More 2022 directions: New blog address

After 15 years, I've decided to let my domain and web hosting go. So, this blog has a new address. I've kept the feed address the same, though (http://feeds.feedburner.com/RickOnFilm) so you're likely not seeing anything different if you subscribe that way. Frankly, I'm not even sure who's still reading this. I'm ok with doing it for an audience of one. 

I've already broke my 'no new film until I shoot what I've got' pledge and ordered a couple rolls of Kodak Pro Image 100. I love the colors from the prints last time I shot it. My color shooting is for special occasions only, but I should be able to shoot it as well as the Ektachrome E100 I've got on hand. Did I mention that Lomo Turquoise was making a comeback? That will be probably be added to my arsenal at some point as well. 

Next time I post, I should have some new images to go with it. I shot a roll of HP5+ in the snow a week or so ago, and I should be able to rescue one or two frames from it. We'll see what happens. 

2022 Directions

 I neglected to do one of these posts last year, mostly because we were moving back into our house after an extensive remodel. Some recent changes to my gear setup will have a significant impact on what I do with film photography in the coming year. The biggest of those is that I'm completely getting out of the medium format shooting category. 

My C220 had started to develop some problems that a CLA might or might not address. I just wasn't willing to put out the capital required to keep it going. Also, I just wasn't using my ZeroImage like I once did. So, in late 2021, I put it all up for auction on eBay. As of this writing, all but one item will be gone by the end of this week. Film included. The only thing that hasn't gone yet is the C220 itself. 

So what's left? Moving forward, my film work will be 35mm only. The Baker's Dozen series will remain unfinished. However, I'm still considering a new project in the upcoming year to take its place. There might even be a new YouTube channel to go with it. I've pared down my gear selection to two camera bodies: A Canon A-1 (with a really cool autowinder) and a newly-CLA'ed F-1 (original).  These two bodies will carry the load of my film shooting in the coming year and beyond. 

Also, I'm going to make a concerted effort to shoot up a good portion of my remaining 35mm film before investing in more. At this time, I have a few rolls of Delta 400, some hand rolled HP5+, as well as a roll or two of Ortho+ and some color rolls. I even found a few rolls of K400 that I had hand rolled maybe four or five years ago. It's not my favorite film, but I'll get it out and see what I can do with it. 

I thought I'd be a little sad about unloading all of the 120 gear, but it's been remarkably freeing. I don't have to make a decision about what to shoot; everything I need fits into one bag. The money I make from the eBay sales (and a few private ones as well) will go toward a wider angle lens I need for my Fuji X-T4. Speaking of which, my vision for shooting in the coming year is to do film work alongside, and not instead of, my digital images. Shooting Fuji makes this more achievable. 

So here's to a happy and productive 2022. I sincerely hope you and yours are well. 

Directions: 2020 Rewind

2020 was a strange year, as everyone knows. Some shooters were able to take advantage of the extended downtime (voluntarily or not) and actually increased their amount of film shooting over the year. 

I was thinking that my own shooting habits had not followed this pattern. But as I look back, I was surprised at how much I did get in. I'll follow up this list with examples from Flickr.

1. At the beginning of the year, I started the Baker's Dozen series. I had envisioned completing more of those rolls, but they will get done in due time.
   
2. Tried some Ilford Ortho Plus in 120 format.  It's the right film for the right situation.
   
3. Accidental double exposure on Street Pan. Shot in 2019, but processed this year. I was sad in a way because there were a lot of great opportunities on this roll. That said, there were a few cool results, though.
   
4. Kentmere 400 in a February snow dusting, before the pandemic started. Before everything hit the fan. I remember just being happy that spring was right around the corner.
   
5. Participated in WPPD in April. Some years I miss that date, but I managed to make this one.
   
6. Did a Document Your Life roll in the spring. DYL is going to be a focus for me in 2021.
   
7. Ektachrome slide film on Memorial Day weekend. This was my second roll ever, and I got some good, but not great results. Not like my first roll, which had a lot of nice frames.
   
