Blogging sucks.

Ok, so maybe it doesn’t… But, I certainly suck at it. I can’t seem to find a rhythm for posting. I forget this feature even exists on my site for almost a month at a time. Then, I think, what the hell do I have to share anyway? It’s not always exciting. It’s not always interesting. But maybe that’s the key. Maybe people would rather see what it’s really like sometimes, rather than the typical Instagram “everything is perfect always, look how awesome I am” posts.

Since my post back in August, I’ve made some major life changes. We sold the house and moved into a truck camper. We lived out in Irricana for a couple months, watching some property while the owners traveled. End of October we started heading west. Ended up on Vancouver Island, where we’ll hang out and shoot for the winter. I’ve started the prep for a new series that I think will really help with my creativity. It’s also something I really believe in, with everything going on in the world these days. Once we’ve started to shoot some of the subjects of this one, I’ll begin to share some images and thoughts.
For now, I’ll just say that even with the challenges of living in a 20ish year old camper, we’re having a blast. I’ve shot more film in the last 3 months than I have in the year before. Unless it’s for a specific job, I rarely seem to grab the digital these days… Shooting film has just become too much fun.

Once again, I’ll try to keep these more regular for anyone that reads them!

In the meantime, here’s a link to some images I shot on the drive out here.
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10156466799861900&type=1&l=1f6ae1c4e3

Cheers!

Creative Funk...

Creative Funks... they exist. It's been a while since I've been in one. Switching to shooting my personal work on film helped kill the last one towards the end of 2017.
For some reason, I feel like I'm back in one again. I'm happy with the couple analog series I'm working on, but at the same time - they don't seem to be presenting the challenge that I want... 
I may take a break from my "Return to Nature" series to focus on some more artificially lit portrait scenes.
We're getting ready for a bit of travel and change in pace, so I'm hoping that this will help reduce the lack of creative motivation. I looked at switching from my RZ system to a 4x5 set up - shooting only large format for all my film work. As much as I wanted to do this, something about it just didn't feel like the right move. So, I'm sticking with the RZ for now and may add a 4x5 down the road. I think that money is better spent on creatives and rolls of film these days. 

Here's to killing that funk with new muses! 

Sportster - Phil Said. RZ67 with 110mm 2.8 on Delta 100. 

So much for regular posts!

I had meant to keep this fairly regular, but at least I've been keeping busy shooting.

I've recently switched developers on specific roles of film, I found the Rodinal just a little too grainy in certain situations. I love the cost, but not always the look. I've moved over to DD-X for a lot of my Delta 100 and HP5+ work to keep the grain down. I have some Fujifilm Acros based developer to try out as well. I picked it up from "The Film Experience" a little analog only camera store in Longview, AB. What an awesome place and a super nice owner. I've spent a little too much time and money there... haha. 
I've been looking at a couple 4x5 options. I had toyed with picking up another 35mm setup (rangefinder based), but I found that while the portability was nice, the negs just didn't "do it" for me. I think the process that I love so much with the RZ67 would be amplified by adding a large format set up to the kit. I have a project series in mind that I think would be pretty cool on 4X5 and might even be something that not a lot of people shoot on it. 
My latest series has started, "Return to Nature" 
A reflection of the body and nature. How the simplicity of the form can settle within a landscape. I haven't shot any sort of fine art nudes since photo school, so it's a nice exercise to keep me on my toes and push me out of my comfort zone. I'm hoping to host a gallery at the end of the series. There will be no specific focus on gender - all genders and body types are welcome. 
Here are a couple images from my first set! 

 

Another week on film.

I recently spent a couple days last week shooting on the RZ67. I really love that system. It 100% forces me to slow down, reevaluate how I light and create an image. I find that while I learned photography on film more than 20yrs ago... I'm learning a whole new set of skills shooting it again. There is something about the challenge, the imperfections and the aesthetic that I just can't get over. I find myself looking at a number of 4x5 options again. (I owned on years ago, a Toyo Studio Deluxe - but due to its size and weight, I just never got around to shooting with it.) I'm partial to the field cameras for weight and convenience, as well as not needing any major movements for my work - they fit the bill quite well. The RZ67 is amazing... it's not like I need a larger negative for my work, but there's something about the look and process of the 4x5. Every frame and every shot is deliberate. Do you have a favourite 4x5 set up? 

Here are a couple samples from last week. A portrait of Aimee Saïd Morley (@motomamametals) from my Makers Series shot on Delta 100. The environmental portrait of Aimee was shot on the trusty ol' HP5+. 
I've included a couple images from the IFK Kickstart Motorcycle show as well... This was the first time I shot on the Fomapan 400. I've gotta say, it's a pretty nice film. A little flat out of the tank for my taste, but with a curves adjustment I like the result. The grain structure also has a great aesthetic. 

New Series!

"The Makers" 

This is @philsaid and is the first set from a new series I've been working on. It features people who are passionate about making things.

It's shot exclusively on @ilfordphoto film. I chose HP5+ for  the environmental shots because of its tonal range and ability to work in just about any situation. Delta 100 was picked for the portraits because of its sharpness and ability to hold detail within the blacks in high contrast lighting situations.

It's important to me that we focus on promoting small business and legacy. Too much of what we purchase or use is designed to be temporary. Walmarts, Dollar Stores and disposable everything... it's great for convenience and price, but it doesn't always get you what works or what lasts.
For me, it's amazing when people can focus their creativity into something that will stand for generations.

This whole series is a personal project that I've wanted to take on for some time now... If you, or someone you know is creating items that fit with this project, please fire me a message - I'd love to set something up! 

Sony Event!

I'll be speaking at a Sony event at The Camera Store on Saturday April 21st, if you're interested. I'll be talking about some  of the advanced lighting techniques I use in my portraiture. 

New Site!

Howdy! It's a new post, it's a new day, it's new site for me and I'm feelin' good... (read to Nina Simone's "Feeling Good" 

I'll try to keep this updated as much as I can. I'm currently working on a new personal series shot exclusively on Ilford film with my RZ67 and RB67 camera systems. I'll post images and some behind the scenes details in here as I make progress with the project.