Notes from the Workshop
On photography, film, music, art, literature, and the creative process in general.
Analog Macro Photography
Shooting macro photos on film has its merits, has it?
Some thoughts on analog macro photography, some old tricks and why I think it can be fun, mainly because of its limitations.
Buying Vintage Cameras and Lenses: A Note to Myself
Some recent experiences with buying vintage cameras and lenses had me rethink my general approach and come up with a checklist.
A Nice Film Stock Surprise
I have come across a really nice black-and-white film stock that I can wholeheartedly recommend - Rollei Paul & Reinhard. Here is what I found.
How a Project Idea Develops
Going light on gear on a recent walk in an abandoned area freed up some headspace and sparked the idea for a small future project.
Some Notes on Camera Designs
Camera design has become a bit of an obsession for me. In this short article I write about some notable cameras in my collection and how they represent various stages of SLR design since the 1960s.
Camera Malfunctions
Modern digital cameras hardly ever malfunction. Not so analog cameras both vintage and brand new.
Landscape Photography in Bleak Conditions
What do you do on a grey and dark and gloomy Berlin winter day? You load some Ilford HP 5 and shoot some landscapes.
Multiply Exposed
Up until now, I have never really played around with double exposures, mainly because most of the cameras I have used so far had some technical solution to prevent double exposures or an extra switch for them.
Shooting Panoramas on Film #2
This post was meant to feature high-quality images from a dedicated panaroma camera. However, it turned out to not be in working order. Meanwhile, I’ve shot some more pictures on the Lomo Sprocket Rocket.
Shooting Panoramas on Film #1
Taking panoramic photos is a special treat and challenge at the same time, especially if you have decided to shoot the panoramas on film, and not stitch together some digital images in a software. Don’t get me wrong, shooting digital panoramas is a legit form of art. Shooting them with the limitations of film is something special, though.
Film Negative Archiving Challenges
Now that I’ve found a relatively fast and relatively inexpensive way to create a digital archive of my trove of film negatives, I started pondering to use the upcoming winter to go through about 20 years of negatives. Now, 20 years of negatives sounds like a lot. (…) The more worrying part is actually something else.
Photography Squared
Square format photography has a special appeal to me. Despite the fact that most cameras (and films) that I’ve used over my entire life as photographer were not square, there are images and motifs that are better captured in a square format. Even for serials, many times the square format of individual pictures works much better.