FiLM Part 001
Before I get to far in this mess of all over the place experience the equipment I have and am using for scanning film.
Scanner: Epson V550
Software: I tried EPSON Scan V1 and V2 on Mac it somewhat worked, Windows 11 it worked but was a headache and underperformed no matter the settings I tried.
I now use SilverFast 7 I will come back and change this if that is wrong, but it has been so amazing with everything I have needed and more. The quality is better the dust removal has been better, color and contrast are better.
I scan in .tiff format and process the images in Lightroom Classic using NegativeLab Pro
The Epson V550 was $260 from eBay, NegativeLab Pro was $100 and SilverFast was $50.
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I just started with scanning and processing film negatives so I can not act like I know everything only what I have experienced and what I have watched on YouTube.
I wanted to make a video on this so bad but trying to setup my camera and also dealing with issues setting up it just has not worked out. That and I get to focused on everything I am doing but I am determined to get a video of scanning soon and also in the process of making a video of shooting a 21 year expired roll of Kodak Gold 200.
Scanning has been so awesome when it works out. I have ran into issues with my scanner having errors and spending an hour reseting it and my pc to make a scan work, one of the reasons I have not setup to make a video of me scanning. I did the unboxing and setup in a video and scratched it when it took 3 hours to connect properly to my computer. Instead of burning my house down I just quit the video snd hyper focused on making the Epson software work which I don’t even use anymore.
On my negative scans I don’t mind having some dust, these are all 20-30+ year old film negatives so showing some ‘‘age’’ I like but dealing with new scanning softwares and trying to color and edit them to be true or appealing has made me want to go back to my first scans and rescan but I just haven’t because mainly I like seeing the difference in my learning.
Scans like this that have a very burgundy red for brown and a blue for while look. I love it, I would like to see it with how I scan currently BUT I was learning and it is beautiful as it is.
I think I will have more consistency when I start shooting more with some of the point and shoots I have and I am not manually focusing the lenses I am trying to test and use on manual bodies I am also trying to test and use.
I am not knocking all the manual things, I use my Sony A7RV in manual and when I was shooting with my Sony a5100 I used it for a year with a $40 manual lens BUT I could see everything a lot better with making sure I was focused properly.
As of right now the only film I have personally shot with and have scans of is Fuji400 it is cheap enough I can afford to test with.
I have some 120 Lomochrome 92’ I will have in today to scan and I am really excited for that, it is also my first time shooting 120 film. This will be posted before I process the film and I plan on having a blog of its own of shooting 120 for the first time with the Kodak Reflex II so I will link that here once it is don’e and up. Even if it doesn’t turn out.
After scanning hundreds of film negatives 1 by 1 and editing them in Lightroom and some inside Photoshop I think I am able to say I have gotten then hang of using my scanner and softwares.
Scanning 35mm and 110 film is a bit different and getting the quality you can from 110 is really surprising when you are holding it, it seems like nothing but once you scan it, I don’t know I just was not expecting that, I also love leaving the border in the 110 photos because I think it adds so much more to the photo its self.
Some of these are kind of scattered I am going from modern day to way back 20+ years ago, you should really be able to tell the difference between the two but I could also say I guess. This was shot this year (2024). This Camera Nikon FG film Fuji 400, I really like Fuji400 and it is cheaper.
If I don’t end this I will never stop talking about how much I love film, and how amazing it is to scan old negatives and seeing new photos you have never seen from when you were a kid appear in front of you to share with your kid. I just love everything about it. Even the times the photo is not focused, or you expose wrong because a bad photo is a good learning experience and you can look back on your mistake and laugh about it. I am very fortunate to be able to do this and to learn the process of it all. Being able to rescan photos of my family that have been damaged and lost over the years is an amazing feeling. Especially getting photos of people who have passed away and are no longer with us. Having new photos of them is really crazy to think about and I am grateful for that.
I still have a lot more to find and scan, I can not wait to see what else I can recover.
It' is upsetting how many people in these photos are not with us anymore, how their physical absence in our lives have changed a lot of us; it is important to remember the time we did have with them, reflect and cherish that. A lot of questions and what ifs can go on for days, but the years we got to have with them will not change. Our good times, our bad times, when we fought, when we got along. Laughing, or crying. Our memories are ours, and our photos hold meaning to that. As long as I know they would be happy of me today, I can be content.
P.S I looked like a pug ass baby..
I guess it is time for an About Me
Long story short my name is Jon and I am a failed photographer.
Short story Long, my name is Jon and I am a photography hobbyist.
I always loved photography and what it really is. Capturing moments in time and having physical memories.
My mom had a really old Polaroid camera when I was little and shooting and seeing the photo in minutes was a really awesome thing.
I got to use my own disposable camera when I was in 3rd grade and being able to shoot whatever I wanted with an entire roll I felt like such a badasss.
After that all I wanted was to take and create photos.
Fast forward 20+ years later and I have been taking and editing photos since.
I have started shooting film again and even scanning my own negatives.
Bringing back memories from old negatives or even seeing faces you have been unable to see for a very long time.
I think of it as ‘‘taking’’ a photo of someone you can no longer photo and while that is upsetting it is also so beautiful.
