My name is Kathy and I have an analog soul

Posts tagged “black

Delightfully Crappy Cameras

For some reason throughout my collecting of film cameras, I have been constantly intrigued by ridiculously lo-fi plastic cameras.  These cameras range in form from the freebies that were given with magazine subscriptions and bank accounts to the purpose made Holga and Diana plastic beauties.  The nice thing about the supremely crappy ones is that one can pick them up for a dollar or two at local thrift stores.  I will run through my favorites of these plastic gems in somewhat chronological order as I obtained them.

Time Magazine camera as I received it

The Time Magazine 35mm film camera.  I picked this one up in the local Animal Aid thrift store.  I believe it was 2 or 3 dollars.  It was a cruddy and dirty mess, but I had seen some nice results so figured it would be worth cleaning up.  ­­Heck, it even had a hot shoe!  It features the 50mm Kinetic Optical lens…sounds great, huh?  Settings include the “Diana-ish” sunny, partly sunny, partly cloudy, and cloudy for aperture and one guy, multiple guys, or landscape for focus.  I have enjoyed using this camera and have had fun with a flash on it.

Joel DaSilva's pedal board as seen by Time Magazine camera with flash

Ansco Pix Panorama with case and user guide

I believe the second camera of this genre I picked up was the Ansco Pix Panorama.  I had a very similar camera in the early 90s and really liked it, but I think I broke the rewind lever on it…go figure on an all plastic camera 😉  This one is panorama except you can remove the “mask” that goes over the film frame, which I did.  I used it for a while this way and just guessed through the viewfinder until I hacked it up to resemble the full 35mm frame view.  This is an uber basic camera with only a lens cover, shutter button, film winder, and film rewind.  I truly love the simplicity in shooting this offers…no doo-dads to fiddle with…just pure composition to think about.  I now have two of these, one with the mask removed and one intact…although I have yet to really use the intact one for panorama style images…think I prefer to just shoot “wide angle.”  And on that topic…I did try a Vivitar Ultra Wide & Slim and actually preferred this model…it’s not quite as wide, but also does not feel as though I am going to crush it in the pressure of my hands  😉

"Heaven's Gate" shot with Ansco Pix Panorama

The third camera I will mention is my latest addition, the “no name” blue and black “Sports” model 35-55 zoom 35mm camera!  Just got this for $2 at a new Goodwill store I just found.  Haven’t run film in it yet, but will soon.   Its controls include a manual zoom ring on the lens that even zooms in the viewfinder…how high tech!

Newly acquired "Sports" zoom camera 😉

If you are dabbling in film at all, I highly recommend this type of camera.  It’s great when you are feeling overwhelmed with f-stops and shutter speeds and all of the other decisions to make when shooting.  It brings photography to its purest form of light/shadow and composition.  And as I like to say, it’s not the camera that takes the photo, it’s the artist behind it!


Kathy’s Cameras 04 – Minolta Hi-Matic 7s Rangefinder

Here I introduce you to one of my favorite rangefinders in my collection.  This camera never ceases to amaze me with images it produces with little to no effort on my part 😉


Vintage Camera Tees Designed by Me!

Pentax MX Tee

Pentax MX Tee

I had started this project about a year ago and never really completed it as I would have liked.  I finally decided to quit sitting on the idea and pursue it.  The concept is to have an image of an old camera printed on the front of a t-shirt with it appearing to be a real camera worn by the person.  The camera straps could actually be extended up to look as though it is hanging on the front of them.

Yashica Electro 35 Tee

Yashica Electro 35 Tee

I started by shooting my beloved Pentax MX slr, Yashica Electro 35 GSN rangefinder, and Canon Canonet QL17 GIII rangefinder.  I got them posted on my website that night.  I decided the next day to do some more, so I shot my vintage Diana plastic camera, Kodak Brownie Chiquita, and WWII era Rolleiflex twin lens reflex (tlr).

Vintage Rolleiflex Tee

Vintage Rolleiflex Tee

I’ve got them on my website through RedBubble and I think they came out great.  Had to tweak the sizes a bit to give them a realistic look.  Thinking of ordering the Pentax one for myself because it’s my favorite camera and it’ll be cool to wear it even when I’m not 😉


Oh, the cars, the steel, the chrome, the details!

