Vintage Film Slides - The Day I Won The Internet - #TBT #AllTheFilm

If you know me at all, or follow me on Instagram, you probably know I have a hankering for old things.  I'm not sure what it is, but old things offer a sort of comfort to me, and I find them thought-provoking and just generally more interesting than shiny, new things.  I like to know or guess their story, whose lives they were once pieces of.

Recently, I was looking on eBay for expired 35mm film, and I came across something that sparked an excitement in me reminiscent of Christmas morning when I was five, or driving away from the house alone for the first time when I was 15.

I came across a vintage slide, of David Bowie.

THE David Bowie.

And I LOVE David Bowie.

As a kid, one of my favorite films was Labyrinth, and as an adult my favorite film (The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou) even includes Bowie songs, both sung by him and covered in Portuguese by Seau Jorge.  Two-out-of-three albums that changed my life are Bowie Albums.  Not to mention, my ten-year-old is an even bigger Bowie fan, and has been planning to be his character from Labyrinth , "Jareth, the Goblin King," since last year at Halloween, and can pretty much accurately list his discography in order of year recorded, and that's a lot of knowledge.

So, needless to say, I had to have it.

I set an alarm on my phone to remind me near the end of the auction, and realized I would be waiting in the car line at the kids' school at the time bidding ended. I was cautiously hopeful, excited, and determined that I would own it.

Well, time came and went, and I won the slide.  And I have to say, without a doubt, it's one of my favorite possessions.  It feels a bit like owning a tiny piece of David Bowie's history, and I know one little girl who is looking forward to inheriting it someday.

I should note that I do not have rights to reproduce for profit or distribution, but that I may print for personal use, which is enough for me.

The best part? I only paid $8 for it, shipping and all.

It was the day I won the internet.

This is a "scan" taken with my macro lens, but I plan on getting a proper scanner soon so I can get a high resolution file to order myself a print.

David Bowie in French artist Victor Vasarely’s workshop in 1977. Photograph: Christian Simonpietri/Sygma/Corbis 

I have a ton of vintage slides to share over the coming months, including landmarks, vintage cars, bridges, boats, planes and Americana lifestyle and snapshots from the 50s, 60s, 70s and 80s;  so be sure to subscribe for updates on #TBT posts, where I will share random photos, stories, and knowledge of old stuff, like vintage cameras, expired films and vintage slides.

Thanks for stopping by!

XOXO Leah

All The Film - Ilford Hp5 400 + Nikon F100

I almost completely stopped using film, and transitioned to digital in 2006.  I loved the instant gratification and the amount of creative control I had at my disposal through Photoshop.  After all, I was "young and hip" (or at least told myself I was) and digital was the "way of the future".  With my Minolta Maxxum tucked away in my desk drawer, I began to broaden my photography horizons, learning more about exposure and shutter speed than my film camera had ever afforded me to (because let's face it, in most cases it's cheaper to shoot digital).

I had all but forgotten about my film camera.

Until the day I caught my then five-year-old son dismantling it in his closet.

I was mortified.  The camera that had documented my twenties, and the first 3 years of his life, and been the foundation of my photography journey, in pieces.  It had accompanied me on many adventures, documented milestones, and here it was, a sad, sad mess.

I was upset for a little while, and then I moved on.  After all, I was hearing rumors that film was being phased out, that companies were no longer producing many stocks, and I had noticed most places that once developed locally were no longer offering film services.

So I continued with digital.  I created and learned with the convenience of honing my skills by viewing the results of each effort on an LCD screen.  And I sort of felt like I was cheating.  I wanted to prove to myself that I didn't need to rely on Photoshop, or playback on the LCD to make good images.

And suddenly, I felt a longing for film.

And so there I was, longing for film- because, after all, it's where I had fallen in love with photography, and it just felt like going home in some way.

