the word hope...

On this past Sunday, I read about a mural that was painted in downtown Greenville over an 8 hr period the day before. I hate that I missed the opportunity to get a photograph of the artists in action.  But I did stop by on Sunday afternoon to get a photo of a portion of the mural.  The word hope rings as true today as it always has. Here is an excerpt from a blog post that I did several years back:

hope - to have a feeling, chance, desire, expectation or wish to do something or to make something happen...

Without hope, our lives would be meaningless. We all have hopes that get us through the day (week, month or even year).  Hope is something that transcends all things.  Let me say it again...  Without hope, our lives would be meaningless.

I love this excert that photographer Robert Adams wrote and how he relates it to hope. "Of all the sacred places on the coast, none is more comforting than where rivers join the sea. By the river's disappearance we are reminded of life's passing, while by the ocean's beauty we accept it, in a hope we cannot explain."

We could all learn something from this.  Maybe by trying to focus a little less on the fleeting failures in our lives and focus a little more on the hope in our lives that eternally matters.

in their own world...

A image of Pyper and Allister that was taken over the Christmas holidays. They look so peaceful & happy. Even if it is watching movies on an iPod/iPad. With their intent focus on the movies, I was able to sneak in and capture them acting as if nobody was around...

tonight I shot film...

Definitely not one of my best self-portrait poses, but I wanted to show the success of a New55 negative that I captured tonight. I shot this one using the new wood wall in my studio/darkroom as the backdrop. Alot went into this shot to set it all up and photograph myself with the Toyo 4x5 camera and Fujinon 210mm lens. An overwhelming success on the focus. I think that this is as sharp as I can expect from a self-portrait. Lots of guessing on the location of my face, but I got it right tonight. For the lighting, I used one strobe and tripped the shutter using an air-bulb cable release. All-in-all, this is the result of needing something to take my mind off all of the stress from the day. Sometimes I watch TV, sometimes I listen to music, sometimes I read books. Tonight I shot film...

weekend - let's do this...

Spent the weekend doing quite a few things, but ended it with this photo tonight in my studio. Love taking pictures of Pyper and being able to play with lights to get a unique look in a photo. Took this one with my Polaroid 180 camera on Fuji FP-3000B film. 

mack truck...

Sometimes the image is in the small things. Found this Mack truck on the side of the road along Hwy 287. Took a photo of the truck and then noticed the boss of a hood ornament and couldn't resist getting in close for the 2nd photo. Amazing what you can find if you just stop, get out of the car and explore...

Do not discard...

Double and triple exposures are not something that I've done very well.  This one accidently turned out (and I really like it). I was trying to take a photo of Maci with a flash on my Polaroid 250 Land Camera.  The flash didn't fire, so I took another one. After it didn't fire the second time, I figured that one more wouldn't make it any worse. No flash again, so I pulled the print and was amazed at the results. 

So much can be brought out of this one simple photo that some might discard. 

It demonstrates how time does not stand still. Ever... 

It represents an end to a year that was definitely a blur for me. Where did it go... 

It helps reiterate why I have backed off on social media to enjoy the here and now in my life at home. Real images capturing real moments of real people that mean the world to me... 

It is a wonderful image of my oldest daughter that I will cherish. Forever... 

It helps me understand that good things can come from stepping outside of your norm. In everything...

add a little light (part ii)...

Here is another photo from today. This one of Pyper was taken in the same place as Allisters, except with my another camera/film. I used my Polaroid 180 camera and Fuji FP-3000B film with the portrait closeup lens. I am continually amazed at the photos that come out of this combo. Some may think that instant film is gimmicky. They should understand that these photos are the basis of so many of my memories of my family. They have (and will continue to) become some of my most valuable keepsakes to pass on to my kids, grandkids, etc...

add a little light...

My goal this year is to get back to my blog and add photos along with the story and only add the photos to Instagram (mostly the same pictures without the stories). This is my first one of 2017. A photo of Allister taken today while her and Pyper spent the day with Sherri and me. It was our last day off from work/school/daycare. Most of my instant photos are taken in bright light, but this one was captured with subtle window light in an otherwise dark room. Wow, the results were spectacular!  I love how I have so many closeup pictures of these two girls. Someday, they will all look oh-so-good in an album for everyone to remember the years of the girls growing up...

me by me...

I realize that I post quite a few film photos of myself. Many times I wonder what people think and then other times it really doesn't matter to me what they think. As I have often said, I get bored and there is nobody to take a picture of, so I end up photographing myself. After spending such a large amount of time at work, photography is my means of releasing/relieving stress. Some nights it is almost a necessity to pick up the camera. This was one of those nights. In the case of this one, it is a photo of ME by ME (sort of). I have one similar to this (except it is an 8x10 photo) that a friend of mine took of me with my 8x10 camera. This one was entirely taken by me using my Polaroid 180 on a tripod with a self-timer. I always seem to like pictures of myself with my Leica M6 and this one is a winner in my book. One of my fears in life is that my family will forget me when I am gone. My goal is for them to have tangible memories of our time spent together on this earth. Unfortunately, I am behind the camera for most of the photos that are taken around our house so there are very few with me in them (relatively speaking). A photo like this represent something to me. Think about it. It shows me being photographed with one of my favorite cameras by none other than myself. And the funny thing is that the actual photograph was taken by nobody (since it was a self-timer). What a mind-bending concept for no reason other than to provide my family with a subtle memory of who I am...

out of place...

