Photographer. Podcaster. Blogger. Reverse Engineer.
Photographing Mic & Nics – January 2020
Recorded January 15, 2020
You may recognize this building. I wrote about how I practiced my light metering with it. Well, I also recorded myself on a different day shooting it with very expired film.
In this episode of the podcast I chat about using a shutter release with a film camera for the first time and my joy in finding compositions of a rather bland building.
Seven Tubs in winter on 35mm
Recorded January 13 2020.
In spring 2018 Eliza and I walked Seven Tubs and I photographed the area on my Google Pixel 2 XL. On that visit I created a vivid, punchy set of photos that showcased the pop of color we saw that day.
Visiting Seven Tubs in winter, and shooting on expired film, results in a much more subdued set of images – but still very interesting.
I hope you enjoy this episode and these photos.
All images taken on expired Kodak Color Gold 400 on Canon Rebel G.
Talking gear and settings for shooting film – December 2019
Recorded December 24, 2019.
In this episode of the podcast I discuss the gear I took on this trip, why I have them, the settings I use, how I use my bag, etc. It is just a ramble really I wouldn’t listen if I were you.
Oh and I talk about scanning old negatives as well. Hope you enjoy it. I did.
My first day shooting only film – December 2019
Recorded on December 23, 2019.
This episode is packed with nostalgia for me – even though it was only 3 months ago. It was my first day shooting film. I was using expired film so that I didn’t mind making mistakes. And I made a ton of them on this day.
I also developed this film myself. It was my very first roll of color film that I had developed on my own at home. In fact, up until this writing I have never sent any film out to be processed. I’ve done it all myself. At least so far. Once I start shooting more expensive films (which I’ve just received this week as of his writing) I may change my tune.
I’m satisfied with the photos. Knowing what I know today, I realize the film was definitely bad. The fact that it exposed at all is a miracle really. If these photos were taken with new film they would have been poppin. The silo image was metered properly, but I could have done a bit better on that one with the exposure. But I had a lot to learn at this point.
So many of the topics I covered in the episode show how new I was to this whole film photography journey. I still am. I’m looking forward to upcoming episodes to relive the moments I learned over the last 3 months of shooting only film. And I’m looking forward to looking back at these episodes in the years to come.
Here are a few photos taken with the point-and-shoot Kodak Snappy EL also using expired film from this same day.
The Snappy EL that I have is junk and is going in the garbage. I had to force it to forward the film by squeezing the case and that made it skip frames and be wholly unreliable.
Thanks for listening.
Discussing film photography – December 2019
In this episode of Photowalking with Colin I discuss my interest in film photography over the years and that I’m finally taking the plunge into that world.
On the day it was recorded I purchased my first point-and-shoot cameras, took a few photos (some of which I’ve shared here as well), and began my exploration of the world of film photography.
The point-and-shoot cameras I ramble on about are the Canon Snappy EL Macro, Olympus SuperZoom 2800, Olympus Stylus, Vivtar 700 24mm, Kodak pocket Instamatic 10 24mm (which I call magic).
Some of the episode has some audio popping issues. Please stick with it.
A snowy photowalk – December 2019
Another episode that is simply a walk in the snow where I don’t talk about too much but I wanted to publish it anyway. A few tidbits to pull out of this episode are some of the advantages of fresh snow, how snow changes your photography, and making the best of the situation at hand.
Downy woodpecker – November 2019
In this episode of the podcast I cover the fact that photo gear really does matter. That doesn’t mean that you can’t start learning photography with any gear you have on hand. It simply means that in certain situations gear can mean getting the shot or not.
I found the above woodpecker picking off the last few berries of this bush just before a snowfall. I included this photo in this post as well.
I’m glad I published this episode to perhaps unjam the backlog I have in podcast episodes. Stay tuned for more!
Lackawanna River American Mink – November 2019
This is a special episode. This is the first time I set out with a specific objective in mind (rather than just exploring or wandering) and I accomplished it!
The animal in the first image is, I’ve now learned more accurately, an American Mink (not a Fisher or Skink as I thought previously). It is in the weasel family and I can’t believe I found him.
Please enjoy this episode. I know I enjoyed recording it.
Edit: In the audio I misidentify this animal several times. I use mink, weasel, skink (which is a lizard) and fisher! Nearly in the same breath! Sorry about that. I had to get back and carefully look through the photos and compare them with what I’ve found online to figure out this was a mink after all.
Greenfield Road – October 2019
These images, and this audio, are from the very first episode of Photowalking with Colin. At the time of the recording I was experimenting with a new app, a setup, a process. I had never published the images! So I thought I’d get around to that today.
