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...

cold and blue...

Another 4x5 selfie in the record books. I can't quite figure out how to control the color of this film.  It's definitely not the temperature of the film. I heated this film before exposing and before processing to get it to 80-90 degrees. I think it must be the color of the light. This was taken in the shade and it seemed like a blueish light. At least it matches how cold it was outside in the shade. Regardless of the results, it is always fun to play around with my 4x5 camera and instant film...

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...

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...

the result of boredom...

Been a while since I shot my Toyo 4x5 camera. Was at home tonight with little to do, so I got the camera out and shot a couple of large format selfies. I look at this process as creativity as a result of boredom. It is so neat having instant film, like this Polaroid Type 59, to get such unique photos that you can hold in your hand as a finished product within minutes.

a bit of reflecting...

Another one of my many reflection photos. I sometimes take these because I get bored, but mostly because I want to have images that show that I mostly inhabit the space behind the camera. These images, coupled with the many that I take of others and the things around me, will ultimately be a part of documenting my time spent on this earth...

the blues...

All the different shades of blue seemed to really shine in this photo...

me and my M6...

A photo* of me and my Leica M6 in the Patriarch Grove of the Bristlecone Pine Forest. I cannot wait to get the 35mm film photos back from my trip...

*photo taken by Toby Hancock

double take...

I should reiterate again that I am not a fan of taking photos of myself. So you ask, "why are there so many of them on your blog"? My only answer is that nobody else is available that wants their photo taken. Plus, I don't often complain to myself on how long it takes to develop an idea. It should be noted that composition is tough when you are on both sides of the camera. This one took 5 shots leading up to the keeper. So glad I kept going til I got it right... 

8x10 Self Portrait...

Of course this blog image will never do this photo justice. I have said multiple times that it is an amazing thing to see an instant 8x10 image of yourself. It really never gets old. That being said, I really don't like images of myself, but part of the process of photography is satisfying the urge to create. Some days, you just need to create something. Yesterday was one of those days. I used up one of my two exposures of 8x10 Polaroid 809 film. I am saving the other one to take a photo of Sherri that matches this relative subject size. Looking forward to sorting through these images years from now and reminiscing at how great we really had it...

lunch time self portrait...

Took this image today at lunch holding and looking through a severely scratched-up piece of glass. The imperfections & reflections are blurred by the shallow depth of field of the Polaroid 180. The expired Polaroid Sepia film is still producing great images...

just another photo of me...

My first attempt at expired Polaroid 4x5 Type 59 film. Shot this in a studio setting using two strobes. Really love this film...

troy general store...

I can't even count how many times I have just passed through this town and never stopped. On our way back from Austin a little over a week ago, I made it a point to stop and take this photo in downtown Troy, Texas. My life is now complete...

after the 8x10...

After shooting the 8x10 photo, we capped off the evening with Matt taking this photo of me in very low lighting. This is where the Fuji FP-3000B shines...

pola group - keys view

Certain parts of Joshua Tree National Park were colder than the others. Key's View was definitely cold. But the view more than made up for the cold...

our goofy family...

Finally convinced everyone to get together for a "quick" instant family photo today after lunch. It has become a tradition, since I started my journey into instant photography, to take a photo to start off each new year. A little late, but we got it done. This was the fourth try after three "serious" poses. They all had issues with composition/lighting. Ironic how the goofy pose turned out best...

lighting test...

I have found a new film to love. The new formula of black and white film for 600 cameras is something that I will definitely be stocking up on. I have taken several shots under many different conditions and they all have turned out fantastic. I took this one tonight in my garage with a new "hot" light that Tyler ordered to test out the abilities of the light. The setup was just this one light on a stand diffused with an umbrella. I was about 4 ft from the wall to make sure there wasn't a shadow of me on the wall. I think the shadowing of the wall was more a result of the light fall-off. Overall, the photo has a ethereal feel and I like it...

more of me and Sadi...

the instant version (after ice cream)...

split person (alities)...

An image that I took last winter, but never posted. Ran across it and decided that tonight is the night. I sometimes post photos to document that I get bored and end up driving around and taking pictures of myself and my Land Rover. The curse of photography, as a serious hobby, is that sometimes you just gotta create something/anything.

Not quite a diptych, but it is two pictures that have something in common...

whitewashed wood...

Used my Fuji x100s to take the image and printed it to the PX680 film via the InstaLab. Wanted to see how well the whites would show up. Really like the overall look/feel of this image. Another one that goes well with the wood border.