The hubby and I decided to go to a classic car show a couple of weeks ago at the Hard Rock Casino here in Hollywood, FL. I thought it was a great idea because I hadn’t been out shooting film in a while and needed some eye candy for inspiration. I checked the film drawer in the fridge just to realize I had only one roll of 120 film and no 35mm though! Oh, the conundrum! Out of film; is this even possible? I do need to place an order, but things have been tight, so I have yet to do so, so I’ve been getting by on rolls that I’ve received in swaps of camera gear, film, etc. from fellow flickr-ites.

Now I figure that there must be a roll in one of the 60+ cameras I have laying around, so I proceed to check. There it is, in the quirky old beast that is the Argus C-3…but I figure it’s an appropriate camera since it’s more than likely 1950s vintage and many of the cars I will see will be around the same age…perfect! I also loaded up the 1940s Rolleiflex with the one remaining roll of 120.

We get to the Hard Rock and once we finally figure out how to get to the show from the parking lot, it is amazing! There are beautiful concours worthy automobiles from every maker and every era. Oh, the eye candy, now I was truly inspired!

Tropical Bug

I shot many makes and models and came up with quite a few images from the old C-3 that I really like. I have yet to develop the roll out of the Rollei, but should be getting to that one soon.

DeLorean DMC-12

All of the shots are in the Transportation section on my website here:  Transportation Gallery on AnalogSoulPhoto.com

1940 Ford Coupe


Kathy’s Cameras 02 – Vintage Original Diana Camera

This is the second in my series introducing my collection of film cameras.   This one features the lovely and talented original Diana plastic camera from the 1960s.


Kathy’s Cameras 01 – Minolta Minoltina AL-s

Just decided it would be fun to make some videos introducing you to cameras from my collection.  I started with my favorite little rangefinder since I’ve been collecting from 2009, “Tina” as I call her, or Minolta Minoltina AL-s.  Enjoy!


Heartache for a place I’ve never been…Japan

Over the last week hearing about the devastation and seeing the chilling imagery on television has made me think about these people and their suffering.  I can not even conceive of what they must be going through…I live in South Florida and certainly saw some with Hurricane Wilma, but that pales in comparison.  It was nothing compared to what happened in New Orleans with Katrina and now this tragedy in Japan.

"Zen Garden" shot with vintage Minolta Minoltina AL-s

I have adored Japan for so long for wonderful traditions, food, and culture.  I even purchased an English to Japanese dictionary and a tour book for the day that I do get to go.  From the Harajuku girls of Tokyo to the wonder of Mt. Fuji…it is a place I can only dream of visiting one day.  For these reasons, I wondered what I, a person of little means, could do for Japan.

"Knot a Big Tree" shot with plastic Holga camera

Upon thinking about it for the last few days, I remembered a time that I went with my husband and friends to the Japanese gardens in Delray Beach, Florida.  I took many images that day with my trusty old Minolta Minoltina AL-s rangefinder and plastic Holga cameras.  Being at this place is a small substitution for the real thing.  I got images of beautiful blue tile roofs, zen gardens, and picturesque bridges.

"Zen Lake View" shot with plastic Holga camera

I finally thought of what I could do…I will sell the Japanese themed images that I shot at the gardens and send a portion of the profits to a charity organization that is directly involved with helping those in need in Japan.  The images here are just a sampling of what I will be offering.  Click on any of these images to see more in my gallery on the website.

"Zen Scene" shot with vintage Minolta Minoltina AL-s

Also keep in mind that any items purchased through my website are not signed as they are shipped directly from the manufacturer.  If you would like hand-signed and titled versions, contact me directly and I can get those to you.  Direct from me prices are for an 8×10 (approx) print in an 11×14 mat one for $29, 2 for $50, or 3 for $60.  Again, with any images sold from my “Japanese Inspiration” series will have a portion of the proceeds send for relief in Japan, whether from the website or me directly.


Did you know that my photography is for sale?

I just wanted to let you know.  I have a website where most of the images shown on this blog are sold: My Photography Website and I usually upload images to my flickr account first here: My flickr Account .  If you see images in my flickr that I don’t yet have on the website, just send me a message and I can see if I can get it up on the site.

I sell through RedBubble primarily and they offer a range of products from greeting cards to matted prints to framed images.  So, no matter your budget or needs, they’ll be able to make my image into a piece of art you will cherish forever.

