Taking Pictures 101

Trooper #2 Day 64

2012-03-07T17:16:00.001-08:00

"What a mess!"

Helping me recycle an old flannel shirt.

Thanks for watching.

Gerry :)

Trooper #2 Days 61, 62, 63

2012-03-06T17:47:00.000-08:00

"What is this?"

"Hmmmmmmmm"

"IT'S A TRAP!"

I should be up to date now.

Thanks for watching.

Gerry :)

Trooper #2 Days 57, 58, 59 and 60

2012-03-05T16:05:00.001-08:00

"It seems his attention is taken by all these cameras."

"Time to get noticed with my little friend."

"HELLO!"

Yeah I know I'm behind but I'm working on it.

Thanks for watching.

Gerry :)

Montreal the beautiful.

2012-03-04T20:19:00.000-08:00

If I didn't live here, I would want to live here! Went out today and took some shots off the streets in the cold. Apart from a camera malfunction that ate up 6 frames, it was a great day.

Lesson learned, let the camera warm up before trying to rewind a roll of 36 black and white frames.

All shots were taken with a Minolta X-570 using Ilford Delta 400 black and white film.

Thanks for watching.

Gerry :)

ps Trooper will return shortly.

Trooper #2 Day 56

2012-02-28T14:55:00.001-08:00

"Vintage McGyvered photo gear"

Tomorrow is bring your box camera to work day and this is what I'll be using.

Thanks for watching.

Gerry :)

Trooper #2 Day 55

2012-02-27T19:06:00.002-08:00

"Yummy!"

Thanks for watching.

Gerry :)

Trooper #2 Day 54

2012-02-26T09:02:00.001-08:00

"START YOUR ENGINES!"

IT'S THE DAYTONA 500 ! Pre-race stuff starts at 12 on Fox, race starts at 1pm.

Thanks for watching.

Gerry :)

Trooper #2 Day 53

2012-02-25T15:59:00.002-08:00

"Things are about to go BOOM!"

Thanks for watching.

Gerry :)

Trooper #2 Day 52

2012-02-24T15:15:00.002-08:00

"Winter sucks!"

My feelings exactly!

Thanks for watching.

Gerry :)

Trooper #2 Day 51

2012-02-23T18:13:00.001-08:00

"So many tools, so little time!"

Trooper with too many toys!

Thanks for watching.

Gerry :)

Rebuilding a Kodak Brownie No.2 F

2012-02-23T18:03:00.000-08:00

Kodak Brownies are the Grand Daddies of point and shoot cameras. They've been around for more than 100 years, they were made in the millions, plenty of them still around and they are cheap. They are also very easy to use. A set focus, shutter speed of 1/50, bulb mode, 3 aperture settings of f22, f16 and f11, that's it.

"1924-30 Kodak Brownie No.2F as found today."

Most of the Brownies I've come across were made for 116 or 620 film. 116 is not available anymore and 620 is a pain to respool from available 120. Today I came across this sad puppy for $5. It was missing its front face plate but it loads on 120 film, I had to get it. It is a No.2 F model built in Toronto Canada between 1924 and 1930.

Down to its bare bones. 4 tiny nails hold this piece of wood on the aluminum body.

The important stuff on the camera is all there. The front face plate is more of a cosmetic element that can easily be fabricated. I started by taking the camera apart in order to clean and lube the shutter but most importantly, clean the lens.

Shutter plates cleaned in between using folded paper sheet and light oil.

Taking this camera apart is a piece of cake. Everything is held down by nails that must carefully be pulled out and a few screws. The shutter was cleaned using some folded paper and lube in order to get between the plates without taking them apart. They are held by a rivet and I would be hard pressed to reproduce the proper pressure between those 2. I re-installed the spring and it was back to original speed.

The next big step is taking out the lens and cleaning it.

See you there.

Gerry :)

Trooper #2 Day 50

2012-02-22T14:30:00.000-08:00

"Let's get cracking!"

Trooper lending a hand with my newest project, a resto/custom job of a 1924 Kodak Brownie 2f. I got it for $5 because it was missing some parts but that's OK, we'll make some.

The project will be documented and posted in black and white to keep it "period" flavored.

Thanks for watching.

Gerry :)

Truck vs Truck, no winner!

2012-02-21T14:37:00.000-08:00

I was on the scene of a nasty crash at work today. 2 Peterbilt trucks hitting each other at an intersection. Like I say, always have a camera with you. Here are some shots.

Nobody got hurt thankfully.

Thanks for watching.

Gerry :)

Trooper #2 Day 49

2012-02-21T14:25:00.001-08:00

"I feel something moving around my legs!!!!!!"

Drowning in candy, it can't be that bad?

Thanks for watching.

Gerry :)

Trooper #2 Day 48

2012-02-20T14:28:00.000-08:00

"This is so wrong."

Trooper trying out new footwear!

Thanks for watching.

Gerry :)

Trooper #2 Day 47

2012-02-19T15:09:00.000-08:00

"EeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeHaaaaaaaaaaaawwww!"

I finally took Trooper out on photo safari today.

Thanks for watching.

Gerry :)

Photo Safari Montreal en Lumière

2012-02-18T13:56:00.000-08:00

Last evening was mild for the middle of February so me and my friend decided to go out on safari in downtown Montreal again. There is always stuff to see and do but I was a bit apprehensive since this was our first outing after dark.

I'm always fascinated by people in the Metro.

Turns out that if you look hard enough there are many opportunities to take shots without a flash using available light. No flash was used in any of the shots on this post but a tripod is a must in many cases.

Jali from Belgium in concert outdoors.

Projection on a building of an artsy animation short.


