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Beware the Judderman

"Beware the Judderman, my dear, when the moon is fat...
Sharp of tongue and spindle-limbed he is, and cunning,
With sweetened talk of schnapps and Metz, and the deliciousness of judders.
But schnapps, though sweet, has teeth, my love, and sharpened ones at that.
Beware the Judderman, my dear, when the moon is fat…"


Inspiration for photographs or other visual creations can come from many places, and the wonderful thing about that for me is that you never know when it will happen. It can be something big, small, viewed from a certain angle, subtle or in your face.

For the last few months, I have not been able to get this idea out of my head. It comes from around the year 2000 and a television advert for a now discontinued drink called Metz. I have always felt that this advert had a very eastern European fairy tale feel, and I think some inspiration for the character most have come from the Jack Frost sprite. That in turn has sparked my brain to think along the fairy tale theme, but not too obviously so. Maybe something with a modern twist...

You can see what I believe is the longer or longest version of the original advert here:


We are heading into winter now, so my thinking cap is on. The ideas, whether practical or not, make the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end.

My Minolta XD - Restoration Complete

Sometimes things sit in the back of your mind in a mental to do list and every now and then they appear in front of your mind’s eye with such a vengeance that they cannot be ignored. I am tempted to throw in a bit of glamour at this point and say it is like a sign or apparition from a superior being, but I know that would be perceived as being over dramatic. I have no idea where it came from, but this is what made me decide to get this restoration completed sooner rather than later.

I have mentioned before that I still shoot film alongside digital. Nostalgia is a powerful part of this attachment, but I also like the fact that it slows the picture taking process down, This is especially true when using manual focus. That gives me a sense of engagement that is not always there with my digital camera.

The camera you see here is my beloved Minolta XD (sold as the XD7 in Europe and an XD11 in the USA). I have owned this for many years, and I am so grateful that I did not sell it when digital came along. It has just been expertly serviced by the Camera Repair Workshop, who are Minolta specialists. I have used them before so I know their work is first class. I replaced the original leatherette with an embossed real leather as the original had shrunk. It is a form of pimping, but I think it adds positively to the finish.

There are numerous reasons why I kept this camera over any others. The features and positive aspects are well documented on the internet, so I will not include them here. For me, there are two other reasons why this camera stayed with me. It is made of metal and therefore very solid, and it is easy to maintain or repair. There are electronics inside, but they are simple and durable.

Over the last few years I have consolidated my film equipment into the things that I use and have a desire to keep, which can be for any number of reasons. I made a rule that I cannot buy anything new unless it has been funded by another piece of equipment. I also feel that this is not dead money as it can be with digital. Film camera technology does not progress much now, so you can keep a film camera for decades and not feel like you are missing out on the latest version as you can with digital cameras. Film technology does evolve, but that is a good thing as that is camera food.

My 35mm SLR line up is as follows - the XD camera body, a 35-70 f3.5 zoom, a 50mm f1.4 and a 90mm f2.5 prime lens. I also sourced an auto winder and replaced the leatherette with real leather. I did not spend a lot of money on any of these items, and peanuts compared to digital equivalents. Of course 35mm is also full frame, which has advantages when you are looking to exploit the depth of field without using distance or longer lenses. I am pleased to see that the majority of these carefully chosen items are rising in value at the moment, and I suspect that they will still be desirable or collectable in the future. As more digital cameras get body sensor stabilisation this will probably also help to sustain interest.

Some people say film is not dead – this is still very true for me.

A Treasure Trove of Cameras

For many people around the world, there are several online auction sites that they can usually find the camera or lens that they are looking for.

However, in part of Hong Kong there is a rather special area with a  few shops that sell cameras. Forget the new, latest gear that can be found on the main streets, although they do sell that as well.

This place is a treasure trove of all brands, and usually they are in excellent condition.

Welcome to Champagne Court, just off Kimberley Road in Kowloon...

