Author: Ashley

Arizona born, I am currently living in the front range area, Colorado. I work as a 911 Emergency Dispatcher (it's the best job I've ever had). Although I do have random bouts of depression, photography keeps me sane. I have found that it is when I stop taking photos that the darkness starts to creep back into perspective. I love animals. They also help stay the madness. I have four dogs, two chickens, and a gold capped conure named Kevin. My dog, Argos is my heart and soul. He seems to read my mind and knows when he needs to take care of me. After switching to digital photography around 15 years ago, I’ve started playing with film again. It’s like greeting an old friend. I never realized how much I missed the surprise of your shots. You really have to think before taking your shot. I am excited to dive back into analogue.
Personal Shenanigans

Backsides and then What?

Ashley

I find myself having the photographer’s equivalent to a writer’s block, and I am not enjoying it in the least.

In the first week of August, I spent all of my time taking photographs during my vacation. I used the time to acquaint myself with the camera I had just purchased, a Mint RF70. It was great because I had the opportunity to drive to different destinations, and take photographs pretty much all day, everyday. I took enough to have a decent shot to post on social media once a day for the majority of August.

Anyways, after I got home, I realized that I was coming up on my anniversary from my, “Look Up,” series. I thought, “What a great idea! I will do a specific themed series every month!” So I settled on September’s theme being, “The Backside of Buildings.”

Side Tangent: I’ve always been intrigued with the backside of buildings because they seem to have so much more going on than the front. Between electrical boxes, dumpsters and alley-way doors, it is almost like walking into another world. The front of the building is the mask, showing what the world is supposed to see. Viewing the backside is the equivalent of looking into the building’s soul.

That being said, I have 10 posts (11 photographs total) for Instagram, depicting the backsides of buildings in various towns of Colorado & Wyoming. The exploration involved in finding these photographs was great! I discovered places I had never known to exist. However, I will not be continuing the project any further. You see, I had quickly become bored with the subject matter. Urban photography has never been my forte. It can be fun for a change, but nature and scenery are my passion. I miss the world outside of the cities.

The other issue, besides boredom: I am finding myself trying to take photographs for daily Instagram posts. The shots were no longer for me. I was just taking them for the sake of social media. I can’t keep this practice up. It’s wrong. I like sharing my work and I enjoy helping others, but when it really comes down to it, my photography is for me.

So, this is what I have decided: After posting my, “Backside of Buildings,” series, my feed will be less structured. The promise I make moving forward is to only share the work I am most proud of, or the work that I have learned something from. No more posts for the sake of posting. I know I can do better than that, and I will from now on.

What is next, after, “Backsides..?” Not a clue in the world. This is my final delima. I wish to explore places I have never been. It can just be difficult when I only have one good day of energy to do so (night shift problems). I have one week to figure it out before I am back on my weekend. Wish me luck.

Until then, enjoy the above preview of the aforementioned series that starts tomorrow, September 1st, 2020. And thank you for reading this little rant of mine.

Instant, Personal Shenanigans, Photography

New Beginning: Mint InstantKon RF70

Ashley

I’ve been looking at this camera for some time now, and I have finally decided to take the plunge! I purchased the Mint InstantKon RF70 on Saturday morning and received the shipping confirmation early this morning. I am hoping it gets here before I leave for my trip to my Mom’s place. That is 13 days away, which is cutting it close. The camera is coming from Hong Kong and with COVID causing all sorts of delays, I may be out of luck for my vacation. I’m staying positive though that it will still show up before I leave!

Some background: The RF70 is considered a top of the line Instant camera. I believe it is the only fully manual Instant camera available. When using it, you have control over the aperture and shutter speed. Currently, the camera alone costs $899 US, and that does not include some of the extra accessories you can purchase. Since I was spending the money, I went ahead and selected the Ultimate Package. This will include 3x Neutral Density filters, a hood, 2x packs of film, and a camera strap. I’m glad they have the ND filters available, as Instax Wide ISO is 800, and I prefer to shoot during bright, sunny days.

So, all of that being said, I am stupid excited for this camera. It will be my first instant venture outside of Polaroid. I’ve been doing a lot of research on it and have found some interesting hacks that I plan to attempt. The first one I am going to try involves making another filter attachment. I found this hack through an Instagram account that I follow, @myinstantimages. This person uses the RF70 frequently and has a lot of really great tips. I’m basically following his mod instructions to the T. I will post another entry on that modification specifically, once I get the equipment. The best part about all of it is, the filter setup that I am going with will be compatible with my Sony camera as well.

