Steve Maniscalco Photography

Digital and Me

I hope I don't give the wrong impression on Twitter about my feelings on digital photography. The fact that I love working with film does not mean that I in any way disdain digital or people who shoot digital. The fact is, I have a long and productive history with digital cameras...well, long in digital terms anyway.

 My 1st digital camera was a Nikon CoolPix 800. It cost me something like $400. I bought it for a trip to Italy and I still have some very nice prints from that trip and camera. I still have the camera as well, though it stopped working a few years back. 2mp and 2x zoom may not seem very impressive by today's standard, but that camera was very nearly as good as consumer cameras got at the time. That's right, I was on the cutting edge of consumer digital. Most of the people I met on that trip were astounded, having never seen a digital camera before. (I had a PDA too, but that's more geek than I should admit to.)

After the Coolpix, I owned a couple of other digital point and shoot cameras until the Canon 300D came along and made a DSLR very nearly affordable. I didn't actually get mine until the 20D was introduced and then I bought it used.

A few years back, I calculated that I'd shot something over 45,000 images with that 300D. I still have it. It still works. I use it mostly to take pictures of other cameras and as the world's best point and shoot camera. Every time I think of getting a new point and shoot, I think, "Heck, the 300D takes a nice picture," and I resist the temptation.

Somewhere along the way, blasting through 45,000 digital images, I rediscovered film. It might have been my father-in-law's old Kodak Retina IIc that did it. It's such a sweet, clever old camera, it just begged to have film run through it. From there, a series of brief flirtations ensued with various 35mm rangefinder cameras. I even have to admit to a tryst with a beast called the Koni-Omega Rapid 100. 

I won't try to catalog my entire old camera odyssey, you don't have that much time to read. The important part is that I fell in love with the feel of owning, holding and using beautiful, and even ugly, old bits of low technology camera goodness. 

At that point in my journey, I was still using the 300D as my primary creative tool. I did some pretty good work with it and sold the most images I've ever sold. There is a 10 ft tall, 50 ft wide installation of an image I made with that camera at a new home site North of Phoenix. It is made up of 14 shots stitched together from that 6mp sensor. That's the single biggest sale (in more ways than one) that I've ever made.

 

So there I was, wandering along my creative journey, excited about the new technologies that made photography so much more immediate and practical than it had ever been before...and something funny happened. The turning point was right after I started developing my own black and white film again after a 20 year pause. I decided I needed to upgrade my Canon 300D, so I bought a Pentax K10D. Nice camera, superior in every way to my 300D. I had it for 2 days. I just failed to really bond with it. There was no excitement in me over it. The thrill was gone.

Along the way, I'd simply fell in love again with the process and results of using film. 

If I were a professional photographer doing demanding commercial work of any kind, I'd shoot digital and nothing else. It's the only thing that makes sense. But, since I don't make my living with photography, since I only really do it to satisfy myself, I can afford the luxury of my soul satisfying anachronistic ways. 

One more thing...I am a capitalist pig deep, deep in my dirty little soul. As much as I hope and pray film will always be available, I understand the economics of the thing. I will not whine if film goes away, I may cry a bit, but I won't whine. What I will do is buy/freeze enough film to last the rest of my life so I can continue to indulge myself with one of the things I love the most.

To People or Not to People

I don't shoot a lot of people...pretty much just my two boys. There are many reasons for this, the simplest being that I have a very small group of people in my life (I work from home and home school my special needs kid). A more profound reason may be that I've always been overly concerned about the expectations of the people I would shoot. An old building or a scenic view have no expectations and are never uncooperative. People, on the other hand, are frequently a pain in the ass.

Now, I recognize this as a serious weakness in my skills and a missing element in my work that is very limiting...still, I haven't been able to push past this problem with any real or lasting success.

I thought I'd post these just to illustrate the issue to myself. (If it weren't for blogging, I'd be paying big bucks in therapy).

Here are a couple of typical shots showing how I might approach an interesting object, in this case, a 12 ft tall tire.

I like this shot. it's graphic and a bit confusing. It takes a few seconds for you to realize the scale of the thing.

 

The semi-abstract close-up is another frequently used tool in my bag. I like how it allows me to compose bits of the subject that amount to large parts of the photo. Textures become very important.

Now, we add people to the pic...what a difference.

Not only do we start to get a better idea of scale, but the image starts to tell a little story. It's easy to imagine a couple of little girls looking up at that tire and thinking "Wow!"  

I was lucky on this outing that another parent had these two cute little girls along. Otherwise, I'd likely never have gotten anyone in that picture. Waiting forever for someone to stand just right, or asking a stranger to pose...either would have been too much for me.

So, a small victory for me, involving a couple of kids not my own in a photo. I need more of this, if I can only figure out how.