This is a 4 second exposure using 2 ND filters.

Lights pointed at the street made for some interesting shots.

We had a blast shooting around the festival and I'm sure we'll be doing this again.

Thanks for watching.

Gerry :)

Trooper #2 Day 46

2012-02-18T13:10:00.000-08:00

"He actually managed to fix this one!"

Yeah I skipped a day but I have a nice post coming up to compensate. See I was out last night on a photo safari downtown. Here's Trooper with my new Kodak Tourist 2 after a clean up and lube job.

Thanks for watching.

Gerry :)

Trooper #2 Day 45

2012-02-16T15:08:00.000-08:00

"Let me out! I'm in the wrong collection..."

While hiding from Girlfriend #2, trooper ends up behind glass.

Thanks for watching.

Gerry :)

Trooper #2 Day 44

2012-02-15T16:47:00.000-08:00

"Hey! Hey! Relax Honey, she means nothing to me. Don't mess around now, you know this armor is worthless!"

Trooper is in a bit of a jam with Girlfriend #2 after yesterday's events.

Thanks for watching.

Gerry :)

Trooper #2 Day 43

2012-02-14T14:02:00.000-08:00

"I love you babe!"

This is one of my favorite shots. Happy Valentine's Day everyone. :)

Thanks for watching.

Gerry :)

Cheap or Budget Lomography Cameras

2012-02-13T15:22:00.000-08:00

So we discussed what is Lomography earlier, according to me anyways and we didn't touch the subject on the actual gear in depth. You can go out and buy a new or vintage plastic lens Diana, Volga or any other 120 camera for that matter. However, Lomography being hip these days some are a bit pricey.

This Minolta Hi-Matic is one of my favorite cameras. Got it for $3 with a dead flash. It's great for outdoor shots. It has automatic everything.

So unless you have one lying around or stumble upon a deal by chance what are your options if you don't want to spend a lot? May I suggest just moving a bit up on the food chain of cameras? Ok, way up compared to toy cameras, a film point and shoot or compact camera.

This Ricoh FF-70 came with the original box and receipt, $359.00. I got it for $5 and it also has automatic everything.

Film compact cameras are still around, plentiful and most importantly dirt cheap. The market hasn't caught on to them yet and since they were built in the gazillions, they are everywhere. You might already have one in a box somewhere, so that would make it free and free is always good.

This Canon was a gift from a friend. It also has auto everything. It's only problem was some dirty battery contacts.

If not go to any second hand store, flea market or charity store and you will find them sometimes in bins at anywhere between $1 to $5. Not bad for a full frame camera! Some have fine optics if that's what you want, auto focus, motor drive, flash or none of that. Buy a few and it will give you some options.

Taken with the Hi-Matic on expired Fuji film.

Such a camera will give you the chance to try Lomography on a budget and if you don't like it, your out of pocket expense won't have ruined you. You say a camera like that will only take good pictures? Trust me when I say you can still screw up.

Taken with the Ricoh on expired color film processed at home in black and white chemicals.

A film compact will allow you to take good shots if you want. Some street photographers have actually started using them. Don't believe me? Check out street photographer Daido Moriyama's take on compact cameras.

I have to warn you, if you get 3 or more you might get hooked. Photography gear is addictive and the next thing you know you'll have 4 or more cameras lying around with film in them. It's called Gear Acquisition Syndrome or GAS for short.

I'll finish with one shopping tip. Bring some button and AA batteries to test before you buy when you are out hunting for gear. Try to stick with these easy to get batteries as they are plentiful and cheap.

Next post I'll deal with using film on the cheap side. Until then, go hunting.

Thanks for watching.

Gerry :)

Trooper #2 Day 42

2012-02-13T14:17:00.000-08:00

"Funny thing happened while you were at work, ha-ha, I started this project and...well..."

I will kill him! Nah, the Konica was already dead, CPR failed.

Thanks for watching.

Gerry :)

Trooper #2 Day 41

2012-02-12T15:18:00.000-08:00

"Man why is the room turning?????"

Trooper is still a bit hung over, he had to sit down.

Thanks for watching.

Gerry :)

What is Lomography?

2012-02-12T09:10:00.000-08:00

I don't intend to claim that I have the perfect answer to the question: what is Lomography? However, I have an opinion on the subject and my own definition of it. Let me share.

Light leak or lens flare, I never figured that one out. Taken with an Olympus OM-10 with zoom lens.

The Lomography movement was started in the early 90's in Europe following the realization by a number of folks that the coming of the digital age was taking the challenge out of photography. The fact that you can choose and delete on the spot what images you feel came out right makes everyone a photographer all of a sudden.

This is what happens when the auto rewind stops too soon and you open the camera back with film still exposed! Taken with a Minolta Hi-Matic.

No more surprises of double exposures, light leaks, or other screw ups after the fact when picking up your prints at the photo store. Some of these errors and mistakes actually made some interesting images. I guess the late PBS painter Bob Ross could sum up the definition of Lomography very well, a happy accident.

Here we have the worst possible conditions for picture taking. Expired cheap generic 35mm color film on 620 spool with paper backing. The film was then loaded into an Imperial Mark XII with a plastic lens and no controls whatsoever. See for your self what came out.

The worst the camera, the better the chances of having those happy accidents. The typical lomographer will head straight for the cheapest plastic lens camera with few or no controls on shutter speed or aperture. Cheap is relative here. With all the hype around Lomography, what was once considered junk is now selling for big bucks. The law of supply and demand at work.

This was taken with a 1950's Kodak Brownie Hawkeye. Fixed lens, shutter speed and aperture. Point, shoot and pray!

