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.

May's Creative Challenge: The Photo Book

May starts tomorrow. In looking back over the first four creative challenges this year: January Drawing, February Watercolors; March mini comics zines, April NaNoWriMo, the May challenge seems every bit as interesting even if it is vastly different.

I'm doing a photo book. I've done these before starting with SoFoBoMo in summer of 2018. I miss SoFoBoMo, they went defunct some time in 2018. Their challenge was simply: take a picture a day at the minimum and at the end of the month put together a 35 photograph book as a .pdf. I've made six of these over the years, and I've printed two.

This year, since there is no real official, public challenge, this one is more personal.

I'm following the SoFoBoMo in that I'm going to generate a pdf at the end of the project. I also plan to print this one. I do not have to take all the pictures this month as my concept will not really allow time for that.

I'm shooting film on four different cameras: Vivitar PN2011, Holga 135BC, Holga 120N and the Pentax K1000. Additional photos, especially those pictures of the cameras I will take with my DSLR.

This particular project will have more text that the former photo books. I want to write about each camera and some of my process with each one. I do have some other writings on at least two of these cameras: Holga 120N and Pentax K1000. 

Ultimately, I think this project will showcase my design chops. This whole book will be designed in InDesign.