Up For Grabs

I just bought my second Land model 250. This is the camera I want to shoot with for the next 11 months of my Instant 365 project. That means I've got 2 Polaroid Land cameras I don't need. Since I'm independently wealthy, I've decided to try to raise a few bucks for charity with these cameras. 

Here's what I've got:

 

That's a Land 330 on the left and a 440 on the right. 

Here's how you can get one or both of them:

Pledge to donate to the Spirit of America's Polaroids for Marines project. In short, the project puts Polaroid cameras and film in the hands of US Marines in Afghanistan. The cameras are used to help build positive relationships with the locals. Seems like a neat program, using the power of instant photography to make connections between people.

So, decide how much you will donate and post it in the comments here. The auction will close Friday February the 19th at midnight GMT. After the donations are made and verified, I'll ship the cameras out at my expense.

Feel free to bid more than they're worth, it's for a charity after all.

Fine Print

Both cameras are in good working order, I've been using them for a couple of months now.
Starting bid on the Land 330 is $15.
Starting bid on the Land 440 is $20.
USA only please. I want to keep my shipping costs down.
A screen shot of your paypal donation will be required for verification.

 

012910 through 020310

Wasn't sure I was going to make it a couple of days there...but managed.

I just got a Land 250 in and I have to say, I feel I almost wasted my money on the 330 and 440. Not wasted really, because they've done great work, it's just that the viewfinder on the 250 is soooo much nicer and the close-up attachments work on it. I'd have been better off holding out for one of the *50 models to begin with. As usual though, my enthusiasm and impatience have ruled the day.

At this point, I believe I will sell the 330 and 440 and buy another 250.

Here are the last few day's results.

 

 

 

 

 

 
 
 
 
 
 

012210 through 012810

Still managing my daily Instant image for my #365 project. Just about 1 month in, I'm relatively happy with the results. Certainly, it's been a fun time playing with color again. I'm loving what Fuji FP-100C does when slightly under exposed.

I added FP-3000B to my bag, but I can't claim to have gotten a handle on it yet. 

 

 

 

 

 

 
 
 
 
 
 

 

011910, 012010, 012110

Updating my Instant #365 project.

Just received the close up attachment for the land 440 camera. I can now focus down to 9 inches. Along with the 3000 iso black and white film I recently received, that'll open up new possibilities...which I'll certainly need, trying to come up with a decent shot every day.

Here are the last three images:

011910, Lo-Lo's Chicken and Waffles

 

012010, Casual Kevin

 

012110, Tent in the Clouds

 
 
 

011310 through 011810

Update on my Instant #365 project. Take a look at the slideshow for all images to date. 

My Polaroid Land 440 came in. Very nice. It included a portrait attachment that allows me to focus down to 19 inches. That makes portraits much easier than they were while holding a diopter in front of the lens and guessing at the distance.  I've also got a close up attachment on the way. I think it lets you focus down to a few inches. That too will open up more possibilities. I need all the help I can get.

Running low on Fuji pack film again, more is on the way. I do have 5 packs of film for the Instax, so even though I prefer the pack film, I've got to make use of it for economic reasons.

 

 

 

 

 

 
 

Kodak Duaflex IV

Some time ago, I picked up a Kodak Duaflex IV as part of a box lot of cameras. It's a cute little thing with a nice viewfinder and actual exposure control, limited though it is. 

Since it shoots a bit nicer than the Brownie Hawkeyes I have, I figured I'd give it a go as an alternative. On the downside, the Duaflex will not accept 120 film on either side, so you have to spool your 120 film on to a 620 roll. Fortunately, that's just a few minutes effort in a changing bag.

I enjoyed shooting it, but the results are perhaps a bit behind what my Brownie Hawkeye delivers.  The images are less sharp and less contrasty than those from the Brownie.  Of course, the Duaflex gives me aperture and guestimated focus, so it could be that I was just way off on my focus. Also, I mistakenly had the Duaflex in long exposure mode for a few frames, so the exposures were far longer than I intended, since the shutter was open for as long as I had the button pushed in.

You have to like lofi images to like these...fortunately, I do.

 

 

 

 
 
 
 
 I'm going to load her right back up and try again. Maybe I'll even clean the lens first. Couldn't hurt.

Instant #365 Project

Just psyc'ing myself out this morning over my ability to actually deliver a decent photograph every day. It's not that I don't think I have it in me, it's more the fact of my limited surroundings and time. I don't want this to degenerate in to a snapshot of the day, but I will certainly have to accept posting shots I'm not in love with if I hope to keep this up. 

011210 is an example of a shot I'd not likely have shared if I didn't need it.

  

Setting up this slideshow of Insant #365 images. I'll make a permanent page of it as well.

Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.