I have nothing against Lomography, au contraire. It has one big positive impact, it keeps film on the map. Demand for film has increased in the last couple of years. Heck, Kodak, which just filed for bankruptcy protection, has seen a rise in film sales last year in the order of 20%!

Taken with a found disposable camera that expired in 2003. Processed in black and white.

In my opinion, Lomography is the introduction for many into the endless possibility of analog film photography. I'm betting that once a lomographer takes a great picture by accident, it does happen, that person will want to replicate the experience. They will push their art in order to learn more and that's a good thing.

Double exposure. Freak accident where the camera auto re-winded mid roll after being dropped. I decided to have some fun not knowing what would come out. Taken with a Ricoh FF70 point and shoot.

Lomography is a great way to get into film photography as it not only can be done on a budget (I'll have a post on that soon.) but it also removes the requirement or stress of perfect results. Shoot fast, often and have fun. Remember, what ever comes out is a happy accident, we don't make mistakes.

Thanks for watching.

Gerry :)

Part 2 in this series can be found here: cheap lomography cameras

Trooper #2 Day 40

2012-02-11T15:48:00.000-08:00

"What? We skipped a day again? Aren't we Friday today!?!"

No we didn't.

Thanks for watching.

Gerry :)

Trooper #2 Day 39

2012-02-10T14:41:00.000-08:00

"I don't know why but I feel like dancing!?!"

Sorry, I skipped a day. Here's our Hero around a pole...

Thanks for watching.

Gerry :)

Trooper #2 Day 38

2012-02-08T14:52:00.001-08:00

Life in a bubble.

Thanks for watching.

Gerry :)

Trooper #2 Day 37

2012-02-07T14:19:00.000-08:00

"Nice pile of junk for $30!"

Trooper commenting on my most recent haul from bargain hunting.

Thanks for watching.

Gerry :)

Trooper #2 Day 36

2012-02-06T16:34:00.000-08:00

"Here we pay before eating because?"

Chilling in Church. I know, I'm going to pay for this at some point!

Thanks for watching.

Gerry :)

Trooper #2 Day 33, 34 and 35

2012-02-05T11:07:00.000-08:00

Well if you think I forgot about Trooper, you're wrong. What we have today is a series of 3 images that I chose to post all at once so that the subject of the series has more impact. Jar Jar Binks takes a beating fulfilling my fantasy of this character getting what he deserves for ruining what could have been a great movie.

"Right hook!"

"Body slam!"

"Now stay down and shut up!"

Thanks for watching.

Gerry :)

Trooper #2 Day 32

2012-02-02T14:51:00.000-08:00

"Come on little Dude, don't short change me."

Captain Scarlet is a bit sensitive when it comes to is height deficiency.

Thanks for watching.

Gerry :)

Trooper #2 Day 31

2012-02-01T14:42:00.000-08:00

Getting a feel for the blade.

Thanks for watching.

Gerry :)

Trooper #2 Day 30

2012-01-31T14:46:00.000-08:00

"Lady, you're glowing!"

Macro shot taken on film and processed by me.

Thanks for watching.

Gerry :)

Trooper #2 Day 29

2012-01-30T13:55:00.000-08:00

"So, do you spoons hang out here a lot?"

Drying off.

Thanks for watching.

Gerry :)

Trooper #2 Day 28

2012-01-29T15:40:00.000-08:00

"Oh yeah right there."

In for a scrub.

Thaks for watching.

Gerry :)

Trooper #2 Day 27

2012-01-28T12:19:00.000-08:00

"I can't swim!"

Just 27days into this and he's starting to get dirty. I guess the white uniform was not a smart move on the part of the Empire/Republic. Into the wash he goes.

Thanks for watching.

Gerry :)

Light Painting with the Canon G12

2012-01-27T14:46:00.000-08:00

Light painting is done with a light source and a long exposure. In the case of the 2 images here it was made possible with the help of a neutral density filter and a small LED light.

The neutral density filter permits long exposure in good light conditions because it blocks out a lot of light. Kind of like the glass from a welder's goggles. In this case it was a 10 second exposure and I passed the LED light behind the subject during 5 seconds. I also wore black sleeves and gloves since anything lighter will show in the end on the image. Of course, mounting the camera on a tripod is not an option here.

Canon G12 with adapter and neutral density filter

I'll be doing more later on with the G12 and my film cameras as I explore this fascinating technique even more.

Thanks for watching.

Gerry :)

Trooper #2 Day 26

2012-01-27T14:23:00.000-08:00

"ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ...."

Trooper chillaxing.

Thanks for watching.

Gerry :)

Trooper #2 Day 25

2012-01-26T15:21:00.000-08:00

On the boat.

Thanks for watching.

Gerry :)

Trooper #2 Day 24

2012-01-25T16:26:00.000-08:00

"Beam me up Sc... Oops! Wrong Universe."

Trooper gets a bit confused.

Thanks for watching.

Gerry :)

Trooper #2 Day 23

2012-01-24T14:00:00.000-08:00

"Salad is the promise of food, it is not food."

Trooper is doing philsophy at the restaurant.

Thanks for watching.

Gerry :)

Scale Models

2012-01-23T18:59:00.000-08:00

Scale models are a great subject to shoot. Especially when they are well made. Here are a few shots from a club meeting last week.

De Havilland DH-100 Hornet

Work in progress bust.

1/35 Panzer Tank

1/32 Spitfire

Thanks for watching.

Gerry :)

Trooper #2 Day 22

2012-01-23T14:00:00.000-08:00

"Are you smiling because your head is already cut-off? That's sick."

Trooper came with me at the restaurant.

Thanks for watching.

