Category Archives: Photography

Kikipan 320

Photography

In which there’s film!

I follow a bunch of photography folk on bsky, because not only are cameras cool, posts about enjoying analog hobbies are much more nourishing than the goddamn inescapable political doomscroll. (At this point, if I could not know about DOGE or P25 or this idiotic venal disgusting fucking war, or, indeed, about 98% of anything the current administration is doing or saying, it’d fucking great, even if lacking in civic responsibility.)

So anyway, the photog group I interact with most is called Shitty Camera Challenge. (A shitty camera is one that’s instant, disposable, Soviet commie, rangefinder, fixed focus, low res digital, or in general mass produced and mediocre: basically my whole camera collection.) Every so often a challenge is announced and then people post pics that meet the parameters, which are generally along the lines of ‘use a shitty camera to shoot instant’ or ‘use a shitty camera to shoot black & white’ and it’s really very nice.

Anyway, a member—who lives in Hong Kong, and knows the Camera Film Photo people who released it—decided he wanted to help create some buzz around a film called Kikipan, so he bought a bunch and did a giveaway!

cameras on the table
Four cameras on the kitchen table.

Kikipan, named after a Kiki the cat, is a grainy black & white film that comes in a box covered in cat graphics (so naturally people take a lot of pictures of cats with this film). The only string attached was that recipients were asked to agree to post at least one photo taken with the film, and even I should be able to produce at least one good shot off of three rolls!

After chatting with another woman who received this film, I think I’ll shoot a roll through each of my 35mm cameras: the brick, the Yashica my dad repaired for me last year, and the Minolta from my uncle Gale.

Just a cool thing.

I haven’t purged my closet in so long I can’t remember, and have far too many clothes I don’t fit or wear. So far I’m about a third of the way through a thorough sort, and am looking forward to being able to find things again. I’ve already found four items I hadn’t seen in so long I’d forgotten they even existed (but which still fit and are still wanted), which is functionally like getting something new, and dumped a whole bagful of stuff I haven’t worn since we’ve lived in this house.

It will be particularly useful to get rid of all the non-viable socks and underwear stuffed into the drawers. Some socks I’ll mend, but most aren’t worth the effort, so there’s no damn reason to keep them. The last couple times I went to grab a pair of socks I couldn’t find anything because it’s all shit that needs thrown away.

Went to Home Depot today and got tomato and herb starts! Whoo!

Instax : Mini 90 : Neo Classic

Gadgets, Photography

In which I bought an instant camera I don’t need but have coveted for years!

It’s here! Good job hitting that 8PM delivery time, USPS! (I don’t know why you offer 8PM delivery, but you do, so, well done.)

I already own instant cameras, of course, classic Polaroids of various models, but peel-apart film no longer exists and Impossible Project films are still expensive and experimental. (I don’t want to pay $2+ per exposure knowing they’re all lavender-tinged or are just going to turn black in a few weeks.)

I could also shoot 35MM film, and I still do from time to time, but I never get it developed because it, too, ends up being over a dollar a shot and apparently I’m cheap. Really cheap. It takes a lot of developed film to get good at using an antique camera (like my 1941 Argus C3 or the Yashica Electro 35 GSN), but the lag between shooting and developing means I never learn anything; immediate feedback is why instant film is so fun.

(God, I miss peel-apart instant film. The knowledge that I’ll never shoot the Land 103 ever, ever again makes me sad.)

Anyway, I’ve wanted one of these Mini 90 Neo Classics for quite awhile now but they’re usually in bundles full of stuff I don’t want (rainbow strap, plastic colored frames, pink lenses, etc.) at about $170. Found this one on eBay for under $70 and free shipping, so I bought it, along with bulk film, and accessories from China (clear protective case, selfie lens, cloud filter) for under $12 that should be here next month.

The battery is charging now so I haven’t used it yet, but it’s adorable! Here’s the shooting guide.

It does long exposures, double exposures, and has a kids mode for fast-moving subjects. The prints are tiny and probably mediocre at best, but it’ll be fun to play with! And film’s relatively cheap (well under $0.25 per exposure, if you buy in bulk) and ubiquitous.

I probably should have bought sheets for the bed, but I didn’t. Sheets are boring. Cameras are fun!

