Super Fun Zoo Time

It’s been a few years since we’ve been to the zoo, what with being really pregnant for a while, and then having a baby. We haven’t really been able to do much while she was so little. Today we went to the zoo with some friends and had a great time. Eden met Parker and Autumn for the first time ever. It’s great having friends with children to share these moments with. I’m not really sure how interested Eden was in the animals, but she absolutely loved all the babies around. Here are some iPhone photos from today. I shot about two packs of PX70 Color Shade from Impossible, but don’t have time to scan them at the moment, so I’ll get to that later. Peace!

Abandoned Six Flags, New Orleans

In 2005, hurricane Katrina pretty much completely demolished the Gulf Coast. The day they evacuated was the last day anyone would ride any rides at Six Flags, NOLA.

It took a few minutes to actually find the place on a GPS. Paul just said “Six Flags, New Orleans” into his phone, and it literally showed up as ‘(Closed)’. We had two other people with us at the time (Nicholas and Dawn), so for some reason I felt safer. We had to park the car in some bushes and walk about a quarter of a mile up the median to get there. As we were walking, a guy rolled his window down and yelled at us – “DON’T GET CAUGHT!”

After I heard that, shit got real. My heart started pounding and I started to walk faster. There was a bus stop right outside of the entrance, and I had a backpack full of cameras. We all sat down inside on one of the benches and waited until there were no cars coming from both sides. As soon as I saw an opportunity, I ran as fast as I could through the broken fence and into the parking lot towards brush where I couldn’t be seen, and when that happened, I knew it was time to get down to business. I felt like a kid in a candy store. This was _amazing_.

Everything was broken, almost every wall tagged, and you could hear the wind whistling through the rollercoasters. At one point I was so overwhelmed that I wanted to cry, but then I stepped on some glass and it went through my shoe. Most of the images I shot were digital. I also had a Holga 120N, a Pentax K1000, and a Polaroid Sun 660 (you can find those polaroids in another blog HERE).

Gotham City

I didn’t get very far up. I used to be fearless as a child but for some odd reason I’m scared of heights now. Regardless, it was beautiful.

This is Nick, a wonderful friend who let us crash at his place while we were in NOLA. He has a dragonfly on his face because he is a gangster.

The Jester

There’s a lot of ground we didn’t cover. I couldn’t really step where there was a lot of glass (which was everywhere.) I could probably go again, but next time bring a video camera. I’d love to make a tour of the place.

You can view the rest of the set on flickr HERE. See ya.

-ash

Polaroid Week 2011

Last week was ‘roid week for this year, and what better way to spend it than doing what I love the most. I had just received some Spectra Gridfilm in the mail. It had an expiration date of ’08 so I was super excited about the semi-freshness of it. Gridfilm is my ultimate favourite Polaroid film. It’s so magical looking to me, and I doubt that I’ll be able to find that much more of it before it goes completely extinct. Anyway, here’s what I shot for ‘roid week 2011:

Day 1

Polaroid Spectra System, double exposure

Polaroid Autofocus 660 with PX600 from The Impossible Project (this is a peel)

Day 2

Polaroid Autofocus 660 with PX600 from The Impossible Project

Day 3

Polaroid Spectra System, Gridfilm

Day 4

Polaroid Spectra System, Gridfilm

Polaroid Spectra System Macro shot, Gridfilm

Day 5

Polaroid Spectra System, Gridfilm

Polaroid Spectra System, Gridfilm

You can follow ‘roid week on Twitter HERE
View the group pool on flickr HERE
or join ‘roid week 2012 group on flickr HERE

If you love and miss taking Polaroid photos, there’s no reason why you can’t still do it. I often get surprised reactions from people when they find out that I shoot Polaroid still.. so many people don’t know that you can still purchase the film! Just go to www.the-impossible-project.com to see some of the many samples & test shots. Buy some! You’ll get that feeling that unicorns actually DO exist.

The Nashville Zoo on Instant Film

A few weeks ago, Paul and I went to the Nashville Zoo. I’d read that there was a new baby giraffe there, and I really wanted to go see it. I finally made it to Nashville. I’ve lived in Clarksville, which is 45 minutes north of here for about 17 years now. If you live there, my only advice to you is to GTFO. I still have family there, though.. so I can’t completely wipe it out of the picture.

All of these photos were taken on instant film purchased from The Impossible Project, and shot with a Spectra System Polaroid camera. The color film is expired Spectra Image Paul Giambarba edition, which you can purchase by clicking HERE. The rest were shot on PZ 600 Silver Shade UV+ which you can also purchase by clicking HERE.

This is Paul, and he’s the greatest thing that’s ever happened to me.

That’s about it for now. I’ve got quite a few more to scan.. so more to come later. Toodles!

This Place is Full of Ghosts – new works on film

Cave Johnson house – Polaroid Spectra (expired)

About a month ago, I read this book ‘Spook’ by Mary Roach (Science Tackles the Afterlife.. “…brings her tireless curiosity to bear on an array of contemporary and historical soul-searchers: scientists, schemers, engineers, mediums, all trying to prove (or disprove) that life goes on after we die.”) .. in it there’s a chapter about seances. Who did them, what went on, and HOW they did them. When I found out the entire process that went on, I was utterly amazed.. and was especially interested in mimicking ectoplasm in a photo shoot. We had limited supplies, but cranked out a pretty stellar shoot with what we had.