For Christmas several years ago, my mom gifted me Nikon F100.  I love that I am able to use the lenses from my digital camera (D700), and the button placement is almost identical, making it convenient to switch between cameras.  This was the first roll of film shot with that camera, and my wonderfully talented friend, Brooke Bikneris, offered to process and scan them for me, as she was delving into learning the art of film development (which is definitely an art, and destined to be the next adventure of my photographic journey).  The roll was fresh, my heart was eager, and the processing was perfect.  The following images are the results of that first roll shot, as I re-entered the world of film.

 Back roads of Mississippi in December, using the Lensbaby Composer Pro and Sweet 35 Optic

Attempted macro shots of snow on a tree stump, with the Tokina 100 2.8

More back roads in Mississippi, after a rare Mississippi snow

My beautiful Sister in-law

My daughter Lily, she was so little then!  These shots were taken with a vintage manual focus Tamron 135 2.8 that I scored on eBay for about $70.  I still love it, 4 years later.

My handsome Luke.

I can't believe how much the kids have grown since these were taken.

My momma heart loves this so much!

 Stargazer Lily macro, with the Tokina 100 2.8, which is an amazing lens!

I discovered Ilford Hp5 some time around 1999, as my college roommate was taking a photography class and her professor had recommended it. It's still one of my favorite films, with beautiful contrast and flexibility, and depending on how it's shot and processed, with relatively fine grain.  

Best part? It doesn't cost a fortune.

Until next time-

xoxo Leah

Technical Details:

Camera: Nikon F100

Film: Ilford Hp5 400 (rated at box speed)

Processing: Brooke Bikneris (in home, scanned on Epson)

Lenses:

Lensbaby Composer Pro+ Sweet 35 Optic

Nikon 50 1.4D

Tamron 135 2.8

Tokina 100 2.8

Camera Junkie - All the Film, All the Cameras

I'm addicted to old cameras.  It started about 7 years ago, when my husband brought home a vintage Minolta SRT-101 from an estate sale.  Some I purchased from ebay, some from thrift or antique stores, some were gifts.  Some of them work like a charm, some of them are hopeless, and a few of them I just haven't taken the time to figure out yet, but here I am, staring at this beautiful collection, determined to use the ones that work, and to proudly display the ones that don't. There is something fulfilling in looking at my mantle and seeing all these old cameras.  I look at them and wonder who they belonged to, and what kind of memories were frozen in time at the click of the shutter.

Lubitel Universal 166, Made in Russia 1980

Minolta SrT-101, Made in Japan 1966

Kodak Brownie Target Six-20, Made in USA and France 1941

Kodak Brownie Hawkeye Flash, Made in USA 1950

Steky Model II, 16mm sub-mini, Made in Japan 1950

Steky II in the palm of my hand.  I swear it's like the puppy of cameras.

Kodak Brownie Starmite, Made in USA 1960

Minolta Autopak 700, Made in Japan 1966

Yashica Electro 35 G, Made in Japan 1968

Kodak Brownie Bullet, Made in USA 1957-1964

Minolta Maxxum 3xi, Made in Japan 1991

This camera is particularly special to me.  It documented my life from 21-31, and was the camera on which I learned the basics of photography, and truly fell in love with the art.

Dick Tracy Toy Camera, 1940s

(A real, working camera! Shutter sticks, but a fun addition to the collection that I snagged at an antique market several years ago)

Minolta Freedom 115, Made in Japan 2001

(found recently at a Goodwill for $4)

Mamiya ZE-2, Made in Japan 1980

Minolta Hi-Matic G, Made in Japan 1974

Nikon N2000, Made in Japan 1985

Nikon F100, Made in Japan 1999

The ones I use frequently are the Nikon F100, Minolta SrT-101 and Hi-matic G, and the Mamiya ZE-2,  I just got the Lubitel, and I am anxious to try it out, but I realized it's missing a handle and may have to find a solution for this before I will be able to test it.  

So there you have it. My "dirty little secret" is out, and please, whatever you do, don't schedule an intervention.  If loving old film cameras is wrong, I don't want to be right.

Until next time-

xoxo Leah