Gerry :)

Trooper #2 Day 21

2012-01-22T13:56:00.000-08:00

"Man you're not all there! You're missing the point and some major parts."

Trooper having a discussion.

Thanks for watching.

Gerry :)

Using a $5 Kodak Brownie Hawkeye Flash

2012-01-21T13:45:00.000-08:00

The 50's version of a point and shoot.

I got my hands on this beat up 1950 something Kodak Brownie Hawkeye flash this week. A pretty simple little camera that has seen better days. It came with the flash holder but I don't have any bulbs right now, so I used it with film only.

One good thing and one bad thing about this camera. the good thing is altough it was made to use 620 film which is discontinued, if you still have the original 620 spool in the take up position, a 120 film will fit in the feeder side. The bad thing is that it is fixed at aperture f/11 and 1/30th of a second for shutter speed.

I shot a roll of Ilford HP4 125 on a very sunny day, so that meant the entire roll would be over exposed. Normal setting for this type of condition would have been f/16 at 1/125. So I had to reduce the processing time in order to compensate. 3 minutes in the developer instead of 4.

The results are pretty good considering that there is no focus adjustment and you shoot through a plastic lens. It's a good thing that I took the time to clean it.

I don't think I'll be using it much but it's handy to have in the arsenal.

Thanks for watching.

Gerry :)

Trooper #2 Day 20

2012-01-21T13:31:00.000-08:00

"Stargate sucks!"

A public announcement from your favorite clone.

Thanks for watching.

Gerry :)

Trooper #2 Day 19

2012-01-20T22:19:00.000-08:00

"Mommy?"

Better late than never! Clone melting pot.

Thanks for watching.

Gerry :)

Trooper #2 Day 18

2012-01-19T18:32:00.000-08:00

"If I move my legs enough maybe I can turn this into butter and walk out."

Trooper has ended up in a bit of a jam...or pint!

Thanks for watching.

Gerry :)

Film or Analog Macro Photography

2012-01-18T12:52:00.000-08:00

Minolta X-570: $30, Zoom/Macro lens: $30, remote trigger: $5, industrial tripod: $5, expired color film: $0.70, home processing: $1, making my own macro shots from start to finish: priceless!

So I had the itch to process some black and white film yesterday evening but it was dark and very cold outside. Then it hit me that I had recently bought a zoom lens that also did macro. So I pulled out an expired generic 400 ISO color film (Yes, color film can be processed in black and white) from the freezer and went ahead.

The clock is ticking.

Vintage bobble head. This shot was taken without the hood around the lens. You can see how the light is more diffused than in the other shots.

The results are very good with 20 good shots out of a possible 24. I'm real happy with that. I've learned a few things along the way. That big 3 pound lens works better when it's pointing in a horizontal fashion. It's so heavy that if it's pointing down, the shot will be out of focus by the time you shoot. The depth of field is very very narrow, no room for error.

Nothing like a macro shot to make you realize that your stuff is dirty! There's a clue here about the 1/2 shutter speed. :)

Once in a blue moon you take a shot that makes you go "Wow"! This is such a shot for me.

I was also very happy about that big tripod and shutter release cable. Any kind of vibration will show in the end result. The stable tripod and cable permitted me to keep my hands off the camera and thus avoiding any kind of vibration. I could have used the timer but the cable is so cool!

An appearance from Trooper #2 in an unrelated post for him. I've taken more than a few shots of the guy during that session that will be posted in his regular feature.

I shot the expired film at 200 ISO settings for the light meter and developed it with Ilfosol 3 at 20 degrees Celsius for 6 minutes. I then digitized the negatives with my Nikon S8100 camera on copy and macro mode. The negative was then inverted in Gimp.

All and all a nice way to spend an evening at home.

Thanks for watching.

Gerry :)

Trooper #2 Day 17

2012-01-18T12:17:00.000-08:00

"So you hang around here a lot?"

Trooper making a new friend.

Thanks for watching.

Gerry :)

Trooper #2 Day 16

2012-01-17T14:42:00.000-08:00

"You guys suck for taking all of his attention away from me."

Trooper feels a bit neglected amongst my favorite toys.

Thanks for watching.

Gerry :)

Found Antique glass photo plates

2012-01-16T18:42:00.000-08:00

A recent visit at a local antique shop produced these two images on glass plates. One is of Chichester Rents, a place somewhere in London, of what looks like a newspaper image. The second one is an actual photograph of the James Stewart Distillery at the bottom of Saucel Hill in Paisley Scotland.

The information on the Paisley plate was found on the building. That scribble helped identify the location with Google helping for the rest. I have no idea of the year it was taken however. Maybe someone on the web can help me out.

Anyways, this was a great find for $5. Now that they have been scanned, they can be preserved and shared with the world at the same time.

Thanks for watching.

Gerry :)

Trooper #2 Day 15

2012-01-16T14:09:00.000-08:00

"Back off Man!"

Our guy caught at a bad time.

Thanks for watching.

Gerry :)

Performance art show

2012-01-15T18:48:00.000-08:00

I was invited to a performance art show last Saturday and I found it was an interesting venue to try out flash photography.

Moving subjects in a low light environment was quite a challenge. I brought my G12 and my film camera. I didn't use the flash on the G12 but did with the film camera without any idea on how it would come out. Turns out that deflected flash works a lot better than a direct aim.

It was an intersting evening to say the least. This took place at the Xpression Gallery in the Mile end district of Montreal.

Thanks for watching.

Gerry :)

Trooper #2 Day 14

2012-01-15T16:25:00.000-08:00

"Somehow, I don't think this is a good idea."

Thanks for watching.