In unrelated news, the fridge smells bad and I’ll have to figure out why tomorrow.

UPDATE: o god it takes awesome little pictures! just like the old Polaroid film, only half the size! so fun to watch it develop! i am totally stoked!

I definitely need much more film.

Heartbroken

Gadgets, Photography, , , , ,

In which my favorite camera is now basically useless.

I haven’t been shooting film much since I moved out here, but no worries: take the camera out of the box, put in some fresh film, maybe a battery, and go shoot. Your cameras are already antiques; they won’t mind if you let them rest for a year or three.

My dad sent me a Polaroid One out of the blue. Seeing it sitting there on the coffee table, I suddenly felt the desire to shoot my Land 103. Pulled it out, set it up, took a picture, then realized, Oh, yeah, I’d fucked up and exposed the film pack last year, trying to tease out a stuck photograph.

So I went to buy some film online and it was $34 rather than $8.50. “What, is this a 4-pack? Why is it so expensive?” Looked around some more: all over $30 per 10-pack.

Googled “why is Fuji pull-apart so expensive?” and found out that it’s been discontinued.

fujifilm

Having been through this once before with Polaroid film, I know I’ve missed the chance to stock up. They’re selling through inventory now, and it’ll just get more expensive. The couple of shots I took last spring at our Golden Valley apartment were the last ones I’ll ever shoot.

Now my beloved Land 103 is a brick. Might as well donate it, along with all its accessories: the case, the portrait kit, the flash bulbs and flash attachment.

Land 103

God. So fucking bummed. I think I’ll splurge on some Impossible film for the SX-70 in an effort to feel less disappointed.

Grateful

Food, Gadgets, Life, Photography, Reading

In which it’s a lazy Sunday.

It’s so shitty outside there’s a heat warning on! Stay inside, stay hydrated, check on your neighbors, that sort of thing! Temperature in the mid-90’s with a heat index of one hundred degrees! A big-ass line of storms tonight! Large hail possible!

So I’m staying inside with the A/C on. I’m so grateful to have access to air conditioning technology. And fans, too — we have two fans running, to circulate all that conditioned air (because otherwise it just pools by the door and does no one any good at all).

I stayed up super late last night devouring part three of Seveneves. Other than the agnostic science fiction writer’s silly dream that a catastrophe survived only by scientists would somehow end religion1, it’s a really fantastic read. Being the jaded reader I am I’m loving being so absorbed in a story, since it happens so infrequently to me now.

I’d like to go look for curtains and wood glue and a few other needed household items, but I’m pretty sure leaving the apartment is a bad idea. Scott’s asleep anyway, taking a lazy Sunday afternoon nap.

I slept until two-thirty, then got up and made fried potatoes, Hollandaise, eggs, spinach, and toast for brunch. Not as good as the AMAZING Eggs Florentine at The Egg and I, but still edible. I also had a brilliant iced cardamom mocha breve with the last of the Radiance Dairy cream in it.

The bit of sky I can see under the blinds looks nice and blue, with fluffy clouds and a strong breeze ruffling the leaves, but it’s probably as damp as sweaty crotch out there. I’ve always maintained that the Midwest looks lovely all summer but feels awful.

Yesterday I installed Flickr on my phone and it worked. (It’s never worked on this phone before, and getting images off the phone and onto Flickr has been a pain in the ass since I got the phone last year.) It worked so well, in fact, it uploaded all 200 images in the phone’s gallery and now I have to delete them!

The credit union didn’t get ahold of me at the end of the week, but neither did they do so last time. I just don’t think they’re in a hurry about anything. Hopefully they’ll offer me a position next week! *fingers crossed* If they don’t, I’ll have to start looking for something else in earnest. I mean, I’ve applied for three jobs this week so as not to have too many eggs in one basket, but I’ll really need to buckle down before I run out of money.

Friday, I got my nails done because they looked awful. That evening, Scott went to a ball game (and watched Detroit lose to the Twins in the final inning) and I had the evening to myself. I drank some wine, then rode my bike down to Nicollet and ate at a Mexican restaurant.

El Nuevo Mariachi Restaurant

Then I went home and took a nap, sprawled diagonally across the entire bed, with a fan blowing on me. It was a fucking glorious Friday night.

