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...

positive and negative...

Two shots of Cap from the weekend. It was so fun to get to shoot these. Cap is a photographer in the making and he was soaking all of this up. The first shot is a Fuji FP-3000B positive and the second one is an FP-3000B paper negative. Cap wanted the original, so I gave it to him. It is amazing what you can do with the paper negative. Both photos were taken with my Polaroid 180 Land Camera and two studio lights... 

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. 

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...

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...

pictures of us...

It is always a good day for me when I get to take a picture of Sherri. It is an even better day when I actually get her to take an instant photo of me with one of my Polaroid cameras. She's not completely brainwashed yet, but I have made some progress...

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...

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)...

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...

beautiful decay...

A house in my hometown that is in a definite state of decay. It is such a treat, when I am visiting, to get to drive around and capture memories of the past. I grew up riding my bike on the same streets of this town not knowing that I would someday come to appreciate the stillness and state of the neighborhoods that I once lived...

more for the album(s)...

So happy to be able to use my instant film to take portraits/snapshots of family. My album(s) are filling up more and more every month. So many photos that I have to order more albums. Such a great problem to have...

Sadi came home for a few days and as always, I used the opportunity to take some photos of her. Fuji FP-3000B is always a great choice for any and all occasions.

todd...

Following an afternoon/evening at Laguna Beach, we ended up going back to Shutter + Light to shoot some studio portraits and talk instant photography. One of the many advantages of Fuji FP-3000B is that you just need a little light to get the photo. The shadows make the photo even better.

It is so rewarding to have friends around the US to be able to visit when you are travelling. Definitely appreciate all of my friends in California. Both instant & film photography have opened so many opportunities for me to meet new friends that I would have otherwise never met...

red river views...

A few more images from our trip out to the Red River...

under new management...

The "new management" never quite materialized. Another failed attempt at revitalizing a grand building in downtown Greenville. I have taken several photos of this building over these years. I still love documenting the decay of what might have been...

home of the jumbo shrimp...

This photo is long overdue for me. It is one of those local places that I am determined to document on film prior to it being torn down or made into something other than a restaurant.  This restaurant has been through several name changes and owners, but we will always remember it's original name "Caddyshack". We spent many a weekend night here with our friends and all of our kids. It was basically the only place in town where all 15-20 of us could dine out and sit together. The kids have all grown up and the families have moved around, but we all seem to somehow occasionally stay in touch. Not the same as the days where we laughed and dined together on a weekly basis, but when we see each other it is like we never stopped...

broken view...

A partial success in taking an instant photo in downtown Greenville the other night. I posted my iPhone photo of the same view a few days ago. An almost dead chemical pod left only a small part of the building on the left side. After my initial disappointment, I realized that I really like the "flawed" image...

shawn - take 2...

Had another opportunity to meet up with Shawn Roller in downtown McKinney. Always a pleasuring gettinng to sit down and talk photography with him over coffee. It even gets better when we get to photograph each other. To add even more to this visit, he brought me a Polaroid Big Shot camera that he found and I was able to fix his Polaroid 250 (hopefully it's fixed right this time :))...

shawn...

Was able to capture a couple of instant images of Shawn Roller tonight before all the light disappeared. Good thing I had the Fuji FP-3000B in my camera for the occasion. Shawn was gracious enough to add Sherri, Sadi and me to the session that he had scheduled with the Tyndells. After the family session, it was great getting to interact and exchange photos of each other. That being said, definitely looking forward to family photos...

avoiding the conventional...

An image that I took of a mural that I see all the time in downtown Dallas near Fair Park. I have taken several photos, but this scan of the Fuji FP-3000B negative is one of my favorite. I really like the rough texture of the image from the scan. It gives the image a surreal feel that you do not get with the sharp, flawless positive...