Impossible Project PX600 BlackFrame PP - St Clair Avenue

I shot this yesterday out the window of my office building. I was here working on a lot of retouching for a project I hope to be able to share soon and decided to quickly take this photo since I didn't have the time to get out and walk around. This is St Clair Ave in the Warehouse District of downtown Cleveland shot with my SX 70 Sonar and an ND pack filter.


I've been slowly working my way through this pack of Impossible PX600 Black Frame Poor Pod. I've had it loaded in my camera for some time now, but winter has really cut down on the amount of shooting I do. I'm trying not to rush through the pack, but at the same time I really want to load up some of the new PX 70 test film I just received.


As I mentioned before, I will be helping out with an Impossible workshop this upcoming weekend, and, I figured that would be an optimal time to test the new film. I'm looking forward to showing a couple new people how great Impossible's films have become and how much fun analog photography can be. Hopefully, all said and done, I'll have a few good shots on the new PX 70 to share from the event as well.

Impossible Project PX600 BlackFrame PP - Black Cat

A black cat on black frame from the Impossible Project. Shot with an SX70 Sonar and ND pack filter. That about sums it up... Hopefully I'll be shooting a bit more in the near future...

Fuji Instax - w/Ashley K

As I mentioned a few posts ago, my last shoot with Ashley was the first time that I got to mess around with a Fuji Instax (since she was kind enough to bring hers). Personally, I was a bit skeptical. I don't know if it was the fact that this is supposedly the current instant technology, or if it's because the camera looks like a giant toy, or even just the fact that I'm a huge fan of vintage Polaroid cameras and the Impossible Project's films, but I was skeptical none the less. After a little tinkering though, I was pleasantly surprised with the outcome of some of the images.

The colors are pretty true and using the camera is about as easy as it gets. There are a few different controls that give you a little bit of control over different aspects of the shot (lighten, darken, flash on or off, etc). I was surprised to find that I actually preferred the flash on with this camera. Shooting mainly Polaroid cameras with Impossible film I almost exclusively shoot without flash. I've always found that it washes out the image or gives terrible flat light. The flash on the Instax, however, really did add some punch to the photos. Used in combination with the "lighten" setting I was able to get a very Terry Richardson type of look - something like the two images below.

Overall, I kinda like the camera. It's fun to use and I got some cool shots from it. I don't know that I'll be getting one for myself anytime soon, but given the chance I would definitely shoot with one again.

Iphoneography - Now I always have a camera...

Let's be honest. I'm probably one of the last people under the age of 60 to buy a smart phone. Up until about a month and a half ago, my phone was only really capable of making calls and sending text messages. It didn't even do that very well. So, about early December, I broke down and bought an Iphone 4.

One of the things that really swayed me into this phone, of course, was the camera and photo applications with it. Once I had the phone in-hand though, I wasn't quite sure about it. Most of the time I completely forgot I even had a "camera" with me. When I did remember, I found most of the applications lacking the control I wanted and the resulting photos to be a bit lack luster. Over the past couple weeks though... I think I've gotten used to it.

I would go as far as to say that I almost treat my phone more like  a portable camera now than a do a phone. I like the ability to be able to shoot anywhere at anytime, and, like any other camera, it has it's unique little quirks that make you look at, consider and shoot a little differently than you would with an alternate camera in-hand. Obviously this camera still isn't a DSLR, the filters are most often inaccurate to the film processes they mimic, and there is still a lack of control for me in certain aspects of shooting and editing. However, it is fun, the photos have a decent quality to them and it gives me one more way to do something I enjoy, which is to take photos no matter the method.

So far in my early goings with the Iphoneography craze I've been mainly using a combination of the Camera+ and Instagram apps. I've even started to get into stacking filters a bit by saving and reimporting multiple iterations of photos to give me another level of control with the editing and grading of the photos. I would love to find some more applications that are worthwhile for both shooting and editing photos right on my phone. If anyone out there has any suggestions or preferred methods please feel free to leave your thoughts and ideas in the comments of this post.

I will try to keep my Iphone photos here on the blog to a minimum (like the rest of my digital photography) but I can make no guarantees considering the amount of photos I will inevitably take and want to share. In the meantime, if you'd like to keep track you can always follow my account studiotim on Instagram... which I hope will also lead me to a few new people to follow.

Lost Fuji FP-100B - Niagara

I really should start a recurring feature on this blog that is dedicated to the lost and forgotten images I have floating around my hard drive. I don't know if it's that I go back and look at images after a time and decide that I like them more, or, if I just sometimes have little else to update with. Either way, it's becoming kind of common for me to sift through my photos and find something that I like but haven't posted.


Above is one that I liked from the moment I peeled the back off it. But, as is likely to happen from time to time, it got lost in the shuffle of uploading and updating with other photos. This is from an April 2011 trip to Niagara Falls, NY. The day we planned to head to one of the observation area's over the falls, the weather was pretty cold and wet. However, it had it's moments when the rain stopped and left a beautiful cover of foggy clouds, which is what you see here. This shot is from the NY side of the falls, looking at the Canadian side where the boardwalk and attractions would be... but with the clouds all you can make out is the Ferris Wheel rising up out of the fog.


Love finding things like this.

Impossible Project PX100 Test Film & An Upcoming Workshop

As I mentioned before my lengthy winter break, my last shoot with Ashley resulted in the use of multiple different instant films. I only ended up taking two shots with my SX70 and the Impossible Projects PX100 Test film I had loaded in it, but I just so happen to like both of them.

Now onto a completely unrelated topic - For anyone who reads this blog, is interested in learning more about shooting with Impossible Project's films, and is semi-local to the Cleveland, Ohio area... I have good news. Aperture Photography & Variety, one of the few Impossible Project partner stores in the US, will be hosting their first Impossible Project workshop on Saturday, February 4th from 1pm - 3:30 pm.


The workshop, run by Aperture owner and photographer Scott Meivogel and myself, will focus on working with Impossible film and vintage Polaroid cameras. We will discuss everything from the basics up through our own personal tips and tricks, and, the final part of the workshop will be spent photographing two live models which almost guarantees you will walk away with a few great photos.


Registration is $39.99 and includes a pack of Impossible film. If you need a loaner camera, we'll hook you up with that as well but please try to let us know in advance. Registration can be completed by calling 216.574.8977, or by purchasing on Aperture's website.


This event will be a great time, and, if you've been considering taking up instant photography with the new Impossible films then this is your opportunity. Hope to see you there!