New Orleans

Film Rekindled: Highlights From My Tenth Roll

After returning from California in my last roll, I was eager to get back to photographing New Orleans. Below are mostly photos created in the French Quarter. I continue trying to improve my street photos, and I even brought the camera out at night.

Good morning Kelsey. | f/2.8 | 1/45 sec

1/60 sec

Royal Street. | f/2.8

Dat Dog on Magazine St.

f/2.5

Capturing the sunset on Jackson Square. | f/4 | 1/45 sec

f/1.8 | 1/90 sec

Crescent City Books. | f/1.8 | 1/8 sec

Civic Coupe. | f/1.8

Gear used:

Check out more from Film Rekinded here.

Film Rekindled: It’s An Event

This post was inspired by a question from a fellow enthusiast.

https://twitter.com/techminimalist/status/562741164181561345

As I was typing my response, I realized that I haven’t done this type of introspection since the eighth month mark. Even though it’s a good list, I wanted to go deeper since all of the bullet points are part of a larger reason why film is special to me.

To briefly expand on the four points:

  • It’s meditative because I have to make each shot count.
  • I shoot less than digital because there’s a tangible cost to each shot, which further magnifies the need to make each one count.
  • Chimping in photography means reviewing the photo right after you take it, which isn’t possible with film. This adds to the meditative aspect; I’m forced to focus on the present.
  • I enjoy that I don’t have to do any processing. Just drop the film off at the lab and look forward to seeing the results.

If you’re thinking you can do these four things with digital, you’re right. But the key distinction is that it’s a simulation, especially with the last two.

With film, I don’t have a choice. I can’t immediately see the photos I take. I can’t change the look of a film.

This is not film versus digital. This is a case for film photography. It doesn’t have to be one or the other.

For me, it’s something that I schedule. Something that is refreshing. Something that I look forward to. It becomes an event.

This quote comes to mind:

At the end of the day people won’t remember what you said or did, they will remember how you made them feel.

– Maya Angelou

I’m sure Maya wasn’t referring to film photography. But the parallel is there. When I think back on my outings with my film camera, I often don’t remember the settings (e.g., aperture and shutter speed) I used. Instead, I remember how much I enjoyed walking around in search of a great photo and feeling inspired to create.

Do you shoot only film or digital, or both? And is it an event for you? Let me know in the comments.

And check out more from Film Rekinded here.

Photo-essay: Creative Feast at the Ogden

Despite being a native New Orleanian, I’ve never been to the Ogden Museum. It was the last day for a PhotoNOLA exhibition called Self Processing: Instant Photography. And although I was eager to see the instant photographs and cameras, the museum itself provided a creative feast both outside and in.

This is the renowned ‘Before I die’ wall, where visitors may express something from their bucket list. Fortunately, the rain from the day before left a puddle.

Red.

Going up.

Frame in frame, rectangles, and squares.

Silhouette and shadow.

This is where admission stickers go when you leave.

Film Rekindled: Highlights From My Eighth Roll

I forgot how a random roll of Kodak Ultramax 400 snuck into my Fuji Superia streak, but it did. This one’s a little special because I thought I’d lost it until I found it while doing some cleaning.

https://twitter.com/techminimalist/status/542342602302181376

On my last roll, I moved away from recording photo settings in order to avoid missing moments. I continued that with this one, but I also began making an effort to record them again recently. Instead of entering the metadata directly into my spreadsheet on Google Drive, I now record them quickly in a notes app and transfer them later. So look for apertures and shutter speeds in later posts.

For now, enjoy these photos from downtown New Orleans and a neighborhood called The Marigny.

Gear used:

Check out more from Film Rekinded here.

Photo-essay: Exhibit BE

I’ll be the first to admit I’m not in-the-know when it comes to the street art scene here in New Orleans. About an hour before the doors opened today, my girlfriend mentioned me in an Instagram post. Once I saw “giant street art installation” and “old apartment building,” I knew I had to see it for myself.  It was what I had expected and more. I aimed to capture the artworks that spanned multiple levels, the decay of the apartment units, the intricate details, and the people that came to enjoy one of the largest street art galleries in the South.