HIKING WITH MY SWEETHEART

We just discovered this spectacular hiking trail in our neighborhood while on our Sunday stroll. I think it’s one of those speak-easy types of spots that only the people who’ve lived in the area for years know about because it’s nicely tucked away at the end of a residential street, extremely well maintained, hardly any foot-traffic and absolutely does not embody a “fashion show” vibe of the likes of, Runyon. It has a nice winding route that leads you to an amazing view. It’s pretty much perfect.


-Danny


POSTER CLUB

We get so many messages asking when we’re going to update the SS Poster Club. To be completely honest, I got so tired of people stealing my images and reprinting them all over the internet that I just didn’t want to deal with it anymore. Low quality pirated prints selling anywhere from $50 to $500 through numerous popular “art” sites. I understand that’s just the way things go and as much as we try to legally regulate these types of matters, its not possible to canvas the entire internet in hopes to pursue copyright infringements. I’m merely one person with a small team and do not have the time nor the resources to tackle such matters. Therefore, I decided to not put out any new posters, until now. All of our posters from here on out will have a small print and a hand-signed authenticity sticker on the back that will be changed up with each release. Knowing these efforts won’t stop unauthentic production of my images, it will at least help make it a bit harder. Our new posters will be available next week in 18x24 and 24x36 options. 


Thank you to everyone who supports SS by only purchasing posters and products through the dedicated shop.


-Danny


SAY IT LIKE YOU MEAN IT

I’ve been putting little messages on the backs of my cameras for as long as I can remember. A lot of times people ask me if I can make them one to put on theirs. Well, the time has finally come. Our new sticker packs are perfectly sized to put on your favorite shooter. 


Available soon :)


-Danny



FIRST ROLL - NO.2

My quest to obtaining the Rollei™ A110 miniature camera spawned from an encounter nearly a year prior at a flea market in the middle of no where. There I was, walking down the path of broken asphalt in a vacant lot where many people congregate to sell their old unwanted goods. It’s pretty much a camera-chaser and vintage resellers paradise. I was ending my rounds as the sun was fully expelled into the over exposed sky. The temperature was maxing out at over a hundred degrees and I was ready to wave my flag and retreat for cover. Already with a tote bag full of treasures, I was making my way to the exit when I suddenly spotted what appeared to be a cool looking tiny camera. I picked it up and instantly recognized the logo, Rollei™. Unfamiliar with this particular camera or its value or if it was even possible to use; I was under the impression that the film format had become obsolete. Intrigued by the small metal design and orange accents, I asked the seller how much he wanted for it out of pure curiosity. He looked at the camera, looked at me, looked at my rings, looked at the camera, looked at my clothes, looked back at the camera and blurted out the exasperated figure of $35. I looked at him, looked at the camera, looked at the sweat beads that were about to trickle down from my wrist as if they were begging to get out of the sun. Defeated, I put the camera back down on the table and told the gentleman thank you as I walked away. Usually I would’ve put up a fight and haggled my way to the predetermined $5 figure that I already had set in my mind but in this particular encounter I just didn’t have the energy. Usually I’m okay with taking the “L” and would simply keep it moving when not acquiring something of interest but this experience was different. It haunted me and I kept thinking about it. For some reason this was the “one that got away”, especially when I would check on them from time to time on eBay and see the prices continue to rise. Nevertheless, as most camera hunters know, the first encounter is never the last.


I finally locked in a package deal for the A110 and E110 from a seller in Germany and then watched Youtube videos over the three day span that it would take for the cameras to arrive. I wanted to be in full preparation for what to expect when I ran the first roll of film through the cleverly designed metal body and miniature Tessar™ lens. Surprisingly, no video nor any online article could really prepare me for the feeling that I got when I unboxed the camera, advanced the frame and clicked the shutter. I was completely sold and the camera didn’t even have film in it yet. Just the motion and sound of advancing the frame was soothing enough for me to keep it forever but this post isn’t about a cool looking paper-weight or fidget spinner. We’re here to talk about the experience and how the camera performed. 


