Quarantine Film Walk: Pt 2

April 8, 2020Leave a comment

I decided to blow the dust off an old Russian Fed3 Rangefinder we had up in the closet and run a roll of FomaPan400 B&W film through it. I had no idea if this camera even worked so…effit-let’s shoot.

Our Fed 3 Russian Leica knock-off photographed below.

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Though this camera is a Leica knock-off, it should in no manner be seriously compared to one. With that being said, it operates like a (starter) rangefinder with leica body similarities for anyone interested in getting to know how RFs work without the premium cost associated with one. I was pleasantly surprised with the results. There were light leaks on some of the frames and the shutter seemed in the ballpark of where it should be. I wasn’t expecting much so I consider this a win. I could probably get some nice photos out of this camera if I put a few more rolls through it and got to know it a little better. (some samples below)

QUARANTINE FILM WALK : PT 1

March 30, 2020March 30, 2020Leave a comment

QUARANTINE FILM WALK : PT 1

I fished out an old rangefinder I bought a couple years ago at a camera show and decided to run a roll of film through it. Dejah and I have been trying to take some longer walks lately with the dogs, so it’s a great time to play with some old cameras. The below photos are from the YASHICA 35ME // FOMAPAN 400 . It seems that the meter was consistently over-exposing everything so needless to say, I won’t be wasting any more film on this camera again. These are the only 2 shots that were useable. (I had to edit the exposure)

: Yashica 35ME / FomaPan400 / Sherman Oaks, CA

: Yashica 35ME / FomaPan400 / Sherman Oaks, CA

2017 Film Challenge – Top 12 PHOTOS

March 2, 2018March 2, 2018Leave a comment

While Sean and I have been keeping up with the FILM CHALLENGE, I have been neglecting to blog about it (or anything else for that matter). Oops.

All the photos can be found on here, but for a quick rundown, here are my favorite film photos for each month of 2017:

JANUARY

35mm Canon AE-1 • Kodak UltraMax 400 • Monterey, CA

I am still swooning over this double exposure of Sneakers and Coco. NEED to get this one printed and framed someday when we have a bigger living space.

FEBRUARY

35mm Canon AE-1 • Vista Plus 200 • Hollywood, CA

The OG Tower of Terror. I dig all the greenery and little shrub shadows. Also, what font is that???

MARCH

35mm Canon AE-1 • Kodak Portra 100 • Woodland Hills, CA

By far the creepiest photo taken last year. The smiling bear in the front is cute though.

APRIL

35mm Canon AE-1 • Rollei RPX 400 (Push +2 to 1600) • Sherman Oaks, CA

April was a B&W film month and no one looks better in grayscale than little miss coco.

MAY

35mm Canon AE-1 • Lomography 400 • Alabama Hills, CA

It is impossible to take a bad photo in the Alabama Hills. Beauty in every direction.

JUNE

35mm Canon AE-1 • Fuji X-TRA Superia 800 • I-5, CA

Lost track of how many hours we spent driving up and down the I-5 in 2017. The clouds in this one are clutch.

JULY

35mm Canon Sure Shot Compact • ILFORD 400 B&W • Ventura, CA

This was our first month using the Canon Sure Shot. I love the grain and the vignetting in this photo. Has a very old look to it. HIPSTAMATIC SHIT.

AUGUST

35mm Canon Sure Shot Compact • Kodak Gold 400 • Hoh Rain Forest, WA

Another one with the Canon Sure Shot but this time with color film. That little camera sure adds character. Oh, and nice hat, Sean 😉

SEPTEMBER

35mm Canon AE-1 • CineStill 50 • Whittier, CA

Those clouds…and that silhouette of the city…*gasp*. CineStill film is simply cinemagic!

OCTOBER

35mm Nikon FE2 • CineStill 50 • Studio City, CA

The Nikon FE2 was added to our camera collection and produced this vintage Sneaks classic. Oh, and about those cowboy curtains?!?

NOVEMBER

35mm Olympus XA2 • AGFA Vista 400 • Las Vegas, Nevada

Another new camera – the Olympus XA2. Brought the cute compact camera with us to Las Vegas and got some pretty neat nightlife shots.