Gerry :)

Trooper #2 Day 13

2012-01-14T16:47:00.000-08:00

"Sorry guys, the dude is busy these days."

Thanks for watching.

Gerry :)

Snow storm pictures

2012-01-14T13:09:00.000-08:00

We finally got our first real snow storm of the year. Got some nice shots during and after.


In the thick of it.


Even the buses had a hard time.

Spare truck on the job frozen.


This could pass as an old picture except for a few obvious clues.

Thanks for watching.

Gerry :)

Trooper #2 Day 12

2012-01-13T15:00:00.000-08:00

"Sweet!"

I know I skipped a day, I'll make up for it this week end. Here's Trooper with a new toy.

Thanks for watching.

Gerry :)

Trooper #2 Day 11

2012-01-11T15:39:00.000-08:00

"But I won't fit!"

Trooper lurking a new ride.

Thanks for watching.

Gerry :)

Trooper #2 Day 10

2012-01-10T13:34:00.000-08:00

"Damn no blue wire! That can't be good."

Trooper stumbles upon something quite dangerous while exploring a shelf.

Thanks for watching.

Gerry :)

Trooper #2 Day 9

2012-01-09T15:28:00.000-08:00

"You look cold. Wanna get warm?"

Trooper #2 trying to hook up with an Inuit chick. Girlfriends number 1 and 2 won't be happy! Especially Girlfriend number 2.

Thanks for watching.

Gerry :)

Analog Photography explained

2012-01-08T19:13:00.000-08:00

A great little documentary on the art of film/analog photography.

Thanks for watching.

Gerry :)

Trooper #2 Day 8

2012-01-08T13:07:00.000-08:00

"Cooperating is doing with a smile what you have to do anyways. You can't tell but I'm smiling right now. Really...I swear."

Trooper #2 helping out in the studio.

Thanks for watching.

Gerry :)

I can process my own film!

2012-01-07T17:53:00.000-08:00

My first attempt at processing film was a success! I was so excited to pull this off that I couldn't wait for the film to dry in order to digitize it. I pulled out the G12, set it on macro and put a white piece of cardboard behind the negative while it is still hung up to dry in the shower.

I inverted the color of the image in Gimp and here is the result. Not perfect but the negative was moving and my sole hand holding the camera was shacking with excitement! Can't wait to do the proper scan to see how well they turned out.

Processing film is not that hard and very rewarding. I smell a future post on this once I get the hang of it. The pictures were taken with my 1939 Voigtlander Brillant.

Thanks for watching.

Gerry :)

Trooper #2 Day 7

2012-01-07T14:30:00.000-08:00

"Hey, you did well for an inexpensive full auto point and shoot."

Trooper #2 sends off the battered Nikon S8100 to light duty after a rough year of existence. Taken with the Minolta X-570 using Fuji 400 ISO film, no flash.

Thanks for watching.

Gerry :)

Recent Minolta SRT film roll

2012-01-06T14:49:00.000-08:00

Nothing special about this roll. I went out with my regular 50mm lens and shot the roll just to shoot. Some came out better than others but in general it's not an awesome series.

One thing that I learned from shooting this one is to keep notes. At some point I thought I had measured half the exposures of the film with 400 ISO in mind when in reality it was a 200 ISO film. Turns out I was right from the beginning, it was a 400 inside the camera. Close call.

Taken at a bicycle art show. I used a tripod with no flash.

One thing about film is that every step is a commitment. So plan ahead and keep notes as you go. You can't open the camera to check and a shot can rarely be taken twice the exact same way. As mentionned in a prior post, film slows you down and that's not a bad thing.

Same art show. This was a borderline hand held shot with no flash. A tripod would have made it a lot sharper.

Thanks for watching.

Gerry :)

Trooper #2 Day 6

2012-01-06T13:58:00.000-08:00

"Got a permit for that weapon Mister?"

Trooper #2 faces a very unstable looking fellow.

Thanks for watching.

Gerry :)

Trooper #2 Day 5

2012-01-05T16:57:00.000-08:00

"Jawa art sucks!"

Trooper #2 comments on what he thinks is Jawa art.

Thanks for watching.

Gerry :)

Trooper #2 Day 4

2012-01-04T14:14:00.000-08:00

"So your main attack is cracking nuts with your mouth? That's lame big guy."

Trooper #2 chatting it up with another soldier.

Thanks for watching.

Gerry :)

Why use film?

2012-01-03T16:37:00.000-08:00

It's cheaper! Well that's the short answer and I will address it later. Why use film? The main reason for me at first was for the challenge. I shot film back in the day before digital for taking snapshots of events in order to have something to remember them by. Nothing serious. I figured that experimenting for art's sake didn't justify the expense. I felt there was no way I could come even close to the pros without spending insane amounts of money for equipment and the eventual learning curve.

Taken with a Minolta X-570 using Kodak 200 iso film

That was before the coming of the digital age and my first digital camera. I am a graphic artist and now that I had the means to take large amount of pictures without the expense, I could let myself go crazy. I took pictures to document and to please my eye with what I learned in drawing and painting. I was self taught, so I was missing a few elements.

Taken with a Minolta X-570 using Kodak 200 iso film.

This all changed last year when I decided to actually apply myself seriously at photography. Digital was convenient and immediate but I wanted more. A friend hooked me up with a film SLR and that got me really interested into making some nice film images. I'm not claiming that one is better than the other. They both have their usefulness and this all depends on the person pressing the shutter. The photographer makes the image, not the gear.

Taken with a Minolta SRT 202 using Fuji 400 iso film

Film has taught me about exposure, lighting, depth of field and film speed. I'm still learning but it has made me more aware of what is behind a great image and I even put my new found knowledge to better my digital photography.