Werner Herzog - Instiller of Enthusiasm

Picture from wernerherzog.com
A few weeks ago I was watching YouTube while contemplating my bowl of corn flakes.

I really dislike the adverts that plague YouTube, but I enjoyed ths one. It featured the director Werner Herzog talking about the Masterclass project. He is not just a director, but that was the role he was performing when I first got to know about him.

We are in a creative world, and it is always nice to see passionate people who are still committed to what they believe in after so many years. I have always like him, and this advert portrayed a warmth and obvious love of his work that I found empowering.

This may have just been for the camera, but it sits very well with the other good impressions that I have of him over the years. Interestingly, it made me want to go out and take pictures that day, which I had not planned to do.

So this is my little online thank you to Werner for keeping the passion alive...

A Brief Update

The posts made on this site are not scheduled, although they are not normally infrequent either. I am not looking to earn money or try to get thousands of visitors every hour, so I an be relaxed about when I do post.

There has been a slight gap in the last few weeks due to time constraints and a bout of heavy shooting. There will be more posts soon.

Watch this space.... :-)

Financial Times - Kodak and Chapter 11

In these posts I have made no secret of my love of film. I am not using analogue as an accessory to help me create a hipster look, I just like it.

While randomly surfing the ‘net this week, I found this clip on YouTube comparing film and digital. I think it was inspired by Kodak filing Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in 2012. I remember at the time a lot of people thought this would be the final nail in the coffin for film. Personally, I think this was a case of the media loving a bad news story. The film was published in 2015.

It was refreshing to see a different perspective. It was not a case of why one is better than the other. It was a comparison about their differences and possible futures. There were some interesting interviews as well, who I think all made worthwhile contributions.

Micro Four Thirds - Not to be Ignored

Like many photographers, I keep an eye on what is happening to our technology to see what is new and interesting. More importantly, are any of these things of interest or use to me.

I do not do product reviews as such, but this post covers something that I feel is interesting as a technological development.

A few years ago I moved to mirrorless from DSLRs. The main reason was to reduce the weight and bulk of my equipment. I have also found that when shooting in public, I do not seem to get noticed as much, which has many advantages. This is almost certainly due to the annoying (but in this case useful) perception that the bigger your camera the more professional you are.

When I made the switch, I decided to go with the APS-C size sensor. I did take a look at micro four thirds, but it was lacking for me at that time. However, in the present day, I do not think it should be overlooked.

The Olympus OM-D E-M5 MKII is a camera with an interesting feature set, and it is the first camera in this system to have made me look twice. It just about covers everything you would need in a general use digital camera at an enthusiast or even semi-pro level. I will not bore you with the features, although I have linked to the Olympus site in this paragraph if you wanted to take a look. They seem to have thought of just about everything, and that includes the accessories. That is not surprising, as Olympus are old hands at this camera making lark.

I do not think the sensors can be taken over 16 million megapixels, so I think the future will have to focus on image quality and camera design. That seems to be happening already.

When the time comes change my camera in the future, I will certainly take a look at this system and the models available. There are two big names behind micro four thirds, Panasonic and Olympus, and I do not see them throwing away all that research and development any time soon.

Two Film Manufacturers - One Resurrected

We have had a really mixed bag of weather this summer. When I have arranged to shoot something outside and the weather turns nasty, I cannot always put together an alternative. The end result of this dilemma can mean I end up going online for a while.

Sometimes these forays into the world wide web can be very productive. This week I discovered two film related sites that I was not aware of. Well, I say not aware, one I had heard of before, although I thought it was no longer making film. The other was new to me, but looks interesting.

The first is Ferrania film, who are in the process of recreation from the ground up as a film maker. This means they have the potential to survive if another company stops manufacturing as they will make their entire product on site from scratch. The factory is in Italy, and so far the progress looks promising.

