From a distance, almost everything looks real.

Sometimes the only dreams I have are the ones I make.

I miss dreaming.

I miss flying.

So I create a place for my thoughts to dwell.

I close my eyes and imagine my feet in the clouds,

my wings in the wind.

I hold my breath and wonder why my feet have to touch the ground.

I'm weak and I'm tired, but my heart still beats.

My lungs still breathe.

My wings are broken, but my song stays strong.

My tears still flow.

Sometimes I wonder if I kept going, could I find my way to heaven?

Why do my feet need the ground?

I miss dreaming.

I miss flying.

From a distance, everything looks real.

xoxo- Leah

Image Details:

Fujifilm X-e1

35mm 1.4

glass prism for reflection

Photoshop:

minor color and light adjustments

pincushion lens effect with Nik software

Ocean is Calling - Provia 100F - XP #allthefilm

Once upon a time, there was a girl who dropped film off to be processed, and in the chaos of life, forgot all about it.  Then one gloomy, January day, she got an unexpected call from her magical film lab saying, "You have scans waiting for you".  Suddenly, her gloomy, cold, January day was filled with anticipation.  She bundled up in a warm, wool coat and gloves and made the long drive into town, where she discovered her scans with a contact sheet that made her absolutely giddy.  She rushed home, loaded the scans into her computer, and looked with wonder and amazement.  She was instantly transported back to that beautiful June morning, when she stood facing the Gulf of Mexico, with the sun rising behind her, the sounds of waves and seagulls in her ears, the smell of salt in the air, and the ocean breeze in her hair.  She giggled and smiled at the images before her, thankful that she asked for the film to be cross-processed, thankful that she was shooting Provia 100f, and thankful that she had these images to remind her that the ocean is always calling.

I can smell the salt in the air, can you?

It's been a while since I have blogged, but these scans gave me instant motivation, and to shoot more film.  I'm pretty sure I can say that cross-processed provia is my spirit animal.  I adore the punchy contrast, cool, vivid tones, and all the extra grain.  I also adore the Nikon 28 2.8D for a painterly feel on landscapes, and for whatever reason, the updated G version lens just doesn't offer the same painterly quality.  If you want to see more of this film/camera/lens combo, click here.

Details:

Location: Panama City, Florida

Gear: Nikon F100 | Nikon 28 2.8D

Film: Fujifilm Provia 100f (cross processed)
Processed/Scanned: Dury's of Nashville | Noritsu

Until next time, 

xoxo-Leah

#TennesseeTuesday - Monochromatic Foggy Morning

Woke up to a thick, foggy morning one day last week, and after my morning taxiing of kids and whatnot, I went home, grabbed my camera, and set off to see what images I could capture before the fog lifted.  the following images are from that morning (some of them after the fog lifted), all of them taken within 3 miles of my house.

And if you ever wondered why the chicken crossed the road, it's still a mystery.  I asked, but couldn't get a straight answer out of them.

Technical Details:

Nikon D700

Nikon 28 2.8D | 50 1.4D

Lensbaby Composer Pro + Sweet 35 Optic

Until tomorrow-

xoxo Leah

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