the moments matter...

In a matter of moments, things change from all smiles to taking medicine. I love having a camera with me at all times to catch these type of moments. It's not always about getting everyone to look at the camera. Sometimes, you just have to document what is going on. This is a style of photography that I want to master someday...

celebrating pyper...

Today is Pyper's birthday. So excited to celebrate 6 yrs of being around this little girl. Her expressions have been in so many of my pictures and I look forward to adding many many more over the coming years...

missed memories...

Another image that was taken from a fairly close distance. I shoot mainly with the 50mm, so it seems even closer (with no distortion). So many images with so many expressions and I love them all. I have been looking at many unscanned negatives that I have taken over the last few months. Gosh, I take a lot of photos of Pyper and Allister. I guess maybe I am trying to make up for all the memories that I might have missed with Maci and Sadi. It's crazy to think that I only had one camera almost the entire time when Maci and Sadi were growing up. No wonder I missed capturing some of the memories...

who else but kids...

Who else, but kids, can you photograph outside in their PJs sucking their thumb and carrying a blanket with a stuffed animal. 

On another note, the BWXX film seems a bit grainy in this roll. The more I figure out about film developing, the more I realize that there is more to it. Plan on trying another Ilford developer (Ilfotech DD-X) soon to see if I can improve the grain...

it's a matter of focus...

I've said it many times. My favorite photos are the ones where I get in close. Pyper was so focused on coloring that it didn't bother her one bit that I come in close to capture this memory. In reality, we were both pretty focused. Just on different things...

Figuring it out...

I bought a box of Kodak Tri-X Pan 4x5 sheet film off from eBay a few weeks ago. It expired in May of 1978. I couldn't wait to try it out and I finally got the opportunity today. I exposed and developed it as ISO 50 film (vs the original ISO of 320) to compensate for the age of the film. Sherri was such a good sport on this. I originally took a New55 image, but I realized that the pod had burst when I was loading the film, so I wanted to take another image as a backup. So glad I did. This image turned out so good. Its a perfect example of figuring things out to get an image that you want...

worth the wait...

Pulled this image off from a negative that's been in my Canon Elan iie for quite some time. Image was probably taken almost a year ago. Sometimes the wait is well worth it...

three things...

Taken over the summer when we were living at a friends farmhouse while we were waiting on our house to be finished. Such great memories. Looking through my film scans makes me realize three things. (1) I take too many pictures of Pyper. She is probably going to be emotionally scarred from this someday and have a fear of people with cameras. (2) I love pictures with grain more than ever before. I never thought I would prefer grain over sharpness. (3)  Most of my photos are taken with a horizontal perspective. I think that is just how my brain sees the world...

the passing of time...

A photo of Maci from all the way back in February of this year when Maci, Tyler, me and Sherri took Pyper and Allister to the Sports Park playground in Greenville. I am not for sure that there are many times that I show up to anything without a camera. I guess I am afraid of missing something special. Even though most of what I capture seems to be the ordinary (such as this). That being said, I am starting to realize that the ordinary seems to become special as time passes...

street shooting...

While we were waiting to be seated at Grimaldi's in West Village, Tyler and I used it as an opportunity to head out to the street and shoot a few photos. I am still getting comfortable with the Hasselblad, but I figure that the only way to learn it is to shoot it. I definitely have not mastered how to shoot handheld at the lower shutter speeds (down to 1/15 sec), like I am accustomed to with my Leica. This one was shot at 1/60 and it was sharp as a tack...

all smiles...

Another image from my Hasselblad CM. I feel like the camera is growing on me. I still have a ways to go on correct metering of different types of lighting. There was a harsh light coming from the left of the photo and shadows on the right side. Regardless of all of the technicalities of the lighting, this photo is a keeper! Having the Hasselblad laying around the house is just another excuse for me to stop whatever we are doing (as life passes us by) and make memories like this...

portrait of Sadi...

I don't shoot my Hasselblad camera as much as I thought I would. That being said, when I do shoot it, I absolutely love the photos. I am learning more about when to use my different cameras. Because I haven't really mastered the camera, I seem to have better luck with the Hasselblad outdoors with an overcast sky. I couldn't be happier with the portrait of Sadi. Seeing great photos of my family makes me smile a mile wide...

reviewing the shot...

Looking through some of my old film pictures is always fun. Ran upon this one from last year at the fourth of July pre-fireworks show. I was shooting with my Leica M6 and Pyper was shooting with my Canon 6D. After watching Tyler and me shoot so much, she picks up many of our mannerisms. It is so neat to just sit back and watch her in action. So glad I caught this one on film...

christmas 2014 on film...

I continue to have the desire to keep film a part of my life. I have used instant film for the last three years, but I want to start using 35mm & 120mm film more often. My goal is to eventually use my Leica M6 camera to document all aspects of my life. I truly want to master this camera and a small selection of films.  Ilford Delta 3200 is one of those films.  It is very forgiving and super-flexible in all types of lighting and conditions.

 This year, I wanted to make sure and bring film back to document Christmas morning and the days after. I didn't use it as much as I would like, but after developing every roll I become more confident in using the camera and film. See the images above for a small selection of what I was able to capture...

shooting with a Hasselblad...

My first image that I scanned from my first roll of 120 film in my new-to-me Hasselblad 500 C/M.  After shooting the camera this weekend, I can definitely tell you that it is a keeper! This image is just one example of the quality of photos that this camera can produce. For the record, I love the sound of the Hasselblad when you press the shutter release to take a photo. 

The day was gloomy, but the film/lens combo still produced some great contrast. What a beautiful photo of Maci for my first post with this camera. There is nothing more rewarding to me than capturing superb images of my family and being able to share them...

lucky shot...

This is from an older roll of Kodak T-Max that was taken during a breakfast outing at Lucky's Cafe in Oak Lawn. Taken with my Leica M6 and 50mm Cron lens wide open. I love capturing these moments on film...

the future of film...

I love how Pyper enjoys playing with film cameras. I believe that when the time comes, it will be natural for her to use a manual film camera (or maybe even a large format camera). Between Tyler and me, she is surrounded by so many types of cameras and she tends to want to handle all of them. Here's to the future face of film...

walk the line...

Got quite a few rolls of film developed and scanned today. It was mostly taken over the summer. I love getting these little surprises like this. It was taken on the 4th of July prior to the fireworks show. It always makes me happy when I can catch unposed action using my manual focus Leica M6...

coming home...

With so many pictures of Pyper and Allister on my hard drive, I have finally decided that I better get to posting or I'm only going to get farther behind. This was taken in the hospital on the day that Allister was coming home. I love the mood of this picture. It was like time is standing still...

a young pro(digy)...

Some may be a little nervous seeing a 3 1/2 yr old holding a camera that cost a bit of money. Me... Not nervous at all. I am way too proud to be nervous. I get all excited when I see Pyper taking pictures. The reality is that she has every opportunity to be so great at it. I love the look on her face when she takes a good photo and sees in on the screen. Her smile is a mile wide... and so is mine...