8. Lomo Metropolis on the OSU campus at graduation time.  I might shoot this stuff again some day.
   
9. Two rolls of Kodak Vision 3 500T in 35mm format ordered for holiday shooting in December. I probably won't get it shot and processed in time for this post, but it's on the way.
   

1. Baker's Dozen:

  

 

2. Ilford Ortho:

  

 

3. Accidental Double Exposure: 

 

 

4. February snow:

  

 

5. WPPD:

  

 

6. Document Your Life: 

 

 

7. Ektachrome:

  

 

8. Lomo Metropolis at OSU: 

Directions: 2020 Pause

It's amazing what this year has done for my sense of time. Late last summer I started saying, "I really should do a mid-year update to the blog," and then I look at the calendar and it's December 1. Really, where did this year go? I'll explore that further in my annual year end post.

As I look at my FilmTrackr data, I shot and processed some film late last spring. That was mostly some color film I had printed. For whatever reason, it hasn't found its way to this blog.

The better news is that I recently shot a single roll of HP5+ and it's sitting ready to be developed. That might be a good weekend project. In the meantime, I'll leave with some shots from the archives. These are linked directly from Flickr. 

More to come later.

2020 Directions

It's always difficult to know what to put into my annual Directions post to keep it fresh and up-to-date. I just don't want to rehash what's been brought up before. To be sure, I will continue some practices that I've previously established. Optical prints of my color work is one that comes to mind. But I do have a project in mind as well. Here are some of my current thoughts that will guide my film work in 2020.

• I previously announced my Baker's Dozen project. My first roll is in the Mamiya right now.
• I've got two kinds of 400 speed b/w film bulk rolled and in the freezer right now: HP5+ and Kentmere 400.  When they're gone, I'm going to have to (once again) decide what my next roll will be. For everyday shooting, I'm going to lean toward the K400 strictly for economical reasons. The Ilford keeps creeping up in price to where I have to really think about it now. This will likely become a blog post of its own at some point this year. 
• The recent addition of a Canon F-1 will keep me shooting 35mm. It makes a nice partner for my Canon A-1 and AE-1 Program.
• I've put myself on a kind of film moratorium, so I'm not purchasing any for the time being. My lone exception has been picking up some Ilford Ortho Plus right after it was made available. It's in the freezer ready to be shot this year. I'll see if I can resist the urge to purchase more of what I've already got in 2020.
• Will I shoot more Kodak Ektachrome E100 this year? I dunno. I loved the colors I got last year, but it might have to be a special occasion to do so. Also, I'd have to break the above bullet point if I do, as I'm sort of out of that film right now.
• I have two trips planned for this year, both in June. One to Central Oregon and the other to Seattle, Washington. You can be sure I'll bring along a film camera or two. We'll see where I wind up otherwise, but I do need to continue my Cemetery Series as well as get some local shooting done. 

Well, that wraps up my thoughts about the upcoming year.  Things can always change, of course, but I don't see myself moving very far off of these in 2020.

2019 Directions

Once again, it's hard to believe that we're at the start of a new year. My film habits were tempered somewhat in 2018 with the acquisition of a Fuji X-T20 mirrorless digital camera.  The Fuji's have been referred to as a film guy's digi, and I can see why. Still, I'm not abandoning film altogether. Rather, I'm still shooting it but with some evolving practices. Those will carry forth into 2019.

I had more film printed last year than any other time in my life, and I plan on continuing that in the upcoming year. In fact, that is the one point that I made from last year's Directions post that has had the most influence on my work. This year, I plan on using the Mamiya TLR with more color film and getting it all printed.

My 400 speed b/w film choice will continue to be Ilford hp5+. I have a 100' roll to bulk load, plus 6 rolls of 36 exposure in 35mm format, so that should take care of those needs in 2019. Additionally, I have some rolls of the stuff in 120 format to shoot in the Mamiya TLR.

