Mustang

Pentax Spotmatic
Super-Takumar 50 1.4
Fuji Superia

The Darkroom (film service experience)

I first started this blog as a way to share my thoughts and my film photography. There's something about seeing negatives and prints that still gives me a buzz.  The long wait between taking a photo, developing the negatives, and seeing the scans/prints gives my a strange sense of satisfaction.  For the last few months I have been trying to use my film camera as a way of staying on my toes. Honestly, truly, I like using film because no one can ask you to show them how the photo came out. Any photo I've taken is mine to enjoy. I snap the shutter for my own personal satisfaction. Whether it be to capture my beautiful wife or some small moment in time, it's photography to document my life and what brings me joy. Regardless of how little or trivial, those quiet moments are the ones that you live most of your life. Might as well keep track of them, right?

 

With that said, I had three rolls of color negative film that I needed developed. Both Wal-Mart and Walgreens have send-out services. At that rate, I might as well go with a company that specializes in film. I had heard good things about The Darkroom from both the Film Photography Project podcast and Flickr. It seemed like a decent place to work with. And I especially liked the ease of which their services ended up being.

 

 

 

The way I went with was paying with my check card before even mailing the film. They noted on their website that this was the quickest way so I took their advice on it. I bought a padded envelope and printed the mail slip to stick to that envelope. The Darkroom pays for the postage, so that's a plus. I put in my three rolls of film (Fuji Superia 200 and 400, and Kodak Ultra 800). I dropped this off at the post office that same day. Two days later I received a confirmation email of having received my package. Things were getting tense now since I've been looking forward to seeing these photos for a while now. I wondered how long it would take to have them scanned and available online.

 

 

On the third day after having sent the film, my photos were already scanned and uploaded on their website! I could easily view my photos, rotate them, share a link with friends, and even download them. I'm also given the option to order prints from their website. Later that day I got an e-mail to let me now that my cd's and negatives were on their way back to me. The package came in on November 1st. So within one week I got through the process of getting my images, and it wasn't even that long that I had digital access to them.

 

 

 

I was blown away by the results and how the company took care of my images and film. They offer many different options regarding scans, film types, and prints. This is definitely a must-use service if you still use film. Please visit their website when you have a chance; it's worth your time.

 

 

 

Oh, and one last thing. The package I received included one cd for each roll of film, my negatives cut and sleeved, print cards with an overview of the images on the cd, and even a new envelope for future film. All I need to do is drop the film in, seal, and take that to the mailbox. How neat is that?!

 

http://thedarkroom.com/

 

Have a great day!

 

 

Halloween Party

Had a great time at my parents' Halloween party. We got to dressed up and 'acted the fool' for a couple of hours, played Just Dance 4, and watched a  low budget movie that turned out being much better than expected. My sister did a great job choosing it! 

Update

For the last few months I have been using my film camera to document moments of my life. I’ve been documenting the simple times that I see and experience; I photograph for me and me alone. If you haven’t tried it, it’s a pretty refreshing experience. With the current age of Facebook and Insta-everything, it’s a breath of fresh air to capture things for the sake of capturing them. Our life is full of those ‘off-moments’. These are the quiet times we spend by ourselves and with loved ones. There’s no social rating system or view recorder. There are no opinionated internet folks to point out the obvious. It’s just a feeling and a snap.

After a long wait between taking photos and finally seeing them, all those memories start flooding back. The smells, the smiles, and the times when you’re taking things slowly become as tangible as the film those moments were recorded on. Flipping through photographs is like falling in love: there are mistakes, surprises, and a knowing that everything will be alright.

Over the next few weeks I’ll be more active (less lazy) regarding posting. I have a short review, photos, and more random thoughts coming through. I may even throw in a sketch or two. Here's a couple   for now!

Up is Relative

Baby Bean Baby

Mindful

Mindful, a photo by midnightrook on Flickr.

This is from a couple of months ago, still one of my faves. The way the light reflects off his eye is really what gets me. I intentionally left the door to help frame the subject. The detail in the fur and face are crisp, but overall this is a soft, dreamy photo. My opinion, o'course.

Mistakes and Achieving Goals

Life is about trial and error. We make multiple mistakes in the hopes of a possible solution. In my case, my photography continues to be a series of ups and downs, as well as periods of not being able to capture interesting scenes.

With that said, I reached one of my goals of having my work featured by a photographer I admire. Steve Huff, who runs the website SteveHuffPhoto.com and has documented tours with the singer Seal, shared an article of mine on his website alongside three of my photos from a recent trip.

Needless to say, I have been almost speechless since then as this has been a great source of pride and a humbling experience as well.

Below are the three photos that were featured, and the link to my essay.

http://www.stevehuffphoto.com/2012/08/01/leica-rangefinder-philosophy-for-the-real-world-by-jean-pierre-vazquez/

Face to Face

I spent maybe half an hour at a local park searching for Macro opportunities. I only had one chance, and it was well worth the heat! They were standing very still, so I set the camera on the ground and did a relatively long exposure. The natural light look ended up turning out pretty neat.