I’m a big fan of Eastman Double-X; it’s a beautiful mid-speed film that offers up amazing latitude and forgiveness along with a lovely grain structure. But for the longest time, it has only been available in 135 (35mm) format because, well, that is generally what cinematographers shoot motion pictures in. Still, it has great potential in medium format. There had been an attempt to have the film produced in 120 format but never went anywhere. At least until earlier this summer, when Cinestill put out the word, they had their BwXX in 120. BwXX is Cinestill’s Eastman Double-X branding and is the same stuff you’veRead More →

And One of the most accessible hobbies and an art form is photography. And while some might say that photography isn’t art, that’s a subject for another issue altogether. If you’re wondering where this post came from, it was a sudden inspiration driving home from a photo trip and a series of posts that I had seen flying around some Facebook groups related to film photography. The trouble with the Internet is that everyone can spread their opinions around some are good and others are bad. But the one thing that I want to try and address in this post is the idea of gatekeeping.Read More →

These days cameras and photography, in general, are easy to start doing, and even can open up a whole new hobby to you and a way to capture better family events, trips, and even everyday life. But one thing that a lot of people are starting to do is taking their photography in a different direction by reshooting film. Yes, the film never went away, it just sort of made itself into a nice little niche. Shooting on film or shooting a digital camera is no different the same general principles apply it’s just how they capture images and what happens afterwards that is different.Read More →

Compared to printing your own black & white or even worse, colour film in a dark room, developing your film at home, both B&W and Colour, is a walk in the park. And the best part is that you don’t need a light-tight room, just a light-tight bag and tank. Yes, there has been many blogs and how-to’s written on this topic, but I thought I should throw my hat in the ring with my views on the subject of home developing. Before we begin, home development is both satisfying and frustrating. It’s incredibly easy to mess up, ruin a roll, waste money, and possiblyRead More →

There’s too much confusion; I can’t get no relief… When it comes to photography, there is a lot of information out there, cameras, formats, film types, developer types, processes. There’s a lot, and it’s all rather complicated because some of the information dates back over 100 years. So today I’m going to do a little bit of a breakdown and hopefully clear up some of the confusion I’ve seen online as of late. Plates Before flexible films, there were plates. We’re talking Glass here that is sensitised and used to capture images. These plates did not conform to the standard sizes we’re used to today.Read More →

That old film camera sitting up in your father’s closet, or in your grandfather’s dresser won’t make you a better photographer. It’s like a gas range won’t make you a better chef or a fountain pen improving your handwriting. These are things; a thing cannot make you better than you already are. In fact, they might even exacerbate the mistakes you make. Sure, using these might help you eventually, but there’s only one thing that will make you a better photographer, yourself. I’ve seen of late and even posted articles about these photographers who laud the film camera and how by only picking it upRead More →

Many people have heard me complain about lugging around the large format gear, a heavy tripod, lots of film holders, and all the extra gear that comes with shooting large format. But I keep on shooting it. So many ask why…so in response to Mat’s blog on the subject. And while it’s complaining, it’s nothing compared to when Mat and I drove around the Cleveland Flats in 2013, and he had the massive Sinar P2 8×10 camera. So why do I shoot it? Because the results are outstanding, I find that it disciplines me; I can go out with ten sheets of film and comeRead More →

I figured because it was TLR Tuesday I’d share some photos I took last year in the abandoned Rochester Subway. The subway has always fascinated me since I first visited it back in 2007. But on this particular trip I was armed with my trusty Rolleiflex and a roll of Kodak Panatomic-X. The main draw for the subway is the viaduct over the Erie Canal. This area is covered with some of the best graffiti art I have come across in my explorations. And it’s not just the usual garbage, this work is just that, works of art! It’s also the area with the bestRead More →