The first thing that I noticed when shooting with the A110 was just how much fun it was. I was never even sure if my shot was in focus due to the scale focusing slider but I didn’t even care. I was having a blast and whenever someone would see me pull it out of my pocket and snap a photo, there was always an immediate response of “what is that?” The camera itself sparks interest, not only from the pedestrians standing by or the people walking through your frame but also from the person behind the lens. The size and the usability of this miniature moment capturer really makes you want to keep using it. To me, that’s a huge factor when it comes to a compelling camera that I would want to keep in the arsenal. Granted, you’ll probably never be able to blow up huge prints due to the limited film size but I don’t think that’s what this should be used for. This is one of those cameras that you want to have around on your “off days”, to keep in your pocket when you’re in a creative rut because this charming little guy will make you forget about what you were stuck on and allow you to simply enjoy the process of creating. 


Now, when talking about the photo output, I was truly shocked when I got the scans back from my friends over at @darkroomfilmlab. I honestly thought I would maybe have one or two usable frames for this post but as you can see from above, when this camera hits, it really HITS. The images embody the exact mid to late 70’s era that this camera spawns from and takes you back to a dimension in time when film was king. The Tessar™ lens (when focused correctly) is astonishing to me. The fact that the tiny glass lens can produce images of this caliber is beyond my comprehension. And the tones, the color tones are so good it’s hard to believe that they came from this miniature little shooter. But now it’s time for the pros and cons so you can decide if this something worth getting for yourself.


PROS:

  • Compact
  • Advanced industrial design elements
  • Built with quality materials
  • Sharp Tessar® lens
  • Metal Body
  • The film advancing motion never gets old
  • Captures vibey vintage style photos
  • Really fun to shoot and it’s hard not to blow through a roll
  • Looks cool
  • Sparks interest


CONS:

  • Scale focusing takes some getting used to
  • Batteries are special order (eBay, Amazon)
  • Theres no flash unless you use flash cubes and an attachment
  • The only fresh batch film you can buy is from Lomography™ (separate post coming soon)
  • Can’t be used as a daily shooter due to the film size
  • Pretty expensive on the current market ($100-$300+ depending on condition and if manufactured in Germany or Singapore)
  • From my understanding, a lot of labs won’t/can’t process 110 film
  • Good luck finding someone who can repair it


All in all I have a true love affair with this camera, so much so that I currently own three of them simply because they make me happy. If you want a fun little pocket shooter that inspires you, not only by its design but also by its capacity to create solid looking small format images, then the Rollei™ A110 is surely for you. 


-Danny


NEVER STOP LAUGHING

I had a profound dream last night. In my dream my parents just got a divorce and I was helping my dad clean the house that I grew up in. He was picking up clutter off of the coffee table as I was on trash duty. Just a father and son doing chores together and talking about life. He was asking me about school then asked me what my plans were for the evening? I told him I didn’t have any, then he asked me if I would like to meet his new girlfriend? I was a bit stunned because in this dream I knew that the divorce was still fresh, still new because the wound in my heart ran deep; these simple words that fell from his mouth felt excruciating. I asked him if he ever thought that maybe one day him and my mom would realize that they made a mistake and get back together? He stopped what he was doing and narrowed his focus directly to my eyes. As he stood there in thought, time decided to mimic his posturing. It took what felt like an eternity for him to finally answer me, “No, son, I don’t”. Fighting back the tears as hard as I could, I was finally able to maneuver my voice past the lump in my throat, “it’s because you guys stopped laughing”. Then I instantly woke up. 


As a kid, my childhood home always felt alive. It was always full of laughter and felt like a hub for love because as much as I hated it, my parents were always playing, always laughing and grotesquely always kissing or leaving hickeys on one another. Yes, grown ups walking around with busted blood vessels in their necks on public display as if they were two teenagers who felt the need to boast their affection and claim their territory. It was a disgusting visual through my adolescent eyes and especially embarrassing when I had friends over. Yet, as much as I hated it, all of my friends who came from broken or divorced homes would always tell me how lucky I was. I never understood it and would plea for my parents to just be “normal”.