99% of my work is with digital photos but recently this year (2024) I have started shooting film and scanning so that is why I have included so much of it.
I am really good about leaving things out or jumping all over the place and was told I needed to add some more to this so here goes.
I hyper fixate on doing and learning things. I have a lot of hobbies which most are expensive, I would say photography hands down wins at being the most expensive.
I love learning and understand that I am learning and I love challenging myself and also understand that I am but with that being said I am also very hard on myself when I sometimes don’t have to be. That doesn’t change it though.
I say I am a failed photographer because well I have spent the last few years consistently upgrading my equipment, getting better at contrast, better at editing and color grading, and it is almost impossible for me to give away sessions for free. I have Mae myself be ok with this.
I don’t use social media, mostly because I always compared myself to others and reflected my work and mental state off of likes and reactions and that’s not what photography should be about. It’s not about how well you do, it’s not this person doing better. It’s about admiring others work, appreciating their techniques, capturing the moments you want to remember, like your child crawling for the first time, a special little vacation you went as all out as you could on. Giving yourself photos that in a month, a year, 5 years, you can look back on and remember those moments.
One day, when I am gone, my kids are grown and they have kids of their own they will see all the beautiful photos I took of their parent growing up and those photos to them will give them memories to reflect on and share. That is what photography is to me. This went from an about me to a what I think about photography didn’t it..
Oh well, this is who I am. Someone that is all over the place Wirth anything and everything all of the time. This is a perfect example why videos are so difficult to make and keep together haha.
Skip to present day and I am a very fortunate and lucky father of two raising a little girl and a little duhde (spelled that way on purpose) with my best friend (dick that said I spelled dude wrong) trying my best to capture all of our moments.
Have fun with going through the website, subscribe to emails for some updates. I look forward to writing and creating more.
Delilah’s First Roll of Film
Before we get to far into this and I forget please check out the Film section of the Portfolio Page!
Delilah’s first time ever shooting on film and her gear was the Nikon N65 SLR with a Nikon 50mm f/1.8 lens, settings on automatic.
I think personally not knowing what had been shot was one of the coolest things. An entire roll (almost) that I would see her full point of view.
Delilah - I just wants to say it was not fun… it was wonderful.
I love shots on film because you don’t know if it was good or bad. It was like a movie coming out and not watching the trailer so it’s not ruined.
I am happy they make film cameras because when you use a ‘‘real camera’’ you take it and see it and it ruins the surprise.
I love love love film, taking photos at Memaws on film on Sundays was so much fun and I can not wait to go back with more film and do more, insert a smiley face at the end; can you do smiley face on that? :)
I know that with shipping time and waiting it took about a full week to get 4 rolls processed and sent back; that is pretty amazing time. As of scanning and color processing the negatives I think I had this one roll of 36 exposures knocked out in an hour. Also pretty amazing I think. Especially for not being used to scanning yet.
I think this has been an overall good experience for us both with learning how film really works and seeing Delilahs reaction to the process and being apart of the scanning and processing negatives is really something I will cherish. She is so willing to learn and I love it.
I also forgot to mention and don’t feeling like going back and addling it in so I will just add it into here. The film she was shooting with was Fuji400 and I have to say after seeing my first processed roll of Karmir 160, I really appreciate Fuji400, but more to come of that at a later time.
So the company that developed the negatives was Reformed Film Lab and they did such an amazing job all around! Awesome communication, awesome updates, very active on YouTube. Their pack your order videos are super awesome Delilah and I love them! I will have my referral link so you can go check them out and get a $10 coupon!
Oh and their rewards program is crazy! You really should check them out!
I could not be more happy and proud of how good this kid did with her photos and with how much she really enjoyed it and got into it. I am just so amazed and happy to have these moments that she captured that will forever be frozen into a memory.
Also, I did help with the last little few of the roll so we could get a new roll in and off to a friend to use. Delilahs roll was used for over a month before completed. Was one hell of a time.
My Nana
Insert sad song, and snot crying.
This grown child is the first baby I would ever hold, and first “child” that would ever test my mental state.
It saddens me just how big such a small thing can grow. It’s like yesterday I was having my first aneurysm trying to teach math to a first grader.
I can not believe how quick time really has gone, the idea of my own daughter being the same age as my favorite times of you growing up is terrifying!
All of our fun pranks, and dances, and funny YouTube videos. Glad we finally learned math though.
I could not be more happy, sad, and proud. Mostly sad, I got very teary eyed while taking these, editing these, and even looking at these.
I wish I kept up with memory cards 15 years ago as much as I do now. I have lost so many photos I will never see again! Who knows, maybe one day I will stumble around and find a really old phone or card with some photos on it.
I love you Nana <3
Scanning Film
This photo is now one of, it not the most cherished photo I have ever created.
Delilah wearing my “website hat” and the next exposure being the first time I ever tried to get a flare on film with the FUJI400 on the film just all of it!
So added to the list of equipment I have unnecessarily purchased in 2024 (total is somewhere around $15,000-$20,000) is an Epson Perfection V550.
This is definitely a huge learning experience and is going to take a lot of time to get where I want it all to be.
Being able to scan film negatives, slides, and high resolution photos is so awesome!
