Godfrey
somewhat colored
I signed up to obtain a first issue of the new Analog Forever magazine a few months ago. A week or three ago, I received an invite to a San Francisco photo walk in honor of their launch. Yesterday was the day...
Getting ready to go, I thought about what camera to take along. The Hasselblad 500CM came to mind, but I recently had my Minox C and EC cameras out and I thought, "Hmm. I wonder if folks would like to see some Minox cameras. I'm sure there'll be other Hasselblads..." So I loaded a roll of Minopan (Agfa APX) 25 into the Minox C and a roll of Minopan 100 into the Minox EC. Carrying two Minox cameras with their flash unit as well as the Minox tripod (just in case) leaves my bag delightfully light and empty, to the point where I then thought, "Oh stuff it: I'll carry the Polaroid SLR670x by MiNT and two packs of 600 Color as well." That way we could share some photos at the end-walk meetup point at SF Camerawork.
I took CalTrain up from San Jose to avoid having to deal with parking and traffic, and bussed up to the start point. Meet up was at Glass Key Photo on Sutter near Van Ness Avenue. I arrived as folks were beginning to show up and walked in. Oh my! I haven't seen a photo shop with a wall of printing papers and a set of refrigerators full of film behind the counter in quite a long time!
People arrived with a delightful array of interesting cameras. Lots of instant film, new and old, 35mm RFs, 35mm SLRs, and MF SLRs/TLRs/RFs. A couple folks with 8mm and Super 8 movie cameras. Everyone was in a festive mood and happy to chat about their gear, their photography, etc, and there was a good mix of men and women as well. A few folks I knew from other events and places were there, notably my friends from Modern Book Gallery days Niniane and Danny. (Danny still works for Modern Book in their latest efforts and Niniane now works for Analog Forever.)
The walk commenced with the usual hubbub of getting a group shot. About a hundred people had assembled... quite a daunting group to photograph in the narrow confines of the sidewalk outside the shop. After that we loosely meandered along in a spread out bunch of groups, first up to Bush Street and then down Bush to the Leica Store near the top of Grant Avenue and the Dragon Gate, people snapping photos as we went. Then the walk headed down to Market Street, and back towards Van Ness until we arrived at SF Camerawork.
The conversation along the way was fun and engaging. People photographed each other, other people, sights along the way, etc etc. I shot one pack of my Polaroid Originals film, finished the roll in the Minox EC, and did about half the roll in the Minox C. Another guy with a 100 series Polaroid made a portrait of me, which he handed to me to hold until it was dry ... I lost track of him and still have it!
I took one of him too:
At SF Camerawork, a number of the instant film users (myself included) laid their photos out on the table for everyone to see. This was my set:
I left a little early because I needed to catch the bus and train back home. On the way out, I asked one of the guys from Glass Key Photo if they carried Minox film, and it seems that they do if he recollects correctly. I did a few more snaps with the Minox C on the way home. There are now about 15 exposures to go in that camera.
All in all, a very fun day of it. I look forward to my first issue of Analog Forever!
G
Getting ready to go, I thought about what camera to take along. The Hasselblad 500CM came to mind, but I recently had my Minox C and EC cameras out and I thought, "Hmm. I wonder if folks would like to see some Minox cameras. I'm sure there'll be other Hasselblads..." So I loaded a roll of Minopan (Agfa APX) 25 into the Minox C and a roll of Minopan 100 into the Minox EC. Carrying two Minox cameras with their flash unit as well as the Minox tripod (just in case) leaves my bag delightfully light and empty, to the point where I then thought, "Oh stuff it: I'll carry the Polaroid SLR670x by MiNT and two packs of 600 Color as well." That way we could share some photos at the end-walk meetup point at SF Camerawork.
I took CalTrain up from San Jose to avoid having to deal with parking and traffic, and bussed up to the start point. Meet up was at Glass Key Photo on Sutter near Van Ness Avenue. I arrived as folks were beginning to show up and walked in. Oh my! I haven't seen a photo shop with a wall of printing papers and a set of refrigerators full of film behind the counter in quite a long time!