I understand now as an adult that the reasonings behind my parents divorce was completely valid. In fact, now knowing the chaos that was dwelling beneath the surface of the laughter and kisses, I’m quite surprised that the marriage ran as long as it did. But my dream, my dream didn’t upset me or make me miss my parents being married, no, my dream seemed to apply to myself currently. It was as if a ghost was visiting me from the past and showing me what will happen in the future if the gal and I ever stop laughing. Laughter is one of the things that bonds us, makes us feel close, makes us feel alive and makes us want to continue to fight for what we have. Laughter echos wherever we are and seems to infect others around us with a sense of energy that penetrates to the soul. You have no idea how many times people stare at us, compliment us or are in pure shock that we’ve only been together for six months. It’s because we’re aware of our magic, we cherish what we have, we’re grateful and we’re both willing to fight with everything that we’ve got to never give up, never stop playing, never stop kissing.. never stop laughing.


-Danny


FROM ONE CREATIVE TO ANOTHER

I found this Wacom™ Intuos 4 editing tablet at the thrift store the other day. I spotted the box and figured it was empty, I mean what are the chances that I would randomly find a piece of tech that I actually want/need. I opened the box to discover that it was in fact complete and everything was included, most of it still even in the original plastic. Highly skeptical but equally optimistic, I decided to spend the $8 that it would cost for me to take it home and see if it would fire up once plugged in. After connecting it to my laptop and updating the driver, I noticed that it wouldn’t power up for more than three minutes. Luckily I’m tenacious and enjoy being resourceful so I plugged in a new cable and to my surprise, it worked perfectly. I got a practically brand new editing tablet for $8 and an old cable that I had laying around, but that wasn’t the best part.


When moving the box I noticed there was something taped to the bottom. A business card, an older style card that looked handmade and scotch-taped to the exterior. I looked closer and it was the card of a well known photographer. Someone who’s been making photographs since way before my time was using this tablet in their studio before deciding to donate it to a donation facility that eventually sorted and distributed it to a Goodwill™ that I just so happened to be at. I don’t say this enough, but when you begin to see how things in life line up, how the universe will give you little treasures to let you know you’re on the right path, you will begin to see that you can attract the things that you need or want. All it takes is a little bit of inner perspective to be able to spot things in the physical world. When you learn how to do this, you can make things happen and you become magnetic. 


-Danny


HER NEW FAVORITE SWEATSHIRT

C, and I were recently shopping at Moona Star™ were she found this really cool hand-dyed, hand-stitched sweatshirt by a brand that we’ve never heard of but instantly loved. I Stole My Boyfriends Shirt™ is one of those brands that we really like because they source vintage goods and then reform them to fit their own ethos, their own characteristics and make them speak from their personal narrative. There’s nothing that we love more than supporting cool DIY brands that make big impacts fueled by passion.


-Danny 


PHOTOBOOTH IN MALIBU

The gal and I were getting french fries from The Sunset this weekend like we sometimes do and I happened to walk by a vintage VW bus with a surfboard cascading along the sand under an umbrella. The way the sun was hitting it made me want to capture it so I asked the owner if it would be okay if I snapped a photo. He obliged. After firing off two shots I thanked him and was about to walk away. Mid-step he said “check this out”, not sure what to expect, I walked around the side of the van and now ankle deep in sand to find one of the coolest things I have ever seen. The guy, Tony,  turned the old VW van into an upscale rolling mobile photo booth, accurately named Malibooth. He was even kind enough to let the gal and I take a few spins in the booth before his clients were about to arrive. 


Photography always has a romantic way of surprising me. A simple request to take a photo of a random dudes surfboard in the sand in front of his old VW van turned into me interacting with a really cool guy with an even cooler business that left me with a special keepsake that’s now permanently displayed on our fridge.


Thanks again, Tony. Everyone be sure to check out Malibooth


-Danny