meet my bronica

This is my Bronica SQ, manufactured in 1980. I bought it in February. It is completely manual and uses 120 medium format film which, if you are not familiar, produces negatives which are 2 1/4 inches tall, and in this case, also 2 1/4 inches wide, since this camera makes square images. Here are a few I took several weeks ago:

These are scans of the film, but I am in the process of c-printing all of the good ones. That means enlarging them in a color darkroom! It is THE most fun photographic process I have ever learned. I love it.

I also developed this film myself! Developing color film is different than b&w and I've just recently learned.

Do you still shoot film? What's your film camera of choice?

artificial strawberry flavor

Negative scan from a recent photo shoot!

C-printing this and others from the shoot on Friday.
Super excited!

Taken with my Bronica-SQ (love that camera!)
on Kodak Ektacolor 100.
This series is about consumption, excess, and artificiality.

recent work

Still working on a title...
Each image is a 30"x40" c-print!
This is what I spent my weekend on.
Critique tomorrow!
See them bigger: 1 2 3 4

new work, pt 1

6"x6", silver gelatin prints, 2010.

My next few posts are going to be about new work I've done since beginning grad school. I've been holding out on sharing it, but I feel now is a good time to start.

These first three are from a class I took last quarter called Alternative Camera Systems. We explored the use of plastic cameras and pinhole cameras. These images are from my final project, a documentary on roadside farm markets in central Ohio. The series (as of now) includes 12 images total, so I'll post more soon. I'm going to be continuing the project, but I'm not sure if I'll keep using a Holga to shoot them.

I've always been a 35 mm kind of girl, but using the Holga opened my eyes to medium format. It sounds silly to say, as if I didn't already know how much better medium format would be. I did, but I was adverse to the change. It costs more to shoot medium format and I don't own a medium format camera (besides the Holga). I've been convinced and now I'm in the market for something more substantial. I've been doing my research and I have a few cameras in mind (my budget will afford me something vintage--yes, let's use that charming adjective--maybe when I'm rich and famous I'll get an automatic Hassy) so before long I'm hoping you'll be reading an entry here about my new camera.

p.s. That first image is available as my swap print this week at my project Swap with Me 2011. Somebody be the first swapper! I'm ready to get this project off the ground.

b&w color process film

Corey with some of our pepper and tomato plants!

My Japanese eggplant!

Grub! Yuck.

Corey and his bike.

Me and my sad, but loved, bike! I'm getting a new one soon so I wanted to document this one, which my mom handed down to me and I used all during college.

These photos are from the first trial of some film I bought on clearance for 90% off! Ilford XP2 Super. C-41 Process black and white. 400 ISO. It turned out perfectly! I love it. Just the right contrast, not too much grain.

More soon. I have a lot.

the wait

I might not have posted this before, but for the past two+ months, I've been working at Target. I'm really enjoying myself there. My coworkers are fun to get to know, and it's nice to take a few months off from the responsibility of school before I move to Ohio and start my graduate program in the fall. Even though I am almost working full time and doodling on the side, this is the least busy I've been in forever!

I normally work on the sales floor, but last week I was trained to work in the photo lab. I'll be working one photo lab shift per week for now. Right now I have five rolls of film waiting to be developed and shared, but I am waiting until my photo lab shift so I can process them myself! The darkroom is still quite a bit more magical than the C-41 processing machine, but it is fun nonetheless and I am glad I'm getting this experience. So, in my next post, you can look forward to new pictures of mine and Corey's garden, my second visit to Tara's farm in Vilonia, kittens, a walk around campus with Casey, and a few bike rides with Corey.

Gardening updates: I harvested my first basil clippings from the heirloom Italian basil I have been growing on my windowsill the past two months! Also, one of our heirloom peas has its first pea pod! It's really, really magical. Our hard work is starting to pay off.

The Conway farmers' market opens in five days, and I could not be more thrilled! Although our garden is looking good, we still have a ways to go before we'll harvest much, and I am tired of buying my veggies at the supermarket! Corey and I are testing out different bike routes to take us downtown. Lately I have been riding my bike more and driving my car less. It feels great!

Look out for that picture post on Tuesday.

on succulents and color film

These are the beautiful succulents of my friends Jessica and Brandon. They will soon spread out in their front flower bed and cover the entire thing! I think they are so beautiful, kind of like little sea creatures on land. I have three planters on my windowsill that I haven't been able to get anything to grow in so I am about to pick out three succulents and plant them! I am just decided the best place to purchase them and what varieties to get. Suggestions?

Lately I have been photographing in color film and I can't get enough (I started for my local food project)! I don't care what people say, I like it so much more than digital. Even if their quality gap may be quickly closing (and I'm not using the highest quality film right now by any means), film wins in originality, depth, and brilliant colors. Digital is so dull until after editing! I think there's just something to be said for most analog practices, but maybe I am just old fashioned. Whatever your preference, though, if you have a camera, go out and take some pictures today! You will be glad you did.