DECEMBER

Fuji Instax Mini • Fujifilm Instax Mini Instant • Los Angeles, CA

Sean bought me the Fuji Instax Mini 90 for my birthday and I take it with me everywhere I go. This is one of my favorite double exposures that I have gotten with it so far.

CAN’T STOP, WON’T STOP.

We are now completely obsessed with our film cameras and don’t plan on giving them up anytime soon. Sean even purchased a B&W developing kit so expect a lot of monochrome this year. January 2018 photos are up now and February photos are coming soon.

July and August – Film Challenge

September 18, 2017September 18, 2017Leave a comment

Have you checked our FILM CHALLENGE lately? Photos for July and August are up but I haven’t had a chance to blog about them until now.

JULY

This was a pretty uneventful month for us, so when Sean got a new camera – the Canon Sure Shot Compact – we took a weekend trip to Ventura, popped in some B&W film and put it to the test. Here are my two favorites:

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AUGUST

We took so many photos in August it was hard to choose the best ones to post. We used three different cameras and went through a variety of film while exploring the beautiful state of Washington. Here are just a few:

35mm Canon Sure Shot Compact • Kodak Gold 400 • Aberdeen, WA

35mm Canon AE-1• Kodak Portra 160 • Seattle, WA

35mm Canon Sure Shot Compact • Kodak Gold 400 • Quinnault Rain Forest, WA 35mm Canon AE-1 • Kodak Portra 400 • Olympic National Park, WA

Check out our FILM CHALLENGE page for more.

PHOTOS: Erie, Pennsylvania

August 25, 2017August 25, 2017Leave a comment

This post features some photos from Erie, PA that I snapped while following retired FBI Det. Jerry Clark as he recounted his steps during the infamous “Pizza Bomber” case. If you haven’t heard of it, and want to learn more, click HERE for an article form Wired Magazine. Or if you love true crime novels, you can purchase Jerry’s book HERE.

Below are a few of the photos I took while filming.

: Jimmy shootin’ some B-Roll under the bridge

: Det. Jerry Clark (FBI retired)

: BTS at the Gannon University FIC

Please check out the PHOTOS page to view more.

PHOTOS: Camden, New Jersey

August 8, 2017August 8, 20175 Comments

In July 2017, I started working on a documentary series (Title TBD) that follows detectives in various cities throughout the United States. I’ve been very fortunate to be allowed in on these beautiful stories of suffering, persistence, strength, and love that exist within our human condition. Here are the photos I’ve snagged in my downtime between shooting and travel.

Camden, NJ had the highest homicide rate per capita in 2012 and remains in the top ten in the US. These neighborhoods are no joke.

View of Philly / Ben Franklin Bridge from Camden

North Camden

East Camden

Shot from the Philly Side looking towards Camden

East Camden

Check out the full album here.

The Search for a Soccer Jersey

July 19, 2017July 19, 20176 Comments

I began collecting soccer (football) jerseys after my first international trip sans parentals. I played the sport for most of my childhood and figured it would make the perfect travel souvenir for various reasons: 1) soccer is the most popular sport in the world so most countries have a national team, 2) jerseys are light, breathable, packable, and perfect to wear when traveling, and 3) they provide instant credibility among the locals.

When I first told Sean about my collection, he was immediately on board – and thus our assortment of jerseys began to grow with each international trip we took. We have kits from India, Thailand, Ireland, Cambodia, Japan, Croatia, Italy, and more.

Sometimes the best part of of collecting jerseys is the adventure that goes along with finding them. Our search for a jersey in Myanmar proved to be our most difficult but rewarding quest yet.

It all began in Yangon. The AFF Suzuki Cup was taking place at the time and Myanmar had a match in Yangon against Thailand while we were in town. We noticed numerous locals wearing the national team kit, and yet we were unable to find a single place that sold them. Even the soccer stores in the city did not carry them. Since it was only our first stop in Myanmar, we figured we had plenty of time to find our sporty souvenir.

Soccer shops in Bagan were non-existent so we didn’t bother searching much while we were there – besides, we were too busy enjoying the pagodas.