The second one is the previously unknown manufacturer, and it is CineStill. I originally thought this was a film along the concept of LightWorks (I think that was the name) who used to buy up surplus cinema film stock and sell it as photographic film. The trouble with that was that the processing chemistry was very specialised and probably expensive as a result. CineStill film is C41 chemistry, which makes their product much more appealing. The only downside is that allegedly it has a backing to it that can mess up a labs chemistry. I will investigate that further.

I will not repeat what is on the respective websites here, but I have linked both sites above if you would like to take a look. My creative life does not revolve soley around film photography, I am just excited to see it is not as dead as I once feared.

Digital Saved my Sanity, but is it Love?

I have said this on here before, but I learnt my photography in the days of film. This was also the days of manual focus. As a result, I feel like I have a personal heritage in photography, which can be very nostalgic.

When auto focus was first available, I could not wait to get my hands on an AF camera. The camera that introduced me to this new way of taking pictures was a borrowed Minolta Dynax 7000, and I was hooked. I changed to an auto focus camera at the earliest opportunity. I alternated a bit between Canon and Nikon, although my final big purchase was with Nikon, partly due to an attractive deal that I could not turn down, but also because I liked the camera. The choice ticked all the boxes so to speak.

Then came digital, and that really rocked my world. My first proper digital camera, and by that I mean DSLR, was a Nikon D100. This was a truly monumental shift in my photography. I was a full time photographer and webmaster (so retro), so each day I shot I would typically expose 30-40 rolls of 35mm film. The AF saved me from being quite so mentally exhausted, and the digital work flow saved my sanity – quite literally.

My main business was web content, so when I was not shooting I was scanning transparencies. I was on first name terms with all the staff at the lab, so it was also quite a social relationship. The negative element (no pun intended) was the scanning.

I forget how many times I was up at midnight or later 'batch' scanning. There were automation options for my scanner; the manufacturer made a slide holder that you could load all your slides into and it would scan them one by one without user intervention. However, it still needed to be loaded and very often, despite my care, the scans were not clean or cropped as accurately as I liked. Computers were not as fast or refined as they are now, so everything took time, and time was something I did not seem to have.

This will not need much explanation, but to be able to take a memory card out of a camera and transfer the contents onto a hard disk was, quite simply, a gift from the Gods. Most of my work was studio based on or location, which meant the images tended to have pretty constant lighting. This meant I could do the basic edit on a few from each set from the day, and then batch process them. Suddenly I gained hours in each day, and with each hour a little of more of my sanity returned. I have lost count of the number of baths, showers and nice meals I was able to build back into my life while all this 'computer stuff' went on in the background.

The rest, as they say, is history. Digital progressed, and image quality improved. Computers became faster. Strangely, this is what brought part of my work back to film. Shooting a couple of rolls of film over a day or two is really enjoyable. Manual focus is not as slow or stressful as I remember it, although the circumstances now are much more preferable. I can still use AF with film, but tend not to. Most processing labs now provide a good quality develop and scan service, so this work is not omitted from being included in the digital world. My old film cameras have big, bright viewfinders and decent lenses. I have owned them from new, so they are all in excellent condition and were stored well when not in use. I never had the heart to get rid of them, which has turned out to be a good decision.

My love of film is partly nostalgia, but also a genuine love of the process. Everything seems a little slower, which is no bad thing. I also think because it is not part of every day or even every week, it means I can enjoy all the stages of the process from buying the film to sharing or doing something else with the images. There is also that slight element of worry that you have made a mistake in exposure or did not get the image you hoped for, but that is all part of analogue.

Analogue Batteries - How Did I Miss This?

There are occasions where I am amazed at my lack of knowledge.

I am not unintelligent by any means, but occasionally certain things just miss my 'knowledge radar'. They are not normally big issues, but they still make me feel silly as I think I should have picked up on them as they probably waved at me as they passed in previous years.

Part of my photography uses my SLRs and 120 cameras, and as you probably know most SLRs need button cell batteries to operate fully. By luck, for me these are all the same size – the 1.5 volt SR44 or equivalent.