These gentlemen enjoying their lunch from the 1960’s that I bought from a thrift store is now forever digitized and I love every spec of age you can see and that has been highlighted. The top where someone had this hanging with tape, the hairs that will forever be stuck on this image the blemishes. I love everything about it.
Being able to take a physical photo and digitize it while also pulling a little more detail is so insane!
As I am typing I am realizing that scanning these upside down and flipping horizontally I forgot to also flip them Vertically, and because I am a POS I am not going back and fixing it for the sake of posting on this website for the 2 viewers to be myself and my wife.
These slides I can not scan just yet, I need to get a lot better and also need to figure out how to clean film before scanning these. I have 4 pages of slides of this tank but something at some point since the 1960’s has spilled inside of them so they have smudges on them that will show when scanned. Still beautiful to take photos of them like this!
I guess I should find a subject for this and really get to a point with it. Scanning film digitally is something I have wanted to do for a while, I underestimated it a lot though. It’s not difficult or anything just peeping for it and starting out has been more than I had mentally prepared for. The software took 3 fucking hours to finally work with windows 11. That had me mentally melting into my chair. once working it was a lot of fun figuring things out after watching 100’s of hours of YouTube videos over the last year.
If you think the glass is clean, it is not. If it is clean, it is not. I am shying away from showing a lot of the negatives I have scanned just because I need more practice before anything and I am trying to save most of that for a YouTube video. I do enjoy getting to show the digitized photos I have scanned and gotten more detail from like the one above from 1965.
I will update the film section, and also have another Blog in maybe a month or so. Like I said above I am saving most for a YouTube video, I just wanted to share some photo and film scans and be all over the place with my thoughts and this process. Hopefully it won’t be to long and I can share even more.
I have to learn my own process before sharing or even acting like I fully know what I am doing. I just know at the moment I be doing and it be working. Know what I’m saying? Anyways.
Update
Well, I have upgraded my entire setup. Bought things I thought I would only dream of using.
New camera body is the Sony A7RV, new lens is the Sony 16mm-30mm f/2.8 G Master Mark II.
New and faster cards, a new top light, new batteries, new camera cage, probably leaving things out but this is the most of it at least and it has been something.
I was asked to shoot an event for the company I work for and the circumstances of this event I did not want any worry of anything being out of focus or some how messed up.
So something as big as this was I went as all in as I possibly could. In the end it was all worth every penny.
I can’t even describe the joy of seeing these colors. The A7RIII is An amazing camera but when comparing it to the RV it is like being in a different world. I can say the dedicated sensor for auto white balancing does an incredible job!
Having other people praise these photos and getting to hear how happy others are made everything worth it. I still can not believe it. It is really difficult for me to think highly of myself in any way and any kind of praise or comment I get I react weird about but all of this just made me so happy.
Being able to capture these photos and give people these physical memories is insane to think about. I remember seeing photos like this when I started on the river and seeing these from 50 to 60 years ago still being displayed after that long I can’t grasp the true value of being the person to capture these and these photos one day telling a story once I am far gone.
ARTCo Open House 2024, first ever open house in Mount Vernon, Indiana.
The M/V Royce Wilken being christened to honor ARTCo’s former president.
Both of these are very special to have happened, capturing everything of that day is, and was such an honor.
I now have conversations that I will hold deeply to me, memories of getting to see my family tour my workplace and my boat, it is more than I could ask for.
Without all the hardworking people that put in so much work before and during this none of these photos would even be possible.
This photo right here I tossed my remote and left my drone in the air alone for a solid 10 minutes while running around with my camera and making sure I got all the shots I needed and even forgot that it was in the air!
my biggest and most special supporters.
Squarespace is being difficult and I am unable to upload the entire album, the people that put in so much hard work to make this happen should be appreciated.
PolarPro Shortstache Everyday Filter
I still have very mixed feelings on this filter. I love it in some cases, and dislike it in others.
I don’t like the idea that the name is Everyday filter, when I find myself wanting to take it off.
In my opinion I think this filter was boosted a little more than it should have been by ‘influencers’ and photographers.
Big purchases (anything over $50 to me is a big purchase) I like to really review a lot before deciding on if I should. I have wanted a new CPL filter for a while and have seen a lot on Black Mist filters and have wanted to give them a try so when I seen PolarPro had both built into the same filter I was already sold on the idea before researching. When finally researching everything I seen was so good! Big YouTubers and small YouTubers both had really good opinions on the filter with amazing example photos.
Another thing I do is I will google image search samples over and over to get the best idea I can of how something will look.
I don’t feel like my filter is giving the same look as the examples I have seen. It seems in most cases I am taking away quality from my photos more than adding a nice soft effect. I have had some images be to much and seem fuzzy, and have had to remove the filter. Again back to the name, Everyday; I don’t feel I should be in situations I have to remove it.
It is a 1/4 Black Mist filter, I would like to try a 1/8 version over the 1/4. A slightly less harsh ‘‘bloom?’’ I think that is the correct word to use anyways I think a little less would be more of an Everyday.
A good example of a little less. Direct sunlight looks so beautiful but is too much. It’s like you have smudges on your lens but only in the light. If it was a little softer it would be so perfect.
