new project in the works

For quite some time now, I've been struggling with which direction to go with my photography.  Many would suggest that I go with "where the money is" as that would be the only logical thing one would do when pursuing any career.  But most of us know that it's far easier said than done, especially now with the industry being heavily saturated with other photographers seeking to do the same.  A couple of years ago, I read a brief profile about a young British photographer, now living here in the States, by the name of Nick Hall.  He was chosen as one of PDN's 30 New and Emerging Photographers to watch.  When asked what he considered to be his greatest challenge as a photographer, I was grateful for his answer.  He wrote:  Doubt, and wondering whether you have what it takes to succeed.  You probably don't get over it, you just learn to manage it.  The way I do it is to be really committed to my personal work - to just produce work all the time, do the work you enjoy doing, and hone the style.  

This month, I've officially started my new personal project, which will focus on editorial portraiture of men and a certain fashion trend that's been taking the country by storm.  100% of the project will be shot using various types of film.  I was grateful to my friend, local videographer Ben Woods, for being willing to be my first participant.  I'll share more information about this photo essay as it develops.  Until next time folks!

test roll | pentax k1000

I promised you pictures, well here they are.  Some of them anyway.  I think this little Pentax and I will become very good friends!  

skies the limit . . .

. . . sometimes, I just wish I had wings.

.back to basics.

Film.  These are just a few of the shots that I took with a Canon AE-1 that I recently acquired from a friend in exchange for photography lessons.  Yay!  There's something to be said about shooting with an old manual camera.  The fact that you know you've only got X amount of frames to work with, having to get your exposure settings right, manually focusing, and then after pressing the shutter button. . . the wait.  Well, I was pretty pleased to find that this camera works perfectly fine and I'm anxious to shoot more!  Got a photo shoot in the morning so we'll see the results in black and white!  

.for the love of film.

Mystery.  I think that's the word that would best describe why I still have a soft spot for analog film.  The convenience of digital, I think, takes away so much of the emotion that one has in the moment they snap a photograph.  With a push of a button, we can immediately critique an image and in seconds shoot some more until we believe we are satisfied.  Film teaches us patience, something that is truly lacking in our instant world today.  Even with instant film, there is still a wait!  :D

Earlier in the week, I found this wonderful video via Elle and thought that you beautiful souls would enjoy it too!  

.writing a new chapter.

Well, time is ticking away rather quickly in our neck of the woods. The home is in shambles at the moment as we divide want we feel we need to keep and what we want to sell. Our eyes are set on North Carolina at the moment. Where exactly? That has yet to be determined. I'm excited. Stress is creeping in a little, but I'm okay. What lies ahead of us is a new adventure, a new chapter to be written. I've been in dire need of an adventure and it looks like I'm about to embark on one. As my Uncle mentioned this evening, it's in my blood.

We are planning on having our 'moving sale' at the end of the week next week. As we prepare for it, I realize that I seriously SERIOUSLY have been needing to purge for quite sometime. I have enough craft supplies to start my own store! Most of what I have has been rarely used, some even unopened. That's what happens when you work in a craft supply store for nearly 9 years and then realize you have no time to craft. But hopefully, this will mean I will get some of my money back during the sale. Being realistic during a move can be hard sometimes. When I say that I mean it's like the same conversation I have when I'm actually in a store. Do I seriously see myself using this in the next. . . say month? I know it's cool to have, but seriously, when was the last time I used this? Most of what we have is, in essence, mine which makes it hard for the hubby to help because he's afraid he'll put something in the wrong box. There are clothes, tons of clothes that I had hoped I would have been able to fit again. Home decor. Art and craft supplies. We seriously need to make a killing on this sale. I guess, really, we are writing that new chapter now. The title: On the Path to a Simplified Life. We hope.

**Apologies to anyone reading this who may've gotten totally confused! Ha! My mind is so full right now that things just come out in chunks, so bare with me! :D

.PX I love you.

So it's here. . . the highly anticipated film created by the geniuses at the Impossible Project. The delivery of two packets came in the mail little over a week ago. Like a child who received the one toy they requested for Christmas, to have it in my hands was, in its own way, magical. At first, I hesitated to open it, scared that I would somehow screw it up, especially since there's been so much talk about the fact this film is extremely sensitive to both light and temperature. There's a very painful, and expensive learning process that takes place with this film. But I have to admit, I'm in love.

The soft, dreamy quality that is typical of Polaroid film is still there. The warm tones in the images are delightful, especially for me, considering I'm a huge fan of brown tones. If you couldn't already tell.

I'm still crossing my fingers that the price of the film (currently $21) will either stay the same, or decrease as time goes on. Each packet consists of 8 (as opposed to the Polaroid 600's 10) shots. So a lot more thought should probably go into each composition before pressing that little red button.

So yes, I am quite happy with this new film. Adore it really. I'm hoping for this Christmas, Santa will be sweet and fill my stockings with PX 100 film!

To see more of my shots, visit Flickr.
For more info on this new film, visit the Impossible Project.