I also sell in person at art and music festivals.  If you follow me on facebook here: Analog Soul Photography on facebook , I’ll give a heads up whenever I am doing an event.  The images I sell at the festivals are ones prepared by me personally, so are a bit different than what is sold on my website.  The prints I sell are usually close to an 8×10 image and an overall mat size (frame size) of 11×14.  This size is standard so that you can either custom frame it or just pick up a ready-made frame from somewhere like Target or WalMart or Michaels.  I hand sign and title all of the mats on these images also, so there is an added value to purchasing directly from me.  You can also email me about any image you may be interested in from my website and I can send you a hand signed one…I accept PayPal for these transactions and can ship them safely and securely to you.

Thank you very much for your interest in my blog and I look forward to sharing much more of my photography with you!


Better in Black and White

Recently I have been going back through my photographic archives. I have brought up images that I thought were okay and converted them to black and white and I loved them.  I was amazed that this simple conversion could make me go from “like” to “love” with a simple Ctrl/Alt/Shift/B stroke.

"Rue Bourbon" shot with Pentax ZX-5

It started with my aforementioned images from New Orleans and more recently some that I had taken with my pseudo Rollei Pearl River twin lens reflex camera.  I had some shots from our Fisheating Creek, Florida camping trip and some others from that camera.

"Emerging" shot with Pearl River TLR

And just the other day, I picked up a roll of film from the processors that I shot in my Olympus XA (c-41 that I don’t develop at home) that was color.  I got home with it and didn’t even scan it as color, I went straight to black and white…and the images were great!  I’m amazed at how much just doesn’t work as well in color and once it’s made black and white, it becomes “art.”

"Alfa I" shot with Olympus XA

So, from now on, I am only going to be using black and white film (unless I get a crazy good deal somewhere) and process myself.  That way, there’s no question…it’s black and white and that’s it.  Also, the film itself is predominantly less expensive and home developing also is much more reasonable in the long run.  I am the “starving artist,” after all 😉


A Tractor, Two Firetrucks, and a Train Museum

A couple of weeks ago, we decided to go on an adventure in Miami to the Gold Coast Train Museum.  Little did we know what an adventure it would be…as my GPS in my Android phone took us all the way west …though I told the hubby it looked suspicious, he wanted to follow it.  We just got to go through horrendous Miami traffic from west to east and finally found the correct location which was right by Miami MetroZoo (where he initially thought it was).

One of our reasons for visiting on this day was that it was free admission (as it is the first Saturday of every month) and there was a caravan of gourmet food trucks to be there.  The hubby’s a foodie, so he really wanted to try the food trucks…and we really needed some inspiration for our photography which we knew the trains, our friends Robert, Michelle, and Bobby, and my step daughter Melissa and her daughter Aliza would give.

I took my post WWII Argus A2b and trusty Pentax MX with me.  I needed to get the Argus out “just because” and I knew my MX wouldn’t let me down (since I’m still not well versed in the use of the A2b) so I’d get at least some decent shots.

We were starving after our driving adventure, so we headed straight for the food trucks.  Luckily, they didn’t let us down.  We scarfed a couple of fish tacos immediately, then the hubby and I went to separate trucks for the rest of our meal.  I had a wonderful Mediterranean chicken wrap from a truck that only does wraps…super yummy!

"Case Tractor III" shot with Pentax MX

Once we finished lunch, I realized there were a couple of old fire trucks and a Case steam powered farm tractor just outside the train building.  I thought they would make excellent photographic subjects, so I proceeded to shoot away.  Got some shots I really like of the tractor and especially the details of one truck (an American LaFrance).  I just love rusty old historical vehicles like this.  They have so much more meaning when they were used for saving lives or for producing food.  As always, I thought about this history and wondered about the tales they would tell if they could.

"Fireman's Axe" shot with Pentax MX

"Firetruck Levers" shot with Pentax MX

We gathered up our crew and headed inside the train building.  It was amazing, they had many different eras of passenger cars, engines, and cabooses.  I loved the passenger cars most…imagining the lives of the people that rode in them.  The most luxurious of these was the Ferdinand Magellan Railcar made by the Pullman Company.  This railcar was used for the three presidents prior to Kennedy (Franklin Roosevelt, Harry Truman, and Dwight D. Eisenhower) to transport and do “whistlestop” campaigning.  It was replaced with Air Force One for President Kennedy.  The appointments in this car were amazing…it had an early version of air conditioning, two “suites” with adjoining washrooms…one of which even had what they called a “bath tub,” but it was more of a basin for the shower.

