Jan
31
This image is the outcome of scanning a negative through a glassine paper envelope.
I inserted the negative inside a glassine envelope which is often used to store photos. I placed it on a flatbed scanner with settings pointed to normal color negative.
As you can see, scanning through a see-through paper results in a soft painterly effect.
What I like about it is that the final effect is unpredictable and varies from one image to another. Although sometimes the end result can be too blurry and distorted, more often it works out quite nicely.
Posted in Film photography, extreme and creative scanning
Jan
28
I AM NOT AN ARTIST – Unconventional and creative photography 
My new book is now available for sale here
Topics in the book include: image transfer, film and scanning, textured layers, aging photos, cross-processing, using Polaroid, toy and classic cameras, mixed media collages and more.
If you are wondering why I decided to title the book “I am not an artist”, it’s because everything I share in this book, is simple and easy to do and does not require any special skills, or talents.
If you buy this book, I would love to hear from you. Any comment you might have, maybe a question or even if you found an error of some sort. No promises but I might even listen to some advice and suggestions 
Posted in News & other stuff, Photo Books
Jan
27
I find that I have little drive to photograph after I return home from one of my great travel escapes. It’s almost like I need a break from my cameras and from this hard job of photography. But the real reason is that home is not as appealing when I return from an exciting trip to a photo-inspiring place. It took me more than a month to pick up my camera again after I returned from Virginia back in October…
But generally speaking I shoot mostly on weekends, if I’m lucky.
I am more likely to go places where there are photo opportunities on the weekends.
It’s Ok.
Funny though, I often come across the advice you should take pictures every day (!) but hey, if you have time to take pictures every day, well, what can I say…you’re Superman.
Don’t worry about it if you don’t photograph as much as you think you should. It really doesn’t matter. Better enjoy photographing when you can than wasting your time agonizing about it. And keep in mind, photography doesn’t have to be a part of your daily routine; it can absolutely be something special you do when you can.
Posted in Thoughts about photography
Jan
22
I read that back in August 2006 Polaroid discontinued yet another film type; this time the casualty is the peal-apart 80 series. This is quite devastating (old) news to anybody who likes the Holgaroid (which is basically a Holga with a Polaroid back).
Type 80 peel-apart which is a medium format instant film was the only film that works with the Holgaroid so now the Polaroid back, which I believe was sold around a $100 is pretty much a useless entity.
The semi-good news is that in 2007 a new Polaroid back was made and it works with type 660 film, which, at least for now, is still available.
So I dug out my Holgaroid, I found out I still had one pack of 88 type film (ISO 80, color) and so I took the camera along for it’s last photo shoot.
Posted in Polaroid, toy cameras
Jan
18
Today I uploaded my latest book to Lulu.com and sent it out for printing (Yay!)
I created this book using Adobe InDesign CS2 (recommended!) and when it was done I could export the book’s separate chapters into one PDF file.
The tricky part about publishing the book (well, other than actually writing the book) was uploading this large PDF file (307MB) to lulu.com.
My ISP provides me with a great downloading speed and I can download large files in just a few minutes, but uploading is a whole different story and can take forever at a rate of 30kbps
(and if you’re bored you can have fun calculating how much time it actually takes).
But the main problem with uploading such a big file is not the time it takes (which was no doubt quite frustrating,) the real issue is that the connection to the server at Lulu.com was timed out or totally lost every 15 minutes or so. Every time it got disconnected I had to start uploading the file all over from the beginning. This whole experience made me feel like Sisyphus of cyberspace. Ridiculous!
To solve this difficulty I decided to look for ftp software which can resume an upload from the point it stopped. In the past and for many years I used WSftp as my ftp software of choice for its simplicity. But now I needed something more capable. So I found FileZilla (recommended!) which is free open source software that supports resume and transfer of large files up to 4GB. Problem solved!
So I ordered a proof of my book and needless to say I can hardly wait to hold it.
After approving it I will make the book available for sale to the public.
So stay tuned.
Book details -
Title: I am not an artist – unconventional and creative photography.
Size: 8.5″ x 11″
Binding Type: Perfect-bound — Bookstore-quality, standard paperback
Price: Print $32.00
Download $12.00
And now, on to the next book!
just kidding; even I can use a break sometimes
Greenwich Village, NYC
[cross-processed and extreme scanning]
Posted in News & other stuff, Photo Books
Jan
15
During the first few years I was very much reluctant to sell my photos.
I think I always assumed that if I sell my photos I’ll become too conscious about the outcome and eventually I’ll just compromise and try to please my potential buyers.
But as time went by I kept receiving many (tempting) offers to purchase my photos and so I eventually decided to give it a try and see what happens.
I did learn a lot about what pictures people want to buy and what sells better.
Typically, they are black and white, simple and clear photos. They are usually photos of familiar cityscapes, and rain for some reason, always seems to be a favorite.
What didn’t happen is that it didn’t change anything I do.
I didn’t start distressing about what my pictures are going to look like and I never began speculating if others will want to buy them.
I guess by the time I began selling photos I was just too set in my ways, that nothing could really change my practice of photographing the streets as I knew it.
If anything, to some extent I drifted away from the plain black and white street photos.
Posted in Thoughts about photography, black and white photography
Jan
12
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One of my favorite classic cameras is the Kodak 35 RF, a rangefinder camera from the 1940’s.
One reason I like it so much is its unusual appearance and also how it feels when holding it. While usually I prefer my cameras light and simple I just had to make an exception here; although this camera is on the heavy side and offers plenty of settings to fiddle with I guess I find it
charming enough to take along with me whenever possible.
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Posted in Film photography, black and white photography, classic cameras
Jan
10
Frequently I’m asked about panorama images made with the Holga. It’s actually quite simple to do and requires only some practice.
Holga panoramas are made simply by turning the advance knob only one turn after taking the first picture. By doing so the second picture will overlap the first image, the third will overlap the second and so on. There are mainly two ways of making Holga panoramas; you can stand in one place and just shift your body between images or you can move sideways between images keeping your camera at the same level. One important thing to remember is to take the panorama images from left to right.
And the main thing to keep in mind is that it’s a Holga! In other words, the panorama doesn’t have to be perfect; actually it’s probably better that it isn’t.
(Text from my book “I’m not an artist/ experimental and creative photography” edited by Ryan, aka conglom)
Rodeo Drive, Beverly Hills
Posted in Film photography, techniques, toy cameras
Jan
08
I found this camera in a thrift store and right away I fell for it. It’s a small good looking rangefinder from the 60’s. I read somewhere it is often referred to as a “poor man’s Leica”, and since I paid $20 for it I won’t even dream arguing with this statement.
So I took this cute modest camera for a test drive using my favorite 35mm test film; Fujicolor Super HQ, I like it because it costs $1 only, but mainly I like it as it has only 12 exposures.
It was quite a pleasure using this camera. It offers complete manual control, but it also provides auto exposure and shutter priority.
Overall the camera is fast, light and most of all quiet, which makes it a great choice for street photography.
When I got my film back I was quite impressed with the quality of colors and the saturation of the images. It is definitely a new addition to my list of favorite cameras.
Posted in Film photography, classic cameras
Jan
05
Today while driving in the rain, I couldn’t help but feel sorry for myself as I didn’t take any of my cameras when I left home. Silly me! I should know better!
And then suddenly (and cheerfully) I remembered I left my Polaroid in the car a couple of weeks ago. So I took these pictures. And then I scanned them in black and white (the originals didn’t have much color anyway)
Posted in Polaroid, Thoughts about photography
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