Please don’t mind the first frame, I was in the middle of the cross walk when the light turned green. You can’t win them all but I’m quite impressed with how many times I nailed focus without wearing my eye-glasses. Perhaps my Benjamin Button is kicking in.
Camera: Contax 167MT
Lens: Yashica 50mm 1.9
Film: Kodak Portra 400
All photos are untouched and was processed and scanned by @DarkRoomFilmLab
-Danny
It’s no secret that one of my favorite things is to randomly stumble upon a thrift store that I’ve never been to. At this point I feel like I’ve dialed in what’s on my list of acquisitions when it comes to thrifting. I have about five key things that I look for but books were never one of them until I found this amazing Goodwill® location while I was running the other day. I was just sort of exploring the neighborhood while pounding the pavement and listening to a podcast when I suddenly spotted the smiling “G” in the sky and figured I would stop in. Drenched in sweat as my face mask was expanding and contracting like a puffer fish, I browsed the shelves and found a spectacular array of books to add to our evening reading sessions or to be used to light my creative inspiration. I paid a whopping $12 for six books and toted my new treasures home where I would decide on which literary adventure I’d begin with. A sucker for a good cover and a cool typeface, I was instantly drawn to Be More Than You Are by Don Polston. Penned in 1977, the book explores how we (humans) need to be more confident, more in tune and tapped into our spirituality. How we need to be the person we were created to be and not be confined in the cages of our own insecurities. It goes on to talk about breaking bad habits and a lot of other dialogs that I’ve read or listened to before and try my best to practice daily, but it’s always good to have a refresher course staring at you in your face. When it comes to a spiritual journey and fixing (or even addressing) our self-projected shortcomings or traumas that we’ve encountered, we’re life long students of the subject matter. It’s a daily practice, a daily study. Finding a random thrift store on a random day where I found a random book that was written in 1977 and is still applicable today is proof of that.
-Danny
It’s quite comedic how when,C and I first started dating, her cat and I didn’t get along. Sorry, but I’ve never been a cat guy and to be completely honest, I never understood the companionship that one builds with a creature that chooses to scratch, meow and stare at you and brush up against your ankles whilst you’re trying to toilet text and take care of business in the morning. So how is this aspect of our relationship funny? Well now her cat and I are totes BFF’s. She sits under my desk all day as I work and she even guards my new camera cases that I purchased earlier this week. Enough about the ups and downs in regards to my adopted child, let’s talk about the cases. I went into Harbor Freight looking for stuff for my workspace and noticed they were having a sale on hard cases (for guns and other types of shooters as shown). For $29 a case I was instantly sold. The only problem, they were completely sold out. Me being the tenacious shopper that I am, I asked when the sale would end and they told me it was good for a couple more days. After a few phone calls regarding stock-checks and multiple locations I finally had my cases in hand. One is being used to house my Mamiya RZ67 Pro II and the other will be used for a Contax that I’ve always considered my dream camera. One that I’ve had in the past but this is the upgraded “baller” version. Stay tuned.
The cases are no longer on sale but for $43 it’s still an amazing buy and I highly recommend them. You can purchase them here.
-Danny
I’m the guy that refuses to bring an SLR (especially a DSLR) camera with him when he leaves the house. I’ve always had this weird depiction of people who like to tote a big camera around with them as a tourist or someone who is trying really hard, but last Sunday on our evening walk I decided to join the herd. I’ve been really trying to nail the mechanics of my Contax™ 167MT when it comes to in-camera metering because there has definitely been times when I miss the shot in natural lighting due to my lack of knowledge of when to under or over expose or when to ‘push the film’. I’m on a mission to get my photos to look exactly how I remember seeing the moment when I experienced it with little to no editing. That requires using good film and getting your metering tight. For this roll I experimented with the in-camera metering for the outside shots and the Light Meter app on my phone for the inside frames. I can honestly say that old technology is definitely superior than that of current development. With this being said, I just ordered a Sekonic™ meter and will be taking that for a spin next.
Camera: Contax 167MT
Lens: Yashica 50mm 1.9
Film: Kodak Portra 400
All photos are untouched and was processed and scanned by @DarkRoomFilmLab
-Danny
Okay, I don’t know if any of you are like me but when I find something that I really like, I become obsessed with said thing and have to do as much research as possible or buy as many as I can find. That’s what happened during a 2am eBay scrolling session where stumbled upon the miniature Rollei™ E110 film camera. I bought it and upon it’s arrival I was instantly taken aback by the size of the camera but mostly by the build and design that was way ahead of its time. I can’t wait to shoot with it because the photo samples that I found online look awesome but honestly just having it on my desk and holding it in my hand serves as inspiration and in a way is a bit soothing for me. Could this be… the new fidget spinner?
At the time of this blog entry, I have one for sale, one on my desk and currently have three more on the way. I know, I have a problem and should probably date a therapist for the free sessions.
-Danny
A fever for photography has come over me lately and all I want to do is make photos. It reminds me of when I first fell in love with the medium and it was no longer an option, but a necessity to create. It feels good to be getting back into the swing of things, getting my rhythm back and trying out new stuff.
-Danny
We went to Venice and Abbot Kinney this weekend to look for props and vintage clothes for a shoot I have coming up. While we were out there the lady wanted to check out Moon Juice®. She’s been really into supplements lately and researching what we can add to contribute to our healthy lifestyle. I must say, I struck out on the stuff I was looking for but my girl hit a home run with this place. By far one of the best juice/shakes/drinks and supplements stores that we’ve ever visited. Boho with just enough hippy magic that makes you feel comfortable and right at home upon your arrival. Be sure to check them out if you’re in the area.
-Danny
After years of chasing those soft-focus photographs with milky tones that I always wished I could capture on film but never knew how to achieve; I finally caught them. No editing and rather inexpensive equipment is what it took for me to accidentally lock in the vibe.
Camera: Contax 167MT
Lens: Yashica 50mm
Film: Kodak Portra 400
Lighting: Came TV B30 Set (no modifiers or gels)
Never stop experimenting and learning. True masters are life long students.
-Danny
I’m starting a new personal exercise where I randomly pick a new point and shoot 35mm film camera each month and see what I can create with it. Little fun exercises like this keep your eye sharp and the mind constantly looking for how to frame images and not get so caught up with the technical aspect of what you’re capturing the moment with. It’s been said millions of times and I’m a firm believer of it, “the best camera, is the one that you have with you”. For the first round I decided to go with a Yashica™ Partner AF that I randomly found on eBay. I like it because it’s brand new, never used and after holding it for the first time and testing the shutter, it’s the epitome of a “plastic fantastic”. I’ll share the images at the end of April.
Personal rules for this exercise:
Create Daily
-Danny
A package just got delivered that I’m really excited to try out. If you’re like me and pretty much survive off of coffee and espresso but fear that the vast amounts of caffeine consumption is closing your third-eye and drastically putting you through intermittent nose-dives throughout your work day, then I’m sure you would be interested in MUD/WATER™. I really hope I can transition to this much healthier substitute and look forward to sharing my unbiased first impression of the product.
Thanks MUD/WTR™
-Danny