Taken with a Minolta 5000 using expired Kodak film.

Film photography also makes you slow down since there are so many ways you can screw up. It's more akin to painting a canvas. Preparation, set-up, planning all come before you even think about the composition of the image. This as had the advantage of making me a better photographer where I take the time to plan my shots. I recently realized that I'm taking less shots on digital and the quality there is better as well.

Taken with a Konica C35 EF using Konica 200 iso expired film.

Now to the money part, how is it cheaper? The most expensive piece of analog gear I have was a $40 camera, every thing else I got for cheaper or free. A quality dSLR that could come close to matching the same image quality from one of my 40 year old Minoltas would cost around $3000 and would have to be replaced within 2 to 5 years. I will never spend that much money on film in that period of time and all of my analog mechanical cameras will work the same way 20 to 30 years from now, if not more.

Taken with a Yashica Electro 35 using Kodak 200 iso film.

So dust off that old film camera and give it a whirl. You'll see what great images can still be done with it. Is film better than digital? No. Is digital better than film? No, they both serve a purpose and depending on what you want to do, one or both of them could serve you well.

Thanks for watching.

Gerry :)

Trooper #2 Day 3

2012-01-03T07:54:00.000-08:00

Man my helmet felt real tight there for a while.

Well Trooper #2 got his act together and feels a lot better now.

Thanks for watching.

Gerry :)

Trooper #2 Day 2

2012-01-01T22:05:00.000-08:00

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.......................

Trooper partied a bit too hard and now he's sleeping it off.

Thanks for watching.

Gerry :)

Shooting with the Canon Powershot G12

2012-01-01T12:26:00.000-08:00

Vintage looking crappy picture. You'd swear this was taken in 1972!

I had quite a challenge yesterday as I was invited to my Son's place to celebrate New Year's eve. His apartment is very badly lit and it was going to be a challenge even for the G12. It's low light capacity is very good compared to its predecessors but still.

The image is still surprisingly crisp for the lighting condition. No tripod or flash.

First off white balance was hard to establish and I never got the setting right. I had to go with high ISO (800) to get some kind of decent shot without a flash. This high ISO rating brings out a lot of noise on the image.

Using the onboard camera flash on manual setting.

The best setting turned out to be black and white in manual mode with a set zone focus and flash. I like the vintage look of it enhanced by the 1:1 square format that brings back memories of 120 film 6X6 images. I guess I'm in a black and white phase right now. Don't know why, I just love it.

The additional lighting present in the kitchen shows here. Same settings as previous.

The closer the subject to the flash, the better. Same settings as previous two images.

Thanks for watching.

Gerry :)

Trooper #2 Day 1

2011-12-31T22:59:00.000-08:00

Happy...hips...New Year eferybuddy...yeah you're my buddy right? Right? Is it me or it's getting cold?

Happy New Year everybody. We wish you all the best and mostly health in this New Year 2012.

Thanks for watching.

Gerry :)

Introducing Trooper #2

2011-12-29T02:00:00.000-08:00

Hello there!

Introducing the new subject of my 2012 365 day project: Trooper #2. Why number 2? Well Wolverine was a trooper and this will be the second one. Let's find out what this guy is all about.

So Trooper, how did you come about joining this little adventure you're about to get involved in?

"After leaving the clone factory, I was drafted by Legends Action figures and then I got assigned to this detail. It's not like I had a choice."

What sets you apart from your predecessor Wolverine?

"I guess I'm more articulated and a bit slimmer. You'll also notice the helmet that hides my face so you have to guess my facial expression. Like right now, I'm making a funny face and you can't see it. That's right, a real funny creepy face."

Any worries you might face the same faith and go MIA like Wolverine?

"Dude! Don't talk about that. You wanna jinx me or something?"

Apart from that, you feel ready for the task at hand?

"Bring it on! I'm ready for anything. The past couple of days I've been played with so hard the plastic in my joints hurt. So yeah, I'm ready baby."

You think you'll be able to work with Gerry no problem?

"The guy seems cool and he can actually build things for me. As long as he keeps me out of his pizza plate, I guess we'll be OK."

I hear you have weapons and possibly other accessories?

"I came with a staff(A glorified stick really.), a bazooka laser kinda thing and a wimpy laser blaster. I mean come on, us background characters couldn't hit a barn at 3 feet with a canon and you expect us to hit something with a precise laser burst? I hope Gerry makes me a shotgun, don't need to be accurate with those. In the meantime he got me this cool Manga Japanese made assault rifle. I'm also planning on raiding this figurine collection in Montreal-North I heard about for some accessories."

See you January 1st then?

"Sure thing. Gotta go. These cops at an accident scene want to match me up with a couple of chicks."

Thanks for watching.

Gerry :)

Canon Powershot G12 an honest review, first impressions.

2011-12-28T10:35:00.000-08:00

The Brick

Why am I calling this an honest review of the Canon G12? Because I forked the $429 bucks for it. Some of my blog readers also contributed thru their donations and I owe them a big thank you. You won't be getting a corporate song and dance here.

Notice the level at the bottom of the screen. Very practical.

First impressions are that this baby is rugged! The hard plastic shell protects the camera from abuse and feels pretty nice to the touch. It doesn't feel cheap. I've read a few comments about some of these dropping on to concrete with no ill effect.

Program mode, no flash, no tripod.