I also took the time to reacquaint myself with how to use an external light meter. This is something I was taught back in junior high school and never used again. It’s definitely interesting. I don’t have an actual light meter so I will be using the application, “myLightMeter.” I have no clue how well this works, so I will probably post on that as well once I have some experience using the app along side my camera.

The final purchase I have made for my camera was a journal. Being a total Disney nerd, I decided to use this great find from the Disney Store in order to track the settings used on all of my shots. Since I try to incorporate a sense of adventure in all of my photographs, this “Quests of Yore,” journal is perfect! It’s from the most recent Disney Pixar movie release, “Onward.”

So, in short, I’m motivated and excited again. This purchase was much needed. Life in general has been rough with everything going on in the world. I feel like this camera is saving me from the stress and anxiety that has resulted from that craziness. I can not wait to begin this journey.

Instant, Photography

Test Shoot Extravaganza!

Ashley

Today was my one and only day off of work. How did I spend it? Test shooting my new polaroids. It was wonderful! I slept in the morning/early afternoon and when my husband came home from paintball, we got dinner and strolled around downtown Greeley. I got a feel for each of the cameras, and I have to say I am pleasantly surprised with all of them.

The Polaroid cameras I reviewed are as follows: the 600 One Step Close Up, the 600 One Step (a later version of the Close Up, but essentially the same camera), an Impulse AF (autofocus), and the Pronto Land Camera. Given that the Land Camera is the only one in the group that shoots SX70 film, I will be talking more about it in my next post. In this one, I’m going to focus on the three cameras that shoot 600 film.

Given that I had no idea if any of these cameras would work, as well as the fact that prior to these three, I had never owned a 600 film camera, I didn’t want to waste money on their film. If all three of them failed, I wouldn’t need additional 600 cartridges. So, I only had one cartridge per camera, and I chose color for all three.

I’m going to start with my least favorite and work my way up!

Polaroid One Step Close Up (pre-1998)

Although the camera worked, I wasn’t very happy with the outcome. The pictures were not very focused, and the overall image seemed… bland.. for lack of a better word. Now, it very well could have been my subjects, framing, etc. And it is apparent that there was something wrong with this particular pack of film, as there was a vertical stripe in half of the shots (2,4,5, & 8). But that being said, I was only pleased with one of the shots.

Shot 6 could have been alright except it’s not in focus. And I was disappointed that the mural in shot 7 didn’t come out. I’m guessing it was just too bright out but I was hoping the colors were vibrant enough to show through. This makes me want to do a more thorough comparison between the two Close Up cameras.

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Polaroid One Step Close Up (post 1998)

This camera worked great! I loved the shots I got from it and can’t wait to take more! They were clear and vibrant. This camera’s film was also defective, as there was vertical striping again. But that doesn’t change the fact that the pictures came out wonderfully.

Shot 1 & 2 has the vertical stripe which is a bummer. But I was blown away with the clarity. In shot 2 you can see the little dude’s face. I was surprised how well 6 came out. You can almost make out the cigarette butt on the sidewalk. And in 4, you se see the five inscriptions posted above the windows. Of course shot 8 stole the show.

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Polaroid Impulse AF

And the winner for the day was of course this little baby. I have to say, when I purchased this camera at the antique store, I referred to it as, “that ugly one.” I named it Bob and didn’t really think I would get much from it’s photos. But I have to say its’ performance was outstanding. It even out performed the Pronto Land Camera (more on that next post).

I really have no complaints in any of the following photos. In my opinion, they are all great. Even the spotting caused by the dirty roller was great, although I will be cleaning the rollers prior to going out again.

The Next Step

Before I go out next, I will be cleaning all of the rollers. I will still only shoot color film for the two Close Ups but I plan on playing with some black and white on the Impulse. The Close Up cameras will be compared side by side by taking pictures of the same subjects, from the same perspective. I could have done that this trip, however I really wasn’t wanting to compare any of the models. Today was more of an attempt to confirm that they function which was a total success!

