Awhile back, I ran across an old friend in cyberspace and conspired to have lunch with her. It wasn’t until later on that I realized that she writes a local blog here in Richmond. Then, I figured she had to let me shoot her picture. It might make a good series later on, now that I think about it.
Anyway, she’s quite clever and given that she used to have insider information about the food business, she frequently talks about restaurants. Give her a read.
This is not a real photograph.
I mean, it’s real in the sense I used a camera to make it – a film camera, at that – and it’s a real scene, but it is not a Polaroid photograph. It’s a fake. I used an application that you can download online for free (whether you have a Mac or a PC). It’s called The Poladroid Project and it turns jpegs into polaroid-looking photographs. There’s even a flickr group where folks put their experiments up.
While I usually avoid this kind of post-process, I like this one. I think that digital treatments have their place in photography and if used sparingly, they can create some really cool stuff.
For what it’s worth, the unadulterated scan of this negative lives here.
Richmond is just not equipped for large amounts of snow and, as such, the city shut down after we got dumped on yesterday.
I took a few minutes before trying to convince my two-year-old daughter that the snow was fun – she didn’t believe me, came crying back to her mother – to shoot a few images. What’s funny is that as soon as I got outside, I remembered what I’d been told about how snow lied to light meters, telling them that there was more light than necessary. The first Polaroid I shot was way overexposed. I had to underexpose two stops to get these to work. They’re unremarkable, but hey, they’re pictures of snow.
This one is actually exposed correctly as I shot it the night before, while the snow was coming down. The shutter was open for 8 seconds, give or take, at its widest aperture.
I haven’t figured it out yet — why is the light so much… prettier on a Polaroid? There’s something ethereal about the way it bleeds around and almost falls.
At any rate, I have another surfer in the stable. Enjoy.
This is Herschel Stratego.
He’s kind of a big deal.
When his album comes out, I’ll let you know.
This is Sarah, in one of the only shots I think I got this morning, as it feels like the Hasselblad body has gone the way of the dodo.
I’m pretty sure it’s just ’cause the thing is old (mine’s from 1960), but it may well be that it was so effing cold. The temperature this morning was in the low 30s so it may have been that. All the information I’ve been able to find says that these cameras are workhorses and should be able to comfortably function down to -25 degrees Centigrade. I’ve ordered a new one (to me, at least) already, and it should be here by early next week.
To her credit, Sarah was a trouper. She changed her clothes (she brought half of the current line at Anthropologie with her) in the car and was really pleasant about freezing her butt off. She even promised to stand still and look pretty again when the camera stuff gets resolved. Gotta love that kinda model.
But I’m thinkin’ it’ll be a good idea to get some of the stuff that’ll help you make your way through. I mean, how many post-apocalyptic video games feature at least one character wearing one of these? Bonus points to whomever comes up with the longest list.
An interesting note: The letters on his fingers read “gain” and on his left, “loss.” I completely forgot to shoot both sides with the Polaroids. The film is forthcoming.
It’s funny what happens when you put an ad on Craigslist.
I figured that I might be able to score a couple of other people with their surfboards if I just asked. Lo and behold, I got a few.
I’m not sure I’m in love with these images, but I think some of the discoloration is because the ambient temperature was lower than the Polaroids would have liked.
Anyway, until the film gets back (and it won’t go in until Monday at the earliest) here’s what I have to share. Apologies to the folks I promised this to who had to wait. (grin)
The guy across the street from us has a tractor in his front yard. No lie.
When he parked it originally, he gave this half-hearted excuse about being a redneck. I laughed in the cordial way you do, but it never crossed my mind that a redneck would have tractor in his yard. Anyway. I asked if I could swing by to shoot a picture of it before he took it back to his farm. He said sure.
I went over Sunday afternoon with the last of the Polaroids in my camera and grabbed a few.
I’m working on a group of stuff and since it was a weekend that started with Polaroids, I snapped a few at this shoot too.
Craig (of Groundswell Concepts) was agreeable enough to pose in what can only be a kinda silly situation, but comes off looking pretty cool. Joe (of Brainchild Collective) was good enough to hang out and assist.
I’m a little concerned about how the sun (which was blaring behind him) might overpower the actual film photos when I get them back, but the Polaroids have turned out reasonably well.
EDIT: Preliminary film scans live here and here.
photographic ramblings of thomas scott 