"What they saw when they looked up" shot with Pentax MX

"Presidential Coffee Maker" shot with Pentax MX

It was a great day checking out all the cool rail cars and I think we’ll go back soon.  We had a good time, but with everyone in our group it was hard to shoot as much as I wanted to.  I like to document the details and it takes me a while to do so…so the hubby and I will have to make a trip on our own to spend more time shooting.  We highly recommend it and if you’re going to the Miami Metro Zoo any time soon, definitely add it to your agenda!

"Engine 153" shot with Pentax MX


Vivian Maier and Rolleiflex Inspiration

In recent months, I have been in a little “slump” in my photographic adventures.  Luckily, in October when I took a driving trip to see my family in Virginia, my father gave me a Koni Omega Rapid (oddball medium format), Graflex Crown Graphic (large format), and a Rolleiflex Automat (twin lens reflex) to use!  He’s always been good like that and I think that seeing me getting back into film photography made him want to hand these off to someone to use again…they were just sitting in drawers in their dank basement.

Goodies from Dad 😉

I got home with these new gems and was getting some great inspiration just by having these cameras in my hot little hands.  Upon my return, I was on flickr catching up and someone had posted about a photographer by the name of Vivian Maier from Chicago that had just been “discovered” after her passing.  He made mention of her use of a Rolleiflex and this really intrigued me.  I found more information on the web about her shooting through many decades with her Rollei and that there were thousands of rolls of film found of hers.  There were two major things that made me very interested in her; the fact that she was a woman photographer in a time when it was very male dominated, and that she used a Rolleiflex camera rather than a more “dainty” 35mm or other smaller camera that a typical woman of the era would.

"A Seat on South Beach" shot with Rolleiflex Automat

I came to read about her, watch videos and see her story explode across the internet.  What a find this John Maloof had come across!  Thoughts of her falling into obscurity went through my mind and made me so thankful that John had the wisdom to see the great value of this woman’s images and the story of her life.  There is now a display of her work and a couple of her cameras in Chicago…makes me really want to go there to see it and the place that she had called home for so much of her life.

"Boca Grande Light III" shot with Rolleiflex Automat

Now this Rolleiflex that my father had entrusted me with had so much more meaning to me.  It started with a fascination of the German engineering of a machine that was made around WWII and now the added interest of a mid century woman photographer having used a very similar camera.  I can’t wait to use the camera more and watch the incredible story of this amazingly talented woman photographer unfold.

"Boca Grande Light II" shot with Rolleiflex Automat

 


I love shooting cemeteries, graveyards, and tombs ;-)

"Hush" shot with Minoltina AL-s 35mm rangefinder

I was just going through my gallery on my website and realized how many images I have from cemeteries.  I don’t know what exactly draws me to them…a sense of history, a mystery of a life I never knew, or simply showing respect to those that have left this world.  I have been intrigued since I was very young and my brothers and I would sneak into graveyards to peek at the headstones.

"The Gaze of an Angel" shot with Pentax MX

Since my foray back into film photography, I have shot Key West Cemetery and Evergreen Cemetery in Fort Lauderdale fairly extensively.  I think my favorite subjects would have to be the angels…beautiful heavenly beings watching over the souls that have passed on.  Key West has some gorgeous hand carved marble angels that I adore.  There’s even one there that had an eerie light flare no matter what camera or angle I took it from.

"Diana's Angel" shot with Diana F+ camera

My favorite cameras for shooting in these environs have been my modern Diana F+ and vintage Diana, Ansco Pix plastic 35mm, and Minolta Minoltina AL-s 1960s rangefinder.

"Heaven's Gate" shot with plastic Ansco Pix 35mm camera


Yet another rangefinder joins my little analog family ;-)

After the Hi-Matic 7s and Minoltina AL-s, I was certainly hooked on Minolta rangefinders, but wanted my next Minolta to be the 7sII…but it was out of my price range. I set my sights on another vintage beauty, the Canon Canonet QL17 GIII (a long name for a legendary camera).

I have certain tactics I use on eBay in order to get the best deal I can. The QL17s I had been watching there were going for about $50 and up and even more for CLA (Cleaned, Lubed, and Adjusted) models. This time, my tactic was to get on eBay during the Super Bowl (best times I’ve found are Super Bowl and World Series), as most people in the US are watching TV instead of prowling eBay. I found a QL17 that was ending during the game that was described as “not in very good shape” and “not sure about functioning.” It looked dirty in the pics, but I could see no damage, so figured it was worth the risk and won it for about $35 with shipping.

