Drumheller - August 2016

Nearly 25 years ago, my parents took us to Drumheller on a family vacation to see the dinosaur fossils at the Royal Tyrrell Museum. Fast forward to the present, and I got to reverse roles and be the one to take them there this time. I've gone back to this museum four times in the past six years, and it never gets old. It evokes memories of my youth, and while wandering around snapping photos, I always get curious stares from people as they wonder why anyone would use such pre-historic era film cameras anymore.

I've posted a handful of digital vs. film vs. polaroid shots below. Digital shots (colour) taken with the Fuji X-T1. B&W film shots taken with the Hasselblad 500CM on Ilford HP5+. Polaroid shots with the SX-70 on Impossible Project colour film.














Ignore the big dinosaur for a second, and you can see mom, dad, and Anita in the foreground.




I buy something every time I come to the Tourist Info Centre.

Photographing the Pupils - Part X

Last night my shoulder was screaming bloody murder, so I went to bed, in hopes of escaping the inexplicable pain. But the slightest movement trying to find a comfortable sleeping position would hurt, and then when I finally fell asleep, I'd have recurring nightmares of suffering from an injured shoulder, which would jolt me back awake... to more pain. DAMMIT JIM! Being 90 sucks. Someone prescribe me some powerful narcs, stat.

Anyways, here's my latest group of students that graciously sat for a quick portrait. Sadly, this is the first and only roll of film I've shot this year, thus far. Motivation and inspiration has been severely difficult to come by as of late. Shot with the Hasselblad + Zeiss Planar 80mm, on Kodak Tri-X 400. Souped in Ilfosol 3, 1+9 @ 68 deg. F for 7.5 min.

70mm Holga - Centre Street Bridge

While the Holga factory has ceased operations, many snobby photographers are scoffing and exclaiming good riddance. But to me, the closing of this iconic manufacturer of an admittedly crappy all plastic toy camera is rather sad. Because for all its inherent flaws and limitations, those very same limitations force you to think a bit more creatively when shooting photos, which is never a bad thing. The lo-fi results are hit and miss, but when you utilize it to its strengths, you can get some pretty interesting results.

These shots of the Centre Street Bridge (one of my favourite things to waste film on in Calgary), were captured yesterday with the Holga 120N, with 2 overlapping 35mm rolls of Fuji Neopan 400, spooled onto a 120 take up spool. Could I achieve similar results in Photoshop? Sure. Would it be nearly as interesting, challenging, or fun? Not even close.

Deliciously Hot, or a Hot Mess

I'm currently in the middle of baking some sriracha peanut butter cookies... and they're either going to be deliciously hot, or just like these photos, will end up being just a jumbled hot mess. I'm thinking the latter is more likely...

Update: The cookies turned out okay. But I'm so desensitized to heat that I can't tell if I put in enough Sriracha or not. The guinea pigs tomorrow could be in for a little surprise... photos of the cookies at bottom.

Photos taken in Berlin, Munich, and Salzburg using the Holga 120N on a combination of super expired Kodak Tri-X 400 and Fuji Neopan 400 films.


The old town hall in Munich.


Top: Munich. Mid: Berlin. Bottom: Salzburg.






The East Side Gallery: A mural featuring two Communist dudes (Leonid Brezhnev and Eric Honecher) making out.

Photographing the Pupils, part IX

The day after flying home, we went straight back to work (to conserve our precious vacation time), and then I was teaching classes that same evening. You know that saying about being so familiar with something that you could do it in your sleep? Yeah, that was literally me that first class, as the jet lag set in.

These are portraits of my latest three students who sat for me.
















And me, taken by one of my students.

All photos taken with the Hasselblad 500CM and Planar 80mm f/2.8 on Kodak Tri-X 400. Developed in rodinal 1+24 for 7:00min at 68 deg. F.