Instant, Photography

Film Crazy

Ashley

Well, after almost having a total break down (from exhaustion and hunger) in a parking lot today, I came home and bought more film. So this will be the line-up for my Sunday:

1 x Color iType Beta 19-01
1 x Color iType Beta 19-02
3 x Color 600
1 x Color SX70
1 x B&W SX70
1 x Color FP-100c

That’s 66 shots. It seems like a lot but most of them will be test shots on new cameras. I just need to decide on where to go shoot now. I was thinking the Pawnee Buttes originally, but there are not a lot of different lighting options out there. With very little shaded areas, I would be forced to take all my test shots in bright, direct sunlight. Then I thought Rocky Mountain National Park. But with so many cameras, I’m going to be tied to the car pretty closely and I prefer to explore when I’m in RMNP. Plus, I need to go out in the evening since I’ve only got one day off. There isn’t a point of switching to a day shift schedule when I have to turn around and go right back to work the following day.

I think what I will do, is plan to test my 3 x 600 film cameras, and take everything else, just in case. Maybe I’ll drive around a downtown somewhere… Who knows. I’ve got a few days until I’m off work.

Instant, Photography

Fool on the Edge

Ashley

I am on the brink of collapse. After staying up all day and driving home from my mom’s house yesterday, I had to work a full shift overnight. By the time I got home 2 hours ago, I was already exhausted. Now I feel I might totally lose my sanity. I had to get on and write about my discovery, however.

Three or four years ago, I talked my family into going to our Arizona cabin for Independence Day. It used to be a regular family tradition but it ceased after Mom and Dad got divorced. On this particular year, it was me, my sister, her husband and Dad.

I got it in my head that I wanted to go yard sailing like the old days. We used to get up early and start on one side of town and work our way across every weekend. So, this particular year on Saturday morning, the four of us piled into the car and started hitting the sales up. I believe it was the first one we went to where I came across this camera equipment.

The cameras I wasn’t very interested in, but I did find this rounded leather camera case that I adored. When I opened it, there was a Polaroid camera with a detachable flash. A Sonar Pronto Land Camera. I could not of cared less about the camera, but I had to have the case. So I gave the resident $15 and she was mine. It has been my primary camera case since.

Fast forward to last Christmas, Mom bought me a OneStep+. It sparked a curiosity in me that resulted in me purchasing film to try out this old one I had gotten by coincidence years ago. It was 600 film. Lo-and-behold, it did not work. So I gave up.

Well, somewhere more recently, I put an SX 70 cartridge in, and took a picture. The shot was dark. So I put the camera down, and gave up future attempts. This was with a full 7x exposure left and the lighten/darken wheel turned all the way to the darken setting.

This morning, I was looking at the camera again today, I turned the knobs to where they should be and randomly hit the shutter. Not remembering that I had loaded it with film, a photo came out. The above photo. I’m so excited now. I plan on purchasing more film to correctly test the camera out! Wish me luck!

Note: It’s blurry because I shot through my screen window.

Anyways, I need to go to bed. I’m slowly starting to go delirious. Goodnight!

Instant, Photography

Week of Cameras

Ashley

I had 9 days off this last week. I go back to work tonight. I was quite the eventful week though! My mom celebrated her birthday in the beginning. I bought her a sweet little vintage vest pocket autograph camera, complete with stylus. We drove all over the place! Craig, Delta, Montrose, Ouray and Aspen. It was a such a fun week.

For my birthday (just a couple days ago), I recieved cameras galore! Mom bought me two cameras from an antique store, totalling under $50. An almost perfect condition Polaroid Land Camera 250, and a Polaroid Impulse AF. She also ended up getting me this adorable box camera, a Scout 120. It was apparently made for the Boy Scouts of America!

Then, today I recieved a very unexpected surprise! My best friend and photography partner from High School sent me two Polaroid 600 cameras! They look to be two versions of the exact same camera, but I LOVE them! He said if either doesn’t work, he wants me to make something out of them. I totally plan to do this, but first things first, I need to test them out! I am guessing they both work wonderfully. I can not wait to try them out!

I’ve also decided to start working on archival matting for some of my pictures. I know they won’t last forever, but I might as well display the ones I love. Otherwise what good are they? So I went out and purchased a mat cutting board. I lucked out because Hobby Lobby had them on clearance!

So basically, I am headed home from Grand Junctions with 9 cameras and a giant mat cutter. That’s 5 more cameras then what I came out with. I feel completely spoiled. This was a great birthday!