Fast forward to our last day in Mandalay. Our time in the country was running out and we were still without a jersey. We decided to spend our final afternoon scouring the city. The hostel we were staying at directed us to a local market about a mile away. While unsuccessfully roaming down every isle we were stopped by a solo traveler who immediately began speaking Brazilian Portuguese to me (because I was wearing a Brazil flag scarf). We got to talking and he too liked to collect soccer jerseys from the countries he has visited. We immediately joined forces, determined to complete our mission. We spotted a local wearing a Myanmar jersey and used our best attempt of miming to figure out where we could find one. After a truck ride to the other side of the city and a half hour of walking up and down the streets, we FINALLY located a soccer store that had them in stock. It was probably the biggest sense of accomplishment we felt throughout our entire trip.

Not only did we come out victorious, but met a new friend from Brazil. Thanks to Gustavo for taking part in our adventure!

What are some things that you collect while traveling???

JUNE – FILM CHALLENGE

July 10, 20178 Comments

Our Film Challenge photos for the month of June are now up!

A few more shots from the Alabama Hills and an impromptu photo shoot with my cousin, Aaron.

35mm Canon AE-1 • Kodak Portra 400 • Alabama Hills, CA

35mm Canon AE-1 • Fuji X-TRA Superia 800 • I-5, CA

35mm Canon AE-1 • Fuji X-TRA Superia 800 • Venice, CA

Processing all of this film is getting a bit expensive. Sean and I have been looking to purchase a film scanner but can’t seem to find one under $300 with good reviews. Any suggestions?!?

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Photos

June 28, 201720 Comments

Sticky-fingered monkeys, dark caves, live music, twin towers and a bird park – the full album for Kuala Lumpur is now up on our PHOTOS page!

Here are a few of my faves:

More to come on our 2 days in Kuala Lumpur.

14 Hours in Japan

June 21, 2017December 25, 202034 Comments

14 hours in Tokyo is not nearly enough time, but it is all we had. The three main objectives for the day: eat fresh sushi from the fish market, try authentic ramen, and find a Sanrio store.

Our first challenge was getting out of the airport and into the city. With some help from the tourist kiosk we were on the subway in no time heading toward the Tsukiji Fish Market for the freshest and most delicious sushi breakfast.

Tsukiji Fish Market

We didn’t get to the market in time for the tuna auction (4am!!!) but there was plenty of action to witness at 6am. After about an hour of strolling down the market aisles, dodging trucks and trolleys, and salivating over some of the largest fish we’ve ever seen, we popped into one of the many hole in the wall restaurants just inside the main gate off Shin-ohashi Street.

While it was a bit on the pricey side, it was the freshest sushi I had ever eaten and most definitely the best breakfast of my life. Seafood is my EVERYTHING.

And now onto lunch…

Ramen

We found a small ramen shop in the middle of Shibuya by following our noses and a group of Japanese businessmen on their lunch break. The sliding wood door opened to a small bar top where two chefs (sent from heaven, I assume) concocted intoxicating bowls of glorious noodle soup. I typically can’t finish a full bowl of ramen but it was so tasty that I inhaled every last drop and still wanted more.

Sanrio

Finding a Sanrio store in the Hello Kitty mecca should be easy, right? What I expected to be the easiest task of the day turned out to be an exhausting fiasco.

Why do I need wifi to get wifi? If I had wifi I wouldn’t I need wifi. Connecting to wifi in Tokyo was a pain in the neck. Since we were only in town for the day, it didn’t make sense to invest in a SIM card. And seeing as we were visiting a high-tech country, we figured we could get along fine with the “free wifi” that was advertised everywhere. The problem is you must verify your email address to use the internet, BUT you can’t access your email without the internet. Total catch 22. We basically had to dip into a Starbucks and buy a coffee anytime we needed wifi. It was pretty difficult trying to figure out where we were based on map screenshots and Japanese street signs.

The locals were extremely friendly and tried to help the best they could with the limited English they understood. After a lot of walking (sometimes in circles) we FINALLY found the giant Hello Kitty statue in front of a small Gift Gate store. I was not very impressed by the store but I was thankful that our mission was complete.

The upside of the arduous search was that it forced us to explore more of the city. We browsed the music selection at the 9 story Tower Records store in Shibuya, window shopped in the Harujuku district, and wandered aimlessly down the streets of Shinjuku.