Same area as the photo above, just facing away from the sun. Exposure on this had to be cranked to .45 and shadows pulled high. it will darken images which is fine but finding a balance with it has not been easy. Also no haze or anything was added in this image and my daughters skin appears very smoothed over. It does take some quality away from the image and darken some.
Very good example of needing perfect conditions for this filter to be what is advertised. It is definitely not an Everyday filter. You have to be either very early morning, late day, cloudy, to get what I feel is the full potential of this filter.
Lowlight is amazing. You will have to over expose though to make up for the slight added darkness of the filter.
I just won’t be using it much in direct light during really sunny times. Lower light is really where this filter shines. To much light or being to bright takes away so much from my experience so far.
I am still just stuck on not really being able to recommend it. I don’t want to have to pack an extra CPL with me incase conditions aren’t perfect for the PolarPro but seems to not be an option for now. I will be looking forward to hopefully a future 1/8 version. I will continue to use PolarPro only because their company is so well managed.
New Point of Views
I have been wanting to shoot videos like this for so long. The entire process of POV shooting photos is so awesome. Getting to watch and edit everything after is so much fun. It is so simple but so satisfying.
It’s not easy to get used to having this on my head. I have only used it on my hard hat once the first day I got it, but using it on my hat or the headband is such a weird feeling.
I am really excited to use this when shooting cars, but if I meet the owner which has happened multiple times now I don’t want to stand there with this on my head looking even more awkward. We will get there though.
Also something you will see in this POV that I will be writing my next Blog about is the PolarPro Every Day filter, I have very mixed feelings on this and thought it was something I should note for a future post.
Anyways the POV videos are something I seriously can’t wait to shoot more of. My family and I have a trip to Texas coming up and I will be using this GoPro so much for it.
Oh, it is the GoPro Hero 11 Black by the way, I never mentioned that.
I am still trying to work out all the kinks and everything with it to make the quality the best that I can. I have been going through a lot of different settings with it and once I feel I have them locked in I will make a blog about what exactly I use. One thing I can say is I don’t use the whole 24fps because it’s more eye like with motion blur. I used 60fps in the video header and I enjoy the way that looks. I have been experiencing lag with anything under 60fps and I don’t think it is a hards look or bad at all.
I am excited for everything I am going to be able to create with this setup, and the longer I keep doing it the better it will get and the more I will learn. I am going to have fun with it all.
I hope you enjoyed the read and Subscribe to the YouTube channel!
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I hope you have wonderful day.
Vehicle 001
When I first seen this car I was just so amazed, such a beautiful car. I went to a dollar tree, bought a notepad, wrote a note, left it under the wiper (side note, approaching this car I realized it is passenger driven, this car is a fucking import) and waited.
Nothing…
A week of coming back to the same spot (a gym) and finally I got to see it in person again. The first time I seen it I only had a film camera with me and I still haven’t sent that one off yet. I didn’t think to take a photo with my phone. I never leave notes. I have cards but the QR code I used for convenience I didn’t know required a $300 yearly payout and I am fine without it.
I set out this day to photo someones car, edit the photos on the spot, print them, leave them. This is something as someone who is trying to be successful in photography with no social media I want to start doing.
Taking my wife to Dunkn right near the same gym and I see it, finally. After a week of trying to see this car again, here it is. I was so excited to get out and snap some photos, I did not care at all about looking weird or have any kind of anxiety from doing it I was so focused on these being perfect.
I get in the car get everything out, I take my time editing, get everything looking so amazing, go to print and… half of my power cable is at home 10 minutes away on the dresser.
Grab the coffee, hurry home, print them out on the way back my wife wrote a note for me to leave with them because she made fun of my writing on my last note and I kept thinking the person couldn’t read my writing and that is why I had not heard anything but we make it there and the owner is getting in to leave.
I could have flown out of the car to get to him before he left. Approaching this guy that at this point I have harassed and stalked to photo his car I was not sure what to even say and I can only remember some details as to what was said haha. I found out the year after talking to so many people about this amazing vehicle for a week without any photos or information all I had was the license plate and what it spelled, it was a Nissan Skyline, that was it.
1989 Nissan Skyline GTR, I didn’t even think to ask the motor. Hopefully I see this car again, the guy loved the photos. This is the first car I have photo’d and left prints, actually meeting and talking with the owner the first time I decided to do this and it being a car I have looked for, for a week is crazy!
Hopefully I don’t end up with a restraining order, and he has my phone number and website link so sir if you’re reading this I appreciate you talking with me and again your car is sick as fuck! Hahaha this was so much fun, and I can not wait to shoot and leave more and spread the website more and more with people.
Please feel free to check out the Print Shop, Presets, and Apparel.
I hope you have wonderful day.
My Next Lens
My next lens will be the one
So, I have absolutely loved my Sigma 16mm lens. I have not loved that it is an APS-C lens which a crop sensor lens on a full frame camera body takes a lot of quality away.
I have this lens posted, if anyone reading this is interested I will attach a form below to email me about purchasing it and more information on it.
Anyways, I love 16mm, it’s great for doing interior of vehicles or when I am playing around with trying to do videos. I just wish that it was a full frame lens for the full quality.
A lens I have been obsessing over and I am determined to spend the $2,000+ on is the Sony 16mm-35mm f/2.8 GM II.