I also plan on participating in online projects throughout the year. Namely, the fp4+ party coming up later this month, as well as the Worldwide Pinhole Photography Day in April come to mind. Here's my 2018 WPPD submission. I'm going to keep my ear to the ground for other film projects to keep up with as well.

And similarly, I need to continue my own personal projects. My Cemetery Series has been neglected for awhile, so I'm scouring Google Earth to see where I can head to next. As the days slowly get longer, I'll be able to take advantage of time after school to fire off a few frames. Even if that's just in the backyard or doing a little macro work.

2019 is going to be a great year for film. I can feel it already. I don't have need of any gear right now (save for an R72 filter; mind did a belly flop onto the sidewalk last year).  I just need to get out and shoot it.

Happy New Year, everybody. Here's to a fantastic 2019.

2018 Rewind

Hard to believe, but it's that time of the year again to reflect on the previous year and start looking forward to the next one. I set out some achievable goals for 2018; namely, to shoot more color film and get more optical prints done at Blue Moon Camera. Mission accomplished, as I currently have several prints made from both 135 and 120 format film over the last year. I also included some prints in with some senior work as well. Some other highlights from 2018:

• Added a 180mm f/3.5 to my Mamiya TLR collection. I just don't shoot that camera often enough. 
• Added a Canon AE-1 Program that is in really nice shape; it just needs a little oil job to get rid of a (slight) squeak. I don't even know if it needs a full CLA; but I don't know that I'm up to a DIY job either. 
• Added a Tokina 25-55mm f/4 in Canon FD mount. 
• Added a Vivitar 55mm f/2.8 Macro in Canon FD mount. Both this lens and the previous do double duty on my Fuji X-T20 mirrorless. 

Also, I've unloaded most of my Canon EF (EOS) gear, so I'm shooting just FD mount these days. 

I didn't shoot as much pinhole this year as I thought I would. However, I do have some prints made from a shoot along the Oregon Coast, and they're beautiful. 

I ran through a 100' roll of hp5+ in about a year. It's time to restock. Edit: An hour after I wrote this, but before it posted, I walked into a photo store and picked up a bulk roll of the stuff. I wasn't even planning on spending any money, and I wasn't even sure I was going to reload with hp5+. It was all they had in stock in bulk rolls, though, so hp5+ it is. 

2018 was my lowest output on this blog. 

Well, that's about it for my 2018 thoughts. See you in 2019.

2018 Directions: An update

Edit: I had written this clear back at the beginning of March but for some reason never followed through with publishing it. I have no idea how that happened. In any event, here it is,  6 weeks later. 

Fact: I have 70+ rolls of 120 format film in my freezer right now. About a third color negative (Portra, mostly) and the other two thirds various types of b/w negative.

Fact: I am back in the medium format business now with a working Mamiya C220 camera. In fact, as of this writing, I have a 180mm f/4.5 on the way to go along with the 80mm f/2.8 that I already have.

Fact: I shot very little 120 film last year, for a variety of reasons.

Kodak Ektar 100, from 2015.

Needless to say, 2017 was a lean year for my medium format photography, and I'm due to make up for that in 2018. Rather than thinking "I need more film," (like I tend to do) I just need to shoot what I've already got.   And a quick glance into my freezer shows me:

• Kodak Tri-x
• Kodak Portra (160 and 400)
• Fuji 160 NS (purchased locally from someone who imported it from Japan)
• Fuji Acros 100

Plus, some loose rolls of Rollei 25 and Ilfords of various types: hp5+, fp4+, PanF+, etc... An exception to my call for 'no more film' here might get ignored if I decide to get some Kodak Ektar. That one film type is conspicuously absent from my freezer right now.

Ilford PanF+ 50, from 2015.

