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The 135mm Challenge Zine 2019
In 2019 I wanted to focus on getting my photos printed in a physical form. One of the ways I went about it were simple zines showcasing a theme of photographs.
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The 135mm Challenge Zine 2019Film Photography
I started the year with Zine Issue 1: Road Trip 2018 with 15 black and white photographs of said road trip combining some landscape photography and sights along Route 66. $1 from each benefits National Historic Route 66 Federation and another $1 the National Park Foundation.
Then came the Zine Issue 2: Chasing Waterfalls featuring the many waterfalls of Robert H Treman State Park and Buttermilk Falls State Park, also in black and white. $1 from each benefits Robert H Treman State Park via the Natural Heritage Trust, the official charity of New York State Parks and another $1 the Buttermilk Falls State Park.
Then came couple collaborations with photographers around two of my favorite podcast.
The first one was The Lensless Zine 2019 featuring 32 previously unpublished black and white pinhole photographs from 16 different photographers around the Lensless Podcast. The profits from this zine went to the podcasters to assist with their costs.
The 135mm Challenge Zine2019
The second collaboration, The 135mm Challenge Zine, closes the year. It is a collaboration of 21 different film photographers around the Negative Positives Film Photography Podcast featuring 42 previously unpublished black and white film photographs, all photographed with a 135mm telephoto lens providing a specific look to the included photographs as well as a name for the zine. The profits went right back to the podcast to assist with the podcast costs.
Why a challenge? 135mm is not a usual all around focal length. Thus, capturing a whole roll of 36 photographs challenged our photographic vision. I like wide angle lenses and usually walk around with a 28mm lens. 135mm required a bit of calibration. However, a few pictures in, I was a fan.
I found two basic use-cases for the lens. The obvious one was to shoot things that were further away that I could not get closer to. In the same category, stepping further away and using a telephoto lens instead of getting closer with a wide angle provided a different perspective. Things appeared closer that way. For example a group of wild flowers can look sparse with a wide angle lens but telephoto can make it look like they're much denser.
The other use-case was for shallow depth of field. With a 28mm lens (or wider) it is almost impossible to render foreground objects in focus while throwing the background out of focus. With a 135mm it becomes very easy. That provided an opportunity to lean into this, shoot wide open, and clearly show where the interest laid in each frame.
Enjoy The Beauty That Surrounds You! #etbtsy
Using my links to do your shopping keeps me sharing more photographs and writing the stories behind them and costs you nothing. You can also use the Amazon search box in bottom left for anything at all. I truly appreciate each purchase, no matter how large, no matter how small. Thank you!
Zine Issue 1: Road Trip 2018
The Lensless Zine 2019
Zine Issue 2: Chasing Waterfalls
In the Woods
Today's photos are an example of what I mean by my #etbtsy hashtag. It stands for enjoy the beauty that surrounds you! And it is so true. So often do we just walk by beautiful things without noticing, without stopping, without appreciating. But those moments when we do are so worth it!
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This morning, a day off and a walk in the woods was what the doctor ordered. And yes, it was at a park that is well knows for some of its sights. But it was not those sights that called to me the most. It was way simpler. It was just the enjoyment of being in the outdoors and enjoying every single step through the woods.
The bright morning light was making its way through the trees setting up the dreamy scene of the first photograph. Add the randomly crisscrossing trunks of the leaning trees and the scene was just about perfect and I could not resist.
Letchworth ForestTrees in Morning Light
Trees of the Letchworth State Park Forest
Photographed on film: Nikon F4, Agfa Vista 200
Then I keep walking, paying attention to all of the details that I am surrounded by. The moss on the forest floor, the moss on tree bark, stumps resembling other things, my imagination goes wild. And look, there's a beautiful mushroom growing on that tree!
Mushrooms in the WoodsLetchworth State Park
Mushrooms in the Woods, Letchworth State Park, New York
Photographed on film: Nikon F4, Agfa Vista 200
To complete today's admiration of woods we're going to finish at another local place that is very close to where I live and as such I have the luxury of visiting it often. Yes, I have photographed it many times and have some favorite and over-photographed scenes there but I like the challenge of finding more, of capturing things in different light, different seasons, different weather and so on. We started with leaning trees, let's wrap up with them too.