I have watched review after review on this lens, I have read article after article, look at so many sample photos it’s not even funny and I believe that when I do end up with this lens I might even retire (for the most part) my Sigma 50mm f/1.4.
So both my Sigma 50mm and Sigma 16mm are f/1.4, and I love that for the choice of using that low of an aperture, but I haven’t been using it that much. I don’t shoot nearly enough lowlight to need that, now I could get an ND and shoot that low for video but I don’t see myself needing to.
I stick mostly anywhere from f/2.0-f/4.0 and the sweet spot most of the time is f/2.8, so having my lowest 2.8 won’t be much of a challenge. I did have a f/4.0 lens at one point that I never had an issue with that high of an aperture so I think I will be fine, plus I will have my 50mm on a shelf or in my camera bag if I ever have a situation where I need the lower number.
I think it will be great once I have it, and will change a lot of how I shoot on a daily basis. I want to shoot more vehicles because I can do that if I just see a cool car and leave some prints and a business card and have a better chance of someone hiring me for car photos than being even more of a creep and photoing a human without asking. Having a full frame 16mm-35mm will be so amazing for interior shots while still being amazing for capturing the outside.
I don’t know why I am writing this other than something for me to come back and read a month from now and see where I am at on achieving this goal of owning this lens.
If anyone is interested in the lens I am selling the information and form is below!
I am asking $400
Comes with the Box
Lens cover
Lens Cap
Sun Hood
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I hope you have wonderful day.
First Process of Many
Well, I can’t use my hotspot on my MacBook so I will type this into my notes and see how it goes maybe I can add this with my phone, I don’t like the idea of it but I do want to share my experience.
UPDATE: They had an accident and did not mean to send the folder half processed. The issue was resolved same day! I will go ahead and add in the missing photos below this and the Blog will continue after!
So. I have mixed feelings with the film process. I am very happy with the outcome, the colors, the overall enjoyment of not knowing and waiting. I am a little upset at the fact that I am missing some photos and still waiting to hear back as to why.
Could it be that some how the film messed up? Could I have exposed wrong and they been beyond saving and the company did not want to bother with sending them? I am being as optimistic as possible and keeping a positive mindset on the situation until resolved.
I can say, for $80+ I do think I will look into other options and prices for developing .TIF format. Some photos I can see dust and hair which I will have an example of under this. Still, I don’t mind that so much because I love that rustic look of it but it is still something to add because maybe I wanted something super clear and really in all honestly it should be for the price.
The .TIF format is what most of the money was for and I do really enjoy having some kind of after control, but I do not feel it is really necessary unless I am shooting a special ordered film, like the Karmir 160, or Lomochrom 92’ I have ordered.
I don’t want to add the companies name until I hear back the reason as to why I only received 16 images (2 are blanks) from a 36 exposure roll, so maybe it was a mistake and it will be corrected which I will update at the header of this Blog when time comes. I just don’t want to give or spread hate over what is probably a simple mistake.
A company I will definitely be trying within the next week is going to be Thirty Nine Photo Shop, I love the story, the guy I have shared a couple of emails with, and their store offers some really amazing film I will really enjoy trying. Their prices are really fair and I just want to give my business to someone who’s passionate about the stories created in photography. I highly recommend checking them out, watch their video on their home page. This is not in anyway some kind of paid promotion or partnership or anything like that, I just want to support a really good place.
I will add a separate Blog about expired film in the coming week so if you’re interested come on back. I would say sign up for newsletters but I am not paying Squarespace $80 a month for me to send 4 fucking emails to someones spam folder a month.
Please feel free to check out the Print Shop, Presets, and Apparel.
I hope you have wonderful day.
In Processing
I have sent off the first 2 rolls of film. I do not know how long it will be and I am in no rush for the results, but I am beyond excited to see what happens.
Many takeaways in this process. Feelings, experience this far, price and anything else I can think of while typing. I do not think these out and make a scripted Blog, this is all my true thoughts and feelings I think about often and while typing, that why things are always so scattered.
First of all price, I can’t stand when people put what others are most interested in at the end it’s annoying and I am not trying to build the suspense.
Break down.
Film: Fuji 400 - $24.99
Processing: Least Camera - $70 (process 3 rolls of film in high resolution .tif format)
Shipping: $15 ($5 was for bubble wrap and it wasn’t even a lot.)
Total: Roughly $105 + some tax.
I had 3 rolls processed, 1 roll is from a disposable camera and is about 2-3 years old.
Again this was for high resolution scans in .tif format and a fee for me to receive my negatives back so that added some extra costs.
This photo above is taken from the same lens I took 85% of both rolls on my Sony A7RIII body.
Also taken with with the Nikon lens I have used the most on my Sony A7RIII Body
Overall, I don’t really mess with my Sony anymore. When I do it is nowhere near the extent that I would. I don’t feel the need to edit as soon as I take a photo. I went an entire week before I looked at and edited some photos I have taken.
I think waiting to see if I fucked up is the most anxious thing. I don’t know if my settings could have been better, oh everything was shot in manual in both rolls of film.
Not knowing everything I shot, I have forgotten most of what I captured. One thing I did was if I took a photo of something with my film, I did not with my digital. I can remember some that I took, but mostly I can’t remember them all and that is so exciting.