This is a house from Childress that was in the neighborhood where I grew up.  It was right across the street from a city lake where I spent many of my days. It is one of the more unique houses in the town/neighborhood. As much as it belongs in the landscape of West Texas, it is totally out of place where it is built. I think that is why I like it so much. As an added bonus, there is an Airstream in the yard...

off the beaten path...

Always amazes me the things you can come across if you just take the time to get off the beaten path and explore the backroads. Most of the time I am in a hurry to get somewhere and I take the fastest route which usually involves Interstates. Not exactly the scenic route. Saturday was such a refreshing day in that I had an open schedule to do whatever I wanted with no reason to be in a hurry. I spent some time in downtown Denton to visit with Armand at Denton Camera Exchange and then headed north to Dennison, Sherman and Celeste on my way back to Greenville. Didn't really find the "fall landscapes" that I was looking for, but definitely found my share of stops. I caught a couple of the stops on some Polaroid 690 expired film that ended up being my favorites for the day...

two happy people...

Definitely appreciate Tyler for catching this moment of me and Allister. There couldn't be two happier people than what you are looking at right here. Amazing that Tyler caught this with a manual focus rangefinder instant camera (Polaroid 600SE). A bit posed, but yet so random and natural...

another halloween in the record books...

Decided on headshots for my instant Halloween memories. Getting in closer provides fewer details on what they were wearing, but it shows more about their emotions from the day and who they really are. In this case, closer is always better...

a new chapter...

One of my struggles with having many types of cameras is never really "focusing" on any one particular camera. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy them all, but I probably miss out on becoming an expert on any one camera because I am constantly switching out between types of cameras. I recently got my Hasselblad back from being repaired/CLA'd. Seems that during the past week I have been shooting it more than any other camera (thus my decision to include it in the photo). Tonight I decided to finally dust off my Toyo 4x5 camera and shoot my first frame of New55 film. I have had the film for a few weeks, but I just haven't had time to set up the 4x5 camera to try it out. Not the most exciting shot, but I can now say that I have shot New55 film. The positive and negative both seem to be true to what I metered. I am beyond excited to find some more interesting subjects so that I can shoot more of this film...

together...

It's always good to be together again as a family. It warms my heart to see these two talking and laughing with each other. It takes me back to simpler times when they were growing up...

smiling makes you cooler...

Took two shots to catch Allister smiling for the camera, but this one seemed to work. Catching her (because she is always moving) with a manual focus instant camera is sometimes luck at best. We were down in Stephenville yesterday visiting Sadi and I was outside of a boutique keeping Allister occupied. I love her emotions that are developing. Of course, smiling is the best indication of her happiness when she is this age. She seems very happy (and therfore very cool) here...

sun bathing...

A couple of images from a stop after work at La Jolla Cove California a few weeks ago. The blue in the images is a bit overwhelming, but at the same time it compliments the water beautifully. Nothing like getting close up to take an instant photo of a sea lion. After I pressed the shutter and the picture ejected, the sea lion's eyes opened and then slowly closed back. Wasn't the least bit phased by me. Gotta love that calm attitude...

all together...

We have our separate lives, but every so often we all meet in one place. Such a good time getting together. Took some digital images, but it's always more rewarding to capture these times on instant and 35mm film. Took this one with my Polaroid 180 camera and snagged some others with my Leica (to share later)...

staying after class...

Ended up taking my Leica M6 and one of my Polaroid SX-70s on my trip to Carlsbad, CA. This was my favorite capture from the short time that we had on the beach before sunset. I often take images without people, but I always stray back to taking images that somehow include people in them. I shot this one while walking back from taking a photo of the Oceanside Pier from the beach. The students were going over some post-surfing class pointers with the surf instructor. To me, this image is perfect on black & white instant film.  It makes the image timeless and I really like that...

my catalyst for change...

Been such a long time since I have posted anything to any of my blogs. I still continually shoot all formats of film (instant pack film, instant integral film, instant large format, 35mm and 120mm) on almost a daily basis, but I have hardly posted anything but digital on Instagram lately. As I write this, I know that I will be leaving on another business trip tomorrow and the easiest film camera to take with me will be my Leica M6. I have taken some amazing shots with this camera (will know for sure when I finally decide to get my 5-6 rolls developed), but it is far from the convenience of instant film. As I get make time over the next few weeks, I hope will be posting more of my instant film. Let this photo tonight be my catalyst for change...