo of Rollov Film Center – the space where I taught about a dozen students for the past year. It’s all cleaned up and ready for my departure. Please help make this campaign a success
Sincerely,
Anton
Yikes! Please help spread the word about this fantastic project and if you haven’t yet contributed to the fund, hop on over to their Kickstarter site and do so. It’s such a fantastic way to let people know that film is NOT obsolete and that there are lots of us who still love kickin’ it the lo-fi way. Besides, I really want to meet these two fellas when they come to my town!
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Leave a comment | tags: "Smena 8", "The Photo Palace", analogue, callard, camera, cheap, Delaware, exposure, fi, fidelity, film, ipdegirl, jenni, light, lo, lo-fi, lomo, lomography, long, low, painting, philosophy, photo, photography, retro, Russian | posted in My Adventures
It all started in the early 1990’s as an idea to capture portraits of America but with the advent of digital photography, Anoton Orlov decided his traveling darkroom, called The Photo Palace Bus, could serve a higher purpose: to educate and spread the knowledge of traditional and silver based darkroom techniques. Now he and co-creator Ryan Kalem need your help to spread analogue love.
Orlov and Kalem, both graduates of San Jose State’s photography program, are trying to raise $16,000 by February 1, 2012 so they can take their 1978 vintage yellow school bus on the road. Visit their kickstarter site to support them. If they don’t reach their goal by February 1, they get ZERO DOLLARS so it’s important to get your pledge in before the deadline. This is a sketch of what they hope to create from the vintage bus.
The two main goals for The Photo Palace Bus, according to their kickstarter site are
• The Photo Palace will provide traditional photographic education and hands-on experience opportunities in every corner of the country. The goal is to preserve the traditions of analog photography.
• Using the north-light studio and incorporating street photography we will create a 10.000-negative portrait series about New Americana. From pop to fringe – all aspects of culture will be addressed via portraits accompanied by narration and quotes.
Impromptu and scheduled art exhibits; free lectures, demonstrations and workshops will be the core of The Photo Palace’s curriculum. Topics such as photo history, gelatin, silver and alternative printing techniques as well as studio and location photo techniques for portraiture and still life photography are just some of the subjects that will be covered.
The vintage yellow school bus will be equipped with darkroom equipment, a viewing area, a fold-out North-Light studio which can be installed on either side of the bus and living quarters on an upper-level, which will be created by installing the bodies of two VW buses on the roof of the school bus. Here are some Polaroids taken the day the two bought the bus.
Orlov and Kalem are following in the footsteps of some of the pioneers of the trade, most of which had no choice other than to have all their materials on-hand at all times. Early photo techniques, like wet-plate collodion, depended on having a darkroom set-up within feet of the place the photo was taken. Even after the invention of dry film photographers continued the tradition of setting up darkrooms in the field so they could be fully immersed and integrated with their projects.
Anton Orlov moved to California from Moscow when he was 17. His passion for photography has taken him to Central America, Asia and all across the continental US. He operates a darkroom facility in San Diego where he offers workspace to photographers and private lessons in analogue photography. His favorite camera is the Rolliflex TLR. These are a few of his works, which are being offered as thank you gifts.
Ryan Kalem works in primarily large-format photography. This format forces him to slow down the process and really think about all elements of the photo. During The Photo Palace’s tour, he will take up permanent residence in the bus, which will give him a deeper understanding of the area and people he is capturing. Here is one of his gelatin silver prints that is also being offered as a thank you gift.
You can follow the adventures of the construction of the project at The Photo Palace blog. This is a picture of their vision of the bus’ interior.
By becoming a backer you’re not only supporting The Photo Palace financially, you’re also helping to plan the route! Orlov and Kalem state that your pledge ensures that the vintage bus will be rolling into your town or wherever you want them to go. I don’t know about you but personally, I’ll be super-excited to meet the photographers and see the bus first hand when they roll into my little corner of the world. Until then, sit back and check out this video.
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/351976604/the-photo-palace-bus/widget/video.html
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2 comments | tags: "The Photo Palace", analogue, antique, bus, callard, camera, darkroom, fi, fidelity, film, fundraising, ipdegirl, jenni, kickstarter, lo, lo-fi, lomo, lomography, mobile, photo, photography, plastic, postaweek2011, retro, toy, vintage | posted in Cool People You Should Know
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