Smartphone Photos: A reflection of a creative challenge

"Silly" day 16

When we started the May creative challenge, I don't know whether Kimberly or I had any idea of where the project, and the process, would really take us. Over the last several months, Kimberly and I have participated in a number of these challenges: Inktober last October, a drawing challenge in January, a watercolor challenge in February and a storybook challenge in March. I suppose each one of these has given each of us some insight into our process as well as our artistic prowess. It's also very fun to see what the other will do. In many ways, this challenge was just a continuation of all the challenges we've been doing together since last October. However, I felt like this one was slightly different.

This one was somehow different, I think because of the nature of the medium. Being a photo project was one thing. I think that photographs represent life in a very realistic way. We also chose to use our phones as the tool for this project. All of the photos I took during the challenge were made with and edited with the phone. I did make a few other edits at least to a handful of photos with Photoshop. I suppose that could be considered cheating. The photos I tinkered with in Photoshop I felt really deserved the second set of edits.

Sample Pages from My May Photo Challenge and Book

 

Cameras and Film

My new photobook. See it here.

The Cameras of my Photobook

Holga 120N

I see the world differently when I have this camera around my neck. I’m different. Over the years when I’ve taken this camera out on photograph hunting excursions, it’s generally just the two of us. I do not bring a phone. I do not bring another person. In this situation, It’s just me, my focus and attention and the world around me: the one I see and the one the camera will record.

Holga 135BC

There are many merits to the Holga 135. I don’t really know what they are. 35MM film is easier to procure and easier to develop than the 120 film my other Holga uses. It’s cheaper film too. For me, that’s where the good times end with this Holga 135BC.

I have lost a few rolls of film in this camera over the years. It can barely take a 24 exposure roll. A 36 exposure roll will almost without fail get torn in the sprockets. And no matter the length of the film, if it sits in the camera for too long it will tear. This is probably just a problem with this particular Holga. Needless to say, this camera is not one of my favorites.

I’ve had a few great exposures with this camera, and it does really well with double exposures.

Vivitar PN2011

Vivitar’s PN2011 is by far, the worst camera I’ve every used. Superficially speaking, this one really should be my favorite: it’s small, focus free and very light weight. I also think the “panoramic” feature is very cool. It isn’t a true panoramic camera, all it does is remove a little from the top and bottom of the exposed frame. What I really like about it, of course, is that I bought it on a half price for blue tags day at my local thrift store. It was originally marked to be sold for a buck and I got it for fifty cents.

I know, however, many of my issues with this camera could have been solved if I had been more diligent about the film I put into it. I don’t remember what film I used. I would think that a very slow speed film and the bright sunny day would have fixed many of the exposures. However, that way not have been the case because there are incidents of my having taken two pictures of the same subject back to back and one came out and the other didn’t.

I took this camera with me on a little bikepacking tour I took with my buddy Chris. The camera was a secondary element to the trip and not a bad complement. The real focus (partial pun) was spending time with Chris and riding bikes.

Pentax K1000

Of all the cameras I've ever had, this one is by far the best. This is possibly because this is the only real camera I own. Despite my preference to toy cameras, this camera is an entirely different experience. No matter what I point this camera at, it records the exact thing that I see, I image and it makes the world appear as it should be.

The only real drawback is the weight.

There is no digital camera that can give me the same feeling this camera gives.