Backstage with Nikki Glaser

by Johnny Martyr Peeking behind, much less going behind stage curtains can sometimes disillusion fans of their favorite celebrities. But when I hung out with comedian Nikki Glaser, I saw that who she is backstage is as compelling as who she is onstage. What follows is an account of Nikki's performance in Baltimore, MD on...

Life Imitates Art: John Waters Attends the Mahoning Drive-In

"My experience was probably pretty similar to other people who discover the Mahoning. First, I was taken by how this place seemed trapped in amber.  There was little about it that seemed to have kept up with the times.  I didn’t grow up going to drive-ins, but it felt like stepping back into my childhood.  With the exception of the cars, it could well have been the 70s…  could have even been the 50s for that matter.  Everything seemed in place, and yet out of time."

Photographs from Capital Pride 2023

by Johnny Martyr I'm Johnny Martyr. My pronouns are he/him/his. Along with some other LGTBQIA2S+ allies, we had a fantastic time photographing the 2023 Capital Pride Parade in Washington D.C. last week. Just like Pride is a celebration of diversity, Stephanie and Ben are bringing some digital color to my normally all b&w film blog....

Engagement Photos with the 1979 Leitz 50mm f2 Summicron Tiger Paw

By Johnny Martyr If you've read my blog 5 LTM 50's for $500 or Less, you will have some idea how deep a rabbit hole I've gone down, searching for the perfect Leica-mount 50mm lens. Despite a belief that you don't need to spend a lot on a Leica mount 50mm, I eventually found it...

There’s More To Shooting 3200 Speed Film

by Johnny Martyr Shooting 3200 ISO film may seem like little more than putting a faster film in your camera and setting the ISO dial accordingly. But it's not that simple. There are a lot of differences in how film handles in very low light, and indeed, how to handle film that has been shot...

On Shooting, Scanning & Editing a Recent Portrait Session

by Johnny Martyr Photography is all about combining the right light, lens, film and developer to convey the emotions that you want to evoke. One of my recent favorite combinations is a bright scene with my 1979 Leitz 50mm "Tiger Paw" Summicron, Kodak Tri-X at box speed and HC110b. It's sort of an over generalized...

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...

Drawing Attention to Street Photography

Photo work is slow in the winter - it's a time for me to explore my personal photography and email clients about shoots during warmer, upcoming months. With my free time, I've been trying to make a habit of practicing street photography on mornings in downtown Frederick, Maryland. On previous shoots, I used my 1930...

Film Photographers, UNITE!

I'm not usually one for human interaction. Part of the reason I got into photography was so that I would have something to hide behind at social gatherings. So it's not often that I meet up with other photographers. But this past Friday night, that's exactly what I found myself doing when fellow photobloggers Mark...

These Photos Were Processed In Kodak’s New HC110 In Spite of The Product’s Single Flaw

In early 2019, the film community was pretty stressed out, and with good reason. The nearly two century old chemical manufacturer, Tetenal appeared close to shutting down. Many photographers have probably never even heard of this company, but Tetenal has been "the man behind the curtain" for many of Kodak's products for decades. The product...