The Abandoned Ellis Island Immigrant Hospital

This was an incredible experience, and I wrote a post for one of my favorite websites, The Dead History. Yes, the images are digital, except the one above. However, the article is full of interesting facts, cool photos, and comes just in time for Halloween.

Minolta XG7 (1977)

This camera was given to me by a coworker whose father owned it. I was told his father had another Minolta, accidently dropped it, and was told it would be cheaper to buy a new camera than have the repairs done. The XG7 is what he upgraded to. He gave me the camera with an […]

Olympus XA (1979)

Back in August, my wife and I took our two teenage sons to New York for eight days. I knew this was going to be a great trip to get some photos, so I took 3 cameras; one digital, and two film. The digital was a Canon 6D with 24-105mm f/4 lens. The two film […]

Nikkor 35 – 200mm f/3.5 – 4.5s

I’ve really enjoyed shooting with the Nikon F2 Photomic (1971 – 1980), so I thought I’d like another lens. Since shooting film, I’ve gained a new appreciation for fixed prime lenses. The zoom lenses for older film cameras don’t appeal to me, but I wanted to give this one a shot (pun intended). Released in […]

Leica M3 (1959) – Part 2

While using the borrowed 50mm 5cm Summicron-M f/2.0 (Rigid/2nd version) (1956), I decided that I really needed to purchase my own lens. Having just spent what I think is a considerable amount on the M3 body, I wanted to limit my lens purchase to something more affordable. Searching for an M-Mount lens on eBay led […]

Leica M3 (1959) – Part 1

Over the past few years of buying and shooting vintage cameras, there’s one camera I never thought I’d actually own, and that’s a Leica. Why? A Leica always seemed like a “bucket list camera.” Nice to look at, but too expensive to own. Of course, I had to ask myself, do they live up to […]

Hasselblad 501CM (1997)

Over Memorial Day weekend last month, I rented a Hasselblad 501CM kit from Acme Camera in Sugarhouse, Utah. The camera itself is a medium format SLR and came with an 80mm Planar CFE 2.8 T* lens. The 4lb camera shoots 6×6 images on 120 film and features a leaf shutter with speeds from 1 – […]

Film Photowalk: Annual ‘No Show’ Air-Cooled VW Show

For the past three years I’ve tried to think of ways to organize a photowalk with other film photographers. The annual VW ‘No Show’ is one of my favorite car shows. Not because I’m a car guy, or a Volkswagen fan. It’s just a fun car show that’s not too big, or too small. The […]

The Negative Positives Double-Exposure Film Exchange

After being a guest on The Negative Positives Film Photography Podcast with Mike and Andre, I offered to help with a double-exposure film exchange. The idea behind a double-exposure film exchange is that one photographer shoots a roll of film, rewinds the film, and then sends it to someone else, who then shoots on the […]

Nikon F2 Photomic (1971 – 1980)

This post has been in the works for a long time. Why? My friend Mike Williams gave this camera to me almost 6 months ago, Christmas 2017. Mike knew I’d been very happy with the Nikon F and Nikomat FTn. And to this day, Mike says this is his best find at Goodwill. I think […]

Graflex Super Speed Graphic

This post wouldn’t be possible without my good friend, Maurice Greeson. Last winter, I was talking to Maurice about what an interesting camera I thought the Super Speed Graphic was. How you rotate the lens clockwise to cock the shutter, and the built-in electric shutter. Sure enough, Maurice had one and loaned it to me. […]

Mechanical Shutter Testing Part 2 & Giveaway

This week I want to share some of my own testing results and summarize the benefits and downsides of this specific shutter testing unit. The camera I selected to test is the Olympus OM-1n MD from 1979. To begin the test, the lens of the camera is removed. The LED must be placed in the […]

Mechanical Shutter Testing – Part 1

Have you ever purchased a used film camera and asked yourself, “I wonder if the shutter speeds are accurate?” Or simply thought, “Sounds good enough.” There are inexpensive methods to test mechanical shutter speeds like mobile apps and do-it-yourself projects found online. When I was doing some research to test my own cameras, I came […]

The Negative-Positives-Double-Exposure-Tag-Team-Challenge-O-Rama

I’ve organized a double-exposure 35mm film challenge with Mike Gutterman of the Negative Positives Podcast Film Photography Podcast. What is a double-exposure challenge? Two photographers shoot and expose the same roll of film. In this challenge, the first photographer will supply the roll of film, shoot the entire roll and pass it along to someone […]

The Negative Positives Podcast

You can hear yours truly on the latest episode of the Negative Positives Film Photography Podcast hosted by Mike Gutterman and Andre Domingues. You can listen on Podbeam, or search for it on your favorite podcatcher.

Film Photography Podcasts

Whether you’re commuting or relaxing in the darkroom, there’s always a film photography related podcast you can listen to: Analog Talk – A weekly film photography podcast hosted by Chris Bartolucci and Timothy Ditzler. New episodes air each Wednesday. Features specials guests and topics related to film photography. Classic Camera Revival – Proudly based in […]

Kosmo Foto

In 2017 Stephen Dowling, a Soviet camera aficionado, decided to release his own film called Kosmo Foto Mono. The 35mm film is a 100 ISO black and white stock that is a pre-existing emulsion from a European manufacturer. Since it’s release, there’s been a lot of buzz online about Kosmo Foto being a re-branded this-or-that, […]

Konica Autoreflex TC

The Konica Autoreflex TC was manufactured and sold from 1976 to 1982. The body was lighter and smaller than previous Konica designs because the camera frame is metal, everything else is plastic. Looking at photos of the camera, you would never know that so much of this camera is plastic. It is however, very sturdy […]

Europe 2017 on Film

This year will always remain memorable because my wife and I celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary by taking a 3-week trip to Europe. We went with a small group and visited Italy, Switzerland, and France. I took three cameras: Canon 6D, Pentax K1000, and Olypus OM-1MD. I spent most days taking digital shots, but used […]

A First Time for Everything

I came to know Bailey when my wife and I took a trip last summer with a group to Europe. Bailey is a senior in high school and enjoys playing the piano, Harry Potter, boys, and photography. After returning from Europe, I emailed Bailey and asked if she wanted a film camera to try. She […]