So even though we're already two months into it, I'm declaring 2018 my year of medium format.  I should have opportunities aplenty. In addition to some anticipated senior portrait work, I plan on making a trip to Alvord Desert in SE Oregon again, as well as some other family trips this summer. I've vowed not to let the wildflower season in the Columbia River Gorge pass me by again this spring, and that will be here before we know it. I missed out on shooting locally out in the Wallula area last year.

Fuji Velvia 50, from 2016. As usual, a little blue in the shadows.

All that to say, with March 1 here and my own shooting season just around the corner, I'm more than excited to be back in the medium format game. And as mentioned in my last Directions post, I will print my best work, optically.

2018 Directions

First of all, Happy New Year, everybody. I hope your holiday season has been good to you this year. 2017 was a bit of an off year in terms of how much I was able to get out and shoot, and in particular taking advantage of some seasons. This next year looks to be better for me in that regard.

My first post of the last couple of Januarys has been to discuss the path I want my film photography to take in the upcoming year. Looking back, some of my items succeed, while others go by the wayside, or postponed for another time. The year 2017 was no different, nor will 2018 likely be either. So here are my thoughts about my film endeavors for this year:

• I plan on saving my best negatives and having some prints made of them at Blue Moon Camera in Portland. As of this writing, 5x6 prints are only $0.80 USD apiece, so not bad if you just get a few of them done at a time. It's not much more to print from a 120 negative. Film is meant to be a tactile experience; the end product should be as well.

• With four different kinds of black and white 35mm film bulk loaded and in the freezer, I need to shoot a lot more of it. "Shoot more film this year" seems like a cliche, but specifically I need to shoot the film I've got rather than keep buying more. 

• And to contradict my 2nd bullet above, I'd like to add some color film to the freezer. That Kodak Vision 3 50D from FPP would work great. I'm getting more comfortable developing my own c-41 film. 

• Or how about some Eastman Double-X 5222 black and white film?  That's available in bulk as well.

• I've been neglecting my pinhole camera lately, so it's time to get that back out and see what I can do with it. 

• And to combine the first, third and fifth bullet, I've seen some nice color pinhole prints when the film is exposed, developed and printed properly. With some Lomo Purple, Ektar, Fuji 160 NS (fresh, purchased locally) and Portra. 

So as always, I'm looking forward to enjoying 2018 with some film, getting out and enjoying this big world of ours. Happy New Year, everybody. 

2017 Directions

A few thoughts for the new year, some of which are somewhat random:

• I have intentionally reduced the amount of portrait photography I do over this past year. Once I'm done with this current group of seniors, I just might cut it out completely altogether.

• Some other priorities and considerations prevented me from getting up to the Palouse last spring. I plan to rectify that in 2017.

• Has my landscape work gotten appreciably better in 2016? I can't say that it has. My focus for improvement in 2017 will center on composition and taking advantage of good lighting conditions. More opportunities to practice should lead to better images, both film and digital.

• I'm in the market for a really good 645 SLR or RF. Something like one of the Fujis will work just fine, thank you. I might sell off the Mamiya C330 to make it happen. 

• Speaking of the C330, it's been badly in need of a reseal for the last year or so. That's another project for this winter. Whether I sell it or keep using it, this is a priority that needs to get done.

• I'm going to pick up a Hoya R72 to do some IR work, in both digi and film. 

• More black and white in general in 2017. The Fujichrome I shot in 2016 is proving too erratic to process myself. Rather than keep trying and keep failing, I'm going to bite the bullet and send it to somewhere like Blue Moon Camera for processing. I'll limit my consumption of e-6 film in general, the return of Ektachrome notwithstanding. I do have some bulk rolls of Ilford Delta 100 and PanF+ in 35mm format, so I plan on burning that this year. Also, it would be good to get some Eastman Double-x 5222 to bulk load. 

• Pinhole proficiency. My goal is to use the quirks and characteristics of that format to my advantage. 

• And even though this is a film blog, I plan on returning to my digital roots for landscapes this year. There's no reason to not shoot both.

That's it for now! I'm looking forward to a fantastic 2017 of film.