How To Deal with Problems from Your Film Lab

Recently, a fellow film photographer posted a hastily-taken snapshot of an envelope of loose negatives. They stated that a well-known and well regarded lab had scratched all their negatives. It wasn't clear if the problem was just how the negatives were packaged, causing a potential for scratches or how bad the scratches, if any, were....

Photographers Photographing Photographers

My wife and I operate a small local photography business and we often joke about the sad fact that we are out taking other families' portraits so often that we never take any of our own. The walls of our house are filled with memorable candids that Stephanie and I have taken of our kids...

Talking about the New Leica Film Camera – With Dan Tamarkin & Jason Nicholson

Regardless of if you own a Leica, own 50 Leica's, wish you owned a Leica or don't give a shit about Leica cameras, the prolific camera maker's recent announcement of a new film camera is important news for the film, and maybe even the photography community as a whole. Last year, I published an article...

Oil On the Aperture Blades

I thought it might be useful to do a blog about a lens that I just sold on eBay this week. It was a Nikkor 135mm 2.8 AIS that I'd owned and used fairly sparingly for probably around 15 years. It was a useful lens but nothing I was ever in love with, hence the...

Rapid Firing With Manual 35mm Cameras

"I guess I've shot about 40,000 negatives and of these I have about 800 pictures I like." - Harry Callahan One of the major differences in the way that I see digital and film photographers approach each medium is how rapidly we shoot. A common mantra among film shooters is "I shoot film because it...

Twins Are Even Better

If you're in the market for another camera but already have one that you love, my recommendation is simple. Get another copy of what you're happy with. Get a twin. When camera shopping, a common urge is to explore and try different things. And this is a good urge to have; it indicates curiosity and...

Little Camera, Big Money

Leica Camera Number 105 - Leitz Photographica Auction, LEICA CAMERA CLASSICS Everyone else is making money from Leica Number 105 so I figured I'd throw my hat in the ring for a few bucks too. Hey! Before you read any further, like and subscribe as they say!  😉  Don't know what I'm talking about? Last...

Landmark Baltimore Camera Repair Shop Closes After 29 Years

In November of 2021, with work picking up again from the COVID lockdowns, I decided to pay a visit to my local camera repair shop and get a few things things back in order. I took my Nikon 35mm 1.4 AIS and 105mm 1.8 AIS in for service and was inspired to write an article...

Film Prices are Skyrocketing – Shoot More Film!

Turn on any news station, any time of day, probably in any part of the world, and you'll hear about it. The prices on daily consumable goods are going up, up, up! Photographic film is not immune to the global supply chain and inflation issues that are plaguing every industry. Kodak, Fuji, Lomography and others...

Shining a Light on Bright-Line Viewfinders

Over the years, many different manufacturers have offered many different types of accessory viewfinders that have taken on numerous forms. I have tried only a handful but am pretty committed to what are known as as "bright-line" accessory viewfinders. Unlike early viewfinders that consist only of wire frames of appropriate sizes or even simple optical...