I have tended to buy the alkaline versions, based on the historic of development of batteries through my life, and pioneered by the brand with the copper top that goes on and on when others become exhausted. As a child playing with battery operated toys, this was excellent. This good news story is etched on my brain.

One of my cameras takes silver oxide, alkaline or even a slightly bigger lithium cell, which is what set me thinking. I know the older cameras that took mercuric oxide based batteries sometimes need adaptors to use modern equivalents. Some adaptors include voltage regulators, as these voltage differences can affect meter readings, but may not actually damage the camera.

My own cameras do not use mercury based batteries, so this is a not a specific issue that affects me, but I realised the 3 types above probably had different characteristics due to their chemistry.

Silver Oxide – These can cost a little more alkaline. They have an important characteristic, they have the ability to maintain a more stable voltage. This characteristic makes them better and possibly essential for metering equipment such as light meters, where a stable voltage is required. These batteries have a 'W' or 'SW' suffix. This relates to low or high drain applications, and when there is a choice I have decided to always try and get the 'W' version for high drain applications. I am not sure if it makes a difference in real life, but the logic seems well founded.

Alkaline – This type of chemistry should be longer lasting than silver oxide, but their voltage drops off faster than silver oxide from first use. This could affect the accuracy of the built in light meter, so these batteries are no longer my first choice.

Lithium – The Lithium chemistry is the odd one out for me, as I can only use them in one camera. They can have a shelf life of up to 10 years, and should outlast both the above in use. I can use one battery instead of 2 SR44s, which is less fiddly. However, if I use my camera in cold weather (0 degrees celsius or less), lithium chemistry can stop working until it warms up again. I have not found any information about voltage drop during use, but I suspect they are like silver oxide in that respect. As all batteries should now be disposed off in recycling centres, the pollutant element of lithium is not quite such a consideration, but is still a negative.


Conclusion

I have decided to buy silver oxide batteries, mainly because they fit in all my cameras. I will probably renew them every 6-8 months as the cost is not prohibitive. If we were still in a film only era, where I used my camera every day for a few hours, I would probably buy the lithium version as it would survive heavy or extended use better.

Incidentally, I realise cameras may have built in voltage regulation or bridge circuitry, but I cannot assume this.

For the Love of Film

I never thought that photography would ever be something that caused me worry or stress, but there is one subject that in recent years bothers me. It sits on my shoulder whispering in my ear...

What on earth could be doing this to me, considering my entire creative existence is based on a love and passion about what I do? The answer is, in fact, simple. I worry about the reduction in the range and availability of film for cameras.

In recent years we have lost some gems – Fuji Reala was a film that I loved using. Hopefully all is not lost though, as I read that Fujifilm now earns more from film sales than their cameras. Film is a consumable, so it may makes sense for them to keep manufacturing it as it actually brings in an income. Sadly, they raised their prices a while back, which was linked to higher production costs as they are creating less of the product.

Ilford have had a rough few years, but seem to be okay for now. I think their FP4 and HP5 will always be in demand as long as people shoot film. I also take some reassurance from The Impossible Project with their instant films. Lomography have done a lot to revive film with their business model. They have some interesting products and special editions. In fact, something to suit everyone.

Kodak have a beautiful product in their Portra films. I love their ISO 160 version. This film has a truly beautiful colour balance and images look gorgeous. It was designed for portraits, but can be used for other work as well. They also make Ektar, which seems to have a slight reddish tone. I think this makes it ideal for landscapes, although I have not shot it myself yet. If Portra continues to be made, I think my own requirments will be catered for.

Is my worry justified? I would like to think it is not, but I hope the industry will continue to provide us with 'camera food' for many years to come. I hope we will always have film of some sort, but the products will probably continue to reduce into the ones that sell well. I suppose that makes good business sense. I know this is selfish, but I hope that my own preferred choices are the ones that survive.

