Long story short, I did a thing that scares me.
Strong opinion, (not so) loosely held: people don’t make decisions based on data. They make them based on how they feel about the data.
SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 8TH - 6PM - BEST SKETCH FOR THE LAST
Hey Party People! and other sketch and improv teams will bring the laughs tomorrow at 6pm in Portland, Maine!
Taking refuge from the stress of the day and playing fun and mind expanding games by attending an improv jam tonight.
Boston, winter 2023
We took a quick trip to Boston in December. To get out of the house, walk around, grab a bite to eat and check out our old friend, Boston.
I didn’t bring any of the film cameras, so I shot these on iPhone.
Bridges
I went out and about with a fresh roll of film in my Sprocket Rocket camera. I was heading to a park on the other side of the bridge, and was taking a new route to it. Take the path less traveled and all that.
I came across this dog park on this side of the road, and decided to pop in and check out the walking paths. I’m glad I did! I was heading to a place I’ve been a million times, but I took a new route to get there. And I found this cool park.
Another example of optimizing for serendipity.
Here’s some more photos from that roll.
Overexposed, but I love the blues
Nikon F series, old camera new film
I’ve had this Nikon FM camera for about 20 years, and my dad used it for a long time before handing it over to me. It sat for ages in a closet, and then on a shelf. Along the way, the light meter broke, and the cover of the film loading is hard to open and close.
I ran a new roll of film through it to test it out, and I am pleasantly surprised that it’s still got some life left in it.
Walking around with intention to take photos makes me see the world a little differently. And my perspective changes a bit for each camera I am using. Shooting this roll of film with this camera was like seeing an old friend after a long time, and having a good conversation with my father at the same time.
Hampton Beach, Nikon F series, Winter 2023
You are enough
I was shopping for a gift for my wife, and I asked to use the restroom in the store I was in. I saw this neon sign on the wall, and had to try to capture it. Shot on Lomo purple film, in a well lit small restroom, it came out sorta flat and weird.
You never really know what you’re going to get with weird films and cameras. What does it say about weirdos who shoot weird things with weird films? Well, as it says you are enough. Follow your curiosity and your weirdness.
For giggles I tinkered with this one a bit in post production and got this nice green color out of it.
Goofy construction barricade
This was the last shot on my first roll of film I put through the Sprocket Rocket Camera. I was walking back to my car which I had parked in the High Street garage in Portsmouth, New Hampshire.
I love the fact that someone had taken the time and effort to add the googly eyes and teeth to this otherwise bland construction barrier.
When out shooting film, especially in a small little town like Portsmouth I am always amazed by what you can see when your eyes are open to making photographs. It’s a flow state mindfulness thing I suppose. A good way to optimize for serendipity.
About
Hello, I’m Chad Moore and this is my photoblog. It’s a place to document some of my photography, and maybe the stories behind the photos. This site is inspired by Boo! from Maique, a great photographer I know from online circles.
Analog
I believe that the best camera is whichever one you have in your hand right now. For most folks that likely means the camera on their phone. There’s amazing technology packed into those devices, and as the kids say, I’m here for that.
But, I started taking photos with analog film cameras in the 1980’s. I’m coming back into analog for a lot of reasons:
- Digital declutter
- The film aesthetic
- The amount of time it takes from loading the film to seeing the results (it’s far from instantaneous and I love that)
- Nostalgia and connection.
- I still have that camera I started shooting with. It was my fathers’, and he gave it to me when he didn’t use it any longer.
As I like absurdity, improvisation, and I am trying to really embrace uncertainty in all aspects of my life. That leads me to “toy” cameras.
From the hip
One of the mantras of the Lomography movement is to “shoot from the hip”. To me it means point the camera, take the photo, then think. Embrace that absurdity, improvisation, and the fact that you never really know what you’re going to get.
Hence the name of the site.
Goals
I aspire to get the Nikon F series fixed. I’m not sure what model it even is, but it’s at least 40 years old and still kicking. The light meter doesn’t work, so I use a light meter app on my phone. More worrying is that the film door is very delicate upon open and close.
I aspire to save the $300 USD to replace my old Lomo LCA. That camera is so beat up that it would be cheaper to buy a new one that get it fixed. It’s more my fault than the build quality of the camera. It sits proudly on a shelf. I hope to replace it in 2024.
Costs
Buying, shooting and having film developed is costly. I think it’s $1.50 USD per frame on average but I should crunch those numbers. Certainly a high bar for a hobby. I am grateful I have the means to support this hobby.