O is for Optical Illusion & Overlooking

I have been lazy about writing posts lately. I thought on summer holidays I would get so many posts done... ones that I have been thinking about for weeks... but alas, no. I have been busy doing other things, out in the sunshine, not in front of the computer. In this city of rain, you learn to get out and enjoy the sunshine while you can... the computer will be there when the sun eventually goes away again.

One of the benefits to this blog of having all this sun is that I have been getting out and taking tons of photos! I have two brand new rolls that I am super excited about! New photos just in time for the letter 'O' in the Film 26 Project.

O is for...

Optical Illusion & Olympus Pen

There was a small rectangular mirror hanging in a tree that I passed - pressumably as a decoration, I wanted to try to get a photo of my reflection in the mirror; this is what I captured. It looks almost like 2 photos cut & pasted together doesn't it?

Overlooking or On Duty

All photos taken with my Olympus Pen F and Kodak Max 400 Film

N is for Neighborhood and Need

The Film26 project challenges it's members to get out there and shoot more film - every 2 weeks we have a new letter for inspiration (26 letters in the alphabet, 26 2-week chunks in the year), we submit our photos to a group photo pool on Flickr. There are moderators who sometimes choose to showcase some of the photos on their blog, but mostly it is just an online community where people who all shoot in film can get together, share their photos and support each other. I am really enjoying participating in the project, I have tried out some new and different cameras and films because of it, and it is definitely encouraging me to get out and shoot more film!

Here are my submissions for the letter N -

N is for Neighborhood

I absolutely love our neighborhood with the large trees, gardens and greenery - I could just walk around for days enjoying the scenery and snapping photos.
Taken as part of our first experiments with the new to us Zeiss Ikon Nettar 515/2 (and first time using 120mm film - Kodak Tri-X 400 B&W)

N is for Need - as in All you Need is Love

 Taken with my Pentax K1000 & Kodak Max 400 colour film.

M is for Medley & Mariana

 I can't believe I am already halfway through the Film26 Project! Which also means that 2012 is half over! Is this not crazy?? Well I am super proud that I have kept up and made it this far, and hopefully with summer vacation now in full swing (yay!) I'll be able to get out and snap more photos.

M is for...

A Medley of flowers

Taken with my Pentax K1000 and Kodak Max 400 film. 

Mariana! My dear friend Alisa's dog who has the kindest, gentlest soul.

Taken with my Canonet 28 and Kodak Max 400 film.

p.s. This post is just a little late - though the pictures were submitted to the group on time, I completely forgot to post them here! Today is actually the last day for our N submissions, so my N photos will be posted shortly.

What is right in the world - Part 3

With all the chaos of moving and frantic setting up for summer visitors, I completely forgot to post part 3 of 3 in my series of "What is Right in the World"! All of these photos were taken over a few month period and when I got the film back I noticed a common reoccuring theme - babies, puppies, and...

Kitties!

Unfortunately, none of these cats are ours - though I would so love to have one, Jeffrey is allergic and so for now it just isn't an option. Luckily, in our new home there are several neighbor-kitties who are friendly and let me pet them. It helps fulfull my cat cravings.
 

Hiding Kitty - "You can't see me!"

Taken with my Pentax K1000 and Kodak Max 400 film

Hiding Kitty #2 - "I'm in a jungle and you can't see me!"

Brave not hiding kitty - "Be sure to get my good side"

Taken with my Pentax K1000 and Fuji Provia 100 (RDP III) colour slide film.

What is right in the world - Part 2

 Last week, I started a series of posts entitled - "What is right in the world". Last week's post featured pictures of babies (babies that are not mine - which for the moment is just perfect for me).

Here is part 2 of 3: What is right in the world: Puppies!
(Puppies that are also not mine, which is NOT entirely perfect for me right now, but since we have so many loving and adorable puppy friends in our lives, it is alright. We'll have one of our own someday).

The ever adorable Friday

Taken with my Pentax K1000 & Kodak Max 400 colour film.

Playful and loving Mariana

She is the gentle giant

An adorable pug we came across in the park - doesn't he look so serious?

Taken with my Canonet 28 & Kodak Max 400 colour film.

My buddy Chopper

My first attempts with the Impossible Film Project - Taken with our Polaroid Sun 660

What is right in the world - Part 1

I recently got back three rolls of film that I took over the last few months, and I noticed a few common themes... these subjects of my photographs are things that are right in the world. Things that make me smile, things that make the world a better better place.

Part 1 of 3 - Things that are right in the world: babies!

These little critters just keep popping up all over the place and making our world this cozy, happy place to be. There are even 4 more expected in the next few months!

Amelie is pensive

She also likes to practice her swimsuit pose!

Kate is one of the happiest babies I have ever met

See!

Photos taken with my Pentax K1000 & Kodak Max 400 colour film.

Claire is a dancing machine - just like her mom & grandma

She is a sweetheart

And she is a ham :p

Photos taken with my Pentax K1000 & Fuji Provia 100 (RDP III) Colour slide film.

Ryder is a calm and gentle soul

Photo taken with our Polaroid Sun 660 and Impossible Film Project Film

Testing, testing, 1, 2

Amongst the "new to us" cameras that we received at Christmas time from our sister-in-law, was a Zeiss Ikon Nettar 515/2. An adorable folding camera, complete with bellows and a leather carrying pouch.The Zeiss Ikon Nettar 515/2 was produced from 1934-58 and uses the 120mm medium format film as opposed to the more common 35mm film (there is a good little review and description of all it's stats here).

Jeffrey & I were super excited to try this one out, because I think it might be the oldest camera that we own now. We had no idea if it would even work! The good news is... it worked beautifully! And produced some really neat pictures with interesting textures and tones. 

Unfortunately with 120mm film, you only get 8 frames and the cost of film and development can be more expensive than 35mm film. The benefit of medium format film is that you can produce larger enlargements with less grain.
However, since we rarely print or enlarge our photos (at least for now), the Ikon Nettar won't make it's way into our regular camera rotation, but I would definitely like to try it again now that I know what it can do, and pull it out for special occasions or specific shots. I'd also like to see what it can do with colour film.

Me! By Jeffrey

At the Farmer's Market

Duck Pond at Queen Elizabeth

The view from the top! Overlooking Vancouver from Queen Elizabeth Park

A nice place to rest

Our "new to us babies" - The Zeiss Ikon is the one in the centre