If you've ever owned any Canon Powershot camera as I have, you will feel right at home with the G12. All the controls are where they should be with the usual icon and buttons. However, the G12 affords you the luxury of a few more knobs and buttons to shortcut those controls right on the body. ISO, modes, exposure, shutter speed, aperture and manual focus can all be controlled on the camera itself. There is also a button that can be assigned a function of your choice. I use mine for white balance. It's great to be able to take care of all these things on the fly without going deep in the menu. Mind you Canon has one of the best layouts on menus that I have ever tried.

Manual mode with auto focus not given a chance to react!

Did I mention "manual"? Yes, this baby has a real manual mode. You can have as much control or as little as you want with this camera. If you only want to shoot on Auto, I don't know why you would bother with it. There are also a bunch of special effects available in the scene mode. Black and White and sepia of course, but they have also added a tilt shift, fish eye, poster and nostalgic mode as well among others. I haven't seriously played with the fish eye mode yet but the others offer some interesting results.

Scene mode, miniature or tilt shift effect.

3 things stand out for me on this camera that I wouldn't expect from a point and shoot, a flash hotshoe, a viewfinder and a swiveling LCD screen. The hotshoe is great for a better flash unit on or off the camera, the viewfinder is not that great (but still useful) and the swiveling screen is great for street photography or self portraits. The display also offers a rule of third grid and a level on screen option.

Program mode with Macro setting no flash.

The camera is operated by a Canon specific Ion lithium battery that promises 370 shots with the LCD on. The charger is off camera so I'll be getting a spare battery.

Full manual mode with preset zone focusing.

Start up, auto focus and shutter is lightning fast. One area where this camera has done miracles compared to my last Powershot is low light performance. Wow, it even outperforms my Nikon which is very good in low light.

Scene mode with nostalgic effect (or "film", pretty much the same.)

How does this camera compare so far to the one it replaces? I know it's not a fair comparison, but the Nikon S8100/9100 is the one being set aside in my camera bag and comparing them is inevitable for me. The Nikon has a bigger optical zoom (10x instead of 5X), more mega-pixels (12 compared to 10), a better wide angle lens, cost less and it is more compact. But the Nikon, apart from some exposure control and white balance, is automatic everything. I need more control for what I want to do. This is not a DSLR but it does a whole lot for what it is and the picture quality is outstanding.

Very low light, no tripod, no flash, program mode.

The bottom line is this, would I buy another one if I would *shiver* lose this one? You bet. Keep posted as I get to learn more about this great camera and try to push it beyond, 'cause that's what I do!

Thanks for watching.

Gerry :)

Santa delivered!

2011-12-26T09:01:00.000-08:00

Well Santa was nice this year as I got some new gear, the Canon G12. So here is the new camera that I'll be using to document most of my next 365 Project: Trooper #2.

Trooper #2-"Do you have your papers?" G12-"No, there on a CD for Mac and Windows so if you run Linux, you're out of luck."

I had to download the manual off the web but it was well worth it.

Of course both of these pictures were taken with the Nikon S8100 that I will keep for wide angle shots.

Here are some of the first shots taken with the G12. Now it's just a matter of getting used to it and learning just how far I can push that thing. It is very rugged and it has the same Canon layout menus as any other Canon Powershot, which I'm already familiar with. Except this one has a few short cuts to the functions in the form of buttons and knobs readily accessible on the body of the camera.


The coolest Grandson

The swivle screen makes self portraits easy.

Thanks for watching.

Gerry :)

To all a Merry Christmas

2011-12-24T19:07:00.000-08:00

All the best to you and your family. Here are a few pictures of our family Christmas tree for you to enjoy.

If you just went blind from all that Christmas bling, well that's the idea.

Gerry :)

My "new" Minolta X-570

2011-12-23T21:50:00.000-08:00

The initial shot of every new camera I get.

I just got my hands on this well used Minolta X-570 35mm film SLR with an incredible 1:1.7 50mm lens off of Kijiji. The results are just amazing. I had a bit of doubt since it does depend on batteries for shutter operation but I'm quite pleased with the performance.

I used a Kodak 200 ISO film for my test roll. Today was a great day with large snow flakes coming down with no wind. I went through that test roll within a few hours since I had already planned a shoot for the scenes you see here.

The price was cheap at $35 since the UV filter is jammed on the lens after being dropped. I can live with that and this purchase ended up being a wise gamble.

Thanks for watching.

Gerry :)

Night flash photos, graffiti.

2011-12-22T18:10:00.000-08:00

A regular tag around here.

One trick I recently learned from Youtube was to use a flashlight in pitch black condition. You use the flashlight to allow your camera to do the focus, shut the flashlight off and shoot with the flash on.

Various tags

Here's what it looks like using my Minolta Z1 in black and white mode. speed was set at 1/60 and aperture at f8. I used a cheap dollar store LED flashlight to set the autofocus.

I like the humor in this one.

These shots were taken in an alley of my neighborhood this evening.

Thanks for watching.

Gerry :)

Remembering Wolverine.

2011-12-20T03:00:00.000-08:00

The fact that Wolverine has left us is quite sad and I had a hard time telling the other guys at the house when we got back. Here they are sharing with you there thoughts about the awesome little yellow guy.

"He was a deep and kind creature who loved me."- Girlfriend #1

"Sure Woverine had a temper but he was a good guy."- Batman

"Wolverine was the only one who could listen to my war stories...and survive."- Flippy

"That cheating bastard!"- Girlfriend #2


"The dude was a blast."- Cop #2

Yes, I am insane.

Gerry :)

At the Mall.

2011-12-19T19:25:00.000-08:00

I take my cameras everywhere not just in case I find a great shot, but I also go on the hunt for good shots in odd places and sometimes places of no real interest whatsoever. I guess I like to prove myself wrong.