People arrived with a delightful array of interesting cameras. Lots of instant film, new and old, 35mm RFs, 35mm SLRs, and MF SLRs/TLRs/RFs. A couple folks with 8mm and Super 8 movie cameras. Everyone was in a festive mood and happy to chat about their gear, their photography, etc, and there was a good mix of men and women as well. A few folks I knew from other events and places were there, notably my friends from Modern Book Gallery days Niniane and Danny. (Danny still works for Modern Book in their latest efforts and Niniane now works for Analog Forever.)
The walk commenced with the usual hubbub of getting a group shot. About a hundred people had assembled... quite a daunting group to photograph in the narrow confines of the sidewalk outside the shop. After that we loosely meandered along in a spread out bunch of groups, first up to Bush Street and then down Bush to the Leica Store near the top of Grant Avenue and the Dragon Gate, people snapping photos as we went. Then the walk headed down to Market Street, and back towards Van Ness until we arrived at SF Camerawork.
The conversation along the way was fun and engaging. People photographed each other, other people, sights along the way, etc etc. I shot one pack of my Polaroid Originals film, finished the roll in the Minox EC, and did about half the roll in the Minox C. Another guy with a 100 series Polaroid made a portrait of me, which he handed to me to hold until it was dry ... I lost track of him and still have it!
I took one of him too:
At SF Camerawork, a number of the instant film users (myself included) laid their photos out on the table for everyone to see. This was my set:
I left a little early because I needed to catch the bus and train back home. On the way out, I asked one of the guys from Glass Key Photo if they carried Minox film, and it seems that they do if he recollects correctly. I did a few more snaps with the Minox C on the way home. There are now about 15 exposures to go in that camera.
All in all, a very fun day of it. I look forward to my first issue of Analog Forever!
G
robert blu
quiet photographer
These are all beautiful! I can imagine the pleasure to have the real thgings ion your hands! I guess these were shot with the Mint camera we see in your portrait!
nbagno
Established
I recognize Vince from the East Bay Photography Collective in your second shot. They got a good thing going on.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Godfrey
somewhat colored
Thank you!
Indeed yes: The Polaroid SLR670x Ming Edition by MiNT. It's a nice piece... I bought it even though I have the SLR670m because it handles both the SX-70 and the 600 speed films on automatic as well as manual exposure modes, and because they've included a flash sync capability even when you're using the manual control module (rather than just when you take that off and use a flash unit in place of it).
G
Godfrey
somewhat colored
Thanks! If you happen to have some way to contact him, let me know... He might want his print—the photo of me!—back. I feel I should offer it at least.
G
helen.HH
To Light & Love ...
Very Cool !
What Fun ... these little things make Life more enjoyable
What Fun ... these little things make Life more enjoyable
charjohncarter
Veteran
Nice set Godfrey, you and Robert are the last men standing for Polaroid. I still have a bunch of 4x5 Polaroid packs. I do them every once in a while, but 4x5 is too much of a set up hassle.
nbagno
Established
Thanks! If you happen to have some way to contact him, let me know... He might want his print—the photo of me!—back. I feel I should offer it at least.
G
Just google the collective, he's the director.
Godfrey
somewhat colored
Thank you, Helen and CJC!
I've been working on the Minox EC roll today. There are some amuzing photos in there! It's fun to get back into the Minox aesthetic...
...Vince ... East Bay Photography Collective ...
Doh! Why didn't I think of that?
thanks!
G
I've been working on the Minox EC roll today. There are some amuzing photos in there! It's fun to get back into the Minox aesthetic...
...Vince ... East Bay Photography Collective ...
Doh! Why didn't I think of that?
thanks!
G
mteresko
Established
Vince DonovanThanks! If you happen to have some way to contact him, let me know... He might want his print—the photo of me!—back. I feel I should offer it at least.
G
vince@ebpco.org
charjohncarter
Veteran
Thank you, Helen and CJC!
I've been working on the Minox EC roll today. There are some amuzing photos in there! It's fun to get back into the Minox aesthetic...
...Vince ... East Bay Photography Collective ...
Doh! Why didn't I think of that?
thanks!
G
Godfrey are you sure you are not only a photographer? But a photographer/artist. Minox EC: out there. Let's see some from the EC. I had a friend at University that had a Minox, but then I was into photography not art.
robert blu
quiet photographer
I should have a Minox around the house, I'll look for it!