I am most excited to see how the colors turn out.
I don’t want to get ahead of myself on any of this, but I will be having my first film session soon, with special ordered film and I can not wait.
Karmic 160 ISO is the film I will be using for my first session, the colors are so beautiful and I can not wait. I think using it in the winter in some snow will be amazing, but let’s not rush.
It’s safe to say that so far using film has been very beneficial to me. I am just really hoping that I did not mess up on the two rolls I sent in. I know I have a few photos that have potential to make me cry and I am just very excited to see how they turned out. I will update with a blog and in there Film Portfolio section the DAY I get the results!
Also, Presets are half off, Stickers are in Apparel Shop, New prints have been added to the Print Shop.
My First Print
I really didn’t imagine this actually becoming something. I never think highly in anything I do. I always get carried away with the thought into the future of what I am doing and usually no matter what I do it never works out the way I had hoped.
I have said a lot through out my life that I am successful at being unsuccessful.
My eyes have been very watery multiple times already over the fact that I have sold 1, 2, 3 prints yesterday. I just can not believe it and I am so grateful and thankful. I appreciate the hell out of amazing friends that support what I am doing. I can not wait for the photos of these prints.
I really can not describe how happy this website has made me, I am not sure if it is just clarity of being off of social media, or just the fact I have this space to create and do whatever I want or maybe both. Making Blogs and Portfolios and Presets and Prints it is just crazy going from nothing 5 weeks ago to this. It seems it has all gone so quick and it has just started.
It has really made me appreciate what I am able to do so much more. Having the equipment that I have and all the hours I have spent crafting my editing and shooting and just always learning more and more it has all been worth it.
I just can’t believe it and I love it.
I can not say thank you enough Chris. So much love to you and Big Murph.
Incomplete Preset Pack!
8 Beautiful cinematic grunge Presets
Well I managed with the help of Reddit to code some before and after sliders, but unfortunately without paying for a plugin I am limited to one slider per page because the slider will crash when coding a second one into the page. Stinks, but is better than nothing for now.
Anyways, a new preset pack is available in the shop!
So below will be Before & After slide shows, Great Value Sliders hahaha
This preset pack has 8 custom presets.
I love these so much, I have used them a lot on mobile when editing iPhone raw images. They just look so perfectly balanced with cinematic/grunge.
I hope you enjoy these, I would love to update this blog and share others photos with these presets! It would be so cool to include a gallery of how these turned out for other people.
If you purchase these and would like to do that I will send you a 20% off coupon!
Email them to: jonharderwork@gmail.com
Anyways, thank you so much! I will start the gallery below!
These are all I have that have been sized down to work on the website haha!
Remember when using presets to adjust the exposure and the strength of the preset to your image until you find something you like if it is not 100% once applied!
I am also working on a new preset pack and have been for about a month now, I am not sure when I will release it yet or if it will even be this year. It has been fun though. You have seen a couple of photos with them used too!
1 Month
Yesterday made one full month being off of social media. In this time I have had many positive reflections of that, I have also had few negatives.
On the positive side of things I have most importantly spent less time on my phone. I have been more engaged with my family and that is the most important aspect to me.
There has been less bullshit in my life. I do not care about politics, or celebrities. TikTok and Instagram are the worst when you ask to not be suggested a category of shit they make sure to push more of it into your ‘‘for you page‘‘. That and the annoying Blue Chew advertisements. We will see an entire generation 10 years from now with major erectile dysfunction issues in men in their late 20’s, good luck guys.
I created a fucking website! I have sold 3 hats! I have started a Print Shop on my website!
I think in the last month alone my photography has changed. My style, my technique, my editing process. I am still watching Youtube videos and learning as much as I can, not shorts. Actual videos that you have to pay attention to and can’t soullessly scroll.
I am happier with what I am doing and capturing. I know the analytics of this website, they could be better, but I don’t fucking care. This is my space, and to me it is amazing.
Oh I also inspired someone in to photography and that is something I can’t even wrap my head around.
On the not so great side of things.
I don’t hear from people as much. I never realized the amount of conversations I started. That part does hurt a little.
I don’t see pictures of my best friends kids anymore. Used to I would see them posted almost daily, and now I have not seen anything since leaving social media.
I didn’t realize the amount of money Squarespace was going to be, to do what I want to do. I loved the newsletters, but I refuse to fucking pay $80 a month to be able to annoy 3 people when I post a blog.
I think that is about it, honestly.
So, one month without social media. I created a website, inspired someone into photography, sold hats with my brand on them, created a Print Shop, started shooting film thanks to an amazing fucking person, and this was only in 1 month.
I can not say thank you enough.
Roll #1 DONE
Roll #1 of Film is Done!
As you can read Roll #1 is finished and while typing this Roll #2 is also almost finished.
Roll #1 is complete and I am looking more into my options of getting it developed, unfortunately I do not have anyone local to help me out so I have to have the terror of mailing, travel, and heat.
With that aside, I would like to talk about my experience shooting film so far. I also would like to make more in depth YouTube videos and I do plan to so subscribe it is free.
I have taken 5 total photos with my A7RIII in the last 3 days. I have taken more time with each shot and making sure it is something I really want to capture, for the most part. I have been doing a lot of testing to see how something might turn out so we will see.