Why the Attitude?

Pretentious – Attempting to impress by affecting greater importance or merit than is actually possessed...
There are many good things that have come with the internet. Possibly quite low on the big list of developments that could be described as amazing is the ability to research information about cameras and read or watch reviews.

One of my favourite places to look for these is YouTube, but when did it get choked with so called reviews that are just an overview of the camera? Why not call it what it is, an overview?

There also seems to be a huge number of videos by photographers explaining why they changed from one camera brand to another. This can be interesting, but does it really need to be a 15-30 minute video? I think not. Each to their own, but I lose interest after 5 minutes because they are too drawn out. However, there are videos that I think are genuinely interesting, and not because they are more technical. One example that springs to mind is DigitalRev. Occasionally you get the personal slightly arrogant opinion sneaking in, but it is not rammed down your throat with a footnote saying 'I am right and you are wrong. No, actually, you do not matter'.

I never fully appreciated how pretentious some photographers are until they started to have a presence on the net. I had noticed it in forums before, but that tended to be people slagging each other off or their respective work. This was probably an early form of trolling. Maybe that would that be called trollism? Either way, the act of being a troll.

I originally thought the drive for attention was for hits associated with affiliate links, but it seems more complex than just earning a revenue. I think that was the case in the early days. In more recent years the obsession for followers and likes seems to have become crucial to some, possibly in the pursuit of some form of acceptance or credibility. The world of Facebook, Instagram and Twitter has taken things to a different level.

While researching this subject a little further before writing this post, I found some interesting links online. The one that stuck out to me and has made it onto my personal reading list for sites is Psychology for Photographers. The author is called Jenika and she has done a far better job than I can of explaining this subject. You can click the link to view her post and also take a look at her site if you would like to read more. Of course, I have not taken anything from her post, so what you will see there will be fresh.

I am not surprised to find someone had already tackled this subject online, but in my unexpected need for justification or validation of my observations, I am pleased to see the posts and articles do exist.

Camera Envy - Advertising or Desire?

Camera envy is a curious thing, and I think if affects us all in different ways.

There are some people who are obsessed (a strong word but accurate) with the buying the latest version of their camera or upgrade, while others seem content with the same one for years. I think the world of digital has a lot to answer for with this change in the way we think.

In the days of film, many photographers would buy new lenses or change their preferred film, but often stay with the same camera body for several years. Changes to the body were often linked to a change in requirements, such as a better built body to withstand heavy use or sadly after some fatal damage.

I have vivid memories from my younger years of looking at alluring camera adverts in the magazines. The camera did not even have to be really expensive, it was just made attractive. I distinctly remember the Practica B200 and Nikon EM adverts, and neither of those cameras were top of the range. I choose an American Leica advert from 1970 for this article, but this was before I would have started noticing such things.

In fact, as a teenager, various camera adverts and specifically the Lambs Navy Rum calendar are almost certainly what lured me into shooting models and the world of studio photography. To be fair, there was probably an element of teenage testosterone as well.

In the modern day, digital is an ever evolving world, and as such many of the manufacturers bring out upgraded or new models every year. This constant supply of new equipment can make some wonder if newer is better. In reality, I think they should ask themselves if newer is more suited to their needs. I do speak from experience, I was a new camera addict. There you are, I said it :-).

This ties in well with my experience of shooting film. This was what I cut my teeth on, but when digital was released I grabbed it with both ends and fully embraced it. The main reason for this was because at the time I was shooting web content almost entirely. Anything that cut out the need for scanning and produced the end result quicker was welcomed. This period instigated my own bout of camera envy as it was a rapidly developing world. It seemed that every few months something was improved, made quicker or brought down in price.

I think advances in technology are always going to be the big draw in digital photography, but pricing is as well as you get more for your money with each year. Talking about pricing, I will leave you with this little snippet. In or around 2002, I paid around £160-200 for 1GB IBM Microdrives. This was a good price at the time, but I think the present day price to capacity ratio is more attractive.

