This past summer I met up with a newer creative named Abi. We met via instagram, where she had reached out curious if I’d ever be interested in doing a shoot together. I was stoked because I could instantly tell that her style would be something I would absolutely enjoy. When we were planning this shoot I knew I wanted some traditional summer coloring. I knew there was this pocket of random orange sand in the Military Reserve in Boise. I knew the contrasting colors of green sage and desert shrubs that hadn’t been cooked to death by the summer heat would still be around. Abi showed me a few outfits and when I saw this dress, I stopped and told her this and only this outfit would be EPIC for what I was envisioning.
Side note for the photo nerds viewing/reading. I used a diffusion filter at 1/4 strength for these photos to really give that softer, vintage lens look. I know these have become quite trendy and I felt it was time to stop being a pompous photographer and just enjoy something that others have found as a popular tool. I can say as much as I enjoyed it, it’s for sure NOT the tool for every photoshoot. For this shoot it paired well and I’m stoked how it turned out.
Ellen in Spring
Last spring I met up with Ellen at her place for a casual portrait shoot. It had been some time since I had photographed her. She had told me that she access to the roof top of her apartment and as sketchy as it felt getting out the window, it was completely worth it. The sun started going down so we went back inside to this patio where we would wrap up the evening. I can’t wait to meet up with Ellen again sometime in 2024 to have our annual hangout/photoshoot!
First Roll: Kodak Double X
Sometime early 2019 a friend and local photographer gifted me a roll of Kodak Double X. This film is a cinema film, yes the kind they use for Hollywood movies. Famous movies that have used this stock were Schindlers List and the opening scene to 007 Casino Royale. So my approach was to give a minor attempt in creating some cinematic stills, was I successful? Maybe. However I was extremely excited with the outcome of this first roll and I knew also I would attempt to photograph different people and different light times to see what this film looks like in all avenues. Sometimes I found it tough because this film is a 250 ISO film and I overexposed a bit with rating it at 200. The last few shots with Ellen I took were much slower shutter speeds and it was key not to mess up and get motion blur.
Conclusion: Would I buy this film again? Without a doubt, this film was fun to shoot and I think I would always try to get cinematic looks with it just because that would be a fun challenge to do. My only complaint though, its only in 35mm and not in medium format (120)
First Roll: Lomography F2/400
Its not uncommon for me to keep a roll or two in my bag when I go take some portraits. When I was shooting with Ellen I also brought my Rolleiflex 2.8C with a roll of some Lomography F2/400 color film. (Check here to see the digital shots) Now, F2/400 is a color film that was purchased by Lomography, they bought an exclusive jumbo roll of film from an older company. And like a fine wine, they “aged” it and then distributed it. When they announced this film I picked up a good handful, which was a good idea because they sold out within a day or two.
After wrapping up our shoot I ran home and went right to developing this roll. I was super excited how the negatives would render let alone if they would reveal anything, which is always my feelings about developing but that’s what makes it feel like Christmas morning haha. Anyways, I shot this F2/400 at box speed and was extremely impressed in when I did a preview scan. I’m happy I bought a good amount of rolls. With that in mind, I will be treating this film like a fine whiskey… only busting it our for special shoots or something.