I have enjoyed the process so much and haven’t even gotten very far yet. This Nikon FG body is great I love the shutter sound, I love the way it feels, everything has been so perfect.
I am learning more about light and setting myself to a limit, especially with the Fuji 400.
Roll #1 I have strictly used the Nikon AF Nikon 50mm f/1.8 with a UV filter. It will be really interesting seeing how the images turned out with it. I did manage to shoot in a lot of different environments.
From using the edges of the lens in almost direct sunlight to create flares in the photo to shooting outside at night with one of my Viaper-1000 studio lights and capturing sparklers. I did everything I could to test the first role. I have only watched one YouTube video of someone shooting with the same film. I don’t know anything about this film like I do others. After the video I watched I have a very slim idea of the colors I can expect and let me tell you, these photos are fucking beautiful. Expect to be able to buy prints on a few of them too haha. I shot at home, on the boat at work, even ended the roll at a gas station.
All I can do now is wait to make more money and be able to send this roll off to be developed and processed. I am going to go all out on this one and have them done in the highest quality and .TIF format. I have been reading and watching a lot on the entire process. I developed film and even created prints in high school but 15 years ago is a long time ago and I don’t remember a damn thing. I also didn’t create digital scans of negatives.
The few days I have spent away from my camera have made me think more about what I am doing. I am not just racking shots, I am trying to think more even though I am shooting .RAW about the moment of the shot and not so much what I can fix when editing, this was a thought before just sometimes I knew I could rely on after the shot. I am really excited for a long term experience. It would be super cool to get the things and do all of my own development and scanning at home, but that is a pretty big dive and I don’t make enough money to support digital and film photography.
In time, anything is possible.
I can not wait to share these photos with everyone. Those moments are something I very much look forward to. I will have another Blog about just overall how I feel about film compared to digital. Even with how short this has been, I have already seen a big difference with myself and even people around me like my daughter who I have also influenced a love for photography with.
Signup and comment on this Blog! Can’t sub for newsletters Daddy Squarespace doesn’t allow that with my price plan. Buy some Lightroom Presets, or a Dad Hat to help support the website and my hobbies.
I.. Messed Up..
The first film camera I decided to try and use today and will be sticking to for the duration of this first role of film (obviously) is the the Nikon FG.
New batteries: Energizer 357/303
Film I am using: Fujifilm 400
Lens: Nikon AF Nikkor 50mm f/1.8
Side note - This is an expired film preset I am working on and I love it, also in this photo is the camera body and lens I am using for shooting this role of film.
I ALSO ordered an adapter for my Sony A7RIII so I can use the older Nikon Lenses on my e-mount body.
Anyways, on to the issue I had.. I did not at all watch a video on how to roll my film into the camera. I did it and it worked and was no issue, until I thought about the direction I turned the internal little wheel. I turned it the wrong way and shpuldn’t have even touched that part.
I went out walking and did about a mile just taking a photo here and there. I did however stumble onto this old Chevrolet 3100 (not sure the year). I was using my light meter on my phone and everything even though the FG has one built in just using my own as a backup to be safe. I want everything about this role to be the best its can be. A manual lens on a film camera and manual adjustments. I loved my Sony a5100 with my manual lens. Anyways I am getting side tracked.
I had the thought that I might have rolled my film into the camera wrong.
I came home, shut the blinds in my bedroom, turned every single thing off, turned my light red and as low as it could go, opened the body and nothing had chanced.. It wasn’t rolling right. I had done it wrong. Huge upset right at the start. Great learning point and a good time to learn it, but all the photos I had taken of my daughter and nephew, and that truck. Gone.
We ran back outside once it was rolled correctly and I snapped a couple of my daughter again, nephew said hell no to going back out, we walked down the street to the church where the truck was and they had just let out. Everyone was standing around it admiring it as they should. I just did not have the courage to ask if I could try and photo it really quick and just took it as a loss this time.
The sun was setting, I was making super slight flares into the lens for the photo, the manual lens adding more depth and bokeh, it will forever be a photo I can only explain and never show and it was so beautiful.
Holding a camera body from 1982, seeing through a lens from 1986 and seeing a truck from the 1950’s or a little later was so satisfying and really just something I can’t even fully express. I am beyond grateful to even have this opportunity and chance for something like this and I still can not believe it. Having the photo of the camera and the truck and me thinking I will be able to show the photo I took on the camera is hilarious. I am a little hurt, but it is all about learning. Sometimes it is about the moment, this time turned into that. Here is to being forever worried that I did not roll/rack mt film correctly.
Oh and I guess don’t subscribe for fucking newsletters because Squarespace costs for the domain, costs monthly for the features, costs for the features that you really want, pay for external plugins, pay for marketing newsletters and sending emails to people who want to enjoy my website. I wish I had known how much this shit was going to cost before hand because it is fucking insane.
f/ilm
Shooting film has been a huge interest of mine for the last couple of years and I just have not done it.
What got me hooked into photography to begin with was a disposable camera in 2003.
I have looked into film cameras for a few years at least and just never made the purchase. I have been to busy upgrading my camera equipment and learning all of it.