Godfrey
somewhat colored
CJC: I wasn't really sure how to respond to this comment. So I had to stop and think about it a good while.
"...anly a photographer..." vs "...a photographer/artist...": Hmmm. That's a different split than I use in my mental meanderings around subjects of photographic interest. I usually think of the joy of camera technology (whether it be film or digital, wet lab or image processing, rendering, etc etc) vs the pursuit of Photography, the art form.
Photography isn't about what happens in the dark, to me, or whether I'm in front of a computer screen or standing by the sink watching the development timer go round and round. Or whether I use a sliver of plastic coated with gelatin containing light sensitive chemistry and dunk it in chemicals or a sliver of silicon dioxide with a machine embedded in it and around it that does the same trick. Photography is about seeing, capturing, and realizing the expression I intended. Medium, processing technology, workflow, tools: these are just the teknos of the pursuit; they're not the pursuit itself.
The two pursuits in my head are the enjoyment of the teknos of photography .. what I roughly lump into "camera enthusiasts" .. and the engagement into the art of Photography .. what I roughly lump into "photographers". Since I belong to both camps, neither is a disparagement I apply to myself or others. I love camera technology—all of it—and I strive to be doing Photography with it. There are times when I'm out with a camera specifically to learn and practice the teknos, being a camera enthusiast, and there are other times when I'm out with a camera working at Photography. The two times are often in the same session as a matter of practical coincidence.
But I'm terrible at standing on podiums and lecturing on my thoughts about this stuff. I'll get back to making photographs now…
Minox EC + Minox Flash
Minopan 100 (Agfa APX100) in HC-110 @ 1:49, 76°F for 7 minutes
This was taken the evening before the photo walk and, as you can see, I made my usual mistake of not setting the Minox EC to flash mode so it tried to make a good ambient exposure while the flash went off, causing all those light trails as it jiggled around in my hands. So much for intent ...
But I kind of like the light trails anyway. Minox 8x11mm cameras are wonderful cameras, a joy to the camera enthusiast AND the Photographer in me.
onwards, always onwards.
G
charjohncarter
Veteran
I know you are technical, but you are also an artist. Take it as a complement.
robert blu
quiet photographer
Love those light trails...give me the idea of a special moment, so much joy which is out of ordinary life...a little crazy (in the good sense) maybe...
Godfrey
somewhat colored
Godfrey
somewhat colored
Thank you!
Perhaps what I like most about film photography is the uncertainty and thrill in discovery: You just never know exactly what you've done until later.
I scanned three rolls of Minox film the other day. One a half roll that I'd shot partially in 2013 and forgotten in the camera, one a full roll that I shot with the Minox C, and the third the roll I shot on Saturday in the EC. (I have another roll I started in the C on Saturday also ... I'm down to the last 12 frames of that now.) Looking through the three rolls, the first of them somewhat damaged from the years of sitting, it makes me laugh to see the mistakes I usually make over and over again, and the photos that actually pop out as interesting despite those mistakes and all the quirks of gelatin silver. And to see also the interesting rendering qualities captured in these tiny tiny little scraps of film. It is just so much fun!
G
Godfrey
somewhat colored
Here's a Minox EC photo from the walk ... actually on the way to the meet up point.
Minox EC
Minopan 100 (Agfa APX100 film)
Processed HC-110 1:49 @ 76°F for 7 minutes
enjoy!
G
Minox EC
Minopan 100 (Agfa APX100 film)
Processed HC-110 1:49 @ 76°F for 7 minutes
enjoy!
G
Godfrey
somewhat colored
Minox EC + Minopan 100
HC-110 1:49 for 7 min @ 76°F
enjoy! G
Godfrey
somewhat colored
I've now posted all the photos I made with the Minox EC on the photo walk that I think are interesting. This is about my favorite of this bunch:
The rest can be seen in an album on Flickr.com: https://flic.kr/s/aHsmJhuGj7
There are still photos to be processed ... I'm almost done with the roll of film in the Minox C and will likely process it in the next couple of days.
enjoy! G
The rest can be seen in an album on Flickr.com: https://flic.kr/s/aHsmJhuGj7
There are still photos to be processed ... I'm almost done with the roll of film in the Minox C and will likely process it in the next couple of days.
enjoy! G