Leaning Trees of Birdsong, Birdsong Park, Orchard Park, New York
Photographed on film: Nikon F4, Kodak Gold 200
Enjoy The Beauty That Surrounds You! #etbtsy
Do you enjoy reading my photography blog? Would you like to see more photographs from Buffalo and Western New York? Visit my Buffalo Cityscapes and Buffalo & Western New York Landscapes and enjoy! Please, let me know if you have any questions about any photo products offered, or not offered, I will be happy to help! For a quick reference to all photo galleries and collections as well as all photo products currently offered through my site, please, visit the Products page.
Using my links to do your shopping keeps me sharing more photographs and writing the stories behind them (commission earned) and costs you nothing. You can also use the Amazon search box in bottom left for anything at all. I truly appreciate each purchase, no matter how large, no matter how small. Thank you!
Sunny Fall DayLetchworth
Fall ColorsAkron Falls Park
Rock GardenNiagara Gorge
Seaside Pinhole Photography IV
Zeroimage Pinhole35mm Film Pinhole Camera
We are now well into the gray period here in Western New York and as such I hope you're all fine with two black and white posts in a row this week. To add some variety today's two photographs are captured on a 35mm pinhole camera at a rather colorful place, a place of dreams, a paradise on Earth.
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Welcome to the wonderful lava-filled coast of Maha'ulepu in Kauai, Hawaii. Just walking along the coast is a total feast for one's soul and eyes. And having a camera in hand can further enhance this exhilaration. Not only does it bring happiness knowing that there will be pictures to look at and enjoy long after arriving back home faraway from this paradise but it also helps me open my eyes even more and look for answers to what it really is that I love about the place.
Yes, I often get philosophical while on location. Rather than randomly pointing a camera in many different directions trying to capture the key elements is a worthwhile challenge. And in my opinion, that is where a different set of tools can help by forcing a different approach.
So here we are with a pinhole camera. It's clear the resulting pictures will not be sharp. It's also clear the exposures will take several seconds given the tiny hole (f/138) and slow film (ISO 50). With these limitations in mind it's time to lean into them and turn them into strengths. After all, long exposures at a beautiful coastline seem like the right recipe.
Maha'ulepu LavaPinhole photography
In the first photograph, the focus is on the lava rocks filling the shore. To me, that is what makes the Hawaiian coastline so photogenic. In the following photograph, it's the next thing that catches one's eye. The regular rhythm of the waves hitting the shore, wave after wave.
Maha'ulepu Lava
35mm Zeroimage Pinhole Camera, Ilford PANF Plus 50 Black & White Film
Maha'ulepu CoastPinhole Photography
Maha'ulepu Lava
35mm Zeroimage Pinhole Camera, Ilford PANF Plus 50 Black & White Film
Enjoy the Beauty that Surrounds You! (#etbtsy)
Would you like to see more pinhole photographs? Visit my Pinhole Photography gallery and enjoy! Please, let me know if you have any questions about any photo products offered, or not offered, I will be happy to help! For a quick reference to all photo galleries and collections as well as all photo products currently offered through my site, please, visit the Products page.
Do you like my free content but are not ready to buy a photograph for your walls yet? Using my links to do your shopping helps me share more photographs and write the stories behind them. And it costs you nothing. You just need to start your shopping by clicking on an advertised product or use the Amazon search box in bottom left. It does not matter what you eventually buy as long as you start here. I truly appreciate each purchase, no matter how small. Thank you!
Previously on pinhole photography: A New Chapter, a New Book - Pinhole Photography, Film Pinhole Photography, Seaside Pinhole Photography, Lake Erie Lakeshore on Pinhole, Erie Basin Marina on Pinhole, Worldwide Pinhole Photography Day 2017, The Final Six, Large Format Pinhole, Large Format Pinhole by Cargill Pool Grain Elevator, Large Format Pinhole of Orchard Park Train Depot, Large Format Pinhole of Green Lake, Cobblestone on Pinhole, Buffalo, NY, WPPD 2018, Seaside Pinhole Photography II, Seaside Pinhole Photography III, Pinhole & Trucks, Seaside Pinhole Photography IV
Makawehi Lithified CliffsPinhole Photography
Shipwreck BeachPinhole Photography
Ke'e BeachZero Image 35mm Pinhole Camera, Ilford PANF Plus 50 Black & White Film
Still in Operation
This was a nice late afternoon stroll through Buffalo's Old First Ward looking for new photo opportunities. It's always great to re-visit a previously photographed place as I know the lay of the land and at the same time it is an interesting challenge to leave with something new.