I was gifted a bunch of film cameras from an awesome person and I plan cleaning them up, ordering film, and shooting a lot on them. The most basics you can get is shooting film. No .RAW format, no going back and having full control over fixing your images. You have to be ready, be perfect for what you are shooting, and get the shot you want in the moment without any type of after process or corrections.
I have also done a lot of research on film and I think what I am going to go with is Portra 400, at least for the first 5 rolls. I love the colors and contrast in any sample image you see with this film.
I was given such an assortment of lenses as well and I think for at least one roll of film I am going to leave the ages dirt on the lens for shootings too add texture and character to the image.
This is a ‘‘Portra’’ Preset I am working on, really excited for the final end result and I will also have it in a Preset Pack available soon. I want to get more samples and examples using it, plus I need to create and do the same with more. I really want a film stock preset pack. It would be beautiful.
I can not wait to share the experience of 1. Cleaning the cameras, 2. Learning to really use a light meter, 3. Learning the cameras in general, 4. The end fucking result.
It has really made me appreciate so much getting these cameras. It has meant so much to be the person who received them and I can not wait to see through time when using the camera bodies and lenses.
Some of the cameras are from the 1980’s, 40 year old cameras. Lenses from the 60’s, that is 60 years ago! Seeing through glass that old has given me such a high hope feeling on the potential of these photos that I haven’t even taken yet.
I have a few already planned out and what I imagine in my head is more beautiful than I can create with my A7RIII. Some things just can not be replicated or created no matter how much you try. You can mimic very close, but you can not truly achieve it. The experience alone is something you definitely can not create on a new camera, no matter how new or expensive.
The YouTube channel I have told no one about will be getting a lot of ‘‘ASMR’’ videos of me cleaning the camera bodies and lenses and that is going to be a lot of fun to do and make!
Preset Pack Testing is going to be a Blog I make at some point too. Just showing examples of the same preset on a range of photos and how to best utilize that one preset across multiple images differently.
I have a lot planned out, it has been a lot since making this website not even a full month ago but I am here for it!
Thank you again Justin, it has been very appreciated and will continue to be!
Tanner
It’s not often to actually talk to someone about the settings and editing side of photography. It is not really a question that I am asked about.
Tanner and I however spent an entire day discussing cameras, and where to start with what camera. My suggestion was what brand do you want to start with.
I suggested the Canon 80D, the first DSLR camera I started with coming from digital cameras and .3 MP cell phones.
I also suggested the Sony a5100 the first mirrorless I started with and my switch to Sony camera.
So after talking an entire work day Tanner decided to go the canon direction, which is really good in my opinion for starting out and getting a feel for taking photos.
My main suggestion when looking into cameras was just being able to shoot in RAW.
Having the option to shoot .RAW is very important in my opinion. Controlling the Shadows and Highlights after the fact is really useful for many reasons.
With my Sony A7RIII a lot of times when even reading my histogram and seeing my screen when I import into Lightroom my images are still slightly under exposed and being able to use the .RAW image to counter that has really helped.
Running through the starting up process with someone who was genuinely interested was really cool.
So, shoots in .RAW, watch your histogram, pay attention to your exposure meter I think the most important thing though is to not compare yourself. Being off of social media has helped a lot with not comparing my work or my accounts performance to others. It is all about learning, having fun, and capturing.
I will compare myself to myself, but I won’t compare myself to someone else anymore. I will look back at something I captured a year ago and think what settings I would use now versus what I used at that time, or how I would color grade something now versus how I did at that time.
I have also talked about in other Blogs challenging yourself. I think starting out is challenging enough with everything you have to get used to and what you are learning. YouTube is your best friend but also having someone you can talk to is something I didn’t think of because I didn’t really have it. Being that person for someone is pretty fucking awesome even though sometimes I don’t feel I know as much as I would like.
My next day of shooting for fun will be shooting wide without my CPL filter
I have an event coming up in tight areas shooting and focusing on people and I need to be more ready for that than I am now, so I need to challenge myself to use this lens more than I do.
Super awesome lens for being ASP-C (Advanced Photo System type-C) on a full frame. ASP-C is also known as being Crop, so Crop Sensor Lens on a Full Frame Lens so I am having to use Crop mode on my camera to keep from having black borders and losing just a touch of quality. It still produces beautiful colors and captures so much information in one photo.
Back to the topic though, being apart of someone starting photography and wanting to learn more about creating photos and editing them has been really nice. I have enjoyed it a lot being able to be a geek about it. I also can't wait to see what all Tanner learns on his own and when he develops his own shooting and coloring style(s). It’s going to be pretty awesome!
Shot from Tanner’s Canon Rebel t7!
We all have to start learning somewhere.
Love
Engagement session for Levi & Bailey
Seeing two people happy together is so special. Sometimes we have to go through so much that in that moment doesn’t make sense, one day we will get to think while looking into the eyes of the person you want to see every second the rest of your life and realize all those times that hurt or didn’t make sense was all worth it.
Having your best friend miss you every second you are apart. being able to make fun of each other and have fun.
Planning your future together, piece by piece.
Being goofy together and having fun is something a lot of people forget you can do.
I couldn’t be happier to see two peoples future together.
Congratulations to both of you guys!
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