Case in point the shots presented here. All were taken in shopping mall parking lots while waiting for the Misses. Apart from weird looking cars and people dressing funny to go to Walmart, you wouldn't think that any subject of interest could be found there. Seems I was wrong. All shots were taken with my Nikon S8100.

Thanks for watching.

Gerry :)

Wolverine Day 64...the end

2011-12-18T14:08:00.000-08:00

Wolverine, MIA December 18th 2012

What you have here is the last image of Wolverine. Shortly after taking this picture, he went missing. What was supposed to be a routine suicidal Sunday before Christmas shopping excursion turned to tragedy when I realized that Wolverine was gone. I looked over every single pocket and he was nowhere to be found.

He was last seen at the Centre Laval food court around 1500 hours on this December 18th 2011. He might have fallen from my pocket or I might have dumped him in the trash by accident after this picture was taken, I don't know. I'm not worried, the way I see it he has escaped once again. I'm pretty sure he did so with his previous owner and that's how I got to find him on the ground of a parking lot. Even if he ends up in a landfill, I'm not worried. Wolverine is tough, as a lot of character and he is non-biodegradable. I'm certain he will be found by alien archaeologists thousands of years from now and mistakenly identified as a religious idol from a barbarian tribe of humans.

I will not start a new 365 day project right away. I'd like to start one on January 1st and I'm open to suggestions. Please feel free to send me feedback.

Thanks for watching and Wolverine where ever you are, thanks for a great ride. It was a lot of fun.

Gerry :)

Wolverine Day 63

2011-12-17T16:23:00.000-08:00

Woaaaaaaa!

Wolverine swimming (or drowning) in cameras!

Thanks for wtaching.

Gerry :)

Wolverine Day 62

2011-12-16T17:25:00.000-08:00

AAaaaRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!

Gerry :)

Wolverine Day 61

2011-12-15T17:33:00.000-08:00

Just another day.

Thanks for watching.

Gerry :)

Wolverine Day 60

2011-12-14T17:17:00.000-08:00

It's MINE!

To the victor the spoils.

Thanks for watching.

Gerry :)

Wolverine Day 59

2011-12-13T14:25:00.000-08:00

Do not mess with me!

With egos flying, so did plastic.

Thanks for watching.

Gerry :)

Kodak Brownie Hawkeye camera

2011-12-12T15:58:00.000-08:00

This camera was originally made to work with 620 film. That format hasn't been around for years and you can only buy it online for about $13 bucks a roll. You can actually respool 120 to old 620 spools also.

However, this one is made in a way that it will take a 120 roll of film with no modification. One catch, you have to use an empty 620 spool in the take up end. Just make sure you ask for your 620 spool back when you get the film processed. They are getting hard to come by.

I'm not keeping this one since I already have a decent 6X6 camera. It's up for grabs but still a nice little piece of kit.

Gerry :)

Wolverine Day 58

2011-12-12T15:48:00.000-08:00

Uh oh!

The car's owner drops by!

Thanks for watching.

Gerry :)

Wolverine Day 57

2011-12-11T14:03:00.001-08:00

Man it sucks to be the wrong scale!

Wolverine contemplating grand theft auto. Who could blame him?

Thanks for watching.

Gerry :)

Wolverine Day 56

2011-12-10T20:01:00.001-08:00


Dude, get me out or I'm breaking all these mysterious orbs!

He escaped today and got lost in the Xmas decoration box!

Thanks for watching.

Gerry :)

Wolverine Day 55

2011-12-09T14:29:00.001-08:00

"Let me out of here!"

Another one in the "Film Noir" series.

Thanks for watching.

Gerry :)

1939 Voigtlander Brillant test roll.

2011-12-08T18:08:00.001-08:00

A few months back I bought a 120 film Voigtlander Brillant camera for $40 at a flea market. This was pretty expensive for me as I usually dump no more than $20 on old cameras. I bought a good quality film for it, Kodak Portra 160 professional and loaded it.

1/100 at f/16

I was a bit worried about the condition of the lens and I had problems loading and counting the frames properly. I eventually lost 4 frames on the roll to that stupid mistake. Live and learn!

1/100 at f/16

The shots came out real good. Apart from 2 that came out out of focus due to me not being steady enough while holding the camera, the remaining 6 shots came out real good. I can't wait to load it up again to take some real nice shots.

1/100 at f/16

The first and last shot are covered in dust from the scan. The shop that did the job will remain nameless until I see what they are willing to do about it once I bring it to their attention.

1/100 at f/16

f/100 at f/16

1/25 at f/3.2 no flash

Hope you enjoy what I posted here. Thanks for watching.

Gerry :)

Wolverine Day 54

2011-12-08T18:01:00.001-08:00

Aaaaaargh! My eyes!

More of the "Film Noir" series. Taken in total darkness with a flash. I used a flashlight to set the focus on Wolverine with the camera, closed it and then took the picture.

Thanks for watching.

Gerry :)

Wolverine Day 53

2011-12-07T14:25:00.001-08:00

Post #53, yeah!

I've been waiting weeks for this post. The number says it all. Taken while waiting for my Grandson to come into the world at the hospital.

Thanks for watching.

Gerry :)

Wolverine Day 52

2011-12-06T15:23:00.001-08:00

Hey watch it!

Wolverine getting wet.

Thanks for watching.

Gerry :)

Wolverine Day 51

2011-12-05T16:20:00.001-08:00

Hey cutie pie!

Wolverine hitting the ladies again at Legends Action Figures.

Thanks for watching.

Gerry :)

You don't need an expensive camera.

2011-12-04T15:26:00.001-08:00

Here's proof that great pictures don't depend on expensive gear. The best camera their is is the one you have with you.

Gerry :)