If you haven’t already listened to the audio, you’ll hear that I stop and ask a nearby neighbor, who I now know as Walt, for access to his property to shoot a few photos. The story of his property, being somewhere that people used to pay $1 a car to park and swim some 60 or so years ago, was unexpected.
I think it was this experience, over any other, that led me to continue and create the podcast. I’m glad I did because I’m really enjoying it.
Seelyville Dam – November 2019
On my way to the pub with a few friends I stopped by a nearby dam to shoot photos. I was surprised that just above the dam was a small marshy area filled with ducks, geese, beavers and birds. I managed to fire off just a few photos before the light faded.
There is one photo of Keenlake Campground’s adorable tunnel that I quickly stopped by to shoot as the sun was setting through it.
The first few episodes of my new photography podcast have been a learning experience for me. How should I record, edit, distribute these episodes? With each episode I’ve been able to improve that process and make some decisions along the way.
While I’m hoping to continue to improve the audio quality, the speed at which I can create these episodes, and how the audience consumes both the audio and the photos I make during each episode – I think I’ve settled in on how to publish these episodes. So today, I’ve made those adjustments to my site.
I’ve drawn inspiration from many sources including James Bell, @Miraz on Micro.blog, Joe Greer and others.
I went back through each episode and added the audio files to each post and moved them into their own category. This way people can listen to the audio right on the page with the photos. I have no doubt that this will render my Anchor* analytics useless but I don’t care. I’d much prefer people have a better listening experience.
So, in addition to subscribing to the podcast on just about any service or app of your choice, you can also just subscribe to this blog and be delivered each episode with the photos into your RSS reader. Or, come directly to each page as I link to them from Twitter or something and listen to the episode and view the photos at the same time.
* Anchor is the app I use to create and distribute the podcast. They collate all of the analytics together for me. Which is nice, but I don’t really care about analytics.
Testing the iPhone 11 Pro Max – November 2019
For behind-the-scenes audio of these photos please subscribe to Photowalking with Colin.
In this post I was testing the iPhone 11 Pro Max’s cameras while walking around Honesdale, PA at lunch time. I wish I had had more time on this day as I was just hitting my stride.
Culm dunes – October 2019
You can listen behind the scenes as I make these photographs in an episode of Photowalking with Colin titled Culm dunes.
I’d been wanting to use the Monochrome picture style in my Canon camera but hadn’t found the right subject. Until this day, when the sun was still relatively high in the sky, and I remembered how Nick Carver took advantage of these less than stellar photographic conditions to make black and white photos in the desert. I don’t have sand dunes or cacti available to me so I thought of using these anthracite culm piles as my sand dunes.
I am happy with how the first photograph came out. But I’d like another crack at these, and a few different compositions, with a lens hood.
Nick Carver, in an interview by Cody Schultz in early 2018:
Certain artworks I’ve seen throughout my life have had a powerful impact on me. When I look at a painting by Kenton Nelson or a sculpture by Michael Heizer, I feel something deep in my psyche that I can’t put words to. I can’t describe the feeling, but I know I love the effect it has on me. I hope that my photography can have that effect on other people.
If you listen to my podcast, you’ll know that Nick Carver’s work – and notably his YouTube channel – has had a profound effect on my photography.
Because Nick’s hobby is large format film landscape photography, his approach to exposing film is far different than my approach with digital photography. Or, at least how my approach used to be.
For years I’ve followed digital and even mobile photographers that recommend shooting hundreds of photographs in the hopes of capturing a few you like. With large format film you really can’t do that. Not only isn’t there enough time in a day to expose hundreds of slides of film, but also it would cost you a fortune.
This forces the photographer to slow down, strongly consider their composition, be certain of their light metering to determine the camera’s exposure settings, and be more mindful of each and every photo. I’ve been trying lately to find the balance between those two worlds. How can I be more purposeful in my digital exposures – yet still leverage the ease and inexpensive use of the tools I have on hand? I’m still trying to find that balance. But it is because of Nick Carver that I am trying to find it.
State Game Lands – October 2019
To get the story behind these photos, listen to the State Game Lands episode of Photowalking with Colin. Be sure to subscribe!
I had an amazing evening capturing these photos.
Flying a drone at sunset – October 2019
This image is from my Flying a drone at sunset episode of Photowalking with Colin. You can listen to that episode above to get the whole story. Be sure to subscribe to the blog or the podcast to get future episodes delivered right to you.
I’m unsure of the best way to share the photos for each episode of my podcast. But for now, I’ll create a post for each episode that I share photos from. Open to suggestions.
Just one from this episode to share.
Prompton Lake – October 2019
I shot these photos while recording the Prompton Lake episode of my new podcast Photowalking with Colin. Be sure to find the podcast wherever you listen to them and subscribe. If you can’t find it, email me and I’ll send you the link. You can also listen to the episode right here on this page.