010710, 010810, 010910, 011010, 011110

A round up of the last 5 Instant #365 images.

010710, Illinois Valley Milk

 

010810, AiBorg

 

010910, Route 66 Motel

011011, Blue in the Face

011110, Tug

So, the last 5 days have brought a couple of new additions to our family. First we have the Konica AiBorg camera. A strange looking beast known as "Darth Vader's" camera. Many advanced features in that thing and it's fun enough to shoot...but let's be honest, I bought it for the funky looks.

A slightly more important addition is Tug, our new Bernese Mountain Dog. Holy cow! 8 weeks old and 21 lbs. You should see those big paws.  
 

 

Savoy

Do you love toy cameras? Do you yearn for crappy, low resolution photos? Do you like carrying cute red plastic things in public? Boy, do I have a camera for you!

Meet the Savoy.

 

Functionally, the Savoy is a Kodak Brownie Hawkeye. It's small, plastic, has a single shutter speed and aperture, and it takes 620 film.  Actually, it's not quite accurate to say it is equivalent to a Brownie because brownies were better made. 

On the plus side of the Savoy...it's got that cute retro 60's thing going like nobody's business. On the down side...well, it takes pretty crappy pictures. Of course, crappy isn't always a bad thing. Heck, I know folks who spend a great deal of time and energy in photoshop making their perfect digital images look like they were taken with a crappy old toy camera.  With the Savoy, you can skip the manipulation and get right to the bad image.

 

Living right up to the image quality is the handling. Man, that's about as squinty a little viewfinder as I've ever seen!  As a bonus, the shutter won't fire if you don't mash down on it pretty decisively. 

 

Of course, you're dealing with a red window for the roll film. That doesn't bother me, since I have many other cameras with red windows. You do however have to spool your 120 film on to two 620 spindles before you can shoot, as the camera will not take a 120 roll on either side of the film path. You have to love a camera to put yourself through that extra trouble.

So, what kind of results can you expect? 

 

Let's just say you won't be burdened by an overly sharp image.

 
 
 I think I could take a q-tip to the plastic lens and maybe improve things a bit. On the other hand, if this picture from the old 620 roll I found in the camera is any indication, it never was a great one for clear images.

 
 In any case, if this sort of thing is to your tastes, drop me a line. I can be persuaded to part with it pretty cheaply. I'm just not likely to use it and I refuse to accumulate shelf queens.

(This post is repeated as a permanent reference page under my Cameras link).

010410, 010510, 010610

Just an update of my Instant 365 project, days 4, 5 and 6.

For the sake of my sanity, I allow myself to take a picture the day before I post it. Otherwise, I'm rushing around trying to get a picture taken, scanned and posted in one day. 

 

 

 
 
 

010310

Instant 365 project. Day 3.

 

 Polaroid 330 Land Camera, FP 100c

010210

Day 2 of my Instant #365 project.

I just realized that I really am not going to be able to use instant film for anything other than this project.  I usually go out and blow 5-10 shots at a time, but I just won't be able to afford that when I have to get 1 per day for the project.

Oh well.

#2 is my older son. The focus is off a bit. I'm holding a diopter in front of the lens and guessing at the distance, this time I'm too close. Looks better in the print because you can't see the same detail as in the scan. Still, I like the shot well enough.

 

Polaroid 330, fp 100c
 

010110

With so many out there doing a great job of reviewing the past year and setting goals for the next, I feel I must add something to the lame plans I laid out in my new year’s eve post.

I’ve seen many people committing to a 365 project. Something we used to call PAD, or Picture A Day on pbase.  I did a PAD a few years ago, right after getting my first digital camera. It took me 18 months to do the 365 pictures. Even using digital, seems I could not always find the time to find something interesting to point at. Well, perhaps it’s time for me to give it another go. It was an excellent experience that changed how I looked at the world around me.

Since I have no current interest in shooting digital and it’s not practical to think I’ll develop a roll of film every day, I’ve decided to do an Instant 365. I’ll define that as 1 shot per day using instant film (Fuji Instax or Polaroid style peel-apart pack film).

An Instant 365 will be quite a challenge. I work from home and home school a special needs kid. Because of this, I live in a pretty small world.  There’s just not much between my house, the grocery store and the gym…which are the three places I get to on a regular basis. Film will also be a challenge. I think I have about 2 months worth of film on hand, assuming 1 shot per day…and I WILL go over that. I’ll have to keep film on order and keep it coming.  Which, of course, will not be cheap.

Most challenging of all will be to try to keep the images remotely interesting. Yes, you can look forward to a great many shots of my kids and the new puppy we’re getting next week…but I’ll try to expand my world beyond that whenever possible.

So, welcome 2010…here we go.

 

0101100

Polaroid 330, Fuji FB100-C, Beet infused vodka martini