Instant Print Film - It was Fantastic

In the middle to late 1970's, I was immersed in my new love of photography. Not content with just taking pictures, I started to notice what other people were using and owned. Some may say that this was my first experience of camera envy, and I think to some extent it was, albeit on a much smaller relative scale to the modern equivalent. What I mean by that is that the price and specification difference involved in that early envy was negligible. Of course, as I got older and learnt more, the gap did widen.

Anyway, back to the '70's…

My cousin, who is my age, had a Kodak camera that produced black and white images by pulling out a sheet and waiting for it to develop before peeling off the top layer. This was fascinating, and I was always slightly jealous of her.

About a year later, I am pretty sure it was the heatwave summer of 1977, I saw a Polaroid 1000 Land camera (why were they called 'land' cameras?) hanging around someone’s neck. We were on our family holiday, and I realised that we knew the lady that owned it. Feeling very brave, I politely asked her what it was. She demonstrated and took a picture. To my astonishment the photograph was delivered from the slot at the front of the camera and started to develop in front of my eyes. The wait was far more exciting than the peeling sheet type version because it appeared in front of as you watched. There was something rather appealing about the design of this camera, and interestingly today it still has a certain style icon charm for many people into the world of design.

As part of my recent camera and photographic rummaging at home, I remembered I bought a Polaroid Image 2 camera in the late 90's. I used it for random snapshots for about 6 months, until I decided my snapshots were better serviced with 35mm film in a small camera.

Polaroid (or a trading partner using the name) seem to be selling film again. I did not think you could buy original Polaroid film that is in date any more, and as this camera has a built-in battery in the film pack, I thought expired film may be too much of a gamble. I also discovered this week that just like Lomo, there is also some new film available from The Impossible Project. I am really pleased to see they have taken the plunge into this revival, and I do hope it will prove to be successful.

They do a colour and black and white version for my camera. Sadly, I have to balance the result, experience and price in relation to everything else I do. I am sure I am not the only one in this predicament, although I realise without the customers buying the film The Impossible Project may die. It could be a fun nostalgic experience and make an amusing addition to a photo shoot.

There are modern alternatives to the above, so it looks like there is a bit of choice for anyone seeking something for the tangible instant print. Perhaps this is an area of photography that will grow if the interest remains.

My First Photographic Memory

Imagine the scene if you will...

It is a gorgeous Spring day in Kew gardens, the sun is shining and there is a gentle breeze. The weather is warm enough to not have to wear coats or sweaters, but not as hot as a true British summer's day.

I am 8 years old and my mother has just let me borrow her little Kodak 110 camera. I have found a group of daffodils and have just taken my first photograph. I distinctly remember the slightly audible 'snap' of the shutter and the 'crackle' as the winding slider wound the film in the cassette on. This memory is etched in my brain and I do not think I will ever forget it.

Over the years I have been lucky enough to immerse myself into the world of photography and had some exciting experiences. Sadly some of my photographs have been lost, and some have not survived very well, but I still have an enjoyable collection in albums to take me down memory lane.

I have decided to dedicate some time into rekindling my original photographic passion. Digital is fantastic and has many advantages, but I think it can be a little clinical. I read somewhere that Quentin Tarantino will only shoot on film stock as opposed to the digital alternatives, and I think the same is true of some record producers with their music. Some audiophiles hate CD's and MP3's and swear by vinyl records. They seem to crave that naturally occurring organic feel or sound.

While shooting film more in recent years, I have been reminded how it is a very different experience to digital. I shoot 35mm and medium format, but the latter slows down my process most. It is almost as if I take more care. The step back in time is an enjoyable one.

I have also noticed that when I shoot someone who has only ever known digital cameras and auto focus, I can almost see them getting bored in the few more seconds it takes to finalise composition with the prime lens (no zooming), focus, wind on or change a film. I would never have thought seconds could seem so long...