Inside of the piano – PX 600 from The Impossible Project

The milk was just another idea that ended up sour. (har har) Regardless, I had a blast. I worked with my good friends Chad Spann and Kelsey Lange. Chad shot with his 50D, and I used a Canon EOS Rebel with Kodak Tri Max 400 black and white film, which I developed at home. (4 minutes @ 79 degrees F) All black and white images were shot at the Cave Johnson home at 916 Madison Street, right next door to me. Cave Johnson died in 1849 of Scurvy, and introduced the first postage stamp in 1846. (I’m such a mail nerd) The house has been abandoned since a family was poisoned with carbon monoxide.. I frequent it often, and it will soon be demolished.

Shot with Polaroid One Step express & expired 779 film

Here are a few of the digitals that Chad Spann shot from that day:

Beauty In Death – not for the faint

If you’ve been following my progress throughout the years, then you’ve noticed that I’m a bit weird. Very, very odd. Let’s face it, I photograph a lot of dead shit. You might think, “Fucking gross.” but I think “Fucking awesome.” There is beauty in death, whether that’s just my opinion or not, it’s a huge part of why I do what I do.

Yep, that’s me – when I was just a wee nugget.

In 2004, I took my first set of Polaroid 600 photos in Ashland City, Tennessee. (My mother had bought me an iZone & Joycam in my junior high school days, but the photos remain lost.. so I consider the ones from 2004 to be my first true Polaroid experience.) Four polaroids remained in the camera before I went for a walk.. out in bumfuck wherever.

These are the last three in the set, click through for full-size.

I was cleaning a trailer out for a friend’s mother with my roommate. This friend was a woman who worked at a popular hospital in Nashville, TN. She was an RN. We were teenagers. She paid us to clean this place out in return for Ritalin & things of the sort. (a few years ago, I read her obituary in the newspaper. She had committed suicide while on her lunchbreak at work.) These first Polaroids of mine were from her camera, that she’d lent to me before I went for my walk. I owe a lot to her, and I wish I could tell her ‘thank you for really getting me into photography.’ … but I can’t.

Ribcage found at the end of a driveway to an abandoned house off of Britton Springs, Clarksville. Digital shot.

Bird skull found at Trice Landing, Clarksville. Rattle can spatter on canvas. Shot with Polaroid Spectra System/Image film with law enforcement close-up attachment.

Outside of Cumberland City. Shot with Polaroid Spectra System/Image film

Near Paris, Tennessee. Shot with Polaroid Spectra System/Image film

This guy was found ripped to shreds near our apartment in downtown Clarksville. Deer hooves. Shot with Polaroid Spectra System/Image film

This photo was shot with several different cameras. This one was shot with a Canon EOS Rebel 35mm. Kodak Tri-X 400 film, & developed at home with Kodak D-76 chemicals.

Same shot, again, with the Holga 120N. Fuji Neopan 400 film.

You can view the entire “Dead Things/Houses” set on flickr HERE.

Camera Collection!

Today I took a few hours to shoot my camera collection, and I’m actually not finished yet, as I have some cameras displayed in my room as well & had to cook myself breakfast. There are many of these that I have managed to get instant film for, but the film turned out to be too expired, dried up, or dead battery. However, most of the film cameras I try to use as often as I can; even if I have to experiment a little.

This camera takes type 42 rollfilm, which is like finding a needle in a haystack. Last year, my husband found some on ebay for me and I had successfully loaded the camera, however unsuccessfully pulled the film out. (every time.) The film was wet! It would have been amazing.. but I failed & have yet to find any more Polaroid Roll Film.

Yashica Lynx 5000E 35mm – I have shot with this camera a few times, and was very pleased with the results, as they have a dreamlike quality about them:

Kodak Brownie Hawkeye – this vintage camera takes type 620 film, but can also be loaded with 120 film. It’s a really fun camera to use. I’ve yet to load it with color film, but am planning on it soon. You can see a roll that I’ve shot with this camera here: Brownie Hawkeye set on flickr

I love this camera! There’s not much more I can say about it. It’s fun. Lightweight, and I can put as much 35mm in it as I want. Still trying to figure it out, but learning more & more. I have even converted it into a pinhole that can take macro images, but haven’t scanned the negatives. Here are some of my favorite Holga shots:

Hopefully, I’ll be using my Holga a lot more for the ART OF WAITING projects soon. I’m going to go urbexin’ now. It’s a beautiful day, and I don’t have to work. Huzzah!

Timed self-portraits on film

Last week I decided to try some self-portraits with my Canon EOS Rebel film camera. I wasn’t exactly pleased with the results, but some of them weren’t half bad. As you all know, I was expecting to go to Bonnaroo this summer, but my husband actually suggested that we use the money we would on tickets and gas, and put it to better use by getting me a nice digital SLR.

It will be a sad day, indeed, as I will be stopping my obsessive use of film to get some practice in. I simply canNOT keep fucking up on film. It’s not so much expensive anymore (I process my own film, and scan the negatives.) as it is time-consuming & really gets on my nerves when I’m not pleased with the outcome. It’s just something I feel I need to move on to.

I will still be using my film cameras for The Art of Waiting projects.. I will just be trying to get less/better results AS A RESULT, of getting more photography practice in on a digital. I really, really like to experiment with film. I would just prefer better outcomes when I get an idea and decide to take it on.

long exposure, bubble blowing. Kodak Tri-X film, Kodak D-76 developer. (all of my photos are developed with D-76)

Brownie Hawkeye

I have quite a few 620 vintage cameras, like the beautiful Kodak Vigilante at the header of this blog, and several Brownies. Sure, I like to look at them – but as I noticed that 620 film looked similar to 120, I had the idea to respool some 120 film and load it into one of my Hawkeyes. The results are ghostly. There are so many light leaks in the camera, and taking it out on a very snowy day might not have been the best idea ever.. but I’m very happy with the photos. I look forward to using color film next time.

You can view the rest of the Brownie Hawkeye set on flickr HERE.