At the time of production, the Hasselblad 500 series cameras were cost-prohibitive for many individuals; as they are today. Shooting with one of these cameras, so I have heard, is a unique and rewarding experience, let-alone finding one that has never been used. In this video, I unbox a brand-new, old-stock Hasselblad 501CM that was produced in 2000. I invite you to share in my Hasselblad experience.
READ MOREOn this trip, I hit the road for an adventure through my dear friend's photographic eye. Since I had witnessed the Super Bloom just four days prior to this trip, I wanted to make sure that she was able to accomplish what she wanted photographically and to experience the Super Bloom in her own way. Please watch our vlog to find what we saw, the photographs and video we were able to capture and the surprises we encountered along the roadside!
READ MOREIn years past, I had seen an occasional wildflower here and there but nothing like what I was about to encounter at Death Valley National Park. After hearing about the super bloom, I decided to head out for an overnight photography trip to witness this even first hand. Death Valley National Park has a very rugged landscape and I was excited to see what the area would look like with a sea of wildflowers.
READ MOREIt has taken me years to overcome some of the obstacles associated with shooting Fujifilm Velvia because information on how to use and shoot this type of film is sparse. Through careful experimentation, I have learned the quirks of Velvia 50 and Velvia 100 and put together a video guide that presents my findings and techniques in a complete package. While there is always room for human error, these techniques have allowed me to produce much more consistent and reproducible results.
READ MOREThe sound of glass breaking whilst your back is turned on your camera is never a good feeling. On a trip to Petrified Forest National Park that is exactly what I heard as I was trying to pack up my gear from an image I had just taken. When I turned around my camera was tipped over with several pieces of what was my ground glass lying next to it. I couldn't believe that I had just broken my ground glass on day 3 of a 5 day trip! Luckily, I still had a chunk of intact ground glass that I could move around to check if my image was in focus.
READ MOREGathering information about developing color reversal film so that I could learn the E-6 process turned out to be more challenging that I thought, even with a powerful search engine such as Google. I searched for weeks for a concise, comprehensive source of information and only found scattered pieces of the puzzle. I came across so-called hobby kits that use a 3-bath E6- process but I was interested in the exact process that my former lab uses; a 6-bath E-6 process. Once I researched all of the scattered information, I decided that there may be others in a similar position that would benefit from a detailed "how-to-guide" that explained the process from start to finish.
READ MOREThe flexibility of large format cameras in terms of accessories keeps me creative and fresh without the need to purchase new camera systems. My Zone VI Studios, Inc. large format camera came with a bail-lever type film back that was permanently attached and could not accommodate other film sizes other than 4x5in. So, I decided to make a new film back and attach the Graflex Graflok (International) back that would enable me to attach adapters that allow me to shoot 120 roll-film. This expands the capability of my Zone VI Studios, Inc. large format camera beyond the 4x5 ratio but still enables me to use view camera movements. Check out my video on how this Graflex Graflok back works and what kinds of adapters I attach to it.
READ MOREIn June of 2015, I purchased my 8x10 Zone VI Studios, Inc. large format camera and noticed a problem that needed a solution. My 4x5 Zone VI Studios, Inc. large format camera uses 4x4 in. lens boards while my 8x10 Zone VI Studios, Inc. large format camera uses 5.5 in. lens boards. What to do?
READ MOREThe beauty of large format cameras is how innately simple they are, in my humble opinion. Large format cameras are basically a collapsible light tight box with a lens attached. This simplicity of the large format camera lends itself to creative modifications to the camera that are inexpensive and fun to experiment with. I've been shooting with a Zone Vi 4x5 large format camera since 2009 and I've absolutely enjoyed it. When I was shopping for a large format camera, I debated between my current 4x5 field-box camera and an 8x10 Deardroff. My decision to purchase the 4x5 large format camera has always left me wondering what it would be like to shoot the 8x10 large format camera.
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