The Old First Ward SignBuffalo, NY
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Sometimes, those opportunities are hard to find when visiting a place for the hundreth time, other times, recent changes make them jump out. Or as on this day, having a photo companion helped me look at the places in new light. And of course, a little bit of luck never hurts. One has to be ready for it, though!
Buffalo's grain elevators have attracted my attention for years. It's always nice to see these behemoths of the past still in operation. Here, a truck is getting a truckload of grain at the Standard Grain Elevator in Buffalo, NY. It was quite opportune to stumble upon this scene with a camera loaded with black and white film. Rather fitting, in my opinion.
Loading a TruckStandard Grain Elevator
Loading a Truck, Standard Grain Elevator, Buffalo, New York
Photographed on film: Nikon FE, Kodak 5222 / Cinestill BwXX Film
Enjoy The Beauty That Surrounds You! #etbtsy
Do you enjoy reading my photography blog? Would you like to see more photographs from Buffalo and Western New York? Visit my Buffalo Cityscapes and Buffalo & Western New York Landscapes and enjoy! For more black and white photographs click to the World without Color photo collection. Please, let me know if you have any questions about any photo products offered, or not offered, I will be happy to help! For a quick reference to all photo galleries and collections as well as all photo products currently offered through my site, please, visit the Products page.
Using my links to do your shopping keeps me sharing more photographs and writing the stories behind them and costs you nothing. You can also use the Amazon search box in bottom left for anything at all. I truly appreciate each purchase, no matter how large, no matter how small. Thank you!
Puddle Shot of the Buffalo City HallBuffalo, NY
Gallagher Pier in IceBuffalo, NY
Edward M Cotter at Naval Park IIBuffalo, NY
Colors
Winter stopped by for a while, announced itself, and then disappeared again, probably just for a short while. We have entered the 6-month gray period. While waiting for snow to come and brighten our world let's enjoy some colors of October.
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One of my favorite places to visit in the fall, and in all seasons for that matter, is the beautiful Letchworth State Park. When a beautiful sunny day shows up during the colorful season, why not take a day off and head out for a stroll with a camera in hand?
Sunny Fall Day in LetchworthLetchworth State Park
Sunny Fall Day in Letchworth State Park, New York
Photographed on film: Nikon FE, Kodak Ektar 100
I love that the park has a great variety of subjects. There are wonderful grand vistas featuring the Genesee River gorge, there are beautiful big and small waterfalls, and there are some hidden treasures if one ventures off the beaten path.
Colorful Shadow CascadeLetchworth State Park
Colorful Shadow Cascade, Letchworth State Park, New York
Photographed on film: Nikon FE, Kodak Ektar 100
Enjoy The Beauty That Surrounds You! #etbtsy
Do you enjoy reading my photography blog? Would you like to see more photographs from Buffalo and Western New York? Visit my Buffalo Cityscapes and Buffalo & Western New York Landscapes and enjoy! Please, let me know if you have any questions about any photo products offered, or not offered, I will be happy to help! For a quick reference to all photo galleries and collections as well as all photo products currently offered through my site, please, visit the Products page.
Using my links to do your shopping keeps me sharing more photographs and writing the stories behind them (commission earned) and costs you nothing. You can also use the Amazon search box in bottom left for anything at all. I truly appreciate each purchase, no matter how large, no matter how small. Thank you!
Upper Papermill FallsLetchworth State Park
Papermill Falls SidekickLetchworth State Park
Fog over Genesee River at DawnLetchworth State Park
Get Inspired!Letchworth State Park
The Letchworth Gorge, Tea Table ViewLetchworth State Park