Ghost tours Annapolis
Some lingering thoughts and breakdown on a photo I took in Annapolis while overhearing a “ghost-tour” of the area.
The sunset was stumbling right down main street at just enough of an angle to create some interesting shadows. The harbor area of Annapolis always screams wealth and privilege to me. Yachts anchored in the harbor calmly bouncing along the waves while people playing music and chatting with friends or family. Pedestrians shop or eat out at some of the fancy restaurants. The Naval Officer Cadets can be spotted here and there in their dress whites, like sharply dressed spirits. You can hear cars rolling over cobblestone streets, like vibrations accented with a satisfying clink of brick on brick. I always feel a sense of not belonging when I walk the streets. This feeling persists despite having plenty of friendly conversations with people who stop and ask questions about my 4×5 field view camera. I am happy to chat with them, they usually want to ask about the camera because they themselves use to be a photographer. Street photographers mostly try to be ghosts, unseen by the people they photograph. Street photography with a large format camera is an act of being both very visible and completely invisible. Most people don’t notice, or chose not to see me. They walk by afraid they will end up in my frame or they have no idea what I am doing. They stare as they walk by, averting their gaze when I make eye contact. I am like a ghost, invisible, to all but those who choose to see me. Photographers are the only ones it seems, who notice the ghost standing on the corner with a victorian era camera. Or at least the only ones who would be willing to approach them. Maybe next time I really try and sell the bit, dressed in full 1870’s fashion.
If you do look closely, really take in the scenes of Annapolis, you see the beauty and wealth but you also begin to notice some things that don’t quite fit the aesthetic. The paint chipping on a parked car, stickers covering a light pole, a spray painted trashcan or a walking “Ghost tour” led by a teenager tiredly explaining the history of the buildings and their deceased inhabitants. Those on the tour look towards the old windows in hopes of seeing a ghost staring back, but they aren’t really looking, if they were, they would notice the ghost with the camera, listening to the tired teenager as he fiddles with his frame.
That begs the question then, in the photo above, the man in the street, what does he see? what is he looking at that made him stop in the middle of Francis St. Does he see a ghost in a window? Maybe he is trying to take a photo on his phone? I like the thought that maybe he sees the light splashing against the side of the buildings and the top of the Maryland Statehouse. Another photographer would notice that - that I could relate to. Maybe he just had an epiphany, or maybe he is simply lost.
When I took this photo, I remember the guy in the white shirt who almost spoiled the frame, I remember the paint chips on the car and the way the flag was shaped by the wind. I remember the trashcan and the smoke-shop sign, the way the tree branches were splintering across the white building like a shattered pane of glass. The way the streets were shaped like a funnel, channeling the light down towards the harbor. I remember that all these details are part of why I clicked the shutter, but I don’t remember seeing that man standing in the middle of the street.
Fall 2024 - Color film photos
The following are some of the 35mm and 120 format color film I shot this fall and into winter. All shot on Kodak Gold 200. The 120 film was pushed 1 stop
Cascade Falls
This is a location I could keep returning to. While the frames I took last weekend did not come out as great as I expected, I know the views are ripe with potential. I could do a photo book of this location entirely. Just need to keep photographing it.
All frames shot with a Mamiya RB67 Pro S. 65mm Lens.
Film: Ilford HP5+ Pushed to 1600.
Sept 17, 2024; Nature Walks and Spartan Races
Recent roll of film I shot
Among the roll here are some macro shots, (poison Ivy, cigarettes, flowers) testing out the focal distance on the Mamiya RB67 (65mm lens) As well as a couple scenes from a walk I took. I am upset that the focus missed on the runner with the gasmask, but its such a strange moment I still love the image. The way the light hit all the weird surfaces of the big rock was too wonderful not to shoot. Finally we have some group photos from our Spartan race on Sunday.
This roll was certainly a learning experience, but I am loving shooting with this Mamiya. It feels like the camera equivalent to driving a stick shift. Even the act of removing the dark slide before you can hit the shutter. It feels like the best parts of experiencing shooting a large format camera and medium format all in one.
First roll on Mamiya RB67 Pro S
I am overall very happy with how this roll turned out. There were a few exposures I took an educated guess on because I shot without a light meter. There are others I didn’t expect to turn out well and actually became one of my favorite from the roll. An Accidental double exposure that is just so dang crispy it makes me want to shoot an entire roll of double exposures. But mostly, because its made up of a bunch of people I see on the daily at work. None of them are engineers or scientists, but they all make NASA happen every day. I am excited to share their portraits with them.
Portraits of friends
One of the curses of life post-military experience is that the friendships which remain are often separated by physical distance. Fortunately we still find excuses to come visit even if only for a short period of time. Dan and Hannah both share a love of art and creativity almost as strongly as they love each other and were there for some of the best sitters I could ask for. This impromptu portrait session was created using my Intrepid 4x5 camera and a couple new film holders loaded with ilford hp5 ISO 400. One of the film holders I discovered after development had a light leak, but I think it added a very pleasant flair to the final image.
Also, I cannot get over Hannah's expression in her portrait. After I set up the camera, I asked her to look at her husband, clicking the shutter as soon as the expression formed.
First batch of film processed at home
Hello everyone!
I am very excited to share my first batch of negatives processed in my garage. This process was incredible simple to do at home. The biggest challenges to overcome were the question of what to do with the chemicals after the processing, and finding a place to hang/dry the negatives when they come out of the wash.
My solution for the chemicals: I looked up the dates/times my county has home hazardous waste drop off sites, purchased a couple 2.5 gallon jugs to safely store the chems and will drop them off so they are properly disposed of.
The drying the negatives I have not found a good solution for yet… the biggest issue is the negatives started sliding out of the clips I was using. This was weird because the clips themselves are very strong! I did not expect them to slip out. So I've opted to keep them in the reel… as the 4x5 prints don't touch while in the reel. I then place the real in a cardboard box so that the negatives don't get dusty or get my pets hair stuck to them. I think in the future I may try to clear out a cabinet that they can sit in.
Without further Ado here are the first negatives. All were shot on my intrepid 4x5 camera with Nikon 150mm lens.
Getting back into film.
Goooooooood morning everyone.
Today I am scanning in some 35mm film shot on my Minolta x700. I intend to begin uploading my film here, and maybe… maybe if I feel like it at some future point in time, upload to IG or twitter. I am starting to lose interest in the hustle and bustle of IG, these photographs, the ones I shoot on film are for my own love of photography.
The Kodak portra rolls below were shot back in Rochester, I finally found them in some of the boxes we unpacked since moving out of state. The black and white (Delta 400) film was shot at or around our new home.
So, without further ado, here is the latest batch, some Kodak Portra 160, some Ilford Delta 400.
