My First Month with Film

So...I am one month into my film experiment and I thought I'd take some time to share some images and some initial impressions.  

First, I love it. Love it. Love it. Love it. I love the feel of the images. I love the look of the images. I love slowing down a bit. I love finishing the roll followed by the mystery of waiting to see the images. I've shot several different films already and I love them all. My favorites being Tri-X 400 and Portra 400.

Second, I hate it. I can't stand that I it takes so long to get through a roll of film. In my first several rolls I frequently want to switch back and forth between black & white and color films. I'm sure some would say just shoot color and convert digitally to black and white while others may say you should only shoot black & white. I like both. 

Third, I find it interesting that in the past month, I have printed more images than the last 2 years combined. That just isn't right. Seriously, I've shot less than 500 images on film in 2012 and something like 40,000+ digital images in 2010 & 2011 and I've got more to show for those 500 than the previous two years combined.

Anyway, those are my initial impressions. I'm still going forward with this project because I believe it is making me a better photographer.

I thought I'd also share a few thoughts on my Bessa R4A and 21mm Cosina Voigtlander lens. This is my first forray into a rangefinder camera. Overall, I am very pleased with the kit. While it took me a bit to get used to the focus method of the dual rangefinder images becoming one, I have gotten a handle on it and have grown accustomed to it. In fact, I really like it. The Bessa functions well. The only thing I've noticed is that I struggle to find the AE lock button on the back. I think I will add a little mine grip/texture to it. I also find that I'm still trying to figure out how to meter the overall image when set in A. A few of my images have come across pretty dark.

The only other thought I have is about the 21mm f4 Cosina Voigtlander lens. It is very, very sharp. The quality is very good. The focus action is so smooth and I like the stepped aperture ring. My only comment here is that it doesn't focus close enough for how I shoot wide angle. I like to get close to subjects and I am finding that I can't quite get close enough. It isn't a huge deal, but it is noticable as I've had to step backwards frequently so I can get the camera in focus. I guess I've trained myself a bit differently and it's taking some time to retrain. I may give a try to something like a 25 or 28mm. We'll see.

Now....enough talk. How about some pictures? 

 

And this last images goes out to my friend Kid Riemer who's racing Arrowhead 135. Go get 'em Kid! Good luck to all racers!

One month of film down, 11 more to go!

Snow

Well....I rode the MN River Valley again yesterday morning before work. The snow was almost gone and the trail was getting slick. I'm bummed we don't have snow because riding my Mukluk in the snow is one of my favorite things to do.

So, since we now have no snow I am dreaming of snow. Last night, I looked back over some old snow images and ran across the one above. It was so cold on that day that the snow was like concrete and I could ride anywhere. In fact, I took a much shorter route back across the field rather than follow the snowmobile trail. Call me crazy, but I am really looking forward to experiencing this again.

In other fatbike news, I took my Mukluk Ti apart last night. I figured since we have no snow, I better take this chance to tear it down. It was making some funny noises and needed some care. I took my Surly crank & spider apart and cleaned it, greased bolts and put it back together. I pulled my Hope stainless bottom bracket out as well and wiped it down. That's all it needed as it is still perfectly smooth. I also put new brake pads in my trusy Avid BB7s. Then, rather than re install them on the Mukluk Ti, I put them on another frame.  Yep...Gonna give a Mukluk 2 prototpye frame a try for a bit. This will give me some time to play with the Mukluk Ti in a few other configurations.

The Muk 2 should be finished today and hopefully I can ride it the snow soon. Should be looker. Look for the complete build later this week or early next week.