I just looked up to see that the blue sky is gone, and is now the gunmetal grey of a thick cloud deck. The last time I checked, storms weren’t due for five more hours. Maybe it’ll get interesting out there!

—
1 We all want to end the bullshittery of organized religion, of course, but evolution and bureaucracy are part and parcel of human nature. Wherever there are human beings, there will be religion, because there will always be a need for jargon to describe the internal and the numinous, and there will always be weird little rule-following bureaucratic assholes making people miserable. Basically, every time a writer kills “religion” in a book, it just tells you that s/he has no idea what religion actually is beyond what it looks like on the surface.

Polaroid SX-70

Photography, , , ,

In which I tell you all I know about the Polaroid SX-70!

I have two SX-70s. One is a lovely silver and leather top-shelf SLR, and the other is a black plastic Model 3 (the non-SLR model). I’m lucky in that I got them both really cheap, and they both function beautifully and close completely. They’re really cool, compact, portable cameras.

SX-70s were made to take a particular kind of film (Polaroid SX-70 integral print) that is, of course, totally discontinued now, but the cameras can be altered to shoot 600 instant film (which has also been discontinued, since as of early last year Polaroid no longer manufactures any film at all). The 600 film you can still find is long expired, so buyer beware. If it’s been stored properly it will shoot just fine. If it’s been stored badly it might give you interesting, moody images, or it might not work at all.

Polaroid, picture, and cocktail Continue reading Polaroid SX-70 →

Christmas loot.

Gadgets, Photography

In which I tell you about the gifts I received.

For Christmas I got a Kindle gift certificate (yay moar ebooks!), a red goblet, candy (some of it filled with tequila, I kid you not!), a hand-made tote bag, cash, and a little herb garden kit.

I really wanna buy myself some sort of shiny new electronic device for Christmas (a new phone, Kindle, or iPod) but I’ll need to buy school books next week. After I’ve done that, I’ll be able to get myself something fun. I think it might have to be a phone, though, since mine now shuts itself off at random.

Last night, my brother and I walked over to Amity’s and stood around the fire on her patio and drank beer and talked to people. It was nice. I love having a friend five blocks away; it makes me feel like I really live here now. Continue reading Christmas loot. →

Taming of the Shrew

Photography

In which there was culture! But it was pretty redneck, so not really.

Saturday night, Left Coast Girlie and I went to see a play at Fort Walla Walla, which is an outdoor amphitheater near the local museum. The play was Taming of the Shrew, which I wanted to see because I played Kate in a high school production and I have always rather liked the show.

Shakespeare Uncork'ed

There was a nice full house.

Shakespeare Uncork'ed

When we got there, the set had a trailer on it. Oh goody, I thought. Another modernized interpretation. Ugh.

Shakespeare Uncork'ed

(I played Rosalind in As You Like It in cowboy boots and jeans once, and am of the opinion that dresses are better. I was a little sad to see the set.)

But it worked out! Baptista was a big-haired, mini-skirt wearing woman instead of a man, and they called her “Momma Baptista.” Bianca was a beauty pagent queen. Kate wore jeans and boots and rode a Harley. Petruchio was a cagey, skinny, beer-swilling redneck.

The show was hilarious. We had a really fantastic time!

~+~+~
The CurseTM arrived Friday, and The Dread has been lessening ever since. I was trying pretty hard to have an attack on Saturday (my nail tech even told me to relax when when she was doing my fill Saturday afternoon) but I managed not to completely freak out. Today I feel normal again for the first time since July 31st. Ten days of relentless panic and anxiety! WTF?

I hate hormones.

The arrhythmia is gone, and so is the panic, but I’m going to make an appointment with a GP this week and get a checkup. (That way if it gets this bad again I’ll have someone to call for drugs.)

~+~+~
Yesterday was Argus Day!

The Elder Brick

I shot maybe eight frames, but I’m carrying the camera today and hope to finish off the roll so I can get it developed.

I wound the last roll I shot (through my other Argus) off the spool, and now I can’t figure out what to do with it. There’s no easy way to get it back on the roll, so right now it’s just sitting in the camera. If I can’t figure out how to get it developed I might just throw it out.

Ah, the perils of old fully-manual cameras.