I received the box a few days later and pulled out this dirty little camera:
Dirty 'ole Canonet QL17

I dubbed it “The Ugly Duckling” because it was so grungy. I began cleaning it up and realized all the more what great shape it was in. I even managed to get the residue from masking tape off the top 😉 I popped a battery in it and it came to life…here is “The Swan!”
The Swan!

I thoroughly enjoy using this camera…it has very intuitive controls (which is my pet peeve…I’ve had some that make no sense to use!), shutter priority auto mode, and fully manual mode. One quirky thing is that the meter only works in the “A” mode, not in manual. It’s handy when using this mode since you can change the shutter speed to get the desired aperture. For manual, I meter in A, then decide how I want to change shutter speed and aperture accordingly. Once nice thing about the meter being off in manual is that it’s essentially “off” then…thus if one doesn’t have a lens cap or it falls of, you won’t drain your battery.

Here are a couple of shots I’ve taken with this little beauty:

Glenwood electric guitar

Steel guitars

These were shot handheld in “A” mode on Kodak T-Max 400 developed in Rodinal 1:50.

More shots of/taken with this camera here:  Canonet QL17 GIII set on flickr


My Rangefinder Mania Continues!

My foray back into film camera collecting began with the plastic Diana F+, but I got off onto a tangent with vintage rangefinders shortly thereafter. First, with the Argus C-3, Kodak 35 RF, and Minolta Minoltina AL-s. Once I started using that sweet little “Tina”…I was hooked once again.


The Minolta family grows…”Tina” is joined by the big & beautiful Hi-Matic 7s

My web searches on other desireable rangefinder models came up with the Minolta Hi-Matic line. The 7sII looked very appealing, but the prices were out of my range (I normally don’t spend more than $30-$40 on my new acquisitions), so I set my sights on the previous model, the 7s. It had appealing features with fully automatic, aperture priority, and fully manual modes. It’s amazing with a camera of this age to just have to point at your subject, focus, and shoot. I used it at an air show one day and had it on the “Auto” setting the entire time…here are some results from it:


“Patriot Wing” shot with Minolta Hi-Matic 7s 35mm rangefinder w/ Kodak bw400cn film


“C-130 Hercules” shot with Minolta Hi-Matic 7s 35mm rangefinder w/ Kodak bw400cn film


“View through the Galaxy” shot with Minolta Hi-Matic 7s 35mm rangefinder w/ Kodak bw400cn film

So, it was official, I am an addict. I began researching which one to purchase next 😉 See my full set of images of/taken with this camera here:  Minolta Hi-Matic 7s set on flickr


Rangefinder Mania

I seem to be the obsessive compulsive type. I got hooked on rangefinder 35mm cameras back in the 80s using an Olympus XA and in the 90s when I borrowed my Dad’s Olympus 35 (DC?) in New Orleans, LA. Since my foray back into all things film, I have amassed quite the camera collection (in addition to what I already had). Rangefinders seem to be my weakness.


Argus C-3 aka “The Brick” 35mm rangefinder camera

Kodak 35 RF
Kodak 35 RF 35mm rangefinder camera

Minoltina AL-s
Minolta Minoltina AL-s 35mm rangefinder camera

It all started with a lot of three cameras on eBay. There was the obligatory “Brick” (Argus C-3), a freak of nature called the Kodak 35 RF (rather than redesigning a new model, they just put all the rangefinder gears and gizmos on the OUTSIDE of the body!), and a sweet little Minolta Minoltina AL-s. The Minolta was the one I was after…the other two were “fluff.” She had a fast 40mm f1.8 lens and looked to be very clean. I received the lot and every camera came in it’s “ever ready” case (or “never ready” as they are sometimes known 😉 and was in pristine condition. Yet another testament to purchasing from a seller who knows nothing about cameras and just sells them “as-is.” Think I paid $35 including shipping for the entire lot.

The brick and the 35 rf were kindof painful to use…strange dials to set, uncomfortable to hold and shoot, accidentally hitting the wrong thing instead of the shutter release, etc. But the Minoltina was another story…it just felt at home in my hands, very compact, selenium light meter works very well, and that fast lens sure does soak up some light! I dubbed her “Tina” after falling head over heels for her 😉 Here are some shots from her:

Hush
Hush

He Stole Her Heart...
He stole her heart, amongst other things…

Monochromatic Bromeliad
Monochromatic Bromeliad

Stay tuned for more “Rangefinder Mania!”